#He answered one hypothetical ask about generic zombies in general. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

cynicaljapanophile · 3 years

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hypothetical plans

summary: are some plans really worth making?

pairing: general, implied washington x reader

word count: 1123

“there’s no point in having a zombie apocalypse plan.”

grif sighed in disappointment. “and that doc, is why no one notices you when you,” he raised his hands as he said in finger quotations. “disappear.”

“why are you saying disappear like that?”

silence fell on the pair as the orange-armoured soldier stared blankly from behind his gold visor at the medic standing in front of him.

he looked away from the medic and back at him a few more times before answering. “come on,” he waited, letting silence fill the air as his words sunk in. “you know why.”

“i told you, i’m not making it up!”

“and i’m telling you ‘sure’,” grif said dismisively.

“why can’t you — ” doc stopped midsentence at the sight of the familiar soldiers approaching the red base as he gave a small wave to the two. "hey, [l/n], agent washington."

you looked up and gave a small nod as you raised your hand, giving a small wave. “oh hey doc,” you greeted the medic as you came to a stop, looking up as you gave the two a confused look from behind your visor. “when did you get back?”

the medic physically perked up at your question as he turned back to grif. “see! what did i tell you grif!”

he shook his head as he shrugged. “whatever.”

you let out a sigh as you turned your head to the side, exchanging a look with washington. “do you know what’s going on right now?”

“i don’t even know why we came here in the first place.”

“didn’t i — didn’t i tell you earlier?” you asked in visible confusion even through the obstruction of your armour.

“no, you just told me to follow you and when you started walking you didn’t explain anything to me.” he replied.

“ah…” you said, letting out a sound of understanding. “oh well,” you shrugged as you turned away from the former freelancer and back at the two.

“really?” he asked in strained annoyance. “is that really all that you have to say?”

you hummed to yourself as you tilted your head up to the sky. “pretty much.”

“are you serious?” washington asked, his voice raising a few octaves as he neared the end of his question.

shaking your head, you looked back at the two. “anyway…”

“are you just going to continue to ignore me?”

“doc?” you asked, continuing to ignore the former freelancer as he gave you dead stare from beneath his golden visor. “were you going to ask us something?”

“do you have a zombie plan?”

you and washington blinked slowly, turning to each other in confusion before turning back at the two.

“what?” the two of you asked in unison.

“do you have a zombie apocalypse plan?”

“of course i don’t have a zombie apocalypse plan,” you stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“see!” doc turned to the orange armoured solider in excited relief. it had to just be the red team that had something ridiculous like a plan on what to in regards to a zombie apocalypse. “i told you that everybody doesn’t have a zombie plan.”

“wait for it,” washington muttered under his breath as he turned his head down to the ground. he raised his hand, counting down from three as he waited for you to finally speak up.

“i have a total one hundred and seventeen zombie apocalypse plans.” you nodded.

“so— wait, what?”

all washington could do was let out a deep sigh as he shook his head in either disappointment or exhaustion though a combination of the two wouldn’t be too far off. “jesus christ…”

“i,” you nodded your head as you began to speaking slowly as if doc was genuinely confused from what you were saying rather than you actually having a zombie apocalypse plan of all things. “have one hundred and seventeen plans in case that earth is taken over by zombies.”

doc continued to trip over himself as he attempted to speak but no words would come out in his state of complete and utter confusion. he looked back and forth between you and grif, he could just see the serious look that you were giving him.

grif grinned from ear to ear from behind his golden visor. “aha! what did i tell you?”

“but why?” doc asked in visible confusion as he looked back and forth between you and grif one more time.

“i am a strong believer that zombie apocalypse plans are something that brings people together,” you said in complete seriousness. “i don’t think you can truly say you’re close to someone if you’ve never shared your zombie plans with each other.”

“a-are you serious?” doc asked in concern as he tilted his head to the side, not sure what to think about what he was hearing from you.

“she’s dead serious,” washington deadpanned to the medic.

“but there’s never going to be a zombie apocalypse!”

you turned to doc as you gave him an incredulous look from behind your visor. “people said the exact same thing about aliens but look at us now, i just sent a care package to tucker’s alien baby,” you finished in complete seriousness.

“i don’t even— washington?” doc said as he turned away from you and back to washington in an attempt to find someone that was sane. not that good of a decision considering the people that he was having a conversation with.

“i—” he let out a sigh as he dropped his head. “i have a plan, single plan.” he finished with a particular emphasis on ‘single plan’.

humming to yourself you turned to washington and commented, not making things much better for the medic. “i strongly suggested he make one.”

“you refused to go to sleep until i came up with one,” he replied.

“uhuh,” you said. “like i said, strong reccomend.”

“anyways,” you turned with a soft sigh. “tell me when you’ve gotten your plan down if you want me to look it over.”

doc murmered his breath. “i don’t even know what to say.”

(not long after your exchange once you returned back to the blue base you found yourself in the kitchen, abruptly standing up with wide eyes. “i forgot to talk to donut about his banana bread recipe!”)

doc and grif watched as the two of you disappeared into the distance as you made your way back to blue base.

“w-what just happened?” doc asked in disbelief.

“you just got shown up and proven wrong, that’s what happened.” grif replied before turning away from the medic.

doc couldn’t help but let out a sigh as he muttered under his breath. “i hate it here.”

#rvb #red vs blue #rvb agent washington #agent washington #rvb doc #frank doc dufresne #agent washington x reader #washington x reader #wash x reader #hana.txt #i'm lowkey scared to write actual fanfic in the rvb tag but i remembered that i'm a loser so who cares

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you-are-crazy-beautiful · 3 years

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What is something that you'd like to see on the next seasons? What were your Top 5 scenes and/or dialogues? Who's your favorite character? Why? What's the character you relate to the most? What's your favorite friendship dynamic? What are some of your headcanons for Kieutou? Cashqueens? Instas? Maybe a mix between all three? You don't have to answer all of these questions, you can pick the ones you want to answer to aldhs

Anon, I f*cking love you! 💛😂 These questions are all amazing, so I will answer them all. I'll make separate posts for them 😉

Top 5 scenes:

1. NYE clip 2

I absolutely love the clip itself, but I also remember all the emotions that I felt the 1st time, and they come back everytime I watch it! When the music fades out when Kieu My bumps into Fatou when they're dancing, my heart nearly came out my chest it was beating so hard!😲 The first time Kieu My spoke and was revealed as a Space nerd on screen! Kieu My once again being vulnerable and sharing her dreams while being shy and avoiding eye contact. While Fatou does that signature look with the head tilt🥰 Kieu My calling Fatou 'butch' by mistake😂. The production of the blow torch (I still have so many questions...😅), the hand holding. Kieu My's reaction to the gum in her hair. I got such a fright when they kissed that I screamed out loud! Fatou looking up to space afterwards and the shot of the moon 👌

2. Museum date. I have to. This is one of the best clips of all time. Although, no.2 and no.3 are interchangeable for me. The cute awkwardness at the beginning. The tango under the blue lighting while the audio is talking about young galaxies colliding. The blue and red galaxies colliding when they kiss symbolizing the Ice queen and the warmest person. Kieu My opening up about her different fears and dreams. The bonding over being 3rd generation immigrants. The song and them just messing around! Lieu My saying she likes the person standing in front of her in Vietnamese. The dance and twirl into the kiss paralleling moments in S5. The freaking birthmark throwback!!! I will never be over it! I burst out crying and it was during this I truly realised they were like no other couple before! ❤

3. The reunion/ R+J clip. My galaxy brain predicting this as soon as Mailin posted the IG content of the axolotl 😂

The song 😭 I don't think I've seen a more beautiful clip! The direction of Fatou hiding when she heard Kieu My enter, Kieu My looking at the fish though the hole in the coral and then meeting Fatou's gaze. The vulnerability that Kieu My displays when she looks down avoiding Fatou's gaze and when she looks up, Fatou is just staring at her with confidence and gives a smile and the nod. She's finally secure after her dyscalculia diagnosis and so sure of her and Kieu My. Again, the blue lighting!👌 The line 'love when you laugh because then I see you and how much love there is inside you' is my favourite line in Skam history. The 360 shot of them and running past where they were 1st clip of the season. The happiness and laughter, the explicit consent, the way the sex scene was handled. The whole thing was just stunning!!

4. Gay silence. This clip has it all, tension, cuteness, vulnerable Kieu My. Imo, Kieu My knows she has a thing for Fatou but didn't realise it was that serious until this moment. She knew exactly what she was doing. My girl totally tried to Fingersmith Fatou 😂 I love how Kieu My shares her insecurity about talking to girls, and Fatou's reaction 😂 She's like 'this is the best moment of my life'. The playful Zombie bit, joking about stereotypes, Fatou reassuring Kieu My when she's sees Kieu My feels insecure about her nails💞 The camera panning to Kieu My when Fatou says about 'just kiss her already' showing that's what Kieu My is thinking 💀The staring, especially the Peter Pan moment when Kieu My is staring intensely and when Fatou turns to look at her, she quickly turns to the tv😆 Kieu My asking 'purely hypothetically' who would Fatou date out of their friends, hoping Fatou would say her. Then the annoyed look she gives Fatou at the end because she thinks Fatou doesn't want to date her and she shakes her head, and angrily takes popcorn. While Fatou is avoiding eye contact and you can see her realising her mistake 😂 Idiots!

5. Tie between dyscalculia diagnosis and it's a match!

I love the dyscalculia test clip so much!! The way it's shot is again beautiful with Fatou using the different counters. It didn't just rush into the dialogue. Fatou being cute and nearly getting the right answers by using really complicated tricks 🤗 Sira's acting when he said she had it, and the tears just filled her eyes with relief, realising that's why she has struggled. The alarm bit when she said she thought she was stupid killed me!! 😂🤣 Nora and Mailin being there with vanilla fries and Fatou smiling and saying she's not stupid. It brings me so much happiness that clip 💛

It's a match being dropped at midnight unexpectedly. The way Fatou stops breathing when Kieu My's profile comes up. Kieu My swiping right first! And Fatou caressing her phone with happiness and relief that her instinct has been right! Kieu My messaging 5 seconds later. Bringing back the comment about the guys with pets, and Fatou having to slap herself and squeal into her duvet (same!❤) Them just being the nerds they are and coming up with Axolotlgirl and Zombiewoman. They talked for 11hrs!!! I actually think this was one of the smartest decisions I've seen in Skamverse. That one interaction, which Kieu My wasn't even physically in, expanded upon their connection, and for me that's the moment they really fell head over heels for each other into deep feelings territory. Especially with them having to keep the eps shorten than S5, it was such a clever decision 👏👏

Thank you so much for your questions!! I will look forward to answering the rest tomorrow 💛

#druck

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shimmertrapped · 4 years

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I’ve Got You - Stiles Stilinski x Reader (6/?)

Summary: After being rescued from an unknown enemy, Y/N and Stiles grow closer whilst dealing with trauma and a lingering threat. (post-high school AU where Scott, Allison, Stiles, and Y/N are roommates)

Characters: Stiles x Argent!Cousin OC (Reader), Scott x Allison

Word Count: 2567

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The kiss was sweet and didn’t last too long, but when they broke apart, they remained close enough that Y/N could see the flecks in Stiles’ golden-brown eyes. He kept his hand on her neck, sending a shiver down her spine as his fingers brushed it.

Y/N bowed her head and let out a shaky, breathless laugh. “Wow.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.”

Y/N shot him a playful glare before breaking out into a smile again. She felt light enough that she could almost forget everything that had happened the last week, and everything that was still going on now. All that mattered was the boy in front of her who was somehow looking at her the way she had always wanted him to.

“So...” Y/N finally forced herself to say. “What now?”

“Good question,” Stiles said, looking up at the ceiling. “Not too sure how to proceed from here.”

“Yeah, we kind of skipped a few steps,” Y/N agreed. “Awkward first date, all that jazz...”

Stiles raised a brow in challenge. “We could still have an awkward first date.”

Y/N glanced away from him then, suddenly jerked back to reality. Because yes, she only almost forgotten what she had gone through this week. The thought of leaving the house, knowing that he was still out there somewhere...

Stiles, seeming to sense exactly what thoughts were running through her head, rushed to say, “But we don’t have to go anywhere.”

Y/N gave him a quizzical look.

Stiles held up a finger, then turned his head and cleared his throat, tugging at his shirt collar. When he looked back, his face bore an exaggeratedly nervous expression. “Y/N, would you, uh, like to order Chinese take-out with me sometime?”

Y/N stared at him for a moment before bursting out laughing. She quickly composed herself to play along. “I would love to, Stiles. How about tonight?”

He pretended to think for a moment before saying, “Tonight’s great.”

“Perfect,” Y/N grinned. “It’s a date.”

“Aaah,” Stiles ran a hand through his hair, dropping the act. “See that’s why I like you. You’re just as much of a weirdo as I am.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment, Stilinski.”

His eyes seemed to flicker at that.

“But like, we are actually going to order Chinese, right?” Y/N asked.

Stiles straightened, his face utterly serious. “Oh, definitely. What time is it anyway?”

Y/N glanced over at the clock on the oven. “Six thirty.”

“Oof. No wonder I’m so hungry,” Stiles said. “How about you?”

As if on cue, Y/N’s stomach growled.

Stiles laughed, “I’ll take that as a yes.”

He quickly got to his feet and extended a veiny hand out to Y/N, which she took and allowed herself to be pulled up as well. Then Stiles turned around and opened up a drawer, rummaging through its contents before whipping out a faded menu that read ‘Willie’s Chinese’. He waggled his eyebrows at her, then laid the menu flat on the counter. Y/N moved to stand next to him, closer than she would have before. She could practically feel the heat coming off his body as she stared down at the menu.

“So... Egg rolls, obviously,” Stiles said, running his finger down the list of menu items. “Fried rice... Chicken balls?”

He looked to Y/N for confirmation. She nodded. “Sure.”

“What else?”

Y/N pursed her lips in thought before saying, “Something vegetable-y.”

“Vegetable-y, vegetable-y,” Stiles murmured, scanning the items on the faded pages. “Stir fried vegetables?”

“Perfect,” Y/N said.

“Okay... And maybe some general tao’s. That should be enough, right?”

“Think so.”

Stiles reached into his back pocket to pull out his phone, his eyes darting back and forth from the menu as he dialled the number for the restaurant.

Y/N realized then that she had never changed out of her clothes from yesterday.

“Mind if I go shower while we wait for the food?” She stage-whispered as Stiles held the phone to his ear.

“No problem,” he mouthed, before saying, “Yeah hi, I’d like to make an order for delivery?”

Y/N retreated from the kitchen and headed upstairs to the girls’ bathroom. As she washed her hands, she lifted her gaze to the mirror hanging above the sink. She had avoided her reflection since returning home yesterday, but finally, she steeled herself to take a look.

Her hair was lacking some of its usual lustre and her skin was sallow, but all in all, it was not as bad as she had braced herself for. And now, after the events of the past fifteen minutes, she looked... rejuvenated. Her face broke out into a huge grin then, and she allowed herself a moment to silently freak out about what had just happened.

After all this time, over half a year of secretly pining after Stiles, she had made a move. It wasn’t at all how she had always imagined doing it, but when she had seen him there on the floor, looking as broken as she felt, she couldn’t help but say the one thing that might be able to explain what she had done, to take away whatever guilt her story had placed upon him.

Getting those words out had been more difficult than recounting the details of her capture to the sheriff, and for those excruciating seconds where Stiles hadn’t said anything, she had regretted ever opening her mouth. But then he had told her how he felt, and... Y/N had never felt such absolute, overwhelming elation. Just reliving it now, she couldn’t wait to go back out and see his face, to simply be in his presence again.

She hastily threw her hair up in a bun, deciding to skip washing it, having just done so yesterday - she’d spray some dry shampoo on it after. Then, she hopped in the shower, going through her usual routine with a little more sense of normalcy than the day before in her zombie-like state.

When she was finished, she padded back into her room through the attaching door and opened her closet. What did one wear for a stay-at-home date?

She decided to opt for comfort, but tried to make it cute, picking out a plain white cami and throwing a nice, drapey cardigan over it. For bottoms, she just pulled on another pair of her favourite black leggings. Moving to her vanity, she saw to her hair, and then headed back downstairs where she found Stiles sitting on the couch with his phone. Evidently he had decided to shower too, his damp hair dripping onto a fresh, green plaid shirt.

He looked up when she entered the room. “Food should be here soon.”

Y/N shot him a thumbs up and went to curl up on the arm chair across from him. Stiles set his phone down and leaned back slightly. Y/N felt her face burn as he simply sat there looking at her.

She buried her head in her shoulder. “Stop staring at me.”

“I always stare at you,” Stiles said, and she could hear him grinning. “It never bothered you before.”

She whipped her head back up to shoot him a look. “How can that be? I thought I was always staring at you.”

Stiles shrugged, then whispered, “Mysteries of the universe...”

Y/N giggled and she thought she saw his eyes light up.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

Stiles stood up to answer it and Y/N went to get her purse, attempting to pay for half but Stiles wouldn’t have it. Then together, they carried the food into the kitchen where Stiles had already set the table and poured two glasses of water.

“You had time to shower and set the table before I came back down?” Y/N asked. “Do I take that long?”

“Yes,” Stiles flashed a cheeky smile.

Y/N’s stomach did a flip.

She attempted to compose herself as they unpacked the food and sat down to load up their plates, Stiles heaping a pile of chicken fried rice onto his, Y/N taking mostly stir-fry, feeling the need to get some nutrients back in her body.

Y/N felt self-conscious as she bit into a particularly crunchy piece of broccoli, hoping it hadn’t sounded as loud to him as it did in her own head. They had eaten alone together just this morning but it felt different now, the air more charged. It was too quiet with nothing but the sound of their chewing.

Moving to take a sip of water, Y/N broke the silence. “Would you rather be able to read minds or stop time?”

“Oh, read minds, easy,” Stiles said, gulping down his food. “I could have saved us so much time trying to figure out who the alpha, or the kanima, or whatever other supernatural bullshit going on around here was.”

“Yeah, but wouldn’t it get annoying?” Y/N asked. “Constantly hearing all those thoughts buzzing around you?”

Stiles considered this. “Eh, you’d probably get used to it. How ‘bout you?”

“Stop time,” Y/N said. “But with the huge caveat that I wouldn’t age while time was stopped.”

Stiles raised an eyebrow, chewing as he waited for her to elaborate.

“Well, if I was always stopping time but my body was still aging, I could easily lose like, a year of my life in real time. And then when I started to look older, people would catch on to that and next thing I know, the government would be banging on my door, wanting to do testing on me.”

Stiles choked on a laugh. “You’ve given this a lot of thought.”

“I take hypotheticals very seriously.”

“Okay,” Stiles said, wiping his hands on a napkin before going to scrape more rice onto his plate. “Would you rather have hands for feet, or feet for hands?

They carried on like that for the duration of their meal. After they had finished and cleaned everything up, Y/N strolled over to the living room. She could hear Stiles following behind as she settled into the corner of the couch. Stiles sat down in the middle, a little closer than he would have before.

They were quiet for a moment, and then Stiles let out a laugh.

“What?” Y/N asked, both amused and intrigued.

“I just still can’t believe this,” he said, shaking his head. “All this time...”

Y/N bowed her head, smiling too. “I know.”

“Scott and Allison are going to freak.”

Oh they most certainly would. Especially Allison. Y/N had never quite divulged her feelings for Stiles to her, but she knew her cousin had been able to tell anyways.

“Allison’s going to want to go on double dates,” Y/N said.

“Yeah, now we won’t be the awkward third and fourth wheel when we all hang out.”

Y/N laughed. She looked over at Stiles then and caught him unsuccessfully trying to stifle a yawn. She frowned. “Tired?”

“Nah, I’m good,” he said, waving a hand. “I’m guessing you aren’t, after your nap earlier?”

“Yeah, not really,” Y/N admitted. “But you don’t have to stay up on my account if you want to go to bed.”

Stiles looked at her, his voice low as he said, “I don’t want to.”

Y/N blinked, her pulse speeding up as his eyes held hers. Her voice came out quiet too as she said, “Then what do you want to do?”

Stiles looked down then, and edged a little closer to her on the couch, their knees touching now. Impulsively, Y/N stretched out her fingertips to graze his knee. She heard Stiles swallow, and when they looked back up at each other, she knew the answer to her question. She removed her hand from his knee and lifted it to rest on his arm. Then, ever so gently, she tugged on his sleeve, pulling him closer to her as she leaned forward at the same time.

As their lips met, Stiles placed his arm over the back of the couch so her head was nestled comfortably in the crook of his elbow. Then, he reached his other hand to cup the back of her head, running his fingers through her long hair and down to settle on her waist. Y/N slid her own hand higher to wrap her arm around him.

Y/N felt electric. Their movements were perfectly in sync, as if they had been doing this forever. Though she didn't want to stop, they broke apart for air then, but barely moved away from each other. Stiles reached to tuck her hair behind Y/N’s ear before dropping his hand to rest lightly on her bare ankle.

And then the world tilted

She was back in the windowless room, the click of a shackle echoing off the walls as it locked around her ankle. She couldn't get enough air, she -

Y/N jerked away from Stiles, gasping and shaking.

"Y/N?”

His voice, high with alarm, sounded distant to her ears, but somewhat brought her back to reality. She was in their living room, on the couch, and Stiles -

She placed both hands on the back of her neck, panting. "Sorry. I don't know what just happened. "

"It's okay," Stiles said quickly, and she saw him reach for her before hesitating and changing his mind. "Was it something I did?”

Y/N shook her head, trying to clear it. "I just... I need some air."

"Okay," Stiles said, standing as she did.

She moved to the patio door in the kitchen and slid it open, gulping down the cool, night air, sensing Stiles slowly approach her from the side. After a few more deep inhales, Y/N closed the door once more and turned to press her back against it, sliding down to the floor.

And then, she couldn't help it. She started crying.

"Y/N," Stiles said, worry coating his voice.

Through her tears, she saw him drop to the ground next to her.

She felt Stiles place an arm around her tentatively, as if unsure whether it was the right thing to do in the situation. But when she leaned into him, pressing her cheek to his chest, he wrapped his other arm around her and cradled her to him.

"Shhh, it's okay," he said, his voice soft above her ear. "You're safe."

She allowed the warmth of his body and the sound of his steady heart beat lull her until she managed to stop the flow of tears. She sagged against him and let out a long breath. "I'm sorry. I don't know what that was."

He stroked her hair. "You went through a lot. I’d be more concerned if you weren’t feeling like this."

Y/N sniffed. "But I felt fine. More than fine. I don't know what brought it on."

Stiles rested his chin on the top of her head. "When you go through something traumatic, sometimes your body reacts to things against your control.”

"Well it sucks," Y/N said.

Stiles laughed quietly, the shaking of his shoulders jostling her. "I know. But it won't last forever. Let's call the therapist first thing tomorrow, okay?"

Y/N nodded, sniffling again. Then said, "I think maybe I should go lie down afterall."

"Alright, c'mon."

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AO3 link

tag list: @lzz-chaos, @combative5sos

posted May 19, 2020

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postguiltypleasures · 4 years

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EVIL articles

Considering that when I first saw an advertisement for it my reaction was “why now? Who asked for this?” it’s a little surprising that Evil is my favorite new show. As the advertisement first impression was of a version of The X-Files for our time where the skeptic and believer are divided over religion (specifically Catholicism) instead of alien abductions et al. (Yes, I watched enough of TXF to know that when it came to Catholicism, the skeptic/believer dynamic got flipped. No I don’t think that is relevant in discussing Evil.) I became interested when I realized that it was created by Robert and Michelle King, who created The Good Wife and its spin off The Good Fight.

Now that it’s aired eleven episodes I feel comfortable creating an analogy: Evil is to TXF as TGW/F franchise is to the Law and Order franchise. For starters both of the King’s series care about their protagonists’s domestic lives in ways that the earlier series’s just don’t. Another thing that is interesting about the comparison between the two shows that while TXF always implicitly agreed with the believer, Evil tends to find non demonic/supernatural explanations for most things, but always tends to make it more disturbing because of that. In that way it’s more like the argument from the original Twin Peaks after the reveal that Laura Palmer was murdered by her father Leland, after years of sexual abuse, but he may have been possessed by the demon Bob. But then the characters hate ask themselves which is more disturbing, if Leland did all that because he was possessed, or just being abusive? Evil seems to leave that question the answer to most of its mysteries.

The initial reviews were based on the first three episodes. I’m linking to their Metacritic page, but I don’t remember any standing out by being particularly insightful.

Over at Vox, Emily VanDerWerff chose to write about the fifth episode, the Halloween one, as the episode of television of the week. As I mentioned elsewhere, VanDerWerff co-wrote a book about TXF, so naturally she included a comparison to the earlier show, going to say that Evil is like if every episode of TXF was written by Darin Morgan. I feel a little weird about that analogy. On the one hand the both have a frequency of throwing on screen things where whether or not you find it scary or funny says something about you. But on the other hand several years ago I decided to revisit TXF but only watching Morgan’s episodes and one of the impressions I got was that they probably work better if the more average formula of an episode was fresher in you mind than it was for me.

VanDerWerff has also written about how the majority of CBS (the network that airs Evil) are TXF most successful knock offs. Evil is something of a break from the majority of CBS standbys, and I’d also kind of like to read about it more as a break from that.

While I mentioned choosing to watch the show because of the Kings, I was pleasantly surprised to see that one of the Executive Producers/writers is Rockne S. O’Bannon, creator of the cult science fiction shows Farscape, Defiance and the short live Constantine tv show! I’m much more excited about figuring out how this fits into his oeuvre than a hypothetical Darin Morgan run TXF.

Emily Nussbaum wrote about the show in a column The New Yorker about the appeal of the network procedural. (She later put the show on her annual review, shortly before announcing that she’s leaving TNY.) I agree with the thesis and do think that the episodic structure has been underrated as an art form for too long. Nussbaum also mentions the show’s mythology being less in depth than some recent films, though I have to say, this far I like the show because its mythology is vague. When I saw the ads I worried it would do one of my least favorite kinds of supernatural procedurals, the kind that chooses Biblical literalism as its mythology. Biblical literalism is a big reason that I couldn’t get into Sleepy Hollow. I was greatly relieved when Fringe dropped its flirtation with Biblical literalism early in the second season. I completely expect that the mythology, especially surrounding what Leland Townsend is doing and who he could be, (my IRL friend who watches the shows thinks he’s The Devil). But I’m still hoping that the show sticks with “the answer” of “which possibility is more disturbing” as a guiding principle.

Finally I’m going to highlight a list from TVLine that named protagonist Kristen Brouchard’s daughters some of the “Scene Stealers of the Year”. Kristen’s daughters, whose names all start with the letter “L” and seem pretty close in age, are somewhat surprisingly more liked by critics than online commentators. I get feeling like kids are an annoying distraction. There are four of them and other than, Laura having a possibly fatal heart condition, nine really stand out as individuals. But, partially because of Laura’s condition, I’ve also gotten the feeling that they are doomed, and I really don’t want them to be! (While making TGW the King’s considered killing off one of Alicia’s children, but as the actor Josh Charles wanted to leave the show, they killed off his character instead. Also did you see the fourth episode?) I’m also interested in how already having children affects her story. Most of the time on these kinds of supernatural/science fiction procedurals with a female lead character her fertility and ability to start a family are a point of tension. On TXF, Scully’s ovum were stolen when she was abducted. Alias briefly knocked off this plot in its better off forgotten third season. Fringe found it focus with inter generational trauma, including a couple of characters starting the next generation. iZombie used Liv’s zombie to question what kind of future she could build, etc. Evil starting out with the young leading lady move the question from “will she ever find happiness and children?” to “does the traditional family unit actually work?” And it’s pretty clear that no one is fulfilled by this, especially Kristen’s mother who clearly wants to be the fun grandmother, but has much more responsibility for the girls than she’s actually interested in. Kristen and her husband’s actual passion, mountain climbing, is incompatible with raising kids, and the fact that her husband gets to do it professionally and is away for months at a time adds this, and probably contributes to Kristen lusting after her new colleague, David Acosta. (As a priest in training, whether or not he will ever have children or find romantic satisfaction is much more David’s story, and I’m here for the gender reversal.)

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surveys-at-your-service · 5 years

Text

Survey #215

i’m not dead yet, just not into surveys very much lately.

What is your favorite dinosaur? Spinosaurus. <3 Would you rather live with wolves or tigers? Hypothetically, if I wouldn't be harmed, wolves. I love social species. Have you ever forgotten what a certain kind of pain felt like? Getting my nose re-pierced like fuck man. What do you remember the most about your childhood? I think the strongest memory is my parents not getting along. Or the stories I made playing with my favorite toys. Would you rather have a pet dinosaur or have mythical creatures be real? Have mythical creatures exist. I want a tame, little dragon. Do you have a favorite toy from childhood still? Astonishingly, no. I was incredibly surprised to find out I got rid of them at some point when I wanted to add the crocodile to my room as a cute decoration and memory. What are your thoughts on the end of the world? *shrug* Not like we can do anything about it, unless you count our own carelessness as a selfish species, but that won't actually end the "world," just mankind. Which sports do you enjoy watching? Dance. Would you ever have a breed of dog that is considered aggressive? I don't want another dog, but hypothetically, yes, because no species is inherently mean. It all depends on how the owner raises it. Have you ever made bread? No. Would your childhood self be disappointed? FUCK YES SHE WOULD BE. God, the thought is depressing. Has anything ever fallen asleep on you? Animals and my niece. Would you like to live in a realm where the zombie apocalypse is possible? Is it too far into imagination to say it's possible in the one we're already in? You have zombie viruses in things like bugs, so in time, something developing that can affect humans isn't out of the question. But anyway, anyone who answers "yes" to this, as in they'd like it, are full of shit. Most of us would die in a heartbeat. You'd witness others that you love die. Every day you question if you'll see the next. The zombie apocalypse has been so romanticized in many forms of media, but please, tell me you'll still be having fun when you watch your mother be eaten or some shit. Have you ever gotten into an accident with you parents’ car? No. What’s the wallpaper on your computer? A meerkat pup looking close up to the camera. What was the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make? Deciding Jason couldn't be my entire world anymore and I had to let go. Name a band/artist you like that isn’t that popular. There's a YouTube artist named Jonathan Young that I MARVEL over the fact he's not signed with someone. My mom didn't even believe he wasn't professional the first time I played some songs in the car. Can you lift your significant other (your best friend if you’re single)? I'm certain I could. What is the first vehicle you recall your parents/guardians owning? A greenish-blue van. What was the most rebellious thing you’ve ever done? I don't know. I'm not really that rebellious. Pick one: Laundry, Dishes, or Vacuuming? I actually don't mind vacuuming. Have you ever moved and had to change schools growing up? No. Name the most meaningful thing a non-relative has done for you. When my former best friend let me live with her while we were homeless. Memories like that sometimes make me question my decision to cut her off permanently... though I remind myself the bad outweighed the good and our relationship was just never going to be stable. The highway and back roads take you to the same place; Choose your route. Depends on what's quicker to save gas. Are you more likely to give up or persist when you’re having trouble? It depends on the situation. Tbh I think I give up more often. Do you resemble one parent more than the other? I don't think so. Your best friend needs a kidney to survive; Do you give them one of yours? That's my girlfriend. So duh. Name a big life event that has taken place for you within the last 2 years. I physically met Sara. Do you end up regretting things you say often? I don't know about often. Name one thing you look forward to as you get older. Hopefully being financially stable. Do you use your hands when you talk to emphasize what you are saying? Yeah. You own a huge business; what is it? I can't even imagine myself owning a "huge" business. Are you afraid to ask for help when you know that you need it? Sometimes. Depends on who I'm asking. Name somebody you think died before their time. A LOT OF PEOPLE. I think above all of my options, Steve Irwin. Fucking saint, teacher, and pilot of conservation and loving our fellow animals. Name the possession you’ve had the longest. I have a lot of infancy stuffed animals up in the attic. You’re writing a novel; Is it horror, mystery, romance, etc.? Fantasy. Would you consider yourself an interesting person in general? I guess. I know I'm at least different. Have you ever gotten in trouble for running up your phone bill? No. When is the next time you’ll change your hairstyle? Will you color it? I don't plan on changing the style any time soon. Hopefully at some point soon I can get to the damn hair salon and get it dyed lilac, though. But it'll be expensive for a pro to do it (I'm very much so done with anyone less trying to do so, as it always fails), so that's something I don't think will come soon. It's not high on my priorities. Who was the last person to see you cry? Is this person special? I'm sure it was my mom. Probably. Of course she is. What season would you like the world to experience year-round? Autumn. When was the last time you took a picture of something? Was it yourself? Lmao it was of something funny on Facebook that I texted to Sara a few days ago. Are you currently drifting away from anyone? Who is it? No. Would you say you are really close to the members of your family? Most, no. I barely see anyone outside my immediate fam. Is there anyone who lives in the same house as you, that you can’t stand? The stupid dog. Do you remember the first conversation you had with the person you have feelings for? No, but it was likely RP-related. Think of the last person you kissed, when was the first time you talked to them on the phone? She knows I hate talking over the phone, so we use Skype to talk. I think the first time I called her via phone though was when I was having an emotional breakdown. What does your phone do when you get a new message? It makes the sound from Spyro when you pick up gems if it's not on vibrate, and when the screen goes black, a green light blinks. Do you automatically check your phone when you wake up? Yes, for the time. Who was the last person you were in a car with? Mom. Do you party too much? I never did. Who were you last on the phone with? I answered a number I didn't recognize, and it wound up being some bullshit about my car warranty or something when I don't even have a car. I just hung up the moment I knew what it was. Last movie you watched? The Lion King live action remake. Incredible. If you had to get a piercing (not ears), what would you get? Fuck, I want collarbone dermals so badly. Do you like holding hands? With Sara. Have you ever seen the last person you texted naked? Yes. What are you listening to? "Third Day of a Seven Day Binge" by Manson is on rn. Do your parents allow you to date? I'm 23. They never really restricted me from it. Then again, I started dating in the 7th grade, so I was older than most first couples. Have you ever had a serious conversation with your dad? Yes. Would you rather have long or short hair? I could not be happier than I have short hair now. It's so much easier to manage, and it really did me well chopping it all off considering my bad self-care episodes. I recommend it soooo much to anyone struggling with that. Do you want to have children? Big No. Do you think you’ll have the same boyfriend/girlfriend a year from now? Realistically, yes. How old were you when you stopped sleeping with a nightlight? I don't know. What topic did you write your last essay about? This awful book "Masters of Doom" or whatever I had to read in game design in college, I think. Whose car did you ride in last other than yours? Dad's. What was the last clothing article you purchased? Some pants. Who was the last person that made you cry [accidentally or on purpose]? Probably myself. Is there construction going on in/near your neighborhood? No. Who did you go/plan on going with to prom? I went to Jason's senior prom and he came to mine. What language[s] did you study in school? Latin for one awful semester, then German for four. I miss German, honestly. Have you ever been to a debate and speech tournament? Hell no, that sounds so boring. Choose two dead celebs who could be your biological parents - explain why? Steve Irwin for my incredible love of animals and uh... I'm not sure about a mom? I thought about this for like two minutes and really don't know lmao. If you were living in the past, which job that doesn’t exist anymore would you like to have? No idea. Which animal are you afraid of? Most afraid of, probably some spiders, like huntsmen spiders. I'm afraid of most spiders in general (if they're near me or in my house, anyway), I cannot stand maggots and larvae of that sort, and whale sharks freak me out. AND WASPS. FUCK WASPS. How would your wedding bouquet look like? *shrugs* It would probably depend on the wedding theme. What kind of game would you like to play that doesn’t exist yet? I can't even swallow how unbelievable Shadow of the Colossus would be in VR. What is one thing you would never ever eat? Escargot. Is there a music video that you would like to see turned into a movie or a TV show? Which one? *shrugs* Which character in your favorite movie do you hate the most? It's impossible to hate any from TLK. How do you think the world will end? A meteor striking, or a deadly volcano going boom. Either way, it's gonna be smoke shrouding the sun. Do you own anything clown related? No. If you were a celebrity - which celebs you would befriend? Y'all done know one, but I think the celeb I would connect to most and most easily befriend would be Shane Dawson. He is such a goddamn sweetheart, chill as fuck, and #relatable. There's really a lot... All YT-related lmao. Except Bindi Irwin. Damn, would I love to meet her. If you were going to make a horror movie that you would be scared of yourself, what would it be about/how would it look like? I can't handle those movies about women being raped and impregnated by a demon and shit. I can't. Fuck The Rite. If you could take a pill that would cure something in you that isn’t an illness - what would you be cured off? How ungodly shy and awkward I am. Ew. Do you like Rihanna? I don't know most of her music, but I don't enjoy most pop, so. Have you ever experienced hydroplaning? Not severely, anyway, and not while I was driving. What’s your opinion on the legalization of weed? Legalize it medicinally. What’s your current favorite song? Man idk. Have you ever hit a girl? I hit my sister once as a kid. What was your New Year's resolution? I don't make them. Do you find Eminem attractive? Not particularly. Are you wearing nail polish? I never do. Have you ever been/considered being vegetarian? I was for a couple months and definitely plan on going back to it once I get to the weight I want... if that ever fucking happens. What’s the last concert you went to? Alice Cooper. Do you own a cat? Yes. :') He's my best buddy. Do you like cats? I love cats. Do you like watching music videos? No. How are your grades? I'm not back in school yet. But SOON. Do you listen to Aerosmith? YO "Love In An Elevator" just finished on my iTunes. I love them. Have you climbed a tree in the past month? I never have. Were you ugly in middle school? Jfc save that child. What’s your type? CHARISMATIC. Stand out, man, and be proud of it. Having a smart head isimportant, too. Having a loving heart. Have a good sense of humor. Don't judge. Do you sleep with one of those mask things on your face? No. Have you ever straightened your hair? Yes. What kind of calculator do you use? The one on my phone or laptop. Have you ever seriously tried to count the stars? Lol no. Did you see the lunar eclipse? I'm guessing you're talking about the biggie from early this year? Yes. It was incredible. Do you have a bank account? No. Did you go on vacation last summer? What's a "vacation?" Where to? N/A Have you ever been in a choir? At church as a kid as well as elementary school. Are you happy with your looks? No. Have you ever gone streaking? You couldn't have paid me to do so even when I was in great shape. Are any of your siblings married? Yes. Were you in the wedding party? Yes. Have you ever seen a ghost? I've sure as hell seen something. Do you even believe in ghosts? I absolutely do. Have you ever had an eating disorder? Thank God no. What big corporation(s) do you support, particularly because you like what they stand for (many vegan items, donate large amount of money to charities, pay their workers a living wage, etc)? I'm really not educated on the morals behind most businesses. Oh, I do know Jeffree Star's products are entirely vegan and cruelty-free though, so his company definitely is one. If you wear foundation or have in the past, what type of applicator do you use (beauty sponge, foundation brush, fingers, etc)? Is there a type of applicator that doesn’t work for you? I've always just used my hands because we don't have anything else for foundation, I think. For those of you that do listen/watch ASMR videos, what are your favorite “triggers”? If you don’t watch ASMR, what are your thoughts on the whole phenomenon that seemed to happen the past couple years over it? I don't listen to it, but I don't care if others do. It doesn't do anything for me. I personally find the talking ones super uncomfortable, but if someone likes that, whatever. Are there any true crime cases that bother you immensely because of the story or verdict of the court case (ex. OJ Simpson)? I know there're some I've seen on Facebook and such. Do you use store loyalty programs? If you don’t use them, what is your reasoning behind that? What store loyalty programs do you feel offer the best incentives, regardless if you aren’t a member of them? I think I am for Hot Topic? I know I have a card for there. I think Sam's Club is a great place to have membership; that place has some damn deals. Mom used to be one, as well as an employee, and that shit was great. When it comes to skincare, what product could you not go without over the other ones? Where are you most likely to shop for your skincare needs? I could go without any, save of course for a wet washcloth. If I get something for skincare, it's just gonna be at Wal-Mart. Regardless if you aren’t someone who hoards or keeps stuff for a long time, what is one (type of) item that you have a hard time getting rid of? STUFFED ANIMALS. FUCKING CHRIST. If you eat meat, what is at least one vegan item (not necessarily a banana) that you like or would like trying (such as trying a soy ham substitute)? If you don’t eat meat, what is one meat item that you like and understand why people eat it? I have no idea. Being vegan just sounds... gah. I couldn't imagine. Major respect for vegans, man. What is a food that is always better homemade? How about a food that is always better at a restaurant? I don't know about the homemade one. Maybe like... cobblers? Meanwhile, steaks tend to be better at restaurants, I've found. If you watched teen dramas growing up (such as 90210 or One Tree Hill), which one was your favorite or you liked the best? If you watched family sitcoms growing up (such as Full House or The Fresh Prince), which one was your favorite or liked the best? I'm not sure if I watched teen dramas. For family sitcoms, ummm... I loooooooooooved/still love The Nanny. I like the two mentioned as well. What is a tradition either within your country or family that you feel is not needed or could in fact even be bad (ex. using paper plates for every party, eating hot dogs every weekend during the summer, etc)? Getting drunk as a motherfucker on New Year's Eve. Is there something you said you wouldn’t do, but in the end you did it? Yeah, a few things. Are you originally an American, or are you some other kind of nationality? I'm just American, save for like, if ancestry is involved. Then I originate from Europe. Do you sometimes pretend to do things you don't know how to do? No? What was the last compliment you remember someone gave to you? Who was it? Hm, I don't know. Have you ever had one of those pregnancy scares? When did this take place? Two completely unrealistic ones in high school. Are you someone who puts ranch dressing on everything you eat? No. Have you ever personally been friends with a stripper or prostitute? Not to my knowledge. What, to you, is the best way a guy can smell? Give examples? I personally like gentle colognes. How many times a day, on average, do you think critically about something? Twice or so. Are you someone who speaks their mind, or do you hold it all in? It depends. Where do you work at this moment in time? Does this place have insurance? I don't currently work bc I can't be a functioning adult in a work environment without collapsing into panic attacks. :^) If you have tattoos, which one that you have was the most painful? The inside of my forearm. Are you currently in the process of ‘bettering’ yourself as a person? I'm trying to grow more independent. What is something you tend to not be able to stand in the least bit at all? Anti-LGBT bullshit. OH BOY, or anti-vax insanity. Do not even interact with me if you're a "vaccines cause autism" imbecile. Does it make you angry when people complain an excessive amount around you? If it's over stupid shit or an issue you brought about yourself, then yes. At what age did you actually hit puberty? Was it hard for you to handle? I don't remember, and yes, it was. I remember crying outside the day I got my first period because I realized I wasn't a kid anymore. Are you considered a graceful person or are you more clumsy? I'm the clumsiest fuck you'll meet in your entire life. Have you ever sucked in helium? Did your voice change at all? No. Do you know any girls who have an overly manly voice and features? Girls can't be "overly manly," just as men can't be "overly feminine." Do you play any sports? If so, did you meet new friends that way? I did, and yes. Do people ever make fun of you for something you really can't help? No. Do you have any pets who will bite anyone else out there, besides you? No. Have you ever tried chocolate chip waffles? Are they now your favorite? Yes; no. What company are you signed up for car insurance, if any at all? N/A Are you someone who really likes to cook? What’s your favorite meal? No. Are you the candle lighting type? I prefer incense. Is your ex sexually attractive to you still? If he looks anything like he did, yeah. But I haven't even seen a picture of him in forever. Coffee in the morning, yay or nay? Don't like coffee. Do you ever drink your coffee black? N/A Body waxing, yay or nay? Ow, I would never do it. Honeymoon, where? I'd love the pink beaches of the Bahamas... but fuck Bermuda's Triangle, my conspiracy theory ass ain't going near that shit lmao. The black beach in I think... Scotland or whatever will do. Anal sex, yay or nay? Never tried, never will. The concept just really grosses me out. Has anyone ever written on you? Probably. Have you ever dated a fat person? I'd prefer the term "overweight," but w/e, once or twice depending on if you count one relationship as "dating." How many foreign friends do you have? In which countries do they live? Quite a few, having been on the Internet so long... I've got some in Europe and one in Australia. How long have you known the oldest friend you have? "Old" as in who I've had the longest? Since I was ten, I think. If you include my "real" friends. What’s the most interesting story you’ve never told anybody? Good question. When’s the last time you went to a bookstore? What did you buy? Last year when we were threatened by a really bad hurricane. I got The Fault In Our Stars and only read like... ten pages lmao. It wasn't because the book was bad, I just don't read anymore. What’s the most complicated meal you’ve cooked? Hunty I can't cook. I've cooked scrambled eggs and spaghetti like once lmao. What is truly attractive to you? Wisdom, for one. Have you ever come up with your own game? As a kid, yeah. What is something you value a lot in your life? The fact I have my mom in my life hit me first. I. Don't know where the fuck I'd be in life right now if my mom wasn't here with me. Whose hand did you hold last? Sara's. What was the last thing you planted? Oh boy, I have no idea. Oh wait, years ago I grew habaneros only to find out non-pickled ones are fucking gross. What or who was the last thing you gossiped about? I have no clue. I don't really do that. Did anything exciting happen just before you went to sleep last night? Well, my cat literally peed on Mom. That was "exciting." When’s the last time you helped a senior citizen somehow? I don't know. What’s the most selfless act you have done? Man, a lot of "I don't know" in this one. You see a spider web in the corner of your room. What do you do? I'm finding that guy or moving. Have you ever intentionally fed a house spider? No. How do you like your favorite beverage? Cold. What’s your big family secret? We don't have one. Do you answer the phones at your work? I don't have a job. Have you ever given up on someone and then went back to them? Many, many times with my former best friend. Did you wake up in the middle of the night last night? I do every single night, and it sucks ass. What shows do you watch? None. Have you ever broken someone’s heart? I don't know. Has anyone ever told you that you have pretty eyes? Yeah. When’s the last time you had a headache? I think I had a mild one a few days ago? I don't remember. My days are sooo blurred together. Do you know anyone who has been arrested? Yes. Think back to the last person you kissed, how many times have you laughed with them? A whole lot. Have you ever suspected anyone of cheating of on you? Yeah, because of his ex and a believable lie. It was ultimately a good thing that that was what immediately turned me away though, as I don't want to imagine how a long-term relationship with him would've gone, honestly. Who was the last person you kissed? Sara. Do you still talk to the person who hurt you the most in life? No. Who’s the last person you sent a friend request to? I've no clue. I don't really send requests because I don't know more friends on there. Is anyone in your family a criminal? Not by blood. Who was the last person you told to shut up? I don't recall; I don't tell people to shut up, generally. I haven't had a confrontation in a long time, besides the occasional arguments with my mom, and I wouldn't tell her to shut up. What was the last thing you lied to your mother about? I don't remember. Have you ever been in an abusive relationship? No. Name a song that reminds you of a past relationship: I could name 50 that remind me of Jason and myself if I cared enough to. Do you think anyone hates you? One person probably does, at least. What do you think your last ex would say about you? I don't know, but probably something nice. He's my closest friend irl. Do you still talk to the first person you fell in love with? No. Do you still want the last person that hurt you to have a happy life? Yeah. Have you ever had a crush on any of your teachers? No. I, along with like every girl in class, found a former band teacher attractive, but I definitely didn't have an actual crush on the dude. Thank God considering he was eventually fired for relations with a student. Why did your last relationship end? I learned I didn't like him romantically, and also because I discovered I liked Sara instead. How long did it take you to get over your last heartbreak? A year and a half. And that's just when I started moving on. Do you know anyone that looks up to you? I doubt it. Which one of your friends is always serious? I don't think any qualify for that. Are there any people in your life that you wish you never met? Yeah. Do people think you’re a bad person? Probably someone. Do they also think that you’re a slut? I don't see how a single person could think that. Are you with the last person you kissed? Yes. Have you ever been punched? No. How many people do you know that have been to jail? Multiple. Three off the very top of my head. Do you know anyone that sells drugs? I don't think so? Do you know anyone that does drugs? Yes. Do you care about what’s happening in other countries? Well yeah. I care about the world being a good, safe place. Do you think you have a pretty good reputation? I guess, at least as far as being a decent person goes. Meanwhile, I'm sure my rep as being a proper adult and such is shit. Where do you see yourself in 25 years? I don't want to think of that. You’re at a bar, you witness a man drugging some girls drink. What do you do? I'm not even REMOTELY kidding, I'm knocking the fucker OUT, calling the cops, and of course telling the girl. Fuck that guy getting out of that without a black eye. Who is more attractive, someone who is edgy or preppy? I could never, ever be attracted to a preppy person, so guess. I wouldn't want an excessively edgy person either, but I'm NOT into the preppy jazz. Short term dating, or long relationship? I've always been about long-term relationships. Kids? How many? Why? Names? Boy or girl? *Bugs Bunny "no" meme* Ever play that game MASHO?? "I’ve played MASH. I don’t know if MASHO is similar or something different entirely." <<< Same. A sad child, skinny and underfed, approaches you. What do you do? Obviously ask them what's up if they approach me, and from there, it would depend on what they tell me. I'd most likely call the cops first about a child like that because I wouldn't know the appropriate place to actually call; if the kid is underfed to an obvious degree, odds are I shouldn't find their parents first. I'd think it wiser to get some kind of officer to do so and determine if that child should even be with those people for their own good. What happens after death? I hope some kind of peace, but who really knows. Would you cheat on your BF/GF if you knew they would never know? No??????? Because I would know?????????????? And I have a conscience???????????????????????? Do you think there will ever be peace on earth? Why or why not? No. People as a whole can't get along and too many find violence to be the ultimate solution to big problems. Favorite childhood story growing up? I remember I particularly liked Stellaluna because of the drawings, and I enjoyed the actual story of Chrysanthemum. Worst way to die? Why? Some form of slow torture, I'm sure. Because if you've gotta die, make it quick. And humane. What were you in school? Jock, nerd, prep etc… I was recognized as an emo/metalhead thing. Did you ever eat playdoh at a child? I don't think so. Your dreams tend to be? As of the late, violent, at least those that I remember... I wake up attacking the air a lot. Describe your aesthetic? A quiet pastel bunny and a furious but awkward gothic demon are aggressively fucking 24/7 while trying to decide who's top and who's bottom. Do you believe in the afterlife? I believe in something. What book have you re-read so many times that the cover is completely worn? None. Are you a morning person or a night person? I'm in a brighter mood in the morning. Who do you most admire? There're multiple people I look up to for different things. But as for most, yeah, probably Mark. What is your favorite thrift/antique shop find? I love this shipwreck lamp that I have. What is the most incredible place in nature you’ve visited? The mountains. What is your greatest achievement? Still being alive lmao. Is something expensive better than something made with love? Almost never. What do you think of stealing? Uh, don't do it??????? If you could be told when you were going to die, would you want to know? NO. What would you do in case of the zombie apocalypse? Die very early on lmao. Okay but realistically, I'd want to climb somewhere. I'm going to assume a zombie can't figure out ladders 'n shit. What have you learned from pain? You yourself play a big part in making things better. Are you more worried about doing things right or doing the right thing? Doing the right thing. What’s something you know you do differently than most people? Eat biscuits like a fucking caveman by separating parts and eating each individually lol. Would you ever adopt a child? If I actually wanted a kid, yeah. If you could make anything glow in the dark, what would it be? *shrugs* Could you ever picture someone writing a biography about you? Hell no, my life's uneventful as could be.

#survey #quiz #questions #random #bored

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foamkissed · 5 years

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All #s!

39 unsettling questions to get to know your dark side. by holly riordan. send me a number, and my muse will answer. trigger warnings: mostlyhypothetical talk about death, murder, cannibalism, necrophilia, consent violations.

@duskwilt

would you rather know the date of your death or the cause of your death? She would want to know the cause, so she can avoid it. Celia knows death is inevitable, but she mostly expects it to happen in connection to her relationship with Aphrodite. She won’t accuse the goddess of doing it, and hates to suspect her of murderous intent, but she would want to avoid death at this time.

if you were forced to kill your mother or your father, which one would you choose? Father, he’s already dead.

what’s the most disturbing thought that’s ever run through your head during sex? N/A

do you like the taste of blood? …. No?

which serial killer do you find the most fascinating? She’s not really into true crime, so she probably can’t name too many serial killers, if any.

would you rather bleed out or be set on fire? Bleeding out sounds more peaceful than being set on fire. That sounds painful. But she wouldn’t know for sure. Celia would prefer neither.

if you were trapped on an island, would you rather resort to cannibalism or die of starvation? Celia would absolutely die.

if someone you loved committed a gruesome murder, would you help them cover it up? Yes. As guilty as she would feel, she always believes in her friends and believes in their reasons, whether they choose to disclose or not.

would you rather see the ghost of a stranger or of someone that you love? … She would like to meet her father. So someone she loves.

which horror movie monster do you think is the deadliest? She doesn’t watch horror movies.

would you rather be eaten alive by wolves or eat another human alive? Rather be eaten than eat.

how often do you think about death? It’s something she’s been considering more lately, especially with Aphrodite’s increasingly frequent jabs at her self-esteem and insinuations that she should sacrifice her life for the goddess. She wants to live on, though - she just thinks death is always there, but she’d like the luxury of holding it at a distance just a little longer.

if you were a necrophiliac, which celebrity would you want to dig up? N/A. The thought creeps her out.

what’s the most disturbing song someone could play while having sex? She’s probably the type of lover to not like music at all during sex. She thinks it would detract from the experience by distracting you from your lover.

would you ever stay the night in an abandoned house that everyone claims is haunted? No, unless it was Pyrrha who invited her. Then maybe.

what would you do to defend yourself if someone broke into your house? Escape. No fighting in her house.

if there was a zombie apocalypse, which one of your friends would die first? “…. Probably me.” It’s accompanied by an apologetic smile - she respects her friends too much to think they wouldn’t survive.

do you think death by drowning or death by electrocution would be more painful? She can’t really compare, but… the experience of near drowning dragged out the process of slow death. It’s less about the physical pain but the dawning realization and accompanying rising panic that you can’t move, that you can’t get to the surface of the water fast enough, a feeling of sinking into the darkness, farther away from the sun glinting off the top of the water.

if you met a vampire, would you let it bite you for eternal life or would you shove a stake in its heart? … She wouldn’t bring herself to kill them, so the first option, but she wouldn’t enjoy that either.

would you rather murder three innocent children or watch three of your loved ones die in front of you? …. Why would you make her choose? She just wants everyone to be happy. Honestly, she wouldn’t be able to choose. She’d sooner die than make a choice.

if aliens came to earth, would you want us to welcome them or kill them? “Welcome them! They might be nice!”

if there’s a hell, do you think you’re going there? She’d like to hope not.

what’s the meanest thing that you ever hoped happened to someone? She often wishes that Aphrodite would go away, even knowing the goddess is merged with her own thoughts.

would you rather eat a chunk of a human heart or an entire human eye? Neither. Just the thought makes her nauseous.

have you ever tried to contact a spirit with an ouija board? No.

if the opportunity presented itself, would you watch your crush get undressed through their window? No! She is a good girl!

would you rather have sex with elderly people for the rest of your life or never have sex again? Never have sex again. She wasn’t exactly planning on it to begin with.

have you ever masturbated while someone else was in the room with you? No.

have you ever had the urge to jump in front of a car? No.

if you witnessed a murder, would you go to the cops or keep your mouth shut? Tell the cops.

what’s the creepiest thing you’ve ever done when you had a crush on someone? She’s actually never had a real crush.

have you ever had a dream about dying? Lots.

have you ever had a dream about killing someone? No.

if you were asked to film a new horror movie, what would the plot be? She doesn’t know. It’d probably be a generic monster movie.

have you ever seen a ghost, a spaceship, or anything else you couldn’t rationally explain? No.

if you killed someone, how would you get rid of the body? Burn it at home.

if you came back as a ghost, whose life would you make a living hell? No one deserves that.

would you rather have an arm hacked off or a leg? A leg. It’s hard to do makeup with one hand.

if you could ask the devil a question, what would it be? “Are you real?”

#duskfloret #{she is quick and curious and playful and strong | headcanons}#{spurring a mortal to greatness | verse: main}

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greywindys · 7 years

Note

Can you give me your thoughts and headcanon on every band characters past, like there childhood? (Also I want to know your thoughts and headcanons on Hannibal?)

Hey! So I held onto this one for awhile because I was trying to figure out how to answer it while also keeping it at a moderate length. If you’ve been following this blog for awhile, you probably know I’m terrible at writing short answers and to write down everything I think about every character’s past is near impossible for me to fit into one ask. I’m also not much of a hc person…I tend to think of scenarios before I think things like “HC that ________ cooks _______every morning for breakfast” so idk how well I’m going to be able to do this. I’ll give it the college try tho with a disclaimer that I could probably write 1000+ words on all of these but I’m going to abbreviate things for this ask. Answer under the cut!

Noodle: I’m assuming you mean before she joined Gorillaz? I have more questions than answers about that part of Noodle’s past, and I don’t particularly have any strong feelings that it should be any which way. Who were her parents? Did they giver her up to be part of the experiment? Or did they not have a choice? Was her life up until age 10 like, relatively normal? I’m guessing she grew up with the the other children, so maybe daily life was similar to a boarding school setting with all the classes focused on combat and military strategies. Or maybe her parents did play some role in her life and she actually stayed with them when she wasn’t at training. And what eventually made the government label a group of children “too dangerous” to the point of where they had to be killed? This adds a bit of a disturbing element to it because it makes you wonder what they knew, what their capabilities were and what sort of mind set the training was instilling into these really young kids. I’ve often wondered whether Cyborg Noodle was meant to be a reflection of what Noodle could have become, and I’ve always thought it would have made for an interesting arc to have her struggle between her super soldier self and the self she became growing up with the band.

Russel: I have some issues with Russel’s backstory tbh, mostly because it feels a little bit lazy and because of the presence of stereotypes. There *are* some really interesting elements to build upon though. I like to think the school he attended in Brooklyn was a school for the arts, and that he had a variety of friends who experimented with a wide range of music styles. Also, Brooklyn is known for being like, a hub of culture so I also like to think he and his friends had certain record stores and restaurants they frequented, and that this helped Russel cultivate a lot of the sophisticated taste in fashion, food, music etc. that he exemplifies when we meet him in Phase 1. I also like to think that they had their own jams session together, and that many of his friends were aspiring musicians themselves. And think that in some ways, Russel sees the same sort of magic he experienced with his friends in Gorillaz, and it’s played some role in keeping him invested in the band, though evokes many complicated feelings for him. Though it seems to have been dropped, I also believe Russel is/was pretty religious, or at least he was in Phase 1. I always tend to think of him having an interest in spirituality, and that this helped him process his friends’ deaths. That being said, I see him as someone who views religion with a critical eye, especially as he seems to have become more wary of the world (per some recent interviews).

2D: Aw. 2D had the most mundane upbringing of everyone. I know I’ve said talked about this or written this out before, but I’ll place it here too but I’ve always seen him as having been very close with his parents, particularly his dad who was (for me at least) the driving force behind his creativity with keyboards and instruments. IIRC, his father allowed him to watch and help him with the various fairground equipment. I like to think that as 2D got older, he was also able to close up the fair, and sometimes he would sneak his friends onto the fairgrounds after dark where they would sit among the vacant rides and tell each other creepy stories. His hometown, again, if I’m not mistaken, is relatively rural so the night sky was always crystal clear. And honestly? This comes out of nowhere but I’ve always like to think 2D did or does have an interest in stars and outer space. He used to want to be a storm chaser when he was younger, loved zombie movies, there seems to be an interest he has in the unknown. So idk, I like to add on that he also had this weird interest in alien conspiracies and reading about all the ridiculous things that happen on the different planets.

Murdoc: There’s a lot to say about Murdoc’s childhood but what I’m going to focus on here is that it was soul crushingly lonely and I’m honestly awe struck at time of just how he was able to semi-successfully push back at EVERYTHING that was hypothetically working against him. Murdoc’s father hated work, so I always take that to mean that he never had a steady job so the home was in a state of constant chaos- either there wasn’t food in the fridge, the electricity got turned off, the water was turned off, there were sketchy people hanging around inside etc. Sometime his father would just up and leave be gone for day, some days he’s would be passed out on the couch all day and other days he would just be incredibly angry and nasty. So everything was uncertain. And on top of that, we also know Murdoc wasn’t popular in school or with people in general so he like, literally had no one, no secure attachments. So forming a sense of identity and self-esteem, and also processing the fact that he is human and wants to belong somewhere or mean something to someone; that was all on him. I think this drove a lot of his interest in Satanism and the occult because he was looking for something bigger than him to make sense of his life and also something dark enough to channel the anger and frustration that probably wasn’t safe to express at home. He became a bit of drifter as well, leaving the house for days at a time, which got him into situations at a young age that he wasn’t prepared to deal with (i.e. the diner lady) but also some people who helped him out. I always like to think he got his first bass from some random person, like, idk, some eccentric thrift store owner who had a bunch old crap that he started talking to about death metal one day and they just hit it off lmao. And we see some of that drifting today with how he gets lost in bars or says he’s “going out” and then the band can’t find him.

Hannibal: I don’t think about Hannibal that much tbh! I don’t think we ever learned their age difference, right? Personally, I always picture him as somewhere between 3-5 years older than Murdoc. I don’t really think he and Murdoc had that good of a relationship (there’s an anecdote that Murdoc tells in some interview from Phase 1 where he recounts a time Hannibal invited him to a concert just so his friends could beat him up and that he never got to see the show because he was unconscious) but they did have some rare moments of “bonding” (i.e. setting things on fire together, attempting to make their own bombs). Hannibal was in and out of jail and juvenile detention from a young age so Murdoc likely didn’t see him that often and eventually, Hannibal moved out. Still, I feel like Murdoc still like, occasionally hears from him, even though he doesn’t want to and it’s always like, pure mean-spirited trolling (for lack of a better word). Somehow, he always tracks down his number.

#asks.#nonnez #omg this only like hald hc but i tried lmao

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thesinglesjukebox · 7 years

Video

youtube

21 SAVAGE & METRO BOOMIN - NO HEART [7.29] Nothing wrong with that score though...

Joshua Copperman: Every time I've put "No Heart" on I've been riveted, and rarely skipped it. I've never been one to value authenticity over everything else, but I think that's what draws me to this particular song. There isn't even much to "No Heart" -- just sleepy delivery of lines like "young Savage, why you trappin' so hard?", and what's apparently a reference to a real killing that actually happened holy shit. It's difficult to imagine what must be going on in 21 Savage's head when he raps -- something like Max Rockatansky's hallucinations, I'm assuming. Metro Boomin does his best to capture it with that soundscape, and that's justice enough, but it's still hard to comprehend anything about Savage himself. This song has such a bizarre internal logic that I would almost compare it to Wesley Willis, though Savage is still more lucid. Other verses and songs I've heard from him are closer to generic trap, which is worrying, but I still find it hard to look away from this song in particular. In conclusion: Rock over London. Rock on, Chicago. [7]

Ryo Miyauchi: 21 gives threats with a stony coldness of a statue while Metro's equally chilly beat barely shows a pulse. It's not a lack of energy as much as it is a lack of humanity -- a remove from violence reminiscent to Chief Keef's. His heartless description of bloodshed is frightening, but what really runs a chill down my spine is his brief autobiography from 7th to 9th grade. Safety, dreams, ambition: the death of each turn 21's heart blacker and blacker. [8]

Iain Mew: No heart, no hope, and the doleful bell toll of the production makes carries through grimly and compellingly. [7]

Alfred Soto: Metro Boomin beats aren't infallible; they require performers who can fill the spaces between the percussive whirrs and clicks. Rasping and mumbling like an Isaiah Rashad without a single concession to likability or consensus, 21 Savage sketches a life of unrelenting grimness. It does go on a bit, the darkness at the edge of town all-pervasive. [7]

Jonathan Bradley: 21 Savage has some questions, some not worth answering (pass on discovering the real reason why he's pulling all these rapper's cards), and some of which enquiring minds really do want to know: why does he have a twelve-car garage? "No Heart" is an origin story for this up-and-comer, taking him from Cat in the Hat to Stuart Little to Nintendo to seventh grade gun-charges and a brief stint on the gridiron. Especially as smothered by Metro Boomin's typically languid beat, the drama is dulled by the recitation. I like the argument he has with an unidentified rival, which builds in intensity before Savage realizes he can't be bothered anyway: "fuck all that, ask your bitch how my dick tastes" is his intentionally lazy parting shot. His performance, however, is filled with effort, and I wonder why it doesn't pay off better. With his personality better established, he might find better use for his talents (there's a lot of weighing dope and designer label accessorizing in the gaps between his more creative images), but I wonder also if he might be the trap J. Cole: a rapper with some smart lines and none of the presence to sustain them. [6]

Anjy Ou: Savage delivers his lines with cool confidence and restraint, as if he almost couldn't be bothered with his haters, but there's a thin line that they're in danger of crossing and he's just reminding them where it is. Matched with Metro Boomin's hazy production, it's a chill track with a hint of danger lurking beneath it -- you can't afford to get too comfortable here, no matter how tempting. It's a walk along a knife's edge, but they do it skilfully. No wonder the internet loves this. [7]

Maxwell Cavaseno: One of my favorite debates I ever saw was occasional TSJ contributor Tara Hillegeist (one of my favorite current writers and a gem of a person) on the merits of deathmatch wrestler Nick Gage being the subject of a hypothetical film by Lars von Trier. A key concept mentioned was that Gage, a man who commits brutal acts of self-mutilation and reciprocates damage to a "combatant" who may do likewise to him, possessed a lack of self-awareness and shame when committing to this untenable way of life. He appeared, in many ways, like the void that threatens to consume protagonists for von Trier, or Rob Zombie's conception of evil, in that despite everything, he isn't broken; he breaks everything else. I don't enjoy the trope that rap producers (or any musical figure) should be beholden to auteur theory, but given a remarkable stretch of work this decade, I could recognize Metro Boomin's ability to complement the subjects for whom he provides trappings presents 21 Savage's cruelty in the way von Trier might present Gage. The greater irony is both subjects often remain for people blessed by internet voyeurism's eternal hunt for new fantastic curiosa, proven by Vice documenting deathmatches and trappers with equally perverse detachment. Perhaps they thought they kept their audiences safe from the undesirables who actually consider these people who thrive in the cruelty their personal champions and give the absurdity of their subjects a "freak appeal." But while the sadomasochistic shock and awe of those deathmatches remain fringe, the maudlin notes of "No Heart" have become a particular anthem for those looking to drape themselves in unmistakable malice to a frightening turn to power in such a dark time. To turn another phrase from Hillgeist, "No Heart" is a song that lets you know that "the wolf is never far from your door." [9]

[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox ]

#21 Savage #Metro Boomin #No Heart #TSJ Best of 2017

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hellofastestnewsfan · 4 years

Link

At the start of 2010, Barack Obama was just 11 months into his presidency. The recovery from the Great Recession was in its early stages. The Marvel cinematic universe consisted of Iron Man and Edward Norton’s Hulk. Less than 20 percent of Americans owned smartphones.

It’s been a long decade.

In three years at The Atlantic, in a role that often has me poking around our archive, I’ve come to understand American history through the stories told in the magazine as that history was unfolding. The 1850s focused readers’ attention on financial panic and standoffs over slavery; the 1880s aroused concerns about materialism and labor conditions; the 1910s were marked by contentious debates about the free press, women’s suffrage, and the nature of war.

How will the 2010s be remembered? Looking back through the articles The Atlantic published over the past 10 years—a period during which it dramatically expanded its web presence, meaning that for the first time in the publication’s history, the news was covered as it happened—I rediscovered a decade that shocked the world, both day by day and now, looking back.

The myth of a post-racial America has been shattered.

Obama’s election in 2008 prompted speculation from some academics and news analysts that American politics had transcended considerations of race and entered a new era. But by 2010, that idea had already been shaken by the vocal birther movement (prominently promoted by Donald Trump), and would be all but obliterated by the 2012 shooting of Trayvon Martin and the public outcry that followed.

In the September 2012 issue, Ta-Nehisi Coates explored the irony of the racial dynamics of Obama’s presidency. “Obama governs a nation enlightened enough to send an African American to the White House,” he observed, “but not enlightened enough to accept a black man as its president.”

Atlantic writers have since reported in-depth on the entrenched racial disparities in homicide rates, debt burdens, incarceration, and overall mortality in America. And the magazine has detailed the ascent of individual white supremacists—as well as a broader ethno-nationalist coalition that helped bring Donald Trump, in all his overt bigotry, to power in 2016.

What to read:

“Segregation Now,” by Nikole Hannah-Jones (May 2014 issue) “Black children in the South now attend majority-black schools at levels not seen in four decades,” Hannah-Jones reported.

“The Case for Reparations,” by Ta-Nehisi Coates (June 2014 issue) “An America that asks what it owes its most vulnerable citizens is improved and humane,” Coates wrote. “An America that looks away is ignoring not just the sins of the past but the sins of the present and the certain sins of the future.”

“Being Black in America Can Be Hazardous to Your Health,” by Olga Khazan (July/August 2018 issue) “Although the racial disparity in early death has narrowed in recent decades, black people have the life expectancy, nationwide, that white people had in the 1980s,” Khazan reported.

“The Nationalist’s Delusion,” by Adam Serwer (November 20, 2017) “Americans act with the understanding that Trump’s nationalism promises to restore traditional boundaries of race, gender, and sexuality,” Serwer argued. “The nature of that same nationalism is to deny its essence, the better to salve the conscience and spare the soul.”

The impact of climate change has become widely evident—and prompted collective action.

Since 2010, as Atlantic writers have detailed, climate change has given rise to the hottest years on record; to record drought; to more extreme hurricanes, wildfires, and flooding; to melting glaciers and ice sheets; and, maybe, to the reanimation of some zombie diseases. It’s also already claimed countless lives, taking a particular toll on poor communities and countries. These years have also given rise to international diplomacy (including, most important, the Paris Climate Agreement), dedicated activists such as Greta Thunberg, mass protests for further action, and greater collective belief in climate change and support for radical policies that could help combat it.

Trump has repeatedly called climate change a “hoax,” and he has withdrawn the United States from the Paris Climate Agreement—but as Robinson Meyer wrote this month, dozens of states, in addition to almost every country in the world, still hope to meet their goals.

What to read:

“How to Talk About Climate Change So People Will Listen,” by Charles C. Mann (September 2014 issue) “On the one hand, the transformation of the Antarctic seems like an unfathomable disaster. On the other hand, the disaster will never affect me or anyone I know; nor, very probably, will it trouble my grandchildren,” Mann wrote. “How can we worry about such distant, hypothetical beings?”

“Welcome to Pleistocene Park,” by Ross Andersen (April 2017 issue) “It will be cute to have mammoths running around here, but I’m not doing this for them,” Andersen was told by the director of a Russian reserve where scientists hope to resurrect an Ice Age biome. “I am trying to solve the larger problem of climate change.”

“The Zombie Diseases of Climate Change,” by Robinson Meyer (November 6, 2017) “Climate change,” Meyer explained, “could awaken Earth’s forgotten pathogens. It is one of the most bizarre symptoms of global warming. And it has already begun to happen.”

“Climate Change Is Already Damaging American Democracy,” by Vann R. Newkirk II (October 24, 2018) “As Hurricane Sandy illustrated—like Katrina had years before—disasters and hostile climate conditions don’t create inequalities; they exacerbate them,” Newkirk observed. “If American society is already trending toward greater inequality, this all means that climate change will accelerate that trend.”

The United States has experienced horrific mass shootings over and over and over again.

They felt, in the early 2010s, like a series of isolated shocks: Representative Gabrielle Giffords and 17 others were shot at an Arizona Safeway in January 2011; a shooter killed 12 moviegoers and injured 70 more at a screening of The Dark Knight Rises in Aurora, Colorado, in July 2012; 20 children and six adults were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in December 2012.

But mass shootings have spread like a disease, becoming more frequent and, over time, less shocking and more expected. The coverage patterns, policy debates about gun rights and mental health, and post-shooting school reopenings have settled into something like a routine, while active-shooter drills have become a standard part of many school curricula—despite the harm they may be causing.

The calls for gun control have grown louder and louder over the same period, leading to a congressional sit-in in 2016 and the March for Our Lives two years later. “People always say, ‘Nothing changed after Sandy Hook,” a survivor of the shooting told Steven Johnson last year. But “what happened after Sandy Hook is that we, I think, came together and forced politicians to answer questions about guns. Small, simple things like that. And for five years, we’ve built that.”

What to read:

“The Secret History of Guns,” by Adam Winkler (September 2011 issue) “We’ve also always had gun control,” Winkler wrote. “While [the Founding Fathers] did not care to completely disarm the citizenry, the founding generation denied gun ownership to many people: not only slaves and free blacks, but law-abiding white men who refused to swear loyalty to the Revolution.”

“Americans Don’t Really Understand Gun Violence,” by David S. Bernstein (December 14, 2017) “Nonfatal gun violence has mostly been ignored,” Bernstein observed, and “as a result, survivors of gun violence are largely invisible, even to the people who work closely on the issue—including policy makers, academics, and medical professionals.”

“What I Saw Treating the Victims From Parkland Should Change the Debate on Guns,” by Heather Sher (February 22, 2018) “The bullet from an AR-15 passes through the body like a cigarette boat traveling at maximum speed through a tiny canal,” Sher, a radiologist, explained. “It does not have to actually hit an artery to damage it and cause catastrophic bleeding. Exit wounds can be the size of an orange.”

“America’s Unending Tragedy,” by Olga Khazan (March 24, 2018) “But, nearly 20 years later, not even people in Littleton can agree whether the best way to prevent another Columbine is more guns or fewer,” Khazan wrote. “Todd’s experience—a 15-year-old whose brush with death-by-gun led him to respect guns more—helps to explain why there have been so few new federal gun restrictions since Columbine.”

“The Children of the Children of Columbine,” by Ashley Fetters (April 16, 2019) “The [survivors of the Columbine High School shooting] who have become parents face an awful new reality,” Fetters wrote. “Twenty years later, they are being confronted with the idea that what happened to them could also happen to their children.”

The Republican Party has reconfigured itself around the Trump presidency.

The GOP began the decade without control over the White House or either chamber of Congress. President Obama had won the support of a new Democratic coalition of young people, people of color, and college-educated white people, along with enough working-class white voters to propel him to the presidency—and to do so again four years later. His victories left Republicans worried, despite the red waves in the 2010 and 2014 midterms, that the party couldn’t win with white voters alone and would have to change its strategy moving forward.

A shift in approach had already been set in motion in 2010 by the election of dozens of avowed Tea Party congresspeople, who worked to push the party to the right—and push out establishment figures and ideas along the way. Beyond Congress, the election of Republicans to local offices in the same wave enabled widespread gerrymandering and voter suppression.

In 2016, defying the messaging that followed the 2012 election, a Republican ticket headed by Donald Trump doubled down on the party’s white base, and won. Trump embraced a constituency of angry white Americans with his ethnonationalist and economic-populist rhetoric, ushering in a new era for the party and further alienating its more moderate adherents. The president’s support among Republican politicians has not wavered, even during his impeachment, suggesting that the party is now dedicated to following the president and his shrinking white base into the new decade.

What to read:

“The Great Republican Revolt,” by David Frum (January/February 2016 issue) “White Middle Americans express heavy mistrust of every institution in American society: not only government, but corporations, unions, even the political party they typically vote for—the Republican Party of Romney, Ryan, and McConnell, which they despise as a sad crew of weaklings and sellouts,” Frum reported. “They are pissed off.”

“The Republican Party’s White Strategy,” by Peter Beinart (July/August 2016 issue) “[Trump] is exploiting fears about Latino immigrants in ways that echo the ‘southern strategy’ through which Richard Nixon fueled and exploited a white backlash against African American civil rights,” Beinart wrote.

“The New GOP Coalition Is Emerging,” by Reihan Salam (November 14, 2018) “The GOP has yet to develop a cohort of policy professionals capable of reconciling egalitarian populism and market conservatism in an attractive program,” Salam argued, “and the result is that Trump’s taste for invective has filled a vacuum that might otherwise have been filled by a creative and unifying new nationalism.”

“How America Ends,” by Yoni Appelbaum (December 2019 issue) “When a group that has traditionally exercised power comes to believe that its eclipse is inevitable, and that the destruction of all it holds dear will follow, it will fight to preserve what it has—whatever the cost,” Appelbaum wrote.

Women have spoken up about ongoing inequities in the working world.

Early in 2010, for the first time in American history, women became the majority of the country’s workforce. Later that year, Hanna Rosin wondered if the milestone was evidence of a more sweeping economic role reversal. “It may be happening slowly and unevenly, but it’s unmistakably happening,” she wrote: “In the long view, the modern economy is becoming a place where women hold the cards.”

But in the years that followed, other writers addressed the obstacles working women continue to face, from the impossible riddle of professional-personal balance to the particular gender bias and discrimination of Silicon Valley to the persistent gender wage gap.

Then, in October 2017, the publication of sexual-abuse allegations against Harvey Weinstein ignited #MeToo into a viral movement and elevated the outcry against structural misogyny. The movement, Catherine A. MacKinnon wrote earlier this year, “is already changing everything”—though, other writers have argued, it is still not changing enough.

What to read:

“Why Women Still Can’t Have It All,” by Anne-Marie Slaughter (July/August 2012 issue) “I still strongly believe that women can ‘have it all’ (and that men can too). I believe that we can ‘have it all at the same time,’” Slaughter asserted. “But not today, not with the way America’s economy and society are currently structured.”

“Why Is Silicon Valley So Awful to Women?,” by Liza Mundy (April 2017 issue) “The women I spoke with described a kind of gaslighting,” Mundy reported. “They find themselves in enviably modern workspaces, surrounded by right-thinking colleagues and much talk of meritocracy, yet feel disparaged in ways that are hard to articulate, let alone prove.”

“The Glaring Blind Spot of the ‘Me Too’ Movement,” by Gillian B. White (November 22, 2017) “Though women of all races suffer the trauma of sexual harassment and violence, it’s hard to argue that America treats alleged crimes committed against white women and women of color the same,” White wrote.

“The Phantom Reckoning,” by Megan Garber (September 16, 2018) “For #MeToo, for its part, the wraiths are emboldened each time abusers are welcomed back under the false pretenses of ‘redemption,’” Garber wrote. “This is how the status quo maintains its status. This is why the world, briefly shaken, so often settles back into its familiar grooves.”

The rise of ISIS reignited the global conflict against terrorism.

Early in the decade, the War on Terror as proclaimed by George W. Bush appeared to be winding down after years of active conflict in the Middle East. A Navy Seal team killed Osama bin Laden in May 2011. The last U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq seven months later. President Obama announced plans to withdraw forces from Afghanistan as well, and in 2013 he publicly redefined the fight against terrorism as “a series of persistent, targeted efforts to dismantle specific networks of violent extremists that threaten America,” rather than a war.

But the reemergence of the Islamic State ushered in a new wave of conflict. Under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the group threw itself into the Syrian civil war in 2011, took control of Mosul, Iraq, and formed a self-declared caliphate in Iraq and Syria three years later. The group also claimed responsibility for the assassination of a number of journalists and aid workers and terrorist attacks in cities from Baghdad to Paris to Ottawa.

Following years of U.S.-led air campaigns, Kurdish and Arab offenses in Syria, and Iraqi efforts to reclaim lost ground, ISIS is concluding the decade without any territory left to its name and without Baghdadi’s leadership. But, our writers caution, that doesn’t mean it’s been defeated for good—it still has funding, and a mission.

What to read:

“What ISIS Really Wants,” by Graeme Wood (March 2015 issue) “Muslims can reject the Islamic State; nearly all do,” Wood wrote. “But pretending that it isn’t actually a religious, millenarian group, with theology that must be understood to be combatted, has already led the United States to underestimate it and back foolish schemes to counter it.”

“The Obama Doctrine,” by Jeffrey Goldberg (April 2016 issue) “History may record August 30, 2013, as the day Obama prevented the U.S. from entering yet another disastrous Muslim civil war, and the day he removed the threat of a chemical attack on Israel, Turkey, or Jordan,” Goldberg wrote. “Or it could be remembered as the day he let the Middle East slip from America’s grasp, into the hands of Russia, Iran, and ISIS.”

“What ISIS Will Become,” by Kathy Gilsinan and Mike Giglio (November 22, 2019) “[ISIS’s leaders] see this as a battle of attrition, and that eventually they’re going to wear everyone out,” a veteran researcher of jihadist groups told Gilsinan and Giglio. “They’re not rigid in their thinking, and they’re willing to evolve.”

Smartphones and social media have changed how people connect with one another.

The devices and platforms themselves largely predate this decade: Facebook launched in 2004, and Apple released the first-generation iPhone in 2007. But in the 2010s they became closer to ubiquitous. In 2012, the proportion of Americans with smartphones passed 50 percent for the first time; by February 2019, that figure had climbed to 81 percent. Earlier this year, Facebook reported 2.7 billion monthly users across its properties.

The result is a new set of digital social experiences, particularly for the young: Kate Bolick learned about a friend’s death through Facebook; thanks to their parents’ social-media posts, more than 90 percent of 2-year-olds had an online presence in 2010; babies formed relationships with relatives through a mediating screen; older children stumbled across their own digital lives, curated by their parents.

At the same time, Jean M. Twenge argued in 2017, traditional forms of socialization appear to have declined and left a generation of young people, coming of age in an era of ever-present smartphones, feeling more isolated and left out.

What to read:

“Have Smartphones Destroyed a Generation?,” by Jean M. Twenge (September 2017 issue) “Social-networking sites like Facebook promise to connect us to friends,” Twenge wrote. “But the portrait of iGen teens emerging from the data is one of a lonely, dislocated generation.”

“What It’s Like to Wallow in Your Own Facebook Data,” by Anna Wiener (September 2018 issue) “Here was the stuff of a life, and I had given it away to the internet,” Wiener reflected. “Much of it would likely be stored on Facebook’s servers ad infinitum, useful only to advertisers and algorithms.”

“The Dark Psychology of Social Networks,” by Jonathan Haidt and Tobias Rose-Stockwell (December 2019 issue) “Social media turns many of our most politically engaged citizens into [James] Madison’s nightmare: arsonists who compete to create the most inflammatory posts and images, which they can distribute across the country in an instant,” Haidt and Rose-Stockwell argued.

Class and racial wealth gaps have widened in the aftermath of the Great Recession.

“Three years after the crash of 2008, the rich and well educated are putting the recession behind them,” Don Peck wrote in September 2011. “The rest of America is stuck in neutral or reverse.”

That yawning gap in income and net worth divided Americans. On one side lies what Chrystia Freeland described in our January/February 2011 issue as “a new super-elite that consists, to a notable degree, of first- and second-generation wealth”—the kind of one-percenters (or is it 9.9 percenters?) who might flaunt their wine caves, debate how much money they can pass down to their kids without sapping their motivation, and harbor a number of secret anxieties.

On the other side of the divide is the rest of America: a savings-poor and debt-rich middle class, a white working class left struggling with unemployment, economically stunted young adults, and disproportionately affected black Americans still reeling from the loss of home equity. A decade after the crash, despite the overall recovery of the economy, the country remained “more unequal, less vibrant, less productive, poorer, and sicker than it would have been had the crisis been less severe,” Annie Lowrey summarized in 2017. The same month, Alana Semuels went deep on the lasting impact of foreclosures and Derek Thompson predicted that the new GOP tax cut would only exacerbate wealth inequalities.

What to read:

“Can the Middle Class Be Saved?,” by Don Peck (September 2011 issue) “One of the most salient features of severe downturns is that they tend to accelerate deep economic shifts that are already under way,” Peck wrote. “They typically allow us to see, with rare and brutal clarity, where society is heading—and what sorts of people and places it is leaving behind.”

“The Never-Ending Foreclosure,” by Alana Semuels (December 1, 2017) “While America prides itself on being a place where people can climb up the economic ladder, it’s also a place where people can fall fast, and far,” Semuels concluded.

“The 9.9 Percent Is the New American Aristocracy,” by Matthew Stewart (June 2018 issue) “The meritocratic class has mastered the old trick of consolidating wealth and passing privilege along at the expense of other people’s children,” Stewart asserted.

Nationalist movements have become ascendent around the world, threatening modern democracy.

Strong-man leaders have ridden waves of right-wing populism to power around the world this decade. In 2013, Kurt Weyland described a “sustained, coordinated authoritarian threat” confronting Latin America after years of “democratic resilience.” Meanwhile, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has revived authoritarianism in Turkey since his election to the presidency in 2014, and Rodrigo Duterte’s 2016 rise to the Philippines’ highest office has produced an oppressive and violent reign of “machismo populism.”

In Europe, nativist right-wing contingents have become more popular and more vocal in countries including Austria, Italy, and Hungary. Since the initial Brexit referendum, in June 2016, Britain has been navigating the terms of its own nationalist realignment. And Poland is deep in the grips of antidemocratic forces; in October 2018, Anne Applebaum took a deep dive into the polarized, conspiratorial, xenophobic, and “openly authoritarian” rule of the Law and Justice party in the country. “Given the right conditions, any society can turn against democracy,” she wrote. “Indeed, if history is anything to go by, all societies eventually will.”

The United States made its own turn toward nationalist right-wing populism with the election of Donald Trump in November 2016. Atlantic writers have since broken down the president’s autocratic tendencies, his racism and intolerance, and his supporters’ cognitive dissonance. His presidency has left Americans deeply divided, in some ways reminiscent of the lead-up to the Civil War. A special issue of the magazine published last month focused on how to reconcile those divisions—or not.

What to read:

“How to Build an Autocracy,” by David Frum (March 2017 issue) “And the way that liberty must be defended is not with amateur firearms, but with an unwearying insistence upon the honesty, integrity, and professionalism of American institutions and those who lead them,” Frum wrote. “We are living through the most dangerous challenge to the free government of the United States that anyone alive has encountered. What happens next is up to you and me.”

“It’s Putin’s World,” by Franklin Foer (March 2017 issue) “Right-wing populists have largely fed off the alienation of older white voters, who are angry about the erosion of traditional values,” Foer wrote, summarizing the results of a study into the roots of the new global populism. “These voters feel stigmatized as intolerant and bigoted for even entertaining such anger—and their rage grows.”

“A Warning From Europe: The Worst Is Yet to Come,” by Anne Applebaum (October 2018 issue) “Polarization is normal. Skepticism about liberal democracy is normal,” Applebaum observed. “And the appeal of authoritarianism is eternal.”

“The New Authoritarians Are Waging War on Women,” by Peter Beinart (January/February 2019 issue) “Besides their hostility to liberal democracy, the right-wing autocrats taking power across the world share one big thing, which often goes unrecognized in the U.S.,” Beinart noted. “They all want to subordinate women.”

from The Atlantic https://ift.tt/2MNyXHw

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