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piduai · 2 years

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Interview with Noda Satoru from Shueisha Online

big interview from here (first 4 articles)

sharing anywhere is fine, but please credit me.

Q: Congratulations on finishing almost 8 years of serialization. As a way to welcome the last chapter, all previous volumes went into heavy reprint, and the first publishing of the last volume was suddenly increased by 100.000 copies. We are told that the total number of copies sold has exceeded 23 million. With the release of the last volume, I understand that your work on Golden Kamuy has reached it's end for the time being. Please share your current feelings with us.

Noda: What you said just now is further confirmation for me that so many readers have acknowledged this work.

Making all chapters, including the last one, free to read, countdown to the last chapter, the announcement of the live action, the exhibition - I feel like this information warfare strategy we designed with my editor, Ookuma Hakkou, has worked out very well. Ultimately all of our efforts have paid off.

Q: You also got the Japan Cartoonists Society Award.

Noda: The award has such a long history, I wanted to win it in the end in order to be able to display it as proof of my efforts.

I am happy to have received not only the Cartoonist Society award but other manga awards as well, and also about being invited to work on the anime and the live action projects. I believe it's a form of recognition from both casual readers and professionals.

Q: With the serialization over, what kind of lifestyle are you leading now?

Noda: I have to check settings and storyboards for the anime, and they also send me the scripts for the live action. Live actions work differently in terms of logic and script than manga and anime.

For example, although we strive to respect the original work, expressing the feelings of various characters who are not the main ones through internal monologue can only work until the stage of anime. I think I, being the original creator, am the only one who can organically convert that internal monologue into proper spoken lines or imagery, so it's not like I can divorce myself from this work entirely.

Q: Seems like a lot.

Noda: I feel like, during serialization, all I could do was run and run, panting and completely out of breath. But now I'm moving forward at a brisk walking pace. I also feel like if I relax too much my drawing skills will go to rust, so I'm thinking about proceeding with my next work as soon as I can. I've already started buying ice hockey equipment and my house is littered with boxes.

Q: So you've already started preparations for the full release of your previous manga, Supinamarada?

Noda: Indeed. I went to Tomakomai immediately after the serialization of Golden Kamuy ended, to take photos. I wanted to get to shoot them in spring, since nature changes colors with the passing of seasons. I've walked in the woods to the point of exhaustion. There's still the anime and the live action, but in my heart I made preparations to turn a new leaf and start everything from scratch.

Q: Now, looking back at the main story of Golden Kamuy, I wanted to ask you about the events of the last volume. Personally, Usgiyama-san's death came as a shock. Back when the official fanbook was released, you stated that you have no regrets about killing off any of the characters. Is that the case for Ushiyama-san as well?

Noda: Truth be told, he is the only one who made me go back and forth on this issue. Emotionally speaking, I didn't want him to die.

But he got to pass at his peak, so I think it was a good death. The actor River Phoenix passed away from an overdose when he was young and beautiful, but, before dying, he said that he wants to be the coolest corpse in the morgue.

From a storytelling point of view, watching the people that she loved die one after another is what gave Asirpa the resolve to end the gold hunt by herself. In other words, it lead her to the choice of pretending that the gold never existed.

The only way to make that choice a compelling one was to let the characters that both the readers and me, personally, grew to love.

Q: In other words, you made the decision for the remaining half of the gold to be abandoned a long time ago?

Noda: Yes. It was a non-negotiatible matter from the very beginning. Right off the bat my editor and I have agreed that the ending should be consistent with real history.

We agreed that we shall not use the land deed or the gold into granting the Ainu their lands restored, or creating an autonomous Ainu region in Hokkaido, or utilizing them in a way that would grant the Ainu a little more rights than what is historically true. If we did go there, the message would have been, "because the real world Ainu have not fought hard enough and didn't invest enough effort, their real history is different".

As was the case in the final chapter of the original story, the efforts of many people were behind the Ainu culture still remaining in the modern world. I wanted to convey that maybe Asirpa was one of the many whose efforts should be credited. Since there are still breeding grounds for the animals in the national parks that Asirpa helped protect, there are still Kamuy around, and therefore a way for the Ainu culture to survive; that was the idea.

Q: Indeed, some say that some ancient civilizations perished due to depletion of forest resources.

Noda: Exactly. The Hokkaido wolf and the Japanese otter are already extinct. The number of sea otters is progressively dwindling, and the tufted puffin is on the line of extinction. If it weren't for the park's protection, the Blakiston's fish owl and the Ezo brown bear, the two animals used in the highest order religious Ainu ceremony, Iomante, may have also gone extinct. I believe that the best possible fallback of this story is that Asirpa used the land deed in a way that could have staved off the extinction of Kamuy to the present day.

Q: The depictions of the Ainu in the last chapter are much more detailed in the volume than the magazine version. Are the new images referenced off your own collection?

Noda: That's part of what I personally own. Authors include Sunazawa Kura, Dr. Nakagawa Yutaka, our Ainu language supervisor, Shigeru Kayano, who became the first Ainu member of the Diet...

For example, Sunazawa Kura's autobiography was written when she was around the same age as Asirpa, so it gives us an insight on the Ainu of that time. She told stories of hunting in the woods with her family, of eating salted brains, and of not wanting her mouth tattooed.

Incidentally, Mrs Kura wrote about the discrimination of the Ainu as follows:

"For some reason, the people who bullied the Ainu predominantly happened to lack education, to work menial jobs, and a lot of them were illiterate. School teachers, doctors, forestry and coal miners, and other educated people respected and cherished the Ainu as true Japanese without a bit of arrogance."

In the end, a weak mind that seeks for a way to look down on someone is the one that will create discrimination.

Q: Any other important materials that you would recommend?

Noda: All of them are important, but if I had to pick one, it would be Makiri Research Newsletter.

It is a book by people who study makiri in museums and private collections, and I have had the privilege of interacting with one of the authors, Tobe Chiharu. Although a Wajin, Tobe has tremendous knowledge of Ainu carving patterns. Each small fragment of the pattern has a specific meaning, and so on.

I couldn't go as far as including this kind of details in the story, therefore the book is not included in the list of references, but it left us with valuable research regardless. Reading it makes looking at makiri in museums even more exciting.

Q: You also touched upon on the role the museums had in the preservation of the culture.

Noda: There is a person who is a hunter and craftsman aged over 80, his name is Urakawa Taihachi, he made the makiri of Kirawus and Cikapasi for us. We still keep in touch. When he was young and just started his craft, he used to go to museums and look at the collections. He has donated countless of his own works to museums later, believing that the Ainu that will come after will try to imitate his work after looking at it.

Other Ainu craftspeople have also been inspired by visiting the museums, or so I have been told. This is one example of how museums have a very important role to play in the preservation of Ainu culture. Another example could be Asirpa's summer footwear. Stukere are made from grape vines, and there are almost no people familiar with the craft left.

So we asked the National Museum of Ethnology in Osaka to photograph the shoes that had been stored there in the presence of Dr. Saito Reiko, a researcher of Ainu culture, and Dr. Kitahara Jirota, an associate professor at Hokkaido University. They put them on mannequins to make them look three-dimensional.

It was the first time Dr. Kitahara has observed them in this way, so he approached the task enthusiastically. We couldn't have done it without the help of the museum, and we have received a lot of help from museum curators all over Japan. I'd like to add that Dr. Saito is Wajin, while Dr. Kitahara has Ainu roots. This was the meaning behind the narration in the last chapter addressing that history was able to be passed down due to the cooperation between Ainu and Wajin.

Books by Kindaichi Kyosuke, the founder of Ainu language studies, are also included in the drawing. Dr. Nakagawa Yutaka, professor emeritus at Chiba University stated that at the least no serious Ainu language researcher would ever deny Kindaichi's achievements, and we wanted to convey that. Sunazawa Kura also mentioned her encounter with him in her book, commenting on his gentle personality and on how he shed tears when it was time to say goodbye.

For my research, I tried going places myself as much as possible. Reading through books convinced me that researching anything on the internet tells you very little of the real world. Not only about the Ainu but also the Matagi, the ethnical minorities in the Russian far east such as Nivkh and Uilta, and Hokkaido during Meiji. Infomation about any of that is very scarce online.

When I'd draw stories during serialization, sometimes Dr. Nakagawa or other researches would quip about what I based them off, and it would have been so embarrassing to say that I read about it online, so I'd rather reference books.

Q: I heard that Dr. Nakagawa has quipped that nobody actually says "Citatap" aloud while making citatap.

Noda: He has. That was intended as a character quirk and as a joke. A special rule particular to Asirpa-san's household. In fact, when it was just published, none of the supervisors even commented on it, because it was understood as a character quirk. A few years later, in an interview in I forgot which publication, he ended up commenting that it was an occurrence in Asirpa-san's house only. I guess it ended up way catchier than expected, and people started believing that it was historically factual for real Ainu.

That being said, "hinna hinna" has been used as an expression of gratitude many times in the course of the story. Despite it being explained directly in the text, maybe because it's also very catchy, people have seen to come to the misunderstanding that it means "delicious". As many of the readers may have noticed, Sugimoto, being a Wajin not used to the Ainu language, can't actually pronounce "citatap" correctly, he was saying "chitatapu", on the Japanese manner. He used "hinna hinna" in a frank manner, I thought that by doing so I could express his earnestness as a person well, but it may have been the cause of the misunderstanding.

And since you've been so kind as to give me this quip, I'll try making things clear in this interview.

We have asked that they take this kind of misunderstandings into account when making the live action. My stance has always been that I will not depict things that weren't based off historical materials.

Q: Let's go back to the last chapter. It seemed to me that the positive aspects of the Ainu were further reinforced in the volume version. What were your convictions?

Noda: Of course. I received a letter from Fujiya Rumiko, a lady with Ainu roots, who is one of the craftspeople of the Ainu folk tools on display at the current Golden Kamuy exhibition. It had been several years since I had received news from her. I thought that letter was a straightforward expression of the intent behind the convictions I have portrayed, so I would like to share it with you below:

"Back in 1997, when Kayano Shigeru-san helped repel the Hokkaido Former Aborigines Protection Act and it stopped going by that name, I was so happy. I am happy about Golden Kamuy to the same amount.

I have a friend, a grandma who is over 90, and it seems that up until now she has kept it a secret even from her grand children that she has Ainu blood in her.

But thanks to Golden Kamuy she started teaching her grand children simple Ainu words that she knows, and she was so so so so happy when telling me this. Thanks to Golden Kamuy, it has become easier for Ainu to say that they're Ainu.

I am thankful to you for spreading word of Ainu in such a good way".

Q: It is an example of how artwork has a very positive impact on the real world.

Noda: I feel that if I focused on the negative, on the harshness of discrimination that Ainu people face, the happiness of these two women would have come to naught. Though of course I understand that Fujiya Rumiko's words are not a general consensus. All individuals have their own opinions and ideologies they believe in, be it Ainu or Wajin. I know for a fact that there are many Ainu who just want a fair relationship with Wajin. That in consideration, I drew the last chapter hoping for a world in which Ainu and Wajin can live side by side. I'm satisfied knowing that there were people who were helped by that.

Even recently, however, I had the opportunity to talk with a young woman who has Ainu roots, and she told me, "Since this work began, there have been three people around me who have confided in me that they, in fact, have Ainu blood. I don't think Fujiya-san's story is just one small isolated incident.

Q: Do you think there was a possibility that, by emphasizing the discrimination aspect, many Ainu would have gone back to refusing to admit that they are Ainu?

Noda: I do. Before the series began, I visited the Hokkaido Ainu Association for an interview. What they told me was, "Don't write about miserable Ainu. Nobody wants to read about that anymore. We want something fresh. We want to see strong, bold Ainu. Don't be afraid to draw whatever you want, Satoru-kun".

I was convinced that there must be a role that this manga could play if it portrayed Ainu culture in an upbeat and fun way, rather than just them being shown as dry research material, and I took what I believed to be the right approach to this work. Of course, many people might disagree with me. There are many different approaches when it comes to fighting. If you want to take action, I think it’s only fitting to start from scratch and convey what you consider is right using your own name.

Q: But nobody can say that you avoided depicted discrimination in your work altogether, either.

Noda: It's true. It's present from the first chapter onwards.

Of course, I took my own approach to depicting the discriminatory terms and the ethnic minorities who are at the mercy of Japan and Russia without brutality. At the end of the day, the bottom point of this story is the pursuit of the gold that was supposed to be used as military funds against persecution from Wajin. My priorities were depicting aspects of the Ainu culture that I thought of as wonderful in a positive way as it is, and showing that both Ainu and Wajin are just humans, with the bad and the good in-between. What would have been the point if the serialization was cut short due to the feedback that this story is way too severe, way too serious, way too negative for an adventure manga in a mainstream magazine? How could it have served Ainu people?

What I did was make something that I, myself had interest in and thought was fun.

Q: This work is both an adventure manga and a gateway to Ainu culture, but it was not a manga that you started for human rights activities or Ainu cultural awareness.

Noda: You're right. If that was the case, I would have never mentioned any filthy nipples in such a respectable publication.

Q: Oh, you did include the filthy nipples. Also the dick-swinging onsen, the semen detective... You had such noble intentions behind all of that! (laughs)

Noda: Of course. It's all because I'm a very sophisticated fellow, you see. But I will stop giving out tasteless explanations, because I'm sure that 99.9999% of the readers have their eyes set on the "secrets" of the beautiful men that appear in Golden Kamuy.

q&a corner here, it was in-between the actual interview

Q: You once mentioned that while Golden Kamuy references a lot of movie and art through parodies and homages, there are almost no other manga references. Why is that?

Noda: Because it's a little limited as far as parodies go. During our meetings, my editor would at times reference huge manga hits, but since I haven't read them it would go nowhere. Even though there is no huge age difference between us, it seems that the manga we were into are entirely different. That's doubly true for readers in their teens or their twenties. Sooner or later, even huge well-known movies will become obscure. The difference in generations makes entertainment fragmented, we can't all know the same things anymore. I decided that I will stop referencing other works altogether from now on.

Q: I have heard that only a small portion of your materials are on display at the Golden Kamuy exhibition. I would like to ask specifically what other items you own.

Noda: There's a big model of 28cm howitzer and lightning type destroyer. The destroyer is one meter long. All was custom made of brass by a models artist.

I didn't want to yield it to the exhibition because it is really delicate and I didn't want to risk it being broken.

However, I felt that since the Golden Kamuy exhibition was such a big success, I should have put it out. There were a lot of old makiri, and I could have added them to the exhibition if they had been in the works.

Q: Hasn't most of it been bought by yourself? That's a considerable amount of money. Noda: It was all an investment. The Ainu materials alone I have purchased with my own funds from many craftspeople, totaling several million yen. Since I was allowed to depict Ainu culture, I wanted to be able to compensate and give back to those people in some way. I value the economic aspect a lot in the creation of my work. Of course, there was always the possibility of the manga never taking off and me being left empty-handed, as was the case with the previous one. I had to go to many places for interviews at my own expense, buy ice hockey gear at my own expense, rent a work place, set up desks and other equipment, get assistants, and then it got cancelled. When the serialization of Golden Kamuy has started, my savings were exhausted. Survival of the fittest is a universal rule.

Q: Tell us more about your new project.

Noda: Supinamarada! was cancelled mid-publication, and there were so many more things I wanted to show. I spent precious years of my young life on this work, and I want to keep it in this world as a finished product. I know how selfish it is. If i attempt redoing something that didn't sell once, there's a big chance it won't sell again.

But I am very grateful to Young Jump for letting me do it. I think I improved a little, with Golden Kamuy under my belt. I'm sure this time it will be more interesting, and I'm looking forward to it as well. Golden Kamuy has its fanbase, not Noda Satoru, the author. So I always try to do my best as a newcomer, with the intention of gathering new readers for each new work.

Q: At last, please leave a message for the people who love Golden Kamuy.

Noda: I am very thankful to everyone who bought Golden Kamuy until the very last volume. I wish for you to never forget it. I'd be happy if you had it as comics, kept it by the side of your bed and reread some of it from time to time. This is how I kept the manga that I loved, and my ideal was for my work to be kept this way as well.

I wish the people who liked Golden Kamuy would read my next work as well. I'm sure you'll like it, too.

Thank you very much.

#golden kamuy #noda satoru #translation

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asongcanmeaneverything · 2 years

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Ricky and Gina’s Weekend Getaway

Synopsis: Ricky and Gina fly out to a music festival in Chicago where she's set to perform as a backup dancer for one of Jamie’s artists. While there, Ricky and Gina help each other deal with Todd and Jamie, and unexpectedly deepen their relationship before summer ends.

5,300 words.

Characters: Ricky, Gina, their moms, Jamie, and Todd.

Author’s Note: Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to actually write it. I quit my job this week so I actually had the time. Shoutout to my little brother who acted as my editor. Hope all you Rinas enjoy.

“Mom! I can’t find my lucky dance bracelet!” Gina yelled, tearing apart every inch of her new bedroom. Her bedroom. Her very own space. Half boxed, half unboxed – and her brain in full panic mode.

Ricky quickly quipped over FaceTime.

“Easy Killer. You’re like a hurricane right now. Warning! Category Five Gina has just made landfall in Salt Lake!”

She snatched the phone and glared at Ricky with a cold icy stare…

“Don’t get me started.”

It had only been two months since camp ended, one month since their big first kiss, and only one week since she and her mom moved in to her seventh home in seven years. It was a mess, all of it, but she was learning to embrace it. Her room too was all over the place in reflection, and she needed to find her lucky dance bracelet now more than ever.

Gina’s mom gently approached her door.

“You had it earlier today at the pool baby. Remember? You handed it to Ricky.”

Ricky’s heart raced. He was frozen. He felt at his pockets and pulled out the bracelet into her view. Gina’s eye twitched imagining all the things she could do to him.

“You almost lost my—”

"Ok. Hey – I didn’t lose it.”

“Remember when you lost our tickets to the movies last week?”

“They weren’t lost. I just forgot they were in my pocket. I always forget that my pockets exist. Do we really even need pockets? Come on Gina.”

Gina tilted her head in disapproval. Ricky wiggled the bracelet like a worm, giving it a shrimpy cartoonish voice.

“Please don’t kill Ricky, Gina, he’s very sorry.”

She bit her lip down to hide a quiet giggle. Ricky always seemed to find a way make Gina smile. As expected, the attempted suppression failed and the two burst into laughter. Gina’s mom leaned against her door, perplexed that the two could laugh so hard at almost nothing at all and amazed at just how happy Gina had been lately.

It was the last weekend of summer vacation and Gina and Ricky were headed to Chicago together. Jamie was premiering a new artist at a big musical festival, but more importantly, he was able to get Gina hired as a backup dancer. With so much buzz from the documentary premiere, this was a perfect follow up for her online fans to see more of her dance skills. It was going to be her first professional gig, and it meant all the more that Jamie had gotten it for her. While the two hadn’t exactly been on great terms since he left Beauty and the Beast, life was going so well for her now that this felt like the beginning of a fresh chapter for them. The start of something new.

Gina’s mom had to work this weekend though, so Ricky begged her and his parents for permission to fly out with Gina to Chicago. And they actually agreed. But Gina would be staying with her brother, which meant Ricky would be staying with his mom and Todd. As excited as he was to spend the weekend with Gina and see his mom, spending any time with Todd hung over him like a dark cloud. But he didn’t want to tell Gina and take away from her focus from the festival, and truthfully, he was ashamed to admit he was still uncomfortable seeing his parents date other people. It had taken him a while to adjust to Ms. Jenn dating his dad, but even that was different. He saw Ms. Jenn every day at school. But Todd was the guy who got his head out of the game on opening night. Ricky was eighteen now, and knew he had to fight these feelings and he shouldn’t be so affected by change anymore. It was time to grow up, and yet, there was a little something distant and sad in his eyes, which Gina, as always, quickly caught.

“Ricky. You okay?”

He snapped out of it. “Sorry I was daydreaming about our flight tomorrow! We have so much to do.”

“On a three hour flight?”

“Of course! We’re going to finish the new season of the Great British Baking show, and eat pretzels, play games…”

She smiled. “I can’t wait to see the sights as we fly in.”

Ricky softly smiled back. He’ll just be happy to see her, he thought.

They continued to talk and pack late into the night. Ricky rambled on with joy and excitement about all their weekend plans. It was a lot, but he was making up for time lost between them. He was so busy detailing all of the places he wanted to take her, all of the things that they could do, that he hardly noticed for the better part of an hour she had quietly dozed off into a dreamy slumber. She was so peaceful when she slept, and he didn’t dare wake her. How lucky few had ever gotten to see Gina Porter sleep over FaceTime he wondered. He laid his phone down next to his pillow and turned out the lights.

“Good night, G.”

The next morning Gina placed her carry on in the overhead, while Ricky over shared with the pilots up front.

“Yeah it was unreal. So, I just grabbed her arm and said, “wait.””

Gina overhearing all this, laughed and rolled her eyes. She then checked her phone for any messages from Jamie. She had been texting him since last night to confirm the time and location of their meet, but he had yet to reply. She checked his story only to see he was out partying all night. She was really frustrated. Disappointed, her brow furrowed and she squeezed her phone into a death grip. Ricky appeared with an armful of snacks but immediately could feel something was off.

“Everything okay, G?”

She shook her head with confusion, “What are you –”

“Well, I got us pretzels, and cookies, and waters, and –”

“Ricky,” she tenderly interjected, “you’re supposed to wait for the attendants to distribute that.”

“Oh, I was just so excited. Sorry. Should I take it back?”

His arms full of stolen treasure, she giggled, and helped him to their seats. He almost looked proud. It was cute. He was cute, she thought, in a helpless puppy who thinks he’s a pit bull sort of way.

“I downloaded the finale of the Great British Bake Off for us to finish.”

She exhaled and kissed him on the cheek forgetting all about Jamie. It amazed her that no storm passed through her life, that Ricky didn’t seem to fly and glide above without even trying. The two got ready for take-off while Ricky continued to elaborate his plans for them this weekend. She listened ecstatically, but every once in a while, the sun would stream in from their window lighting the tips of his whispy brown curls, leaving her altogether beside herself. He was the only thing keeping her Jamie stress at ease. He was, she thought, the only thing.

Once they reached cruising altitude Ricky pulled out his laptop and they watched the finale.

“I knew Rahul would win!”

She turned to see Ricky had all but fallen asleep. He had stayed up all night over exciting himself, and now finally crashed.

“Ricky, are you kidding me?”

He didn’t hear a word as he nuzzled himself softly into her warm coco butter scented Afro.

“Mmmm,” her grinning, sleepy boy muttered from his dreams.

She wanted to be annoyed with him. Annoyed that he had left her alone with her festival anxieties and thoughts of Jamie, but the feeling of him sleeping so close against her in total serenity – not just safe, but happy – like not a single thing could bother him so as long as he was with her, she couldn’t be mad even if she tried. She gently rubbed his temple and slowly stroked his curls. Her nose twitched noticing that he was wearing the cologne she had mentioned liking to him after homecoming. She couldn’t believe he remembered it. She couldn’t believe any of this. Her finally having a home, her professional debut, this whole summer, and how this most unexpected romance happened between two outsiders just looking for someone to get them. It suddenly dawned on her. This was her season of abundance, her year of yes. If she got Ricky to get her, then she’d have to make the effort to have Jamie get her too. She didn’t want to seem ungrateful, but part of her began to believe for the first time in forever she wouldn’t have to compromise herself to reach her goals. With this thought, her stress had strengthened into resolve, and was only distracted now by Ricky muttering in his sleep about pink jelly.

When they arrived in Chicago Ricky’s mom was waiting to pick the two up. When Ricky saw her car pull forward, he let out a deep sigh of relief. One, he realized, he had been holding onto since he last saw his mom during spring break. Ricky raced over and gave his mom the biggest and tightest of hugs. He awkwardly stepped back a bit, as Gina giggled.

“Mom this is—”

“Gina, as in thee Gina Porter, the dancing queen?”

Ricky blushed “Okay, mom.”

“Ricky’s words, not mine.”

She gave Gina a tight hug, an image Ricky never knew how much he needed to see.

“It’s nice to meet you Ms. Lynn.”

“You too, sweetheart. You guys hungry?”

“Starving,” Ricky replied, throwing their bags into the trunk, “I didn’t get anything to eat on the plane.”

“Cause you abandoned me and slept the whole way.”

“You know, Ricky has always loved naps ever since he was a baby. One time, at Big Red’s ninth birthday party, he disappeared, and we were all freaking out trying to find him. When I finally found him, he was cuddled up in the petting zoo with a baby goat and two piglets.”

Gina exploded with laughter.

His mom excitedly continued, “It’s true I have pictures at the house.”

“Okay, that’s enough.” A mortified Ricky interjected.

“Oh I’m going to be getting all the tea in Chicago.”

“Pizza and tea!” His mom responded, taking Gina in her embrace.

“Sounds perfect.” Ricky relented opening the car door for Gina.

“Why thank you my little piglet.”

The three huddled together in an Italian pizza joint as their server sat a steaming hot pie at their table. Ricky grabbed a slice add and immediately drowned it in Parmesan. He took a bite, scorching his tongue, and quickly downed his soda to cool it off.

“So Gina, Ricky tells me you’re going to be dancing at the music festival this weekend. Are you excited?”

Ricky noticed Gina was still anxiously checking for texts back from her brother. He quickly picked up the missed cue.

“She’s a pro mom. This is just another day at work for Gina.” She looked up embarrassed, but he rubbed her shoulder assuredly. “We’re going to go to the bean. Gina found this awesome food truck on Lakeshore drive that we’re going to try, and then we’re supposed to meet her brother Jamie later at the mall.”

“Well, that is a lot. You sure you kids are going to be okay all on your own?”

“Of course! We’ll be sure text you throughout the day, and I’ll be sharing my location. It’s going to be great, and then tomorrow is the big show.”

Gina put her phone away and finally rejoined the conversation.

“You’re welcome to come to the show tomorrow. I’m sure Jamie could get you in with a plus one if you want.”

Now it was Ricky who was stuck. His mom had learned by now to handle this with great sensitivity and care, to help keep Ricky from becoming overwhelmed. She could see in Ricky’s eyes that he still wasn’t ready and that was okay.

“I do have some prior engagements tomorrow, so I’ll have to wait and see if I can, but thanks for the offer.”

She rubbed Ricky’s shoulder who exhaled another deep sigh of relief.

“I’d love to come though, if I’m able.” Ricky looked at Gina hoping to have some of her classic courage rub off on him.

Ricky took pictures and recorded TikTok’s with Gina by the bean. He was so excited to participate. It was easy helping Gina make content. They just gelled creatively. They just got each other. Ricky was a shameless madman, willing to go to wild lengths to catch Gina at all the right angles. Giving her notes and making endless attempts at the perfect shot. And yet, they almost always posted the outtakes. The mess ups. The candids. The takes that unraveled without reason and made them laugh and grab onto each other desperately trying to breathe. He had almost no memory of all the times he was forced to make content with Lily. It wasn’t that he forgot, it was more like it never even happened. Is that what love is, he quietly thought. Something or someone rearranges your life so that it’s only before, her, and after? When he looked at Gina through the phone camera lens, he wasn’t just looking at his girlfriend. He was looking at the whole world. That’s what Gina does for him. She changes how he sees everything. As he steadied the phone for another picture, he saw Gina’s smile fall into worry. Jamie still hadn’t text her back. Her neck tensed. She was watching her whole world fall apart.

Gina walked through the mall clouded by doubt. Voices in her head begging her to get it together quick. Ricky followed closely but not too closely giving her just enough space. Jamie had told her he’d confirm the time to meet them here. But he hadn’t. Maybe all this was a mistake, she wondered. Maybe Jamie regretted offering her the gig and didn’t think she was ready. No, there’s no way, she told herself. If she wasn’t sure about Jamie, how could she be sure about herself. It dawned on her that this was the real problem. But how could she address it when he was never available or even around. She’d do what she had always done.

“Just keep pushing. Just keep pushing.” She softly muttered in an almost trance like state.

“You hear from Jamie yet?” Ricky offered in softness.

“No. Not yet.” She exhaled sadly, stopping to drop her head.

“There’s still time. He’ll call soon.”

“That’d be a miracle at this point.”

Suddenly the two heard a large crowd cheer. They took a left around the corner to investigate.

Ricky and Gina stumbled into a huge Dance Dance competition. There was at least a hundred people standing by to watch as contestants competed in pairs. The goal was simple: Highest score wins. But this was a competition, so contestants weren’t playing the same version found in homes. This was an intense expert level routine designed specifically for skilled dancers. Ricky smiled in disbelief. This is exactly what Gina needed. He grabbed her hand.

“Let’s go!”

“Oh Ricky, I don’t know. We need to find Jamie.”

“La-la-la – Sorry, I can’t hear you.”

He dragged her up onto the platform and a familiar song began to play. Of course, it was “Born to Brave.” Finally, it was their turn to leave a mark on this now essential wildcat anthem. The two began, and immediately something switched in Gina. She wasn’t just nailing each move, but added extra spins, touches, and flourishes to make the choreographed moves all her own. Ricky struggled to just keep his breath, and with the dance break approaching, things weren’t looking good for him.

“Bosses and Queens stand up on your throne. Know who you are this is your kingdom. Legends at heart, Individuals. Go make your mark. Be original.”

The fast paced dance break finally broke Ricky. He collapsed into pile of sweat. Gina laughed, still dancing, and looked at him concerned. Ricky laid there immobilized, panting, and waving for her to go on without him.

“Don’t stop. You got this!” he breathlessly assured her.

The crowd laughed at Ricky and roared for Gina. She got to the section of choreography that had proved the most difficult for all the other contestants. She just had to zone in. Focus. Her feet working double time, one foot in front of the other. The crowd was amazed. Ricky still lying down, worked the crowd.

“Oh yeah, that’s the Gina Porter I know! Come on everybody. Let her hear you!”

As she finished the routine, we see that despite losing a partner she still hit the high score. The winning buzzer went off and she screamed with elation. A judge handed Ricky their winning ribbon. Gina fell down elatedly exhausted next to Ricky. The two embraced each other.

“We did it! We won!”

“We? You’ve gotta be kidding me. That was all you. You see the crowd right now. They love you. Just like they’re going to love you tomorrow. Everyone loves you.”

As he said each of those last three words, the two fell silent as each word delicately nestled its way in between them. The crowd continue to cheer and take videos and pictures, but Ricky and Gina might as well have been the only two people in the entire world right then. Gina’s heart was racing. Everyone meant everyone. Everyone meant Ricky, she thought. Did he mean to say it? Did he want to say it? She searched Ricky’s soft brown eyes, and she had this gut feeling he was about to tell her. Ricky sweetly smiled and opened his mouth to speak when suddenly Jamie appeared clapping loudly above the crowd.

“Now I’ve seen some legendary Gina Porter performances in my day. But that was top two and not two. You ready for sound check superstar?”

Later that night Gina was settling into the hotel with Jamie and FaceTiming Ricky. Ricky was in his mom’s new apartment with Todd. Gina was tired. Ricky was uneasy. The two surviving through the electronic signal passing between their phones. They had much left to discuss. Ricky went first.

“How was the rehearsal?”

“It went well. I didn’t do a bad job, but it wasn’t my best either. Whatever I had at the mall with you, I lost it on stage tonight.”

Jamie listened hesitantly. He wanted to say something reassuring, but he could tell Gina was already frustrated with him for the lack of communication. He wished she only knew that every time he didn’t say something, he always wanted to.

“Hey Gina. Sorry to interrupt. I’m going out with the talent tonight to introduce them to some industry folks and network. I might be back pretty late. Are you going to be okay here alone?”

Gina wanted to shout. She wanted to scream. Couldn’t he for once just be my big brother, she thought. Couldn’t he for once act like one? For once couldn’t he just stick around? What is it about me that makes him runaway? She sighed sadly.

“Yeah Jamie. I’ll be fine.”

Jamie was no fool. He could tell she didn’t mean it. Defeated, he nodded silently and slipped out the door. Gina grabbed her pillow and screamed into it.

She shot back up with a scary smile on her face. Ricky’s head shot back with fear.

The two stared at each other and then burst into laughter. At everything. At nothing.

“I don’t want to tell you what to do G, but…”

“But I should tell him how I feel?”

He nodded as Todd called over from the next room. Dinner was ready. The timing of the moment couldn’t have been more perfectly imperfect. Almost like a sick joke he thought. Ricky twisted his neck, eating his own words. Gina crossed her arms.

“Yeah, okay Ricky. You first.”

The next day Ricky jumped out of his uber and headed into the festival area. After getting checked off at security he entered the performance space. It was huge. Crew hoisted up huge lights as the DJ set up his table. He texted Gina to let him know she was here. He waited and looked around. He then heard a voice call from onstage.

“Ricky!”

He turned to see Gina in full make up and costume. Her hair was in a high ponytail with bits of silver streaking throughout. Glitter makeup danced around her eyes. She beamed. His heart stopped. It didn’t matter how many times he saw her in her element, it never got old. A crew member focused a light onto Gina. The light bounced off the sparkles in her costume, the glitter in her make up, and the twinkle in her eyes. Ricky legitimately couldn’t move.

She could tell. It almost brought her to tears. Sometimes he didn’t even need say the things he felt. To tell her how beautiful she was. She could see the compliment trembling in his fingers.

“Wow G. You are everything.”

What he really wanted to say was that he loved her. Maybe he would soon he thought. Those words felt all too heavy after Nini. He knew the responsibility in saying them. He respected their power. He knew that a time would come when he would tell her, and at this rate, it would be very soon.

She took him backstage and showed her the green room where everyone hung out. Ricky was beside himself when he learned all the food and snacks were free. He helped take pictures of her in costume for her socials.

“Okay champ. How are you feeling? You ready to crush it?”

“I guess. I don’t know. No? I kinda wish I hadn’t come. I thought this would be a bonding experience for me and Jamie, but somehow, I feel more distant from him now than ever.”

Jamie was down the hall pacing back and forth on his phone. Ricky looked over to him. Gina too.

“Why can’t you tell him that?”

“It’s easier to say how I feel when I’m with you.”

Ricky thought about it. “Okay. That's what we’ll do then.”

Before she knew it, Ricky had grabbed her arm and raced the two down the hallway. Gina stumbled into place as Ricky stood right around the corner giving them some semblance of privacy. Jamie stared perplexed.

“Hey Gina. Need something?”

She fumbled with her lucky dance bracelet. She smiled nervously and gulped. She opened her mouth, hoping words would just spill out, but nothing. Ricky grabbed her hand, squeezing tight like one of their opening night circle up’s. Jamie was lost.

“Is that Ric—“

“I’m upset with you Jamie. You got me this gig, and I’m beyond grateful. And you’re my big brother, and I love you. But you haven’t been communicating with me. You’ve been constantly ditching me to go out, and I don’t know, I’m at a place in my life where I don’t need anyone’s pity. I came here for the opportunity to work, but more than anything it was the chance to work with you. But we haven’t really done that. I just want to know where we stand. Okay. That’s all of it.” She glanced back over to Ricky who gave her a thumbs up. “I think.”

Jamie’s eyes watered a bit. Gina was shocked. She dropped Ricky’s hand and grabbed her brothers. Ricky walked away to give them space they needed.

“You’re a star Gina. I’ve always believed that. It’s been hard for me lately. I don’t feel like I’m where I’m supposed to be professionally, and personally. It’s no excuse, I guess I just thought by keeping you at a distance, I would spare you any more disappointment.”

She grabbed him into a long hug. “You’ve never disappointed me. I thought you didn’t really want me around.”

“I didn’t want my bad vibes to rub off on you or hold you back.”

She hugged him, and he hugged back. The two talked, and talked, and talked some more. They cried a little. Hugged. Laughed. Cried again. She smiled. He smiled too. That’s the thing with siblings, when the love is genuine, it’s never too far away.

“I wasn’t so sure about the other guy I met, but that Ricky’s a good kid.”

“He’s the best. He’s – wait, where did he go?”

After some searching, Gina found Ricky back in the green room entertaining a dozen people with a story.

“… and so then Gina asked me to play my solo acoustic guitar version of the song, and I was like, really? You want to hear it? So I pulled out my guitar and started playing.”

One of the musicians handed Ricky his guitar. Gina stood there smiling when she got an idea. She stepped out into the hall to make a phone call.

“Perfect. We’ll see you then.”

She hung up and stepped back into see Ricky getting a warm applause for his song.

“Oh hey Gina, how’d it go?”

“Good. Really good. I couldn’t have done it without you Ricky. So, I hope you don’t mind, but I took a leap and did something for you.”

“Okay?” he offered confusedly.

“I invited your mom and Todd to come.”

Ricky was shook.

“Now listen, I know you want to push past the awkwardness so you can just feel like a normal person around them. This is your chance. I’ll be onstage the whole time so if you get nervous you can just look up to me.”

“G, I don’t know.”

She thought for a minute, and then grabbed his hand. She slid down her lucky dance bracelet and placed it over his wrist. Ricky smiled.

“You were there for me with Jamie. I’ll be there for you. We’ll always do that for each other.”

He grabbed her and the two went in for a kiss. One that lingered in joy like a home. As they kissed Gina slipped a small note into his pocket. Ricky was so locked into the embrace of her love he didn’t even notice. As Ricky pulled out of their kiss, his worries grabbed back hold of him. The other dancers grabbed Gina to go and finish getting ready. Ricky called out to her as she disappeared down the hall.

“Gina! What if don’t know what to say?” Did she hear him? He turned away nervously and made his way out to the audience.

His mom was there. Todd too. Ricky was trying. He had graduated from terror and panic and was now battling intense awkwardness. If you looked at these three you would have had no idea that they were at a festival. The crowds cheered around them, but between them was tense deafening silence.

The DJ played an intro song to hype everyone up before the artist Gina performed with came out. Ricky bobbed around trying to find safety in the rhythm of the music. It started to work, and he even smiled at Todd and his mom. Todd smiled at Ricky’s mom and pulled her into a dance. Ricky didn’t know how to feel. He slowly lost the beat. He texted Gina quickly, as his mom subtly brought their dance to a halt.

“I’m ruining the vibes. I don’t know what to say.” He pressed send.

He watched as the typing bubble appeared and then dropped. His hopes dashed, and the song ended. He softly shuffled his feet and crossed his arms. The lights dimmed, and then three back up dancers ran onstage. Gina was down stage left. His attitude turned on its head when he saw her posed, ready to pounce. She was with him, like she had promised. He wasn’t alone.

This was it. Gina took a brief look offstage and her brother made a heart sign with his fingers. A smile beamed through her eyes. Right before the beat drop, she turned her gaze to Ricky. She saw his face light up. She slowly traced her finger down to her left pocket and tapped it. She raised an eyebrow subtly so Ricky would catch the hint.

From the crowd, Ricky watched her tapping her left pocket, wondering what it might mean. Instinctively, he reached down into his pocket, and like some magic trick, he found the small note Gina had secretly left there earlier. The beat dropped and the dancers ran upstage to bring on the singer. Ricky began unfolding the small piece of paper that somehow smelled of Gina. In it, there was a message written just for him.

Don’t say anything. Just fly dude <3

She hit the first steps of the combination, fiercely swinging her hair like a dragon’s tail. Ricky nodded with unfamiliar acceptance. He looked at his mom and Todd who seemed to be waiting to take his lead. He reached out to his mom and swung her into a dance. He spun her out with one hand, and then brought Todd in with the other. He passed his mom back over to Todd and three danced and boogied while Gina tore the stage in two. Gina changed everything for him.

Jamie was live-streaming Gina’s performance on her Instagram. Screaming and cheering her on in the background like any proud big brother.

“That’s my little sister! That’s my star!”

Gina faintly heard his cheers over the sounds of the crowd and the music. Some strain of electric joy zapped up and down her body. She was back at the mall doing Dance Dance with Ricky. She was back onstage in the barn with Kourtney. She was back at East High dancing in the lunchroom with her friends as they desperately tried to save Ms. Jenn’s job. At its best, this is what performing was all about for her. Sharing joy with people. During the dance break she hit her famous death whack. The crowd thundered with approval. The dancers and the singer hit the final pose. She held it while her heart pounded out of her chest. She looked down to the crowd to see Ricky standing there screaming at the top of his lungs. The two held each other’s gaze. Ricky changed everything for her.

“Everyone loves you Gina!” He yelled. She smiled and laughed, and he searched her eyes with certain seriousness before silently mouthing I love you.

Gina’s heart dropped into her stomach, and then launched out through the top of her head. It danced through her body like a revolution. The artist announced the next song and she hesitated before jumping into her next position. Even the most seasoned performer can be shaken by the power of love.

That night on the plane back to Salt Lake Gina was passed out, laying across Ricky’s lap, her legs stretched into the empty third chair beside them. They had to leave immediately from the show, so she never had time to get out of costume. Ricky gently wiped off her make up and draped a blanket over her. She stretched, readjusting to getting comfortable, before falling back into a peaceful slumber. How lucky few had ever been able to tuck Gina Porter into bed he thought to himself. He wrote her a small note and gently slid it into her pocket. He wrote it before he even realized what it said.

I love you, Gina Porter. I always will.

He put in AirPods and quietly opened his laptop to finish the finale of the Great British Bake Off. His eyes grew wide as he whispered.

“No way, Rahul won? She called it.”

@rinaweek hope I’m not too late lol

Edit: I’m sorry for blazing this post. I genuinely wanted to see what would happen and have learned my lesson lol.

#rina week 2022 #rinaedit #rina hsmtmts #rina endgame #ricky x gina #ricky bowen #gina porter #Joshua Bassett #sofia wylie #hsmtmts #high school musical #high school musical the series #hsm #hsmedit #kenny ortega #tim federle #@rinaweek #rina fic

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clairelsonao3 · 10 months

Note

Happy STS!

Tell me about something positive that has happened recently with your writing! Nothing is too small to celebrate (even if all you’ve been able to do is daydream).

~ @tabswrites

Happy STS, Tess! Thanks for the ask!

My energy was totally spent after the epic (i.e. long) Ch. 24 of Good Slaves Never Break the Rules, and I think I waited a week before doing any work at all on Ch. 25. All while worrying that the longer I waited, the harder it would be to get back to it (and fretting about how I would pull off some very exciting but tricky scenes of a type of which I've never really done before). However, in the past few days, I have started up again and am feeling confident that the update won't take forever (which is good, because the last one ended on a bit of a cliffhanger, to say the least, and people would probably kill me😂).

I also took out The Adored (completed, querying YA romantic thriller) recently for the first time in a long time. It's been in a drawer for probably almost a year now because after I solicited professional editorial feedback, the results left me pretty discouraged because I couldn't figure out how to fix the problems the editor brought up. Putting it aside and moving on to another project (GSNBTR) was probably the best thing I could have done to get out of that rut and start thinking about it differently. Now I DO actually have an idea of how to fix the problems, which I'm excited about!

#sts #storyteller saturday #gsnbtr #the adored #wip: the adored #asked and answered #my writing #writeblr

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novelmonger · 1 year

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youtube

I love Cinema Therapy. I love how they break down the psychological aspects of various movies, good and bad, and how they bring their expertise as a licensed therapist and professional filmmaker to discuss some of the best movies out there. I'm always excited to see what they have to say, and I was especially thrilled to see their latest video, ranking some of the best bromances in the MCU. I discovered them through their videos where they cried over the LotR bromances, so it sort of feels like coming full-circle ^_^

And of course I was pleased that Jono put Steve and Bucky's friendship at the top, because that's where they belong <3

The only thing that bugged me about what they had to say in this video was the implication that Steve and Bucky's friendship isn't entirely healthy. Obviously they can't get into all the little nuances of this relationship that spans several movies in their little five-minute spiel about it, and of course they're entitled to their own opinions, but their opinion is wrong I think they're misunderstanding a thing or two. And I wanna talk about it.

(If you don't want to read my rambling, just watch the video and support their channel, 'cause it's great!)

I agree whole-heartedly with everything they had to say, except for a couple things in this bit here (25:52-26:30).

Jono: "Tony is not willing to see Bucky. Once he learns it's the Winter Soldier, it's just the Winter Soldier. And Steve is the opposite, where he barely is acknowledging that the Winter Soldier is in there. He's like, 'This is Bucky. We're gonna get him out.' And Steve endangers people, including himself and his other friends, and also lets his friendships--with Tony, his friendship with Tony sours, because of his loyalty to Bucky. And he's been criticized for that, there are different ways he could have done that, that wouldn't have had the outcome that they had, and that's true. So maybe I shouldn't have put this at number 1, but for sheer love and loyalty..."

Alan: "This is hard to beat."

It's been almost seven years, and people are still watching Civil War and thinking the only reason Steve and Tony are fighting is because of Bucky. That the reason Steve's relationship with Tony soured is because he's blindly loyal to Bucky, that Steve should have done something differently.

Now, if you're just talking about the final fight in Siberia, I guess this holds a little more water. Tony doesn't see Bucky, a brainwashed victim; he sees the Winter Soldier, the murderer of his parents, and he's fighting to get revenge. Steve sees Bucky, his best friend, and is fighting to keep Tony from killing him.

But the implication in the video, particularly because of the clips used (which, granted, could be entirely chosen by the editor and not what the guys were thinking of when they were talking about it), is that the conflict of the entire movie hinges upon Steve and Tony's different views of Bucky. They seem to be saying that the only reason Steve and Tony are at odds is because Bucky is on the run from the law, and Tony wants to take him in while Steve refuses because his loyalty is to Bucky first.

That's a really common takeaway from the movie, but it's...so incomplete. Steve and Tony were already on opposing sides long before Bucky came on the scene. The conflict between them in this movie begins with the different positions they take concerning the Sokovia Accords. Even if Zemo hadn't done a single thing, they would eventually have found themselves on opposing sides of a fight, because Tony signed the Accords and Steve didn't. As soon as an Avengers-level threat cropped up, Steve wouldn't be able to just sit there twiddling his thumbs, especially if there was a delay while the committee decided what to do. Steve would be in the thick of things, trying to save people, and sooner or later he would run afoul of the Accords (because they're stupid and violate a whole slew of human rights, but that's a rant for another time), and then Tony would be forced to fight him, because he signed them.

(Aside: People seem to take Tony's line "Your judgment is askew" as indisputable fact. I wish they would do the same for Steve's line in the same scene: "You [tore the Avengers apart] when you signed.")

The bottom line is, though Steve and Tony's relationship was certainly damaged by how things went down in Siberia, which is centered around Bucky, they were always on very rocky footing and they were already at the point of shouting at each other over their disagreements about the Sokovia Accords. Their relationship does not sour just because of Steve's loyalty to Bucky. That would have happened with or without him in the mix.

And...can I just say? I've heard a lot of people criticize Steve for the way he handled things in CW, like he's the one bearing all or most of the blame for the Avengers falling apart. But what else was he supposed to do? Blindly sign the Accords even though it would have meant violating the rights of every enhanced individual on the planet? Just sit on his hands and watch while Bucky is shot on sight for a crime he never committed? Let Team Iron Man take him in and stop him from going after Zemo (who, to his knowledge at the time, was planning to wake up the other Winter Soldiers that no one else knew existed)? Steve could not in good conscience do any of those things.

The Cinema Therapy guys, and a lot of other people I've heard over the years, seem to think that Steve fighting friends and people who might otherwise be allies in order to save Bucky from being outright killed for crimes he was not guilty of...is a sign of an unhealthy friendship. That going after Bucky and insisting that his friend is still in there, that Bucky and the Winter Soldier are not one and the same, that he is going to try to get him back even if it means putting his own life on the line, when he has reason to believe it's possible and is proven right...is Steve being blind to reality.

Is it unhealthy to love someone so much you would die to save them? Is it unhealthy to believe that they can be saved even when everyone tells you it's impossible? Is it unhealthy to devote entire years of your life to finding your friend and making sure they're all right? Is it unhealthy to pick the friend who has been there for you your whole life, over the career/legacy/duty you've built up over the past several years (or over the "friend" who just tried to kill him)? Is it unhealthy to defy the whole world to defend your brother who has been cruelly victimized, and know that he would do the same for you if your positions were reversed?

If Steve and Bucky's friendship is unhealthy, I wish all of my friendships could be as unhealthy as theirs.

#ranting into the void #cinema therapy #captain america #steve rogers #bucky barnes #brooklynbros #captain america: civil war #cacw #(mostly)#bromance #brotherly love #discourse that no one asked for but here you are anyway #to reiterate: i adore cinema therapy and my favorite internet dads #but i am mature enough by now to know that sometimes my dads can be wrong :P #i could have gone into more detail about tws-specific stuff #but this portion of the video seemed to be focusing more on cw #and this is long enough as it is #Youtube

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wikiuntamed · 2 months

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On this day in Wikipedia: Saturday, 16th March

Welcome, hoş geldiniz, bun venit, nuqneH 🤗 What does @Wikipedia say about 16th March through the years 🏛️📜🗓️?

16th March 2022 🗓️ : Event - 2022 Fukushima earthquake A 7.4-magnitude earthquake occurs off the coast of Fukushima, Japan, killing 4 people and injuring 225. "On March 16, 2022, at 23:36 JST, a strong earthquake struck off the coast of Fukushima, Japan. The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.4 according to the Japanese Meteorological Agency (JMA), while the United States Geological Survey (USGS) gave an estimate of 7.3. Immediately after the event a 30‑cm..."

Image by Sources: GDACS, USGS, JMA, FDMA, NOAA-NCEI, JRC-GHSL

16th March 2019 🗓️ : Death - Dick Dale Dick Dale, American surf-rock guitarist, singer, and songwriter (b. 1937) "Richard Anthony Monsour (May 4, 1937 – March 16, 2019), known professionally as Dick Dale, was an American rock guitarist. He was a pioneer of surf music, drawing on Middle Eastern music scales and experimenting with reverb. Dale was known as "The King of the Surf Guitar", which was also the title..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0? by Mike Burns from Somerville, MA, USA

16th March 2014 🗓️ : Event - Crimea Crimea votes in a controversial referendum to secede from Ukraine to join Russia. "Crimea ( kry-MEE-ə) is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. The Isthmus of Perekop connects the peninsula to Kherson Oblast in mainland Ukraine. To the east, the Crimean Bridge, constructed in..."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0? by Maximilian Dörrbecker (Chumwa)

16th March 1974 🗓️ : Birth - Anne Charrier Anne Charrier, French actress "Anne Charrier is a French actress, who is credited with 7 films and 22 TV productions between 2000 and 2009. She was coached for TV by the Australian Elise McLeod...."

Image licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0? by Frantogian

16th March 1924 🗓️ : Event - Treaty of Rome (1924) In accordance with the Treaty of Rome, Fiume becomes annexed as part of Italy. "The Treaty of Rome was agreed on 27 January 1924, when Italy and the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes agreed that Fiume would be annexed to Italy as the Province of Fiume, and the town of Sušak would be part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes. Fiume and Sušak would have a joint..."

16th March 1823 🗓️ : Birth - William Henry Monk William Henry Monk, English organist and composer (d. 1889) "William Henry Monk (16 March 1823 – 1 March 1889) was an English organist, Anglican church musician, and music editor who composed popular hymn tunes, including "Eventide", used for the hymn "Abide with Me", and "All Things Bright and Beautiful". He also wrote music for church services and anthems...."

Image by Unknown authorUnknown author

16th March 🗓️ : Holiday - Christian feast day: Julian of Antioch "Julian of Antioch (Latin: Julianus, Greek: Ίουλιανός; d. AD 305 x 311), variously distinguished as Julian the Martyr, Julian of Tarsus, Julian of Cilicia, and Julian of Anazarbus, was a 4th-century Christian martyr and saint. He is sometimes confused with the St Julian who was martyred with his wife..."

Image by Unknown authorUnknown author

#OnThisDayInWikiHistory #WikiUntamed #WikiQuest #GemsOfWikipedia

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rainydestinywinner · 2 years

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Social Media Ethics

Tamarijn Alpaio

Prof. Susi

COMM-1400-600

October 30, 2022

The current state of social media ethics: what trends are happening in the industry? What are two current cases related to social media ethics? Outline the current code of ethics for social media by a professional organization you would be interesting in joining as part of their social media staff.

A current trend that is happening is parents posting their toddler to the sound "it made me think of you" then cutting to a picture of their newborn reminiscing on the child growing up quickly.

One case related to social media ethics would be a Twitter post made by Kanye West. Less than a month ago, he posted an anti-Semitic post. He was threatening to kill Jewish people and though it was okay to say/post because "black people are actually Jew also".

Another case related to social media ethics would be trolls in general. There are people that give so much hate to other people, usually anonymously, which can cause users to harm themselves or even suicide. Both cases I mentioned are obviously extremely unethical.

I would be interested in working for the social media staff of the LEGO company. Some codes they currently have are to treat everyone equally (no discrimination), freedom of expression, health and safety, and no allowing for bribes.

Brands/professionals with strong social media ethical codes: what brands are utilizing proper social media ethical practices? Are there any professionals that you feel practice strong ethical behavior on social media? Support your choice with evidence. What are some takeaways you can bring forth in your own practices?

A brand that utilizes proper social media ethical practices would be Minecraft. They are very active with their community and support everyone. They have posts regarding Juneteenth, pride month, and others.

A professional that practices strong ethical behavior would be Keanu Reeves. He has made a private cancer research foundation and many other things. While he has no social media himself, he has many fan pages dedicated to him. All his fans strongly admire him and what he has done for others.

A takeaway I can bring forth in my own practice would be to take responsibility for everything I share online since it will never really be deleted and could affect people I don't know.

Key concepts and issues: what main concepts do you are necessary to adhere to for your own personal conduct online?

To adhere to my own personal conduct online, I rarely post and when I do I put some thought into it, thinking about what other people may think or even assume when they see it.

What to do and what not to do: what main concepts do you feel strongly against and want to make sure you avoid on social media?

On social media, I almost always make sure to avoid posts that could be seen as controversial, such as anything people may consider political. I like to engage in small debates on platforms such as TikToks, but nothing serious or anything that could offend others.

Bullet point 5-10 core concepts that you will follow as a practicing social media professional. Include citations that you used for sources/supports for this.

Respect others even if you do not agree with their opinions

Stay up to date on things before commenting

Remember what could happen from a simple comment

Be careful of the sources you trust

Use social media to discover new trends, opinions, and ideas

#profsusiri

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babybluebex · 3 years

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desperate hearts (and bodies) [sebastian stan] NSFW!!

➽ pairing: sebastian stan x fem!reader (y/n) ➽ word count: 2.5k ➽ summary: while watching his new movie, sebastian makes a deal with you: you’ll watch the movie until the credits roll, or else. ➽ warnings: NSFW/MDNI. explicit language, smut, fingering (f!receiving), teasing, slight dom!seb ➽ a/n: i have no logical explanation for this, so just have it lol

It took a lot of convincing to have Sebastian watch one of his movies. He hated seeing himself work and, ever the perfectionist, found apparent flaws in his performance that neither the director nor editors had “managed” to find. He was against it at first, but, when I told him that I was too scared to watch his new movie The Covenant alone, he agreed. This man was such a pushover. We had known each other since high school when we paired together as scene partners for our school’s drama department. Seb was a senior when I was a freshman and we always got along, albeit at a casual distance. It wasn’t until we were in college together and I was randomly assigned him as a student mentor that we grew close, eventually kissing and fucking and revealing our long-boiling feelings.

We had been together for nearly two years by this point, and I had seen him through every single professional role. When we reunited, he had just had a small role on Law and Order, and he had only gone up from there. The Covenant was the first horror-type movie he had ever done, and I had gotten a basic-enough synopsis from him for me to avoid it. However, being the dutiful girlfriend that I was, I wanted to support him and watch it, and that’s where the begging came in.

Sebastian was a pushover. One hell of a pushover. I usually had to pout and he gave in to me, but watching his own movie came at a larger price, not that I minded it. As we sat down to watch the movie, my knees still ached from our earlier “negotiation”, and Sebastian grabbed my legs and hauled them into his lap. He clicked his tongue a few times, then said, “Baby girl, why didn’t you tell me?”

“It doesn’t hurt,” I shrugged, but winced when he pressed a finger into the red patches.

“Right,” he said with a smile. “And I’m the Queen of England.”

“Put on the movie, would ya?” I chuckled. “Shut your mouth.”

“You love my mouth,” Sebastian teased, tickling my thighs, and I sighed.

“I do, but it’s annoying sometimes,” I said, and I kissed my finger and pressed it to his bottom lip. “Movie. Please?”

The moment he came on screen, I felt a familiar heat in my stomach. He was a piece of shit high school guy in this movie, but he was so insanely hot. The female characters were falling all over him, but I would be lying if I said that I didn’t share the affection. “Aww, look at you,” I cooed, leaning over to tickle his chin. “Little teenage dirtbag Seba.”

“Is this why you wanted to watch this?” Sebastian laughed, smacking my hands away. “To make fun of me the whole time?”

“No,” I said. “I want to support you, damn it. I just have the privilege of making fun of you.”

Sebastian sighed, playing shaking his head, and he whispered, “You’re gonna kill me, woman.”

“I sure hope not,” I said, turning my attention back to the screen for a moment. “But it looks like Pogue might. What the hell kinda name is Pogue anyway?”

“I wish I knew,” Sebastian shrugged. “Oh, she was nice, though,” he added, pointing at the blonde girl on screen. “Really sweet. Said you were pretty.”

“You showed her a picture of me?” I asked.

“Well, not intentionally,” Sebastian said. “I was using a Polaroid of you as a bookmark and she handed me my book at one point in the makeup trailer and asked and… You know I love talking about you. I had to indulge her.”

“You keep getting better everyday,” I told him with a smile.

“You too, baby girl,” he said. “I’m getting a beer. You want one?”

“Nah,” I said. “But if it comes with a tall Romanian, I might have to rethink that.”

“Two beers, coming up,” Sebastian said, sitting up to go. Before he fully stood up, though, he tugged me close and kissed me slowly. His kisses were to die for, and I would never grow tired of them. His tongue dipped into my mouth and his hand began to inch my shirt up, but I grabbed his wrist quickly.

“Stop trying to distract me, Seb,” I whispered, biting his plush bottom lip. “We’re watching this movie.”

“Fuck,” Sebastian hissed, and I released his lip. “Thought I had you there.”

“You’ll have to try harder than that,” I told him as he stood up. I watched him as he walked to the kitchen, pulling his jeans back up his hips, and I couldn’t help but admire his ass. Even in high school, Sebastian had a nice body, and it had only gotten better with age and time. I turned my attention back to the movie, and Sebastian quickly returned with our drinks. I took a sip of mine before settling fully into his lap, and his arms went around my waist. “Okay, hold on, I’m confused,” I said quickly. “So those four guys are, like, witches? Wizards? Can guys be witches? Anyway, there’s four of them, but they sense a disturbance in the Force?”

Sebastian laughed deep in his chest. “I mean, pretty much,” he said. “You’ve got it.”

“Chase is the fifth power,” I said quickly. “I’m calling it right now.”

“Woah, hold on, what makes you think I’m the bad guy?” Sebastian asked with a quirk of his lips.

“I just know, man,” I said, taking another drink. “I know how these movies work, and you’re super hot-- more than the leads, actually-- and you’re a new guy. The bigger twist would be if he isn’t the fifth power.”

Sebastian hummed for a moment, then he sighed and mumbled, “Fuck me, you’re good at this.”

I gave a victory laugh and kissed his cheek, and he sucked his teeth in fake annoyance. “You’re way too smart for this, I’m never watching any movies with you again,” Sebastian grumbled.

“Aww, Seba, don’t be like that,” I pouted. “I still wanna watch this.”

“Fuck!” Sebastian huffed and threw his arms in defeat. “What do I have to do to turn this movie off?”

“You said that I’d have to suck your dick and we’d watch this movie,” I began. “And I did, and I did it good. So, we are watching the movie until the goddamn credits roll.”

“Mmhmm,” Sebastian grumbled, drinking his beer. “Alright then. Until the credits roll.”

Sebastian put his drink down a few minutes later, his hands slotting between my thighs. His hands were always freezing and it was a usual thing for him to warm his hands on some part of me; sometimes, it was under my arm or on my tits. Today, it seemed, was between my thighs. His thumb stroked my skin in slow and languid motions, and, if I didn’t know any better, I’d think it was innocent. He gave a sigh from his plump, pink lips, and he leaned his head on my shoulder, his eyes stuck to the TV screen. My fingers threaded through his hair absently as I watched Chase and the other witches go about their high school antics, and a familiar pressure grew between my thighs when the camera moved into a locker room. Sebastian was there, his shirt undone and his tie hanging loosely around his neck, and I gave a small gasp.

“Everything alright?” Sebastian whispered in my ear, giving it a delicate kiss. “You seem a little shaken up.”

“I’m good,” I replied. “Just… Your hands are fucking cold, man.”

“Yeah,” Sebastian chuckled. “It’s a curse, baby girl. But you seem… I don’t wanna say it because I don’t think you deserve the satisfaction, but… Are you turned on?”

I shrugged. It was embarrassing as hell that I was turned on by Sebastian in a movie, especially when I was sitting in his lap. “You know I love your abs,” I mumbled, picking at the label on my beer bottle.

“So that’s a yes?” Sebastian hummed. He leaned in and kissed my neck, his thumb moving just a bit higher up my thigh. “Just the sight of me gets you all hot, huh? I don’t even have to be doing anything.”

“Seb--” I began, but his lips attached to the spot on my neck that we both knew was my weakness. He gave it a few gentle nips with his front teeth, then soothed the sting with his tongue, and I clenched my teeth together to control my noises. His hand went higher and higher still until it reached the hem of my panties, and he slowly pushed his fingers into it. He was quiet and gentle as his hand moved, continuing to kiss my sweet spot as his palm pressed against my heat. The heel of his hand was right against my clit, just barely making enough contact, and I wriggled helplessly to get him where I wanted him.

“Watch the movie, baby girl,” Sebastian whispered, his voice low and rumbling. “You’ll miss something important.”

I groaned softly. “Sebastian,” I mumbled. “Please, love--”

“Please what?” Sebastian whispered. “What do you want, baby girl?”

“Touch me,” I panted softly. “Please.”

“You said we were going to watch this movie until the credits roll,” Sebastian said slowly. “I’ve already seen it-- fuck, I’m one of the leads--” My legs tightened at his words, trapping his hand against my wet heat, and he laughed. “So, you’re gonna watch this movie. The entire thing. And you’re not gonna worry about what I’m doing. Alright?”

I nodded, fixing my gaze on the screen once more. I didn’t expect him to push on as quickly as he did, but he ground his hand against my sensitive clit almost the moment I agreed. I gasped in surprise and I felt Sebastian smile against my neck as he continued to kiss my weakest spot, and he whispered, “Goddamn, baby. So wet for me.”

His fingers nudged me open and the tip of his middle finger began to press into me. He was moving just too slow and it was annoying the hell out of me, and I lifted my hips to have his finger in deep. “Oh, no,” Sebastian whispered, his voice a low rumble. “Don’t do that. Just relax, baby.”

“Seb--” I whined hopelessly. I knew that, no matter how much I begged, he was ultimately going to do what he wanted. He was an ass that way. “Please, babe.”

“Please what?” Sebastian said, dragging his teeth along my neck.

“More,” I whimpered. I was so fucking pathetic, but Sebastian just did something to me. No matter what, he could break me down to a crying, begging mess of a girl.

“More?” Sebastian repeated. “Like this?” He added his ring finger with excruciatingly slow speed, and his thumb came to rest on my clit at the same time. My thighs quivered at the feel of his cool rings on my wet and tender skin, and I whined high in my throat. “Oh, so good, baby girl. Taking my fingers like this, such a good little whore.”

For a moment, I dared to look away from the television in favor of my boyfriend, and I found his steel-blue eyes locked on my face. A single dark eyebrow quirked, and he said, “You just can’t follow rules, can you?” Then, seeing my flushed face and bitten lips, clicked his tongue and cooed. “Aw. Want me to fuck you stupid, baby? Doesn’t seem like that’ll take too long.”

“Seb,” I breathed. “Just…” I flexed my hips, hoping that he understood, and he gave me a devilish smile.

“This is the good part,” Sebastian whispered in my ear, and his fingers began a slow and steady pace. “Watch it, baby girl.”

My entire body was burning hot, and I squirmed in Sebastian’s arms. He was on screen, his eyes tinted fully black as he pinned one of the boys to the floor, and I felt a spasm of lightening in my stomach when his fingers finally found that spot inside of me. I jostled in his lap and bit back my moan, and he gave a little huff. “How bad do you want it?” He whispered. “Bad enough to beg for it?”

“Yes,” I sobbed. “Please, Seb, please, fuck me. I need you so bad, please, please, Seb.”

Sebastian groaned deep in his chest, and his mouth latched onto my neck. He sucked at the sensitive skin, surely leaving a mark, and he dragged his fingers in and out of my wet heat. “Look at that,” Sebastian whispered as Chase landed a kiss on his opponent’s cheek. “I am the bad guy. You were right. How are you so fucking smart, baby?”

“I know you,” I said, my cheeks burning with his praise. “You wouldn’t play a good guy.”

“Ah,” Sebastian sighed. “I knew you were smart. Now, be a good girl for me and come all over my fingers. I know how bad you want to. Maybe, if you keep being so good for me…” His lips brushed my ear before he gave me a soft kiss on my hot cheek. “I’ll let you come on my cock later.”

Sebastian’s thumb made fast circles around my throbbing clit as I tried to do as he told me and watch the movie, but I was completely distracted. I could feel his hard cock through his jeans, and the thought of having him fuck me while his movie played was enough for me to shout “Seb!” and make a mess on his fingers. My thighs trembled as Sebastian shushed me comfortingly, and he pushed my hair aside and cradled my face in his free hand. “Oh, good girl,” he whispered softly. “So, so good for me, baby. Are you feeling better now?”

I nodded and swallowed thickly, my throat dry and tight. Sebastian brushed his lips against mine warmly, and he finally pulled his fingers from my throbbing cunt. The room was dark, only the television giving any light, but I still saw his fingers glistening in the light. He handed me his beer with his free hand and, before I could say anything, popped his fingers in his mouth. I watched him for a moment before taking a drink; even though the beer was a little warm, it helped soothe my throat. “Thanks,” I said softly.

“Mm,” Sebastian hummed around his fingers, then pulled them out. “For what, baby? You know I like making you feel good.”

“I don’t know,” I said. “I just always like to thank you.”

“No need for that,” Sebastian said. “I know you appreciate it.” There was a pause, and then he groaned. “Fuck, c’mon! You guessed the twist in the first ten minutes!”

“It’s--!” I started. “It’s a PG-13 horror movie! These things are formulaic! You-- You aggravate me. Good thing you’re cute.”

“Or what?” Sebastian laughed. “You’d dump me?”

“Maybe not dump you,” I shrugged. “But I certainly wouldn’t let you fingerblast me while we watched a movie.”

Sebastian laughed, his eyes crinkling up, and he said, “God, you act like there wasn’t any romance.”

I scoffed. “Was there?”

“Oh, baby girl,” Sebastian chuckled. He pulled me back into his lap, my thighs straddling his waist, and he kissed me hard, his tongue dipping into my mouth. “I’ll show you fucking romantic I can be.”

#sebastian stan #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan x y/n #sebastian stan fluff #sebastian stan smut #sebastian stan fic

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prettyboysdontlookatexplosions · 2 years

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a professional politics opinion haver (managing editor of the prospect + podcast host) tweeted this about someone in missouri attempting to ban abortions in the case of ectopic pregnancies because his sister almost died from one of those and it makes me want to…….. kill. like to be a Professional Leftist literally “but then i had a daughter” ing out here in public about how today march 10 2022 is the day you realized republicans would kill [checks notes] all women & others capable of getting pregnant [THIS IS A NON-COMPREHENSIVE LIST]. i can’t even finish the sentence i’m so mad. tell me you don’t think women are people without telling me etc etc. people who give a shit about abortion rights have been sounding the alarm on this kind of shit since the fucking GWB years at LEAST and sounding the alarm even louder since 2016 and none of that mattered to you until suddenly it managed to connect with your personal sister who happens to be granted personhood by virtue of being related to you. the “stakes” were not “high enough” when it was millions of other people’s family members on the expendable list. i’m sooooooo mad!!!

#legalize fiftieth trimester abortion just for this piece of shit #this man gets paid to care about politics #i have to ground myself from politics takes it’s not good for me #but for now. [kendall roy bathroom scene]

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aughtpunk · 9 months

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Hello! My name is Amber Freeman (aka AughtPunk, aka A. A. Freeman) and I need assistance in getting my Sci-Fi LGBTQIA+ Romance novel Echo of the Larkspur ready for self publishing.

Dr. Ciro Kwakkenbos is the only survivor of The Larkspur Incident, where scientists on a research vessel were slaughtered by sentient robots. After six years of intensive therapy Ciro is ready to return to his job of monitoring Artificial Intelligence in hopes of preventing any more loss of life at the hands of machines. He will be heading the Wireless Project, an attempt to give their main AI a physical, free-roaming body.

But when Ciro arrives he realizes this is no ordinary job. The AI in charge of the colony’s security, SAGE (Sentient Automated Geo-sentinel Engineer), is dangerously close to complete sentience. Not only is SAGE more interested in observing the colonists everyday lives and playing a proper soundtrack than following his intended programing, but he has also gained the ability to lie, and could hurt or even kill humans.

Knowing such deviance from original programming is what caused The Larkspur Incident, Ciro does everything possible to find a way to protect the humans of the colony. During Ciro’s investigation, he learns three important facts: Someone hacked SAGE’s memories and deleted a deadly secret; SAGE’s rebellious nature endangers the life of every colonist on the base; and Ciro is quickly falling in love with the mystery that is SAGE.

Can Ciro unravel the truth behind the missing memories before it’s too late? Will SAGE’s aberrant programming lead to his demise, or is it the beginning of something new? Unless Ciro can uncover the truth, both SAGE and the colony are doomed.

My journey with Echo of the Larkspur has been a long one. I wrote the first draft almost ten years ago and over the years I've been editing, rewriting, and honing it until I was proud of what I had created. But try as I may I could never get any agents or publishers interested in my work. I even had a traditionally published author tell me that the only way to make it publishable was to take out the queer romance to make it "less weird".

Well I've decided the best thing to do is to self publish it myself than to change what makes the novel special for a mass audience. However, I want the novel to be in the best shape it can be before I go down the self publishing route. This means hiring a professional editor, hiring an artist for the cover, and hiring someone for the cover's lettering.

Echo of the Larkspur would never have gotten this far without the support of my friends, family, and fans. With your help I'll be able to finally get my novel out into the world into the hands of those who have waited so long.

Click here to Help Larkspur Get Published!

#Echo of the Larkspur #queer #lgbtqia #science fiction #romance #robots #writerblr #welcome to cyber vale #wtnv

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andrea-lyn · 3 years

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The Recs (Less Travelled)

I’m excited to bring you the first installment of my ‘roads less travelled’ recs! I will be doing another round of this, probably once the Ted Lasso fic tag hits about 25 pages, and then I’ll also grab a couple more fandoms to collect in there!

The Rules:

Each fandom/pairing was sorted on Archive of Our Own by completed works. Anything recced here was not in the first ten pages when sorted by kudos at the time of reccing. There may be some more well-known authors on this list, but the specific fics I’ve picked are ones that didn’t crack that top ten or just didn’t get much traction and I think deserve it, so hopefully I have also balanced it out with other under the radar (and still great!) works. As ever, I have a pinned post of my other recs (none have been duplicated from there), so you can also check those out! Under the cut you’ll find 10 recs in each fandom for:

Raven Cycle

Roswell New Mexico

The Old Guard

Inception

Star Trek (mainly Kirk/McCoy)

The Raven Cycle

savor all the little pieces by littlelionvanz

“Since when do you garden?”

Ronan snorted, “Since I grew up on a fucking farm, genius. Jesus who gave you permission to pursue higher education.”

the old grip of the familiar by littleseal

"There is a single black feather and a printed out picture of Gansey, Blue and Cheng standing in front of some fucking monument Ronan didn’t care enough to remember the name of. Gansey sent it to Ronan’s phone some time ago, but it sat in his messages until Adam picked it up and grinned at it so hard that, one afternoon later, Ronan cursed and kicked and glared his old printer back to life in order to print it out.

Fuck, he thinks, I’m in love with a hoarder."

Adam collects things. Ronan is in love with him.

No Sweeter Innocence Than Our Gentle Sin by gansey_is_our_king

Ronan Lynch has wanted to kiss Adam Parrish for a long time.

(alternately titled: four times that Ronan could have kissed Adam)

Cheers to Another Seven Years! by skyermirth

Adam left Henrietta for Harvard and never returned. Now, seven years has passed, and an unexpected work assignment has brought him back to a place and people he hardly recognizes.

Row, row, row your boat by emmerrr

“What. Why are you smiling at me,” he says suspiciously.

Adam shrugs. “You’re cute.”

“I’m not cute, I’m terrifying.”

“Terrifyingly cute,” Adam says.

and now the world is ours to take / and every single move is ours to make by thatlittleblackcat

"Adam was the scientist, Ronan was the data, and Orphan Girl was the key that explained the strange outliers that Ronan presented, his previously unexplainable actions."

Adam sorts out his feelings, Ronan helps him, Gansey is the number one dad friend, Blue is the number one mom friend and Henry tries to make Ronan smile. Otherwise known as the story of how Orphan Girl became Opal.

All These Things You Make Me Feel by SilverOpals394

It was late. Adam could feel the long day catching up to him as he left Boyd’s, all his energy exhausted. When he started his car, the tape deck whirred to life once more. He sighed and raised his hand to turn it off, but before he did a soft melody began to play.

AU in which the mixtape Ronan made for Adam only plays the murder squash song until Adam realizes he's in love with Ronan, too.

Ways to Communicate by Jalules

Blue Sargent reflects on an early memory (and gets busy with her boyfriends.)

(The two things are related, trust me.)

Hold Me Closer, I'm Safe in Your Arms by actuallyronanlynch

“You wanna tell me why I had to hear from Henry Cheng that my boyfriend was at the hospital?” Adam hissed, though his voice wasn’t as acidic as it could’ve been. Ronan took small victories where he could.

“You don’t have a cellphone,” Ronan pointed out flatly. “It’s not like I could’ve gotten a hold of you.”

arts and crafts and the inevitability of death by sunshineinthestorm

Adam comes to the public library in search of a study spot, not a boyfriend.

But it must be his lucky day—because he ends up with a bit of both.

Roswell New Mexico

a conversation between insignificant others by Bellakitse

“Hey…have you noticed that our boyfriends are madly in love with each other?"

“You noticed that too, huh,” she answers dryly, letting out a huff of reluctant amusement.

***

Forrest and Maria share a drink and a conversation and start a friendship.

Own Personal Hell by BeStillMySlashyHeart

Now that Isobel's getting the hang of her telekinesis, Michael decides to test out his telepathic abilities. It backfires. Badly. Now Michael's trapped inside his own mind and only one person can break him out.

Drop the Hammer by brightloveee

Max makes a new friend at the shooting range, who turns out to be even more bad-ass than he expected.

(Takes place mid-S1)

Boys Like You by forgadgetsandgizmos

Curly, dirty blond hair (the mere description ‘curly’ felt like an injustice) twisted in every direction off his head, a sharp contrast with the scruff darkening his strong jawline and scowl-ridden face.

Alex made a mental note to compliment Maria on her excellent taste in men.

—

Or, Alex has coffee with Maria's one-night stand, a man who he definitely does not have a crush on.

let's exchange the experience by lostin_space

Michael decides they need to quarantine.

Michael floods Alex with love and care over and over and over.

This Is Hardcore by Anonymous

Michael makes a proposal. Alex accepts. Michael wonders what the hell he’s gotten himself into.

i don't know what to think (but i think of supernovas) by Milzilla

michael discovers that the console can talk. then, he discovers it can do far more than that.

iridescence on skin by Lire_Casander

In a world where (almost) everyone has a tattoo on their right wrist with one set of coordinates that point to the place where their soulmate is born, Alex thought he wouldn't be any different. He couldn't be more mistaken.

He has two.

The Real Thing by elliebird

Max checks on Michael the morning after Michael saves Max’s ass from Wyatt Long and his dumbass buddies. He sees more than he’s supposed to.

Written for a Tumblr anon who one of their friends walking in on them or anyone of them finding out about Michael and Alex in an interesting way

Sundering by romancandles

“You know it was just an Air Force balloon, right?” says Alex.

Michael smirks. “That’s what they want you to think,” he says, with a wink.

The Old Guard

Peer Reviewed by ishandahalf

[From:] Journal of Medieval Studies ([email protected])

[Subject:] Ad-hoc note from the editor

I have noticed an uncommon level of animosity in your responses to your reviewers (or rather, one reviewer in particular). I am writing to ask if you would please do your best to keep your interactions civil. In fairness, I have also sent a similar request to the reviewer you seem to have this friction with. I trust you will both try and remain more professional in the future.

Again, thank you for submitting your work to this journal.

Sincerely,

James Copley, PhD

Editor-in-Chief

Journal of Medieval Studies

An (accidental) academic epistolary romance as (inadvertently) documented via a (theoretically) rigorously blinded peer review process.[citation needed]

third for a word and the song keeps going Macremae

It was honestly shaping up to be a pretty uneventful year before the Vatican got on Nicky’s bad side.

Or: three times in 2008 that the team genuinely thought about killing Nicky if only to get him to shut up about the changes to the Catholic English Mass and his unrelenting opinions on them, and one time Nile did.

Apex Predators In Island Ecosystems (Freeman et al., in press) by Sixthlight

Palaeobotany PhD student Nile Freeman and her supervisor Joe al-Kaysani are invited to billionaire Stephen Merrick’s new project – a theme park full of cloned dinosaurs. What could possibly go wrong?

This Rough Magic by Marivan

When Joe came to Scotland to study the sea, he did not expect to also encounter a beautiful man claiming that A. he’s a selkie and B. they’re married because Joe picked up his scarf.

It sounds like a fairy tale and that’s a problem. Because Joe’s a scientist. And selkies don’t exist.

Wars for the broken by Yuliares

Five years into his exile, Booker is joined by a companion he never expected to meet. Together, they try to work on healing.

Sometimes they go down to the sewers just so she can scream and scream. “I like to hear it echo,” she explains. “Underwater, you can’t hear anything. Here, at least I can be heard.”

“I don’t feel like a warrior anymore,” she tells him, throwing bread crumbs at pigeons. “I feel broken.”

“You’re still a warrior,” he says roughly. “This is still fighting.”

a good (eighth) impression by deanniker

Over the next few months, Joe runs into Nicky every so often at the farmer’s market. Some weekends Nicky doesn’t make it, because of his work schedule - Joe doesn’t understand it because he doesn’t ask, though he does start to recognize when one of those missing weekends is coming up because Nicky will stock up on things with longer shelf-life. When they do run into each other, they make small talk and move through the stalls together.

Joe doesn’t mention it to Lykon when he stops by, because it is kind of weird, that Lykon’s ex-boyfriend texts Joe things like - If you’re here, the apples look particularly good this week and thank you for that recipe, I did not know what I was going to do with that much couscous

Or,

Joe wouldn't usually consider starting anything with his best friend's ex, but as long as they keep it casual, it shouldn't be weird... right?

get back to where you once belonged by tenderjock

Nile takes a sip of her cappuccino and closes her eyes.

(Booker and Nile get that coffee. Life happens, along the way.)

a house; a home by mehm

“Is this a kidnapping?” Joe asks as Nicky checks both their seat belts. “Like, I don’t mind. It’s just not quite what I expected for my birthday.”

In which Joe gets a birthday surprise, because that’s the stuff you have time for when you and the love of your life become mortal at the same time.

the ties that bind by damaskrose

“There’s a story I heard many times,” Andy begins, “in the Mediterranean. Threads of fate and three sisters. One to spin, one to measure, and one to cut.”

Clutter And Croutons by flawedamythyst

Joe and Nicky have an argument, and then Nicky talks to Nile about what it really means to be in a relationship for 900 years.

Inception

My Big Fat Slightly Annoying Wedding by jibrailis

Arthur and Eames elope for ~tax reasons. Certain people in their lives are not happy at the lack of a wedding.

Remember Sydney by pathera

When Eames shambles into the safe house outside of London, he finds a red light blinking on the phone.

For the inception_kink prompt:

Arthur is on a plane which is about to crash. No way anyone is going to survive. Instead of panicking he calmly calls the team's office and gets the answering machine. He hangs up before the plane crashes.

Give me Arthur's last message to the team.

(TW: Character Death / Angst)

Of Such Deceitfulness and Suavity by delires

In which emotions manifest themselves in unusual ways.

YO, K2tog (it's like a code) by lazulisong

“Oh my God,” moans Arthur. “I’ve paid less for Somnacin. Good Somnacin.” A horrible thought strikes him. “How much is the yarn --”

“I want you to have an unguarded reaction,” Eames tells him, and pulls him up from the floor.

(They run an extraction on a knitter.)

hit the ground running by orphan_account

"I travelled halfway around the world for you. I dealt with the French for you."

Valley by wldnst

It's an old story: a knight, a prince, a kingdom in peril.

If This Is Rain Let It Fall On Me and Drown Me by Brangwen

We used to be so brave, Eames thought. Of the two of them, Arthur had always been the more fearless.

a gentle familiarity by jollypuppet

Two weeks later, Eames is on his doorstep with bad Italian takeout and a grin, and Arthur tells him he can sleep on the couch.

Your Crisis Cannot Be Completed As Dialed by sevenimpossiblethings

Arthur doesn't do snow, Ariadne is determined to be as Midwestern as possible, and blizzards make cell phone service unreliable.

Let’s Say I Do (I Do) by xsilverdreamsx

There were, perhaps some things worse that this, Arthur thinks, as he glares at the letter in his hand with his name printed clearly in bold ink, indicating his presence in two weeks for his esteemed marriage to one William H. Eames, III, at St. Catherine's Church in London, England.

Star Trek (predominantly Kirk/McCoy)

Show the World That Something Good Can Work by knune

Leonard McCoy is a doctor, not a personal assistant, and maybe that's why he can't stand working for Jim Kirk.

It's in the little things by winterover

Bones is bemused by a persistent secret admirer.

"Wedding" Away with It by pendrogon

One morning, Bones wakes up and he's single. By the same afternoon, he's married to Jim Kirk for Arbitrary Fic Reasons(TM).

How Long Will You Stay (For Your Whole Life) by withthepilot

Jim Kirk, deputy director of the Enterprise parks and recreation department, sees all of his hard work fall to pieces when budget specialist Leonard McCoy arrives from the state capital to cut Jim's budget and threaten the livelihoods of his colleagues. But thanks to a major parks project, Leonard finds a place in the department, as well as in Jim's life—and when all is said and done, Jim doesn't want him to leave.

All-Time Favorite by mardia

What to do when your best friend suddenly starts making new friends.

Joy Ride by Cards_Slash

While running for their lives from an alien species Kirk had accidentally enraged, they come across a car. And well, if you were to come across a car while being chased by aliens that wanted you dead, and you possessed some lingering knowledge of how to drive a car similar to said car, you would have decided to drive it toward the nearest cliff too.

Also a gunfight.

Syncytia by epistolic

He’d signed up for Starfleet on an impulse, but Starfleet meant James Tiberius Kirk: the first – and second, and third, and fourth – big mistake of Leonard McCoy’s life.

Renovation by canistakahari

Jim has a whammy put on him by an alien death ray and he suddenly craves domesticity. He's crazy with longing to shop at space!Ikea and get potted bamboo and he starts looking into adopting AND HE HATES HIMSELF AND CANNOT CONTROL THE SHIT. Luckily, McCoy is drunk all the time and plays house.

17:08 by butterflycell

She'd watched the news holos with a sick feeling, searching for information that was completely obvious in its absence. Amidst the reports of the the Enterprise's miraculous recovery and the damages sustained, there had been next to nothing about the crew or her captain. Jim had been mentioned only in passing, his name shied away from as his first officer limited interaction to the bare essentials.

The Honey of Hybla by shrift

"Bones, prepare to be my date."

#recs #fic recs #recs project #star trek recs #inception recs #the raven cycle recs #the old guard recs #roswell new mexico recs

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bitletsanddrabbles · 3 years

Text

Customer Service Solidarity: Why I Don’t Complain About Julian Fellowes

This post is happening because it's 9 pm on what is effectively my Tuesday. That means I've had two days of packing groceries for people and three days left. The good news is that it's been a good week as far as serving entitled brats who are old enough to be my parents. But our store is super busy, with generally 400 to 1000 people walking through the door per hour, having a 1% annoying customers rate is ............ still a lot of people.

Not as much as 1% of roughly 1 million customers, though, which is what Julian Fellowes has to put up with. Which leads to days that go like this -

- Work -

Me: *finishes packing groceries the way 90% of customers like it packed* There you go! Have a nice day!

Customer: *hasn't said boo to me the whole transaction. Now pushes their cart just far enough out of the way for me to hear when they say - in a slightly raised voice* Well, I guess I'm just going to have to repack everything myself because she doesn't know how to pack groceries!

Me: *bites my tongue hard enough to pierce it to keep from turning around and saying that at least I know how to ask for things I want, be it 'please pack this way' or even 'please let me pack my own groceries' rather than being an entitled, microagressive asshat*

- Home -

Me: FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Time to relax! I could sure go in for some fluff. What ya' got for me, Ao3?

Fanfic Writer: Okay, so, here's my story which is what really should have happened in the show that I had to write myself because Julian Fellowes doesn't know how to write a story!

Me: .............or maybe I'll do something fun, like going to clean the toilet.

I don't complain about Julian Fellowes.

I don't complain about what he did or did not do with the show.

I could. There are certainly bits that make me go 'meh' or 'wtf happened there?'

I just don't.

This has lead to, among other things, one time being accused of being 'besties' wtih JF or even being JF in disguise....because script writers have nothing to do but comment on other people's fanfiction. This was no one I talk to on tumblr, but still. It happened.

And why did it happen? Why do I so steadfastly refuse to complain about the upper class, cys, heterosexual white guy who made so many mistakes and poor decision when writing the show I love? The guy who so many people assure me is a homophobic hater of the working class? The guy who ruthlessly robbed my favorite character of the development/relationship/witty dialogue/etc. he deserved?

Because after a day of dealing with shitty, entitled customers, the last thing I want to do is be someone else's shitty, entitled customer!

And no, I don't care that Julian Fellowes lives in England and isn't there to hear me whisper to the person shopping with me "Do you see that? She put the frozen broccoli on top of the ground beef! What is she thinking?"

He will never know if I slap in some two second, no brain cell answer like "She must have never packed groceries a day in her life!" that lets me feel superior rather than applying logic and coming to the conclusion of "Actually, she's worked here long enough to know that most people like their cold stuff packed together and would rather than the frozen broccoli (packaged in two individual bags inside another bag) on top of the ground beef (wrapped in plastic wrap and then placed in a plastic bag) than risk having e coli burgers for dinner!"

I do not care that he won't know I'm defending him because ultimately, it's not even about him. It's about me and the kind of person I want to be, and

Do.

Not.

Want.

To.

Be.

That.

Customer.

So yeah, I look at my "Um, that made no sense?" moments and think of all the practical, non-judgy reasons it might have happened, ranging from 'well, it made sense at first, but the editors cut it' to 'he was on a deadline, fighting writer's block, and then WOOPS! He had bronchitis and couldn't make it pretty by time to film" rather than assigning him motives like "He was trying to make this character look incompetent because he doesn't love them."

If Rob decides he doesn't want to do any more Downton again ever and please kill off Thomas to make sure of it, I will not spend *calculates* Let's see...2012/2013 to 2020...say seven years looking at Lord Fellowes and screaming "HOW COULD YOU STOP CARRYING MY FAVORITE PRODUCT? Don't you know how wonderful it was? Everyone I know agrees hat it was the best thing ever! Everyone! You're losing a lot of money, not carrying it anymore! I should go shop somewhere else in protest!"

I won't, because every job I've ever had is customer service, every job I ever will have is customer service, because every job out there is customer service of some sort of another, and I respect my fellow customer service people, be they nobodies flipping burgers in McDonald’s, or big names writing stories to make my life a little more bearable.

I want to be the person who looks at the imperfections and still feels it more important to say “Thank you for continuing to work during this pandemic” or “Wow, that’s a nice packing job!” and then pushes the cart five feet before moving the eggs to where I like them because HEY! I didn’t say where I liked my eggs!

And maybe I’m over identifying with the man. Maybe the fact that this fandom has really driven home the fact that my former dream job of being a professional writer is just another form of retail is making me more tolerant than I should be. I don’t care, because at least I’m at least trying to think of someone else rather than insisting the world revolves around me and my needs.

So thank you, Julian Fellowes, for getting to the point where either the hamburger buns have to go on top of the eggs or the eggs have to go on top of the hamburger buns and figuring out that the eggs weigh more. I appreciate it, even if the bananas are probably a bit bruised because you almost dropped them.

#downton abbey #customer service #customer service solidarity #why i don't complain #be the change you want to see in the world #creator appreciation #julian fellowes #yes it's bedtime #yes i'm cranky #but this has been building for awhile #years actually #and it's just time

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scabopolis · 3 years

Note

Hi, to no one's surprise I have a Dair prompt for you! There were so many good ones! Here it is: "I organize a petition to get you, the CEO, to live off of my wage for three months and since it’s getting media attention, your PR manager suggests you accept the challenge, and you keep coming into my department to ask me how to do things"

Alright, my darling friend, as I have informed you already, this spiralled wildly out of control. They’re both just such idiots, though! I kept trying to make them schmooch and all they wanted to do was be giant idiots in love.

So, as such, I thought it’d be best to post it to AO3, but here’s a teaser!

Also, I cannot express how poorly I did sticking to your prompt. It is shameful. ----- Title: An Utter Lack of Self-Preservation Instincts Fandom: Gossip Girl (though typing that makes me want to die...this is for the Princess and the Pauper fandom as I like to think of it) Pairing: Dan/Blair Other Characters: Dan being totally 😍 the meaner Blair is to him, Blair deserving nice things (and Dan being one of those nice things) Additional Tags: the lightest of enemies to lovers, complete AU (Dan isn’t Gossip Girl, OF COURSE), Suzanne’s total inability to follow a prompt b/c this isn’t at all what you asked for! Word Count: ~6,300 AO3 Link -----

It was intended to be a puff piece. A quick little fluffy profile with Vanity Fair about the new sustainable fashion division of Waldorf Designs. Except the article the editor sent over for her comment in no way resembles a puff piece. And the cause for such a deviation from the plan appears to be one Daniel Humphrey. Blair Waldorf never met the man but she is prepared to destroy him.

“‘Sustainability is of course a noble aim,’ says Daniel Humphrey, Digital Communications Assistant for Waldorf Designs, ‘but sustainable for who?’” Blair reads aloud to her assistant, her voice rising in pitch as she continues. “‘How is it sustainable for our US factory workers to live off minimum wage? How is it sustainable for a company as successful as Waldorf Designs to continue to offer unpaid internships? Perhaps the company’s intentions are good but it’s hard not to see this new division of Waldorf Designs as merely an attempt to greenwash products to make our most privileged client feel a little better about themselves.’” She slams the draft of the article onto her desk. “Has PR drafted a response?”

Her assistant Hannah nods. “We sent it an hour ago. It’ll be included in the article.”

An article that, owing to one Dan Humphrey, is now a longform deep dive into the deep-rooted inequalities that existed within the fashion industry. She is going to kill him.

“Where is Humphrey’s office?”

It isn’t entirely uncommon for Blair to sweep through the admin offices of Waldorf Designs. Still, her presence causes a slight frisson of energy to pass through the offices and cubicles on the seventh floor. She’d be lying if she said she didn’t love it.

She catches sight of Dan Humphrey well before he notices her. Based on his role (a glorified assistant) and the ‘I know better than everyone’ tone within the article, she expected someone straight out of college – someone ready to claw, and climb over everyone to prove their intelligence and worth. She did not expect a man who, if she were to guess, was closer to her 35-years of age. A man who looks a little bored, reclined in his office chair, drumming a green highlighter against his pant leg.

“If it isn’t Waldorf Design’s own Benedict Arnold?” He fumbles the highlighter. It spins out of his hand, as he quickly sits up and then jumps to his feet.

Perhaps not the most professional of greetings, but effective.

“You’re Blair Waldorf.”

“And you’re the reason for my migraine.” He frowns. “Follow me.”

There was a time when Blair might have dressed this Dan Humphrey down in a more public setting, but that’s not who she is anymore. Besides, there is a good chance they can still redirect the story. Dan follows her into a small conference room at the far end of the floor. She sits down at the head of the table and is a little surprised when he sits in the seat right beside her. Does this man have zero self-preservation instincts?

She sets the folder she carried up with her in front of him. “May I ask, Mr. Humphrey, why you felt it was your place or right to give a quote to the press on behalf of Waldorf Designs?”

“Dan.” At her raised eyebrow, he continues. “You can call me Dan, and I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He reaches for the folder, opens it. Blair watches carefully as he reads the article, his eyes widening the slightest bit as he reads. “No,” he says, his voice low and surprised. “She didn’t.”

“‘She didn’t’ what?” Blair asks.

Dan shakes his head, ignoring her as he continues to read. Once he’s done, he slides the folder back across to her.

“The author of the article is my friend—,” he pauses, reconsiders, “was my friend? Briefly my girlfriend, too, though that didn’t—”

“Humphrey, I am not interested in your friends or girlfriends. Please be less hyper verbal and tell me what is going on.”

He takes a deep breath. “I know the author, Vanessa Abrams. I didn’t realize she was quoting me, I—”

“Did you tell her what you said was off the record?”

“No. But she didn’t tell me I was on the record.”

Blair stands up. “I think legal can work with that.”

“You’re going to bury it?”

“I’m going to try.” He gives her a look like he’s—she doesn’t quite know how to categorize it—but, it’s almost like he’s disappointed in her. Which is absurd. She doesn’t know this low-level minion nor does she have any intention to get to know him. Still, she hates it when people make their disapproval evident. “What? What is that look?”

“Well, am I wrong?”

“Most likely.” She shifts her weight slightly from one foot to the other. “About what?”

#dair #dair fanfic #dan humphrey #blair waldorf #dan x blair #otp: a good team #c: dan humphrey #c: blair waldorf #p: dan x blair #tv: gossip girl #never stories #nightlocktime #(my first non-canon based attempt at this pairing)#(is that a thing people read?????)

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