Now that I said that

Okay so we know how absolutely wild high luxe brands are. I'm not talking about Jacquemus or Telfar or even Coach (which looks cheap in comparison to some other brands). They have their own time. I mean the brands that got shit going on for nothing. Van Cleef & Arpels, the highest ends of the LVMH conglomerate, Hérmes. I mean Richard fuckin Mille watches. The high luxe that are meant to show and tell, because you damn near can't use it.

G Wagons really look like shinier jeeps unless you get them customized (which a lot of the ones seen by rich ppl are). The car already costs a small house bare boned. Then you're spending extra time and money and having no car just to add more features to it?? Richard Mille might as well be Richard Millions cuz those multi-thousand dollar watches can easily hit a million by themselves. Forget it if you want custom. Cartier has le panthère rings and bracelets that look so heavy and gaudy with the number of diamonds and jewels on it that they seem to be better to leave in a glass box—cuz let your hand accidentally swipe against your desk wearing one of these. "You can get them repaired" aight so what's the cost? "You get all these services" most under memberships—which you pay for—and even if not they're still not just free. Living somewhere where every year there's an increase in Lamborghinis around certain times of year sets as normal until you find out that a lot of ppl rent them for short term and that's it (also costs thousands a day) since the price tag is just too much.

Like there are handbags that cost the same as houses in Miami Beach and have wait-lists that go months to years. For what? VC&A has earrings that would pay my tuition every semester. Can you even be comfortable wearing such things anywhere but somewhere expensive and fancy?? Anything less than a high profile socialite event?? Because are you really gonna be comfortable putting on a $2.3m to walk up and down a new hotel? Or is my tax bracket showing?

Where's the fun in the overly expensive? Some items are so creative and artistic and truly pretty, yet are bogged down by a background of shredded ethics, greed, and arrogance. Others just don't make sense: what's the point of a highly expensive watch that can really only tell you the time and maybe the date? Some would be nice to have—and there's nothing inherently wrong with wanting some fancy/luxury stuff. But every now and then I gotta think about it. At the core, what's their point? It's not worth what they want you to sacrifice. It's not worth what they're sacrificing to create the highly exclusively cradle.

Introduction to the OSR

what's an OSR? it's a game that's kinda like old-school D&D. or is old-school D&D. or is compatible with old-school D&D. an OSR game generally has some or all of the following principles:

low character power with highly lethal combat. in old-school D&D a 1st-level fighter has d8 hit points and a longsword does d8 damage, and you die at 0HP. this is not to ensure characters die all the time but to emphasize the next bullet point:

emphasis on creative problem solving. most situations cannot be solved by straightforward use of your abilities (such as charging into every situation with swords drawn, if a fighter), so the game tests lateral, outside-the-box thinking.

emphasis on diegetic progression. spells are found, not obtained automatically on level-up. you get XP by finding gold more than killing monsters. most of your cool abilities come from magic items. making alliances & hiring followers is encouraged.

focus on managing inventory, resources, risk, and time. the players are constantly faced with meaningful decisions; this is the heart of the game.

very sandbox-oriented. the focus on creative problem solving means the game must be accommodating to players taking a course of action the GM didn't plan for. use lots of random tables to generate emergent story. some elements of new simulationism.

high tactical transparency, i.e., the optimal course of action is rarely system-specific, and ideally very possible for a new player to intuit.

usually semi-compatible with old D&D, but not always. usually rules-lite, but not always.

what does the OSR mostly NOT do?

focus on character builds. these change the focus too much to be on the rules than the fiction, can create situations where stuff everyone should be able to do is an ability locked to one class, and impede tactical transparency.

resolve everything with a die roll. combat uses dice to be scary, unpredictable and most importantly not your default course of action. everything else should bring up dice rarely - dice are your plan B when your plan A fails. the best plans need no dice.

use linear storytelling or put players into a writer/GM role. linear storytelling gets in the way of the decision-making so core to the playstyle; letting players write details into the setting is mutually exclusive with them discovering it.

rules for everything. 400 pages of crunch is worse at simulating a believable world than the GM and players' shared understanding. OSR games rely constantly on GM ruling.

mostly still applies to all the above. making your system a "pure" OSR game comes second to doing what's best for your game.

System recommendations

old D&D or a retroclone

old-school D&D - or old school essentials or basic fantasy or swords & wizardry, which are old D&D's mechanics repackaged with quality-of-life tweaks (and the upside of not giving WOTC your money) - are usually the go-to when recommending someone's first OSR game. they're actually not my first pick, though!

PROS:

very complete, with more robust rules than a lot of the lighter games on this list.

100% compatibility: most OSR adventures are statted for old school essentials. converting them to other OSR systems is usually simple, but not 1-for-1.

easier to find games for. anyone interested in the OSR space knows what old school essentials is.

CONS:

jank. these games largely still have weird saves, level limits for non-humans, some still have descending AC, etc etc. it's not that bad but it is there

i hate thief skills. lots of essential dungeoneering actions are locked to the thief class as abilities, with abysmally low success chances. this is stuff i prefer being handled without a roll. thieves in this system suck and make everyone else worse at dungeon crawling by existing.

there's just lots of really cool shit in other systems i'm about to go into that you just don't get here

Knave 1e and its various hacks

this is a 7-page super-lightweight system that boils everything down to just the essentials.

rolling a character takes like 5 minutes. roll stats, roll gear, roll traits, go. done. it's great.

characters are defined entirely by stats and gear, no classes. wanna be a fighter, have high strength and carry a big sword and armor. wanna be a wizard, have high intelligence and fill your inventory with spells. item slots are elegant and pretty limited.

initiative is instant: roll d6. 1-3, monsters go first. 4-6, PCs go first. swingy, but god it is so smooth and shaves like the most boring 5 minutes off of every combat

monsters are so very elegant. old D&D gives monsters a "hit dice" rating to determine their HP, e.g. a 3HD monster rolls 3d8 for hit points. knave takes this number (HD) and uses it for attack rolls and saves (aside from exceptionally bad/good saves), so a knave statblock looks something like this.

spells are all one or two sentences long & extremely easy to remember.

7 pages is so light. i have the system basically memorized.

DOWNSIDES: there's no dungeon crawling rules (standard for meatier OSR games & something i consider essential) and no real bestiary, though the second point isn't a huge deal cause they're so easy to make. it also kinda assumes you already know how to run OSR games, so there's very little real advice or guidance.

KNAVE HACKS

knave 1e is in creative commons & comes with an editable word doc for you to publish with modifications, so there's a ton of variants (there was a spreadsheet of them somewhere, but i can't find it).

Grave is a favorite - i'm two years into a grave campaign and it's fantastic. it's a dark-souls-y version of knave with some really elegant innovations.

you have a set number of deaths before you for-reals die, as every character plays an undead as is dark souls tradition. makes it good for OSR beginners! being able to tell when you're close to your final death is really good - it lets you emotionally prepare for losing your character & raises the stakes more the more you die. (though honestly you should probably cut the number of extra deaths in half, it's super generous)

XP and gold are combined into one resource, souls. legendary creatures drop big souls you can make into magic items. this has ended up being the coolest thing in my current campaign. my players love finding powerful souls to make into magic items it's so fun

uses preset packages of stats/gear instead of knave's rolled ones, filling the role of more traditional character classes. has the wonderful side effect of not making you get stuck with low stats cause you rolled bad one time.

you have stamina equal to your empty item slots. you spend stamina on spells if you're a caster, or free maneuvers (on top of your attack at no action cost) if you're not. it's super elegant.

there's 3 classes of spells: wizardry for intelligence, holy magic for wisdom, and witch stuff for charisma. nice and intuitive.

there's a page of 50 magic items each a couple sentences long. this PDF is worth it just for the magic items.

DOWNSIDE: see the downsides for knave 1e. all still apply.

i enjoyed grave so much i made a variant of it with the dark souls bits removed (and some dungeon crawl rules added!) to use for my standard fantasy campaigns.

Knave 2e

sadly knave 2e is not purchasable yet (i backed it on kickstarter so i have access, though). but when it comes out i highly recommend it.

much larger and denser than knave 1e. it finally has dungeon crawling rules, it has GM and player guidance, everything is refined and the layout is so so nice and readable.

combat is a bit more interesting than 1e. you can break your weapon against an enemy to deal max damage. you get a free maneuver on high attack rolls.

there's rules for stuff like alchemy, warfare, building a base. it all kicks ass.

there are so many goddamn tables. i rifle through it anytime i need inspiration.

DOWNSIDES: i personally can't think of any! it's a very complete good functional system.

Mausritter

you play tiny little mice! in a world full of big dangerous things that want to eat mice. cat = dragon. you get it. what more could you want

the mouse thing is just super intuitive. you get the dynamic between you and the big scary lethal world. fantastic OSR game to introduce kids

nice and robust ruleset; nothing feels missing

tons of super nice GM stuff! faction rules, tools for rolling up hexcrawls and dungeons, plenty of tables

super clean readable layout. font isn't too small to avoid being intimidating. guidance is really nice and clear.

combat is autohit. super fast & lethal.

100% free

look mausritter is just. good. i wanna run it so bad someday

Worlds Without Number

sort of a middle ground between OSR stuff and 5e.

lots of classes, at least in the paid version. the free version comes with just the warrior, expert and mage. there's feats and more of a focus on builds than most OSR games. if you like more mechanical build variety than a typical OSR game, this is a great game for you!

extremely good multiclassing. y'know how in most games if you just mash together two classes you think are cool you'll end up with a total mess? not here! every combo is viable and works fine! easily the best multiclassing of any game i've touched

an absurd amount of GM stuff and tables. easily more than any of the other stuff i've praised for also having them. but personally i haven't dug into them as much, so i can't really comment on them

skills the way modern D&D has them. you roll dice and try to beat a target number. i don't tend to like rolled skills, but most people do, so if that's your thing WWN has them

DOWNSIDES

the layout is terrible. everything is a huge wall of text with very little use of bold text or bullet points to draw attention to the important bits. the table of contents has like 15 things in it for a 400-page book! i couldn't find any of the paid-version-exclusive classes for like a month after i bought it! looking up rules is a nightmare.

the way the default setting handles "evil races" is like an exaggerated parody of all the problematic aspects of how D&D handles it. like, it wants so bad for you to have an excuse to genocide sentient free-willed people. but at least the default setting is easy to chuck in the trash

Dungeon Crawl Classics

the goal of this system is to take all of the crazy gonzo moments people remember playing old-school D&D in their childhood and turn all of that up to 11 while cutting the stuff that doesn't add to that. i think a lot of its innovations have ended up kind of standard in newer OSR stuff (like fighters getting maneuvers with their attacks), but it still has more to offer.

the funnel: you start the game with four randomly rolled dipshit peasants that you then throw into a meatgrinder to get horribly killed. you pick one of the survivors to be your 1st-level character.

maneuvers: fighters roll an extra die with each attack that gets bigger as you level. if it's a 3 or higher, you get to do a cool thing on top of your attack. pretty standard for OSR games, but this game popularized it!

crit tables: fighters also get more crits and nastier crits as they level. every crit, you roll on the crit table. maybe you chop off a dude's arm. maybe you just knock them over. maybe you shatter their shield. it's very cool

spell tables: i don't really like roll-to-cast mechanics, generally. but DCC goes so all-in on roll-to-cast that it still looks fun as hell to watch. you cast a fireball and maybe it goes how you want. or maybe you explode, or you nuke everything in a half-mile radius, or from now on you permanently ignite flammable materials you touch, or whatever. casters just have to put up with turning into a weird mutated mess across a campaign

there's no dungeon crawl rules, no encumbrance - this game is all about the big over-the-top wacky shit, and is not really interested in the more down-to-earth number crunching. it's more in the you-die-hilariously-all-the-time area of OSR than the you-avoid-death-through-clever-play area. not really my thing but the system knows exactly what it wants to be and i respect it

iron halberd

this one is mine! as the author i'm not qualified to tell you what isn't good about my system, so just assume it's worse than i make it sound, but here's a bunch of the selling points

semi-random character creation where you flip back and forth between rolling dice and getting your own input. roll stats, pick ancestry. pick starting gear kit, roll different dice based on which kit you picked. etc etc. stats are random but all equally viable (no rolling incredibly low or high stats). every time i run this game the character creation is a hit. seriously go roll up a character it'll sell you on the whole thing

you start out a lot stronger than a standard OSR character but grow way more slowly. i don't like 4th-level characters being 4 times as strong as 1st-level ones; HP never gets that high. emphasis is more on diegetic progression instead.

way too many subsystems for alchemy, crafting, strongholds, warfare, renown, rituals, likes 9 pages of magic items, a whole subsystem for becoming a cleric mid-campaign. i couldn't help myself i love this shit

in my current campaign we had a player permanently sacrifice some max HP to become a necromancer after deliberating on whether that's a good idea for like thirty seconds, which instantly made me think my necromancy system is a success

also free

Adventure recommendations

(in rough order of size)

Moonhill Garden (by Emiel Boven): look at this. look at it! this is like the best template for a little dungeon in an OSR game. all of the little factions are tied together. this would be a great oneshot to introduce people to an OSR system with.

A gathering of blades (by Ben Milton): a system-neutral, one-page sandbox. i ran this for an iron halberd game and it went super well. lasted like 7 sessions. highly recommend.

The Waking of Willowby Hall (by Ben Milton): a single dungeon with a million things going on. it's super chaotic with half a dozen different factions crashing into each other and a big angry goose. highly recommend, especially for kids

The Black Wyrm of Brandonsford (by Chance Dudinack): small sandbox with a fun fairytale vibe and a very fleshed-out little town. and a big nasty dragon.

Evils of Illmire (by Zack Wolf): this is a very dense, entire campaign's worth of hexcrawl in a very compact package for like $5. it doesn't do anything particularly new, but the value-for-money is absurd and it's a really good template for how to do a sandbox if you're used to 5e adventures

Ask me anything!

if anything here is unclear or intrigues you, send me asks! i love helping people get into OSR games. i'll link frequently asked questions here if i get any.

Hi omg!!!!! I just saw the book you posted for TNAHP and I am dying! It looks GLORIOUS!!!!! Turned out so beautiful binded like that! And the art is absolutely stunning, may I ask what company printed it? Like what shop did you use? I’ve wanted to print certain stories just for myself so badly over the years but there are so many places and I can’t decide and this is exactly what I’ve been looking for!!!!! 😍😍😍 thank you so much for sharing!

Hi, anon! Thank you! 💕 I was so happy getting to hold it and put it up on my shelf! Look!!! 😭💕

I want to preface everything I’m about to say with this: if you use a third party service to print any material (fics, art, art in fics, etc.) please, please, please reach out to the author/artist and get permission to use the service before printing! It doesn’t matter if someone else already has permission, make sure *you* have permission. Also consider if the art in the fic belongs to someone other than the writer (like if the work was a collaborative piece or if it features fanart of the fic) and get permission from them, too! You may have to wait for a response, or you may never get one (in which case, don’t print without permission), but it really is worth it to make sure the authors/artists feel comfortable and confident that they keep control over their own work.

This is the first service I’ve used, and I have no experience binding, so I’m just sharing what I did and what I noticed with my untrained eye.

First, the service I used is Barnes and Noble Press. Here’s a link:

You can make books publicly for sale or books strictly private for personal use. If printing fanfic, be certain that you are creating a “personal” print. It will appear like this in your projects section (note the “PERSONAL” banner above the cover art):

As you can see - the price is pretty decent as far as books go! After tax, shipping, and handling costs, this book turned out to be $21.82.

You can choose how you want to customize the materials your book is made up of. Different materials cost different amounts (i.e. printing color pages inside is going to increase your price a lot). If you don’t know where to start, here’s the preference settings I selected for my copy:

Now, understand that they are not editing your book for you - you’re still going to have to do all the formatting and arranging in a document yourself and designing your own cover (so be prepared to still spend a lot of time on this project). They simply print and physically put all the pieces together for you.

Lastly, I want to address quality. While this is far better quality than I could manage on my own, it’s still not 100% up to quality of most books I can purchase in a store. For comparison, I’ll show a couple side-by-side images of the fic print next to my favorite published book, The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.

Dust jacket: Feels great! Literally no complaints.

The hard cover: A bit cheaper feeling. Definitely noticeable difference with a printed visual texture instead of real texture. The printed texture creased and wore away to reveal the white beneath. It’s visible here after just a few openings of the book. Also, unfortunately, you cannot customize the hardcover under the dust jacket, so no spine labels and you’re stuck with this color blue:

Finally, my biggest concern, the binding of the pages: looks a lot more like a paperback that had its cover glued onto a hardcover than an actual standard hardcover. Again, I’m no expert and idk if that’s normal, what anything is called, or how this affects the lifespan of the book, but you can even see where the spine kinda hovers away from the hardcover casing and how that compares to the The Raven Boys.

Anyway, the service isn’t perfect, no, but it works for what I wanted, looks nice, is user friendly, and allows me to hold a fic I otherwise never would have had the opportunity to. I appreciate it for that.

Hope this was helpful! Print responsibly 😊

What are your Luco hcs😎😎😎😎

I don't know if you want an x reader platonic or romantic so i did both ! hope you enjoy "anon"😊

LUCIO

Dating + Platonic headcanons!

TW ; None, fluff

WC ; N/A

Side notes ; sorry this was late I'm not doing too well but anyways, lucio is such a cutie patootie

HOW DATING HIM WOULD GO !

• First of all, let's all agree he's definitely shy

• Bro might have all the confidence to defend his friends, hell, taunt his opponents but when it comes to his crush???

• He's stuttering and blushing HELLA CRAZY

• I mean its literally canon by his voice line

• I imagine how that would work is literally on Valentine's Day (shit cannot get more cheesier)

"Can you be my uh- my- uh.. my v.. man, why is this so hard!"

You'd laugh, take his hands in yours, "Of course, Luci." He'd grin soo big and hug you tight, swing you around (well, try to.)

• From that point on, expect the corniest texts ever

LuciO : Good morning my love the world says hello :3

You : Really???

• It'd be funny but very endearing sometimes (I'd gag no lie but you do you ;-) )

• I think his love language is quality time/physical touch, the corniest duo..

• He looooves touching you, always holding your hand, leaning his head on your shoulder, etc etc

• Whenever you make a date, he'd go above and beyond.

• As in like, rose petals around your table, romantic music stuff like that!

• Also also, he'd probably make songs for you.

• OMGGG or he'd sample your laugh, or something you said as his producer tag, just because he thinks it goes really well with his music (he just wants to hear you when he's working)

•Honestly, no matter if your part of Overwatch or a civilian that casually met Lucio, he'd worry so much about you

• Pacing the house when you're late from work, almost throwing up when you're out on a solo mission etc, (of course he wouldn't show this AT ALL)

• After the events in Rio de Janeiro, he has a better guard up than before, knowing someone could say they're one thing then turn out to be the opposite.

• It took a bit for you to be let into his heart, and he was relieved to be able to air out his concerns and insecurities to someone instead of bottling it up.

• A few years into the relationship, I feel like he wouldn't want to get married, be committed, especially with his career and fame, he's constantly moving countries. But if you convince him, he'd let you win, and you'd propose to him

• In terms of children, he'd love to have children. He's grown up, taking care of the kids on the streets of Brazil, he's always had a soft spot for them and has that caretaker gene.

• He'd definitely want to foster children. Period, don't try to argue with me.

• All in all, he's incredibly grateful for you and everything you've done. You're his best friend, and partner. Lucio couldn't ask for anything more.

HOW BEING BESTIES WOULD GO !

• Oh boy.

• Having Lucio as a best friend will ALWAYS end up with you two doing some dumb prank and getting in trouble, but he'd take the blame for you.

• Guys pls, hear me out, he'd probably have a crush on you in the beginning especially if you're just insanely nice to him and stuff, the feelings would go away though.

• You, Hana and him would be the ULTIMATE TRIO™

• Doing everything together, going shopping at Hana's begging and whining. Etc etc.

• Y'know those dynamics, in friendships

• Lucio is the mom friend, 100%

• You and Hana are the crazy ones, always running away, Lucio was so, SO close to buying those leashes that parents get for their feral children.

• Especially after one incident, Hana had a bit too much alcohol and she ended up following a stray CAT just wandering the city. It took 2 hours to find her, petting it in an alley. The group voted not to drink in public again.

[reblogs appreciated!]

STORY AT-A-GLANCE

My biodynamic brand, Solspring, has one of the largest assortments of biodynamic products of any company in the world. We offer more than 70 Demeter certified biodynamic pantry staples, from snacks and spreads, to coffees and teas

Biodynamic agriculture is a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to agriculture, initially developed by Austrian scholar Rudolf Steiner, Ph.D., (1861-1925). Biodynamic certification meets both organic and regenerative certification standards, and then some

Biodynamic farming provides superior crops both in volume and increased density of nutrients. Biodynamic farms are also completely self-sustaining

Buying foods produced by farms certified as biodynamic through Demeter offers the greatest assurance of food quality and environmental sustainability

Get to know your local farmers. Talk to them. Visit their farms. Organic, regenerative and biodynamic farmers tend to be extremely passionate about their work and most will embrace the opportunity to educate consumers about what sets them apart

The short video above features three American biodynamic farmers who supply the raw materials that go into our biodynamic product line. The first is Justin Trussoni, president of Fifth Season Cooperative in Viroqua, Wisconsin. Trussoni grows biodynamic hemp and vegetables.

The second is Cecil Wright, a biodynamic maple farmer and founder of the Maple Valley Co-op. The third is Brian Wickert, vice president of Fifth Season Cooperative. He’s been growing biodynamic vegetables and herbs since 1997. Wickert is also the primary formulator of the biodynamic soil preparations used by other biodynamic growers.

As noted by Wickert, my biodynamic brand, Solspring,1 now has one of the largest assortments of biodynamic products of any company in the world. We offer more than 70 Demeter certified biodynamic pantry staples, from snacks and spreads, to coffees and teas, and that’s in no small part thanks to our partnership with growers like Wickert, Wright and Trussoni, who put their hearts and souls into their work.

What Is Biodynamic?

Biodynamic agriculture is a spiritual-ethical-ecological approach to agriculture, initially developed by Austrian scholar Rudolf Steiner,2 Ph.D., (1861-1925). Today, it meets both organic and regenerative certification standards, and then some.

Biodynamic farming provides superior crops both in volume and increased density of nutrients. Biodynamic farms are also completely self-sustaining — something that cannot be said even for most organic farms. For example, biodynamic standards do not simply require farmers to use organic animal feed. Most of the feed must actually originate from the farm itself.

And, while an organic farmer can section off as little as 10% of the farm for the growing of certified organic goods, 100% of a biodynamic farm must be in compliance with biodynamic standards to qualify for certification.

In addition to that, 10% of the land must also be dedicated to increasing biodiversity. This could take the form of forest land, wetland or insectary, for example. Biodynamic farming also has all of the features associated with regenerative agriculture, such as crop rotation, the use of cover crops and so on.

Having animals integrated on the farm, with a focus on animal welfare, is another core principle of biodynamic farming. In short, the farm is viewed as a living, self-sustainable whole, and biodiversity of both plants and animals are integral parts of that.

In my view, this is really as good as it gets, and buying foods produced by farms certified as biodynamic through Demeter offers the greatest assurance of food quality and environmental sustainability.

If you want to take a deeper dive into the biodynamic principles pioneered by Steiner, check out Jonathan Stedall’s documentary “The Challenge of Rudolf Steiner,” below. It’s also available on Amazon Prime Video.https://www.youtube.com/embed/ASqW2MRuvoQ?si=chPvFBPgGpTRAp1S&wmode=transparent&rel=0

The Need for Regenerative Agriculture Has Never Been Greater

Modern chemical-based agriculture has resulted in the destruction of rural economies, water and air pollution, depletion of aquifers, destruction of pollinators and biodiversity, soil erosion and loss of soil fertility, climate destabilization, food contamination, nutrient degradation and the deterioration of public health.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,3 6 in 10 American adults now have a chronic disease; 4 in 10 have two or more, and one of the primary reasons for that is poor nutrition.

The most recent government data4 back that up, showing that 45% of Americans do not meet the daily requirements for vitamin A, 46% don’t get enough vitamin C, 95% fall short of their vitamin D requirement, 84% don’t get enough vitamin E, and 15% don’t get enough zinc. Any one of these deficiencies can spell trouble. As noted by the authors:5

“A well-functioning immune system is essential for human health and well-being. Micronutrients such as vitamins A, C, D, E, and zinc have several functions throughout the immune system, yet inadequate nutrient intakes are pervasive in the US population.

A large body of research shows that nutrient inadequacies can impair immune function and weaken the immune response ... Dietary supplements can help address nutrient inadequacy for these immune-support nutrients ...

Given the long-term presence and widening of nutrient gaps in the U.S. — specifically in critical nutrients that support immune health — public health measures should adopt guidelines to ensure an adequate intake of these micronutrients.”

Sad to say, I don’t think that will happen, because even if you consume the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables, you’ll still fall short of nutritional requirements for the simple reason that today’s conventionally-grown produce contain far fewer nutrients than their counterparts 50 years ago.6

The reason for this is because plants get their nutrients from the soil, and if the soil is depleted of nutrients, the fruits, veggies and herbs will contain lower amounts as well.

Factory farmed, GMO grain-fed meat, eggs and dairy also typically contain lower levels of omega-3s, vitamin E, beta-carotene, antioxidants and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than 100% grass fed and biodynamically-raised animal products.

Research7 has consistently shown that organic foods contain significantly higher amounts of antioxidants, especially in no-till regenerative systems,8 and an antioxidant-rich diet is associated with reduced risks for chronic diseases, including heart and brain disease and certain cancers.

And again, biodynamic is organic on steroids, so it stands to reason that biodynamic foods might be even more nutritious than certified organic, primarily because so much of the focus is on optimizing the soil.

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An Agricultural U-Turn Is Necessary

Food security is no longer a given, even if you have plenty of available land, and here’s why:

Groundwater depletion is accelerating.9

Water pollution is worsening — Precious water sources are also threatened by pollution from large-scale monocrop farms and concentrated animal feeding operations.10 According to a report11 by Environment America, corporate agribusiness is one of the biggest threats to America’s waterways.

Soil erosion and degradation is rapidly worsening — Twelve years ago, in 2012, University of Sydney professor John Crawford noted that 40% of agricultural soils around the globe were already classified as degraded or seriously degraded.12 In large part due to conventional farming methods, topsoil is also being lost 10 to 40 times faster than nature can regenerate and replenish it naturally.13,14

Desertification is speeding up — Land is turning into desert at a rapid clip and, with it, we’re losing biodiversity of both plant and animal life.

Biodynamic Agriculture Is the Answer Everyone’s Looking For

The good news is that biodynamic farming addresses all of these problems and more. We just need to get a larger segment of agriculture to make the transition. Our decision to partner with Maple Valley Co-op and Fifth Season Cooperative is just one small part of the effort to expand and normalize that niche. Expanding the demand by buying biodynamic products is how you can help in that effort. As noted by Wickert, reasons to buy biodynamic food include:

It’s more nutritious, so you don’t need to eat as much

It has longer shelf-life than conventional produce

Biodynamic supply chains engage in association economics, making sure everyone in the supply chain, from the bottom to the top, is able to make a decent living

I hope you’ve enjoyed this little “sneak peak” into the biodynamic farms that are part of our brand. Knowing who your farmers are, where your food comes from, how it’s grown and according to which principles — these are all important aspects of a truly healthy lifestyle.

So, get to know your local farmers. Talk to them. Visit their farms. Most will be happy to show you around and discuss their processes. Organic, regenerative and biodynamic farmers tend to be extremely passionate about their work and most will embrace the opportunity to educate consumers about what sets them apart.

What do you think Channie's like when he has a y/n who knows how to take care of him randomly when he needs it, like he feels really taken care of and safe-

how would that Channie transform and change, and what would his personality be like- like would there be different parts of him that would start to show..

Idk but do you have any thoughts abt it..💕

oh my sweet Channie 🥺 I adore this man with everything in me, so here are my thoughts:

So I think Chan needs someone who can see through the front he puts on. We see it all the time where he places people above himself and has a bad reflection on himself. Y/n would be able to see through it all instantly

Part of me thinks Chan would become more confident with y/n that just knows what he needs. If he comes home super late from the company? if he cannot just get off his laptop? Y/n is there to remind himself to take a break, to eat, to drink water, etc. She knows him better than her favorite book

Y/n allows Chan to be the giddy, golden retriever person he is around the kids. Like if Lee Know or Seungmin reject his physical forms of affection, there is y/n. I think Chan’s big love languages are physical touch and quality time (kind of just assuming as a fellow ENFJ). Y/n never turns down a hug, a cuddle, or any spontaneous plan when Chan is his most energetic.

It’s obvious Chan feels guilty whenever he has to cancel or change plans. But y/n is always there to reassure Chan it’s ok, that ordinary couples have to postpone and reschedule date nights. Chan wants to y/n like treasure, and while y/n of course appreciates it, Chan worries a lot that he isn’t good enough due to being an idol. To y/n, it’s like every other job that places demands and limitations.

I think the moments Chan gets down on himself, y/n is right there to remind him of all his good qualities. I relate to Chan a lot because I hyper-fixate when something goes wrong. Y/n will be able to pull Chan out from his racing mind to reassure him. I’m talking about a lot of breathing exercises, writing sticky notes of what he does well/good qualities that he puts around the house to help him really internalize that yes, there are bad moments but he isn’t a bad person. I also think that y/n and Chan would be the couple to do like couple retreats so there is a guarantee time scheduled where they can grow as a couple. In general, Chan becomes a healthy person thanks to y/n

Channie also admitted on Bubble that he doesn’t take pictures often, like the photo of the kids he reposted this week. I think with y/n he’d be more inclined to take photos of her or abstract photos when they visit places, go out, etc. While I am not 100% if those photos would ever see the light of day, he definitely has a folder in his phone dedicated to y/n. Anything that reminds him of y/n is in there because he just values y/n.

🌿ABOUT ME: Howdy partner~ The names Nova. Fellow 27 year old non-binary and go by they/them pronouns. I've been writing/roleplaying for thirteen years and consider myself ADV-NOVELLA / but can also mirror!

INFO: Anything in bold is what I’m currently hyperfixating on and prefer to do. This goes for the characters I muse as also.

FANDOMS: Breaking Bad, The Last of Us, Shameless, Outer Banks, Stranger Things, Harry Potter, Wednesday, Hawkeye MCU.

SHIPS:

Mickey Milkovich x Ian Gallagher

Ellie Williams x Abby Anderson

Jane Margolis x Jesse Pinkman

Robin Buckley x Nancy Wheeler

Fleur Delacour x Bill Weasley

Sirius Black x Remus Lupin

Wednesday Addams x Enid Sinclair

Yelena Belova x Kate Bishop

PLOTS: I prefer darker themes, a rating of (M+) let’s plan something out together, I find other peoples engagements to be more exciting. Preferably AU!

Requirements: Please be above 18+ to commence a roleplay with me as I like to lean towards darker, mature topics which does include spice. I ask that you be literate/novella or at least mirror me, as of recent my mind has been heavily “quality over quantity” just don’t want a response that I cannot work with. As we discuss a plot, I will ask you to share your rules and triggers—I do not wish to make anyone uncomfortable when we write together.

Additional information: We can discuss further via private messages if this is something YOU MAY be interested in. I, as well, do not have any triggers given that darker themes leads to better character development! Leave a like, and I will message you to figure out what we want to do, and afterwards… gravitate to discord (if that is something you have)

P.S. I’ve had people like my requests but don’t back to me once I’ve messaged them, so ONLY LIKE if you’re 100% interested. I am looking for consistent, quick replies and if/when I am busy I will inform you as soon as possible—I ask that you do the same!

like if you're interested and op will get back to you

CHARACTER INFO SHEET

NAME.  Wario Scapelli

NAME MEANING.  The name "Wario" is a portmanteau of "Mario"⸺ and the Japanese adjective "warui" meaning "bad"; hence, a "bad Mario", which is also symbolized by the "W" on his hat, an upside down "M".

ALIAS(ES).  As of right now N/A, may change with more RP interactions

SPECIES. Half-Troll // Half-Human ETHNICITY. Primarily Italian, Sicilian, and about 16% German. Italian and Sicilian comes from his mother's side while his father is almost fully Italian but has a little bit of a German bloodline.

𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔’𝐕𝐄 𝐍𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐀𝐍𝐘𝐎𝐍𝐄.  I. In certain mythologies trolls are known for their shapeshifting abilities. Due to this, and seeing how in the Warioland series Wario is shown to be able to have some sort of shapeshifting qualities, I've always headcanoned him from a very early age as being a troll, or PART troll. I also feel that he looks the part and his need and love for gold could very well be a nudge towards how trolls also have a uncontrollable obsession over treasure//gold.

II. Because Wario is only a half-bred and not a pure-bred troll, he cannot shapeshift on command and it is very limited. He also must have contact; i.e touch, be touched, or get physically hurt from an enemy//thing in order to change his own form. He cannot though appear 100% human and will always have pointed ears and a bulbous nose.

III. Lastly, I always loved in the classical games when Wario was SIGNIFICANTLY bigger and taller than Mario AND Luigi, to the point where they are practically half his height. But I wanted to keep some aspect to how now he's a lot shorter I suppose than he used to be in the modern media. For that, I see that in human standards Wario is seen as really immense and big⸺ BUT for troll standards' for how big trolls typically are, Wario is seen to them as on the shorter side. ( also why to me explains how Waluigi is canonly above 7'0". I feel he is a troll too and its why Wario and him aren't related but still share some visual traits. )

𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄𝐒 𝐃𝐎𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐈𝐑 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄. I. WRESTLING. Not only does Wario love to participate in wrestling, but he also loves watching it on TV. One of his many dreams is to be able to catch front row seats and watch his favorite wrestler(s), Big Bamba and Undertaker, in a fight.

II. DIGGIN' FOR GOLD. Yes, in both aspects WHWUWHAHAAH!!! Everyone knows Wario's forte for searching for gold ⸺ Some of this includes him actively venturing out into mines to see if there is anything left behind to even metal detecting on beaches to see if he can find any valuable goods that way.

III. SNACKING. Wario tends to eat out of boredom to simply craving something and going out his way to get what he desires. Sometimes he will eat even when he's not particularly hungry. Putting this to the side, even when he isn't snacking and just having a. ordinary meal⸺ Wario naturally eats far more than your typical average person does // is supposed to.

𝐏𝐄𝐎𝐏𝐋𝐄 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐋𝐈𝐊𝐄𝐒/𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐒.  I. He, himself and his MONEY. 𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐒. I. Not being able to fully say his goodbyes to Princess Shokora

II. Not sucker punching toad in the throat when he had the chance to... No further comment.

𝐀 𝐏𝐇𝐎𝐁𝐈𝐀 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐇𝐀𝐒. I. DOCTORS. Wario doesn't fear most of anything. Typically, he is shown and known to be one of the most fearless characters in the entire mario-game series. Despite this, the one thing Wario truly hates facing are going to the hospitals. Due to this, he tends to neglect his appointments there and has successfully not gone to a single doctor's visit in over a decade.

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐘. @koopzilla thanks for the tag ! 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐆. YOU! ... Yes you right there! You have been tagged by me to do this!

✯[0.06]✯

Previous || Next

[0.06-extra]

Note: a conversation with Clyde Donovan will become 100% more awkward after the word “sex” is uttered by me.

Three days later you found yourself stood in front of Clyde’s office.

You’d never been there before, but you had no problem finding it. The staff scurrying out of it with misty eyes and a terrified expression was a dead give away. Not to mention that Clyde’s was the only one in the hallway completely devode of pictures of kids, pets or significant others. Not even a copy of his album cover with the hit song that had won him a Grammy. You knew about all the awards he’d won from a quick google search you’d done the previous day. Just dark brown wood with a metal plaque that read; Clyde Donovan

You had felt a bit like a creep the night before, scrolling through his Wikipedia page and going through as much information you could find out about him. Unlucky for you, he was reserved and didn’t let the press know much about him. Still you’d quashed yourself the feelings, telling yourself that a thorough background check could be considered mandatory before embarking on a fake-dating relationship.

You took a deep breath before knocking and then another between Clyde’s “Come in” and the moment you finally managed to forced yourself to open the door. When you entered the offices he didn’t immediately look up and continued to type on his PC. “My office hours were over five minutes ago, so—”

“It’s me.”

His hands halted, hovering and inch or so above the keyboards then he turned his chair towards you. “Y/N.”

There was something about the way he talked. Maybe it was an accent, maybe it was just the quality of his voice. You didn’t quite know what, but it’s was there, in the way he said your name. Precise. Careful. Feel. Unlike anyone else. Familiar—impossibly so.

“What did you say to her?” You asked, trying not to care about how Clyde Donovan spoke. “The woman who ran out crying.”

It took him a moment to remember that less than sixty seconds ago there had been someone in the office—someone whom he clearly made cry. “I just gave her feedback on something she wrote.”

You nodded, silently thanking all the gods you were not a member of his staff team and never would be, and studied your surroundings.

He had a corner office, of course. Two windows that together must total who knows how many square metered of glass, and so much light, just standing in the middle of the room would cure twenty people’s seasonal depression. It made sense. With all the money he brought in, along with the prestige, that he’d be given a nice space. You on the other hand, didn’t even have your own office or filming booth, you just went where you were told and nine times out of ten the booths would smell of sweat and the offices would be with other people you didn’t know.

“I was going to email you. I talked to my publicity manager.” Clyde told you, and you looked back at him.

He was gesturing to the chair in front of his desk. You pulled it back and took a seat.

“About you.”

“Oh.” You stomach dropped. You’d much rather his publicity manager didn’t know about your existence. Then again, you’d also rather not be in this rooms with Clyde Donovan, have to go to shows, have climate change be a thing. And yet.

“Well, about us,” he amended. “And social media regulations.”

“What did they say?”

“There’s nothing against us dating and we are free to keep it a secret. Unless of course it’s gets out then we don’t have a choice.”

A mix of panic and relief flooded through you.

“However there are some issues to consider. Any of the members of staff in this building could sell us out. Equally, if we get spotted, press may sell us out, which means we simply have to be cautious.”

You nodded. “Fair enough.”

“And I absolutely cannot collaborate with you until this is over.”

You huffed put a laugh. “That won’t be an issue. I wasn’t planning on asking you to collaborate with my band anyway.”

He narrowed his eyes. “Why not? Your band does the same music as I do.”

“Yeah, alternative.”

“Then we would collaborate perfectly.”

“Yeah we may, but we don’t plan on collaborating any time soon. Plus, there are millions of people who do alternative music, and if we were going collaborate, I’d argue against it being with you. I’d like to finish the song ideally without crying in the bathroom after every meeting.”

He glared at you.

You shrugged. “No offence. I’m a simple girl, with simple needs.”

To that he lowered his gaze onto the feast but not before you could we the corners f his mouth twitch. When he looked up again, his expression was serious. “So, have you decided?”

You pressed your lips together as he watched you calmly. You took a deep breath before saying, “Yes. Yes I…I want to do it. It’s a good idea actually.”

For so many reasons. It would get Nichole and Tolkien off your back, but also…also everyone else. It was as if since the rumour had begun to spread, people had been too intimidated by you to give you the usual shit. The staff had quit trying switch the bands nice 2pm sessions with their nasty, horrible, life-sucking 8pm ones. People had stopped cutting in front of you at the coffee shop next door. And two different staff members had been trying to get ahold of you to potential work under your band too as well. It felt a little unfair to exploit this hugged misunderstanding, but this was lawless territory and your life had been nothing but miserable for the past two years. You had learnt to get away with whatever you could. And if some—okay most staff looked at you suspiciously because you were dating Clyde Donovan so be it. You friends seemed to be largely fine with this, if a little bemused.

Except for Kyle. He’d been subbing you like you had the pox for three solid days. But Kyle was Kyle—he’d come around.

“Very well then.” He we completely expressionless—almost too expressionless.

Like it was no big deal and he didn’t care either way; like if you’d said no, it wouldn’t have. Hanged a thing for him.

“Though, I’ve been thinking about this a lot.”

He waited for you to continue.

“And I think that I would be best if we lay don’t some ground rules, before starting.”

“Ground rules?”

“Yes. You know. What are we allowed and both allowed to do. What we can expect from this arrangement. I think that pretty standard protocol, before embarking on a fake-dating relationship.”

He tilted his head. “Standard protocol?”

“Yup.”

“How many times have you done this?”

“Zero. But I’m familiar with the trope.”

“The…what?” He blinked at you, confused.

You ignored him. “Okay.” You inhaled deeply and lifted you index finger. “First of all, this should be a strictly in the work place agreement. Not that I think you’d want to meet me out of work but I’m worried about the press. And just incase you were planning to kill two birds with one stone and being home a date for Christmas—”

“I wasn’t.”

“Huh?”

“I wasn’t planning to ask you to celebrate Christmas with me. But also my family don’t really celebrate.”

“Oh.” You pondered it for a moment. “That’s something a fake girlfriend should probably know.”

The ghost of a smile appeared on his mouth, but he said nothing.

“Okay. Second rule. Actually it could be interpreted as an extension of the first rule. But—” You bit into your lip, willing yourself to bring it up—“no sex.”

For several moments he simply didn’t move. Not even a millimetre. Then his lips parted, but no sound came out, and that’s when you realised you had just rendered Clyde Donovan speechless. Which would have been funny any other day, but the fact that he seemed dumbfounded by you not wanting to include sex in your fake-dating relationship made your stomach sink.

Had he assumed you would? Was it something you’d said? Should you explain you’d had very little sex in your life? That for years you’d wondered whether you were asexual and you had only recently realised you might be able to experience sexual attraction, but only with people you trusted deeply? That if for some inexplicable reason Clyde wanted to have sex with you, you were going to be able to go through with it?

“Listen”— you made to stand from the chair, panic rising in your throat—“I’m sorry, big if one of the reasons you offered to fake-date is that your thought we would—”

“No.” The word half exploded out of him. He looked genuinely appalled. “I’m shocked that you’d even feel the need to bring it up.”

“Oh.” Your cheeks hearing at the indignation in his voice. Right. Of course he didn’t expect that. Or even want that, with you. Look at him—why would he? “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to assume—”

“No, it makes sense to be up-front. I was just surprised.”

“I know.” You nodded. Honestly, you were a little surprised too. That you were sitting in Clyde Donovan’s office, talking about sex—not only the meiosis kind of sex, but potential sexual intercourse between the two of you. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make things weird.”

“It’s okay. This whole thing is weird.” The silence between you stretched, and you noticed that he was blushing faintly. Just a dust of red, but he looked so…you couldn’t stop staring.

“No sex,” he confirmed with a nod.

You had to clear your throat to shake yourself out of inspecting the shape and colour of his cheekbones.

“No sex.” You repeated. “Okay. Third. It’s not really a rule, but here goes: I won’t date anyone else. As in real dating. It would be messy and complicated and everyone and…” You hesitated. Should you tell him? Was it too much information? Did he need to know? Oh, well. Why not, at this point? It wasn’t like you hadn’t kissed the man, or brought up sec in his place of work. “I don’t date, anyway. Tolkien was an exception. I’ve never…I’ve never dating seriously before, and it’s probably for the best. This job is stressful enough, and I haven’t friends, and my music, and honestly there’s better things to use my time for.” The last few words came out like more defensively than you’d intended.

Clyde simply stared, saying nothing.

“But you can, of course,” you added hastily. “Thought I’d appreciate if you could avoid telling people in the—well anyone—just so I don’t look like and idiot and you don’t look like your cheating on me and rumours don’t balloon out of control. It would benefit you, too, since you’re trying to look like you’re in a committed relationship—”

“I won’t.”

“Okay. Great. Thanks. I know lying by omission can be a pain, but—”

“I mean, I won’t date someone else.”

There was a certainty, a finality in his tone that took you by surprise. You could only nod even though you wanted to protest that he couldn’t possibly know, even thought a million questions surfaced in your mind. Ninety-nine percent of them were inappropriate and not your business, so you shooed them away.

“Okay. Fourth. We obviously can’t keep on doing this forever, so we should give ourselves a deadline.”

He pressed his lips together. “When would that be?”

“Im not sure. A month or so would probably be enough to convince Nichole that I’m firmly over Tolkien. But it might not be enough on you end, so…you tell me.”

He mulled it. Then nodded once. “May twenty-ninth.”

It was a little over a month from now. But also… “that’s a weirdly specific date.” You racked your head, trying to figure out why it could be meaningful. The only thing that came to mind was that you’d be in Boston that week for a charity show.

“It’s the day after my contract is reviewed. They will be deciding whether they are going to renew it or terminate it.”

“I see. We’ll, then, let’s agree that in September twenty-ninth we part ways. I’ll tell Nichole that our breakup was amicable but that I’m a little sad about it because I still have a bit of a crush on you.” You grinned at him. “Just so she won’t suspect that I’m still hung up in Tolkien. Okay.” You took a deep breath. “Fifth and last.”

This was the tricky one. The one you were afraid he would object to. You noticed that you were wringing your hands and placed them firmly in your lap.

“For this to work we should probably…do things together. Every once in a while?”

“Things?”

“Things. Stuff.”

“Stuff,” he repeated dubiously.

“Yep. Stuff. What do you do for fun?” He was probably into something atrocious, like cow-tipping excursions or Japanese beetle fighting. Maybe he collected porcelain dolls. Maybe he was an avid geocacher. Maybe he frequented vaping conventions. Oh God.

“Fun?” He repeated, like he’s never heard the word before.

“Yeah. What do you do when you’re not at work.”

The length of the time that passed between your question and his answer was alarming. “Sometimes I work at home, too. And I work out. And I sleep.”

You had to actively stop yourself from face-palming. “Um, great. Anything else?”

“What do you do for fun?” He asked, somewhat defensively.

“Plenty of things. I…” Go to the movies. Thought you hadn’t been since the last time Kyle had dragged you. Play board games. But every single one of your friends was too busy lately so not that, either. You’d participated in a volleyball tournament, but it had been over a year ago.

“Um. I work out?” You would have loved to wipe that sumg expression off his face. So much. “Whatever. We should do something together on a regular basis. I don’t know, maybe get coffee? Like, once a week? Just for ten minutes at a place where people, not the press but people we know, could easily see us. I know it sounds annoying and a waste of time, but it’ll be super short, and it would makes the fake dating more credible, and—”

“Sure.”

Oh.

You thought it would take more convincing. A lot more. Then again, this was in his interest too. He needed his contractors to believe in their relationship if he was to cajole them into renewing his contract.

“Okay. Um..” you forced yourself to stop wondering why he was being so accommodating and tried to visualise your schedule. “How about Thursday?”

He angled his chair to face his computer and pulled up a calendar app. It was so fully of colourful boxes and your felt a surge of vicarious anxiety.

“It works before eleven a.m. and after seven p.m.”

“Ten?”

He turned back to you. “Ten’s good.”

“Okay.” You waited for him to type it in, but he made no move to. “Aren’t you going to add it to your calendar?”

“I’ll remember.” He told you evenly.

“Okay, then.” You made and effort to smile, and it felt relatively sincere. Way more sincere than any smile you’d ever thought you’d been able to muster in Clyde Donovan’s presence. “Great. Fake-dating Thursday it is.”

A line appeared between his eyebrows, “why do you keep saying that?”

“Saying what?”

“‘Fake dating.’ like it’s a thing.”

“Because it is. Do you not watch rom-coms?”

He stared at you with a puzzled expression, until you cleared your throat and looked down at your knees. “Right.” God, you had nothing in common. You’d never find anything to talk about. Your ten minute coffee-breaks we’re going to be the most painful, awkward parts of your already painful, awkward weeks.

But Nichole was going to have her beautiful love story, and you wouldn’t have to wait for ages to finally do a Cancer Awareness Campaign. That was all that mattered.

You stood and thrust your hand out to him, figuring that every fake-dating arrangement deserved at lead a handshake. Clyde studied it hesitantly for a couple seconds. Then he stood, clapped your fingers. He stared at your joined hands before meeting your eyes. And you ordered yourself not to notice the head of his skin, or how tall he was, or…anything else about him. When he finally let go, you had to make a conscious effort not to inspect your hand.

Had he done something to you? It sure felt like it. Your flesh was tingling.

“When do you want to start?”

“How about next week?” It was Friday. Which meant that you had fewer days than seven to psychologically prepare for the experience of getting coffee with Clyde Donovan. You knew that you could do this—if you had worked your way up to being in a band and kicking your stage fright in the ass, you could do anything, or as good as—but it still seemed like a horrible idea.

“Sounds good.”

It was happening. Oh God. “Let’s meet in the downstairs coffee shop. It’s where most of the staff and well—anyone who comes here at all—goes to get coffee. Someone’s bound to spot us.” You headed for the door, pausing to glance back at Clyde. “I guess I’ll see you for fake-dating Thursday, then?”

He was still standing behind his desk, arms crossed in his chest. Looking at you. Looking entirely less irritated by this mess than you’d ever had expecting. Looking…nice. “See you, Y/N.”

Masterlist

[0.06-extra]

Taglist: @h3artilly @carinaryen @bootsieboo @southparktegreity

(Taglist is still open)

For Siv and Onnie (I love seeing the differences between them tbh)

Eros 3 and 4, Ludus 2 and 5, Philautia 3 and 4

Eros

3: How do they feel about public displays of romantic affection? Does it make them uncomfortable? How do they feel if a romantic partner kisses them in public?

Before her death, Siv and Gina were one of THE most affectionate couples. However, after Gina was murdered, Siv becomes much more withdrawn, trying to avoid any show of affection (and really, emotion in general) in public.

For Onnie, it depends on if it benefits her or not. If being openly affectionate with a partner (most of the time it's just fake relationships for allyships because she's the queen of the nepo babies) advances her or Eobard's goals, then yeah, but otherwise, Onnie's actually super awkward with romance and PDA.

4: Do they believe in love at first sight? Have they ever developed a crush or romantic (or erotic) fixation upon a stranger based on their appearance alone?

Siv absolutely does not believe in love at first sight. However, she 100% believes in infatuation at first sight, since that's what her and Hailey had. At that point, Siv was working as a dancer at a strip club just to make enough money to stay alive, and Hailey was bodyguarding a guy who demanded to go to said club to get his rocks off or whatever. Hailey saw Siv up there on the pole, and she was basically immediately entranced by her. Siv, when they saw Hailey, was basically the same. They ran into each other a few nights later at the grocery store and ended up hooking up right after.

Onnie doesn't believe in love at first sight. They're not even sure if they believe in love in general, even after they meet Pippa. She definitely belives in erotic love, since she's hooked up with multiple women since becoming Eobard's second in command- turns out being able to vibrate your hand fast enough to phase through someone's chest has more than one use.

Ludus

2: Is your OC particularly skilled at flirting? Have they had to practice this or does it just happen naturally?

Siv's kinda an idiot when it comes to flirting. The best they can give you is a really corny pick-up line, like "Hi, I'm Siv, but you can call me after work." or something like that.

Onnie definitely has to practice her flirting skills, but they're better off than their E-2002 counterpart, mostly because of the entity they're bound to, since it automatically makes her more dangerous and seductive- which is, unsurprisingly, something a lot of women are into.

5: What seduction techniques are most likely to be effective when it comes to your OC? Are there some things guaranteed to get them going? Or are they immune to such things?

If you're gonna seduce Siv, be straightforward. Since she's kind of a useless lesbian, she's often unsure whether someone's flirting or just being nice in a totally hetero way.

If you want Onnie in bed (but why tho????), your best bet is to come at her with the same angle she would. Be seductive, and flirtatious, and definitely make a very large use of innuendo and double entendres.

Philautia

3: Does your OC judge themselves by the same standards as they apply to others? Or are they sometimes hypocritical in condemning others for faults they also possess? Or perhaps they find it easier to forgive others for things that they cannot abide in themselves?

Siv absolutely DESPISES themself, to the point that she sees herself as an irredeemable monster, and would forgive others far worse than themself.

Onnie sees herself as above human morality, so she often judges others for the things she frequently does, like crime or being an asshole in general.

5: Which of your OC's qualities makes them the most proud? Do they think more people should be like them in this regard? Or do they quite like being rare in possessing it?

Siv's best quality- in her opinion- is her relentlessness. Once they set their mind to something, they're not backing down, no matter how much it tears her and her reality apart to achieve it.

Onnie's power is their best quality- in their opinion, at least. She sees herself as near-godlike, and would prefer to be the only one with that level of power, even if it nearly destroyed her to get it.

It's Sunday. I'm bored. I'm trying to survive the current heatwave (I cannot wait for fall), I recently finished reading the 1992 run of Spider-Man 2099 and thought: "why not gather all of my favourite moments of the comic on a nice, little tumblr post?" So here I am. This goes without saying that this post will be full of spoilers so proceed at your own risk.

Okay, this one is not particularly funny or anything but this page of Miguel right after he became Spider-Man is pretty nice so I'm putting it here:

Miggy trying to come up with something cool to say but the result ending up pretty underwhelming:

Miguel goes commando canon:

I gotta say Lyla is funny as hell in the comic. If you liked her in the movie, I highly recommend reading the 1992 comic for some good quality Lyla-ness.

I once saw a post on here saying that everyone comments on Miguel's "tight buns" in the comics and I am here to confirm that it is indeed the truth.

Related to the page above, Gabriel (Miguel's brother) has become one of my favourite characters ever. I wanna put him in my pocket. Poor guy keeps having his girlfriend stolen by his own brother (unknowingly on Miguel's part this time so I guess it's fine?) IT'S NOT, look at his sad face below:

For some context, Kasey, who's Gabriel's girlfriend at the time, is in awe as she's just been rescued by Spider-Man (aka Miguel.) Gabriel is well-aware of who Spider-Man is and will grow resentful of the entire situation and who can blame him?

ANYWAYS, on a funnier note: this conversation between Lyla and Miguel that every body and their mothers has seen a 100 times already:

Miggy being disgusted with the donut and the coffee he's stolen from a cop while being stuck downtown:

Fun note: Miguel is also disgusted by cigarettes and had slapped one out of his mother's hand. (also cigarettes have become illegal in this universe apparently?) I didn't screenshot the page so you gotta believe my word here.

Kid!Miguel being a brat and demanding to see a real horse (because there's been some sort of disease in 2030 which eradicated all animals) so he could feel a little better at being forced to go to "Alchemax School" and ending up being scared of a holo-horse.

So, I can't put any more pictures on here so there will be a part 2 promptly. (will link it when it'll be posted)

M*A*S*H - Viewguide, S3

Are you interested in the long-running anti-war situation tragicomedy M*A*S*H (1972-1983), but there are simply so many asterisks and so many episodes?

Well I can’t help you with the asterisks, but nor can I help myself: I started watching all 11 seasons of M*A*S*H, and bringing back for you my viewing selections, chosen for The Qualities.

— — —

You should have seen me at Movie Madness pulling out the drawer for “TV: 1970s” and finding this complete stack of covers for all 11 seasons of M*A*S*H. Lost in the saaauuce.

But, amazing news: not only did I make the surprising discovery that what's on Hulu is clearly a restored and remastered version of the far crunchier material on the DVDs, but also that I DEEPLY prefer the original laugh track! It turns out, the laughter is the score. They’d cut to it like music. Without that melody it was built around everything felt so off, so eerily quiet.

Incidentally, over the recent holiday weekend I sang all of 1.75 non-chorus lines of ‘Suicide Is Painless’ in the kitchen and my dad just said, “MASH.” We then talked about all our faves while playing solitaire and drinking maple whiskey sours by the woodstove. Cannot believe I’m getting such a fond memory with my father from M*A*S*H but I’m not sure why, that seems right.

Here are my own suggested favorites from the third season, the last of an era!!! /weeping

M*A*S*H - Season 3 Recommended sequence

3x02 ‘Rainbow Bridge’ - It is amazing that the first episode of this season that aired was the first episode of this season that aired, as everything about the second episode, ‘Rainbow Bridge’, feels like the premiere of the third season of a service comedy (slowly turning dramedy). The 4077th get a message from the Chinese that they have nine wounded American GIs that need more medical help than they can offer, and give their coordinates 50 miles behind the line. “Could be a trap, Trap.” GREAT STUFF. And hey, Season 3? Someone’s upgraded the photography department! She’s moving, folks (the camera). They also keep cutting to Loudon Wainwright perched above the camp with his guitar singing some absurd song about Tokyo like every third scene transition. Why? Couldn’t tell ya. Except to repeat the first line.

3x03 ‘Officer of the Day’ - Henry’s away and Frank makes Hawkeye be Officer of the Day. I love that when he’s backed into a management position, Captain Pierce is actually rather good at it. Tired and clever and humane. It’s gonna sound odd, but he’s almost Lawful, just his code is nothing Army regulation, simply Do The Least Harm. He is a stickler on that. Also contains the best visual punchline I've seen yet. Simply burst out laughing.

3x04 'Iron Guts Kelly' - Margaret kills a general and is like, who would help me hide this body, and doesn’t even have to think about it. Cordially, [throwing a pillow in the face of me of the past] YOU DIDN’T KNOW WHAT YOU HAD, YOU DOSED UP LUNATIC.

3x05 ‘O.R.’ - Ha ha I COULD EAT MY OWN HAND.

100% in surgery, zero laugh track, which does forever prove The Power of Editing (!) as it runs so beautifully, no weird stilted silence like when you take it out later, and also I’m changed as a person. 10/10 I am gnawing.

3x06 'Springtime' - Update ‘Springtime’ an essential episode as writer & actor Mary Kay Place’s literal-literal self-insert M*A*S*H script in which she plays a hot nurse in glasses getting seduced by Radar O’Reilly. I am….obsessed with her. Also Klinger gets married!!!

3x08 ‘Life With Father’ - This one is ultimately a lil' silly sure, but I think I’m powerless to resist Radar, Father Mulcahy, and this young Korean mom moving Heaven & Earth to get a rabbi on the radio to walk them through performing a bris for her Jewish-Korean infant son. And that’s the A-plot, the B-plot is Hawkeye and Trapper are trying to complete a Hidden Picture to win a pony.

3x09 ‘Alcoholics Unanimous’ - I wasn’t going to include both alcoholism episodes, but this is such a good Margaret ep I couldn’t kick it out of bed. Loretta Swit is just so, so funny in this one. I was losing it. Even our impossible miscreants are like lol hang out with us! Favorite drunken scene yet, for sure for sure for sure for sure.

3x11 ‘Adam’s Rib’ - The fact that my dad spontaneously quoted a line from this episode to me, and not even one I would have thought particularly memorable, should alone earn it a spot on any recommendation list. But I too still find myself recalling multiple moments from this one. 'Adam's Rib'—it's gotta be on here!

3x13 ‘Mad Dogs and Servicemen’ - Oh you know I’m here for an episode where in the first minutes Trapper is going, “Frank, that’s straight out of World War I, no one thinks ‘shellshock’ anymore!” Tragically we don’t actually get to see psychiatrist Sidney Freedman, their one-time comedic antagonist turned professional pal and poker buddy (I love this...so much), but I did send a plot synopsis to my own pal Jen, doctor of psychology and practicing therapist, for the psych eval, and her full report is pending but the abstract indicates that hey, Sid’s c. 1950s therapy for their phantom paralysis case (currently probably called a conversion disorder) might be a plausible approach! Remains to be seen if it would be strictly necessary for Hawkeye to have to role-play as Betsy Tough Love to this kid and feel chewed up about it, but it does make for good TV.

3x15 'Bombed' - Everyone’s emotions are running VERY high in this episode, which just straight up opens with the camp being bombed all to hell. With ‘O.R.’ and ‘Aid Station’ as well this season, this fellow dramatic one ended up just missing the first edition of this list, but it’s important to be able to admit when you were wrong. Margaret & Trapper trapped in the supply shed…the bombs are not the only thing shaking me.

3x17 ‘The Consultant’ - This episode rules so, so hard. Love a sneaky cautionary taaaale! Definitely a far finer crafted story than ‘Alcoholics Anonymous’, but we’re including both for their various other appealing elements. Such as, here: a sublimely absurd interlude to a British camp where everyone is like “..Quite,” heavy bombardment, a scene with the trio in incredible swimming get-ups for the water tank pool Henry has made, tensely breathtaking surgery, and just a steady course of Alan Alda being rampantly bisexual in front of, across, and at one point directly to his own real life father. You love to can't believe you're seeing it.

3x18 ‘House Arrest’ - This one is sheer chaos and with an ending I don’t care for much, but the primary plot is Hawkeye & Trapper have possibly never been more dating. Really some peak absurd & precious ne'er-do-well pair behavior, and I just can’t keep this one from you, not here, not now..(!) I also quite like the bit with Radar & Klinger, and ultimately Hawkeye, having a moment of critical self-reflection on his own teasing. Damn Frank storyline, get out of here! Just give us more of the gang watching the new Gene Tierney picture.

3x19 ‘Aid Station’ - Literally cheered at the end of a Margaret monologue in this, a stand-out even before she and Hawkeye and Klinger are in the midst of actual hell together at the front, and work so hard & desperately and get so dear. Not to bandy about the term mutual respect, but Hawkeye bandies about the term mutual respect. Haha, [softly] help. Meanwhile, Trapper & Radar :’) & Henry :’) Second of two episodes this season, both of which I have very much included, where Colonel Blake has to make the decision to send some of his people to the front where they very much might die, and his heart just won’t rest until they’re back, which is always *primo.* Henryyy..!

This episode is M*A*S*H being funny and harrowing and sincere and really, really aware of humor as a way to try to shore against the loss of people you care about all in 25 minutes, which is why, in probably an even more dramatic move than any episode I’ve skipped yet: this is my Season 3 finale for you. This does goodbyes in wartime best this season, goofy, glorious, gutting, the whole cocktail. The ingredients are there in ‘Check-up’ and ‘Abyssinia, Henry’, but they haven’t been balanced in the shaker by as steady a hand as the ones that crafted ‘Aid Station’.

And you’ll learn what happened in the actual season finale at the beginning of Season 4, and as you should: just a few careful sentences with a pit beneath them, and in a moment when the loss has gotten even ❤️ worse.

Season 1 • Season 2 • Season 3 • To be continued

#M*A*S*H hours

Picking one character from each NRC dorm (plus a faculty member if you like) tell me what you think their favourite flower is and why! 💜

Oh! Thanks for the ask! I love flowers and flower meanings with all my heart! I'm delighted to answer this! I know you said "one from each dorm" but my brain has automatically defaulted to the dorm leaders. Sorry... Let's get started! Also, as a final note, I'm picking flowers mostly based on meaning, though aesthetic can count.

NRC Dorm Leaders and their favourite flower

Heartslaybul - Riddle - Daisy

It is super tempting to say "rose" for Riddle given the aesthetic of Alice in Wonderland, but I'm picking a daisy for him. Daisies, to me, are a flower that represents being a kid. Riddle was unable to act like a child growing up, so I want a flower that can represent childhood.

Their meaning also relates well for Riddle. Daisies can mean "new beginnings and rebirth", "love", "cheerfulness", "beauty", "purity", "innocence", "hope", and "affection". I feel many of these meanings can relate to Riddle post overblot, where he can slowly let go of rigid rules and his inner fears.

Savanaclaw - Leona -Orange Day Lily

For Leona I'm picking a day lily. First, day lilies are a perennial flower and that makes them hearty and sturdy. That's a quality I associate with Leona. Next, day lilies can come in a variety of colours but I'm imagining orange day lilies for Leona. Mostly because my mother always grows yellow and orange ones.

As for the meaning, day lilies in general have many. In Chinese culture they symbolize "devotion to your mother". In Victorian times they meant "flirty" and "forgetting worries". Orange day lilies in particular mean "confidence, pride, and wealth". While I cannot speak to how Leona feels about his parents (though probably not positive, given his backstory), I think all the other meanings can apply to him!

Octavinelle - Azul - Lotus Flower

This is a very self-indulgent choice. I adore lotus flowers with all my heart. In relation to Azul I wanted a flower with a relationship with water for Azul. However, the meaning to lotus flowers is what truly drew me in and picked them for Azul. Lotus flowers grow in the water, rising up from the mud. Due to this, they are a symbol of strength, resilience, and rebirth.

These qualities 100% suit Azul who was bullied as a child, rising up to being the dorm leader and (ruthless) creator, owner of his own lounge, and struggling with fears around his insecurities that lead to an overblot. Yet, through those struggles and challenges, Azul overcomes them.

Scarabia - Kalim - Orchid

First, orchids are an ornamental plant and considered exotic. They can also be finicky to take care of. Next, they represent love, luxury, beauty, and strength.

To me, all these qualities suit Kalim. He loves and he loves endlessly. Truly, a character that wears his heart on his sleeve. Kalim is also a character above everyone else in Twisted Wonderland, that to me fully represents luxury. Everything about Kalim from his family to his clothing, to his signature spell. He's the character in game that imagery of wealth is consistently thrown at us.

Kalim is also a character with immense strength, though I think the fandom might be too caught with the superficial to notice. Kalim's love is strength. Backstory reveals the tragedy of multiple kidnappings and poisoning attempts on his life when he was a CHILD. Yet, Kalim has not allowed despair and fear to overtake his heart. He could easily be a withdrawn, suspicious character of everyone but instead he's warm and welcoming. Kalim's strength is also displayed during Jamil's overblot, as his character also needed to grow along side Jamil's.

Pomefiore - Vil - Lavender

For Vil there was no other option in my mind. Lavender is versatile: it is a flower, a smell, and a colour. Lavender can be used in baking, cooking, and steeped as tea. It is also a popular scent in candles, hygiene products, and incense. The colour is stunning and purple has long been a colour associated with luxury and royalty.

Like lavender, Vil is versatile. He's an actor, model, student, dorm leader, and mentor. No matter how Epel might want to disagree with that statement. Vil also willingly took the NRC Tribe under his wing in Book 5.

If we look into lavender's meanings my search says "purity", "silence", "devotion", "serenity", "grace", and "calmness". All these qualities suit Vil in my mind. (Devotion can also mean his devotion to Rook because they're such a great ship!)

Ignihyde - Idia - White Chrysanthemums

While I know chrysanthemums can symbolize "friendship", "happiness", and "well-being". In many cultures or countries, white chrysanthemums are a flower of mourning and grief. They can be a common funeral flower. And you see, that's why this flower is perfect for Idia.

Idia, who tragically loses Ortho. Idia who spent years mourning and grieving his brother, creating a robot replica of him to fill the void. Idia, who overblots because of Ortho, because of his sorrow. Ortho may have taking Vil's advice the wrong way in Book 6 and became corrupt but Idia overblots because of Ortho.

Yet, on the flip side, Idia gains friends. At the end of Book 6 he's playing video games with Yuu and everyone else in the Ramshackle Dorm. He's happy and more importantly he's taking care of his "well-being". It's a small step, as grief and sorrow are complicated feelings that won't fade away immediately, but Idia will eventually move past the sorrowful meaning of white chrysanthemums.

Diasomnia - Malleus - Morning Glory

One of my favourite flowers, morning glories are a vine plant and that imagery alone is strong enough to carry it as my choice for Malleus. However, putting that connection aside, according to my search morning glory flowers mean "love and affection", representing and unyielding love that overcomes all challenges. Does that not fit Malleus perfectly? Look at how that man loves his Diasomnia "family". Outsiders may think Malleus is stoic or stone cold, but inside he's bursting with love. Love for Lilia, Silver, Sebek, and of course, Yuu. So much love that it can be corrupted, which is tragic considering morning glories can also represent unrequited love. Ouch! My heart!

There you have it! These are my picks for favourite flower from the NRC cast! Sorry I cannot do an in-depth faculty member as my brain fried itself in circles thinking about flowers and meanings.

Though, if we want a quick thought, I think Trein likes carnations as those are a common flower children can purchase because they're usually cheap. I bet his kids often bought those for him and it tickled his heart.

Let me know what you think! What would you pick? Eager to read your ideas!

SXSW 2023: A Small Light

The official synopsis for “A Small Light:”  “Based on an inspiring true story, Miep Gies was  young, carefree and opinionated — at a time when opinions got you killed ― when Otto Frank asked her to help hide his family from the Nazis during WWII." "Told with a modern sensibility, A SMALL LIGHT shakes the cobwebs off of history and makes Miep’s story feel relevant, forcing audiences to ask themselves what they would have done in Miep’s shoes; and in modern times, asking if they would have the courage to stand up to hatred. Some stood by, Miep stood up.”  The powerful, eight-part limited series is produced by ABC Signature and Keshet Studios. “A Small Light,” an 8-part series, premieres Monday, May 1, at 9/8c on National Geographic with two back-to-back episodes The series stars Bel Powley as Miep and Liev Schreiber as Otto Frank. Anne Frank is portrayed by 17-year-old British actress Billie Boulet (“The Worst Witch,” “The Power”) and her older sister, Margot, is played by Ashley Brooke (“The White House Plumbers,” “Troop Zero”). Ashley shared during the Q&A that her own grandmother was a Holocaust concentration camp survivor. The opening episodes of the series build the character of Miep.  “A Small Light” is the story of Miep Gies ; Born. Hermine Santruschitz. 15 February 1909. Vienna, Austria-Hungary (Now Austria) ; Died, 11 January 2010 (2010-01-11) (aged 100)in Hoorn, Netherlands. Miep was sent to Amsterdam from her native Vienna, Austria to be raised by the Gies family because her health was fragile. Her nuclear family felt it was in her best interests to relocate her to Amsterdam. There she could receive medical care and enjoy a generally better quality of life. She remained in Amsterdam for the rest of her life. Miep, as portrayed by Bel Powley (“The Morning Show,” “The King of Staten Island,” “White Boy Rick“) seems carefree and lighthearted and not that interested in either working or settling down. Her adopted family has conversations with her about the possibility of Miep marrying her adopted brother, to alleviate the hardship for the family as they continue to support Miep during war-time. This detail about Miep’s potential marriage to someone she regarded as her brother was factual. It was uncovered during research by show creators Tony Phelan and Joan Rater, a married couple. Miep's brother being gay, however, was a poetic license, based on the gay community’s fervent support for the Resistance in Amsterdam during WWII. The co-creators also shared that their extensive research for the series was all donated to the Anne Frank House/Museum at the end of filming. Joan arrived late for the Q&A due to flight delays. She explained that she and her husband were touring the Anne Frank home in Amsterdam. They became intrigued by the untold story of Miep Gies, the young woman who stepped up to help hide Otto Frank and his family when the Nazis invaded the Netherlands. The sets were exact recreations of the space in which the Franks hid; exterior shots of the street were filmed on location in Amsterdam. Miep is naïve about how bad things will become for Jewish residents of the Netherlands. (“Hitler won’t come here. We’re neutral.”) She is, at first, among those Dutch citizens who cannot believe that the Germans will invade their peaceful city and country. Others, who are more practical, are convinced that Hitler will, in fact, invade. May 10-15, 1940:  The Queen fled to London and the Netherlands fell to the Nazis in five days. Miep is proven wrong in her optimistic belief that “all will be well.” She becomes very active in helping Jews go into hiding, not only helping the Franks build a secret hideaway above Otto’s Opetka office but also helping hide other Jewish families in the city. Once the Franks are in hiding, securing food for them will fall to Miep, and it is not an easy task since ration books are the order of the day. Miep, simultaneously, has a romance with a bookish young man named Jan, played by Joe Cole (“Peaky Blinders”). Jan tells Miep that he is actually already married to someone else, but just doesn’t have enough money to finalize the divorce. That was an odd beginning to their courtship. (His haircut was even odder.) Miep is shown ditching Jan at a club, as she initially found his bookish ways (he is reading Franz Kafka’s “Metamorphosis”) boring. Ultimately, the couple discover they have many shared interests and they become a couple. Jan is played by Joe Cole (“Against the Ice,” “The Ipcress File”). As the couple becomes more and more involved in the Dutch Resistance—Miep in their neighborhood and Jan banding together with like-minded co-workers (he is a social worker)—the couple works together to solve problems such as how to secure extra ration books in order to feed the nine people hiding in the upper area above Otto Frank’s Opetka offices, accessed via a fake bookcase. It falls to the efforts and goodwill and chutzpah of  Good Samaritans such as Miep and Jan to hide and provide for the persecuted Jews. Miep hid the Franks for over 2 years. The Franks went into hiding on July 5, 1942. During that time, Miep was also helping hide other families. At one point, the Franks’ Jewish dentist, Dr. Pfeffer (Noah Taylor) must go into hiding with the Franks and their guests, and the Van Pels family also moves in. A line in the script, when husband Jan suggests that Miep should have shared her decision with him before saying yes to Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber with his hair shaved back to mid-pate), is, “I didn’t think I needed to consult you before agreeing to save someone’s life.” From the stage during the Q&A, Joan Rater shared with the audience that she and her husband (co-creator Tony Phelan, who directed 3 episodes and scripted others) have a son about the age that Miep was when she was asked to help hide the Franks. It was being in Amsterdam and thinking about the way in which their own son might react that was the genesis of the largely untold story of Miep Gies. POTENTIAL SPOILERS Most of us are familiar with “The Diary of Anne Frank.” Only Otto survived being imprisoned. Edith (the mother) died at Auschwitz. Anne and Margot were transferred to Birkenau and died there of typhus.   As for Miep Gies, the focus of this film, she lived to be almost 101. When the Franks were arrested in August of 1944, possibly turned in by neighbors or by the cleaning person at Otto’s business, Miep Gies and Bep Voskuijl were not arrested. Miep managed to excuse herself by saying she knew nothing of those in hiding. Miep and two others would rescue Anne’s diary before the Nazis cleared out the hiding place. They would eventually return the papers to Otto Frank. Anne’s father would see that Anne's writing was published (initially as “Diary of a Young Girl”).   New episodes will debut every Monday at 9/8c and 10/9c on National Geographic and will stream the next day on Disney +. The timeliness of the script, plus the excellent performances and on-site location shooting, have this series marked for nominations during awards season.   Read the full article

Everyone's talking about the HBO situation and while I agree with the general pro-piracy attitude, I just wanted to throw my two cents in real fast:

First of all, while I applaud the creators who have since come forward with a similar pro-piracy stance in regards to their own work being taken down/destroyed, I just have to say that all of this could've very easily been avoided if HBO had just relinquished their rights to the series' they've just removed from their services. Give the rights back to the creators. It's really just that simple.

Secondly, the fact that streaming services are no longer just archives of physical media has 100% contributed to this problem. Streaming sites used to be the place you'd go to if you wanted to watch a movie or TV show that you didn't have immediate access to any other way. It used to be an archive of films and TV shows that allowed for easy access. I think the second those platforms started hoarding the rights to the media they hold, the second they started creating "original" content that can only be accessed by having an account on that service, they began to dig their own graves.

Because what use are they, really, once they've made media virtually inaccessible? Many people cannot afford one streaming service, much less a subscription to the dozens of services that all host different content. And then we have streaming sites who will remove media from their service, only for it to appear on another, which means that people who subscribed to one service for a specific piece of media now has to choose between piracy or subscribing to a new site, just for access to that media.

EG, Netflix removing almost all of its Marvel content, only for it all to be put on Disney+, meaning folks who signed up for Netflix for Marvel films now have to sign up for Disney+ for those films.

Then on top of that, we have ballooning subscription costs and certain companies (Netflix) deciding to start cracking down on account sharing in order to boost profits.

The way streaming sites exist now make them inaccessible and quite frankly, they're just not worth the effort anymore.

I can find 90% of the shows I regularly watch outside of streaming sites. There are entire archives of films online for free if you know where to look. So why should I even bother keeping my subscriptions? At this point, frankly, they're just not worth the cost anymore. I don't want to have five different subscriptions to five different services because all of the media I want to watch is scattered all over the place. I don't want to rely on streaming services at all, the only reason I have these subscriptions is because most of the shows I watch have been off the air on regular television for years.

In my opinion, the HBO situation is just indicative of a much larger problem, and that is that the reliance on streaming services has destroyed accessibility. The overabundance of streaming services has inflated subscription prices to well above what the services are actually worth, and the quality and quantity of the content on these services - especially the "original" content - has been sacrificed in return.

Having a rough go right now.

My cat, who is my emotional support animal and has been with me for 18 years, has failing health. A UTI and/or arthritis has rendered her incontinent, necessitating washing bedding basically daily until the reusable, washable bed pads come and I can put them over the comforter. Doesn’t help the carpet (which needs cleaning anyway) or puddles on the vinyl floor. And she’s hating it. No telling if it’s permanent or can be healed. I’m essentially providing palliative care at this point.

Her treatment has decimated my savings and I’m relying on help from family to finish out the summer. And her treatment isn’t over.

My job, while I find it fulfilling when working with students, pays me under the area median income after 9 years of work and has denied me promotion for reasons that implied my required 500+ page material was barely skimmed, and it’s time to apply again and I’m angry and burnt out. Literally I was told to describe and prove that I’m an “excellent” teacher, not just a “very good” teacher. Anyone know the definition of excellent? This was instruction by an English professor.

My job has also asked me repeatedly to give unpaid labor, including asking me to put together a workshop on… applying for promotion, which I was denied. I used to go over and above and it gave me nothing but burnout and exacerbated health issues. I’ve divested myself of everything that isn’t contractually required and refocused on my students as solely as I can.

I have had to be honest with students about major problems at specific institutions that would impact them negatively if they went there for grad school. Grad school is, of course, traumatizing all on its own, but add extra toxicity to the environment and it’s untenable. There is major and ugly upheaval going on at many institutions. And not in a way that would correct systemic issues.

Rent went up, of course, by $100 a month. But rent is up everywhere, moving is expensive, and this is the last apartment my dad helped me move into before he died.

My salary for the next year has not been told to me, but my guess is that I technically am making less given cost of living increasing and little to no corresponding salary increase. Maybe I’ll get a couple hundred dollars a year more if I’m lucky. I’ll still be making under area median income, as a professor at a major university.

My mom’s health is not great and there’s so much family drama going on right now that I’m very glad I live 4 hours away. The saving grace is a cousin who’s become like a sister and is there to help.

My late father’s chihuahua has a brain tumor and will likely die in the next few months. She’s at a stage where she cannot stop walking in circles and it drives her crazy, so she hugs walls to keep from doing it. She can’t even stop while peeing. She still has good quality of life, but we’re monitoring her closely to determine when that’s not true anymore. Once she’s gone it’s another piece of my dad gone.

My brother became a military contractor and is now living in the Middle East as of last month. We aren’t super close, but I worry. Added note: his cat died in my apartment in February, as I was helping care for him, a week after he turned 20.

I now have been diagnosed with two skin conditions and referred to a dermatologist. By a gynecologist at the first appointment who took one look and said, yeah you have this and this, let’s fix it. I had shown my gp one of the issues and she basically shrugged and said it was my weight. It is actually a recognized chronic inflammatory skin condition that flares with hormones in painful ways and which I have been dealing with since puberty. Turns out I can get a shot once a month and it goes away. 27 years of dealing with it and embarrassment and pain, including a very painful procedure to kill my armpit sweat glands with lasers about 15 years ago. I’m now on E to stabilize my hormones and that should ease it too.

This is on top of the autoimmune disorder I have, and chronic mental health issues.

Have I mentioned I’m burned out? I have to work multiple gigs to survive, and I just never get anywhere.

I have higher education. I work in higher education. I am starting to hate higher education. I am not the only one. People are leaving higher education (and education generally) at pretty high rates. I think I would leave too if I wasn’t so burnt out I can’t think of what I could change to.

Can I just catch a break?