These days, lots of public libraries have a "library of things" collection where you can check out kitchen appliances or yard tools or toys, and, as a children's library assistant, the most popular library of things item that I handle regularly is a plastic scepter thingy called like "unicorn princess magic wand". And whenever I check it out I make a big show of looking at the little kid and being like "do you solemnly swear to use your unicorn princess magic powers only for good and never for evil?"
And pretty much without fail, the little kid will get the world's most mischievous grin and go "I'm gonna use it for EVIL!!!"
so the synopsis of The Ring is: you will die 7 days after watching this videotape. my question is does that apply to rewatching the tape. let's say I watch the tape, wait 6 days, and watch it again. does the timer reset to 7 days? can I do this indefinitely? can I become functionally immortal by watching the evil videotape on a weekly basis?
I require the film where someone decides this means they are functionally immortal for 6 days after watching the tape so seeks it out before going on a series of utterly batshit suicide missions. The tape keeps trying to do creepy crap around them and they're just like "I have 3 days 12 hours left to do this prison break so you're not even on my top 10 concerns, either distract this guard for me or go do something about that hair while you're waiting"
The ghost is so baffled and has no idea how to explain that's not how any of this works that it does save them a couple times while trying to get this across, thus convincing them the theory has been validated
media literacy includes understanding why a media product was made, to whom it's being sold, and the assumed preferences of its marketing demographic. narrative is not produced or sold in a vacuum.
you might be totally correct that your ship would be narratively satisfying. I don't know, I'm not watching your show. Whether your ship is likely to happen on the show is a whole different question to whether it's satisfying, because the show is being sold to Netflix or Amazon or the BBC, and they are purchasing a show they think they can market to a particular demographic and that demographic isn't you, the nightmarishly online tumblr user. The show is being made for marketability to a constructed average viewer. It is being funded with that audience in mind. This art is being made to commission, and commissioned art is art, but at some point you have to stop expecting the Church to commission a statue of Lucifer fucking St Michael. It might be narratively satisfying, but that's just not what they're paying for.
the thing about "people have talked about it you're just 21" is that it's not really "young people are stupid" it's more "if you come into an academic discussion you should know what people have said on the matter lest you talk out your ass"
Twenty-one tons of potatoes are up for grabs at Potato Palooza on Monday.
The nonprofit’s set to receive a donation of 21 tons of tubers this weekend from suppliers in the Midwest. Hoping to get the starchy vegetables to people in need, the nonprofit will host a “Potato Palooza” event on Monday in Park Hill.
“Anyone is welcome to come. They can bring tote bags, wagons, you could back up your pickup truck if you wanted to,” Hissong said. The event is 9 a.m. to noon at the Park Hill Food Recovery Hub, 6090 East 39th Avenue, on July 27.
[You should support the comic's updates if you can! Always be sure to Like it at the end, too! I'm not sure if it tracks click locations, so just copy the link I added as a reply below!]
Folks...This is going to be an AMAZING chapter when it's translated. But, if you're super curious like me and are checking these updates as they happen, you definitely want to know what just happened, right? Well, you could tell from the art, at least! The emotions in this one were drawn SO GOOD...but I'm here to provide the specifics.
I hope you have some tissues. Oh, and just a head's up: I AM going to use "Yuki" and "Totoko" here. Not because they started using them (though that'll be the day, huh~?) but for another reason that you'll soon find out...
The chapter starts with Yuki texting her mom about the trip. But what caught Yuki's attention was the way her mom finished the chat after she mentioned she was bringing someone along.
"I understand"
Just that. Nothing else, just "I understand." It's....strange. She wanted to poke her mom after that, but work got in the way.
But enough about work because we immediately shift to...
SENDAI! They're here! Yuki's so excited to show Totoko her old stomping grounds, though there's a hilarious moment when a statue she thought was going to be by the station wasn't. Turned out, irl, the statue got moved elsewhere and even Sensei took note of that for a quick gag lol
The two immediately get into sightseeing mode, though. They check out a few stops, simply enjoying the time together, having a...vacation together! Wow!
There's familiar sights and cuisines, though time marches on and even Yuki is surprised by some new offerings, like the clownfish monaka in the upper left corner (monaka are traditional Japanese snacks but this style was a twist on it, of course)
Eventually, though, the time has come. Specifically, the time Yuki agreed to meet her mom. Just her mom, though. Her parents divorced sometime after Yuki moved away from the area. We have a little time indicator moment when Yuki says it's been a year since she last visited Sendai since she skipped out on Christmastime.
She had said she wanted to tell her mom about her relationship with Totoko, and this was THE moment to do so. Even as they get to the apartment complex and enter the elevator, anxiety begins to spike...though they remember what Nagumo said about her and Yako also being by their side, as their Chosen Family.
At last, the scary elevator ride is over, and they're in front of the apartment. This is it. No turning back.
Such an awkward moment of silence...but here we are. Everyone, meet Maya! She's Yuki's mom! (Maya insists that Yuki looks more like her father, but Totoko makes a note how they have the same eyes at the very least)
And Totoko immediately gets super formal, bowing at the most formal angle and offering her a gift because she does NOT want to mess things up, and it's kind of adorable. Don't worry, though. Maya tells her to relax and to just call her "Maya." It relaxes her enough to let the older woman know she can call her "Totoko"
But things start to derail in a hilarious manner because Maya has a tendency to blabber! Poor, poor Totoko. Yuki feels bad for not telling her lol
Maya then offers the ladies some coffee and continues to chat a little. Yuki is getting caught up in her thoughts. She realizes this is, literally, the moment. "Now or never," she thinks to herself. But she starts getting nervous. The anxiety is spiking....Oh, Yuki's weakness is starting to crop up again.
Like an angel from above, and despite having her own qualms about it in the previous chapter, Totoko steps up and directly announces:
"...Maya-san, I'm...in a relationship with Yuki-san. I'm her lover. I've also moved in with her recently."
Though there is no immediate reaction, Totoko's actions were enough to fire up Yuki to finally make the announcement she's wanted to give:
"Mama! I'm a lesbian. I am attracted to women. Kasuga-san is the woman I love! [in another panel: And I wanted you to know that, Mama.]"
Her mom reacts in a...strange way, though. She smiles softly, placing her cup down and asks Yuki if she remembered her childhood dreams - the ones about cooking up a big castella cake for the forest critters and others to enjoy with her, and how she cried when no one came...
Well...that's not quite the reaction Yuki was looking for. She's kinda stunned, letting her mom continue rambling.
Maya then talks about how that seemed to be the start of Yuki's love for cooking. She eventually asked if she could make zoni...and then it just grew from there. But there were some more recent dishes that reminded her of that time, like that giant bucket pudding (reminds her of the cake), or how that Shiba-Pup character bento was so adorable (Yuki's always loved shibas, huh~?)
Wait.
Wait a moment.
How does Maya know about....
TURNS OUT MAYA WAS FOLLOWING YUKI'S FOOD ACCOUNT FOR A WHILE NOW!?!?
(but not because she was stalking her daughter or anything. It just happened to pop up on her timeline thanks to viral algorithms, I bet. And she managed to figure out it was Yuki because of certain cooking techniques, but she assures her daughter only she would know something that intricate so her anonymity remains intact)
But you know what else that means?
She saw the post when Yuki came out to her followers (Chapters 49 and 52). She was there that evening, seeing that post as it got shared.
She didn't know what to think at first. She was confused. Stunned. How could it be? How could that girl...
Who would always shrug off any urging of finding a boyfriend...
How could that girl...
Who would always reply "no" whenever she asked her if she's found a man yet...
Oh.
....Oh...
Had she been bringing Yuki down every time? Because she didn't really listen to her? Because she kept urging these things that society seems to expect her to be/have by a certain age?
But it especially hurt seeing the negative comments Yuki was receiving. One is highlighted where the user says if they were in Yuki's shoes, they would've just kept quiet and not bother. These posts shake Maya.
Maya recalls how Yuki's earlier posts featured such small, "perfect" dishes, but then she saw that sudden shift: The gyoza party. The gigantic omurice. The pile of donuts. It reminded her of Yuki as a child...
The eager child who wanted to make amazing food and had fun doing so. Yuki has always been like that, deep down. But society pressed her to do other things for so long. This mother pressed her daughter to do things she didn't want to do. Maya needed to change her mindset.
I'm going to share this page in its entirety and translate it for you. Because it's beautiful, and, if you have been reading this comic since Chapter 1, you know how meaningful this is:
Maya: Yuki...You finally found that person who will polish off your meals with you. And it was Totoko-san, wasn't it? ....Thank you for letting me meet her.
Yuki: Mama...
Such a touching moment...but we need to reel it back a bit. Maya knows just how to do that! She's hungry! Yuki! Make something for all of us!
Wait, what??! Who makes their guest cook? Yuki is miffed.
Even Totoko gets dragged away by Maya after offering to lend a hand. No no! She wants a dish cooked by Yuki and Yuki alone! Feel free to use whatever's in the kitchen. Just cook up something good~
And she does. Turns out, it's a dish her mother taught her: mapo yakisoba. Of course, Yuki is nervous again, but now it's because the "master" is judging the "student." She made it with all her heart, though. It's gonna be good...right?
It is. Yuki has won her mother's approval in the world of cooking as well~
After the meal's had, the ladies have to head back to their hotel. Yuki lets her mom know that they plan to be at the Sendai Pride event, and we learn that Maya has done a little research on her own. She's still new at lgbtq stuff, but she's getting there, and she wishes nothing but a fun time for the two.
I'm so glad to see such a supportive blood relative, to be honest. I know not everyone has their family ties after coming out. Some are dangerous. It's best to break them. You find solace with others, and they become your "chosen family." They are just as special, of course! But...it's nice to see an example of a blood relative that loves and supports their child after coming out.
The rest of the chapter is the beginning of Sendai Pride. The ladies are in awe. So many amazing sights, so many amazing people! Sign language interpreters are spotted, as well as a teenaged couple for Nomoto and Kasuga to be wowed at (because, in their day, so hard to be out. Still is, but I think they're amazed that those two could be out and proud with the rest of them)
This post is already so, so long, but I will add that Sensei (and probably the editor) went out to the most recent Sendai Pride and interviewed folks and grabbed refs for this moment. Sensei tried to capture the diversity she saw while they were there, though she admits it personally proved to her she's got a ways to go. She's gonna improve on that!
But it's a sight to behold....
Makes you feel...proud, huh?
"Let the rainbow's brilliance reach you freely, endlessly."
got my first ever official customer complaint because when i was going over the terms of their life insurance they were like "well i don't plan to die" and i was like "well you're going to"
i was training a young person at work, and she referred to sexual assault as "SA" out loud, and i immediately was like, "no, it's sexual assault, call it what it is," bc idgaf if the algorithm overlords have taught y'all that you should fear direct language, how tf do any of you expect to ever address real issues with any amount of seriousness if you can't even say the words? imagine an advocate looking a sexual assault survivor in the eyes and asking "did he grape you?" it's absolutely fucking absurd, but these young interns and new hires are coming into an environment where we deal with survivors of all different kinds of abuse, and they're coming with the mindset that the words are as bad as the actions, and that makes them shitty at the job and look juvenile af
i HATE self-censorship for a lot of reasons, but being in crisis work makes it even more frustrating. who are you censoring for? like i am being so fr, WHO are you censoring for? have you even thought it through? people who have been raped know that they have been raped. if someone attempts suicide or is grieving someone who did, saying "sewer slide" isn't going to protect them from any of the feelings. a murder victim's family isn't going to feel better bc you said "unalived" instead of murdered. if anything, it's just extremely invalidating and othering. it's saying "what happened to you is so bad that i won't even say the word," which is NOT trauma-informed care. you are not protecting survivors/victims when you self-censor. the ONLY things you protect when you self-censor are the puritanical ideologies that are being encouraged by rich fascists who want your money and obedience
say the fucking words, guys. just say the goddamn words before i go insane!!!
The crazy thing is, ninety-nine times out of a hundred, if you asked me on any given day "Would like to see a picture of some genitals?" my answer would be "😰 No, that's... No, thank you. I'm okay, actually." I have nothing but the utmost respect for people who do engage with the penis side of the internet, but personally, I've spent the better part of two decades doing all I can NOT to have pictures of dick and balls or sexy bikini babe buttcheeks blasted onto my retinas constantly. And yet... to be denied the penis? To have a jumped up pile of javascript tell me, a grown adult with an air fryer and an outstanding council tax bill, that I cannot be trusted to withstand the sight of a bare nipple unless I let it scan my drivers' license? I will move heaven and earth to see that fucking nipple, friend. I will walk a thousand miles barefoot on hot coals before I give you big brother bitches my passport number. A thousand miles through the desert with five VPNs just to press my face up against the glass and see the last uncensored picture of two My Little Pony Characters sixty-nining each other, and I don't even want! to look at it! But I will! I must! for the sake of our fucking democracy!
"Regardless of whether they want to or have to, able bodied negro women in Greenville who are not regularly employed are to be put to work, put in jail, or fined heavily."
All because "it is exceedingly difficult for families who need cooks and laundresses to get them." Think about that. Imagine calling an entire group of people lazy, when you're putting them to work because you don't want to. 😐
