#how to spot misinformation
Text
I've been reading "Frauds, Myths, and Mysteries: Science and Pseudoscience in Archaeology" by Kenneth L. Feder, and in the introduction to the book he lists a very helpful checklist of sorts to help discern between genuine science and plain hoax or pseudoscience. I think this list is very helpful in the age of the internet, especially with the prevalence of fake news spreading very easily on this site. I urge everyone to utilize this checklist, not just with archeology, but with science claims in general.
--Does the source of the archaeological claim cite "experts" in support of his or her claim, who make polite, innocuous, but otherwise meaningless statements about the artifact or site in question? Just because scientists say a claim is "interesting" and wish the claimant luck in his or her research is not an affirmation of that research. They are just being polite.
--Does the source cite "experts" but exaggerate their own credentials?; for example, is the PhD only honorary or from no known, accredited institution? That's s easy enough to check online.
--Does the source cite "experts" whose credentials are unrelated to the claims being made? Einstein was brilliant, but his fields were math and physics. He is not a relevant expert for claims made about geology or archaeology. Citing Einstein or other well-known scientists in support of claims outside their fields of expertise is problematic. Some people consider me an expert in archaeology. Even if I am, it that does not mean I have any meaningful insights to provide about brain surgery, opera, or automobile repair.
--Does the source cite "experts" whose previous extreme claims are not mentioned or cited?
--Does the source make what appear to be definitive statements about the age of an artifact or site without any supporting data, never telling you how he or she came up with the proposed date?
--Does the source make what appear to be definitive statements about the cultural affiliation of an artifact or site without any supporting data, never telling you how he or she came up with the identity of the makers of the artifact or the residents of a site?
--Does the source claim that the artifact would have taken too much time or there are too many of them to be forgeries? There is no logical reason to be lieve that merely because an artifact was well made, would have taken a lot of time to make, or exists in large quantities it must be genuine. Forgers are often diligent, talented, and hard-working. Don't underestimate them.
--Does the source make assertions about the appearance of an artifact that bears very little relationship to what's actually there? Simply put, if you have to be told that a piece of rock art, a sculpture, or a ceramic pot bears the image of a spaceship, extraterrestrial alien, or dinosaur-if you didn't see that with out that prompting-then in all likelihood there is no image of a spaceship.. extraterrestrial alien, or dinosaur. Trust your own eyes and brain and not the word of someone trying to sell you a bill of goods.
--Does the source preface most claims with phrases like "maybe," "if," "imagine," "could be," or "perhaps" and then present detailed scenarios about an tiquity, all of which require acceptance of the original speculation, which is never tested or proven?
--Beware of the question, "But isn't it possible?" On a broad, philosophical, in finite multiple universe kind of sense, hypothetically, anything is possible. So what? Is it possible that ancient aliens built the pyramids? Well, okay, sure. But it's also possible that in the next five minutes monkeys will fly out of your butt. However, let me assure you that you really don't need to worry too much about possible simian excretions. And the likelihood that aliens built the pyramids is about the same.
--Does the source demand, "Hey, if I'm wrong, let the scientists prove me wrong"? This is a fundamental misapprehension of the scientific method. The burden of proof always falls on those making claims. And, as Carl Sagan phrased it, "extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence." In fact, I don't have to prove that ancient aliens did not build the pyramids. If you think they did, it's on you to prove that they did, and the evidence bar is going to be very high.
--I love Wikipedia. I often consult Wikipedia as a first step in exploring a topic. Then I check out the bibliographies of those Wikipedia entries to track down the original sources on which the Wikipedia article was based. For example, I am cited in a bunch of Wikipedia entries related to topics I address in this book. That's great, but don't rely on those Wikipedia summaries of what I've said. Scroll down to the bottom of those summaries and check out the origi nal publications on which they are based. Finally, if the source of an extreme claim in archaeology uses nothing but Wikipedia sources, you can safely ignore the claim.
#anthropology#archeology#pseudoscience#hoaxes#fake news#how to spot fake news#critical thinking#how to spot misinformation#resources#education
370 notes
·
View notes
Text
still mad about this post lol so let me also say: “they taught us critical thinking in english class” is extra funny to me because there’s a genuine debate among Ed Heads about whether “critical thinking” as a discrete and decontextualized skillset can actually be taught :) so it’s pretty silly to go around confidently branding yourself as a critical thinker while simultaneously revealing that you’re extremely comfortable making assumptions about the relative simplicity of complex ideas which remain contested in their respective fields :) personally i would be pretty embarrassed to call myself a critical thinker if i also couldn’t stop myself from revealing i was totally lacking in the intellectual humility that would enable me to understand that we have yet to reach consensus on unbelievably complicated issues like how best to educate an entire population :) but i guess i was absent the day that tenth grade english covered running your mouth like an asshole on social media :)
#for someone so convinced english class made you smart you’re saying some pretty stupid shit!#i’m also genuinely curious about this person’s english class bc i went to a fancy high school and my english teachers were mostly fine#and i would not connect literally anything we ever did there to the concepts of media literacy or misinformation spotting#i would also be shocked if a majority of current high school english teachers are good at those things themselves. lol.#remember: teachers are being taught that learning styles are real and most of them never question it!#btw i’m inclined to go with the ‘critical thinking is discipline specific and can’t be taught as a Thing crowd’#my unsubstantiated hunch is that like#being exposed to critical thinking processes in a variety of different fields#can build the kind of intellectual humility that is the most important prerequisite for critical thinking#like because i know how much goes into ‘knowing’ something historically#i know that i can’t really meaningfully critically think about high level debates in biology because the knowledge base isn’t there#and knowing that is IMO its own form of critical thinking#but that’s me spitballing based on vibes
160 notes
·
View notes
Text
people: having empathy is the MOST important thing in the world, it's crucial to understand and feel what other people are feeling because caring about each other is the cornerstone of human social structure, peace and love <33
the same people when someone with low empathy exists: what the fuck? why are you alive lol
#zero days since the last ''empathy'' bullshit#i hate you empaths i hate you pop psychology i hate you misinformation i hate you fearmongering i hate you ''how to develop empathy''#i hate you ''how to spot/ avoid people with low empathy'' i hate you ''autistics have hIgHeR empathy actually'' i hate you empathy paradox#astra rambles#personal
15 notes
·
View notes
Text
one metric i’ve been using in initial assessments of a post being misinformation (besides tone) is the number of notes it has. generally speaking if a post has more notes it’s more likely to be misinformation or taken out of context or misleading. and like obviously it’s not foolproof or anything but the way i use it is if a post has over 3-5k notes it’s probably more likely to be misinformation if a post has fewer than 1500 it’s probably more rooted in truth
#it’s just yknow. it’s a lot more fun for people to share/reblog sensationalism and antisemitism and conspiracy theories#it is not as fun sharing the nitty gritty of how diplomacy or government or bigotry operates#so things that are less true have higher note count#i just thought i’d share my little trick on here for spotting misinformation in case it might come in handy to anyone else#and obviously i’m no way am i saying if a post has 5000 notes it’s false. just purely based on overall trends it is more likely to be false#amanda.doc
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
most of the ao3 concrit discourse from like a week ago was legit just "actually i don't want to be criticized, ever, for any reason, so don't do it" and you can quote me on that
#there is a whole chasm of difference between criticism of writing techniques#and say... criticism of the author presenting misinformation as fact#or actual nazi apologism#or any other number of things that should ideally be addressed as they come up#notice how none of what i'm saying relates in any way to institutional censorship#my crit is never going to be ''this sucks because x'' it's going to be ''hey! readers of this should know xyz context!''#like yes i am going to blow up your spot for treating antisemitic conspiracy theories as real but i'm gonna be informative about it :)
2 notes
·
View notes
Text
Normally I truly just ignore shitty opinions
But sometimes I see so many shitty takes, so many posts preaching and shaming, I wonder if there even are any others outside of those and shallow entertainment, goofy jokes
Ie. Everything is either for fun (good) or serious nonsense
And I realize there are serious and good and thoughtful posts out there, they even get shared, I have shared them. But I can't unfeel that they never start discussions, get people talking and rethinking, even when that is their stated goal
To me it seems people are always just searching for the next appealing, popular post to *unironically* integrate into their belief system the way they meet it. No being picky about takes, no taking only the parts you like, no self reflection and merging the new knowledge with the old, always replace everything.
Got a new personality and political opinion for free from my favorite (insert ideology here) influencer
Like genuinely, to me the reason why Hbomb is popular on here is not because he's good (he is though) but because it's good easy drama, comes with a target and moralization (or at least a villain which can be targeted and who's action can be moralized) in a format that is so large most of us aren't even used to comprehending such thorough takes, how could we possibly critically examine and compare them?
And no matter what hbomb says, someone will find a way to deliberately misunderstand him, someone will be lazy and self righteous about it
If you found out from Hbombs video that James Somerton is full of shit, didn't manage to do that on your own, do you really think just by watching that once or twice you've figured out and learned everything about scammers? About fact checking? You probably didn't even fact check his video because everything aligned with your beliefs, you just needed to make the new information fit in somehow.
It's probably pointless to say this, but he isn't infallible, and he knows he isn't, he admits he isn't, still his videos are gospel to people. All Harris gives you is an idea, a starting point, a concept from where you can expand. He doesn't know what's right, he just knows that what James and Illuminaughti did definitely ain't it.
And that's cool y'know, I don't expect anything more. Only if his watchers could stop pretending he is all of the above, no different from Vaush* fans or whoever. Philosophy Tube fans, very much the same. And Abby and others definitely, maliciously or not, profit off of that, actively keep it that way because it makes YouTube safe as a source of income. It also makes for more efficient and easier branding
*not saying hbomb is like vaush. He isn't
But y'know, Harris and Abby are white british people how could they be wrong about anything amiright
Tumblr, I call you out, do the thing you preach and start fact checking and thinking critically
#I should start some independent journal and shit on people with sources#a bad thing I have realized is. when you tell people not to trust you and be critical. they become less distrusting. less critical#because surely you couldn't be a bad actor a liar plain misinformed. surely if you put that warning out you'd do the fact checking for them#and then it turns out you're all three of those and people have been eating out of your hand. oops#and I'm not saying you have to spot everything. distrust everyone.#wanting to trust is good. having been lied to is normal#but not changing anything after finding out you've been systematically lied to because you're super gullible?#set any small new standard for what someone needs to be trustworthy. what a source needs to be to be at least somewhat reliable#but don't just be content with knowing one more individual not to trust. you'll just bounce from bad actor to bad actor#honestly with the approach most people have hbomb himself could be a bad actor proliferating himself off of calling out others bad actors#he demonstrably isn't. I know that. you probably also think that. but how would you prove it to me? this is homework#see me after class
0 notes
Text
I think I stumbled upon some kind of ichthyological forbidden knowledge. Opened up a book of names that were never meant to be read.
You've probably heard of "can-opener smoothdream", right? It's practically a meme by now.
But the thing is, it's a deep-sea fish. And deep-sea fish have historically not had English names because nobody drops them into the conversation over a hot cuppa. Sure, there's generic stuff like hatchetfish and barreleye, but when you want to refer to the actual fish you're probably saying such euphonious phrases as Diretmus argenteus, Sternoptyx diaphana, or maybe even Opisthoproctus soleatus.
So whence "can-opener smoothdream"? Certainly no non-ichthyologist has ever used that name. It's not even a direct translation of the scientific name Chaenophryne longiceps - that would be "long-headed gape-toad". Which to me is even cooler than "can-opener smoothdream".
But I digress. The "dream" bit comes from the anglerfish family Oneirodidae, from oneiros, "dream", because those marvelous fishes look like they came out of a dream (Pietsch, 2009).
Note that Pietsch (2009), more or less the anglerfish bible, uses English names at the genus level only. So Chaenophryne is the smoothhead dreamers genus but no mention is made of "can-opener smoothdreams". So no luck there.
Wikipedia, root cause of a lot of misinformation, has this to say.
"Longhead dreamer" is a far more accurate name. And in fact, despite Wikipedia prioritizing "can-opener smoothdream" (because it's funny?), the links listed use "longhead dreamer" and "smoothhead dreamer" as the name and "can-opener smoothdream" as an alternative.
So. Again. Where did "can-opener smoothdream" come from?
The answer, as it turns out, lies with McAllister (1990).
In the book A List of the Fishes of Canada, ichthyologist D. E. McAllister sought out to list every single fish known to Canadian waters, providing both an English and a French name.
And when there wasn't an English name, like for most deep-sea fishes, he arbitrarily gave them a name. And his names "differ in many instances from the widely accepted names" (Holm, 1998)
This had varying results. This is his name for one of the netdevil anglerfishes.
The humpback anglerfish or blackdevil anglerfish becomes a werewolf (????).
This one is just confusing.
The white-spotted lanternfish or Rafinesque's lanternfish instead becomes...
And most embarrassingly, the Mediterranean spiderfish gets saddled with something that "violates the tenet of good taste" (Holm, 1998).
This then is the original source of "can-opener smoothdream". It was invented by an ichthyologist in 1990, and has seen little to no use outside of how bizarre the name is.
Maybe McAllister's goofier names will catch on. Who knows? They certainly aren't very popular in the scientific community though.
References
Holm, E. (1998) Encyclopedia of Canadian Fishes (review). The Canadian Field-Naturalist, 112, p. 174-175.
McAllister, D. E. (1990) A List of the Fishes of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences, Ottawa.
Pietsch, T. W. (2009) Oceanic Anglerfishes: Extraordinary Diversity in the Deep Sea. University of California Press, Berkeley.
4K notes
·
View notes
Text
Oooo spooky scary misinformation
Did you know that many people are actually not Homo sapiens?
According to a research study done by a scientist known as Marie Lekinda in 1984, the DNA of the people found today do not match that which have been found in historical confirmed members of the Homo sapiens species.
You may be wondering; What exactly the classification of the dominant species on the planet Earth today? Well, according to more modern research, the human species shares as much as 90% of DNA with modern domesticated cats! The assertion that we are a member of the Homo genius is simply false, and a more proper name for the common person you meet today is the Felis sapiens.
The so requested catgirls may be sooner in the future than we expect! In fact, some doctors report small, bump-like growths on the heads of babies born within the past few years. Our highly-trained researchers at blog you've never heard of think this is due to the CoVID-19 vaccine reawakening pseudogenes coding for the ears of our smaller, fuzzier anchestors.
One large question arises: What happened to the Homo sapiens species? We know they used to fully exist in a form not so similar to ours due to convergent evolution, but they are nearly extinct today, with their percentage of the common population being as low as 12%. It makes sense, however, as humans simply are not as fit as the Felis genus is in many ways. After all, humans have evolved to be cooperative, while most feline creatures have evolved to be selfish; not as a way of insult. Selfishness is the proper ecological term for social interaction between two organisms where the donor benefits and the recipient does poorly, and Felis sapiens simply evolved to be more fit in this way.
I leave you all with a meow meow meow.
-appendectomy malleo united union gravel table applify
#I made this up on the spot#My team told me to write misinformation for our data void project#Humans actually do share a lot of DNA with cats though#thats how we ended up with the catgirl conclusion#appendectomy malleo united union gravel table applify
0 notes
Text
In the wake of hbomberguy and toddintheshadows's takedown of James Somerton, I hope what people learn from this is that you are vulnerable to being scammed and lied to on the internet all the time. Even if you think you aren't. ESPECIALLY if you think you aren't. There is significant financial incentive for people on the internet to lie to you and influence you to think a certain way. It is happening to you every day, on youtube, on tiktok, on reddit, on tumblr. James Somerton is not the only culprit and there are tons of other scammers with reliable reputations that just haven't been caught.
What can you, as an audience member, do to shield your mind from misinformation and propaganda? I'm not going to expect everyone to fact-check everything that they hear or read on the internet, as that is simply infeasible with the sheer volume of information circulating online. But here are a few ways you can sniff out bullshit:
Watch for sources. If you watched the hbomberguy vid, this is probably already at the forefront of your thoughts. If a quote, image, or footage is unattributed, if citations are absent (this is literally the norm for informative posts on social media like tumblr and reddit, I very rarely see sources cited), or if sources cited look dubious and biased, take the information presented to you with a grain of salt.
Pay special attention to shocking claims. If someone on the internet tells you something outrageous, it is likely meant to outrage you. Public outrage is power -- before you get up in arms, verify the information that caused your reaction.
Fact-check when it matters. Some things are more important to verify than others. World news, politics, science, and medicine are rife with misinformation and directly affect people's safety. Before you spread a post you saw about, for example, COVID vaccines, look into how backed up it is.
Keep in mind that some things are disputed or unknown. It's natural to want answers, to want an authority to tell you how to feel about something. But sometimes the truth is unclear, and there are multiple contradictory opinions out there. It is okay to wait for more information to come out before you make up your mind on an issue.
Misinformation that you agree with is just as dangerous as misinformation that offends you. Todd in the shadows touched on this, but people are more likely to look into the validity of a claim if it offends them, and are more likely to accept it without question if it backs up their pre-held beliefs. But if your beliefs are being influenced by bullshit, you need to know about it, even if that causes you to change your stance on something. Especially then. Again, it's infeasible to fact check everything you hear, but keep this bias in mind when considering the above points.
There is way more to this topic and more informed people than me have weighed in on it, but I've been thinking about it since the videos came out and wanted to share my thoughts. These are things that I keep in mind for myself when evaluating info on the internet. There are tons of books out there on how to spot misinformation and the huge detrimental impact that misinformation has on society and I plan to read them next year. Educating yourself is important!
3K notes
·
View notes
Text
Tips for Spotting Bad & Bullshit History
There's no way to make sure you never fall for historical misinformation, and I'm not expecting anyone to fact-check every detail of everything they read unless they're getting paid for it. But you can make an effort to avoid the Worst Takes.
Ask yourself – if I wanted to verify this, where would I start? If you look at a statement and can’t actually find any facts to check, then you already know it’s bullshit.
Read the Wikipedia article on weasel words. Some experts say it’s very helpful!
Look for specifics: a who, a what, a where, a when. If one of those is missing or very broad, that’s a red flag. Statements need to be rooted in a time and a place. “People in the past have always…” Nope.
Vague is bad. Unless you’re looking at a deliberate large-scale overview that’s being broad and generalizing on purpose, you want names and dates and places and primary sources, pictures and quotes and examples.
But an example is not a trend. There’s a difference between what’s possible and what’s common, and history is full of exceptions and outliers. Extremely unusual people and events are overrepresented in the historical record (because nobody writes down what’s normal,) and they can tell us a lot about history, but they’re not directly representative of their place or time. Imagine a historian trying to reconstruct the 21st century based solely on Kiwifarm.
If a historian is competent or even just trying, you won’t have to go digging for sources, they will be shoved right into your face. Not out of mere academic rigor, but because a person who found them, either first- or second hand, is proud to have found them. People who have proof want to show you the proof, people who figured something out will want to show you their work, walk you through it. If they don’t, ask yourself – how do you know this? And - why won’t you tell me how you know this?
Someone might have a legit historical source, and then try to stretch it to cover times and places where it no longer applies. What’s true of 12th century England may not be true of 14th century Venice, even though both are “Medieval Europe,” so watch for those stretches.
Anecdotes are fine, they reveal a lot about people’s values and perceptions, pro historians often use them for context, but what anecdotes are not is factual truth. Notice when someone is feeding you cute anecdotes.
If someone attributes a large-scale social or cultural transformation to a single person or event, yeah that’s usually bullshit. Chances are, that person was part of a larger trend, a small link in a long chain. You can still appreciate their contribution, just put it in context!
Second-guess anyone who acts like they possess secret knowledge that the Media or Academia (or somebody) is hiding, they’re usually bullshit. Remember, if something has a Wikipedia article, it’s not actually a dark secret.
Remember that if it happened in the past sixty years, tons of people will still remember it, and you can literally just go and ask them.
Learn to recognise a smear tactic. Did this person really fuck dogs, or was their posthumous biography written by their worst enemy? Should we take it at face value? Also learn to recognise overt propaganda in the opposite direction: is the king that great or does he have a court historian on retainer? Remember that people sometimes *lie* in their autobiographies.
It’s fine to speculate about what “could” or “might” have happened, professional historians also fill the gaps in the sources with the occasional educated guess. But failing to differentiate clearly between fact and speculation is a huge mistake.
Do not seek validation in history. It's not there. I’m not saying you should approach history in an impersonal, apolitical way, of course not. Our present situation influences our interpretation of history, and it should. What I’m saying is, try not to hang too much of your individual or group identity on a historical narrative. Especially if it’s bullshit. You’re worthy and human because you’re worthy and human today, not because of the deeds and misdeeds of people in the past.
1K notes
·
View notes
Note
so stella is anemic, what if one of her brothers finds her passed out bc of it
౨ৎ passing out spells and a misinformed quinny
°. — pairings ( Estella Hughes oc! X brother! Quinn Hughes )
°. — details ( g; i honestly don’t know. w; Stella passing out, I think that’s all. wc; 1.6k )
˖ ་ 💭 roro’s notes ( thank you so much for requesting !!! So sorry that it took so long to get out, I’ve never written something like this before so I hope the passing out scene isn’t to cringe. I hope you guys enjoy it, please don’t be a silent reader !!! )
°. — ( feel free to send any requests of things you would like to see in this series, or if you just want to share some thoughts! I would absolutely love that! Please comment if you would like to be added to the tag list! )
au masterlist — you can find asks under #💌stellahughes!
Stella loved how peaceful early mornings were at her brother's lake house, especially when she had the house to herself. Luke was staying with some friends for the weekend, Jack was out doing God knows what, and Quinn decided to wake up early and go to a rink close by to do some laps. After making sure Stella was okay with being home alone, she was having a rough week, her energy was low, and she was basically napping and relaxing all week.
Stella was curled up on the couch watching Gilmore girls and eating, well more like picking at some cherries when Quinn kissed her forehead and said he would be back soon. Shouting out a ‘i love you’ before he left. Stella mumbled back an i love you as her tired eyes were focused on the big tv, watching as dean and Rory argue for what felt like the 10th time this episode.
She was currently rewatching the show with Luke, so she was stuck rewatching the earlier episodes since Luke was adamant of them watching it together. Stella yawned and brought the blanket she was cuddled up in up to her shoulders, she honestly wasn't sure whose blanket it was, it was already on the couch.
Stella watched 3 more episodes of Gilmore girls before she started to get stir crazy and hot under the blanket. She pushed the blanket off her legs and sat up from laying down, she searched for the remote and paused the tv in the middle of the theme song. She blinked a few times and let out a heavy breath, starting to feel a little nauseous. Maybe it was the smell of cherries? She thought as she looked down at the bowl filled with cherries on the coffee table.
Stella always got really nauseous whenever she was on her period, like now. She grabbed the bowl and got up from the couch, too quickly as she saw white spots in her vision. Stella ignored the nausea and the dizzy feeling she was used to and slowly walked out of the living room and into the kitchen to put the cherries in the fridge.
She held onto the corner of the island counter after she put away the cherries, the dizzy feeling was much worse and the pounding in the back of her head became unbearable. Stella winced at the pounding in her head, closing her eyes and hoping that it would help. She felt that familiar fear of passing out, she slowly walked back into the living room, her legs and hands trembling.
She grabbed onto the edge of the couch as she tried to lean against it, but she felt her knees become weak and her grip on the couch slip, her eyes roll back as she collapses on the living room floor with a thump. The last thing on her mind was that she was alone.
Quinn hums along to the song playing on the radio channel Stella had put on the last time she was in the car with him, he wasn't sure what the song was, but he had heard Stella listen to it many times. His car would almost always turn into Stella's whenever they were together, her things in the backseat, her ChapStick or lip glosses in the cup holders. He wasn't complaining though, he missed it when he was away.
He drove into the driveway and shut off his car, sliding his keys into his pocket and grabbing the cherry ChapStick in the cupholder that he remembered Stella complained to Cole about her losing it. He slid it into his pocket before getting out of the car and going to the trunk to grab his hockey bag. He gets his keys out his pocket and locks the car as he walks up to the front door and unlocks the door, a sigh of relief leaving his lips now that he's home.
Quinn closes the door behind him and drops his hockey bag near the front door, tossing his keys on the island counter in the kitchen. He was confused when he didn't hear the sound of the tv, but then again maybe she went up to her room. “Stella, I'm home!” Quinn shouts out and he gets no answer, he knows she could be sleeping but he got a weird feeling in his chest that something was wrong.
Quinn set the water bottle he pulled out of the fridge on the counter and made his way out of the kitchen and into the living room. Quinn's eyes drop to the floor of the living room and his eyes widen in fear and worry when he sees his sister's heart patterned socks peeking out from in front of the couch. Quinn quickly made his way around the crouch, and he dropped to his knees at Stella's side when he saw her unconscious on the ground.
“Stella? Estella, can you hear me?” Quinn frantically spoke loudly, his tone filled with worry as he quickly but gently rolled Stella to lay on her back, one of his hands on the back of his littles sister's head as he tilted it back to clear her airways. His heart was almost beating out of his chest as he tried to remember all the steps of helping someone who's unconscious.
He turned his body to reach and grab a pillow off the couch to put under Stella's legs but quickly turns back to his little sister when he hears the weak groan leaving her pale pink lips. Quinn brought his hands to cup stella’s face, gently forcing her to open her eyes as he rubbed his thumbs on her cheeks “Hey, hey stella can you hear me ⸺ c’mon open your eyes.”
“Oww” Stella sleepily whined out as she gained full consciousness. She was confused, she had no idea what was going on or what happened. All she knew was that her head was killing her, and her ass was numb. Stella slowly fluttered her eyes open, a wince leaving her lips at the bright light of the living room. Stella blinked a few times trying to get used to the light, Stella's hand gripped onto the fur of the rug, and she tried to flatten her palm to lift herself up from the uncomfortable floor.
“Not so fast, it's okay just lay back down” Quinn spoke softly as he grabbed a pillow from the couch and slipped it under her head so she could rest it comfortably. Quinn kept his eyes on his little sister, they were still filled with worry. Stella groans and rests her head on the pillow looking up at her brother as she whispers, “What happened?”
“Looks like you passed out ⸺ when were you gonna tell me you could do that hmm?” Quinn jokes with a weak smile, knowing that Stella would panic the more she thought of it. Stella sniffles and tries to smile at her brother's attempt to make her feel better, she was starting to remember what had happened. She replied quietly “Thought I’d surprise ya”
“Consider me surprised” Quinn sighed, he gently moved some of Stella's hair out of her face before he stood up. “Don't move okay, I'm going to get your iron pills and something for you to drink.”
Stella weakly nodded and watched as her big brother rushed into the kitchen. Stella waited for a few moments before she tried again to sit up, this time she was much more successful. Stella groaned quietly as she slowly stood up and sat on the couch, pulling the blanket over her lap and closing her eyes. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Stella chanted in her head as she did her breathing exercise, hoping that it would help with the pounding in her head.
“I told you not to move ⸺ they say you have to lay down for 10 minutes” Quinn groaned as he walked into the living room to see stella snuggled up on the couch, of course she didn't listen to him. ‘They’ being the internet. Quinn had scoured the internet for as much information he could get about Stella's anemia and what to do if she passed out when she was diagnosed.
“They also say you shouldn't put a pillow under someone's head after they pass out” Stella says matter-of-factly as she looks up at her brother who was holding out a cold glass of orange juice, the other hand holding two iron pills.
“What? ⸺ and you're just telling me this now?” Quinn gaped as Stella took the glass and pills into her hands. Stella rolled her eyes and swallowed the two pills with a big mouthful of orange juice. She looks up at her brother who was giving her an unimpressed look, he took her health and safety very seriously. Stella gave him an innocent smile and just simply shrugged “It was a really comfy pillow.”
“Where are you going?” Stella questioned him as he shook his head in disbelief and turned around to walk out of the living room, his hands on his hips as he dramatically walked out. All of her brothers were so damn dramatic . . . but so was she. She hears Quinn shout his answer from the kitchen and the sound of him unzipping his bag for his phone “Going to call mom and tell her you haven't been taking your pills.”
“They also say you shouldn't put me through any stress or yell at me” Stella shouted back with a playful smile, she took another sip from the glass while she picked up the remote and started looking for something new to watch. Already feeling much better.
“Now you're just making shit up!” Quinn shouted back with a roll of his eyes, knowing that his little sister was just teasing him. Quinn paused his movement of searching up their moms contact when he heard the faint sound of her laughter, a smile coming across his lips when he heard her sassily shout a reply.
“It's completely true and reasonable!”
˖ ་ 💭 roro’s notes ( THIS. IS. SO. BAD. IM. GONNA. SCREAM. 😄 )
°. — taglist ( @privatemythss @prettyboywoll @cixrosie @toasttt11 )
#⋆ ˚｡⋆୨👩🏻🎨୧˚ stella hughes au!#💌stellahughes!#hockey#nhl#nhl hockey#quinn hughes#jack hughes#luke hughes#vancouver canucks#qh43#jh86#lh43#quinn hughes x reader#hughes brothers#hughes!sister#hughes sister#nhl blurb#nhl imagine
450 notes
·
View notes
Text
I keep being told to "adapt" to this new AI world.
Okay.
Well first of all, I've been training myself more and more how to spot fake images. I've been reading every article with a more critical eye to see if it's full of ChatGPT's nonsense. I've been ignoring half the comments on stuff just assuming it's now mostly bots trying to make people angry enough to comment.
When it comes to the news and social issues, I've started to focus on and look for specific journalists and essayists whose work I trust. I've been working on getting better at double-checking and verifying things.
I have been working on the biggest part, and this one is a hurdle: PEOPLE. People whose names and faces I actually know. TALKING to people. Being USED to talking to people. Actual conversations with give and take that a chat bot can't emulate even if their creators insist they can.
All of this combined is helping me survive an AI-poisoned internet, because here's what's been on my mind:
What if the internet was this poisoned in 2020?
Would we have protested after George Floyd?
A HUGE number of people followed updates about it via places like Twitter and Tiktok. Twitter is now a bot-hell filled with nazis and owned by a petulant anti-facts weirdo, and Tiktok is embracing AI so hard that it gave up music so that its users can create deepfakes of each other.
Would information have traveled as well as it did? Now?
The answer is no. Half the people would have called the video of Floyd's death a deepfake, AI versions of it would be everywhere to sew doubt about the original, bots would be pushing hard for people to do nothing about it, half the articles written about it would be useless ChatGPT garbage, and the protests themselves… might just NOT have happened. Or at least, they'd be smaller - AND more dangerous when it comes to showing your face in a photo or video - because NOW what can people DO with that photo and video?
The things I mentioned earlier will help going forward. Discernment. Studying how the images look, how the fake audio sounds, how the articles often talk in circles and litter in contradictory misinformation. and PEOPLE.
PEOPLE is the biggest one here, because if another 2020-level event happens where we want to be protesting on the streets by the thousands, our ONLY recourse right now is to actually connect with people. Carefully of course, it's still a protest, don't use Discord or something, they'll turn your chats over to cops.
But what USED to theoretically be "simple" when it came to leftist organizing ("well my tweet about it went viral, I helped!") is just going to require more WORK now, and actual personal communication and connection and community. I know if you're reading this and you're American, you barely know what that feels like and I get it. We're deprived of it very much on purpose, but the internet is becoming more and more hostile to humanity itself. When it comes to connecting to other humans… we now have to REALLY connect to other humans
I'm sorry. This all sucks. But adapting usually does.
480 notes
·
View notes
Note
got love stuck part 3 please i’m begging it’s so good i need it
out of the woods I ln4
pairing: lando norris x reader, exbf! mason mount x reader
summary: in which lando has to communicate his insecurities but is he too late?
notes: ask and you shall receive, this one took a while cause I had it all written out then I hated it and started over😇but this is the last part!! i loved making this thank u for being so supportive considering part one was my first ever post!! now send some requests hehe
part one, part two, masterlist
lando
i fucked up, its too late
danny ric
what do you mean its too late?
lando
i texted her and no response
she went to dinner with mason tonight
they're probably still together right now
danny ric
okay so you're jumping into conclusions AGAIN
you have to have some faith in her mate and stop assuming the worst
lando
she was with her ex after our breakup what am I suppose to do?
danny ric
communicate, you muppet
you can't just give up after one try
lando
okay okay you're right, i was overthinking
im booking the next flight to london
danny ric
um i was thinking maybe a phone call?
lando too late, already booked it
dailymail
102,339 likes
dailymail Trouble in paradise? Singer Y/n Y/l/n and F1 driver Lando Norris reunited in London today. Onlookers claim the two were having a heated conversation about their relationship and it is unclear whether the two are currently together or not. Was this argument result of Y/l/n's infidelity? The singer was spotted twice within this month with ex boyfriend, Mason Mount. Read more on the singer's relationship timeline with Mount and Norris in our article linked in the bio.
view all comments
user yes lets just make assumptions that y/n is a cheater based on nothing🙄
user if lando took her back ill be so mad. shes so toxic
user you have no idea what shes like in real life? you're just basing your opinion on some stupid tabloid that constantly spreads misinformation on her
user WAR IS OVER (THEYRE STILL TOGETHER IDC WHAT ANYONE SAYS).
user YUP Y/N AND LANDO DEFENDER TIL I DIE
user SAME IM CONVINCED SHE NEVER CHEATED IDC IDC
user this doesn't even look like a heated argument to me?? y'all be doing too much
user please let this be just a friendly conversation and her and mason got back together☹️
user its been a year, I think its time to move on from that relationship
user yup!! shes clearly moved on y'all need to do it too
user her relationship with lando has been messy from the start, she never had to deal with this drama with mason that's all im sayin
user this page is obsessed with y/n!! leave my girl aloneeee
yourusername
liked by landonorris, masonmount and 5,283,239 others
yourusername out of the woods out now.
view all comments
selenagomez on repeat already💙
liked by yourusername
user WAIT WHOS THE GUY IN THE LAST SLIDE
user HAS TO BE LANDO
user praying its mase but I have a feeling its lando☹️
user the way these lyrics can apply to both mason or lando so we have no clue who its about🧍♀️
user and they both liked aghhhh!!!!
danielricciardo amazing song, so so proud
liked by yourusername
francisca.cgomes can't stop listening im obsessed😍
liked by yourusername
user okay danny and the wags are all commenting this is a good sign for us lando and y/n defenders
alexandrasaintmleux you're so talented I love it!!
liked by yourusername
user y/n dropping this after being seen with lando again, I think its time for us mason defenders to retire :(
landonorris
liked by danielricciardo, yourusername and 920,482 others
landonorris want you for worse or for better, would wait forever and ever
tagged yourusername
view all comments
user YES WE CAN FINALLY SAY WAR IS OVER
user I KNEW IT YES
yourusername and that's how it works💙
user these are definitely song lyrics AHHHH
user landos listened to the new album omfsgnks
user new album is gonna be mix of love and breakup songs with the drama methinks
user MOM AND DAD ARE DONE FIGHTING
maxfewtrell sap
user careful lando, once a cheater always a cheater
user where is the proof of her cheating?? there literally is none
user they literally broke up after she was seen with mason
user give up this narrative already!! her and lando are clearly happy together so who cares
yourusername
liked by landonorris, carlossainz55 and 7,284,234 others
yourusername these past few weeks have felt like a crazy, emotional train wreck but there's nobody else I would've rather done it with than my best friend and lover💙 i usually never address anything like this but there are somethings that aren't easy to shake off especially when it comes to my relationship and my loyalty being questioned. there has never been somebody who has been so perfect for me and i would never trade this love for anybody elses. i could go on and on about it but i find it easier to communicate through music.
my new album is out tonight at midnight, it is a collection of songs written from last year to now. interpret the songs as you like but just know there is only one person im in love with right now.
view all comments
user OMFG WEVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS
user she just nicely told all mason x y/n supporters to stfu
user not only that but she beat the cheater allegations🙏
user THIS IS SO CUTE WHAT
user "would never trade this love for anybody elses" IMCRYIN
landonorris love you so so much, dont know what I would do without you
yourusername lan love u more🥹
user AWWW
user nobody can be a mason x y/n fan after this cause they are too cute
landonorris this album is amazing, im so incredibly proud of you and everything you've been through
liked by yourusername
carlossainz55 very excited for this one
liked by yourusername
masonmount this was very well said, congrats on the new album!!
liked by yourusername
user OMG?
user in their besties era omdfsnkln
user I knew they were just friends through all this!!!
user okay officially retiring the mason x y/n agenda..it was a good run
user def the end of an era but our girl is happy🫶
user now that the drama is over can we focus on how good this album is gonna be
user fr the drought is officially over
yourusername
liked by landonorris, yourbff and 3,232,325 others
yourusername the love for my new album has been insane, thank you guys so much!! so many records broken just on the first day of the release and i couldn't have done it without you guys💙
now it is time to hibernate for a little bit and spend some much needed time off with my loved ones so this is a lil goodbye... for now!
see ya later
view all comments
user NO COME BACK
user gave us some lando content before dipping, thank u mother
user she took 'I know places we won't be found' to a whole different level because nobody can find out where theyre vacationing
user good!! they need some privacy after this messy drama
landonorris got you all to myself now
maxfewtrell gross
yourusername perv
kellypiquet ❤️🩹
liked by yourusername
user but will we see you at the paddock next season🥹
yourusername ofc!! catch me rooting for my babyyy
user what a crazy era. hopefully well get some performances and lando supporting after this break
landonorris will be front row at every show
user wag and rockstar's bf. try not to say parents challenge omg
user can't wait for the content of them supporting each other at races and concerts ahhh
yourbff pls dont make me an auntie soon im too young
yourusername okay im officially logging off.
tags: @jayrami3 @whoselly @roseseraj @saturnbloom77@landowecanbewc
#lando norris#lando norris fanfic#lando norris imagine#lando norris smau#lando norris x reader#lando norris x y/n#lando norris x you#f1 x reader#ln4#f1 fanfic
840 notes
·
View notes
Note
HAIII IDK IF REQUESTS ARE OPEN BUT IF THEY ARENT, IGNORE THIS
Howeverrr
Could I request a Dogday x reader where reader is coming down from a bad day and just needs some company?
IF SO THANK YOU IF NO ITS OKAY
Point A To Z
Note || absolutely, such a cute request ❤️
WC || 651
Sypnosis || Even after a bad day, DogDay will always be there for you.
Dilapidated banging of metal and rust resounding all throughout the Factory, if you weren’t among the building at it’s liveliest, how was one even living? You knew better, you knew otherwise. You were close to hanging up your withered wings, to be brought into this world and be nearly wrung out without a care in the world will be your thirteenth reason. Nobody would be capable of convincing you otherwise.
You had debts to pay however, a debt to living the existence you eventually come to know and love. From then and there, you were still learning to love living–ain’t everyone?--sorely enough, though there are moments where it kills you. You’ve had moments where you don’t regret the decisions you made, because you lived it.
Not today however.
Not now.
Life felt cute, deciding to bestow you with a girgaum of paperwork at the foot of your door.
Audibly groaning, you sat down near the playing area for where the children are currently playing as of now. You just wanted to take a nap, you couldn’t unfortunately, that would be ethically bad manners and not Employee Regulations. So instead, you had opted for finding peace in watching the children be joyful amongst themselves.
Adjacent to your position, a fellow employee had taken notice of your presence, seeing how down to the dumps you looked.
“Is [First Name] alright?” He spoke out to a playcare attendant, speaking out to DogDay in particular. The employee knew that DogDay had a knack for helping people and toys alike when they are feeling particularly bad about themselves.
DogDay perked up at the employee’s question, “Oh, the angel? Where are they?” He inquired with a steady tone, wanting to see where you were. It was busy in the playing area, full of children and employees watching over the Playcare Attendants and children alike, so he could not spot you that easily.
The employee nodded, then pointed steadily in your direction. “Over there by the entrance on the fence, I’m pretty sure.”
In return, DogDay muttered an audible breath of thanks and stood up, his frame towering overtly every child in the room. From what he could read on your distressed face, especially down to your nerve-wracked body, you were not in high spirits whatsoever.
DogDay was unshaken, making his way past the bodies of people all the way over to you. He subconsciously made steps to where he could make it to you without tripping and falling flat on his face; DogDay was used to the area.
Once the giant dog had finally made his way across, you felt his presence looming over you, causing you to turn and look up to get a proper look at–
“DogDay?”
He nodded, kneeling down as he didn’t want to disturb you with any sudden movements. “I notice… you aren’t feeling well, as okay?” DogDay gestures, trying to not imply any misinformation of the sort. Suddenly, a laugh escaped you, that was the first time in a while today you could genuinely feel a longer period of happiness without it being interrupted by anything.
When you have calmed yourself, you reply with, “Just a bad day, nothing new to me.” You sigh heavily, leaning forward as you propped your chin upon the palm of your hand.
Upon hearing this, DogDay’s body became denser than usual with concern. He wrapped his long arms around you, cuddling up against you so you would began to relax
“Can you let go now?"
“Do you feel better, Angel?” He replied, not letting up on his hugging. Though, DogDay had relaxed his grip just enough so you wouldn’t feel suffocated.
“No!” You retorted, yet how your body was had betrayed your angry little spat. Visibly relaxing and just merely reveling in his company. DogDay squeezed you, nuzzling the back of your head as he made himself comfortable.
“Then it hasn’t kicked in yet!”
298 notes
·
View notes
Text
put on your records (and regret me)
PART 3 | SERIES
Pairing: Steve Harrington/fem!reader
Warnings: asshole!Steve, rivals-to-lovers, swearing, alcohol use, recreational weed use, descriptions of puking/hangovers, no use of y/n, not quite smut but we're getting close folks
Wordcount: 4.3k
Playlist
You love WAMC-Hawkins, Indiana’s top college radio station. It’s your safe space, your niche. It’s where you’ve made your friends, your favorite place to be when the rest of the world gets to be just a bit too much. Well, with one exception.
Steve Harrington is a thorn in your side. And just as well - he thinks you’re a royal pain in the ass. But in your senior year, you’re both on the e-board, so you have to work together. You love to hate him. So why can’t you get him out of your head? And, why do you find yourself going to see his band, each and every weekend?
Underground basement concerts, spinning old records, and screaming matches in the vinyl library with the boy you love to hate. An enemies-to-lovers college radio station 90s AU.
TRACK 3
You don’t see Steve for nearly a week after that - you hang around the radio station quite a bit, as you usually do, but never manage to run into him. You should be thankful for that - for how peaceful it is. It’s not even like you want to see him - no, why would you? He’s a pain in your ass, and you should be thankful that you can do your job in peace.
No, it’s not actually at the station that you see him next - though, it’s tangentially related. You’re at perhaps your second-favorite place in the world - Varsity Vinyl, the local record shop downtown. It has some of the best selection you’d seen, and you always find yourself there - buying for your own growing record collection, or rooting through the used and discounted bin to help stock the station’s vinyl library. It’s where you find yourself on a Saturday afternoon, flipping through records while figuring how much money you actually realistically are able to spend.
You don’t see him, not at first. He’s standing further down the aisle, and when you finally look up and spot him, you nearly jump - he’s just staring at you, eyes wide. You straighten up, just holding eye contact - you feel like two wild animals sizing each other up, deciding whether to run or fight. You’re truly deciding between those two options when he clears his throat.
“Oh - uh, hey,” he says, quieter than you had expected.
“Hey.”
You shift uncomfortably on your feet, a beat of silence passing between you. Then, you both find yourselves speaking at once:
“Your party was fun the other night -”
“Are you okay -”
You both pause, and you awkwardly laugh.
“Sorry, uh - the party was fun last weekend. Thanks,” you say quietly.
Steve shrugs.
“Oh, yeah - glad you came. You… you seemed like you were having a good time.”
Like I made an absolute fool of yourself, more like, you think to yourself.
“Oh! I mean - I guess. Sorry if I got a little - uh -”
“It’s fine, don’t worry - we’ve had worse,” Steve assures.
He hasn’t said anything about bringing you home. Part of you is convinced that Eddie was misinformed, and Steve didn’t actually bring you home that night - that is, if it wasn’t for that stupid note. The note you probably should have thrown out, but stuck into a desk drawer instead - to refer to later, just to make sure you weren’t crazy, you had reasoned.
But now, Steve is standing in front of you, more quiet and withdrawn than you’ve ever seen in the past four years of knowing him.
“So, uh - thanks,” you say quickly, almost mumbling.
“For what?” he asks, confused.
“For, um, getting me home safe - I don’t really remember it, but -”
He waves you off. “Oh, that - don’t worry about it. The hardest part was getting you to tell me your address,” he says, laughing. “You were wasted.”
You groan. “That’s…embarrassing.”
He smirks. “Honestly, yeah, a little bit. But most people were gone by then, so… your secret’s safe with me.”
“Why?”
“Why what?”
“I mean - I’m surprised you didn’t tell everybody - how I was, you know, throwing up all over your apartment, being a drunk idiot -”
Why didn’t he? It’s leverage - a way to make people lose respect for you, and gain more for him. A part of this stupid, pointless power battle you two seem to always be involved in, seeing how far you can push one another. His response is unexpected.
“You don’t actually think that little of me, do you?”
You don’t really know how to answer that.
He scoffs. “Look, it’s not my fault that you can’t hold your alcohol for shit. But, I’m not going to go around telling everyone that, okay? Christ -”
He trails off, shaking his head. “It doesn’t matter. You’re welcome, though.”
You suddenly feel like a bit of an asshole - Steve is used to you throwing insults his way, but this time, it seems to have struck a chord with him.
“I was in a really bad way, wasn’t I?” you ask quietly, avoiding eye contact.
He nods. “Honestly? Yeah, it wasn’t pretty. You really don’t remember?”
You shake your head, face feeling flushed with embarrassment. He just sighs.
“What do you remember?”
You rack your brain for a moment, biting your lip absentmindedly as you think.
“Um - I remember playing Kings with everyone… and, uh…”
I remember you coming in from the porch with what’s-her-face on your arm -
“-and it gets fuzzy after that,” you say quickly.
“Oh, okay - wow, that’s pretty early on. Well, you did some shots with Eddie and Robin - you got on the kitchen table at one point ... I think you threw up over my balcony… and after that I, uh, hung out with you in the bathroom while you threw up some more, and brought you home.”
You freeze. “Wait - you babysat me, like, the whole time? I thought that was Eddie -”
“No way, Eddie was too high to help anyone. I was stone-cold sober by that point, thanks to you.”
“Oh,” you say, wishing you could sink into the floor. Steve fucking Harrington knew what you looked like keeled over a toilet and puking your guts out… dammit.
“It was pretty gnarly, but… it’s fine. Really, it’s okay.”
For maybe the first time in his life, it sounds like Steve is being sincere with you. Another beat of silence passes, then he’s clearing his throat again.
“So… you have any big plans tonight? A repeat of last weekend, maybe?” he asks casually. You furrow your brow, confused.
“Um - do you actually care?”
He shrugs. “So what if I do?”
“Well - no, after last weekend I’m not sure if I ever want to drink again -”
“The most famous lie ever told,” he cuts in, grinning. You just roll your eyes, and pretend to be interested in perusing the records as you return to flipping through the crates.
“-but it just so happens that I do have plans tonight,” you say quietly.
“Hot date?”
You scoff. “I’m going to Fuze Box. Nancy’s covering some bands for an article for the campus paper, and I figured I’d check out who's playing tonight.”
WAMC has a long-standing relationship with Fuze Box, a small music venue for local artists and college bands. A lot of students and station members play there, and shows at the Box get advertised a lot on the air. You try to go to local gigs as much as you can - though, you haven’t made as much of an effort lately, too overwhelmed by other responsibilities as station manager. Nancy’s article is a good excuse to go, for the first time all semester.
“So, you don’t know any of the bands playing tonight?” he asks, leaning against a shelf and crossing his arms.
You shake your head. “Nope - just figured I’d check it out, go in blind. Maybe I’ll even put some of the bands in my radio slot next week, if they’re selling CDs or something.”
Steve grins mischievously.
“Right - well, have fun, sweetheart.”
You roll your eyes at the nickname, and know that any semblance of an awkward peace between you two is gone - the Steve you know and love (to hate) is back. You turn to make a clever retort, but he’s gone, having stalked off to a different aisle.
You’re not sure what he’s up to, but part of you now has a sneaking suspicion that he might show up at the venue tonight just to piss you off - it’s such a Steve move.
As you go to the checkout, you do your best to shake it - after all, what’s the worst that can happen?
*****
“Thank you - we’ve been Lime of Decision - goodnight!” the lead singer shouts, a collection of hollers and applause following. The lights go up a bit, some venue staff coming out to the stage to adjust the equipment for the next band.
“Lime Of Decision is… a choice,” Nancy says, scribbling something into her notebook.
“Yeah, that’s because their name is literally meant to be a joke,” you say absentmindedly.
“What?”
“Jason, the lead singer? His ex-girlfriend is in a band called Lemon Of Choice, so it’s like…funny. I think.”
Nancy chuckles, shaking her head.
“Which band is better?”
“Definitely hers,” you say immediately.
You and Nancy both stare at each other for a moment, and break into a fit of giggles.
“I’m going to get another drink, you want anything?” she asks.
You shake your head, holding up the cup of beer you’re still nursing from the beginning of the last band’s set.
She disappears into the crowd, and you sigh, taking a drink as you once again survey the room. If Steve actually is here, you haven’t spotted him yet - maybe he decided that getting on your nerves wasn’t worth actually paying the cover at the door. Or, maybe he actually had more important plans - maybe even with that girl he was all cozy with at the party -
You stop yourself - why do you care? If anything, it should be a good thing that he doesn’t seem to be here.
There’s two more bands left to go - you had glanced at the flier on the way in, but only recognized Lime Of Decision in the lineup. So, when Nancy returns with a new drink and the lights begin to dim again, you just hope the next band is better - it can really be hit or miss at these sorts of shows.
Darius, the radio station’s tech engineer, is emceeing the show. He steps out on stage to introduce the next band, earning a smattering of cheers and hollers thrown in his direction.
“Alright, alright everyone! Settle down - that includes you, Hagan - Jesus Christ, okay - can we give it up for the amazing bands we’ve heard so far tonight?”
You clap along with the rest of the crowd, rolling our eyes at the sound of particularly rowdy hollers from the back that you just know comes from Eddie and the rest of Corroded Coffin.
Darius’ eyes narrow.
“Dammit, Munson - when I said a month-long ban, I meant it -”
You glance back to see Eddie flipping Darius off - famously, Corroded Coffin got a temporary suspension from Fuze Box for smoking weed in the green room. But, the ban actually being enforced… not likely.
Darius rolls his eyes, struggling to get the room back on track as he taps the microphone.
“Okay, okay - everyone, can we please - if you all can shut the fuck up - okay, whatever. The next band up tonight - you guys know and love. They’re a Fuze Box favorite - and no, they are not promising anything with the name. Give it up for Free Beer!
You can’t help but laugh at the band’s name - you instinctively turn to Nancy, who is doing her best to stifle a giggle as she writes something on her notepad, squinting in the dark.
It’s during those few seconds while you’re looking away that the band takes the stage - which is why, when you glance back, you freeze as you see who’s standing front-and-center.
Steve stands at the mic stand, an electric guitar slung over his shoulders as he smiles at the crowd.
You freeze. Other band members - including Robin and Argyle, who you know all too well from the radio station - come out onto the stage behind him. But you’re just staring at Steve, dumbfounded.
You knew he had a band - scheduling them to perform on the air was always a nightmare for you, which you knew Steve did on purpose. So, you had never learned anything about them on-principle. You hadn’t heard a lick of music, didn’t know who else was in it, or even the goddamn name - until right now.
Nancy’s eyes are on you, you can feel it. You turn briefly to look at her.
“Do you want to leave?” she asks, glancing at where Steve stands on stage. You shake your head.
“God, no! I - I’m an adult, I can be in the same room as Harrington,” you say, laughing nervously. You’re not sure how much you believe yourself. She stares at you for a moment, then just nods, turning her attention back to the stage, where Steve is stepping up to the mic.
“Hey guys - we’re Free Beer. I’m Steve -”
A few feminine voices cheer from the back. Your eyes roll so far to the back of your head that you’re worried you’ll go blind.
“Thanks, ladies, love the enthusiasm. So - let’s just get into it. Ready to hear some songs?”
There’s an eruption of cheers through the audience - one of the biggest reactions of the night so far.
“Alright - this one is called ‘Closer,’ I hope you enjoy.”
From the moment he plays the first chord, something shifts in the room. The crowd becomes less rowdy, less chatty. No - everyone is really listening. Some are even singing along - how the fuck do this many people know the words?
You want to hate it - you want the set to be something you’re tolerating, something that makes you look forward to the next band coming out. But, despite your efforts, that’s not what happens. Because the band is good. Robin is killer on bass, and Argyle is a formidable drummer, despite his perpetually laid-back persona. And Steve - it’s like he was born to do this.
Aside from having a pretty good voice, and being an excellent guitarist, he’s actually a good frontman. He’s charismatic, knows how to work the crowd, and somehow, he makes the tiny stage of the Fuze Box feel as exciting as Live Aid.
You want to scream - of course he’s good. You catch yourself moving along to the music every now and then, and immediately stop yourself, hoping nobody sees. At one point, you swear Steve sees you. His eyes land on yours - or, at least, in your direction. You think you imagine it - it’s a big enough crowd, and you’re far enough back that he probably can’t see past the first few rows. That is, until he smirks, in the way that you know he reserves only to taunt you, to challenge you.
Fuck.
*****
You find yourself heading down the hallway after Steve’s set - you’re looking for the bathroom, shouldering through the bodies packed into the narrow passage. Part of it is because your beer has finally gone through you, and more so because you need a minute of peace and quiet, just to stare at yourself in the mirror and talk some sense into yourself. Steve’s band can’t be good - that would be a problem. If you didn’t know who was part of it, they’re the kind of band you would buy records for, keep a spare CD in your car, and even include as part of your radio show. But…it's Steve.
You had purposely never gone to any of his shows - you never listened to any in-studio sessions they did at the station, and God knows you would never ask Steve about his music. What the fuck?
Part of you also wants to smack him - of course he was performing here tonight - he looked you in the eye at the record store today, heard you were coming here tonight, and said nothing. Next time you see him, you decide, you’ll ignore him - you won’t even acknowledge that you saw him perform. If he asks, you’ll tell him you left the show early, long before he came on stage. You won’t give him the satisfaction of thinking you sat through his whole set, let alone enjoyed it.
You can’t exactly remember where the bathroom is - was it all the way at the end of the hallway? None of the doors are really labeled, which tracks for Fuze Box.
You knock on a few doors and jiggle the handles - one is an electrical closet, the other is locked and seemingly empty. You finally reach a door at the end, and give it a gentle knock - nobody responds. You try the knob, and it gives way. After shouldering your way inside, you wish you hadn’t.
Apparently, instead of the bathroom, you’ve managed to find the green room - although, to call the backstage area of the Fuze Box a green room is generous. It’s really a tiny room with a worn out couch, a cracked glass coffee table littered with ashtrays, and lighting so dim that you have to squint to figure out exactly where you are as you slip through the door.
It’s only once you’re inside, when it’s too late, that you realize you’ve walked in on Steve.
His back is turned to you, but he jumps slightly and turns when he hears the door open. He’s wiping his brow with a towel, and he grins when he sees you.
“Hey, sweetheart - wasn’t expecting to see you back here.”
You stand in the doorway awkwardly - why couldn’t the rest of his band be hanging out here with him? That way, you could throw out a blanket ‘you guys were great’ statement. But now it’s just him, staring at you, his face saying why the fuck are you here?
“Oh - sorry - I’m in the wrong room,” you say quickly, your face feeling hot as you start to back away.
“Okay - sure you are,” Steve says sarcastically.
“What does that mean?” you ask, stopping your retreat.
He shrugs. “Don’t know - you just seem to always conveniently stumble into me, don’t you sweetheart?”
“Stop calling me that.”
“Try to stop me.”
There’s a moment of silence, and you just groan with frustration, taking a few steps towards him.
“Jesus, I - I don’t know if it’s like, a weird sick game to you, or you’re just always trying to piss me off - or if you just can’t help and flirt with everyone -”
“You think I’m flirting with you?” he asks, grinning mischievously.
You stop, folding your arms in indignation.
“No - I mean, kind of, but probably as a joke - I know what you’re up to, Harrington.”
“And what exactly am I up to?”
“This bullshit you keep pulling,” you say, gesturing between you two. “This - like, always sabotaging my shit, and getting in my way - but then like, this stupid nice-guy thing, where you drive me home when I’m drunk and don’t tell anyone, but then like you trick me into watching your stupid band perform -”
He scoffs. “Trick you? Be serious -”
“You knew I’d be here tonight - you knew, and didn’t say anything -”
“Well given your track record, sweetheart, if you had known I’d be playing, I’m sure you would’ve been front row!”
You stop mid-sentence, mouth hanging open as you try to search inwardly for a reply. Your face feels hot all of a sudden.
He’s smirking now, just like he did on stage. As always, he’s too confident, too sarcastic, too Steve. He’s taken away your ability to even come up with a halfway decent retort. It pisses you off.
“I - that’s not -”
Your blood is rushing to your head, roaring in your ears, too enraged to even let you think straight anymore. You’re marching right up to him now, prodding his chest with your finger.
“I don’t like you,” you say.
“You don’t say?” he drawls, still smiling. Why is he smiling?
“Stop doing that -”
“Doing what?” he asks, feigning innocence.
“Stop distracting me -”
“I distract you?”
You want to kick yourself.
“I - well - only because you’re so -”
“Devilishly handsome?”
“-fucking annoying.”
He cocks his head, like you’ve only mildly piqued his curiosity instead of insulted him.
You sigh. “What?”
“It’s just - you didn’t seem to find me very annoying last weekend when you tried to kiss me.”
A beat. You just stand there, jaw agape as his words hang in the air between you like smoke on a hazy summer’s day.
“That’s not funny,” you manage to say.
“Does it look like I’m laughing?”
You’re suddenly aware of how close you are to him - the next band has started outside, a distant din that should be distracting. But all you can focus on is Steve - the beads of sweat on his forehead, the way you’re close enough to smell that he had just had a cigarette.
“I didn’t -”
“Sweetheart - right before you puked your guts up in my bathroom, you tried to stick your tongue down my throat. Don’t worry - I didn’t let you. I really thought you would’ve remembered, until I saw you in the record store - then I realized you didn’t remember jack shit.”
You feel like you’re making this up. He’s just saying this to get under your skin - he must be. It’s the only explanation. Because you’d never -
“You’re lying.”
But he’s just staring at you, and you’re starting to get the sickening suspicion that this isn’t a joke.
“You’re lying,” you repeat, though it sounds more like a question this time.
He’s taking another step towards you, shaking his head.
“You know what they say, sweetheart - in vino vesco, or whatever. You know - how people say and do what they’re really thinking when they’re drunk -”
“Veritas.”
He stops, furrowing his brow.
“I - what?”
You can’t help yourself - you just can’t.
“The phrase is in vino veritas - it means truth. I think vesco means food or something, you’re missing the whole -”
“Shut up,” he says. “You’re always such a -”
You don’t let him finish. Instead, you’re kissing him. You don’t mean to do it, you swear - but he had gotten so close, the heat radiating off of him too much to ignore. And, he was really pissing you off - you didn’t need to hear another word out of his mouth.
You fist your hands in his t-shirt, your lips on his, messy and desperate, like you’re trying to prove a point. And he’s kissing you back.
Steve kisses the same way he argues - he’s aggressive, his hands coming up to grab your face and pull you closer. He tastes like cigarettes and cheap beer, his aura hot and desperate as it envelops you.
The band plays out in the venue, the audience cheering and singing along - but, all you can hear is Steve’s labored breath against your lips, your own heart thudding in your chest.
The kiss was all teeth and tongue, another argument you were both desperate to win. But, right now, you’re losing. Because he’s guiding your body, and you’re responding, stepping backwards until your back is hitting the cinderblock wall.
No words are spoken, just breathy moans and the sounds of your lips moving in unison. It’s not remotely romantic - it feels more like fuck you, I’m trying so hard to hate you, why can’t you let me -
One of his hands has traveled down to your waist, gripping it firmly enough to tell you that he wanted more. You feel his hand start to move, slipping under the hem of your shirt and gently brushing the warm skin of your lower back. His hands are calloused, rough against the softness of your skin. You let him start to explore, unable to stop yourself from quietly moaning against his lips.
You know you should stop - but you can’t. It’s addicting, the way he’s still fighting with you as his tongue enters your mouth. Is this really happening? Maybe this could’ve gone on for hours. That is, until -
The knock on the door makes you both jump, pulling apart as quickly as you had crashed together. Steve is staring at you, breathing heavily, his pupils blown and lips a bit swollen. You imagine you look similarly. He takes a step back, separately himself from where you’re still frozen against the wall.
“Yeah?” Steve calls, voice rougher than before.
“Are you decent?” a voice asks from the other side of the door, barely audible over the sound of the band currently on stage.
Steve looks like he’s fighting laughter, but he just shakes his head, back facing the doorway.
“Nope - you’re good,” he says, his eyes meeting yours again.
He doesn’t need to say it - the look he’s shooting your way is enough.
Not a word.
Robin enters, grinning.
“Hey, we were just going to - oh, hi.”
She’s spotted you, and you just know she has questions.
“Hey, Robin,” you say quietly. “I, uh - I was looking for the bathroom. Ended up in here - I was just telling Steve how much I liked your set.”
Robin beams. “Thanks! It’s fun to see that you came out - haven’t seen you at a gig in a while!”
You nod. “Oh, yeah - I’ve been trying to get myself out there more -”
Steve scoffs, and you want to slap him. If Robin notices, she doesn’t say anything.
“- but, um - I should go.”
Robin nods.
“Yeah - I was just coming to find Steve, we’re all going to head to WT’s for a drink - uh, do you want to come?”
She’s probably just being polite. But, you shake your head vigorously.
“No, I’m good - sounds like it’s a band thing. I should get going anyway - I’ll catch the end of this set,” you say, gesturing towards the sound of the band on stage echoing from down the hall. You still haven’t made eye contact with Steve, not since Robin entered the room. So, you just give her a curt nod, and do everything in your power to head out the door without looking like you’re bolting.
You’re screwed.
author's note: thanks for your patience y'all! I'm going away to Ireland on a work trip for about 3 weeks starting tomorrow, so I'm hoping to do some writing while I'm there, but no promises! As always, reblogs and likes are appreciated!
#steve harrington x reader#steve harrington/you#steve harrington fanfiction#steve harrington fic#steve harrington/fem!reader#steve harrington fluff#steve harrington x y/n#steve harrington smut#enemies to lovers#90s au#put on your records fic#steve harrington/reader angst#steve harrington/reader fluff#steve harrington/reader smut#steve harrington#steve harrington/reader#steve harrington x you#steve harrington x fem!reader#stranger things fanfiction#steve harrington imagine
285 notes
·
View notes
Text
Citizen Science and Contributing To Scientific Endeavor When You're Not "A Scientist"
Comments on some of my posts about science and misinformation express frustration with scientific establishments, and want to see more accessibility and attention given to amateurs participating in the scientific process and having their scientific voices heard.
If being involved in the creation of knowledge and discovery is something important to you, that's something I strongly encourage! It's absolutely possible. Amateur researchers with a passion and an eye for detail have made some fantastic discoveries - but what is often glossed over in stories like these are the years of work, the patient dedication, and the collaboration with university researchers that often underlie such discoveries.
The search for truth and information and the passion for science is present in a lot of people who aren't official "scientists" - curiosity is natural! And if participation in scientific observation, hypothesizing, experimentation, and discovering new things about the world is important to you, there are lots of ways to go about contributing - and the new year is a great time to start.
What are you interested in?
Ecology
Observing the world around you is for everybody. Getting invested in the environment of your hometown is for everybody. And, as the Mythbusters famously said,
Some ideas for a local ecology project:
Record the temperature outside every day at the same time - at sunrise, or noon, or sunset, or midnight. Depending on where you are, the local weather recording station may be miles away or on top of a mountain - measure the temperature yourself and compare it each day to what your app says. When is it accurate? When isn't it?
Record the weather every day. How much precipitation? What time of day? What kind?
Record what animals you see every day, where, when, and how many. Or choose a specific animal, like birds, or bees on flowers, or turtles or frogs in a local pond, or whiptail lizards vs. invasive house geckos, and record the numbers you see each day.
Record when in the year you see the first, or last, of a plant or animal. When the crocuses sprout, when the buds appear on the maple trees, when you see the first clover flowers or prickly pear flowers, when the first robin comes out or the first lizards come out of hibernation.
If you have an outdoor cat or a free-roaming dog, attach a GoPro or similar small camera to its collar to see where it goes and what it does.
Identify the plants growing in your neighborhood, and check in on it regularly to keep track of how each one fares in different weather conditions, or if any animals particularly like or don't like to eat it.
Bulk order some test strips, then take a small sample of soil from a local park or water from a local waterway each weekend and test them for PH, lead, chemicals, or whatever. See if it changes over the year, or after a heavy rainfall, or during drought.
Take a photo of the same spot every day for a year.
Linguistics
The study of how people use language! Everybody uses language in some capacity.
Do you have any small children near you? Talk to them! Record how they pronounce things and what they call new (or even familiar) concepts. Look for patterns.
Ask people you know if "dog" and "blog" rhyme, or if "Alohop" is a good pun for a pineapple beer. My family gets ENDLESS amounts of mileage out of this one with each other. Ask people you know questions about how they pronounce things, or what they call things. Make maps of dialectical differences between generations, neighborhoods, etc. Track linguistic shifts in the modern world.
History
Everyone and everywhere has a history, and accurate history is pressingly relevant always.
See if you have a local historical society, library archive, or history museum that is looking for volunteers to transcribe or translate collections.
Get elbow-deep in local archives. You likely have some sort of local archive near you that has not been fully digitized. Go in with a topic you want to learn about - Black families, Jewish communities, how your hometown transferred from Indigenous hands to settler ones, women who owned their own businesses, immigration, inter-racial relationships, sports, ice harvesting, farming practices, contemporary opinions on a major world history event that now seems so inevitable, sports and people's reactions to sports - and read everything in newspapers, wills, deeds, photographs, or other available records about your topic of choice. See if you can find connections that you haven't seen anyone else talking about.
These are just some things that occur to me immediately as something that anyone can do, if you're sufficiently interested in a question and want to discover more about it. The more local your topic, the less likely anyone has a solid answer to whatever you're wondering - and the more immediately relevant to the people around you your discoveries may be!
Combining it with a New Year's Resolution can also get you more motivated to do the things you want to do. Is your resolution to get more exercise? Take a brisk walk each morning and take a picture of the same area every day for a year. Take a walk every weekend down to the lake and count the turtles and frogs you see. Is your resolution to keep a daily diary For Real This Time? If nothing else, resolve to write down the weather and precipitation each day! Do you want to volunteer more or meet new people? Look for citizen science or local history groups! Feeling like you're working toward something Real is a great motivator.
Henry David Thoreau's detailed descriptions of the nature each day around Walden Pond in the 1840s provides a valuable benchmark for modern ecologists to compare environmental and climatic changes since then on a granular level. Silly rhyming poems and idiosyncratic spellings in letters and diaries help linguists track dialectical and pronunciation changes across time. Amateur science is great and valuable! We all can have a part in understanding and paying deeper attention to the world around us, if we want to.
#been sitting on this one for a while ever since I kept getting comments on my post about misinformation about how scientists are all#ivory tower eggheads who don't allow real normal people to Contribute to Science#Please contribute to science! I think everyone who wants to should!!!#science#citizen science
290 notes
·
View notes
Last Seen Blogs
tina-the-alligator
🍔🐊_Tina's Burger_🐊🍔
strwberieswsugar
fan account
gensdontmatter2
GensDontMatter2.0
crazyjohn69
Untitled
praetorqueenreyna
Little Queen Trash Mouth