#this was the result of months of peer pressure and ranting

[mealswildride]

A Rant about Death, Gettysburg, and Observational Research

After losing dad, my friend came hundreds of miles to be present for the funeral. We went out to dinner afterwards, and once everyone was a couple of drinks in, he managed to talk me into attending the 160th Reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg with him. 

This is something I'd NEVER do, but I accepted. Partly because of how much he went out of his way for me, partly because of simple peer pressure (I'd be called a bitch if I said no (Mama didn't raise no bitch) ), but a substantial part of it was, for me, this idea of the Quest. Especially as the weeks went by, as I finished school and returned home for the Summer only for my grief to grow worse, I think I marked the battle as this climax in my "James is sad'' arc, where, once I was up and over that hill, I would have completed this objective I arranged for myself at the lowest point of my life, and it would have, somehow, told my brain that I didn't have to be sad anymore.

The battle was on the hottest day of the Summer, on one of the hottest days of the Literally Ever, and the air stunk of campfire as the whole of Canada was, at the time, burning. I sweated my ass off, nearly fainted from dehydration, fell asleep in an officer's chair and, just by the good graces of a medic, didn't get pranked by the rest of my crew. Ultimately, while it's not my thing and I'd never do it again, I had a blast. I spent time with good friends I almost never see, saw a part of the country I’d never see if it wasn't for this, and gained a whole lot of respect for the guys who died to reunify the country. This being said, upon returning home a seasoned veteran, I felt no better than when I had left. Life returned to our new, miserable, "normal", and I isolated myself for the next few months until school resumed. 

I bring this story up now because, frankly, I've been struggling with searching for sources of observational research for Capstone. That isn't to say I haven't found any. Everyone I've spoken to has been really moved by my ideas, and has had something I should watch, read, or play to suggest as a result. While I am appreciative of these, when it comes to words on paper every time I try to connect them to my project, I'm lying. I have to lie to say with a straight face that Red Dead Redemption 2 or The Good Place or Black Mirror, or basically anything apart from some Unity tutorials has actually influenced where I thought my project was going from Day 1. I want to talk about the things that influenced me at the start, but all that delivers is "I haven't done anything since the start of the semester". I’ve used all my other original inspirations to their fullest extent, with the only exception being Gettysburg. It has been something of six months now, and in the midst of exams (seems like we really only have two weeks between the end of my latest midterm and the start of my earliest final), I had forgotten entirely about it, and whenever I did think about it I didn’t think it related at all to my work.

This changed recently (tonight, as I write this), as I finally connected some other puzzle pieces that have made it make sense. In conversation with my Game Design instructor some weeks ago, he asked if I knew how the game I'm developing would end, which, at the time, I didn’t. We talked for a bit, which yielded the conclusion that the Emulation your character is trying to build disables itself once you find the last memory piece. This was based on the fact that the game is supposed to mirror my own thought process in discovering what preservation is actually about. It begins with this idea of restoring somebody through A.I., through a big metal box with their personality inside, a literal monument, a physical presence, but ends with the box lecturing you about how this emulation isn’t real, and how the way the person being emulated truly lives on is through the adventure you just endured, through the memory that bullshit, exhausting quest just created. 

I did all of this without consciously thinking about the battle, but I think subconsciously, it was always there. The character you play as understands his quest to complete the Emulation as a means to end his sorrow. I thought of the battle that same way. The character undergoes a revelation at quest’s end that it wasn’t about some physical thing fixing their sense of loss, but rather using death as a means to spur on new, exciting things, to build new memories, to live on because the ones they loved were once there. Gettysburg didn’t fix me. Gettysburg was never going to fix me. But it was fun, and I never would have gone if I wasn’t at that funeral. 

[snapehateaccount]

I’m rewatching Glee with one of my friends, so I might actually start posting again. I don’t want to.

#I hate this account #and yet it perseveres #glee rewatch #glee #this was the result of months of peer pressure and ranting #so this rewatch is much more important to me than if I watched it on my own #it also means I have to defend characters

[lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks]

fuck I still haven't done the rewrite of the Mutant Town AU that I specifically came off hiatus to write, like the Plant Witch Sam and Pharaoh Tucker posts were written to prep this au and I just got wildly distracted so uhhhh

yeah the concept is in the link but the gist is that the people and town becoming mutated by constant ectoplasmic contamination, we all know and love this concept right but I'm gonna expand on it

this is a direct result of the portal being opened, but they aren't getting infected from the portal, the issue is that creating a permanent opening into the ghost zone has weakened the veil between their worlds and Amity Park and the Ghost Zone sort of slip in and out of each other constantly

and because ectoplasm responds strongly to emotions (poltergeists being made from atmospheric emotions for example) it all tends to converge very heavily at the school full of hormonal teenagers

so Casper High becomes its own god damn cryptid, the teachers get so jaded about opening the door to a classroom and finding just a whole ass ghost zone on the other side that they just put a sign on the door telling kids to go to a different room, lockers swap contents with other lockers so kids have started putting their names on the inside so they know who's stuff they've just found

this also means the kids get super affected, like super affected, literally, they all get ghost powers, some are just physical mutations, some are just super abilities, or a general increase in natural ability, like a member of the track team getting super speed

it takes a while for Danny and co. to figure this out, Sam and Tucker should have been warning signs as they've spent the most time around ghosts and the ghost zone, but that's why the Witch Sam and Pharaoh Tucker posts are important

they have powers, but they thought they came exclusively from outside sources, they had no idea that their abilities were also strengthened and influenced by being highly contaminated by ectoplasm, which is why when one day Mikey sneezes and green acid shoots out of his nose and melts his desk, everyone is a little bit startled

the teachers have long since started using ghost detectors after the time Paulina spent a whole week overshadowed by Kitty, so Mikey gets a check over and other than the usual atmospheric reading Lancer gets nothing especially strong from him

there have been concerns about the gradually increasing ectoplasmic content in the air messing with ghost detector results, the devices have to be recalibrated constantly, so Lancer asks the one and only son of the local ghost hunters in the room if he has some other way to check

Danny's parents make him keep a few protective items in his schoolbag, so he tries some gear on him to see if anything comes flying out, but nothing does, Danny isn't too surprised seeing as he couldn't sense a ghost in the room anyway, but it definitely makes things a little concerning

even if it were a repeat of the Spectra incident and he wasn't being overshadowed, the Fenton's tech would have still gotten rid of whatever was causing this if it were an external influence

Mikey is sent home for the day and his parents are told to keep an eye on him

and then the next week, Star drops a pen off her desk and a strand of her hair whips out to grab it, she's also checked for ghost influence and sent home

a few weeks after that it happens again, a kid on the basketball team makes a leap to the net and stays in the air, they have to call in the cheerleaders to climb on top of each other to reach him and pull him down

Danny has been trying to figure out what's happening from the first moment with Mikey, and his parents have also been getting calls from worried parents who want to know if they can fix whatever's happening to their kids

over the next couple of months, every kid in the school has some kind of ability or mutation, Dash heals whoever he touches, which he discovers after punching Nathan in the face and curing his acne, Paulina turns invisible, which freaks her out at first until she realises it's great for eavesdropping, Wes can conjure fire (because I desperately needed him to have a polarising ability to Danny), Kwan becomes empathic and can feel and influence people's emotions

Valerie also had an early mutation that she didn't know about, when Technus gave her a new suit, her body pretty much just absorbed it as a part of her, Technus had not intended this to happen, and was pretty peeved about it, Valerie found out that she had stolen control over the suit when Technus had a big rant about it during a fight, and she put the pieces together once other kids started developing abilities

this whole thing causes a ton of chaos as kids are struggling to control what they can do, so Danny has to step in and help them out, he often has to run off to change into Phantom in order to protect everyone from an ability that's gone haywire, he ends up pretty much running ghost power training courses after school to help them control themselves

he's also gotten stuck in situations where he's had to step in and help someone without having the time to change forms, meaning he has to make up a cover story about having developed his own powers way before everyone else since he's been living on top of a portal for years, he only tells people about his ice powers

Jazz has always had a tendency to be able to reign in her emotions and keep a cool head, (the only ones who can really push her buttons are Danny and sometimes her parents, at school around other kids who look up to her she's often very in control) meaning she doesn't draw ectoplasm to herself all that much, and though Danny uses the excuse of having lived on top of a ghost portal to explain why he's already so familiar with using his power, it's actually not even remotely true, because the Fentons use specialised air purifiers to keep the atmospheric ectoplasm at a manageable level, the Fenton house ironically has the least atmospheric contamination compared to the rest of the town, that's how Maddie and Jack have had limited mutation to themselves (though they aren't wholly free, they've mostly just gotten physically stronger and tougher)

so even though Jazz develops her power a little earlier than everyone else's, it's not that far ahead, and she actually doesn't even realise she already has one until half the school has developed theirs

Jazz has the power to slow time in a little bubble around herself, she'd been using it without realising while studying, having gotten through hours of work in half that time, she always thought it was just her losing track of time or she was just getting faster at reading, she also spends a lot of time counselling other students and trying to help them sort out their problems, and they'd often comment that they felt like they'd been talking for so much longer than they had, again she just chalked it up to losing track of time

a lot of students had wondered why Danny developed a power early and Jazz hadn't, until someone walked in on Jazz helping a girl through a panic attack in the bathroom, and found them both talking extremely fast, a lot of her friends realised in hindsight that she'd been doing that unwittingly for quite a while, nobody had noticed because she always talked to people privately, so nobody outside her little time bubble had seen it happen

Sam and Tucker come clean about their abilities too, but they also don't give the full rundown, still keeping some things close to the chest to avoid standing out from everyone else

then there's the teachers

adults typically have a better time regulating emotions than teenagers, meaning much like Jazz they aren't drawing as much ectoplasm toward themselves, but this doesn't exempt them from developing something after a while, especially with the heightened stress of managing a school full of volatile super kids

Mr Lancer discovers that he can create shields, after an incident where he jumps in front of some students to protect them from another power gone awry

Tetslaff ends up with a sonic ability, able to project her voice like a megaphone (yes this is a Coach Boomer from Sky High reference don't @ me), Principal Ishiyama develops a physical mutation, growing to twice her size, she likes that she can tower over the students while delivering speeches, but she doesn't like having to stoop through doors all the time, she has the one to her office resized, along with her chair and desk

so as you can imagine, the town ends up erupting into chaos, a lot of kids very much misuse their abilities, Danny does his best as Phantom to teach people to be responsible, but sometimes he has to resort to literally kicking their asses to get them to straighten up

but for the most part, a ton of kids were already looking up to him, and are generally pretty happy to follow his example, especially the more popular kids, it's generally considered not very cool to get your ass kicked by Phantom, so weirdly enough a lot of kids get peer pressured into not causing any real damage or injury with their powers

this doesn't mean they don't absolutely misuse them, they're just more subtle about it

until a ghost shows up, a lot of the kids are more than happy to let loose to protect themselves and their friends, and Phantom for the most part is happy to let them, with some supervision of course, he still has to make sure nobody gets too hurt (including the ghosts)

the entire debacle makes Danny's life simultaneously a whole lot easier AND so much more fucking stressful

#lula's aus #mutant town au #danny phantom #you have no idea how hard it was to find the links to the other posts #tumblr's search system was fucking me around so much

[infpisme]

5 Relatable Rants Of An INFP Personality

Chances are, if you’re an INFP, one of the 16 Myers-Briggs personality types, you struggle to relate to your peers. As an INFP, you’re naturally drawn to depth and connection. Like me, you quickly get tired of — or even frustrated with — “shallow” social settings.

This isn’t to say you don’t enjoy company or have some good friends, but they are generally few and far between. And even though you love your close friends dearly, you’ll likely relate to these five rants.

Relatable Rants of an INFP

1. Yes, that’s my ideal Friday, and I don’t care if it’s “antisocial.”

You’ve probably heard it a thousand times from your friends. “Why would you rather stay in than come drink with us?” “Are you mad at me — is that why you won’t come?” “I’m worried about you, you never want to hang out.” And the list goes on.

Like me, you may have even resorted to making excuses as to why you’re suddenly too busy to fulfil those plans you agreed to last week. But here’s the thing, as an INFP, it’s okay to have nights in. INFPs are introverts, after all. That’s how you recharge and make sure you have the time you need to develop yourself.

Explain to your friends that you really do appreciate them inviting you out, but a nice, relaxing evening on your own is how you catch your breath. They may not understand right away, but with time and consistency from you, some of them will get it — they’re the ones worth keeping around, anyway.

2. Getting stuck between everyone’s feelings is exhausting.

For INFPs, there’s nothing worse than feeling as though you’ve inconvenienced or harmed someone, especially if you care about them. Unfortunately for us, this situation seems inevitable. Here’s why:

As INFPs, we’re naturally in tune with those around us, and we make great sounding boards. Because of this, people easily confide in and trust us. But when too many people start using you as their personal therapist, you end up in a conflict of interest, where too many folks are asking favours from you, and you have to let someone down.

Unfortunately, I don’t have the solution to this treacherous feeling of inevitable disappointment, other than the solace of reminding yourself that you’ve gone miles further than most people would for their friends. And if things get to be too much, there’s no shame in removing yourself from the position of martyr. After all, you need to take care of yourself.

3. Just because I trust my gut doesn’t mean you shouldn’t respect me.

In my college years, I started becoming more aware of this point. At a time when we were making big life decisions, my friends would agonise over spreadsheets and pros and cons lists. They would use these methods for everything from picking the right job to where to live, and sometimes even what to eat for dinner.

Me, on the other hand? My mind changed every minute. I would dream of being an automotive engineer but then realise I was not feeling fulfilled with the idea of that path. Things worked out in the end, but I was left with doubts about trusting my gut. Now I’m a recent graduate who runs my own business, but most people I work with still don’t accept “it felt right” as my justification. Even though to us INFPs, our gut really is what motivates us.

If you’re like me, you feel a lack of respect from your peers because you “don’t think things through” or are a “wild card.” Truth is, you’re far from that. You have a strong sense of right and wrong, and more often than not, harnessing your gut feeling ends well for those involved. So trust your gut and tell your friends to name a time it has led you wrong.

4. I am full of contradictions — get used to it or move on.

Yes, I ride bulls. Yes, I love to camp. And heck, a Saturday night rom-com and glass of wine sounds right up my alley, too. No, it doesn’t make any sense, but it’s me. Nobody would guess that a tough-as-nails cowboy who longs to hop on a 2,000-pound bull on the weekend would have a deeply sentimental side and writes articles like this one, and INFP, I’m guessing you’re not much different.

As introverted-intuitive-feeling-perceivers, we’re naturally drawn to whatever “feels” right or good, meaning order and convention sometimes go right out the window — which is why you likely have a few beliefs or hobbies that seem to be in completely different realms of this world. And this may make you appear scattered or contradictory. Odds are people get frustrated with you because you don’t make sense.

And frankly, you don’t, but if you’re getting called out for it, don’t fret. This means you’re trusting your intuition and using your INFP superpowers effectively. Keep it up!

5. I’m sorry to quit this hobby, but there are 176 other ones I need to pursue.

Similar to the last point, you likely have many different interests. I have countless unfinished projects and books I’ve just left in the dust. It can be frustrating to feel like you can’t stick with things or commit to finishing what you started, but the attraction of that latest “phase” is just too great to ignore. So you move on and start something new wholeheartedly. Then in 2-3 months time, you go through the same cycle.

As an INFP, this means you’re embracing your exploratory side, and that’s crucial to personal growth. This “lack of focus” allows you to grow and gain life experiences that make you more in tune with the world around you. Yet you still can’t shake the guilt of quitting.

To overcome this, make a note of what you learned from the experience. It makes it easier to move on and focus on the next big thing when you have closure.

As INFPs, our minds operate a little differently than what society expects. We don’t reason things out the way most people do, and as a result, we may end up feeling pressured or misunderstood.

This makes it all the more important to reassure yourself that it’s okay to be different. By embracing how your unique mind operates, you’re truly setting yourself up for a more fulfilling and rewarding life.

*INFPs, let me know your thoughts in the comments

by Cole Powers, IntrovertDear

#Cole Powers #introvertdear #infp #infp personality #infp quotes #infp things #infp advice #infp thoughts

[gtseven7]

My Seven Idols

Summary:

Got7 as highschoolers as they deal with graduation and college at the same time starting up their own Youtube channel as idols.

A/N: Second chapter skskskskssks updates are slow but it’ll be slower coz i have a job now lol and i just realized that my format (for all my fics) looks horrible on pc but it looks ok on mobile (thats where i used to do everything) imma be editing those bc they’re so awful i apologize. 

//prev

--

2

The big doors of the gymnasium opened, allowing a certain man in. Walking with confidence and steady feet, the murmurs of the people slowly dies down. At the very front, the reason of the crowd gathering together, stood oblivious to the person who just came in. They were still dancing to the beat of the music, trying to charm the ladies watching. Until the music abruptly stopped. Jinyoung holds the plug on his hand. The five guys, known as Five Roses, who were dancing earlier paused and looked for the source of disruption.

The audience parted as if it was the red sea as Jinyoung, the student council president walks towards them.

See, Jinyoung has a perfect face, perfect grades, perfect hair, perfect uniform, probably perfect everything. Many girls and some boys has a crush on him, obviously. But the fact that he's strict, cold and savage dwindles the affection the student body has for him making him the not so desirable anymore.

"What the...this guy again...dammit." Ji Woo, one of the Five Roses said upon seeing the sour look on the President's face. "Why is he here again?!"

"I should be asking that. Why are you here? Don't you have class?"

Knowing better for themselves, the rest of the people dispersed and went back to their respective rooms. No one wants to anger Jinyoung. No one wants to be in his bad side because he's scary. Nobody could say what would happen if they did disobey him. There was no brave soul who dared.

Maybe Jung Hwan will dare, as he speaks. "C'mon man, leave us alone. We're practicing for the idol competition. Our school's name is at stake here." He was only rewarded with a scoff and an eye roll. Jinyoung finds idol competitions between schools funny. It was a well-known fact that he doesn't support it. At all. Especially if you disregard your studies in favor of it. His nonchalance about the matter slowly aggravates the five boys. "Our school's academic performance is at stake. Adding you bunch of idiots skipping classes will not help it." The leader of the group, Yeon So, feeling a little less happy with how things are going, strode towards Jinyoung. "Pres, we could care less. But since you took the effort to go here and nag us, we'll follow you. The next time you do it again though, I wouldn't care if you're the president."

Face to face. It was like a two wolves staring each other down ready to bite off the other. There was an air of crackling electricity between them, trying to win and make the other back down. "You think that would scare me Yeon So?"

"No. But that was a warning. Stay in your lane, teachers' pet."

The five boys walked away with a grudge, leaving an exhausted Jinyoung. Don't get him wrong, he understands the passion they have what they do. He thinks it's a wonderful thing: to be passionate about something. To do something that you love. He might be a little jealous of them for having something that he doesn't despite the fact that everyone thinks he's perfect. It also irks him that they sacrifice learning to do it. More so that their school's academic standing compared to other schools is pathetic. Add the humiliating downfall of their sports team.

Everything's not going right for their reputation. The only good win they have is the idol competition, which is not really saying much. It's Jinyoung's second term as president and his last year. The pressure he has on himself to exceed his performance from last year before he graduates lays heavy on his shoulders. Resulting to him being more uptight than he usually is.

"Thinking too hard there, aren't you?"

Turning to see who spoke, even though Jinyoung knows that voice very well. It was Jaebum. He's scratching his head while yawning, worsening his bed head. The president's eyes turned into slits. "Do I have to reprimand you as well?" His long time friend only shrugged, already used to the president's stern warnings. "It's our break, I took a nap." Jinyoung sighed. He already knows making the other follow him is a lost cause. It doesn't mean he'll stop though. "You weren't in class before the break."

Both walked out of the gymnasium to head back to the main building. "Mrs. Kim called me in her office. Apparently I'm the only senior who hasn't submitted college plans." Mentioning college made Jinyoung stop in his tracks. The big elephant in his life. Something that he avoids to think about these last few months. "I heard you submitted late as well. Who would've thought Mr. Perfect Jinyoung had doubts as well." Jaebum teased his friend. He had seen him struggle to finish the forms. Conflict clearly written on his face every night as he stared at the piece of paper that probably has his future. Hair disheveled when he pulls it out of frustration.

The man in question can't help but to huff out. Even after submitting his half-hearted plans, he couldn't help but still ask himself what he wants to do with his life. "Have you thought about it? College, I mean..." Jinyoung asked his companion. A light breeze flew by them as he waited the other to answer. "I know what I want to do. I've always known."

Music. Im Jaebum's first love. Of course. Why did Jinyoung ask anyway? He knows it well.

“What about you?”

 They both walked the side field, mulling about the future and what awaits them.

 “I don’t know. My parents want me to take Medicine, but Mrs. Kim said I’ll fit in well with a business course.”

 “Do whatever you want man, whatever would make you happy.”

 “Hmm…”

What would make him happy anyway? He doesn’t have an answer to that. He’s been asking himself for a long time but Jinyoung comes out with a blank space in his heart waiting to be filled by something he himself can’t answer what. Now with their graduation looming, entrance exams coming closer, Jinyoung felt like he’s out of time.

  “If you knew what you wanted, why submit late anyway?” He asked his friend condescendingly, his JB hunter mode on. “I lost the form.”

 And Jinyoung’s signature eye roll with a dash of an exasperated sigh came out as usual whenever Jaebeom does anything stupid. “I don’t even know what to say about that.” They both stopped walking, the president ready to rant again, his back facing the field where their prestigious basketball team were playing (prestigious my ass, they lost four consecutive games already). “You could have…” But Jaebeom wasn’t entirely listening, seeing the orange ball flying towards them. Specifically, at his friend.

 “Jinyoung!”

 Jaebeom held the other’s shoulder and pushed him aside. He shielded Jinyoung with his body, the ball hitting him directly on the back. He was almost hugging him, bracketing his smaller shoulders with his wider ones. "Ugh. What?" confusion was what Jinyoung felt. 'Why is he hugging me all of a sudden? If this is because I was being a bit sentimental… I'll hit you Jaebeom.'

 "Omo! Sorry! Sorry!'

 Jinyoung peered over his friend's shoulder and saw Jackson, one of the members of the basketball team. "Didn't mean to hit 'ya! Sorry." He was cringing and had his hands in pleading. Their president was almost hit with a ball. They might get suspended! "Next time, watch where you're throwing the ball." Jaebeom's reputation isn't that great to be honest. With his biting stares, long hair and seasonal peircings, he's known to be the school's bad boy. A man you shouldn't cross. Someone to avoid at all costs. It's also well known that even the great disciplinarian Park Jinyoung can't handle him. Now, Jackson who's receiving ill intent from the other, he didn't seem to mind and his apologetic smile just bounced off Jaebeom's scary aura. Jinyoung was quite amused.

 "It wasn't me though! Sung Hwan threw the ball. I was only asked to fetch it. I'm sorry in behalf of the team though. Jinyoung, we're sorry for almost hitting you." He then bowed politely to express his sincerity. Jaebeom was dumbfounded at the boy who did not seem to mind his usual scary air.

 When Jinyoung realized that Jaebeom was still holdong him protectively, 'Tsk, what a worrywart.', he released himself indignantly and smoothened his uniform. Seeing the other still bowing to him, he felt uncomfortable. "Hey, it's okay. It was an accident."

 Jackson immediately straightened up and beamed. "Thank you! Anyway, are any of you hurt? The ball's a bit hard."

 "No not really." Jaebeom answered nonchalantly. Trying to look like a cool senior. Again, the president rolled his eyes at him.

 "We're fine Jackson. How about you, how's the team going? Are you still benched?" The athlete rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. He laughed lightly, but his smile decreased. Way to go Jinyoung. You officially made him feel bad. "Yeah… But that's okay! I can now do my other hobbies other than sports so…" Jackson covered his embarrassment with a hearty laugh, waving off the dampening of the mood. "No but really, I'm totally okay with it Jinyoung. No need to worry." He gave his most convincing smile to Jinyoung as the other frowned. Jackson's a foreign student who transferred to their school because of his parents' business in the area. Before he went to East High, he's already a great athlete with a bright future ahead of him. From what Jinyoung heard, he had already collected a ton of medals and trophies.

 "Are you sure? I can talk to the coach. Seriously that Coach Jang has favoritism. Only letting Sung Hwan to shine."

 "No no no! Don't worry about it. It's okay. I prefer it this way."

 Jinyoung was not convinced but bit his tongue from saying anything further. He just nodded and it seemed to satisfy Jackson as well. But Jaebeom on the other hand looked like he didn't like the friendly way of speaking of the other. "Hey. You're a junior aren't ya? Pay some respect on your seniors."

 Jackson looked at Jaebeom curiously, a teasing smile already on his face. "I'm older than Jinyoing though." The long haired senior's eyes widened. He turned to his friend to confirm and Jinyoung was not reacting to it. "He is?"

 "Yes. You guys are the same age. And you both make it sound like I'm so much younger. It's just a few months "

 The laugh that resounded the area was cheerful. Jackson's mood lifted up again. He bid goodbye to the two after grabbing the ball and jogged back to the court. But Jaebeom was stuck in his position, floored by the surprise of the fact and most likely because the foreigner wasn't really all that faltered in his presence unlike other people "Why is he a junior though?"

 As the subjects from his old school were quite different from what they have, some were not credited. Thus making him repeat his junior year. Having no choice but to accept, since it was an urgent migrate. Jackson got into the team with his natural sporty abilities, even better than the current players they have. But unfortunately, Mr Jang doesn't care and only fluffs up his favorite, the captain ball Sung Hwan. Which was such a waste and irks Jinyoung to the core. They lost consecutive competitions already even if they have someone like Jackson, they never bothered to bring hin out anyway.

 "You seem to know him well."

"I toured him around campus on his first day."

 "Oh aren't ya such a good student president?" Ah, Jaebeom was joking around once again. A feat that most people don't see. "Apparently not, you won't cut your hair and remove that metal on your nose."

 As if he was wounded by his friend's ribbing, he put his hand on his chest feigning hurt. "Yah! You said long hair suits me."

 "My opinion outside school doesn't mean a thing inside. Cut that hair."

next//

#got7 #got7 fanfic #got7 scenarios #got7 imagines #got7 fic #my seven idols #park jinyoung #Im Jaebum #jackson wang #kim yugyeom #bambam #mark tuan #choi youngjae

[liskantope]

Here’s something I’ve been wanting to discuss for a long time because I wish people were talking about it a little more explicitly so that our culture could find a way to better deal with it. There’s this characteristic of certain people’s personalities that I can’t pin down a particular word for but as many people in my experience have this in one degree or another there certainly should be a word for it. It has to do with feeling compelled on a fundamental level to be, I guess I’ll call it, verbally entertaining, as much as possible in social situations.

In my life I’ve known several people who I would say have extreme forms of this condition. They have such a deeply-ingrained compulsion to turn every moment in each conversation into a clever or provocative joke or verbal spar that their minds seem to be incessantly working at manufacturing them on a subconscious level and eventually they spit out attempts that hit the mark only occasionally and often land far from anything actually funny. The primary obligation they put on themselves is to just make sure they keep putting in the effort -- they can worry later about whether what they said was actually funny or might have offended someone, just as long as in the moment they keep throwing things out there. And it’s reached the point of being mostly a subconscious compulsion that’s hard to control, even if they know that they’re annoying people and mostly failing at very funny or interesting. It gets to the point that it seriously affects relationships. As far as I’m concerned this characteristic is so marked in some people that it deserves the status of a named disorder, and in fact I wouldn’t be entirely surprised if it actually does become something diagnosable in the not-so-distant future, given that the direction of progress is always towards providing more diagnostic explanations for behavior. (Although I certainly don’t posit that it’s entirely or mostly innate; see below.)

I’ve known way, way more people with much milder but very apparent cases of this. Most comedians probably have it to some extent. It’s about feeling under constant pressure (at least in certain social contexts) to keep producing verbal wittiness, enough to outdo or at least stay on par with anyone else in the vicinity, and when pure wit won’t go far enough, being as outrageous and provocative as possible (without actually getting into trouble for it of course). These people treat every social interaction like a test at how consistently amusing they can be and as a contest as to who can be most impressively quick-thinking in this endeavor.

Now in my experience, this is, uh, not quite distributed evenly across genders.

Yes, you guessed it, pretty much 100% of the people I’ve encountered in my life that this post describes are men.

To me there’s a pretty obvious explanation of this based on certain traditional gender roles that still haven’t changed much to the present day. Part of the male gender role, in a very broad sense, is to work at some skill that can be shown off in order to impress women or in order to outdo each other. Men perform; women appreciate and applaud. Men are judged for failing to perform, and women are often met with resentment for failing to sufficiently applaud a man who felt like he put a reasonable amount of effort into performing. These gender roles, like all gender roles, are enforced so that both men and women routinely suffer for failing to conform to them.

In the absence of visible wealth, musical instruments, a game being played, or daunting amounts of knowledge on something that happens to be directly applicable to a given conversation, perhaps the most easily available means of Generally Being Impressive is verbal wit. And so men are far more likely than women to feel under pressure to display it as much as possible at all times. And when sheer dryness isn’t sufficiently in supply in the heat of the moment, a much quicker way to stand out and turn heads is to maximize for shock value. Naturally one strategy for maximizing one’s overall score is to get as close to the line as possible without actually crossing it -- that obviously shows serious skill!

As is the case with most confining gender roles, it’s not simply that one gender is enforcing this on the other. The typical guy probably faces more pressure to go this route from his male peers than from girls, and in the most extreme cases I described above, it’s obvious that most women and even most men around him don’t want him to go anywhere near that far -- it’s a burden that that person is almost entirely forcing upon himself, making it all the more frustrating to witness.

I think it’s not unreasonable to say that for a lot of guys growing up, contests to see who could be the most shocking and outrageous and edgy in their humor (often to the expense of actual wit and comedy) are sort of a cornerstone of their social interactions. And this is relevant to a lot of societal concerns that have been coming up in the political climate of the past few years, especially concerning seeds of the Pepe-type alt-right trolling culture that’s become visible to the mainstream (although I think there’s another much more sinister component to that, but that’s something I’ll save for another post).

I’ve been meaning to write about this for months if not years, but the particular event that finally spurred me to write this is this week’s controversy over Harvard rescinding its offer to one of the Stoneman Douglas shooting survivors after one of his classmates exposed a bunch of racist mumbo-jumbo he wrote in a Google doc shared with a project group two years ago. I only bring this up because it’s such a clear-cut example of what I’m talking about: his racist rants were clearly devoid of any intellectual content whatsoever (e.g. he wrote the N-word in capital letters about a dozen times in a row and commented that practice was making him better at typing it or something) and includes anti-Semitic rallying cries despite the fact that he and his family are Jewish. His explanation that this was all part of a contest to see who could write the most shocking or extreme thing is completely credible to me given what I know about that situation and about culture (and while I don’t know who else was in his study group, I’d place my bet on them all or mostly having been boys). But beyond that, nobody really seems to be addressing the issue in a way that can ameliorate the tendency for young people to get sucked into this kind of behavior, which obviously has the potential to be hurtful and contribute to a toxic high school atmosphere and then bleed into adult behavior. (As for how I feel about Harvard’s decision, I can’t really blame them as unfair as I think it is on that student; I kind of do want to blame his classmates though.)

The way I see it, this social norm needs to be addressed in a reasonable way that recognizes its origin for what it is: a burden placed on men (often by themselves and each other) which are then acted on in a way that harms the other people around them. Unfortunately, the attempts to round it off (as so many other things are rounded off nowadays) to privilege and actual racism and deliberate malice don’t look like they’re going to result in much forward progress.

#social quirks #Gender Roles #stoneman douglas shooting #alt-right #racism #anti-semitism #adolescence

[hwaryungrp]

SPOTTED! KIM RAIZEL . 28.

Looks like they’ve been wandering around Hwaryung! You can find them living at HOUSE #1107 IN BYEONGRO or if they’re not home they’re probably working at the BANK OF BERLIN AS THE CEO. If you can’t find them offline, feel free to message them @kimraizel.

BIOGRAPHY

tw violence, blood, mentions of gore

WINTER

winter’s child, born into a line of royalty, wealth penetrating the walls of their manor, ceilings meters too high for the tips of his fingers to gently scrape by. small hands lifting from the clutches of his mother, a woman who devoted her life to please the man that stood beside her, the backs of his fingers lingering lightly by his cheek. 

he was too young to note the responsibilities that came staggering his way, too young to be balancing books on the tops of his head, as if royalty were a joke he would toss them aside and allow the gentle flips of his fingertips to graze the pages as he empties out the words. his father, the current ceo of the bank of berlin, a company that the kang’s had taken over, almost a century prior, almost four generations of hardwork contributing to a singular name of kang cadis di raizel, german royalty. the success that his family had garnered in their country meant that they were under constant scrutiny and analysis. their every action recorded and documented amongst the grey papers on the shelves, collected by their butlers and maids. 

and he was trained, tutored and forced to be shaped into a mould that pleased his parents. an expectation that was placed on him as heavily as any other, like breathing he was expected to be master the numerical geniuses of the data that lay sprawled on his desk. and as school begun, all that he had prepared for was paid off by the ranks of his distinguished first place. 

SPRING

a younger sister was welcomed into his world. kang kenesis di nari, a girl he had sworn to protect and love for the rest of his life. she too, was expected to meet the standards of himself, the pressure that he had inadvertently placed upon her, caused him a great deal of regret, sorrow and endless apologetic rants that would always end with her smiling… smiling so sincerely that for a second, he forgets about his own responsibilities. 

his father runs for the governing mayor of berlin, resulting in the constant flashes of the media residing everywhere they went. interviews came in more frequent, and he was expected to smile, to speak, to put up a facade of a poised, professional and interesting young man who wishes for nothing but his father’s success. a young man who wishes to be in the shoes of his father in the future, a younger man who aspires to be successful, to contribute with everything he has for the people of berlin. something he soon realised… was not him. 

SUMMER

his father succeeds and is now the governing mayor of berlin. his sister and himself, told on the daily to not get yourselves in any trouble that could potential cost their father his position, and their family their status and rank. and to that, they could only nod in agreement. 

months later, and the horrific news of his sister’s kidnapping arrives at their doorstep. a ransom attached. his own father refusing to pay, for the exchange of his own daughter’s life. small gaps of light, peering through the thinly veiled flesh of his father, a tainted smokey substance portrayed as a caring father… broken. an entire world, unbeknownst to him, so foreign, so horrendous that even his own fingers would curl, digging the palms of his hands. nail marks that buried the bloodied flesh that would leak from his own limbs. the snake nest, and his father the snake king, tongue so poisonous that he could taste it as the other spoke. a man of great power, exuding greater confidence.

an anger that lacerated at his skin, urges him to cut his own father down, and he does. blinded by anger, he slashes his own father across his face, barely grazing him, wavering for a moment in absolute shock as he falls back, his mother lunging forward to separate the two only to hear the agonising scream of her own son piercing through their manor as his father slices open his forearm. blood, nothing but blood cascades from his white sleeve… drenched. 

three days later, the news of his sister’s death arrives, this time in the shape of her head. a box, drenched in blood. and again, his father does nothing but simply order it to be tossed into their kitchen trash. 

AUTUMN

he falls into the wrong crowd, finds himself wondering the streets of seoul, straying far from his home in berlin. 

but it doesn’t end there. he meets a girl, someone special… though only momentarily. it felt like love… but was it so? and only months later had a video been leaked, surfacing and again… he finds his father making excuses on the media for his pathetic son’s erratic behaviour. his father gives him an ultimatum, to either marry the daughter of the kim family, to cover the media of his mistakes. or, to lose his life and be cut off. and, perhaps that was when the realisation that his father was more powerful than anyone he could have imagined came to light, a monster that lurked in the shadows, holding his own name over the heads of his own family. 

a few days later, he finds himself married. and a year later his own daughter arrives. and in that time, he grew accustomed to his father’s capo lifestyle. his skills honed to perfection. 

WINTER AGAIN

he finally graduates from humboldt university of berlin, within his grasp a qualification for him to stand in the shoes of his father for the future. and immediately he is taken into the bank of berlin by his father, expected to fulfil the his shoes.

his father’s trust in him improves, reaching its peak as he hands down the company seat to his son. raizel iv taking it without hesitation. the snake nest close behind him, as if monitoring his every action, afraid of a sudden betrayal. 

months later, seemingly out of nowhere, his wife is involved in a car accident that ended her life, leaving him by himself to raise their daughter. the news ravaging their family almost insanely heavily, that he felt his own heart being pierced. 

winter again, and he finds himself back on the streets, this time in hwaryung. however this time, he’s watching over their family company and swears his allegiance to no one. 

PERSONALITY

( + ) resolute, decorous, adaptive  ( - ) beguiling, callous, taciturn

#HR;FOLLOW

[violetsystems]

#personal

I fell asleep watching Scanners on a Friday.  Honestly, not the worst way to be spending my time these days.  I spend most of it alone.  I’m an only child.  My parents divorced in college so a lot of the emotional referee duties fell on me solely.  I get along with both of my parents but they don’t really speak to each other.  It’s not like they don’t acknowledge each other’s existence.  It’s just awkward.  They don’t hate each other.  I know this because I’m a pass through in conversations about the other.  But both of them have pretty much moved on with their lives.  My mom has a giant garden in her childhood home she attends to.  My dad is remarried and spends half of his time up in Michigan.  The other half he spends working.  He still has not retired.  I know this because I do web development for his company every few weeks.  I talk to my parents a lot more than I do anyone else.  And they don’t really pry too much into what it is I’m doing with my life.  They know I quit drinking more than a few years ago.  They’re both moderate drinkers so it doesn’t really register to them.  They know the situation I’m in to a certain point.  But mostly every card I play in my personal life is pretty close to my own chest.  Facing peer pressure out here is similar to high school.  Everybody wants to know what you are up to but nobody really cares to ask.  When you are an only child resisting the status quo is horrifyingly easy.  You are so used to being left to yourself that you just develop survival skills.  Maybe you got sick and tired of crying to yourself.  Maybe you got sick of hearing it.  As your own best friend for long periods of time, you tend to get mad at yourself every once and awhile.  Your outlet whatever it is be it art, music or dancing in place for short bursts of time tends to grow more inward if you can’t share it.  I create to communicate things that don’t seem to register.  Things I’ve explained maybe in my writing time and time again that people never listen to.  As an only child you spend a lot of time just listening to yourself.  So you start to learn when communication breaks down talking to other people.  If you can’t talk and be real with yourself, you will get completely lost.  I’ve gotten madder at myself not being able to connect to mainstream society at times.  The most frustrating feeling is trying to reconnect professionally when you have no real friend network left in a city.  It makes you feel worthless and at times I feel it is intentional.  To isolate you to assimilate to the crowd.  The tough love approach of this city is abusive and gross in that respect.  That’s the nature of peer pressure.  When you have survived alone for long periods of time, you have varying intel on what works and what doesn’t. You don’t hear the war drum of popular opinion as much in terms of what everyone else thinks is wrong with a situation they care little to read into.  Writing to me here on the internet has worked as sort of a public meditation.  It bothers me that people follow me around in the street all day to get a read off what I’m thinking.  You know you could just read it here.  I don’t have facebook.  I don’t use any real geocaching apps intentionally.  I don’t have an account on a dating app.  When I make posts on the internet it’s usually to customer support wondering where my package has been misdelivered to.  I’m painfully pragmatic that way.  And easier to understand when it comes to why I shriek away from everything in theory.  Oh you’ve heard I’m some kind of monster!   If you believe hearsay and what people tell you, I’m alone because I like it that way.  I’m on the fringes of society because there’s something wrong with me.  I read this headline on CNN.  Hundreds of thousands of cybersecurity jobs are opening this very minute.  And they’ll pay you whatever you want.  I post in a hashtag about cybersecurity almost every week on a professional job networking site.  It’s like a tree falling in the forest.  I’m the only one who cares about posting what vulnerabilities are out there other than my fragile male emotions.  If there’s something wrong with me in terms of connecting, it’s that I care too much about what wiffs in terms of trying to be myself.  

I’m a minimalist at times.  This might be because I’m part Swedish.  I hate nationalism and attributing cultural ticks to my genes.  I’m nothing really like either of my parents and yet something born anew.  When my job was cancelled and my office was thrown in the garbage, I learned a valuable lesson.  To take stock in who I was at the present and move on.  Never look back.  I look back a lot.  It’s called post traumatic stress.  I constantly have to read into the past as a warning.  I operate by a simple posit.  What is working versus what isn’t,  And personal responsibility has been the one thing I have been able to count on.  I see results.  When I manage the net income I have, I move and plan around my goals financially for the next six months.  I’ve done that for over a year now.  So I have a lot of data just by isolating myself and setting milestones day by day.  Looking for a job lately has been demoralizing.  I am completely invisible.  In America this is somehow my problem for not speaking up over a wall of cacophony that sounds like verbal diarrhea ninety percent of the time.  Americans love to talk out loud and say absolutely nothing.  The retention of what they’re talking about is in constant flux.  My dad’s side of the family were poor missionaries.  My dad joined the army.  My mom’s family were working class.  My grandfather retired due to injury as an Electrician.  Also in the army.  To escape the constant hum of recruiters trying to draft me to do the same I wrote a letter declaring my status as a conscientious objector at eighteen.  I’ve been anti war for as long as I’ve known.  I still have the piece of paper I wrote in a file with the ten pieces of documents I needed to prove my identity to renew my passport.  The more I look back at all this, the more I realize the person I am now is something incredibly defined but outrageously misunderstood.  I’ve been writing since high school  Mostly poetry.  There is nothing clearer than writing when you care about the economy of words.  Writing three paragraphs on here for years is what some of my friends have come to expect.  I’ve connected with people here that have inspired me to continue to be myself.  Just a click.  An affirmation of not being alone in whatever it is I think or dream about.  That the things I consider beautiful, sacred, or art are shared.  That’s real connection.  It’s worth a lot to me.  It makes me feel like I’m not really alone.  And yet when I go back to the real world, I’m faced with a shuddering realization.  That nobody has the time to respect the history.  When I think about art and culture, I think about how long I’ve been trying to be creative.  I don’t try.  I am a creative.  I’ve been shunned by other creatives particularly in America for as long as I’ve known.  I’ve tried.  To be a part of scenes.  Out here everybody is comparing each other against each other’s insecurities.  It’s not unlike the army.  Where they break down your ego so that you’re easier to command.  In Chicago, everything connected to art now has some seriously hellbent agenda of social justice.  As if footwork, hip hop or any of the things I’ve been involved in for years hasn’t.  I’m more like a pariah out here than an artist.  For all the words I write and for all the things I try to connect with, I’ve hit a fucking wall.  Hard.  So hard that people hear it halfway around the world when I wake up in pain.  Looking back at the wall is something that gets old.  Like looking at a wall of text at five in the morning doesn’t.  At least it keeps me sane.  Keeps the narrative consistent.  That I’m ok and at the same time not.  I know I’ve got me.  And that’s all I know I’ve got.  Or at least all that I expect to rely on.  It’s called responsibility I guess.  And it’s nowhere in sight around here so I keep to myself.

This weekend is the start of the holidays here in the states.  The YOLO can commence.  We can all celebrate that the worst is behind us now.  And yet I’m just sitting alone in the ac with my cat typing out to all the beautiful people that tolerate my ranting weekly.  I’m not a kind of person who likes to complain.  I hate it actually.  I’ve relied on social engineering for years not as a hacker but as a forge.  I’m the one who shovels the sidewalks in the blizzard because I don’t want to fuck up my shoes.  I don’t really want anyone to fuck up their shoes.  But if no one is going to do it, it’s going to be me.  I know for a fact reintegrating into American society this summer is a no no.  It sucks.  To be alone.  To be isolated.  To not trust anyone but still have to pass off that tired smile.  I’ve gotten so angry over the last few months.  I’ve yelled at myself.  I’ve never hurt myself or anything.  I’m frustrated how people expect such a mammoth attention to detail from me and fail at even the most basic functions in return.  I’m always wondering if somebody is fucking with me behind my back.  Like this was all some sick, elaborate joke to hurt me that I brought upon myself.   At first I thought it was a test.  Then it started to feel malicious.  Then it was just people being emotionally chaotic..  Blame these times.  Blame whatever you want.  I don’t blame myself.  And that’s a big change lately.  Maybe because the weather is warmer.  Maybe because it’s not the dead of winter and I’m freezing, cold and alone.  All I really know is nothing I try to do works.  And I’m always expected to think eight layers deeper.  To think in reverse entropy.  Literally backwards and forwards without revisiting the past like some elaborate time heist.  Is it worth it?  Yes.  Which is why in typical time travel fashion I want nothing to do with any interactions of the past.  Think about it.  I was let go almost eleven months ago.  In those eleven months, absolutely zero people from my past checked in on anything.  My emotional well being.  My fiscal health.  My job search.  Nothing.  Look back to the past and think about it and your head will explode.  Scanners style.  To YOLO forward is it’s own little death for me.  The death of understanding the responsibilities.  I beat myself up over the fact that I should have escaped all of this years ago.  And I tried.  I flew half way around the world trying to be an independent artist only to get dropped from Pitchfork reviews of my own crew.  I sat with other musicians and artists and talked about this invisible wall only to be trapped outside of it.  Probably for the better.  Now it’s just a wall around me.  There’s a door.  You can enter it if you have the key.  But I’ve kept a lot of things at bay and locked out for good reason.  People love to deflect the blame.  That I’m angry.  Or I scare people.  How would they know?  I have never seen half of the people that talk about me on the internet or otherwise in about a year.  And yet they can’t keep my fucking name out of their mouth.  You would think that would work in my benefit.  Maybe I’d have some real job offers.  Maybe I’d have an offer to perform my music for the city and get a small piece of that COVID money you’ve been wasting on police overtime.  Maybe none of that is worth it.  Maybe I’m better off cutting my losses with this city and waiting for a quiet exit.  I don’t really know anything.  At all.  And the most frustrating thing is to worry more about the things you can’t control.  I can control the liquidity in my bank account.  The equity.  The lack of any sort of debt.  And I’m still worthless to people here just the same.  Not here on Tumblr.  Just here in the flesh.  The biggest whiff of all has not been my lack of a social life but the lack of imagination for people believing I keep it real in a city with a murder rate higher than unemployment.  Is the future really out here or am I just ducking for cover until somebody realizes I’ve been in danger all along.  I’ll be ok.  I’ve been on my own for as long as I remember.  And I’m not alone in the AC sharing memes with all of you this summer anyway. <3 Tim

[deardeera]

oh! pregnancy!

My friends, my peers, on my way to my 36th week of pregnancy, im getting more anxious, excited, and felt all that jazz all over my body. instead of bringing negativity somewhere else, let me just write all my rants, experience, and even tips and recommendations here!

PART 1: HOW COULD I GET PREGNANT?

As an Indonesian-newly wed, the question will be “udah isi belum” for months and months ahead. Be ready, be not too salty because it’s tradition (i guess), a tradition that I. and most of our generation starting to get rid of. My response was easy, all smiley and still trying to be polite, but at times I got sad too. After three months of my wedding, I started to cry everytime my period comes :/ dont get me wrong. i want to get preggo not just because the pressure but my husband and I wanted kids too. I browsed through internet and do some tips, like both of us start consuming vitamin E (I use natur e & ever e), a more healthy lifestyle (we really tried our best to dodge junkfood), and the most important is to do the pembuahan when I am in my fertile time. To know my fertile time is not easy either, I take fertility test (it’s shaped like testpack) every morning and nigh, three days after my menstruation is done. It’s very hard to be consistent but I do this anyways. Sometimes I slack off too, but I think this is the best way to know your fertile time if your cycle every month is always changing like me. And Alhamdulillah, I have my baby on me!! It was magical, surreal, and unbelievable..

PART 2: IM PREGNANT, WHAT SHOULD I DO?

When I first found out I was pregnant, I kept it to myself, i still not believe what i saw until i test with another testpack. It’s clear, it’s two bold lines. And I prepared myself to talk to my husband, of course with a lil surprise and not to forget to record his reaction ~ (IT’S PRICELESS... TRUST ME YOU SHOULD DO THIS TOO). And after all the happy tears we should make sure everything is in there, on my belly, alive, breathing, and healthy. We decided to go to RS Hermina Galaxy, to dr. Wulandari (by my in law’s recommendation) and everything went well. I found out I was in my 6th week and there’s this little precious human on my womb. 

PART 3: SHOULD I STAY ON MY FIRST HOSPITAL?

After my second visit to RS Hermina, I decided to stop and move to Halobayi Bekasi (Nadya Medical Centre) with dr. Riene. Halobayi provides 4D USG in such reasonable price, at first me and my husband didnt really expect anything because 250.000? for a 4D USG? dudee? but we were wrong. the doctor is super duper nice to us, new parents, she explained everything soooo well and detailed, and didnt seem to rush us, she also answers all of the questions we have. So up until now, I stick with Halobayi and dr. Riene for my my 4D USG every month. There is plenty of doctor choice too, and besides Halobayi, there’s halobumil, intipbuahhati, that provides super worth 4D USG if you didnt want to go to RSIA. Just dive into their social media and see the reviews!

PART 4: TF IS SKINCARE??? IM TOO FRIGGIN LAZY!

Trust me, Ive been there... for the first three months i stopped ALL of my skincare (and really i just washed my face and sometimes apply sunblock if i must go outside). But after that three months i felt my skin is very dull looking... theres dry patches everywhere... i look kuyu and not fresh... sis this is not what we want right?!! we should be a sharp lookin preggo women... then i did my research and tried zhofira.. it’s a skincare brand by selebgram i guess, i havent heard any bit of the owner nor the products. but the review?? is very intriguing so i tried their toner and serum, it’s surprisingly good! i felt my skin lighter, and very well hydrated. it’s more than enough for me. for good two months i used them up alongside with Sensatia Botanicals Unscented Soapless Face Cleanser omg did i spell it right... and I love the result. 

but the serum’s bottle and its consistency annoy me v much so i started to research another serum... Then it comes to my new routine for the past two months I think??? and I changed my facial wash to Jarte Beauty & Sukin Original face wash. I like them both but i think Sensatia face cleanser is still my number one!!!! anyways this routine do pretty good job to my face, it’s nice, plumpy, hydrated and brighten my face a little (it’s the somethinc i believe!) and I am comfortable with them maybe for a long time i wish!

PART 5: HELLOO STRETCH MARKS!

I thought.... just my thought only... I wouldnt get stretch marks because I started using bio oil in my 4th months. BUT I WAS WRONG -- they really comes suddenly at my 7th months, and now it becomes super bold lines around my belly, under my belly, on my thighs, buttsss.. I was so shocked but I think it’s because i’m petite and my skin is not prepared to get ~this~ stretchy... First i used bio oil, but lately... because it gets very, very itchy i tried using herborist zaitun oil and it works well too. I didnt hesitate to use it much because it’s cheaper than bio oil lmao.. the most important is my skin isnt dry so if they becomes bigger the marks would minimalized (i wish :p) but dont worry... it’s normal!!! i get insecure sometimes but my husband is supportive enough to convince me that i look beautiful, that he will love me for everything that i am. ahaha.

PART 6: TO STAY FIT

Stay fit and active is a must.. from 20 weeks i went to yoga class in Nadya Medical Centre once a week until now, i think i slack off for like 3-4 times but I tried do do yoga at home too. Bidan Kita and Kriwilife is my go to channel. But i think it’s veerry important to follow a yoga class with bidan first, so that you could feel confident doing any movements you see on youtube. Besides yoga, walking is another recommendations from so many people. but for this one I still got so lazy at morning (if you’re 30weeks above your sleep cycle wouldnt be the same). But i tried to make it up with walking inside the house or on the treadmill aha.

PART 7: MY UNDERWEAR... IT’S SO SMALL!

my dear, i got you. as someone who’s in her life being small at any aspect of the body, I really am shocked by the size i have become right now lol... I tried couple of underwear (panties and bras) to see what i really like. turns out i really like these brands! for panties i use CD Maternity Mamabel (aquoshop on shopee), and Sorex 1128 Maternity Panty (i buy it offline but there’s a lot on shopee too). these two are comfortable and didnt push your womb, the karet is superrr big and with the mamabel ones you could adjust them. For the bras, I really love Sorex 8200. IT’S WHAT I NEED... it’s comfortable, holding your boobies well. the karet is not annoying (you can just add the bra extender if you felt like it’s not enough) and it’s super soooftt. I bought them at cherrybabykidsshop on shopee. I have four of them lmao im obsessed. AND.. if you like to do yoga or you’re comfortable with leggings, maternity legging by sorex is also super recommended. they’re super stretchy and suit for any activities. By this time i sound like sorex’s marketing huh. but they really made such nice quality products.....

So I think that’s on thhat... I wish every one of you reading my post until the end be given with health, and happiness always. And I hope I did help you in a way tho! Feel free to ask me things (~^,^)~

Love always, MSH <3

[neojames18]

An Open Letter on the Subject of the use of Traditionally Gendered Forenames

So, this is somewhat off topic to my usual barrage of funny posts, memes, and positivity stuff (although in retrospect, I guess it's actually not far from a lot of my positivity stuff) but I think I'm at the point where I need to vent some thoughts into the great void, and to be honest I actually wouldn't mind receiving some advice or thoughts on the matter.

So, for those who don't know me, I started to identify openly as non-binary approximately 7 - 9 months ago (with such things I find it somewhat hard to keep track of exact figures, as I have hardly come out to everyone at the same time - which is most unfortunate as I do rather enjoy accurate accounts of dates and such being a historian) and have largely found the whole experience to be a most liberating affair and an excellent chance to explore various elements of myself that I had until then largely been either ignoring or actively repressing! Indeed, at this point, I am fairly sure that I lean slightly towards the transfeminine side of the spectrum which is a realisation that is rather causing me a problem now.

I have a traditionally masculine name, that I actually really like. For those that are interested (which I assume you are having made it through this far of my post) I am called James, a name that I actually really like for a vast number of reasons mostly related to my family history, theology, and the fact that my name is really the reason I forced myself to learn proper letter substitution rules for writing it in ancient languages - and as a result helped me gain my passion for them. What I don't particularly enjoy is the occasional odd looks it can result in (which are fortunately minimal as most of the people I interact with are very much in the know about me) and perhaps worse the potential for conflict or questions it could cause. (I have reasonably well managed social anxiety but I can't say that's really helping here.)

I am also pretty loath to bow to social pressures - real or imagined - and even more so loath to succumb to anxieties of the potentials that could cause irritations or issues in matters of administration of bureaucracy - I am a far too stubborn individual at times, I will be among the first to admit.

As a result, I have recently been musing on ways that I could potentially have my cake and eat it so to speak. If there was a way to perhaps use a more gender-neutral (or at the very least less overtly masculine) form of it in everyday life thereby keeping the link to my name? Sadly, the minimum research I've conducted suggests that there are very few distinctly genderless forms of the name (although, I must admit most of the information I've been able to find was on feminine forms of the name such as from here but frankly that's as good a place as any to start from in my opinion) save for perhaps it's Latin form in a neuter gender, Iacubum, however frankly I going by that would probably cause me, even more, issues than at present. I could, however, potentially see myself using one of the feminine derivatives or something even if it is as a by-name during appropriate situations. For instance, although I have long detested being referred to as Jaime I could possibly come around to one of the other modern forms derived from the same Latin root.

Another possibility I've considered is possibly keeping it as my forename, but adopting another middle name that I can be generally known by. I am aware of several people who, for whatever reason, are known by their middle name and frankly I generally have little need to use my name in such an official capacity that using my middle name would be inappropriate, and in those situations I would already have to contend with anxiety so really what is a little bit more particularly when it can be managed and mitigated? This method would probably require a little bit more paperwork, but I have been involved with the writing of a deed poll before so I know what I'm doing, and really the rest is just legwork to notify my university, peers, et cetera.

Of course, the last possibility I've considered is simply doing nothing. It is not totally outside the realms of the norm to present even somewhat feminine and hold the name James. I believe, although you shall have to forgive me if I have got some detail of this wrong as celebrity culture is hardly my forte, that the daughter of Ms Blake Lively & Mr Ryan Reynolds has named their daughter James largely for sentimental reasons such as my own. I'm not sure if the knowledge of this existing will at all help me construct a logical framework for negotiating with my anxiety, but I must admit it does rather muddy the waters.

If you have made it through this long, somewhat meandering rant than I would like to thank you deeply and would welcome any (civil) thoughts or comments you may possess. I realise that this is the kind of personal decision that is not particularly easy to comment on but nonetheless merely releasing this thought from my head and onto parchment - uh, electrons - shall surely help.

Tl;dr: Names are hard, irritating, and were much easier when languages had distinct rules for modifying almost any base word into another gender even if this was not a common practice for all proper nouns.

#nonbinary #transitioning #lgbtqa #agender #names #shouting into the void

[frommountainstolonestars]

Rant

Tumblr rants and raves about a lot of things. We can go on and on about just about anything. But one thing we never talk about is alcoholism.

In fact, we grow up in a world that is so unconcerned with alcoholism that we boast about how much we’ve had to drink and do drunk ask nights and we talk about how young we start. 

As a child of an alcoholic, I just... it bothers me how much society as a whole, around the world, loves alcohol. So take it from me what alcoholism does.

According to the National Institute of Alcoholism, in the U.S. alone, more than ten percent of children live with a parent with alcohol problems. About 17 million U.S. adults over 18 have or had an alcohol disorder. Nearly 80,000 people in the U.S. die from alcohol consumption daily. In 2012, over ten thousand deaths came from alcohol-induced driving. According to the Centers for Disease Control, in 2006, alcohol accounted for almost $224 billion. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

Little Darling grew up in Reno, Nevada—1,628 miles away from Denton, Texas. She was raised by a native Texan and a native Coloradoan, along with her older sister. Her childhood, while eclectic and interesting, she wouldn’t change for the world. But once seventh grade started… almost every moment she wanted to change. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

“Intoxication can impair brain function and motor skills,” states the NIH. No eight and ten-year-old should have to know that. A ten-year-old should not scream at her mother that she can fix Dad. No mother should yell back that he can’t be fixed. No ten-year-old should say, “Maybe, I can fix him.” No mother should whisper, “He’s beyond repair.” No eight-year-old should listen, all while watching their father sit in a chair, eyes glazed over and head lolling. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

“Alcoholism is a diagnosable disease characterized by a strong craving for alcohol, and/or continued use despite harm or personal injury,” the NIH says. No eight-year-old should be dragged out of class and told her father is in the hospital suffering from a heart attack. No eight-year-old should ask her mom what gall bladder surgery is. No eight-year-old should tug on their sister’s arm and ask if colon cancer can kill someone. No eleven-year-old should look up what lupus anticoagulant syndrome is. No twelve-year-old should worry about her father’s diabetes. No fifteen-year-old should listen to her mother tell her that Dad had a stroke. No seventeen-year-old should worry that her father’s diabetes may be killing him. No eighteen-year-old should count how much alcohol their father’s consumed. No twenty-year-old should wonder if alcohol is killing their dad and if he’s even going to live to his next birthday. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

The NIH states, “Alcohol abuse, which can lead to alcoholism, is a pattern of drinking that results in harm to one’s health, interpersonal relationships or ability to work.” In 2007, Richard Michael Strider was laid off from the Eureka Chemical Company because he was considered too old. He had already suffered lung embolisms, a heart attack, gall bladder surgery, colon cancer and a blood-clotting disorder. But being laid off nearly brought him to his knees. He eventually got his teaching license and went back to work, but he was not the same man he once was. His youngest, his number two, noticed. Richard was her rock; someone she could tell anything, but he pulled away. She no longer felt like Dad’s Little Darling. Alcohol seemed to have replaced her. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

In 2011, Mary Jane Strider graduated from Ryder High School and left to attend Trident University in San Angeles. Little Darling lost her new rock, her safeguard, her guardian angel, her protector and even her hero. Little Darling withdrew into herself, while still trying to express her extroverted self to the outside world. Anger became the dominate emotion. Sarcasm and cynicism became the main aspects of her personality. Sure, some of it stemmed from the brutal, often cruel, comments from her peers or all the crap that seemed to get piled on her. Most of it came from inside that twisted mind that saw more than most people thought. Part of it came from her safeguards leaving her. Little Darling was too similar to Mom to try to talk to her about anything. Reading and soccer became her outlets. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

After Richard had his stroke, it really did seem like everything changed. His Little Darling threw herself into school, soccer and reading to avoid watching her father “self-medicate.” Between the alcohol and pills he had to take, she was overly worried. At times, she hated going home, fearing verbal abuse or Mom trying to talk about the “disease.” It seemed most conversations with Mom would be superficial or centered on Dad’s problem. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

In an AP European history class, Little Darling found the most amazing escape. It was better than soccer or reading. With writing, she felt in control. The Understood was her passion. But Little Darling’s life was never really perfect. While she did not want for much or have a major problem, life still seemed to like to bite her in the ass. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

Soccer was one of her dreams… a small escape from her hectic life. She had the brain for the game and despite her small stature, she was quick and had a powerful kick. Then a small tragedy (in her mind) happened. Her right knee was destroyed. Running hurt and cutting was unbearable. In one tiny fucking moment, a passion was ripped from her and so was another connection to her father. It felt like she was thrust back under her sister’s shadow. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

Just when Little Darling felt like she’d come to terms with never being able to play soccer again, things seemed to shatter. Dad drank more, and Mom worked more. Mary Jane was so happy and Little Darling? She felt like she was suffocating. To top off her sophomore year, a stalker emerged. A ten-page love letter, countless texts/Facebook messages, a joking sister, an overbearing mother and a father who didn’t seem to give a shit only contributed to the growing anger in Little Darling. It seemed insurmountable, and it only got worse the more Richard continued to drink. Nothing got through to him. Beer after beer, and it often started at ten in the morning. His wife, Jennifer, told Little Darling to catch him in the morning before the not-quite-Dad became the reality. Alcoholic father or stalker? Did it matter anymore? “You’re either going to be alcoholic or marry one?”

The further junior year progressed, the more Little Darling noticed. She noticed the increased working hours of her mother, the increased drinking of her father, the increased demands of her stalker, the increased pressures from college and her own damned increased anger. A wall was up between her and the world, only a select few seeing the genuine girl beneath. Alone in her room with a journal and a pen was her escape from her reality. The drinking only got worse. Her stalker only got worse, leading to court. Her anger only got worse. Her mother kept offering to go to Al-Anon meetings, to see Dr. Nielsen or to get checked for depression. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

Is there ever a moment in your life that brings everything to a head? The summer between Little Darling’s junior and senior year did just that. She was with some of her best friends at a volunteer event, finally carefree after the stalker issues had been handled. A phone call from Dad changed that. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

“You need to come home right now. Something is wrong with Mom.” Words she thought would be said by her mother, completely flipped her world around. The two minute car drive seemed like an eternity, even when she was practically flooring it. The three bedroom house felt huge as she tore it apart trying to find her parents. Sitting on the back patio, clutching an empty bottle of vodka and a handful of pills was her iron-willed mother. And there was Dad, asking oh-so-calmly if she had taken any of those damned pills. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

Tears cascaded down Little Darling’s face. Her mom wanted to die. Anger and hatred warred inside her, aimed at her parents. Was it her fault that Dad wouldn’t stop drinking and Mom wanted to die? A seventeen-year-old had to figure out if her mother had taken any pills and what had caused her to do it. Her fiery blue eyes met the muted brown ones… what had he done? In that moment, he wasn’t her father. He was just a damned alcoholic. Two hours later and a panicked phone call to her savior, Aunt Carol, Little Darling called her hero. Mary Jane then chewed out Dad. She didn’t know half the shit that had gone on since she had left, just the small snippets from her breaks. Her dad often said, “Our family is open about our dysfunction.” Those words never felt more wrong. To make matters worse, the next day, they acted like it had never happened. But Little Darling knew. It was not something she’d soon forget. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

Little Darling bottled up her anger. Her senior year became a rather larger burden to carry: We the People, track, college, finding scholarships and her dysfunctional family. Some days were better than others but being in that house still hurt. The drinking would get worse and then better and then worse again, and it often felt like she had aged fifteen years in a few short months. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

She stopped inviting her Dad to school functions. She stopped inviting her friends over to the house, afraid her once tolerant father would embarrass her. His drinking had more than successfully pushed her away—1,628 miles away. People always ask her why she chose the school she did. The answer is pretty simple. She loves Texas, she’s close to her family, one of her aunt’s is an alumni and they have an incredible journalism program. But more than part of the truth is, it got her away from the toxicity of his drinking. It is far enough away without being too far from her friends and sister. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

I am not the only one affected by alcoholism, and if some mild verbal abuse is the worst I get, I’m happy. I’ve been to a few Al-Anon meetings; most kids have two alcoholic parents and are on their way to becoming one. Money goes to booze, they were physically abused and some even live in poverty. What more can I say? Mom always says it’s a disease. I get it; I always have. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

It may not seem like a big deal to a lot of people, but to those who have experienced it, it is torture. It feels like a life or death moment, more often than not. We go through life not entirely sure if one day to the next it’ll change, and they’ll finally accept help. It affects everyone around us. It’s terrifying and almost feels like a fat man is sitting on our chests. Yet, we can’t escape it. It’s in our dreams, and it’s in our genes. It literally feels like it’s everywhere. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

The question now is: how does this affect society? Look at the statistics on alcoholism. People binge drink and start doing so at earlier and earlier ages. Prohibition didn’t stop it and an age limit doesn’t either. People drink, and I understand that. But when a couple of drinks with friends turns into a couple of more drinks alone, there’s a serious problem. When you start drinking at ten in the morning, there’s a problem. The solution isn’t easy, and there may not even be one. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

The government has tried and failed to implement restrictions on alcohol and frighteningly, underage drinking has gone up, instead of decreasing. So what do we do about it? My university and other colleges such as the one in my hometown have started alcohol education programs for incoming freshmen. While these programs are informative and mandatory, it doesn’t prevent underage drinking. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

High schools often bring in survivors or parents of drunk driving accidents, but that just scares us into not drinking and driving. The sad truth is that the U.S. tiptoes around the very word “alcoholism.” They often make jokes about it. I’ve seen shirts that say, “I’m not an alcoholic; they go to meetings.” Parents don’t educate their children on it, and there’s something wrong with that. I honestly don’t think there’s any easy fix to the problem. However, I do suggest we find a way to do something about it. In health classes, there needs to be a section devoted to alcohol abuse. Colleges need to implement something other than an online course (maybe a mandatory meeting at orientations), and parents need to start to take an initiative on educating their kids. Seventeen million alcoholics are in the U.S., and there’s not a whole lot we’re doing to stop it. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

Society tends to look at issues and come to the conclusion that laws will fix them. The U.S. has the all-or-nothing mentality a lot of the time. The few laws banning and restricting alcohol don’t seem to work. I’m not saying we set a cap on how much a person consumes or what they’re allowed to do with their lives. Somehow, in some way, we need to make alcoholism more prevalent than “don’t drink and drive.” It’s become such a joke to people. AA doesn’t seem like it works for many individuals. The fact is when I’ve seen shirts, jokes and mugs all mocking it, something is truly wrong. Alcoholism has become something to laugh at and about. It’s almost like, “Oh! That’s your worst problem. Well, I have this, that and the other. I’m much worse off than you and your alcohol thing.” Until you’ve lived with someone who is slowly killing themselves, you shouldn’t say a damn thing. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

I keep coming back to how we can fix this problem. The terrifying truth is… we can’t. Much like with any other social issue, the first step is having the alcoholics heal themselves. And the truth is, most do not want to do even that. We cannot help those who do not want to be helped. Maybe, the biggest change will come with the children of alcoholics. But so far, we do not see that. Many of these children become alcoholics themselves or cannot get away from other alcoholics. And now, I watch my sister drink excessively and wonder if she’ll be like him. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

As I sit in front of my computer, trying to solve this issue, I know that I can’t. We can continue to make children aware of alcohol abuse, but nothing is going to stop it. As for myself? I know I won’t underage drink… I may never drink. It’s on both sides of my family, and I’ve watched it slowly tear my family apart. “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

Moving 1,628 miles away doesn’t absolve me of the problem. It’s still there. It’s still here, inside of me. Awareness may be the first step to solving this horrible problem. Because, honestly, no eight-year-old, no twelve-year-old, no fourteen, fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen or twenty-year-old should have their mom tell them, “You’re either going to be an alcoholic or marry one.”

Maybe, I will, but it’s my turn to decide what I will do with my life. I’m not surrounded by the alcohol abuse anymore. I’m not told day in and day out about being or marrying one. Maybe, I’ll change the way we view alcoholism. The solution is to break from the mold, be aware what “disease” you carry and learn the steps to prevent it. Because I am not an alcoholic, and I refuse to marry one.

#about me #delete later #alcohol #alcoholism

[evenstevensranked]

#31: Season 1, Episode 2 - “Stevens Genes”

Louis makes the track team! Not only that, he’s poised to be the new star runner! The only problem is that Louis runs as slow as a sloth. Sound confusing? Well, it’s all part of Larry Beale’s plan to set him up for failure and humiliation. 

It’s only the second episode of the entire series and things are already starting to pick up amazingly. This episode is packed with memorable and quotable lines, many of which I still use to this day. This one continues with the theme established from day one: Louis trying to discover something he’s good at. I love this theme. It makes for some awesome character growth and it works really well here! 

It opens with Coach Tugnut rallying up the boys in gym class, announcing that there’s an open spot on the track team. This of course, somehow segues into him worshiping Donnie Stevens and ranting about how much of a legend he is and what an asset he once was to the track team. Well, to every team actually. If Ren is the academic overachiever, Donnie is the athletic overachiever. Tugnut yells at the class army style to turn right and bow their heads. We then get a shot of this giant mural dedicated to Donnie excelling at every sport ever with patriotic music playing in the background. It’s incredible. It also includes one of the greatest unspoken quotes ever: 

Donnie needs to give a TED Talk. Stat. 

While this Donnie praise is happening, they make a point to show Larry Beale -- who I’m assuming is Coach Tugnut’s assistant since he’s not in Grade 7, looking visibly disgusted. He mumbles “Donnie Stevens is over. It’s my turn now” to himself. Oh, boy. 

They head out to the track to do some timed sprints. Of course, Larry is the one with the stopwatch. Larry’s sort of taunting all the kids trying to motivate them to run faster. When it’s Louis’ turn we get a line that always gets a laugh out of me: 

The thought of Louis “running” slow enough to take days to reach point B is great. Gotta love his self-awareness.

To everyone’s surprise, Louis is extremely fast. Even faster than Donnie’s best time. Could this be Louis’ “thing” he’s good at?! Don’t get your hopes up. Larry purposely clocked his time in at 18.25 seconds... which is probably a good 8-10 seconds before Louis actually finished lol. Tugnut is shocked and gives Louis the vacant spot on the team immediately. 

Tugnut is totally kissing Louis’ butt now because he thinks he’s carrying on the Stevens Dynasty. Louis is seriously amazed that he’s so fast!! “I always knew you had it in you!!” Tugnut tells him. And then we get yet another line I love: 

Legendary save, Tugnut. Legendary save. I literally use this quote whenever the opportunity arises.

Louis starts hanging out with Donnie more to get some sports advice. Donnie suggests the most ridiculous things like putting mousse in your hair for aerodynamic-ness and shaving your legs to run like the wind. Which results in a line you’ve undoubtedly heard: “Donnie, I’m running track -- not modeling pantyhose.” 

We see that Ren has been assigned to cover sports for the school newspaper. She discovers that Louis made the track team, and is immediately suspicious. I’d be too, tbh. I mean, this is the same kid who gets cramped up and winded just from tying his shoes. Louis is pretty excited about this new-found talent, though. He’s finally starting to feel like a true member of the Stevens family. Naturally, this goes to his head and he’s already dreaming of becoming a multimillionaire Olympic athlete:

Do athletes just stand in the middle of a packed arena and get handed giant checks for 40 mil? Like... is that a thing? Not to mention, the check is from “Hoop Stars” and clearly shows a basketball player logo. Okay. 

Around this point, we start to see Louis succumbing to peer pressure a bit. This happens a few more times throughout the series. Yet another symptom of desperately wanting to fit into his family. He ditches Tawny and Twitty at lunch to hang out with Larry and the popular jocks. 

Larry is so fake. Louis is so pure. I’m so sad. 

Ren stops by to get a quote from Louis about the big meet against Rockport and he gives the most awkwardly ridiculous and overdramatic statement. That patriotic music we heard earlier kicks in again. It’s great. The cherry on top is when he mispronounces Rockport “Rock-a-por.”

Later that day before practice, Louis takes Donnie’s mousse advice a little too far:

You’ve probably seen gifs from this scene. (Especially the gif version of the photo I chose for the cover picture.) 

He shows up to practice feelin’ all suave with his moussed-to-death hair. There’s a “Staying Alive” knock-off playing as he walks towards the track. I actually love that this show basically never got the rights to use the legitimate songs. It sort of makes everything funnier, imo. That, and Disney Channel is cheap apparently and don’t permanently pay for the rights to popular songs. Dunno if I mentioned this before, but Lizzie McGuire was pretty much the channel’s most popular show and was super trendy/caught up in Early 00′s pop culture. Therefore, that show used SO MANY official songs. 16 years later, almost all of those songs are missing in the reruns and replaced with terrible stock music. An iconic scene like the “Us Against The World” music video is not nearly as impactful or nostalgic because they’re dancing to generic techno music now. It SUCKS. So, thank god Even Stevens never used any. Their stock music sort of works subconsciously. The song used here is totally not “Staying Alive” -- but it’s juuust close enough that it triggers your brain and you remember it as “Staying Alive.” Kinda cool. 

Side note: It’s so difficult to not quote almost every line of this episode. There are so many good ones, I have to keep stopping myself from typing out a freaking transcript. 

Anyway, Ren observes Louis and Larry practicing and it’s crystal clear that Larry is holding back for whatever reason. 

Be a little less obvious, Larry. Also, sorry for all the gifs. I can’t help myself. 

Ren puts the pieces together and figures out what Larry is up to. His plan is to set Louis up to fail big time at the meet. That way when he beats Louis, he’ll be able to gloat about beating “the fastest Stevens of all!” Makes sense. Ren tries telling Louis, but of course, he doesn’t believe her........ WE GO THROUGH THIS AGAIN ONE EPISODE LATER IN WHAT’LL IDOL DO, JUST REVERSED. God. Siblings not believing each other drives me insaaaane. I understand where Louis’ unwillingness to believe is coming from though. He insists that Larry is Ren’s enemy, not his, and he’s just so excited to finally have something to be good at. It breaks my heart. 

Ren later apologizes and tells Louis that she’s proud of him. Louis rants again about everyone in the family having their “thing” and now that he’s found his he’s not gonna let anyone take it away. But, Ren tells him “You HAVE your thing. You’re... funny.” *Cue the emotional piano. Literally.* You can tell those words really mean a lot to him. 

We’ve made it to the big track meet. Coach Tugnut gives the guys possibly the greatest motivational words ever: “Remember, it’s not whether you win or lose -- as long as you come in first.” Perfect. There’s also a great bit here where Donnie is stretching Louis’ leg and asks him when the last time he stretched was. Louis is clearly in pain and says “I don’t have a schedule with me right now... but if I were to guess..... uhh.... NEVER?!” - This is so me. I’ve also used that quote before. 

We learn that Louis’ main rival is some dude Trevor Dunn. As the runners take off, both Trevor and Larry dramatically fall halfway to the finish line. Victory is within Louis’ reach... If he just keeps running, he’ll totally win! But what does he do?! He runs over to help them instead. The sucky thing is, Larry faked his injury and pulls Louis to the ground like “lol got ya” and wins the race. Louis stays behind and comforts Trevor, who has an actual sprained ankle. What a sweetheart. Louis is cracking jokes (”Talk about the agony of da-feet. Please, no standing ovations.”) and making Trevor laugh pretty hard. So, Trevor casually says “You’re funny.” :’) This time it means so much more coming from someone who’s not his sister. 

Even though Larry won, the entire crowd is cheering “LOUIS, LOUIS!” for his good deed. Larry is fuming. 

The final scene is a sweet mirror talk. I think I’ve mentioned enough how much I love and miss these. This one is a favorite of mine: 

"The best thing that happened to me today? A kid called me funny. And as much as I like being on the track team and hanging out with my brother... I like being funny more."

This is so heartwarming. Because it’s obvious that comedy is truly his "thing." It’s nice to see him accept that. (Even though he still struggles later on.) This is another parallel with Shia, I think. He has suuuch a natural gift for comedy. I want him to embrace it more these days!!! *sigh* Plz god.

Louis also ends up getting Student of the Month and his picture is adorable lol

I really, really like this episode. 

I feel like most people remember this one pretty well. If you watched Disney Channel during Even Stevens’ original run, then you most definitely remember a slew of quotes. Its quotability is the main reason I’ve ranked this towards the higher end of the list. I also have a soft spot for this episode in general and there’s some nice character development as well.

Like I’ve mentioned before, Disney hammers the first few episodes of a show into the freaking ground. I swear I’ve seen the same few episodes of Andi Mack and Raven’s Home on TV every single day since they premiered. That’s basically what they did with Even Stevens, too. It’s part of what makes Season 1 particularly memorable at times. There really isn’t much that I dislike about this one. Like most S1 episodes, it’s just a little slower. Since it’s super early in the series, the overall plot feels very Late 90′s Disney Channel. Similar to All About Yvette. (I feel like I bring that episode up constantly lol) There’s just a certain pure, old school, generic quality to it that simply cannot be accurately explained and somehow makes me feel a little neutral about it.

That being said, this is only EPISODE 2!!!! Considering that, it’s top-notch honestly. Right out the gate, we’re getting to see more sides to Louis Stevens. Naïve, arrogant/head in the clouds, caring, funny. And of course, we ultimately see what a good kid at heart he is. And boy, do I love to see that. :D

Thanks fo’ readin. 

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#rank #even stevens #season 1 #stevens genes #shia labeouf #louis stevens #ren stevens #larry beale #comedy #disney channel #review #tv #mirror talk #tv show #tv shows #old disney #christy carlson romano #eric ty hodges #coach tugnut #quotes #louis the aspiring comedian

[ramajmedia]

13 Reasons Why's Biggest Controversies (So Far) | Screen Rant

13 Reasons Why prides itself on tackling difficult issues head on, but its approach has resulted in many controversies. Based on Jay Asher's novel of the same name, 13 Reasons Why arrived on Netflix in 2017. Its first season told the story of Hannah Baker's suicide, through a series of flashbacks which detailed the "13 reasons why" she had taken her own life.

Those reasons included a culture of bullying and drugs at her school, which resulted in many students making poor decisions and then trying to deal with the regrettable consequences. They also included rape, and the revelation that Hannah and her friend, Jessica, had both been raped by the football captain, Bryce Walker. Not only were many of the scenes triggering for viewers, but Hannah's suicide was shown in graphic detail, prompting an outcry across social media.

Related: What To Expect From 13 Reasons Why Season 4

13 Reasons Why came back for a second season, and this time the controversial topics handled included sexual assault and school shootings. Still undeterred by yet more uproar, 13 Reasons Why season 3 has also seen a new character getting involved with a known rapist, and someone being framed for murder. With such a divisive show it can be difficult to keep track of what the backlash is about, so here are 13 Reasons Why's biggest controversies (so far).

Hannah's Suicide

Undoubtedly the biggest controversy 13 Reasons Why has faced was its decision to show Hannah Baker's suicide in graphic detail. The storyline had already caused outcry, with many parenting groups claiming that it would influence impressionable teenagers, and that it glamorized suicide. Showrunner Brian Yorkey and the cast all defended the show, stating that they were trying to promote conversation between adults and teens, and teaching about the power of seeking help.

However, after advice from medical experts, Netflix made the decision to remove the controversial scene in which Hannah takes her own life, two years after it first aired. The two sides of the argument both have valid points; for anyone contemplating suicide, the scene could prove to be a fatal trigger. On the other hand, the visible pain that Hannah went through could easily serve as a strong deterrent to anyone who thought suicide was an easy way out. Arguably, though, the scene that served as the biggest deterrent of all was Hannah's mother discovering her daughter's body.

Related: 13 Reasons Why Star Thinks Season 1's Suicide Scene Earned Undue Hatred

The Rape Of Hannah, Jessica, and Chloe

Another major criticism of 13 Reasons Why season 1 was its depiction of sexual violence, most specifically the rape of Jessica and Hannah by Bryce. Again, the showrunners defended the choice by saying it was highlighting an important topic that wasn't spoken about enough. While it's easy to agree that we should be discussing the matters of consent, peer pressure and rape with our teens, 13 Reasons Why focused much more on the behavior of Bryce, the perpetrator, rather than the impact his actions had on his victims. Not only did 13 Reasons Why do this in season 1, it also did the same in season 2, when Bryce went on to rape Chloe, his girlfriend at the time.

Drug Culture

Drugs are part of high school life, and that's an unavoidable fact. However, they're certainly not something that every teenager does, and certainly not in the quantities or with the reckless abandon as depicted in 13 Reasons Why. Bryce Walker is rich, and obviously has disposable income, but we're also supposed to believe that Justin, who has been abandoned by his family and is not wealthy, has the means to be a drug addict. 13 Reasons Why seems to think every teenage gathering automatically involves heavy drug use, especially from the football team, who are supposed to be the best athletes in the school. It's another instance of the show focusing on the negative aspect of school life, rather than the promise of a bright future for these kids.

Bullying and Jock Culture

Bullying, and the toxic male dominated sports culture at Liberty High, is a major factor across 13 Reasons Why. Hannah was relentlessly bullied, and it seems as though getting slammed into lockers by a footballer is just par for the course for most. Again, one could argue that 13 Reasons Why is highlighting a major issue with our schools, and that could be admirable. But it's 13 Reason's Why's failure to address it that's the issue. It's not until season 3 that we actually see a fairly supportive principal allowing Jessica to give a school assembly based on the #MeToo movement. There's no discipline strategy in place to deal with the bullying, we are not shown the consequences of the jock behavior, and so the show fails to highlight the issue in a useful way at all. If anything, it merely promotes the fact that if you're a straight white male sports player in school, you can get away with pretty much anything.

Tyler's Assault

Another victim of the continual bullying, is Tyler Down. An outcast from the very start, 13 Reasons Why has followed Tyler's journey from a quiet photography student to arriving fully armed to the Spring dance. The school has turned a blind eye to all of Tyler's troubles; surprising given how overtly he was bullied. Monty, a member of the football team, was a continual thorn in Tyler's side, making his life worse and worse until it all culminated in a horrific physical and sexual assault. The extremely graphic depiction of Tyler being sodomized with a broom handle and badly beaten was a very difficult watch. Unsurprisingly, it sparked outrage, and the warning that preceded the show didn't feel like enough.

Related: Every Song In 13 Reasons Why Season 3

Tyler's Attempted Shooting

The debate over gun control in America has been raging for some time now, and sadly, school shootings are frequent occurrences. Arguably, then, 13 Reason's Why's decision to have Tyler attempt a mass shooting was merely raising discussion and awareness of an issue that affects most American school kids - but again, it was the way the show dealt with it that cause the issue. Tyler arrived at his decision based on the assault he had suffered and the culmination of long-standing bullying. However, there was no detailed look at the state of Tyler's mental health when he made his choice, just like there wasn't with Hannah when she took her own life.

The way the attempted shooting scene played out, in the finale of season 2, was badly handled. Clay Jensen stepped in front of Tyler's gun and talked him out of going through with it, before Tony and Clay together removed Tyler from the scene of the crime and then disposed of his guns. As if that wasn't enough, in season 3 it becomes clear that rather than letting anyone find out about Tyler's attempt, Clay and his friends take turns in looking after Tyler so that he is never alone. The implication that a group of 17 year old kids can handle the ramifications of an attempted mass shooting, as well as provide adequate after care for a mentally unwell peer, is a dangerous one.

Related: Study Connects Netflix's 13 Reasons Why With Increase in Youth Suicides

Bryce's Probation

When Hannah's tapes, detailing her 13 reasons, were released, everyone got to hear Bryce's confession. Clay had secretly recorded him admitting that he raped Hannah and Jessica, and season 2 found him on trial. Of course, while he was on the stand, it was actually Jessica who had to endure the real trial, being labeled a slut and being told she was asking for it. Bryce was depicted as a star athlete, from a good home, and a student whose college chances would be ruined if convicted of rape. The result was that he received a paltry 3 month probation term for his crimes, while Jessica (and subsequently Chloe) had to live with what he did to them. It was too late for Hannah. Although his sentence caused controversy and anger among fans, sadly it's all too often reflected in court rooms for real.

Related: 13 Reasons Why: Who Killed Bryce Walker & Their Motive Explained

Ani's Relationship With Bryce

The introduction of Ani in season 3 was met with such fierce backlash from fans that Grace Saif, who plays Ani, was forced to quit social media. While hounding an actress who plays a fictional character is completely wrong, it's easy to see why the character of Ani was detested so much. First of all, she stuck herself right in the middle of the problems that Clay and his friends were dealing with, despite not knowing their shared history. Her lack of sensitivity was astounding, like asking Chloe if Bryce had been aware she was pregnant, right after they'd met. She also worked her way into Jessica's life, counselling her on her rape and recovery, all the while courting a relationship with the very man who had already raped 3 girls.

The whole purpose of the character seemed to be humanizing the despicable actions of Bryce Walker, and since Bryce never seemed to have any redeeming features, it was too little, too late, Plus, Ani seemed more concerned with making sure someone went down for Bryce's murder than his actual demise. When Clay looked to be in the frame, Ani set about trying to pin the blame on someone else - the wrong person.

Monty's Season 3 Story Arc

Monty was an inherently unlikable character from the start. He spent most of 13 Reasons Why season 1 playing suck-up to Bryce and learning his habits and behaviors, which made him become an entitled bully. It was season 2 where Monty became more of a character in his own right, and like his mentor, there was not a redeeming feature in sight. He bullied Tyler endlessly, assaulted and violated him, and, as it seemed for much of season 3, got away with it. As it turned out, Monty had a secret: he was gay, and struggling to come to terms with his own sexuality. When Tyler managed to seek help for his assault, Monty was arrested and imprisoned, and was subsequently killed in his cell. At the same time, Ani successfully (for now) pinned Bryce's murder on him, even though he had an alibi; he was sleeping with a student from another school at the time. Monty is now dead, and we won't get to see the character learning to come to terms with his sexuality, or dealing with the consequences of his actions. Like so many stoylines in 13 Reasons Why, this controversial episode is once more skipped over with no real lessons learned.

Next: 13 Reasons Why Season 3's Monty Twist Explained

source https://screenrant.com/13-reasons-why-controversy-explained/

#screenrant

[tiffstudies]

10 easy ways to get organised for 2017!

Hi everyone! Another year has gone by (too quickly if you ask me), and it’s time to make this one a better year than the last. I think this is my first massive text post about study and my personal tips so here goes!

Write down the things you wish to accomplish this year. This is so important to ensure that you don’t lose track and go on the wrong path throughout the year. Discover what YOU really want to have done this year, and that you will feel proud of at the end of the year when reflecting on 2017. Set goals for things that you can go “omg I can’t believe I actually did that this year, now I can do anything I set my mind to!” Even if it’s binge watching your favourite show I’m not complaining hehehe…

Get a goddamn 2017 planner or bullet journal OR BOTH! It is so so so very important to develop amazing organisational skills, especially whilst we are still studying in schools or university. It is up to you as to what method you want to use to attack everything the year throws at you. This year, I personally have opted for BOTH a 2017 planner and bullet journal. The bullet journal I use is this one, with the dotted pages inside. I cannot express how much I love my bullet journal. It is a great way to procrastinate doing work lol, but it makes you feel good when you step back and look at the spread you made for the week. Plus, showing it off to your friends doesn’t hurt ;) My bullet journal is also fantastic because in 2016, I only used half of it! So now I don’t have to go and buy a new one for 2017! And it will hold ALL of the stuff I had to do in my final two senior years of high school - what a memory :’) Now for the 2017 planner. I was very grateful to receive this 2017 planner for Christmas! IT. IS. HOLOGRAPHIC. LIKE WHAAAAAAAAT ?! It is so beautiful and unlike what the website shows you, it is actually a week to a double page spread. So I use this for any events I have on e.g. outings, driving lessons, important due dates, birthdays.  It allows me to plan ahead! Something that you can’t really do with bullet journals. So I highly recommend using both!!!

Get a 2017 wall planner!!! This is another great way to plan ahead with future events, and see it all laid out in front of you. Unfortunately I don’t have a link for this as I don’t purchase any wall planners since my tutor gives them to me (gotta love freebies). I  recommend printing out these FREE monthly calendars (made by the kind Ariadne), as they have enough space for your basic events, but I still prefer 2017 as a whole year wall planner as I usually highlight my exam periods in a bright green highlighter, and usually exam periods do go across months. So all in all, its just easier to see :)

Try to start detaching yourself from social media. I know I know, you’re probably thinking “WTF TIFF I CAN’T GET RID OF ALL MY SOCIAL MEDIA ACCOUNTS!! I LIVE AND BREATHE ON THEM!” That’s even more reason to get rid of it!!! I am the kind of person who is DEFINITELY attached to the ‘going-ons’ of the world and more importantly - my social circle. Last year during my first assessment period for my last year of schooling, I made the decision to delete my snapchat account and temporarily disable my instagram account. It was such a good decision. I was able to focus more and not get distracted as easily, and based on all the results I have received thus far, it was worth it. I am slowly learning that I don’t need to snapchat everyone about what I am currently doing, and that I need to learn to live in the moment more instead of just being on my phone. For the past half a year (?) I have also turned off all notifications for my social media (except tumblr of course haha) so that I only go on the apps/sites when I absolutely NEED to. No notifications allows me to focus more on the task at hand. So no, you don’t need to stop using social media ENTIRELY, because I know that I can’t. Just try becoming less reliant upon it. Unfollow people who are unhealthy role models to you. Delete irrelevant photos and posts. It feels so good - trust me. If all else fails, try use a blocker for social media/sites you visit often! I don’t use one, but here is one that I found on google.

Download this bomb ass Google Chrome extension. If you have not heard of ‘Momentum’ yet, are are not using it, drop everything and download it right now. Firstly, the background photographs are just breathtaking and make me (and hopefully you) feel so happy. Secondly, you can type up all the tasks you have to do. So that’s one point to organisation! Thirdly, it has really nice quotes daily which may inspire you to do something great, or y’know… to use in your bullet journal spread ;) Finally, IT IS AESTHETIC AS HECK OK SHOW OFF YOUR LAPTOP TO YOUR FRIENDS they will be all ooOOoOOOOOO

Drink lots of water. It is a fact. We are made of water. Our brains require water. No water? Brain doesn’t work properly. That ain’t good for our studying!!!  Please always bring water with you everywhere you go. If you are one of those people who are conscious of peeing lots, please don’t be! It is a healthy sign that toxins are being flushed out of your body. Water can also help keep your skin looking bright and clear, and not dull and dead from the lack of sleep we get from late night studying.

Reflect daily. Reflecting upon each day is really important and encourages mindful thinking. We often do so many things without thinking and appreciating it. So to help me with this, in 2016 I invested in two beautiful journals by kikki-k. I got this ‘The Highlight Of My Day’ book (which I don’t think is sold anymore sorry!). I also bought this ‘A Sentence A Day’ journal from their minimalistic range (this is also not sold anymore, but I’ve linked an alternative from their current range). They run over the span of 3 years, and I think it’s really cute how I get to see what I was thinking/doing the previous year!

Find some good tunes to get you in the mood for studying. I find that I really really really need music to get me pumping and in the right mindset to smash through all the work set out for me. If you want to find out what music I’m into, feel free to follow my spotify here.

Surround yourself with positive people. By doing so, you’ll be creating a positive environment for yourself, putting you in the right mood and mindset to carry on with your studies.  It took me 3-4 of my high school years to finally find where I fit in, and surround myself with people who are supportive of me. I admit that my friend group has changed from 15 people to around 3 (incl. me). But things happen, and it was just a process of each of us finding our way and to what groups we truly belong to.  The two best friends I primarily hang out with at school I also study with, and we support each other with our problems when we rant or math problems! In addition to these two people, there are another two best friends I hang out with and talk to often, but we don’t sit with each other at school. And then there are a few 5 other people I talk to with other issues.  I know it took a while, but I am truly content with the relationships I have.

Try your hardest. This is the most important of all. In our schooling years, there is inevitably pressure from peers and family as to what we have to achieve. This can have negative impacts upon mental health, and that obviously isn’t good for our studies.  So PLEASE listen to me when I say that it is okay if you don’t achieve what you set out to do, as long as you know that you’ve tried your hardest. We spend so much time proving ourselves to others by the things we do, it is important that we also prove how absolutely amazing individuals we are to ourselves - please don’t ever forget that.

Okay! I’m finally done! I hope that these tips + links + personal stories will inspire you all to do great things this year. Yes, there will be setbacks, but we are all very strong individuals who will pull ourselves together and try again. I wish you all the best for your studies this year! We can do this!

#studyblr #elkstudies #mine #organisation #studyspiration #study motivation #study tumblr #tiffstudies #tt-studycorner

[tbhstudying1]

from for the dreams i want to catch http://ift.tt/2nxROc4 via See More

The Honest Guide on Preparing for College

I thought it’d be cool and useful to give you guys an “Honest Guide on Preparing for College.” It has all the things you may already know, and then also some things you perhaps don’t. And a bunch of tips that are helpful for preparing for college, but also during college. I’ve been working on this post for months, adding few new tips every now and then so hopefully you guys like it and find it useful! :) I may add more tips from time to time, I’m not sure.

Suffer from acne? Visit a dermatologist to get it under control ASAP. The earlier you start, the earlier you’ll see results! And trust me, you’ll be going bare-faced a lot in college. At least twice a day- morning & night. And you’ll always want to look and feel your best! It sucks to be self-conscious.

Figure out a rough guideline of your morning/ night routine. Your college routine is usually not going to be the exact same as your home routine. Ie: Make up will probably be done in your room, not in the bathroom. If you use makeup often, consider buying a vanity mirror! Very useful. 

You won’t need binders. I brought 3 (1-inch) in case and I hardly use one. It’s more useful to have individual folders for each class. Or even those notebook with tabs inside to hold papers. The point being, the way you organize your work is different in high school. You’re not going to the same 5 periods everyday in college. You have classes that meet MWF, and TTh, etc.

Don’t forget to bring college essentials! Refer to my two posts here (”College Essential Hacks”) and here (”Things I Forgot/ Nearly Forgot to Bring to College”. 

Invest in make-up. In high school, I never wore make-up but now I often wear mascara and light lipstick! I spent countless trips figuring out what shade was best for me and trying out different products. Would’ve been easier to just do this in the comfort of my own home than in college! I’m still a make-up noob though, haha. I can’t even figure out how to apply eyeliner confidently!

Bring clothes you’ll actually wear. 1/3 of the clothes I’ve brought to college were never worn… They just took up closet space!

Bring formal clothes too. You never know what events you’ll go to (including sorority rush, galas, etc). Don’t forget a good pair (or two) of shoes for the outfit!

Realize that the first month-ish of school is the prime time to make new friends. People are more open to making new friends and are more friendly and receptive. Make the most of this!!! I can not stress this enough! Remember that first impressions can stick, so be especially graceful during this period. I would even go so far as to say that you should try to go out to a party in the first few weeks of school for two reasons…. 1) You can see if you fit with the party scene and if you enjoy it. 2) When you attend events early on, people will assume you’re down to go for the rest of the semester and you’ll get invites. (Which you can turn down, of course.)

Keep in touch with old friends! Seriously. Don’t just make new college friends and forget about your old high school friends. Keep in touch! Message them regularly and keep them in the loop! It might seem like a lot of work to message them all the details about something, especially when they are unfamiliar with the people so you have to describe it a lot (Wait, who’s Jim again? What’s your roommate’s name again? etc), but it’s so rewarding to have an old, familiar friend with you as you both experience college together, but separately.

Know your schedule and be on top of this. Be organized. I recommend a planner and also having a print out of your weekly schedule that has your classes and other time commitments. I actually drew my weekly schedule and hung it by my desk. It not only helps me visualize my week, but also lets my roommates know when to expect me. I also use a calendar app very diligently. Whenever I commit to an event, I immediately put it into my calendars (the app, and also my physical calendar in my room). I also inputted the dates and times of my exams/ important assignments from the get-go so I wouldn’t be surprised about when they were. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND INPUTTING THE DATES OF YOUR EXAMS AND DUE DATES OF PAPERS, ETC INTO YOUR CALENDAR ASAP!!!!!!!!

Keep in touch with family. Similar reasoning with #9. But basically, your parents and siblings have lived with you all of your life. They’ll miss you. Text them, call them, facetime them once in a while. Send them a postcard. Buy them college gear. Do little things like this; they’ll really appreciate it!

Don’t be so uptight and remember to be grateful. I feel like I’ve matured greatly in college. I used to have these crazy-high expectations about friendships and stuff, and now, it’s not that I have absurdly low expectations, but I just don’t take everything for granted. I am grateful for anything and everything my friends do for me. They bought me Chipotle? Aww. They reminded me about the review session? So sweet. Basically, don’t take things for granted.

Don’t be that one annoying friend. You know who you are. College is a time where you can really ‘reinvent’ yourself and you should really try to be a ‘better you’ during college. Here are some traits I find annoying, personally… An annoying friend is one who does any or all of these things:

“Forget” to pay a friend back for spotting you. Seriously, we all hate that person who does this and we all really respect that person who is really diligent about paying back someone. So take note. Everyone is on a tight budget in college.

Rants all the time. If you’re ranting all the time and your friend is just listening, you have yourself a freaking awesome friend. Just remember that friendship means you can rant, and your friend can rant back. It’s a two-way street.

Tries to peer pressure others into doing something they like. Okay, I get that you drink and smoke a lot. But you don’t need to feel the urge to ‘convert’ me to doing the same. No means no.

Always bails or is flaky. Freaking annoying.

Takes things too far. We all have that one friend who takes things too far and doesn’t know when to stop….

Too sensitive… But we also may have an uber-sensitive friend who always holds grudges and is a grumpy cat. 

Don’t skip class. Seriously. It doesn’t matter if the lecture is posted online, or if you’ll just get notes from a friend. Or if you already ‘know’ what’s being taught. Just go. Skipping class = lower grades = lower GPA = unhappy you.

Be willing to try new things. This can vary to an extent from person to person. It can be as crazy as asking someone out or trying new food. College is a time of growth, new experiences, and fun times. HOWEVER, don’t do anything that will harm yourself. None of this “yolo” mantra please.

Bring a lot of undies. Shirts and pants can be reworn more than once (within reason), but undies can’t. So save yourself from doing laundry all the time and bring a lot of undies.

Learn to let things go. I used to be that person who held onto grudges. But since starting college, I’ve really begun to realize that life is so much more fun and enjoyable if you don’t let the little things faze you. Learn to let it go. Don’t let what that rude guy said to you this morning stick with you for the whole day. Who cares if you asked someone out and it failed? You don’t need them anyway! You’re too fabulous for them to handle! 

Learn to be confident in yourself. “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You “- Dr Seuss. Over the years, I’ve found that I’ve grown much more confident and independent. I love it.

Learn how to socialize and be a great conversationalist. Smile and actually pay attention to what they’re saying. Remember what they said and bring it up the next time you see them. Hey, how was your lunch at Gypsy’s with John? It makes people feel special and nice. Use their names in the conversation as often as you can (without it sounding totally awkward and weird). People like hearing their names in conversation. [Btw, I read these facts on a Time article somewhere so its legit.]. People don’t remember what you say, but they remember how you made them feel. So make them feel loved and appreciated. Laugh.

Live and learn through your mistakes. No one’s perfect. So what if you bombed your first midterm? It’s the first of many. Pick yourself up and study harder for the next one. Don’t get all beaten up.

Consider bringing your AP study guide books to college. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve opened my AP Calculus review book from Princeton Review to review and look up things.

Keep track of your meal points. I frequently hear people saying they always have leftover meal points at the end of the year, but maybe it’s because I like to buy a lot of snacks, but I was actually behind on points for half the semester. It’s no big deal–I can easily add more points–, but just don’t be under the illusion that you have unlimited amount of points and can buy whatever you want. Be smart about rationing off your points.

Don’t let one midterm grade affect you. Yeah, you failed that midterm. So what? Just do well on the next ones. There’s nothing you can do about your midterm grade–you can only improve yourself for the future. Have a good cry, rant to friends, watch some Netflix–and then realize the changes you have to make and enforce the changes. 

Pick classes that you’ll enjoy. Don’t pick morning classes (if you can help it) if you’re not a morning person. Don’t take a Drawing/ Painting class if you’re not an artsy person for your Visual Arts requirement–there’s classes like Art History or stuff like that. Be reasonable about the classes you take and how much workload you know you can handle. Not everyone is the same.

Go see your adviser from time to time. Just to make sure you’re on track! Work out a 4-year plan. You don’t want to have any surprises later down the road!

Be careful with labels. Like “best friend” or “favorite person”. Sometimes, these can lead people on unintentionally and you’ll get yourself in awkward and uncomfortable situations where they like you but you don’t like them or something. I learned that it’s just best to call people your “friends” and unless you are really bonded with a person, then call them your best friend. But honestly, if you two are best friends, you kinda just know you are each other’s best friend–it’s a mutual feeling and it doesn’t really need to be said or labeled. I think it’s just best to rid yourself of using labels, honestly. Terms that imply exclusivity can sometimes lead people on. I think you should have a self-check with yourself every month or two and go like, “Okay, where am I at? I really like where I am right now. I could improve on this… etc etc. Let’s see the friends I’m close to… Do I think any of them likes me? I don’t want to unintentionally lead them on.” Just stuff like that.

Understand your finances for college. Including scholarships, how much you’re paying, how much you’re working (if applicable), etc. Just be on top of all your money stuff! 

Don’t go out and eat out a lot. I ate out a lot during freshman year. Too much. I had no regrets during the moment but now looking back, I just imagine all of the money I could’ve saved if I didn’t eat out…. :( You can save so much money by reducing how much you eat out.

Be financially conscious and be mindful of how much you spend. There are plenty of hangouts you and your friends can do that don’t require money or that much money. Examples: movie nights, picnics, checking out the campus botanical garden, going sightseeing in the city, cooking dinner together, etc. Just because it costs money doesn’t mean it will always be fun, memorable or worth it–something to remind yourself of! In addition, shoot for quality over quantity. Buy a $50 pair of Rainbows sandals that will last for years, instead of flimsy, cheaply made sandals that will break after a couple of uses. Splurge on that North Face jacket–you’ll be wearing it a lot and it’s versatile and will last you years. Now that I buy groceries and cook for myself, I’ve definitely come to appreciate the value of the dollar.

Realize how small the world is and how connected everything is. Don’t talk shit about people. Seriously. The person you’re complaining about may have a friend who is taking a class with the person you’re telling to. Or the person you’re telling it to may have a friend who has a friend who knows the person. If it’s one thing that keeps coming up in my time here, it’s that everyone seems to know everybody (or is a friend of a friend). So limit your shit-talking, secret-sharing, gossip talk to only your trusted confidants. Seriously, though. As you go through college, you’ll come to notice that many people will reappear in your classes because of being in the same major, and more. The world is small, y’all. Don’t be reckless.

#IFTTT #for the dreams i want to catch

[touristguidebuzz]

Budget Airlines Lead Fare Wars in the U.S. That Are ‘Painful’ to Legacy Rivals

A price battle between United Airlines and Spirit Airlines is spreading to other U.S. carriers, like Southwest, threatening to derail the industry’s nascent recovery in pricing power. Bloomberg

Skift Take: So much for "price discipline." United may lose money before Spirit loses money but big airlines may be better-situated to deal with the hit. At any rate, the battle is great news for consumers.

— Sean O'Neill

For travelers, it’s been an airfare party this summer with many domestic flights cheaper than a nice bottle of wine. Chicago to Los Angeles can be had for $49, Dallas to San Francisco is just $40, and Denver to Dallas goes for only $25—barely enough for a quality pinot.

Airlines and their investors despise these fares, the result of a fierce pricing skirmish that has bickering carriers behaving like quarrelsome 3-year-olds: It wasn’t me, he started it!

The fare fight reprises a similar battle that erupted two years ago, one that dented industry revenues for more than 18 months. Only this past spring did carriers begin to feel confident that their pricing power was gradually returning.

Now there’s a new war, and no clear end—or winner—in sight.

The renewed conflict pits the industry’s deep-pocketed behemoths, led by United Continental Holdings Inc. and American Airlines Group Inc., against a trio of ultra low-cost carriers [ULCC] possessing cost advantages the big guys can’t replicate. Financially, the Big Three “are better positioned now than they’ve ever been,” said Seth Kaplan, managing partner for trade journal Airline Weekly. “On the other hand, lowest cost historically has won.”

Fares and shares are dropping while investor anger rises

Two things undergird the fare war of 2017: fuel and money. Jet fuel costs, while rising, remain inexpensive relative to what the industry paid in the past and, equally important, all the major U.S. airlines remain solidly profitable.

Because of these dynamics, neither side has blinked, just as almost every airline has used the fuel reprieve as an opportunity to increase domestic flying.

Fares—and airline stock prices—have shrunk accordingly. United shares have lost 28 percent over the past three months, given the zeal with which the Chicago-based carrier has taken the pricing battle to Spirit, where the share loss has been 41 percent. American and Southwest shares have declined 15 and 13 percent in the same period, respectively, while Delta has lost 10 percent and Allegiant 17 percent.

“At the end of the day, market share battles always get you into trouble,” said George Ferguson, a senior aviation analyst with Bloomberg Intelligence. As the fares drop, shareholder anger grows—and that wrath is likely to spur higher fares faster than any future jet fuel spike, Ferguson said.

United President Scott Kirby is, arguably, the primary U.S. fare setter today, given his role as architect of a “price-matching” strategy when he was American’s president. Kirby said Spirit has led the most recent ticket battles, with a 50 percent cut to walk-up fares on July 28, followed by a further cut in the following weeks.

Last month, Evercore ISI analyst Duane Pfennigwerth published a client note titled “It’s Not Business, It’s Strictly Personal” that was both a rant and plea to United’s board to curb Kirby’s price-matching. “We remain very surprised that the new board at United is giving this one, big personality the freedom to … roll the dice on industry discipline,” and start fare wars, Pfennigwerth wrote. “Investors and board should know that none of this had to happen.”

Low costs are certainly a ULCC advantage. In the second quarter, Spirit Airlines Inc. had a cost per seat-mile, excluding fuel, of 5.83 cents, compared with 10.28 cents at United, which has a cost structure comparable to those of American and Delta Air Lines Inc. Privately-held Frontier Airlines Inc., a ULCC modeled on Spirit, was at 5.43 cents as of Dec. 31, the company has said. By the same measure, Allegiant Travel Co.’s cost was 6.42 cents in the second quarter.

The price battle is one “the full-service guys can’t win,” said Ferguson, who predicts that deteriorating profits on many routes will compel directors at United, which has a broader shareholder base than the ULCCs, to demand a change. “United is going to lose money before Spirit loses money,” he said.

A full-service global carrier must “fill a good portion of your jet with someone who’s willing to pay a close-in fare at a big price.”

American executives have defended their price matching because half of the airline’s revenue comes from the 87 percent of people who fly the carrier only once a year. This situation has prompted some of the biggest U.S. airlines to fight for every passenger in each of its hubs.

In years past, airlines often ignored the most price-sensitive customers, choosing to keep the higher fares. In many markets that have little or no competition, that is still their position.

Yet the big hubs—like Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, and Detroit—are markedly different, and with the incursion of low-cost rivals, the Big Three perceive an existential threat that must be attacked, if not eradicated.

The hubs are where legacy carriers dominate, and in doing so exploit the financial power of their connecting traffic by goosing fares from different markets.

Delta, for example, holds roughly 75 percent market share at its four largest hubs, while American is at 91 percent in Charlotte, according to data compiled by Morgan Stanley.

When Spirit or Frontier entered with daily service, according to an analysis of fares in 2014-15 by consulting firm ICF International Inc., fares at eight U.S. legacy hubs dropped an average of 20 percent.

How the Big Three Could Win

The low-cost carriers do have a soft underbelly, though. Spirit and Frontier have labor contracts pending with their pilots and are likely to assume higher costs as part of the new pacts, a process Allegiant completed last summer.

Spirit’s pilots say they earn about 40 percent less than their U.S. peers flying the same Airbus planes and want to narrow that gap with their new contract.

Frontier delayed its plans to go public this summer, likely due to the increased financial pressure expected from the competitive threats. In a securities filing, Denver-based Frontier also specifically warned future investors about sharper competition targeting its part of the low-fare market.

United’s Kirby was particularly blunt in an Aug. 28 interview. Carriers like Spirit, Allegiant, and Frontier “have created a product that no one wants to buy” if the fare is the same on another airline. “I won’t predict what happens, but I think the U.S. ULCC model is not viable when an airline chooses to compete with them,” he said.

Spirit executives counter that such pricing battles won’t end well for the company with higher costs. “Rumors of the death of the ULCC model are clearly overstated,” Spirit Chief Commercial Officer Matt Klein told investors Wednesday at a conference. “People like low fares,” he said, and “low costs are going to deliver those low fares better than anyone else.”

Spirit is profitable both with paltry fares, which drive more people onto its planes, and with higher fares, which cause load factors to drop and ticket yields to rise, executives say.

Because of costs, a base fare of $25 between Denver and Dallas is generally more acute for American and United than for Frontier, Spirit, or Southwest, although none of the carriers sells a majority of their seats on the nonstop flights at that price. (The big carriers also don’t match the lowest fares on every route.)

The counter-argument is that the legacy airlines’ connecting traffic negates the ULCC financial advantage, since American and United may have equally low costs at their hubs. “In our hubs markets, because we can put so many connecting passengers on a plane, our marginal costs for local traffic is really, really low,” Kirby said. “We can absolutely be profitable in all of the markets where we compete in our hubs with anyone. We couldn’t if we sold the whole airplane at $20 a seat.”

Still, the prevalence of low fares is taking a toll financially, with United Chief Financial Officer Andrew Levy describing the situation as “painful” and “difficult” in his comments this week even as he reiterated the airline’s commitment to its competitive strategy.

If low fares and weak stock performance persists, said Ferguson, that approach may change: “The more pain that the shareholders feel, they’ll be clamoring for the board to do something about it.”

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