#he's my favorite advice columnist by far lately

[thepoisonroom]

really vibing with the intro to jp brammer's valentine's newsletter

#he's my favorite advice columnist by far lately #partially bc ask polly makes me too insane #personal nonsense

[assites402]

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The 28 Best Young Adult Books for All Ages | Business Insider.

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100 Best Books of the 21st Century (So Far) - Vulture.

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Dan Savage: 'When politicians leave sex alone, I'll leave politics alone'.

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The 28 Best Young Adult Books for All Ages | Business Insider.

Savage has a new book celebrating 30 years writing his sex advice column "Savage Love." He talked with NPR about where he's been wrong, what's changed and why gay people know more about sex. Dan Savage Looks At What Has Changed In The 30 Years He's Been Giving Sex Advice.

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It Changed His Best Friend's Life. Tin Chin and Mo Lin were inseparable at a Brooklyn homeless shelter. Michelle Goldberg Grapples With Feminism After Roe. Quiz: The Sex Ed Questions Everyone Should Know the Answers To. Clergy's Call for an Assault Weapons Ban.

100 Best Books of the 21st Century (So Far) - Vulture.

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Young adult books are written and marketed for teenagers, but span every subject and genre from fantasy to romance. As an adult, my favorite young adult novels are the ones that would have been a good influence on me when I was a teen, teaching me a lesson that I might not have learned in my. The Duchess of Cornwall also gave insight into her bond with the late Prince Philip: "He was a role model to me and a very good person to take The "Real Housewives of Miami" star was joined by Kiki Barth as well as Zana White, who is rumored to appear on the Peacock show's upcoming fifth season.

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Bright Lines by Tanwi Nandini Islam. Islam's debut novel features a diverse cast -- a Bangladeshi girl who's more at home in nature than in social settings, her bubbly cousin and her cousin's runaway friend. Each girl has repressed secrets, and each deals with sexual awakenings differently. Protagonist Ella is traumatized after the death of her. Best Mistake Season 2. 10. Tasty Chicken and Sex (2022). Uncategorized, Korea. 1 Jan 2022Kim Tae-hoon-VIII. Sex Share House (2022). Film Semi, Romance, Korea. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison for sex trafficking and racketeering. July 11. July 11.... US-Best-Sellers-Books-PW for week ending7/2/2022. July 07. July 07. James Caan, of 'Godfather.

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This list of best books for teens will be sure to momentarily distract them from their phones and have them hooked on reading instead. Getting teens to read isn't always the easiest task these days thank to all their phones and laptops! This collection of modern must haves and classic reads is sure to peak.

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Gossip Girl: Created by Stephanie Savage, Josh Schwartz. With Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford. Privileged teens living on the Upper East Side of New York can hide no secret from the ruthless blogger who is always watching. Terrible: Teen Shoots & Kills Another Teen During A Bathroom Fight! Fellas, He's Dropping Free Game For Y'all: Guy Explains The Best Way To Approach Women If All You Want To Do Is Smash!. This book is a wonderful starting point to help empower teens in their relationships and self-confidence. This book is not preachy, instead reading as if it was written by an extremely approachable sex ed teacher who is addressing questions from the anonymous "Question Box.&quot.

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These 4 sex books will help you answer questions about why we have sex, why we cheat, why some women can orgasm and others can't, and a Sex Books: She Comes First: The Thinking Mans Guide To Pleasuring A Woman. Summary: A female friend once told me that men are like jack rabbits and.

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Miranda Pacchiana claims the abuse happened when she was between 7 and 10 years old when the siblings lived. The site navigation utilizes tab and enter key commands. To scroll page, use up and down arrows. The slideshow and carousels can be controlled using tab, left, and right arrow keys.

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American Savage: Insights, Slights, and Fights on Faith, Sex, Love, and Politics by Dan Savage (Goodreads Author) score: 99 , and 1 person voted. The terms are collected in Savage Love From A to Z: Advice on Sex and Relationships, Dating and Mating, Exes and Extras, a new book by Savage out now.

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Dan Savage's column, "Savage Love," is a nationally syndicated sex-advice column read by more than four million people each week. He has written the column for eight years, and it runs in twenty-six newspapers in the United States and Canada. Lili was not too happy when Pat spoke of visiting Central American. A. Видео very'young'girls'sex'pictures' канала Denstian. View 42 084 NSFW pictures and videos and enjoy Nsfw with the endless random gallery on S Go on to discover millions of awesome videos and pictures in thousands of other categories.

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Dan Savage has been talking frankly about sex and relationships for 30 years, and has built an international following thanks to his sex-positive Savage Love column and podcast. To celebrate this milestone comes Savage Love from A to Z , an illustrated collection of 26 never-before-published. Video: The 'kinky jockey' and the 'sexy spider': Cosmopolitan magazine features its first ever article on lesbian sex positions. Dan Savage gives advice on maintaining sexual chemistry in a long term lesbian relationship.

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[ear-worthy]

Q&A With The Hosts Of “A Bintel Brief” Podcast: Where Culture & Identity Meet

In 1906, the Forward started A Bintel Brief, Yiddish for “A Bundle of Letters.” Now that classic Jewish advice column is a podcast. The co-hosts, two very different Jewish mothers, dish on the dilemmas of Jewish-American life, identity, culture and politics. They have already completed a successful season one and are well into season two.

The co-hosts are Ginna Green and Lynn Harris.

Ginna Green is a strategist-consultant-movement-builder now helping Jewish (and other) organizations change through her new firm, Uprise. She is on the boards of progressive Jewish groups including Bend the Arc and the Jews of Color Initiative, and lives in Columbia, South Carolina, where she went to high school and college. Her interests include cooking, bourbon and annihilating her four children at Scrabble, even on Shabbat.

Lynn Harris is a writer-activist-multihyphenate who uses the power of comedy to drive change. She is founder of GOLD Comedy, co-creator of Breakup Girl, and a former advice columnist for Glamour and other print magazines of blessed memory. She enjoys hot sauce and embarrassing her teen children just by existing, and dedicates this gig to her late mother, who gave the best advice in the world. We were able to talk with both Ginna Green and Lynn Harris about their podcast, A Bintel Brief.

Q. So, you took a column that began in 1906 and converted it to a podcast. That’s a massive undertaking. Why a podcast? How did you get started with the podcast?

A. Bringing A Bintel Brief into the age of audio was part of Jodi Rudoren’s vision when she became editor of the Forward. When you think about the way the original column generated community and conversation — people shared the paper, passed it around, discussed — audio, along with everything else that tech can enable, feels like a natural, and not even so new-fangled fit. (LH)

Q. Ginna & Lynn, how did you transition your skills from print to podcasting?

A. Learning how to co-host a podcast? In my prior lives, I spent time in just about every medium–and radio was always my favorite. It might have had something to do with the fact that I could do an interview from my living room in my pajamas before it was pandemic protocol. So jumping in the podcast pool was right up my alley. (GG)

Q. How did you decide on the topics (letters) for season one? Did you have a sequence you wanted to follow for season one?

A. We selected letters that stood out for a nice balance of specificity and relatability, a strong emotional current, and for the opportunity to bring in a Jewish angle even if the questions weren’t about Judaism itself. (There’s always a way to bring in a Jewish angle.) We didn’t have a pre-planned sequence, but we did plan the flow to shift between lighter to heavier and to vary among topics. We did save a couple of heavier ones for later in the season, in part because we felt it was important to first build up trust among our listeners. (LH)

Q. What has been the audience’s response to the podcast? Downloads? Listener feedback?

A.What’s fun is that listeners often respond not directly to us, but to the folks who wrote the letters — citing their own experiences and offering suggestions of their own. Again, it’s that sense of community and conversation that we can create, even without sitting around a table on the Lower East Side. (LH)

Q. What do you think is the answer to: My listeners come to the podcast to…?

A. Because Lynn and I are fun, and other people’s problems are way more fun than one’s own. But also because we are thoughtful and open-minded, non-dogmatic and curious. Sometimes we are lighthearted, and sometimes we are heavy, but we often have as many questions as we have answers, which is probably spot-on for a Jewish advice podcast. (GG)

Q. What’s been the most rewarding feedback you’ve received from listeners so far?

A. One of our earliest episodes, “Mr. Not-Dad,” dealt with an older gentleman lamenting that he had never become a dad. We grappled with that reality, and then offered our letter-writer to not give up–there are so many ways to become a dad, or even a father figure, in a time of such change around family composition, structure and creation. A dear friend of mine, who shared perhaps some of the same feelings as Mr. Not-Dad if not the exact circumstances, was listening to the episode on a bike ride to the beach, and he had to stop and pull over to text me that the episode meant so much to him. And that meant so much to me. (GG)

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A Bintel Brief isn’t simply an advice podcast, like say Dear Sugars, which is a good one. It also acts as a cultural reservoir, since the podcast reimagined a 116-year-old advice column in print into a podcast.

Unfortunately, we are in an age in the U.S. where having a cultural and ethnic identity and waving that flag seems to anger those who feel threatened by such displays of group pride and expression.

A Bintel Brief and its two charming and wise-beyond-their-years co-hosts skillfully answer these listener questions in every episode: Who am I? How do I relate to others in the Jewish-American community? How do I relate to others outside that community? How is my faith related to my lifestyle?

#podcast #advice #jewish

[evak-fic-rec-turtleanon]

Evak Fics - Pining

I’m posting half of this list first because I started it a long time ago and it’s taking me a while to go through all the fics. So I will update with more later. 

*** Mutual Pining *** Pining - I might put mutual pining under pining if we don't see much of the other person pining. *** Bonus - The pining is not between Evak 

For the anon from this ask.

I will try my best to separate out the mutual pining fics but I think it will be tricky if it's not tagged as that. So bear with me and let me know of any mistakes or fics I missed out on.

. First Posting : 11 July 2021. Under 15k fics.  .

******* Mutual Pining *******

Even the Illustrator by eavk (SERIES, 3 fics) - An AU where Even’s an illustrator who draws what kids describe to him for YouTube, and Isak is the smitten father of a six year old with a wild imagination.

Postcards by HedwigsTalons (1k words) - Isak's wall is covered in postcards. Isak is supportive of Even's career and he cherishes every postcard but the long distance relationship hurts.

Feelings Come and Go, But Not With You by ultimatelawrence (1.9k words) - It was meant to just be a holiday romance. A fling. Nothing like love. But now it was six months later and Even was still pining over the angel he had met in Paris.

let's pretend into forever by Bellakitse (2.3k words) - “Let me get this straight,” Even starts. “You lied to your boss about having a boyfriend, told her it was me, and now you need me to go with you to your science nerd dinner?”

i will love you until the very, very end (and you were my best friend) by traumatic (2.4k words) - Isak and Even share something in the cool waters of a spring fed pool that no one, not even their fiancées, could ever understand.

Breathe Me by photographer_of_thoughts (4.5k words) - A high school reunion brings Isak and Even together after ten years, and neither of them can forget what happened when they were both seventeen.

Everything comes back to you by MermaidsandMermen (4.8k words) - Light pining. A dribble oneshot for Halloween, full of fluff and Even and Isak and a tiny pinch of angst. Because we need some Halloween fluff. That's all.

Fuck Tha Police by MacksDramaticShenanigans (5.2k words) - “This,” Eskild said, spinning the photograph around so everyone could see it, “is a picture of the latest piece of vandalism from our favorite little street punk.” he finished with a heavy sigh. They are both cops.

i tried to be strong but i lost it (i knew it was wrong, i’m beyond it) (6.3k words) - Even has a thing for his intern, Isak has a thing for his boss, they're both a bit clueless and their friends just want them to get their shit together.

all I see is you by littlemovie (Lejla) (7.4k words) - “Aren’t you gonna ask me why I’m a bad person?” Isak somehow whined and demanded at the same time. Jonas blew out a breath in amusement, which made the dark curls on his forehead move with his breath. “I’m guessing it has something to do with that guy, Even, from the coffeeshop?”

Addicted by endlessandinfinite (8k words) - They’re both completely, overwhelmingly, and incredibly...addicted. Best friends to lovers.

Calleth You, Cometh I by Kollakolan (8.4k words) - “Isak!” Mikaels pipes up. “Didn´t you two have a thing?” he turns to Even. A thing, Even thinks to himself. Yes, Isak and him definitely had a thing. They actually had a low-key thing going for years, but it never really turned into something more. The timing was never right.

In Vino Veritas by Sabeley (9.9k words) - After seven years apart, Isak wakes up to find Even in his bed and a wedding ring on his finger.

Let Me by GayaIsANerd (10.6k words) - Summer brings a lot of things. The smell of sunscreen. The sound of children playing in the shallow part of the lake. The taste of cold beer. The sweet tang of weed. But most importantly, summer brings Isak.

Something Borrowed, Something Blue by BluebeardsWife (10.8k words) - Fake dating AU, you know the drill. Even hires Isak to pretend to be his boyfriend at his ex's wedding. This Means Nothing to Me by cuteandtwisted (10.8k words) - Isak and Even are friends and roommates who don't believe in love anymore (after they both get dumped by other people) until they do. Aka the Friends/Roommates-To-Lovers Don't you let me go by solarpower21 (12.2k words) - In this universe, Isak and Even are roomates and nothing more. Except that there is something more between them and they both know that but are too stubborn to admit it. Too bad it takes a very unfortunate event for them to face the truth. Burn Down The Disco by TheGirlNoOneKnows5 (12.2k words) - A 'Black Mirror: Hang The DJ' AU in which Isak and Even decide to rebel against a futuristic dating system that pairs users up with various people in order to find their perfect match.

La Petite Mort by EvenbechNeiheim (13.4k words) - Even Bech Næsheim is one of those cool and very hot media students at Uni who might just got the task to make a film project. Eskild is the best wingman and things like accidently falling in love with an asshole media student happen. Based on the FIRST KISS YouTube video that gave the internet an entire meltdown. 

when your heart is bleeding, i'm coming to get you by orphan_account (13.5k words) - Isak doesn't exactly expect his hookup from last week to be the love advice columnist at the school newspaper he's working at. He also doesn't expect to fall even harder for him than he already has, which is a shame, really, since Even's crushing on someone else. 

Heal My Heart for Christmas by iwritetropesnottragedies (recklesslee) (13.5k words) - It’s been ten years since Isak left his small town for the big city of Oslo with his father. He hardly even thought of his time there anymore. Until he received a letter from his mother asking him to come home for Christmas for the first time since he had left. 

Love in the Time of COVID: Battlestar Edition by sweetasmaple (14k words) - Isak and Even find each other again during the COVID-19 lockdown, one Battlestar Galactica episode at a time. 

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******* Pining *******

never seemed so alive by retts (1k words) - Nothing special, just four letters strung together to spell out E V E N but they made Isak's heart race and his face blush and his hands tremble.

Hopeless by waitineedaname (1k words) - Light pining. There was no way in hell Isak would be able to talk to Even. He was tall and cool and handsome, and Isak was pretty sure talking to him would make him spontaneously combust.

i could probably just curl up in you. by milominderbinder (1.3k words) - Isak is away at a cabin with the guys when he gets a text from Even. 'hey, babe, did you take my favourite hoodie?' He is, of course, outraged that Even would accuse him of such treachery. The fact that Isak is wearing the hoodie at that very moment has nothing to do with it.

stuck on you (what did i do?) by itjustkindahappened (1.8k words) - It’s not that Even doesn’t try to be friendly with him—Isak just makes it so hard. Whenever Even approaches, Isak either makes up a fumbling excuse to leave, or just becomes really stiff and refuses to acknowledge Even’s existence.

now and forever (i will be your man) by thekardemomme (2.2k words) -Warning for pain. 3 times isak kisses even +1

i be up in the gym just working on my fitness by orphan_account (2.3k words) - Even knows that he's quite literally going to die when he finds his crush sweating on an elliptical, reading a book with his glasses slipping down his nose.

You know where I stay by nofeartina (2.4k words) - Warning for pain. Isak is so beautiful first thing in the morning. When he still has creases in his face from the pillow, when his face is red and puffy from sleep, his hair all messed up and curly. Even prefers this Isak. This is his Isak, this is only for him.

won't you be my livewire by itjustkindahappened (3.2k words) - "i've been tryin to grab your attention in class for over half an hour by poking you and throwing things onto your desk and you're refusing to acknowledge me and gdi all i wanted to do was tell you that you look cute and now it's gone too far and i can't go back"

Cookies and Cream by GayaIsANerd (3.5k words) - Isak has a crush on the barista. He's too scared to do anything about it, but luckily there's a blizzard coming up.

i can feel the weather in my bones by EvenbechNeiheim (3.7k words) - Isak and Even are childhood friends. There’s a boyfriend sweater and Isak is just desperate to wear it.

On the silver screen by Lokkanel (4k words) - Isak was really not in the mood for this. He had a long week at work, and all he wanted was to relax with his friend, drink a few beers, maybe even smoke some weed and just chill. But no. When Jonas called him to say that he won tickets to the coolest indie film festival in Oslo, Isak knew he could forget his plans for a quiet and simple weekend.

I want to love you (in my own language) by fauu_stine (4k words) - “Okay. Maybe I’m not happy,” he admits in a resigned whisper. “Do you need a shrink discussion or a best friend discussion?” "I think- I think it’s more of a friend with benefits kind of talk."

Don't be an ass by Julieseven (4.1k words) - Even really tried to forget about him. It started out as a harmless little crush, really. He saw him at the karaoke bar SYNG one night, singing "I don't want to miss a thing" at the top of his lungs, clearly drunk out of his mind, but looking like an angel with his messy dark blond locks and crooked smile.

Little Black Book by Laika (4.3k words) - Isak Valtersen is studying his third year at the University of Oslo and having the time of his life. Enter Evy Bech Næsheim, straight out of Nissen, in his stockings, mini skirts and bubblegum scented lip gloss.

cracks in our foundation by towonderland72 (4.8k words) - “You know, like a thousand years ago, men used to wear makeup?” Even asks, as Isak gapes at himself.

Safest With You (Green Curtains) by eavk (5.3k words) - Isak keeps staying up too late studying at the library, but luckily there's an escort service that gives students a buddy to walk with to keep safe at night.

the one with the prom video by thekardemomme (5.5k words) - Even has been in love with Isak since they were younger, but he never intended for Isak to find out this way.

Senses by Lokkanel (5.5k words) - Sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste… Or Even falling in love with Isak, one sense at a time.

you're the one i wanna grey with (5.6k words) - They've only been dating a month, so Isak shouldn't be pathetic enough to miss Even this much when he's only gone for a weekend.

Orion's Nebula by thekardemomme (5.6k words) - Light pining I think. Even Bech Næsheim was enrolled in an astronomy class for one reason and one reason only: the cute ass boy he saw standing in the registration line.

with the taste of a poison paradise by chasingflower (6k words) - It’s routine by now. Isak hangs out with his friends during the day and at night he kisses the Dream-Even that lives on the other side of the door in his living room, and basks in the warm fuzzy feelings he gets as a result of the attention. Coraline Au.

How to Get Your Man - A Plan By Even Bech Naesheim by Evakkk (6.1k words) - When Magnus drops a big secret in front of Even... Even comes up with a brilliant plan to get Isak to reveal his true feelings. All it takes is one little lie, and one crazy family reunion.

To Burn With Desire by photographer_of_thoughts (6.1k words) - AU in which Isak and Even are neighbours and Isak's father has a secret job that unintentionally helps Isak realize he's in love with his best friend.

Watermelon Sugar by MermaidsandMermen (6.6k words) - A little tribute to fruit and touching. To sex, and friendships and finding what you were looking for all along. And of course inspired by Harry Styles latest video offering, just because.

The Fake Boyfriend App by Crazyheart (7.2k words) - AU where Isak is desperately pining for his flatmate Even, and downloads a fake boyfriend app to get over him. When he discovers that the Fake boyfriend is a human, and not a bot, he is sceptical.

That look you give that guy by Lokkanel (7.4k words) - Isak and Even love each other in secret. It is almost thrilling at first, but when hiding and lying to their friends begin to take a toll on Even, Isak decides to end it all. He thinks he has taken the right decision, until Even eventually moves on with someone else.

my longing drives me crazy for you (7.7k words) - Isak's mum worries, Isak makes bad life decisions and Even loves Isak. It's a fake dating au.

I'm Always Here by nofeartina (9.3k words) - “Did you know that Even is working this summer? At that pool at the Plaza?” Jonas says. Isak actually sits up in excitement at this. “Fuck yeah!” Oh, a pool. Actual water they could go swimming in and cool down. And also, Even.

a garden for your love by eggsntoast (9.3k words) - He’s learning to breathe with them, even if he ends up with a floor full of violets by the end of it all. They remind Isak of him, and that’s all that matters. That’s what makes it worse. or: a Hanahaki au ft. Isak heavily pining after Even. Lots of angst.

I wrote an angry letter to the void, and the void responded (9.5k words) - Monday comes, and the book is still there. Isak looks around, content to find the floor practically empty, before giving the book the finger. Fuck that book. - a book finds it's way to Isak's sacred study spot. this proves to be a major distraction.

a constant state of closeness by chevythunder (9.7k words) - “What is it about this dude, anyway?” Elias asks. “You’ve barely even talked to him, right?” “I don’t know,” Even says. “I just got this feeling, you know? Just- I want to make sure he’s okay and safe and… stuff.” - It starts with a hug.

Is This Our Time? by Evakkk (9.9k words) - This is a world where everyone is born with an indistinguishable soulmate mark... it only changes into something recognizable, once you have physical contact with your soulmate, and it's always something meaningful to the relationship. Both partners will bear the same mark. Isak is about to turn 18... and he's the only one in his friend group who still hasn't found their soulmate. But what happens when he goes out one night, gets drunk... and wakes up with his soulmate mark?

Is This What You Wanted? by cuteandtwisted (9.9k words) - Isak is filthy rich and Even is a hardworking male model who just got signed to his father's agency. Even gets an awful offer from Isak: one night with him in exchange for money, and begins to despise him. Little does he know that everything he thinks he knows about Isak is wrong.

Just like in the movies by Lokkanel (10.5k words) - As he began taking in his surroundings, Isak realized he was in one of those small theaters that programmed independent and artsy movies, even old black and white films. He was ready to turn around and walk away when he heard a deep voice say, “Halla.”

my tiny heartbeat in his ear by riyku (11k words) - Now, about a week after the longest day of the year, the empty house across the street has stopped being empty. most beautiful things by scarletbluebird (12.7k words) - This fic is a whole ass journey. Warning for pain. This isn’t a fairytale, Isak tells himself. Even is standing at the bend in the road. He looks like a metaphor for immortal life: the youth a god would kill for. Ambrosia eyes, the universe trapped in the curve of his mouth. He looks like every warning from his mother about strangers you run into after dark. 

One week by Lokkanel (12.8k words) - This thing going on between Isak and Even, whatever they called it - fuckbuddies, friends with benefits - was simple, fun, nothing more. They were friends, they were both free to do whatever they wanted with other people. They’d just meet and have sex whenever they felt like it. Simple. Until what was bound to happen eventually did and Even fell for Isak. 

Plum by Jamz24 (13.2k words) - Femme!teacher!Even asks masculine! plumber!Isak to fix a broken shower on a scorching hot summer day...And if you think it sounds like the start of a porn film you're absolutely right! There's LOADS of smut but ... with LOTS of feelings 

Never be the same by nofeartina (14.2k words) - It starts with a bet - one of those really stupid ones: can they last an entire month without any kind of sex?It’s been 22 days – and Even is dying. 

Somewhere I’ve never been by MinilocIsland (14.6k words) - The first time Even meets Jonas' best friend, nothing goes according to plan. 

If I Should Fall Behind by MinilocIsland (14.7k words) - The plan for tonight had been crystal clear. Stay close to his best friend, and steal her away if needed. Hold her hand through the ordeal of meeting Noora again for the first time in years. Then Even shows up – and suddenly, nothing goes the way it was supposed to. 

All I Ever Wanted by MinilocIsland (14.8k words) - Isak is such a good friend. Probably the best there is. How else could he explain that he's agreed to join Magnus to this place deep in the woods for six full days of silence, meditation, and utter boredom? One thing, he knows. There's nothing exciting for him there. Right? Or: the silent retreat AU. 

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******* Bonus *******

Season 3: Jonas by Laika_the_husband (WIP, SBB 2021 fic) - There is a scene in the end of the script for season 1, where Jonas and Isak kiss each other on a dare. This story is a retelling of season 3 in a universe, where that kiss happened and completely changed the way Jonas sees Isak. Written in Jonas' POV, the story examines sexuality, love, friendship and coming to terms with never getting the boy you shouldn't have fallen for in the first place.

What the fuck is wrong with me? by notanugget (11.6k words) - The five times isak felt guilty for being in love and the one time he didn’t 

thanks for the weed, thanks for everything by evak1isak (13.1k words) - Jokael. Jonas' dealer has moved to Denmark, and Even recommends his friend's weed. What Jonas didn't expect, though, was to develop a crush on a boy, on Mikael. 

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******* WIP *******

Baby, why do you have to shine so bright? by Lilacpotter - Even knew he was radiant, and he was used to people always wanting to be around him, enchanted by his captivating words and glowing smiles, as if he was the tantalising sun. But then one day, he comes across someone who shines much brighter than the sun itself in Even’s eyes.

Lonely Hearts Club by EndingsNotTheStory - The Hearts Club. A show run by Isak and his 3 friends. He's kind of had enough with hearing about people's relationship issues and giving advice. Until the guy from his theatre class and Isak's totally not crush Even calls, dealing with relationship issues. pining

#evak fic rec #skam fic rec #pining #mutual pining #first half of the list #to be updated

[surveys-at-your-service]

Survey #368

“whatever doesn’t kill you, is gonna leave a scar”

Have you ever bought a YouTuber’s merch? My favorite shirt is the Day of the Dead design by Cloak, which is Markiplier's and jacksepticeye's clothing brand. Mom's friend/former co-worker also got me a Ninja Sex Party shirt because she knew I liked them. There are SO MANY YouTubers I wanna support by buying shirts. Do you think oatmeal tastes better when made with water or milk? Milk, 110%. Have you ever left a note in a library book? No. What time of day do you prefer to wash your hair? Morning. Has anyone ever spread lies about you? Yes. Have you ever taken a photograph with a celebrity? If so, did it turn out the way you wanted, or do you wish you could retake it? No. If you could move out of your home country permanently, would you? If so, where would you go? If it didn't mean being so very far from my family, I would love to move to Canada. Is there a celebrity that everyone else seems to love, but you find totally overrated? Why is it that you don’t like them? I legit don't know who's considered currently popular, and I especially don't know who they are as people. If you could volunteer for any charity, which one would you choose? Do you think it’s more important to help humans, or are animal and environmental charities equally important? Something relating to animals, and I think they're both equally important. Do you prefer holidays where you relax, or actually do things? I like a mix. Something chill, but you still do some stuff as a family. Do you think that after we die our spirit is still alive? Yes. Has anybody ever told you that you could be a model? Someone has mistaken me for a model in a picture I once took. It was one of the most flattering things I've ever heard, haha. Do you use different kinds of moisturizer for different body parts? ie. hand lotion for your hands, face cream for your face. Or do you just use one moisturizer for all body parts? Yes. Have you ever felt like you were someone’s rebound? No. Has anybody ever broken up with you over something really pathetic? What was it? Have you ever been dumped in a disrespectful way? (eg. through text, through a friend..) I have 100% been dumped in a very cowardly and disrespectful way; after dating Jason for nearly four years and being very serious, he broke up with me very abruptly over Facebook Messenger. His reason was valid, but at the same time, he NEVER talked to me about it. Apparently my depression was dragging him down. If he'd fucking communicated it, I would have explored new treatment options so goddamn fast. But no, he decided to snap his fingers and disappear. That's exactly WHY it was so traumatic, I think: it was so unexpected and sudden. Did you have a lot of role models as a kid? Animal enthusiasts like Steve Irwin and Jeff Corwin for sure. Do you feel like anyone looks up to you? Why or why not? God no. I'm just... not someone to aspire to be like. What was the last thing you found offensive? I'm not sure. Who is the nicest person you know? My mom. Do you feel safe in your country? I feel safe in NC, rather. Like I don't expect an atom bomb or terrorist attack or something in this obscure area. In the U.S.A. itself, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. America is definitely not loved by every other country. Do you feel safe where you live? Not in this city, no. Have you been falsely diagnosed with something by a bad doctor? Yup. Did y'all know I apparently have ADHD? I know, shocking. Have you ever had a doctor refuse to treat you? No. Name the strangest game you’ve ever played (video game or real game): The first Silent Hill, probably. It took a lot of reading to get it. Do you know anyone who has been struck by lightning before? No. Which cartoon character would you want to keep as a pet? Does Stitch count? Or a Pokemon. Do you like marshmallows? Yes. What is your favorite flavor of candy cane? I really like the Jolly Rancher candy canes, I think they are? Have you ever fostered an animal? No. Do you still take hot showers when it’s hot out? Not as hot, but not cold except on very extreme occasions. When writing $ sign, do you draw one line through the S or two? Two. What animal have you always wanted as a pet but couldn’t have? I'm thankful that my parents were pretty open-minded to what pets I really wanted, but one I was never allowed to have was a ferret because of how messy and smelly they are. List three people you’ve had crushes on: Jason, Sara, and Sebastian were probably my biggest crushes. Have you ever thrown up from cramps? No, but god have I felt close. List three people you had a hard time forgiving. Jason, Colleen, and my dad. Who is the most spiritual person you know? Probably my sister's mother-in-law. Would you ever start a vlog? God no, I'd bore people to tears. Are your dreams coming true yet? I mean, I guess in some ways with my mental health. In my deepest depression, what I have now was a dream, even though current me is very discontent with it. Most of my dreams, though? No. Do you struggle with depression? I've been diagnosed with severe depression since 7th grade. Are you haunted by your past? A few things won't leave me alone. What medical conditions do you have? Just a lot. There are even more that are up for debate. I've talked about my diagnosed conditions enough. Do you use a Magic Bullet? No. What does your apron look like? I don’t have one. What are your favorite spicy foods? Hot Cheetos, Takis, hot wings, jalapeno pizza... Man, I love spicy food. Which do you like better: being an adult or being a kid? Being a kid. Were you excited to be a teenager on your thirteenth birthday? I had very mixed feelings. Did you feel insecure in high school? Shit, I still do. Would you ever be friends with someone who was suicidal? What the FUCK is this question? No fucking shit I would be. Someone being suicidal in no way affects who they are as a person. Who was the biggest bully in high school? I don't think there really was one. What was your favorite class in high school? Art. Would you rather have a daughter or a son? If I wanted kids, a daughter. Have you ever written to an advice columnist? No. Have you ever had a doctor not believe what you told him? Maybe? I did however have an employee at the ER the first time I went try to pry out of me that my self-mutilation was for attention, and it wasn't until I insisted about a dozen times that it wasn't that he believed me. It's odd looking back that I got REALLY attached to him during that stay, knowing now that it was absolutely horrible and extremely unhelpful for him to do that. If you’re female, would you feel uncomfortable having a male gynecologist? I would absolutely refuse to have a male one. Do you like Lisa Frank? Yeah, like can you talk about aesthetic. What gives you nightmares? Boy, I wish I could tell you, given how much I have them. Were you ever hospitalized as a child? No. Did you get senior pictures taken? No. What color is your bicycle? I don’t have one. Did you ever have to take home a fake baby in health class? No, thank fuck. Would you rather wear ivory or white on your wedding day? What color will your bridesmaids wear? I'd rather wear black. I think red will be the bridesmaids' color. Would you rather have a swimming pool or trampoline? I want a swimming pool so damn badly so I could exercise my legs without worrying about sweating, and I can stop and rest whenever I want, unlike going walking or something. I don't think my knees could handle a trampoline. Do you think babies are cute? Some, sure. But a lot, not really. Do you dream about the future a lot? Yeah. Do you think about your past a lot? Way too frequently. How good are you at living in the moment? I'm trying to get better at it. Have you ever questioned God’s existence? Yeah. Vanilla frosting or chocolate? Chocolate. What’s your favorite foreign cuisine? I've actually been exploring Italian pasta lately. I'm not a big fan of foreign food that I've tried, though. Have you ever moved to another state? No. Did you do anything productive today? No. .-. Can you say the alphabet backwards? No, actually. Do you like flowers? Of course; does anyone not? Have you ever thought you were gonna die? I didn't care if I did or didn't. What kind of mood are you in today? I was honestly really depressed through most of it. Just health stuff was really getting to me. I just woke up from what was honestly like a four-hour nap and I feel all right, I guess. What are you craving right now? I REALLY want Domino's jalapeno pizza. Is there anyone you would seriously punch right now if you had the chance? No. What is worse, physical or emotional pain? Definitely emotional. Have you ever walked in on somebody doing something… questionable? When Dad still lived with us, I think he might have been watching... you know... on TV when I came into my parents' room for something. Idk for sure though. I didn't ask, and I don't want to know. If you were to make videos on YouTube, what would they be of? Oh god, idk. I don't want to make any. What I'd have most fun with would be reptile education, but I 1.) have literally one snake, 2.) am not extremely educated on a good number of them and don't want to be misleading, and 3.) I would run outta content fast. So, leave it to Snake Discovery, haha. Posting pictures of yourself in a bathing suit on the internet - ok or not? Yes, it's okay????? If you're talking about me personally though, you won't see me dead in a bathing suit picture. Do you typically laugh when somebody falls down? No, I gasp and see if they're okay. What is the most disturbing movie you’ve ever watched? Paranormal Entity. The ending is... a lot. Your opinion of Katy Perry, please? I like a couple of her songs. If you could say anything to your Mom right now… what would it be? "Thank you for absolutely everything."

#survey #surveys #questions #lyrics: ''leave a scar'' by marilyn manson

[svtxsoju]

00. prologue | dear miss soju

ღ Synopsis: College is hard. Love is even harder. Good thing the students of Mansae University can write in to Miss Soju, the campus’ very own romance advice columnist! The only problem is she’s never been in a relationship. Ever. There’s no telling what kind of chaos she may cause in the love lives of several of MU’s most eligible bachelors. Too bad no one knows who she really is!  ღ Characters/Pairings: college AU! Seventeen & OC’s, Pairings TBA!  ღ Genre: Romantic Comedy, Slice of Life ღ Warning(s): Mentions of alcohol, underage drinking, mentions of sex, language, bad jokes ღ Word Count: 2.6k words ღ Binu’s Note: hi to anyone who is reading this!!! i’m super excited (and kinda nervous :0) to post this bc i’ve been working on this project for a while now. aaaa i hope there are at least some people who can enjoy it! this is a relatively short-ish chapter but it’s p dense with exposition lol but anyway if ur reading this, thank you i love you!!! 

《 ⊛ Author’s Note & Credits ⊛ Masterlist ⊛ Navigation ⊛ 》

《 Previous ⊛ Next 》

Introducing The Front ’s New Romance Advice Columnist: Miss Soju! 

We all have an ideal: an ideal type, an ideal first date, an ideal relationship. The problem is love isn’t ideal at all. And sooner or later, we find ourselves sitting on that plastic chair in that tent on the side of the road with an ache in our chest. You’re hurt, confused, and kind of going crazy-- all the tell-tale symptoms of heartbreak are there. And the only cure? Soju, of course! 

Finding a decent partner and maintaining a healthy, sustainable relationship is difficult enough as it is. Then layer it with the culture shock of university, where you’re experiencing actual adulthood for the first time without mommy and daddy to hold your hand. It’s enough to make anyone lose their minds! Sure, you could always turn to your friends for support and advice, but in all honesty, they’re even more of a mess than you are. 

That’s why Mansae University’s affiliate newspaper, The Front, will be reviving our romance advice column this fall! Each week, Miss Soju will be answering all your burning questions, and that means all of them. Her expertise touches on topics as simple as explaining to that one guy that your love is fated because you passed each other at Yuhaeng Quad, like three times, and extends to more extreme situations that require an anonymous veil, like how to confess to your new boyfriend with the furry fetish that you’ve been severely allergic to animals since you were three and you have no idea how any animals act, let alone… Yikes. 

It’s true, college is full of new and bizarre experiences, some we must go through and some we’d much rather avoid. Who knows? Maybe you’ll meet the love of your life here. But it’s okay to admit that you need a little guidance through the mystical and confusing world of college dating. Miss Soju has got your back, and she’s not afraid to hit you with that real shit. As she always says, good advice is like taking a shot: sweet on the lips but burns your throat as you swallow it down. 

Monday, June 3rd, 2019 3:07PM

“Jihoon, I don’t know if I can do this.” 

Name: So Joohyun. Major: Journalism major with a minor in communications. Estimated graduation year: 2021. Desired position: World News Journalism Intern. That was what she had put on her application for The Front’s junior internship program. She had made sure to attach her published articles and to emphasize her interest in-- no, her passion for-- reporting compelling stories on an international scale. Not once in her application did she indicate that she was an expert in love or sex, let alone qualified to give others advice on the subjects! In fact, she was probably the least qualified person on campus for this position, which was probably the most perplexing aspect of the whole situation. 

But despite all of that, there she was, sitting in Yuhaeng Quad with her best friend, reading the promo piece she had written for Miss Soju. Jihoon had been ecstatic when he had thought of the nickname back in high school. She had snuck bottles of the alcohol over to his house one night after finals week, and he had drunkenly claimed that the name was doubly clever since So-ju were also the first two syllables in her name. When the newspaper had told her she needed an anonymous pen name, it was the only thing she could think of, mostly because creating a secret identity had made her in desperate need of a drink. She changed her mind. Having a secret identity was equally as perplexing as pretending to know how to spice up people’s sex lives. It was like she was some kind of Love Spiderman. She was not ready for that kind of great power or the great responsibility that came with it!

“‘I don’t know if I can do this’?” Jihoon repeated her words slowly. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say those words in that order. Can I take your picture? I need to commemorate this moment.” 

“Can’t you see that I am having a crisis?” she whined. “The integrity of my career is on the line because I’ve never bothered to go on a date!” 

“When are you not having a crisis?” Jihoon laughed. He sat up from lying down on their picnic tarp to give her full view of his smug grin. Originally, he had dragged Joohyun outside in hopes that the perfect summer weather would help relieve some of her stress from the past week. He even found her favorite spot under the shade of an ancient tree that overlooked the stretch of green field. But Jihoon could not call himself a proper best friend if he passed on an opportunity to rub all of this in her face. “This is what you get for chickening out on all our group blind dates! I could have scored that hot bassist girl with the thigh tattoo, but nooo, you always had to put your career first.” 

“Sue me for having priorities!” she huffed. Leave it to Jihoon to chalk this all up to karma. Now that he mentioned it though, she couldn’t help but feel like a higher power was taking a piss on her life. Or maybe it was just the shit-eating smile on Jihoon’s face that had her on edge. Joohyun tried to avert her focus to a couple of boys tossing a frisbee around instead, but somehow that irked her too. The idyllic weather, the carefree students, everything that was pleasant seemed to mock her sour mood. She pouted at the ground in defeat, and continued, “You are the first person to know that if I was told that dating and fucking around were going to be crucial to my journey to becoming South Korea’s top journalist by the time I turn 25, I would have become a hoe long ago.” 

“Woah, are you gonna start your thot phase for this? Are we gonna have a hot girl summer?” The boy began to bounce excitedly. Joohyun felt it was high time to give him the finger, but she also felt a small smile tugging at her frown. “Easier said than done, though. Remember Jessi from high school?”

“Yeah I remember,” she said with a sigh. High school romance had lured so many of her friends into its clutches, with its enticing promises of sweet chocolates and stuffed animals, and she had helplessly watched from the top of the class as they forsook their grades for boys who didn’t even know what deodorant was. She only shuddered to think of the state of their grades after a nasty break up. It was then that Joohyun had decided that her future was not worth risking over a boy’s attention. “Which is exactly why I never got involved in all that mess in the first place.”

“This must be the gods telling you that it’s time to.”

“What kind of fucked up god sets up a virgin as a love advice columnist?” she asked the sky loudly. If she had known there was anyone listening, she would have insisted that her question was rhetorical and was not in need of any type of response! However, the gods cared not for grammar technicalities on the mortal plane. They just couldn’t resist the chance to respond to someone so openly questioning their decisions with some good ol’ spite. Honestly, with the way things were going for her lately, Joohyun probably should have expected the frisbee flying merrily towards her face, even if she hadn’t just challenge the universe. 

“Oh fuck!” Joohyun jerked out of the way and felt the frisbee thunk against her shoulder instead. “Ow.” At this point, she didn’t even have the capacity to be annoyed; she just braced herself for whatever misfortune life threw at her next. 

“Sorry about that!” A boy called out, jogging up to them. As he came into clearer view, she noted that he looked far from misfortunate, and also had to remind herself that staring was rude even if someone was unnaturally handsome. His features were soft yet striking, like he had been carefully sculpted from cotton candy. Or maybe a fluffy rain cloud? Joohyun shook her head a little as if that would get her to stop staring so shamelessly. She speculated whether it was the sun that made it look like his blond hair was a glowing halo. Okay seriously, stop staring! He gave Joohyun a sweet smile when he reached them. “My friend got a bit distracted. Now that I’m here, I can’t say that I blame him. Hope we didn’t do too much damage!” 

“Uh,” was her captivating reply.  

Jihoon, never one to miss such a ripe opportunity, piped up beside her. “She’ll be fine. This is Joohyun, by the way.” 

His smile widened at Woozi’s introduction, and Joohyun could swear there was an actual twinkle in his eyes. “Nice to meet you both. I’m--”

“Yoon Jeonghan!” They all looked towards the call. The ethereal boy let out a startlingly loud cackle at the sight of his friend, who gave the two strangers a sheepish wave before continuing to gesture for Jeonghan to return. Joohyun must have been put in a staring mood, because she didn’t miss how his friend’s big ears were a shade of pink and how they bloomed into a cherry red when they briefly made eye contact. She caught herself wondering if all the boys at Mansae University were always this cute. 

“I guess I better go,” the boy named Jeonghan shrugged. Joohyun felt his fingers brush against hers when he took the frisbee from her hand, his eyes glinting mischievously. Now she was sure she was seeing things. “See you two around!” 

They both watched him retreat in an awestruck silence. That was certainly… unanticipated. Even long after Jeonghan and his friend were out of sight, the brief encounter left a blanket of fogginess lingering over them. Had she not felt his fingers on hers, Joohyun would have easily believed that it had all been in her head. At the same time, she was pretty sure that she wasn’t bold enough to conjure up someone that looked like that on her own. As she continued to fathom how a human being could glow, Joohyun felt the fog dissipate into the warm summer air. She felt like she was waking up from a disorienting dream, and she blinked to hasten the process. To her growing bewilderment, she found that her heartbeat was steady as she came back to her senses, her mind seemingly devoid of the panic and doubt that had plagued her all week. It was a gasp of fresh air. 

Jihoon, on the other hand, had long broken free from the strong impression that the blond boy made. He noted the dazed look on his best friend’s face and rolled his eyes. Who knew that a pretty boy was all it took to make her shut up a bit? He nudged Joohyun impatiently, so that she could pay attention to him while he roasted her for totally flubbing her chances.  “You thinking of risking it all for that guy?” 

In an instant, Joohyun slammed herself back into reality just to shove Jihoon away from her. “That is so not happening,” she said a little too indignantly. Before Jihoon could reassure her that the guy seemed interested enough even though she had only said a single syllable to him, Joohyun suddenly turned to him very seriously. “Do you really think I  can do it, Jihoon?” 

“What, bang that guy? I can try calling him back here if you want,” he snickered. 

“You know what I mean!”  

“Okay sorry, I couldn’t resist,” Jihoon replied, his grin now melting into a familiar smile, the one that could put her at ease on her lowest days. “I just don’t know why you have to ask. You and I both know that you kick ass at writing. You’ve written about stuff like natural disasters and the student protests, no problem at all. It’s not like you have a PhD in environmental science or politics. How is this any different? ”

Joohyun scrunched her face as if Jihoon had just suggested that chocolate milk came from brown cows. “Dude, they’re completely different. Those articles were reporting on facts. I did research, I conducted interviews!” 

“That’s what I’m saying, Joo!” Jihoon exclaimed suddenly. As smart as she was, he couldn’t help getting a little giddy whenever he thought of a good idea before her. “Why not treat Miss Soju like any other of your other projects? I mean, love is probably one of the most well-documented experiences throughout history, and people are still going through all the same shit. There’s probably thousands of resources for a man simping on a hot chick alone. You can even take your pick, like movies, songs, books, weird couples on Youtube?You don’t need to have experience, because you can just do the research! ” 

“Research?” Joohyun repeated. If there was one thing that she was good at, it was doing the work. From the moment she had decided to become a journalist, everything she had done was a strategic move to get her closer to her end goal. She had spent sleepless nights perfecting the details of her writing, countless hours reading through endless archives of old articles. Hell, she even restricted herself from dating for years just so she could focus on keep her grades up. It was almost too easy of a solution. Maybe she was meant to do this after all.

 Another couple of months of research would simply be another hurdle on her way to the finish line and she was getting closer and closer. Finally, she felt a smile spread across her cheeks, a real, genuine smile. “I… I can do that.” 

“Now that,” Jihoon said as he took her hand in his, pulling her up to her feet, “sounds like So Joohyun. Or should I say Miss Soju?” 

She laughed as she dusted the grass off of her butt. “You know, it’s probably not a good idea to include the first part of my name in my anonymous persona. It makes it so obvious that it’s me.”

“Yeah, I mean it would be obvious if people actually knew who you were in the first place,” Jihoon scoffed, narrowly dodging a kick from her. “That’s a good thing for you! Anyway, let’s get out of here, I have a couple of tweaks to make to my song before releasing it tonight. Could you listen to it by the way? I need to know if it’s too cheesy.” 

“Oh, the song you’re writing about your mystery muse?” Joohyun hummed playfully while packing up their blanket. She followed after her best friend as he began the short climb uphill. “I don’t know if I want to, you’ve been pretty out of pocket today.”

“Hey!” he said defensively. “First: I don’t need a muse for my songs, I just have a very vivid imagination and my talent does the rest. Second: I literally just stopped you from giving up on your lifelong dream of becoming a journalist, so I think you owe me one. You’re just jealous I can write love songs without having an existential crisis.” 

“See, that is what I mean by out of pocket,” she paused for a beat. “I may be willing to listen to your song. For a small price, of course.”

“Okay, deal,” he agreed without hesitation, missing the way Joohyun deviously smirked beside him. They reached the concrete pavement at top of the hill and headed in the direction of his nearby apartment. “What is it this time, Ms. So?” 

“Well Mr. Lee, thanks to your lovely suggestion earlier, I have been inspired to begin work immediately. So we shall be watching Twilight on movie night,” she said all too gleefully, mostly for satisfaction that Jihoon’s twisted face of disgust gave her. 

“Do we have to?” he groaned.

 “It’s for my research!”

#seventeen #seventeen scenario #seventeen scenarios #seventeen fanfic #seventeen imagines #jihoon scenarios #woozi scenarios #woozi imagines #jeonghan scenarios #jeonghan imagines #scoups scenarios #scoups imagines #seungcheol #seungcheol imagines #seungcheol scenarios #pour.up #dj.woozi #mu.eros #soju.queen

[batmanisagatewaydrug]

book blogging #1: Dr. Tatiana’s Sex Advice to All Creation

by Olivia Judson, published 2002

Question: what do you think of when you think of books that are “fun” to read?

For me, a lot of speculative fiction comes to mind. Recent books that I found fun include Space Opera (Catherynne M. Valente), The Beautiful Ones (Silvia Moreno-Garcia), and everything by Sarah Gailey that I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Though I haven’t gotten ahold of it yet, I’m pretty sure Gideon the Ninth (Tamsyn Muir) is going to be spectacularly fun as well. 

These are books that aren’t necessarily my favorite stories of all time, but they have been some of my favorites to read. They’re all propelled by zany premises and whirlwind plots, enjoying themselves way too much for anyone to ever stop and worry about the parts that don’t make that much sense. When Sarah Gailey says “I have a crew committing a heist while riding hippopotamuses, do you want in?” I don’t ask questions. I just say yes and go along for the ride.

But there’s one major anomaly that always comes to mind when I think of books that I’ve had fun reading, and that’s David Sax’s The Tastemakers: Why We’re Crazy for Cupcakes but Fed Up with Fondue. It’s a 2014 work of nonfiction, and as the title suggests it’s an analysis of popular food trends and the forces that power them. The Tastemakers isn’t what this blog post is actually supposed to be about, so I won’t go into too many details, but suffice to say that I was engrossed despite the fact that I know pretty much nothing about the world of culinary trends or foodie fads - or cooking in general, if I’m being totally honest. But there’s something really delightful about learning things that are entirely outside your wheelhouse without having to worry about the material showing up on a test later. 

Given that I’m posting this on a blog with relatively few followers and that this is a write-up of a very niche book that was published eighteen years ago and could not be further from trendy, I’m well aware that anyone reading this is probably already at least passing familiar with me and what I do, so you folks might be saying, “Hang on, Makenzie. Are you seriously trying to say that this is outside your wheelhouse? The title on your Tumblr has been “Ask The Sex Witch” since 2015. You’re a whole sex educator, for fuck’s sake!”

Well, yes and no. Judson is a real-deal evolutionary biologist and gets into some pretty serious science in this book, which is pretty wildly different from what I usually do. I talk to people about sorting out their likes and dislikes, their boundaries, their sense of personal sexual autonomy, and so on. Although I definitely advocate for introspection and self-examination, I rarely go looking for answers far beyond the individual level. Judson asks big biological questions to figure out how some truly peculiar-looking behavior evolves: Why is it worthwhile for some animals to fight to the death trying to fuck? What’s up with some species of insects eating their mates? And who, pray tell, is engaging in the noble art of penis-fencing? Clearly, this is a totally different ball game on many levels.

(Speaking of ball games, did you know that the male shiner perch’s testes completely shrivel up over the winter? That’s rough, buddy.)

Offering sex advice to humans is hard enough, but Judson - writing as chipper sex advice columnist Dr. Tatiana - easily offers education to an impressively vast variety of species. The framing device of the book is a charmingly weird one. Each segment opening Dear Prudence-style, with a short letter from an animal badly in need of advice. The first chapter, for instance, begins with a query written by a stick bug called Twiggy (aww) wondering how to get her boyfriend to stop having sex with her after ten continuous weeks of intercourse. (Answer: Girl, he’s not gonna. Apparently that’s how he stops any other stick bugs from getting it in.) For the final chapter Judson mixes it up by formatting a discussion about the pros and cons of asexual reproduction as a hectic daytime talk show, complete with microscopes to view the tiniest guests and seating that offers both saltwater and freshwater tanks for aquatic audience members to sit in, like something out of Zootopia. 

(I haven’t seen Zootopia and the only thing I know about it for sure is that in one scene there’s a DILF-looking tiger, but I’m pretty confident in the assumption I’m making here.) 

Judson does an admirable job of providing pretty comprehensible explanations for a lot of evolutionary science, and while I did have to power skim through a few segments that were really beyond my grasp, it did make a pretty lively read out of the biological pros and cons of producing sperm bigger than your own body. It’s not exactly a book that’s difficult to put down, but I had a perfectly pleasant time reading it in the moments between doing anything else - eating a meal, resting in bed, getting some sun in my backyard - and even learning a little while I did so. I fully intended to use Dr. Tatiana as a break between the two installments of N.K. Jemisin’s Dreamblood duology, and it has served that role magnificently.  

Am I recommending this book to you? Not exactly, unless you’re extremely interested in evolutionary theories that are nearly two decades old or a science fiction writer looking to give your non-human characters some thoroughly non-human sexual habits. I’m not supremely interested in making recommendations with the blog in general, unless someone specifically asks for them; I’m hoping this will be more like writing up my personal thoughts about books and then hurling them into the virtual void like messages in bottles. If they wash up on your shore and you read them and come to the conclusion that this is something you, too, would like to read, that’s pretty rad. I love that for you! But it wasn’t necessarily my intent.

Strictly speaking, I didn’t even recommend this book to myself. In 2019 I tried to stay pretty intentional about my to-read list, really whittling it down to stuff that I actively wanted to engage with rather than anything that sounded vaguely not awful. I was hoping to keep that trend up in 2020, but like many other things that are much more serious, this whole pandemic situation has scuppered those plans a bit. I get most of my books by borrowing them from the public library where I work, and that’s been closed for nearly two months. Unlike many book bloggers I’ve observed I don’t keep a massive stack of unread books around at all times, so I’ve really been relying on the kindness of friends to keep me supplied in these trying times.

My friend Paige slipped me Dr. Tatiana’s (along with the aforementioned Dreamblood books and several volumes of Kurtis J. Weibe’s comic series Rat Queens) in exchange for some books I lent to her, because we all have to look out for each other in These Trying Times. I trusted her good taste, despite having no idea what the book was about and more than a few reservations. 

At other times I think this book might have sailed right over my head - not to sneer at the so-called soft sciences, but there’s a reason I gave up on my childhood dream of marine biology and got a sociology degree instead - but right now, as I’m finally adjusting to the slower pace of life in quarantine and remembering how to focus, I’m finding that it fits my needs. It’s unlikely to live on as an all-time favorite, but it’s something to do and gives me an occasional excuse to gasp and tell my roommate something absolutely wild, like the fact that spiders have two penises and that the dual arachnodicks are located on their faces, on either side of their mouths.

My basic understanding of evolution is that change rarely happens based on logic or reason, but by finding something that works and then sticking to it, no matter how improbable it may seem. When male elephants get horny they apparently develop an insatiable bloodlust and piss so constantly their penises turn green (yikes!), which is definitely not the most practical way to do things, but evidently it’s been getting the job done. Getting through quarantine has been sort of like that, has it not? A lot of behavior that might not be the most intuitive but is somehow enabling ongoing survival, like occupying myself with books that I might not have given a second glance in the halcyon before times.

That’s totally the same thing, right?

Right.

A note about the appearance of this book:

I’ve been talking a fair amount lately about my dislike for what I see as pretty transparently romanticized materialism in a lot of book blogging spaces, with an emphasis placed on acquiring and showing off as many pristine books as possible. I don’t own this book, and it looks like ass. It looks like Paige stole it from a library in North Carolina, which would not be shocking. When I noticed the large brown stain in the corner I jokingly asked if she’d dropped it in coffee, and she unflinchingly confirmed that yes, she had.

#bookblr #in which makenzie is a book blogger until she forgets about it

[douxreviews]

Charmed - Season Five Review

"My sister, the demon magnet."

A clear departure from the dark, mature tone of the previous two years, Season Five is where Charmed starts to go downhill. Following some network meddling to avoid the apparent doom and gloom of the previous season, there's a massive shift towards a lighter, and subsequently more banal form of writing. I do feel like I have to defend the first half the season to many, which features a few of Charmed's better hours, but the second half...not so much. Spoilers and, unfortunately, leprechaun discussion ahead.

You can kind of get why there would be an attempt to back track to the light-hearted tone of the early episodes of the series. Season Four was by all rights a bitter pill to swallow. With Prue's untimely death, and the Halliwells’ hard battle to rid themselves of The Source for good, things got pretty dark. Why not change tack and have a bit more fun? Sadly, for Brad Kern et. al, more fun means squeezing Alyssa Milano into the skimpiest costumes possible, and breaking the record for the highest number of irritating magical creatures in a single episode of television. Ugh.

Initially, the dress-up games aren't all that terrible. Sure, the Mermaid fiasco in the two-part premiere was questionable, but the decision to tie it back to Phoebe's pain and desire to escape the toxicity of her relationship with Cole was oddly affecting. Even the fairy tale absurdity of 'Happily Ever After' feels rooted in similar personal struggles. By episode 5, though, we get our first taste of the tackless dreck that will become signature in the series' later seasons. The results are a mixed bag, to say the least. 'Witches in Tights' is a great title for an hour that serves very little purpose other than to get the girls in a "theme of the week" get-up to liven up the WB promos. This tastelessness carries through to the end of the season with Rose McGowan's pain coming through in spades during 'Nymphs Just Wanna Have Fun', where she spends two thirds of the episode prancing around in rags like some brainless dodo. The costume party even runs into the season finale, where a potentially great idea is squandered by a need to ham up every single angle of the girls' transformation into Greek Goddesses.

The first half of the season does shine in a lot of ways. Julian McMahon's presence is still welcome, though Cole's return feels little redundant in light of the rather conclusive ending his vanquish gave us in Season Four's 'Long Live the Queen'. Regardless, we get some great character beats throughout the first 12 episodes before Cole's humanity is eventually lost and he has to be vanquished for the final time in the 100th episode 'Centennial Charmed'. Despite an unnecessarily extended arc, Cole was still an integral part of the show's growth and maturity and Julian McMahon will be remembered fondly.

There are some clear high-points elsewhere, too. A great guest spot from Melinda Clarke in 'Siren Song' helps to buoy yet another episode dedicated to the never-ending push and pull of Phoebe and Cole's now defunct marriage. 'A Witch in Time' is one of my personal favorites. With a fun time-travel element at its core, and one hell of a twist mid-way through the hour, it’s one of the rare examples of how smart the writing team could still be this late in the game. The 100th episode toys with the idea of an alternate reality without Paige around to save the Power of Three. It's played well for the most part, and effectively ties a nice bow around Julian McMahon's time of the series. 'Sense and Sense Ability' is also a bright spot in the otherwise depressing haze of nymphs and leprechauns in the second half of the season. Its full of fun gags and is home to a clever idea that ties neatly back to the strength of The Power of Three, an element that's oddly rare at this point.

For the most part, though, Season Five is a big disappointment with some really low lows. 'Lucky Charmed' is one the worst hours of the series, drawing on cliched leprechaun tropes, and tired demon drama. 'The Importance of Being phoebe' is a tacky mess, and is one of those episodes where you question how good the girls are at spotting when there's something clearly wrong with each other. What's so sad about episodes like these is that you have to endure them knowing there's material that’s just as heinous coming up later in the series.

In the face of some dreadful episodic content, you would usually be able to turn to the sibling dynamics that were almost always well crafted. Unfortunately, Season Five marks a point in the show where the writers begin to favor a more segregated approach to the girls' individual arcs, with lifeless love interests and silly new jobs taking precedent over genuinely effecting drama. Phoebe's time is spent floating from guy to guy and building her career as the city's biggest advice columnist, a career development that makes Prue's quick hire at 415 Magazine seem like a completely feasible move. It's great to see her mature, though. Paige makes a rather questionable choice to leave her job as a social worker, one that causes her to drift for most of the season with very little purpose. Piper's role is probably the better one this season, with her pregnancy, and the subsequent birth of her first child Wyatt, taking up most of her screen time. Unfortunately, her journey this year ends with one of the biggest mistakes the show ever made; the dissolution of her marriage to Leo.

For reasons that stem from lazy writing more than anything else, Piper and Leo are pulled apart in the finale in order to allow Leo to take up a bigger role "up there" with the Elders, and to make room for the time-travelling Chris, who pops up in the season finale and will continue to plague the series next season. It's a move that's just as frustrating as it is contrived, and almost appropriately messy as we enter Charmed's problematic sixth season. There were some attempts to shoe-horn in some martial discord before the finale, notably in clip-show episode 'Cat House', but those small scenes do little to shake the feeling that the writers are now driven more by major story beats, and are far less concerned with the characters that were so well drawn when we started this journey five seasons earlier.

Potions and Notions

Sam makes his first re-appears here since season two, and it marks the first time he comes face-to-face with his daughter, Paige.

There was a lot of build up to Wyatt's birth. The moment itself is actually rather sweet, but the show doesn't really use his abilities to their fullest extent right away.

Phoebe's premonitions start to become more vivid this season, which basically means they're less blurry.

Spells and Chants

Cole: "What happened to us, Phoebe? How'd we get here? We used to be so in love! Even without your sisters, it's not working... Why?" Phoebe: "I don't know... Maybe it just wasn't meant to be."

Piper: "Even if he can handle the demons, he must sense the tension, which means at the very best we end up with a neurotic infant." Leo: "Look on the bright side. Growing up with your sisters, he was bound to be neurotic anyway."

Best Episode: A Witch in Time.

Honorable Mentions: Siren Song, The Eyes Have It, Sympathy for the Demon, Centennial Charmed, Sense and Sense Ability.

Worst Episode: Lucky Charmed.

There are some admittedly strong elements this season, but it's mostly a disappointing year that feels like a disservice to the well written drama that came before it.

5 out of 10 leprechauns.

Panda

#Charmed #Piper Halliwell #Phoebe Halliwell #Paige Matthews #Charmed Reviews #Doux Reviews #TV Reviews #something from the archive

[toomanysurveys9]

started last night - finishing today.

List three people you’ve had crushes on. jacob (obviously), tito (back before i was with jacob - like middle school), and chris. Have you ever been in love with someone that you watched from afar? not love, no. and i didn’t have any crushes on people i didn’t talk to or whatever. How old were you when you started your period? i think i was like ten. it was on thanksgiving too, of all days. it was horrible.

How old were you when you had your first crush? my mom teased me about a boy in kindergarten but it was like 4th grade or something before i actually had a crush on someone.

How old were you when you were first head over heels in love? fourteen or fifteen and it was jacob.

Have you ever been in love with someone who made you miserable? you could say that, yes.

How bad are your worst cramps on a scale of 1-10? i had some recently that were like an easy six or seven.

Have you ever thrown up from cramps? i have not so far.

List three people you had a hard time forgiving. jason, christian, and my aunt mary.

Is there someone you are currently struggling to forgive? no one comes to mind, no.

What is the most physically painful thing you’ve ever experienced? labor. contractions are no joke.

Do you have an embarrassing period story? If so, what is it? i started my period on graduation day in high school. and our robes were white. luckily it wasn’t too bad, just a drop of blood got on my robe, and it wasn’t until AFTER we walked. but oh my god.

Have you ever had bad cramps in class? nope. i didn’t really get cramps with my period. i’ve only ever gotten cramps while pregnant.

Have you ever thrown up in school? If so, what happened? i have. i am pretty sure i just got sent home.

Have you ever left school because of cramps? nope. i didn’t have cramps with my periods.

Did your school allow you to have pain medicine on you? i think we could if we told the teacher we had it?

Did your school have a nurse? yeah. i think that’s pretty common with most schools, at least in the u.s.

When was the last time you threw up? i don’t remember. it’s been a very long time.

Have you ever tried to starve yourself in order to lose weight? yeah. in middle school, and into high school.

How old were you when you lost your virginity? the first time i had consensual sex i was fifteen i think.

If applicable, what form of birth control do you use? i’m not on any birth control right now since i’m pregnant.

What is your sexual orientation? straight

Have you ever questioned your sexuality? i have not.

Are you happy with your gender? yup.

What gender do you identify as? What gender were you born as? female for both.

Do you identify as “religious”? not even a little bit.

Do you identify as “spiritual”? nope.

Have you ever tried drugs? nope.

Have you ever gotten high off a prescription medication? nope. i have not.

Have you ever been drunk? many, many times. i was drunk almost every weekend after i turned 21.

Have you ever smoked pot? i have not.

Have you ever smoked a cigarette? i have not.

What’s your favorite drug? i don’t do any drugs, as i’ve already stated.

What’s your favorite alcoholic beverage? i used to really enjoy liquid marijauna when we went to bars. otherwise, i liked to do shots of whatever.

How old are you? twenty-five.

Do you drink regularly? not anymore.

Are/were you abused? yeah.. i was sexually abused a lot.

Do you have a significant other? If yes, are you happy in your current relationship? If not, are you happy being single right now? i do. and most of the time, yes. it’s not always perfect, but i couldn’t see myself with anyone else.

Do you want a significant other? i have one.

Do you take drugs or drink to numb your pain? i used to use drinking to do that.

Who is your current crush? my husband.

Who is your current friend crush? i don’t have a friend crush. i don’t even know what that is supposed to mean.

Do you prefer tampons or pads? tampons. i hate the feeling of pads.

Have you ever used a tampon? yeah.

What’s your bra size? like 38d or something? that’s what i buy usually anyways.

Do you have a hard time finding bras in your size? cute ones, yes.

Can you still wear clothes from the children’s section? nope. i cannot.

Are you lonely? not at the moment.

Did your parents give you “the talk”? not really.

How old were you when your parents talked to you about puberty? they didn’t really discuss it until i had my period. school talked about it in fourth grade or something though i think.

Do you like going to the doctor? it’s not my most favorite thing in the world. i always feel awkward.

Do you like going to the dentist? NO. i hate it.

Do you think you are attractive? i know i’m not.

Are you happy with the way you look? obviously not if i know i’m not attractive.

Do you look more like your mom or your dad? i don’t know. i hear both.

What was the last thing you baked? i put a frozen pizza in the oven tonight for jacob if that counts. lol. otherwise, i don’t remember right off hand.

Does your computer run slow? sometimes.

If you’re a Christian, do you love your enemies? If you’re a Christian, do you sometimes forget to love your enemies? If you’re a Christian, what’s your favorite version of the Bible? i’m not a christian so i’m not going to bother answering these.

Who is the most spiritual person you know? my mom’s foster family.

What type of surveys do you like the best? anything besides the bold surveys, or surveys that are mostly yes or no answers.

Have you ever accidentally overdosed on a drug? nope.

Do you have the same worldview as your parents? there are some differences...

What is your favorite forum game? i don’t have one?

Do you like to play Truth or Dare? i used to like it. i mostly picked truth though.

Would you ever start a vlog? no. i wouldn’t have anything to do for it.

Has anyone ever mistaken you for a celebrity? lol, no.

Are your dreams coming true yet? more or less, sure.

Do you struggle with depression? i do. What makes you laugh the most? wyatt makes me laugh all the time. Are you haunted by your past? occasionally.

Do you believe ADHD is real? yeah, i do. but i also think it sometimes gets over diagnosed, especially in little kids who are just being little kids. we tend to expect a lot out of them.

Have you ever questioned your sanity? yeah. What medical conditions do you have? depression. anxiety. asthma. Have you ever had low self-esteem? story of my life. Do you use a Magic Bullet? i do not. i have a ninja though.

What are your favorite things to put in smoothies? my favorite smoothie are the raspberry banana ones. i also put yogurt in it.

What does your apron look like? i don’t have an apron. i don’t see the point, to be honest.

What do you want to name your first child?

we named him wyatt robert. :) if he had been a girl, his name would have been adalyn sue. his sister is going to be named eliana sue though.

Would you ever name a child after yourself? definitely not.

Is there a guy or girl you wish things had worked out with? no one comes to mind.

What makes you nauseous? pregnancy. lol. lately i’ve been getting nauseous for no apparent reason. but i get nauseous if i don’t eat enough or drink enough or get too hot. or smell something my belly doesn’t agree with.

What are your favorite spicy foods? i don’t really eat any spicy foods.

Which do you like better: being an adult or being a kid? i mean, there are pros and cons for both. being a kid was so much easier and less stress. but i love being a mom to my babies.

Were you excited to be a teenager on your thirteenth birthday? i guess so.

Did you feel insecure in high school? i’ve always been on the insecure side.

Do you think there are different types of depression? yeah.

Would you ever be friends with someone who was suicidal? yeah....

What is the antidote to self-harm? (If you don’t know, don’t answer.) it varies for everyone. i still struggle with wanting to do it, but i’ve done good at not giving in to those desires because my kids.

Who was the biggest bully in high school? i honestly don’t know. i didn’t really pay attention to the people around me. i kept to myself.

What was your favorite class in high school? choir and english. and i loved history with sabo.

Would you rather have a daughter or a son? i have a son, and will soon have a daughter, and i’m happy about that.

Are you woman, man, boy, or girl? woman.

Have you ever written to an advice columnist? i have not.

What color is your Christmas tree? we had a white one, but i think we’re going back to green. the white ones yellow..

Do you celebrate Christmas? yes. i love christmas. i love giving gifts.

Do you celebrate Halloween? sure do. i cannot wait to take the kids trick or treating on wednesday!

Do you believe all Christians are evil and hypocritical, or only some? obviously i don’t believe that. whether someone is evil and hypocritical doesn’t really have to do with religion.

Do you think it’s bullying to tell someone they’re naive? no.. as long as you’re not saying it just to be a jerk. there are nice ways to talk to people.

Did you get bullied more as a child, a teenager, or an adult? teenager i guess.

Have you ever broken out in hives? not hives, no.

Have you ever had a doctor not believe what you told him? nope. i have a good doctor.

If you’re female, would you feel uncomfortable having a male gynecologist? my family doctor is a male and he does all the ob stuff and everything else. i’ve been going to him for years, so i trust him, even if it is a bit awkward.

Do you like Lisa Frank? i guess i did as a kid. i liked the folders and whatnot at least.

What gives you nightmares? lately, they’ve been nightmares about someone trying to hurt wyatt or me..

Do you dream in black and white or color? usually color.

Have you ever been in a car accident? yeah. one year i was in two. one with each of my parents.

Were you ever hospitalized as a child? yeah. for awhile (until about middle school) i was hospitalized every year with pneumonia.

Do you have a conscience now? well, yeah.

Do you believe everyone has a conscience? no. plenty of people have proven that i think.

Do you believe that drug addicts and alcoholics should count as people? well, duh. they are people.

Are narcotics safe? depends how they are used. if they are misused, then no.

Will you vote in the next presidential election? yup.

What’s your favorite zoo animal? owls or wolves or foxes.

Are you allergic to your favorite animal? i am not.

What is the best thing to eat with soup? i don’t know. i usually just eat soup if that is what i’m having.

Do you eat ice cream with a fork or a spoon? spoon... the only reason i could see using a fork is if were were totally out of spoons and had no way to wash them.

What’s your favorite country besides the USA? i’m not too sure, to be honest. i’m not even sure i would call the us my favorite right now.

Are you an adventurous eater? i’m more adventurous than i used to be. lol. but still wouldn’t say i’m all that adventurous.

Do you take risks? not really, no.

Who was the last friend who turned on you? he didn’t really turn on me, he just decided he no longer cared, if he ever did, and that was tito.

How old were you when you get your first cell phone? i don’t know. i was in sixth grade i think though but it was for emergencies only.

How old were you when you got your first personal laptop? eighteen.

Did you get senior pictures taken? my dad did them. :)

What will you do to save money at your wedding? i just tried to find the cheapest things that i could for it. there was a lot of do it yourself, as far as favors and decor.

What was the last thing you bought online? phone case for ashley i believe. my mom paid for it.

Do you shop online? not a whole lot, no.

What color is your bicycle? i don’t have a bike anymore.

Do you consider yourself unique? not really, no. no more unique than anyone else.

What’s your favorite coffee shop in your town? i usually just go to dunkin’.

Did you attend a youth group? not anymore. i did on and off when i was younger though.

Did you ever have to take home a fake baby in health class? i didn’t HAVE to, and it wasn’t for health class. but i did take one home.

Do you have any friends of a different ethnicity than you? i have like two friends, and they are the same ethnicity as me. i have had friends of different ethnicity in the past though. we just aren’t really friends anymore because we drifted apart.

Are you part Irish? i am not that i’m aware of.

Would you rather wear ivory or white on your wedding day? What color will your bridesmaids wear? i wore white and my bridesmaids wore royal blue.

What does your first name rhyme with? nothing comes to mind.

Have you ever taken a poetry course? no. we’ve talked about poetry in some courses, but it wasn’t the primary focus.

Would you ever take a college class just for fun? probably not.

Do you like mowing the lawn? i’ve never mowed the lawn. i’m too allergic to do it.

Would you rather have a swimming pool or trampoline? a swimming pool.

What’s your favorite age for kids to be? i don’t know. i love the baby stage, because they’re adorable and baby cuddles. but i also love the toddler and older stage because they are learning so much and becoming more independent.

Do you think babies are cute? yes.

What would you name twin girls? if we were to have twin girls after eliana is born, i kind of like adalyn and emersyn. but i don’t know. it would probably change.

Are you named after anyone? my first name is after a character on a soap opera my mom used to really like and my middle name is after my mom’s foster mother.

Who picked your name: your mom or your dad? my mom. i’m the only one she named. she wanted to name erin courtney renee but my dad liked erin nicole.

What is your birth order in the family? i’m the oldest of my parents’ kids.

Have you ever been in someone’s wedding? just my own.

Do you want to have a bachelorette party? jacob and i combined our bachelor/bachlorette party. it was fun. went to kayla’s mom’s house and had food, alcohol, homemade water slide, some nerf guns, water balloons. then ended it with smores and a bonfire.

What season do you want to get married in? we got married in summer.

Do you dream about the future a lot? not really.

Do you think about your past a lot? not as much as i used to. but still more often than i would like to.

How good are you at living in the moment? i’m pretty good at it lately.

Would you be scared to meet God? maybe if he existed, but i don’t believe he does.

Have you ever questioned God’s existence? yeah. guess so.

Do you have a mirror in your room? i do not.

Target or Walmart? we usually go to walmart.

Is there a Kmart in your town? nope.

Do you think Jasper sounds more like a girl’s name or a boy’s name? boy. i’ve only known boys, but that’s not to say it wouldn’t work for a girl either.

Who are the cutest babies you know? my son. :p

Do you enjoy seeing wedding and baby announcements on facebook? yeah. :) i like seeing people happy.

Vanilla frosting or chocolate? depends on my mood and the type of cake.

Do you keep up with trends? nope. i don’t care enough to.

Would you ever go to Montana? maybe. i’m not really planning on it though, and it’s not the first place i think to go for vacation.

What’s your favorite foreign cuisine? italian probably these days.

Where do you do your grocery shopping? usually just go to walmart.

Have you ever moved to another state? i was born in florida, and then my parents moved us to indiana when i was a few months old. so technically yes but i don’t remember it.

Do you have a drawer just for socks? no. it’s for socks and underwear.

Do you wear mismatched socks? usually, yes.

Do you enjoy garage sales? i used to like them, but i couldn’t care less anymore.

When was the last time you prayed with someone? i don’t remember. it’s been a long time.

Favorite magazine? food network i guess.

How far away do you live from the nearest hospital? like ten or fifteen minutes.

Are there mansions in your town? i wouldn’t call them mansions, no. there are some pretty big houses though.

Would you decorate for holidays if you had a big house of your own? i want to decorate for the holidays since we do have a house of our own, but probably won’t this year. next year i hope to though!

What is your favorite planet besides earth? i’ve kind of always liked mercury since i did a book on it in like sixth grade. lol.

Do you believe in aliens? not the stereotypical ones, necessarily. but i’m not 100% confident in saying we are the only living organisms when there is still so much of space we haven’t even begun to explore.

Have you ever won a costume contest? not that i can think of.

Pink or red? depends what we are talking about. like if it’s a color of a car, red. but if it’s a pen, pink.

How late did you stay up last night and why? it was after midnight. i just haven’t been able to sleep well.

Who were the last two people you texted? jade and erin.

What’s currently bothering you? been a little crampy again.. i’m not sure why though.

Have you ever liked someone you didn’t expect to? yup.

Do you and your last ex hate each other? i don’t hate him - i don’t really feel any particular way about richard. i don’t know (or care) how he feels about me.

Have you ever been called a slut? it’s possible. but not that i’ve heard.

Is the person you last texted single? that was erin, and as far as i’m aware, she is single right now.

Have you thought about an ex today? just when i answered that question about him. otherwise, no.

Do you know how it feels to be cheated on? unfortunately.

What would you say if you found out your last ex was in a relationship? i honestly wouldn’t care.

Did you do anything productive today? so far, i have not. ha.

Would you ever get a tattoo? i have three and would like one or two more.

Where was the last place you traveled? we went for a walk last night.. walked to martin’s.

Is someone on your mind right now? wyatt. he’s being a trouble maker today. lol.

Can you say the alphabet backwards? i could but it’ll take me longer than saying it the “right” way.

Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? i mean.. there are some things i would like to change..

What’s irritating you right now? feeling crampy and knowing it has nothing to do with ellie even being close to ready to come out even though her due date is only 3 days away..

#survey #surveys #personal #question #questions #random

[ralphlayton]

360i #SideHustle: Celebrating World Photography Day with Annalisa Alosco

Welcome to the 360i #SideHustle blog series, where we showcase the awesome side projects, hobbies, start-up businesses, and other ventures created by the entrepreneurial employees here at 360i.

One of the best things about being part of an integrated ad agency is that creativity can come from anywhere – it’s not just limited to any one department or group. So it’s no surprise that our latest side hustle is an artistic talent on our Media team. When 360i Associate Media Director Annalisa Alosco isn’t developing insight-led, multi-channel media plans for clients, she’s capturing the “in-between” moments with one of her favorite tools: a camera. Most days you can find Annalisa exploring New York City on foot, snapping pictures and continuing to master her photography skills. In honor of World Photography Day, we sat down with Annalisa to chat about her #SideHustle and learn more about how her love for photography blossomed, where she finds inspiration, and how she uses her photography skills in her job here at 360i.

360i: How did your passion for photography begin?

Annalisa Alosco (AA): I’ve always loved going through family photo albums. I would pore over every single detail, from the wardrobe to a vintage Pepsi label, in search of what my family was like before I came along. My passion for documenting in general probably came from those family albums.

360i: Where do you get inspiration from?

AA: Honestly, I get more inspiration from books and news articles than visual formats like Instagram! One article speaks to my approach best. It’s called ‘Digging JFK’s Grave was an Honor‘ by a Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Jimmy Breslin. Essentially, Breslin finds the man who dug JFK’s grave and profiles him. This one article changed the way newsrooms operated. News Editors began directing their reporters to ‘go to the gravedigger.’

This is exactly how I approach a photo walk. I’m (subconsciously) searching for that one moment in a crowd that no one is paying attention to, and should start.

360i: What type of subject do you like to photograph most?

AA: Lately, I’ve been forcing myself out of my comfort zone to take photos of people on the street, and it’s by far my most favorite thing to shoot.

Also, doors. The more worn and tagged the better! I first started capturing doors around town to foster my curiosity. It’s now preserved in my Instagram story highlights as ‘Door of the Day’ to remind me of how far I’ve come, both in my photography and travels. I especially love when friends send me doors from their travels abroad. Keep them coming!

360i: Did someone or something influence you to explore photography?

AA: I wasn’t taking photography seriously until I was in college at Syracuse University. For my senior thesis, I profiled the late peace activist, Jerry Berrigan. At the time, he was 89 years old, and while incredibly lucid, he had lost count of the number of times he was arrested for peace protesting. His older brothers were organizers of ‘The Catonsville Nine’, a group of protestors who, in 1967, burned draft files in protest of the Vietnam War. This story went on to become a film, produced by Gregory Peck, who also produced To Kill a Mockingbird!

It’s meeting people like Jerry who continue to motivate me to showcase the rich stories of seemingly ‘everyday’ people.

‘Nonnos + Nonnas of Burano’ series. Source: Annalisa Alosco

360i: How much time would you say you work on your photography every week?

AA: You could say 24/7. I started to bring my Canon M6 with me everywhere, so I never miss a moment. If I’m not taking an ‘urban hike’ through Chinatown or getting my prints critiqued by my photo club, I’m brainstorming ideas for a new series.

360i: How does your role at 360i influence your photography, or vice versa?

AA: Photography is the primary reason why I take a holistic approach to media planning. I believe that the best media solutions are designed for the audience and are both insight-led and channel agnostic. These, in addition to specific parameters, are what I believe set a campaign up for success.

Similarly, in photography, there’s what we call ‘the trinity’: shutter speed, aperture and ISO (a number that determines the image sensor’s sensitivity to light). Adjusting one has implications for the others and will impact how much light enters your camera or how blurred or grainy your shot becomes. Knowing the function of each can elevate the quality of the-end-result.

360i: What motivates you to continue taking photos?

AA: I’m a member of a photography collective called Camera of the Month Club. Each month, everyone ‘throws down’ their own prints to get critiqued. Being part of this community not only holds me accountable but allows me to see how other photographers “reverse engineer” the medium, and motivates me to keep experimenting.

So, if you see me in the halls, ask me what shots are in my camera. Or better yet, ask me to take a photo of YOU!

360i: What is your favorite photo you’ve ever taken, and why?

AA: During my first International solo trip to Italy earlier this year, I went ‘back to basics’ and picked up a film camera for the first time since like, 1994.

To push myself out of my comfort zone and photograph strangers, I gave myself one rule: only use film to capture people (not cool decaying doors!) with the goal of making eye contact. This photo was one of my favorites because it took me two days to feel comfortable enough to get close to this woman.

  ‘Buona Giornata, from Campo dei Fiori’ Source: Annalisa Alosco

360i: Do you have any quick tips or pieces of advice for aspiring photographers?

AA: Just start! Take photos of the same thing in the same environment loads of times trying different camera settings — it’s a great way to learn your camera. Also, don’t post everything you shoot. (I’m guilty of this.) And most importantly, have fun while taking your photos!

Follow Annalisa’s Photography online, on Facebook and Instagram for new work and gallery openings.

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