#I can't go into detail for legal reasons but my sister and I have been instructed 'ya if you see this guy call the cops immediately'

[flufflecat]

Feeling stressed? Here's one surefire trick to make any difficult day a little easier to cope with:

experience a murder threat

[bookshelf-in-progress]

Actually, the Arateph Rapunzel retelling might be salvageable if I kill my very favorite darling.

Buckle up, rubber ducks!

This retelling is set just after the revolution. Zemma is a scholar--an astronomer--who's been living in an isolated tower working on a major project for years. She's been sheltered from the revolution--why should she care about politics when she has an entire universe of stars to explore?--and has continued her work relatively uninterrupted, thanks to the help of her mentor who stops by periodically to take care of the daily life details like making sure she eats.

One night while 's Zemma's working, a young man--Camreth--climbs through an open window in her tower. She eventually learns that he's a fugitive nobleman on the run from revolutionary authorities (not quite sure how long it takes her to figure this out, which is just one of the problems with the outline). Since she has no political opinions, she sees no reason not to provide him food and shelter and a bit of first aid.

Camreth is a cheerful soul who's running from some major survivor's guilt--he managed to escape when rebels seized his family's manor, and he hates himself for running instead of helping his family escape execution. He's also desperate for companionship, so when he finds this beautiful, fascinating scholar who's willing to help him, he finds himself returning again and again to her tower. Camreth brings Zemma presents and stories that remind her there's a world beyond her tower and her work, and that she can't just bury herself in the stars and forget about the people around her. Zemma helps Camreth to see there's a world beyond the darkness and sorrows of the revolution, reminding him of the beauty of the universe and giving him hope that he could have a future worth having. And they fall in love.

The plan was for Zemma to suggest marrying him--giving him her name to give him an identity to replace his noble status. (Not sure how they'd finangle the legality/logistics of this to keep people from finding out his original identity. Find a sympathetic backcountry official who's willing to marry them and not ask too many questions?) After a period of happiness, Zemma's mentor finds out about Camreth, does start asking questions, and turns him into the authorities, who capture him at Zemma's tower.

It turns out that Camreth isn't just a nobleman--he's the son of one of the queen's sisters, a first cousin to Prince Auren, and thus a high-priority target. Zemma's also pregnant with his twins, who, because of their noble blood, are deemed worthy of death. Camreth sacrifices himself so Zemma and their unborn children can escape.

Now for The Darling.

After his capture, Camreth is put through torture to make him reveal the whereabouts of other escaped nobles. Camreth knows nothing. Then a Big Name Official shows up and stops the torture to demand the answer to one question: Where is Prince Auren?

Camreth was relatively close with his cousin, so the question seems like another form of torture. He knows that Auren's dead. The rebels released footage of the spindle strike. Do they just want to make him say it out loud--to admit that all hope is lost and he's about to suffer the same fate?

Then it hits him--this is a genuine question. They don't know! Which means that Auren escaped! Alive, because there's no reason they'd go through this much trouble for a corpse. The crown prince is still out there and the revolution is in danger from him!

This knowledge makes him a bit giddy, and he starts to laugh triumphantly. "You marked him for death with his very name, and yet he lives!"

Which enrages his captors and they stab his eyes out.

Camreth is saved at the brink of death by the timely arrival of some counter-revolutionaries. When he's recovered, he tries to reveal Auren's survival to them, but none of them are interested in it--they're too interested in seizing power for themselves to want to chase a wild rumor that, on the slim chance it's true, would put the crown prince on the throne.

So he manages to go off on his own (probably with the help of some sympathetic friend) and wander until he finds his way back to Zemma and their children. And he's got this new family that gives him hope that the world goes on, and the knowledge that Auren is alive that gives him hope that the world could get better, and this hope gives us a sense of happily-ever-after.

Except that Auren doesn't have any relevance to the earlier parts of the story, so this discovery doesn't advance the character arcs or themes of this story. And we know that they don't find Auren for a hundred years, which undercuts the idea that this is a happy ending. It leans very heavily on the earlier story for its impact, when I'd like this to stand relatively alone.

So if I cut the connection to Auren and that torture scene, those difficulties go away. The happy resolution of the story is then focused on Camreth finding new hope in the future he has--a wife and children--rather than in political plots that won't be successful.

Then--how/why is he blinded? This could happen off-screen, and be explained as the outcome of torture. Maybe it could be a torture method that's meant to be temporary, so Zemma can help undo it in the end. Maybe he's not blinded at all, which makes his eventual escape and finding Zemma again much more logistically probable.

But we also have the problem that Zemma disappears for the third act of the story. In a romance, I want to make sure both characters have something to do. If she's pregnant with twins, her taking direct action to help with a rescue attempt is difficult and extremely reckless--she'd endanger two innocent lives for Camreth's sake, which is the exact opposite of what he wanted her to do. If it's only herself, it's much more justifiable.

We could even skip over the marriage--which is already logistically shaky--and make that the traditional happy ending of the fairy tale. Perhaps they were planning to get married, which makes the mentor suspicious of the man who's taking her charge away from important work, and the authorities arrive before it can happen. So then after their escape they can find someone to marry them way out in the middle of nowhere and then settle into a happy life of obscurity. That does cut away a lot of difficulties and nicely streamlines the story.

But then in this case--is it too slim of a story to matter? I could make it rather short--maybe aim more for a novelette than a novella. Which could then let me focus on more substantial stories.

Anyone who's interested--does it sound worth writing? Any thoughts on solutions?

[princehendir]

saw the post about dwarven tax/inheritance fraud where you list friends etc as nephews. would like to know more about how that works. does it only work within the context of orzammar's legal system or has it spread outwards to be used by surface dwarves etc and is varric listing hawke and co as his nephews? how does it tangle things up if anders gets listed by both brosca and varric? also when/how did oghren die? bc i feel like it was implied he was dead.

It's really more of an Orzammar thing because on the surface, it's not considered as taboo or unusual to have someone who isn't directly related to you in your will, at least not among lower-class and Ascendant families. It still happens in Kalna families though, but less often and at a much smaller scale than it does in Orzammar, because the Merchant's Guild is less likely than the Shaperate to let you get away with having A Lot Of Nephews.

anyways, there's a couple of reasons you might do this. Inheritance-wise, the reason this is done is mostly just to ensure that someone actually gets what you leave them. The contesting of wills is extremely common, especially in noble families, but it's so extremely much harder to successfully contest someone's right to what was left to them if they were a direct family member* of the deceased that most won't even try, so making someone your nephew is functionally as close as you'll get to a guarantee that that specific part of your will will go through as written.

*I'm still nailing down details on this but to be clear nephews, and more specifically your sister's sons, occupy a weird niche culturally and legally for dwarves, where in some cases a nephew is functionally the same as a brother or a son. A very direct and intimate family relation. Part of the reason that nephews are used for this kind of thing is because you can have the benefit of direct relation without having to explain why the person in question doesn't really look like you (your sister might already have a different mother or father than you and look very different, so it's easier to suspend disbelief)

Another reason, of course, is that being brought into your House may be a step up, caste-wise, for the "nephew" in question. This and the last thing are both often done in exchange for some other shady deal being done, much like adult adoption fraud in the real world. Like you pay me x amount and I'll move you up to the noble caste. You render x service and i'll guarantee you get y after my death. that sort of thing.

Another reason for adding a lot of "nephews" would be to increase the number of people in your House, which is a form of status symbol in Orzammar. Not really a thing on the surface though.

The Shaperate and the Merchant's Guild already don't cross reference very much, and a lot of Guild families are already not acknowledged at all in Orzammer, so getting listed by both House Brosca and House Tethras probably would never even come up. It's actually not fully unheard of to be acknowledged as a relation in both a surface and Orzammarian family simultaneously, though it does imply you're a skeevy person who does skeevy things lol.

Oghren being dead has been a thing in my canon for a while but unfortunately, I keep changing my mind about when that happened. He definitely died while fighting darkspawn, and it was either at the Keep in the battle at the end of Awakening (like in his one lower-affinity ending slide), or at some point during what is late act 1 in dragon age 2. Can't be more specific than that at this time.

[respitelocklyre]

⚠️ Failed to post due to network connectivity issues. Please check that your connection is stable and try again.

[The following session summary is set up as a series of fast-paced tweets from Respite's private account, none of which posted successfully.]

>Heyyy so this is a longshot but does anyone here know spells that can undo, like, idk... transmutation magic? I think I messed w some fae shit and now im tiny and trapped inside an enchanted dollhouse lol [Attached are pictures of gigantic furniture, as seen from through a window, presumably from inside said dollhouse]

>As if my date night hasnt been going badly enough im gonna kms

>Okay for some context, if u follow my insta or dinkdonk u know im at the seelie market tonight and everything seemed rlly fun but it turns out there's some dark shit happening. so we wanted to snoop more while their main show was going on.

>(like ENSLAVEMENT kinda dark shit btw- we're trying to help ppl! there's a hag running the market and holding ppl hostage!! including my friend's sister maybe!!! I promise I'll have a whole other post abt that later tho lol)

>Anyways i talked to the guy running the ring toss & he said the show would be like 30min but didn't know if the big bad boss lady (Madame) would be there or not so we were being sooooo careful

>We even checked for divination magic but Sersh didn't find ANY magic at all, which was ultimately WAY more sus. Thad kept saying we should just leave which, like, FAIR, but i felt like we couldn't just go back empty-handed (mistake)

>Can't go into too much detail but i found my way into the totally unlocked Madame's caravan to try and search for the contracts keeping everyone enslaved. it was full of puppets and dolls and dresses and this crazy ornate dollhouse (foreshadowing)

>Also wait omg i almost got caught while sneaking in, but i used a bunch of cantrips to make everyone think there was an earthquake and then i pretended to be one of the marionettes inside the caravan when the goblin workers came to investigate lolol suckers totally fell for it

>And once they were gone i found a key and a couple slips of paper inside a wardrobe! The papers were these weird fairytales. Does anyone recognize them??? [Attached images of the uploaded document/story from the DM]

>The key went into a slot in the dollhouse so naturally, if a key fits im gonna turn it, right??? it must've been trapped tho bc that shit knocked me TF out

>So that's where im at rn. I just kinda woke up inside the dollhouse. im gonna keep trying to call my bf or my party but the service is spotty af. Any advice is appreciated 😭

>^^^For legal reasons this is all a joke btw and i didn't do any of this. Making it up for clout, etc etc

>Kind of urgent

>Also OMG I almost forgot the most important part: one of my party members showed me his fucking SOUNDCLOUD and it was so 💀💀💀 PLEASE go give it a listen and tell me ur thots lol his handle is @/ThadyT

>like dont be mean or comment anything bc he'll know whats up so be cool but omfg i just need someone else to listen to this alfkjasldf;fdhg

>Oh shit i dont think these are posting LMAAOOOO RIP TO ME 🪦 SEE U GUYS IN THE SHADOWFELL IG 🫡🐦‍⬛👑

[bee0bee]

Life After Him Part 13

No matter how much she resisted, Ellis eventually fell into sin. By the time she realized it, Sean was coming over several times a week. They officially had an affair. Sometimes they met in a hotel, sometimes at home. Sean still helped with Ellis's book. Despite how wrong and unfair it was to Pauline it seemed that they can keep it secret. Ellis successfully convinced herself that it is just a fling, what came so quickly and mysteriously will end so.

- I have to walk with Quinn. -Ellis said, sitting up in bed.

- Okay. - Sean kissed her shoulder. - I go to work then.

After they both straightened themselves up, they met in the kitchen. to have coffee.

- Can you pick up the boys? Pauline is going to her sister and I have a long day today.

- Uhm...of course. - Ellis smiled.

- I love you. - said Sean and left Ellis in shock.

- What did he say? - she asked loudly after she was left alone. This tiny sentence made her think about:

1. Is their affair more serious than she thought?

2. What does she feel about Sean?

To banish these thoughts she dealt with her book instead. She was making good progress until another legal issue came up. Then she stood up, grabbed the phone and called Aimee. She felt that she has to talk about her situation or she'll explode.

No matter how much she resisted, Ellis eventually fell into sin. By the time she realized it, Sean was coming over several times a week. They officially had an affair. Sometimes they met in a hotel, sometimes at home. Sean still helped with Ellis's book. Despite how wrong and unfair it was to Pauline it seemed that they can keep it secret. Ellis successfully convinced herself that it is just a fling, what came so quickly and mysteriously will end so.

- I have to walk with Quinn. -Ellis said, sitting up in bed.

- Okay. - Sean kissed her shoulder. - I go to work then.

After they both straightened themselves up, they met in the kitchen. to have coffee.

- Can you pick up the boys? Pauline is going to her sister and I have a long day today.

- Uhm...of course. - Ellis smiled.

- I love you. - said Sean and left Ellis in shock.

- What did he say? - she asked loudly after she was left alone. This tiny sentence made her think about:

1. Is their affair more serious than she thought?

2. What does she feel about Sean?

To banish these thoughts she dealt with her book instead. She was making good progress until another legal issue came up. Then she stood up, grabbed the phone and called Aimee. She felt that she has to talk about her situation or she'll explode.

- OMG! What?

- I have...an affair with...my neighbour.

- Oooh! You are...unbelievable. How is it?

- Aimee! I feel terrible and wonderful at the same time. It's sooo bad.

- Well, it doesn't suit you, but you deserve it.

- But he is a MARRIED MAN with two kids.

- Oh la la! I can't find words. - said Aimee with surprise.

- Should I stop it immediately or keep it a secret until we get bored of each other? Please, tell me I'm not a monster.

- You are not.

- But I made a promise to Oliver. - said, Ellis.

- Sorry darling, but Oliver is dead and you're only 29. Life must go on. - said, Aimee. - I think you should be VERY careful, but you should keep it a secret until you get bored of each other. You've always been a good girl. Now, you deserve to be happy instead of good.

- Okay. Thank you, Aimee. - said, Ellis.

- Now, tell me the details.

- Maybe another time. - said Ellis and hung up the phone.

After the phone call with Aimee, Sean and Ellis didn't meet. Pauline was at home all the time because of illness and then she started to work from home for some reason. But then, one day when Ellis was helping Brendan to make his homework Sean called Ellis.

- Hi!

- Hi! Can we meet in the hotel tomorrow? - he asked.

[queerprayers]

hello! i was wondering if you could expand on what you said about “evangelical christian homeschool survivors”. i found it interesting, since i’m close with quite a few people who fit that description, but never thought of it as something that harmful to someone

(i understand that you aren’t a professional source, for lack of a better term, but i would appreciate your thoughts! i hope you have a blessed and lovely day <3)

(re: this post)

Yes I can, beloved! And yep, I'm not a psychologist/researcher/etc., and also have not personally experienced this, but I've been close to people who have, and have heard a lot about it, so I'll give you what I have. This is USA-centric, as usual, because that's where my experience/knowledge comes from.

I do want to make clear that homeschooling is not in itself a bad thing, and there are many people, especially neurodivergent/disabled people, who have benefited immensely from being able to partially or fully have more freedom over their environment. Especially considering the state of the school system in some places, I don't blame any parent for wanting their kid to have a different experience. And looking at recent events like the "Don't Say Gay" bill in Florida, the importance of having a legal way to not send your child to a public school is, I think, important. Autonomy is a human right, and the origins of modern homeschooling were full of liberating ideas.

My sister was homeschooled for a year in elementary school, and it gave her a much needed break and an opportunity to explore learning techniques that worked better for her neurodivergences. When I dropped out of high school, we did consider finishing through homeschooling instead, and even though it didn't work out, if I was in a different situation it would have been a great opportunity. One of the girls I babysit is trans, and her identity is one of the reasons her parents don't feel comfortable sending her to a public school here.

Obviously if a family is religious and homeschooling, religion may play a part in education, just like if a student attended a religious private school. This also in itself is not a bad thing, in my opinion. Passing on tradition and morals to kids and educating your kid about your heritage and beliefs can be a really positive thing. I can totally see incorporating Christian ideas in an education without disrupting the education—for instance, a science lesson about the environment which includes the belief that God made the world and we have a duty to take care of it. It becomes a problem when the belief eclipses the science, I suppose (like creationism)—or when children aren't exposed to diverse ideas.

I don't think people realize how lax a lot of homeschooling laws are in the US. It's completely state-based, so I don't know how it is everywhere, but where I am it was insanely easy to take my sister out of school and, because my parents have high school degrees, basically say, "Trust me, we got this" and proceed to teach her whatever. Because my parents are generally sensible, intelligent people, and have experience in education, it went fine and she was prepared to go to the next grade, but I can't help wondering what would have happened if they weren't.

Because of that freedom, there are a lot of evangelicals/conservatives in the US who have taken their kids out of public schools (sometimes citing "evil secular gay agendas" and the like) and proceeded to teach their kids whatever—"whatever," in this case, being conspiracy theories, fundamentalism instead of science, patriarchal/racist/etc. social norms, and censorship/limited access to diversity of identity/opinion and actual history. You can find endless Christian homeschool resources online that are full of truly limiting and just plain wrong teachings, especially in regards to history and science.

There are numerous examples of going even further than this—someone I knew never went into too much detail (I gathered it was too traumatic to discuss), but did share experiences with me of an evangelical homeschool co-op (multiple families cooperating to homeschool their children together) that used emotionally and physically abusive punishments as well as all the normal brainwashing and manipulation, with zero supervision or consequences. There are so many examples of abused children not receiving help for so long because they were completely isolated from their peers and other adults, partially through homeschooling, and so were not noticed and weren't able to seek help.

It's a complicated situation, because I don't think homeschooling is ultimately the issue here. Lack of supervision is an issue, but ultimately the fault lies with the belief systems themselves. Obviously we can't stop people from believing things—public education and exposure to different beliefs is in my opinion one of the best tools we have to help kids get out these communities and become better people, and when that's taken away, of course these kids grow up either believing exactly what their parents believe, or completely traumatized and spending the rest of their lives deconstructing and undoing the damage.

Again, the idea of homeschooling a child and incorporating Christianity into that isn't inherently bad/traumatic, and while I think lack of exposure to diverse beliefs is harmful, Christian homeschooling can include that exposure and I'm sure it can be done very well. But there's so much abuse, neglect, radicalism, excessive control, and grooming that goes under the radar in these families/communities, and we have to talk about it! I don't know if I'm the best person to do that, but maybe I can help start a conversation or make people aware of the issue.

Some relevant articles/resources: (Content warnings for descriptions of abuse and related issues)

How Christian Schools and Homeschooling Teach Supremacist Conspiracies by Audrey Clare Farley (Ms. Magazine)

The Homeschool Apostates by Kathryn Joyce (The American Prospect)

Former homeschooler on the Duggar family's horrifying fundamentalist "education": "It's literal rape culture" by Jenny Kutner (Salon)

Traumatic Homeschooling: How Evangelicals Use Education to Totalize by R.K. Stollar

"I broke away from a strict homeschooling community cult" (BBC)

A warning on homeschooling by Elizabeth Bartholet (The Harvard Gazette)

Coalition for Responsible Home Education

Kitchen Table Cult (podcast)

Homeschooling: Indoctrination or Liberation? by Andrewism (YouTube)

Homeschooling by Ex-Fundie Diaries (YouTube playlist)

r/Homeschool Recovery (has a ton of discussions and testimonials)

<3 Johanna

[goldenlandfiascos]

"Evanatsu is incest" tell me you're stupid without telling me you're stupid. Some ppl dumb as hell LMAO it's not incest legally, it's not incest morally, it's literally family by law- aka can be broken at any time (unlike family by blood or chosen family or adoptive family). People 😳 grow a brain challenge??

i read this so wrong at first and i was so scared 💀

dfhubvfdkj literally though, it's like, if the idea still makes someone uncomfortable, fine, i guess, but it's like. fucking the in-law has kind of always been a trope? if we want to keep it straight; potentially, Natsuhi could divorce Krauss and then marry back in through Rudolf and it would be FINE. it would be completely allowed. It would be really awkward, but legally, there's no problem.

i can't speak for all families, but in-laws tend to be so far removed from one another, they barely even ever actually think of each other as "family". it's always like a disgruntled, "time to go see the in-laws". i don't think of my brother's wife as my "sister" at all. (not going too much into personal life family drama, but my parents hate her and probably want them to get divorced fdjvnfkd). In other words, "literally removed from the family". it's not like growing up with step siblings or foster ones, that's completely different, because, odds are, the people involved are going to ACTUALLY see each other as family, especially if it was from a young age.

i have no way to prove this, and maybe it would still be the same issue, but when i first read umineko, i genuinely thought there was going to be something about how Natsuhi and Rudolf had fucked in the past and Natsuhi was Battler’s real mom (it was a whole theory i had for the first 4 episodes, but i’ll spare details). it just makes me wonder, though, that if that had ended up being the case, if people would still be trying to call it “incest” or not since Rudolf’s a man. again, that’s huge speculation there, and it’s very possible people still would, but wlw ships tend to just always be held to such higher standards, it does just make me wonder.

also worth noting, is how Natsuhi so desperately wants to be accepted as part of the family, but Eva literally kind of like,, doesn’t even view her as one? going back to the whole in-laws tend to be so removed from each other and don’t even think of each other as actually family (obviously, i’m sure there are some exceptions, but generally speaking, it tends to be that way).

Also if we wanna bring another story like Higurashi into this just for an example, it would be like if Keiichi dated Mion and then suddenly broke up with her and dated Shion instead. Would that be “weird” because it’s like “ew he’s basically dating his sister now!” No, because with that logic, it’s kind of like saying Mion would be his sister while he was dating her.

anyway, there are a lot of reasons to not like evanatsu, and i totally get it if someone doesn’t, but i have seen people wrongly call it incest way too many times now over the years and it’s just kind of tiring at this point

[floralovebot]

Buddy what tell us the backstories!!! Different HCs can coexist I have like 5 for Riven's backstory

RIGHT!!!!!

The first backstory is essentially the Base backstory aka the one all Helia stans come up with eventually. For some reason or another, Helia grows up at Red Fountain! In my version, his parents go missing on a mission early in his life and Saladin takes him in while the authorities look for them. They never get found though and Saladin becomes his legal guardian! This backstory has a lot of the same beats as canon; Helia is close to and very overprotective of Saladin, he's been training his whole life so he's a good specialist but wants to get away from that environment, major perfectionist and escapist, and started putting distance between himself and the others when they first got close because of general attachment issues due to his parents. It's basically Canon Helia with a few extra steps!

The second backstory is very similar to the first but with a lot of extra steps. I can't find the post right now but I did write a more detailed version of this somewhere! It's the Apocalypse Backstory!! The basic rundown is that a big magic based apocalypse starts on his home planet leaving very few survivors. Helia survives thanks to a few older people who didn't want to leave a child behind. One day when they're out scavenging for supplies, Helia makes a little too much noise or makes some kind of mistake that lures the monsters to them, and the person he's with sacrifices themself to save him. He's too scared (and traumatized) to go back to the other survivors so he just runs and hides where he can. Codatorta and other specialists get sent to look for survivors and that's where they find him! He gets passed around a couple of noble families but he can't adjust well and either Codatorta or Saladin decide to officially adopt him and he grows up at the school.

Okay fuck, I tried to edit this next section to be as short as possible but I can't for the life of me figure out how :') Just know that it's long :')

The third one!! Is honestly one of my favorites despite it being very self indulgent. This one is a little wonky so stay with me here. Basically, Helia (and his twin sister) are born in a fairly higher class magic family who really want to make sure all children grow up with plenty of resources at their hands. A powerful wizard (I think) creates this magical boarding school that's supposed to teach kids about all kinds of magic. His theory is that since magic users can switch between their types (like Mirta going from witch to fairy) it stands to reason that they could use all kinds of magic at the same time without changing their magical identity. This wizard wanted to start a school for children because most adults would already have their magical form (ie fairy, witch, etc) and it would be a lot harder for them to learn different kinds of magic.

I'm sure you can see where this is going - Helia and his sister get sent to the school! At first, everything seems to be going great... until a young student runs away from the school and tells the authorities that the school is covered in a time loop bubble and that within that bubble years have passed. The wizard's real goal was to essentially create a very powerful magical army, one that could rival the power of the Dragon's Flame, by having them be proficient in all kinds of magic. It takes them a while to believe but the kid knows way more than they should at that age and eventually convinces them to basically raid the school and get all the students out. When they get there and cross the border they find that yeah, all the students are grown up and have, in their eyes, been at the school for years. They manage to get all the students out rather peacefully as the wizard gave himself up very quickly (a little too quickly one might say 👀). When the students leave the time loop bubble, they revert back to their state of being in original time.

I'm not explaining the time loop thing well but basically, there are two states in which a time loop exists; an open time loop and a closed time loop. A closed time loop is what most people know of, a period of time constantly repeats itself in the loop and the inhabitants don't get older (think of Groundhog Day or Happy Death Day). An open time loop is essentially the precursor for that, it starts once the time loop spell is cast and ends (closes) when the original castor stops the spell. During the casting phase, anything within the loop is almost like it's in a different dimension. Things go at a different pace, and time, while it seems to pass by normally, goes much faster. Any and all living beings within an open time loop will continue to age "normally" until it's closed (at which point they stop aging at their latest age). However, while inhabitants within an open time loop might stay there for years, outside of it, it's likely only been a couple of days to weeks.

The school itself only existed about two months outside of the loop and the effects that had on the students, who weren't aware of the wizard's real plan, were loopy to say the absolute least! They basically grew up and aged normally, only to revert back to children when they got out. And this really didn't have good effects on them (I mean how would it yknow). The plans to have the students practice all kinds of magic was a huge success and most of them were at least at an "enchantix" level of power by the time they were 10. They could still use their magic but it was deemed too dangerous for their little bodies and the authorities put magic restraints on all of them. It was just a very weird transition and Helia's parents especially were not happy. They essentially didn't see their children as their children anymore. They were older teens in a young child's body and how mature they were (for kids) freaked them out.

Eventually, they both run away from home and later get found by Saladin who can sense the powerful magic within them and also freaks out a bit. The true details of what happened to the school weren't released to the general public but Saladin was able to pull a few strings once he knew their identity. This is way too long anyway basically Helia stays at Red Fountain and his sister runs away again, they still keep in contact but they don't know where she is only helia does brother privilege i guess idk, eventually the wizard comes back and tries to fuck with everyone and that's when the details about the school come out people freak out a bit but it's cool it's fine it's all good the winx save the day like they always do good for them

Uhm,, if you've read this far you obviously have Helia brain rot too! Anyway, the fourth backstory is one I just came up with very recently! I wanted to explore other "higher" powers of the Magix universe (so like the Dragon but not) and decided to go in a lot of different directions but also have a sort of classic pantheon of High Fae. Most of them are called Watchers or Protectors of their magic source! The Watcher of Death (👁👁) decides she wants a champion (most of them have people that do their bidding aka champions) and instead of promoting one of her followers, she decides to... make one. So she just,,, grabs a bunch of loose magic and forms it until it's a little baby that can grow organically (similar to Valtor's case but instead of popping up as a full grown adult it forms as an actual baby). Obviously, this baby is Helia what else are we here for. This one is heavily inspired by necromancer Helia because I wanted to envision a grim reaper sort of thing for him. Just for the vibes baby!

I have a couple of others (of course I do 😞) but these are the ones I usually think of these days. There are also others that are happier and more of a "normal" family setting too so,,, but I wanted to share the most interesting ones and the ones I like the most!

[imaginariaextraordinaire]

Episode 8 is one hella packed episode and it is an absolute joy to unpack it, beginning with this:

Clever, clever idea to have Ji-Woo repeat the line that Mi-Joo just said to indicate Ji-Woo is taking charge of things as far as Assemblyman Ki is concerned. It's also a good reminder of how tone and intent can change the meaning of a sentence even if the words are exactly the same (which is why we need good translators).

Seeing Mi-Joo stride across the screen with Seon-Gyeom behind her, it struck me that we've seen a variation of this many times before, beginning with the credit titles. While Seon-Gyeom is the sprinter, the one we see constantly trying to up the pace and charge ahead is Mi-Joo. She's always intent on moving ahead faster — perhaps to outrun the past that she finally makes peace with during the marathon? — while Seon-Gyeom moves at a slower pace, disentangling himself from the constraints of his troubled past and troubling father. The only one time we see him race ahead (in episode 2), we also see him come back and slow down.

What I particularly love about Park Shi-Hyun's writing is that in addition to all the layers and complexity she's written into the scenes and characters, she's also written a very, very funny show.

Both Shin Se-Kyung and Kang Tae-Oh do such a fantastic job with both the physical humour (without being over-the-top) and the timing that's needed to play up the wit in the dialogues. Not that Siwan and Soo-Young do a bad job — the scene in which Dan-Ah proposes to Seon-Gyeom is hilarious. My favourite is still May, who is very funny throughout this episode (the shot in which we learn she sleeps with her eyes open! GOLD).

The transitions in this episode are so well written. The insights from one scene ricochet off the next. For example, Dan-Ah in the scene at the bar — where she tells the bartender she can't risk keeping the book in her own study because she can't risk people guessing she has anxieties — gives us a look at the problems of the privileged. This is followed by a scene in which Yeong-Hwa and Mi-Joo discuss student debts, which is a relatable middle-class problem. This in turn is followed by Tae-Woong saying that he takes selfies because he's addicted to the validation he gets from the likes each of those photos gets him — a Gen Z problem. And so it is that we get a spectrum of problems that people face and hide behind performative façades.

The likes that Tae-Woong talks about pop up with manic frenzy at the end of the heartbreaking scene with Dan-Ah in the parking lot, presenting the viewer with a terrible contrast — driving away from him is the love and acceptance that he yearns for from a sister who (he hopes) knows him. All he has to hold on to is the superficial attention of the love professed by a fandom that doesn't really know him at all. Soo-Young's performance is fantastic in this scene, especially when she asks in a voice tinged with desperation why Tae-Woong keeps coming back to her despite her treating him so badly. For the first time, you realise how much it takes out of her to lash out at this desperately-sad boy. "It takes effort to hate someone," Tae-Woong tells her. My heart!

Another fantastic set of transitions comes later on in the episode, when Mi-Joo and May are unwinding at the end of a long day at the film shoot.

This is such a great example of writing inter-generational female friendships. When May remembers not being paid for working overtime, it's an acknowledgement that things are better for working women (especially in film) than it was before, but as Mi-Joo's experiences show, there's still a lot to be done because women are still driven by a certain insecurity and anxiety to push themselves way too hard (as we see a sick Mi-Joo do later in the episode).

Of course a man tries to break this gathering up — because he wants to go to bed. Superb excuse, particularly because these women are talking how much they have to work — and it is deeply satisfying to watch all three of them shut him down and establish their right to unwind.

This scene of female friendship is followed by one that shows the friendship between the three runners. Then we get to see a fight scene full of male actors. The machismo of that performance is a sharp contrast to the awkward tenderness of Woo-Sik and Yeong-Il's conversation.

While on the subject of toxic masculinity, this is the episode in which we find out Dan-Ah's father forged Myeong-Min's birth certificate to make him legally older than Dan-Ah even though he's actually 10 months younger than her. All to ensure he has a male heir. It's a nice detail that Myeong-Min's mother is the one laying out the memorial service for Dan-Ah's mother because it hints at a sense of solidarity.

Also dismantling traditional notions of masculinity is Seon-Gyeom, whom we see at his most domestic as he cooks and packs meals for May and Mi-Joo, and does chores around the house once they're gone. It's very much an inversion of the standard male-female gender roles with the woman going out to work and the man as the homemaker. To underscore this point, we see Seon-Gyeom consider the leopard-print shirt (that May and Mi-Joo hang to give strangers the impression they've got an alpha in the house) for a second before putting it away.

Speaking of alphas, Mi-Joo's really got a thing for wild cats. In addition to that shirt, her blanket is also a leopard-print and when we see her calling Seon-Gyeom, she's standing in front of a painting of a tiger. All these seem to be digs at her posturing that she's strong and invulnerable and I burst out laughing when Seon-Gyeom folds the leopard-print blanket while muttering, "I'd have guessed this is hers even if she hadn't told me."

As disinterested as Seon-Gyeom may be in films, they play a big role in sustaining him emotionally. In this episode, it's the film set that helps Mi-Joo and him come together after their stupid disagreement. Equally importantly, the film set is where he gets the time and space to reconnect with his mother.

Run On has so much fun being meta with the film bits. The film shoot within a drama is indeed an old fake.

There are two film sets we see in this episode — one with Ji-Woo and the other with Mi-Joo. While Ji-Woo's set feels relaxed, the one Mi-Joo's working in is chaotic and taxing. The two women are also at different ends of the professional spectrum. Ji-Woo is a star while Mi-Joo is not just working behind the scenes, but she's come to fill in for the person who was the juniormost member of the crew.

When pointing out the main players of their film crew to Mi-Joo and May, Hui-Jin describes the cinematographer as "a bit racist, but still a gentleman". (Mi-Joo's response is superb: "Weird.") It's an interesting choice to make the cinematographer racist because that's the crew member who decides how subjects and scenes will be framed. "Racist but a gentleman" feels like a precise summary of the orientalist perspective which (aside from being overwhelmingly masculine) shows the East through stereotypes that are often superficially beautiful, but also reductive and damaging. Not surprisingly, this cinematographer is the reason Mi-Joo flounders while translating on set.

The film set is also the first time that Seon-Gyeom sees Mi-Joo's vulnerable side when she falls ill. It's such a clever choice to have Mi-Joo stop performing in a setting that's all about performances. Not only does Mi-Joo give up the alpha act when she's sick, she admits to Seon-Gyeom that when she's feeling helpless, her instinct is to resort to a performative lie — calling out for mom because that's what she saw other kids do as a child in a sick ward (imagine how isolated and neglected she must have felt to do this. Also, she's felt this way so many times that this performance has become second nature to her).

The anecdote suggests Mi-Joo's mulish championing of her self has its roots in past incidents when she tried to fit and either failed or was rejected. And yet, for all her strength and confidence, she's chasing phantoms and has been doing so since she was a little girl. All because she was alone and didn't have anyone she could reach out to for help. Which is why what Seon-Gyeom tells her at the end of the episode is so relevant. He helps her to reorient.

To which Mi-Joo, bless her leopard-print-loving heart, responds with

But my favourite part of this episode is the conversation that Ji-Woo has with Seon-Gyeom when he visits her set. First of all, Ji-Woo is playing a "vegan murderer", which is brilliant as ideas go and it's adorable how delighted she is about her violent roles.

I love how Run On doesn't punish Ji-Woo for sacrificing her family life for her work. Instead, it holds out the possibility that it is ok if you have that imbalance. In this scene, we see Ji-Woo's family reforming at the film set with Eun-Bi sending the coffee truck and Seon-Gyeom showing up just because Ji-Woo asked him to be there.

The mother-son conversation gives us a glimpse of Seon-Gyeom's bleak childhood and we learn that everything Seon-Gyeom did for his father was actually him doing what his mother had asked him to do. It comes as a surprise to Seon-Gyeom that his mother has noticed what he's suffered and that she understands how he'd hoped silently suffering would keep the family together. It's almost as though he's feeling seen for the first time.

Much like Dan-Ah, Ji-Woo may seem self-centred because of her ambitiousness, but she does notice what's happening beyond the obvious, especially when it comes to people she cares about. Both women are up against the worst of patriarchy. Also, I love that when she's talking about motherhood, Ji-Woo is blood-spattered — after all, being a working woman and a mother in a patriarchal is nothing short of fighting a war.

In previous episodes, it seemed as though Ji-Woo was the 'bad' (or at least not ideal) mother while Director Dong was the ideal, modern mother. Yet in comparison to how Director Dong later reacts to her son coming out, you can't help but feel Ji-Woo, with her unconditional support for her kids, might just be the better parent. What is great about Run On though is that that the script doesn't pit the two older women against each other as competing examples of motherhood or femininity. The point is that everyone's struggling, making mistakes and trying to learn from them. Ji-Woo is doing that and so will Director Dong eventually.

Love that the scene ends with Seon-Gyeom effectively declaring himself his mother's son. Take that, patriarchy.

[yourpsychovengeance]

What I'm about to tell you is a true story. Please read until the end and share it to others to raise awareness.

⚠️ TW: R*PE, SU*C*DE ⚠️

⚠️ 18+ ⚠️

I was 5...

You're one of the people from church. You're a funny guy, I always enjoy your jokes and stories. One day you said you want to show me something good and I should follow you. I wish I haven't...

"Suck it, it's just a big lollipop."

"Yummy milk will come out, I promise."

"You wanna put it in here?... I'm afraid it won't fit."

"This is a secret for the both of us only, okay?"

The "milk" wasn't yummy at all and I've always wondered what would've happen to my fragile body if he really put it in. Now, it scares me...

You were never contented, you invited your friends one by one. They all did the same thing.

I regretted and wished I at least told my parents, but I didn't. I was a kid and I didn't know what's happening. He said it's just a game and it's normal. "It was done by many." And so I thought.

It goes on until...

I was 7...

You had the audacity to start your own family and moved to another town.

Even so, your friends remained. It got to the point where I became famous to the boys in our neighborhood without me knowing why. Sometimes, they call me "slut." And here I am with no idea what that means and why they call me that. It goes on until I was a teenager.

Every summer break, an uncle visits my grandma and stays for a week or until classes resume (he was a college student then). I play with him during summer break. It was fine until he found me asleep in my grandma's bed. My grandma was out to buy groceries and we are the only people in the house. All I remember is that I woke up with me lying on his stomach whil he's masturbating. I pretended to be asleep until he finished. At this point I don't know what to feel anymore. I felt empty...

Again, I never told my parents becuse I am a shy kid and I don't talk much about how I feel with anyone, even with my parents. The harrassment stopped when we moved to another town when I was 9.

I'm doing fine, I'm living how a child should be. Enjoying my time playing and studying. I was an honor student. Until I accidentally saw my uncle's lewd magazines when I was 11. I suddenly remembered everything done to me when I was younger. I got confused. I don't know what to feel. All I know is that is how I started learning to masturbate at such a young age. I remembered that I don't like doing it but I can't seem to stop. Sometimes I cry while doing it and I don't even know what to do with it. I'm not even feeling pleasure to it.

I live on with that ever confusing state with a young mind.

I was 12...

We now live with our grandma, back to the town we lived when I was young, because both my parents now work overseas. I don't know what happened to the boys who harrassed me when I was young and I don't care as long as they don't bother me anymore. Or so I thought...

My grandma has a brother and he's older than her. He even uses a cane to help him walk. One time he carassed my thigh while we were sitting. I was so shocked I don't know what to say or do. I've been taught that elderlies must be respected and obeyed or I'll get spanked. When he finally stopped, I immediately ran to the bathroom and cried...

I was 13...

This was the most haunting moment I've experienced. It still haunts my mind every now and then.

My grandma hired a maid. Our maid is young, she was only 17. We got close to each other and I treated her like my big sister. Like how sisters are, we both share our lovelife stories. It was fun, it's a typical teenage life, I even had my puppy love for the first time. He treats me well and he's a gentleman. Unfortunately, we broke up because his mom doesn't like me. Up to this day, I still don't know why she hated me.

Moving on... I liked our maid very much that I go with her even when she goes out during her day offs. One time on her day off, she went home because it's her sister's birthday. I was allowed to go with her and have a sleepover. I was happy. But today, I always wish I haven't gone there...

When we got to their house, they ordered alcohol. I'm not gonna lie, I drank too. It was my first time. In this drinking session, I met her family. That's when I met her brother, he's 24 and works as a driver. Their house is small, shabby and only made of woods and palm leaves. So when it's time to sleep, we all shared one room. They also don't have a bed so we just slept on the floor. I was so wasted that night. It was my first time drinking and I am in no good condition. As everyone was peacefully sleeping, her brother crept beside me and slowly pulled me to the corner. I don't feel good and was half-asleep but I saw him already half naked on top of me. I was about to talk but he covered my mouth with something. I don't know what he did to me but I felt really dizzy. I thought I might fall asleep of the dizziness so I banged my head. It was painful but I managed to slightly open my eyes. I'm still dizzy but I see him sucking my chest. I thought I'm making a lot of noise but nobody is waking up, neither can I talk. I am so confused at that moment. Why is nobody waking up? I was weak but I keep on struggling. But as I was struggling, he caught my hands and tied it behind me. He pulled my hair, shut my mouth with a cloth and banged my head on the pillow. From then on, all I felt was pain. He pulled down his pants and my pants, and he aggressively pushed his way in. It was horrible and painful...

I couldn't do anything. All I know is that I'm in pain and I want it to end. But when he finished, he showed me a cloth and said "Wow, look at all this blood."

I cried.

The morning after, I was silent. I feel so empty, my eyes is empty. I can still feel the pain. Our maid told me to pack up 'cause we're going home. As I was packing up, I heard voices from the window. I saw our maid's brother (the one who r*ped me) and the younger one. The younger one is pointing at his older brother saying "Wtf, she was just a child! That was too much, I can' t do this anymore. I'm so done with you!" As I heard that, I quickly returned to packing my bag. I thought to myself "I am so done with this family, I wanna go home." How could they? So someone was awake while I was suffering and he didn't even dare to stop his brother? DID HE JUST WATCH HIS BROTHER R*PE ME???

When we are about to leave, our maid's brother whispered to me, "Don't ever tell anyone about what happened last night or I'll kill your family."

We're finally back home and I don't know what to do. I was so afraid. I was young and gullible. I couldn't say anything to my parents or grandma 'cause I'm scared. But that night, I couldn't fall asleep. I decided to talk to our maid, that' s how much I trust her. But in the end, she scared me 'cause she boldly asked "Was it good? Did you enjoy it?"

I was speechless. They're all f*cking animals.

It weighed on me like a big boulder on both my shoulders. I kept saying it was just a horrible nightmare but the pain still lingers. Sometimes I slice my wrists or take unprescribed pills to end my suffering. But it just added to my pain.

On one of my worst nights, I contacted my puppy love and told him what has been happening. I know we broke up but we still managed to have secret connections that time because we still like each other. But guess what? He was disgusted by me and he never talked to me ever again since that night.

I lost all my confidante.

A few months later, my mom finally went home for a vacation leave. I cried to her. I just pretended I missed her so much that's why I'm so emotional but her maternal instict got to her. She asked me what really is wrong and that's when I broke down and told her everything. I even told her to keep it a secret 'cause I'm afraid they will really be killed by him.

Of course, she refused.

She contacted my father about it. My father was devastated. She then went to our maid and talked to her, I don't know what about or the details, but she was fired.

After they talked, they went to our maid's house. I don't know the details, all I know is that my mom is so angry and she is taking it to legal matters. She will file a case for what he did.

Sadly and regrettably, it didn't happen. The *ssh*le fled somewhere before he was taken by the authorities. Prior to my r*pe case, we didn't know that he was already wanted because of a m*rder case in another town. Up to this day, he is still missing and wanted.

I was 14...

Hisghschool.

When my puppy love never talked to me again, I lost all my confidence and self-love. I don't know how to respect my self anymore. I feel so dirty. I am a dirtbag, that's what I am. Because of that mindset, I ended up flirting around with boys. I've had many exes whom I let my heart be wasted on. I have never been single. If a boyfriend broke up with me, I find another to flirt with me. I lived my teenage life being a flirt, but I never let them touch me and sometimes that's one of the reasons why they broke up with me. I was trashed by others, they look down on me, but I felt nothing. I lost myself.

As I was fooling around, I met a graduating college student. He was one of our practice teacher. Before he became a practice teacher, we already know each other. We used to chat over the phone. We have a lot of similarities when it comes to interests and so we got close. Despite the age gap, I liked him. We hang out every now and then but he always keep me a secret. He never wants anybody to find us out. He wants to stay low from the crowd.

I know you're gonna say that after everything I've been through, I never learned my lesson. Yeah, I know. You can hate me but it's all in the past now and I've been better.

Going back to the story, I know it was a red flag keeping our relationship secret but I never mind it. I kept my mind clouded from thinking that I finally found someone I can get comfortable with. I am still such a gullible kid I wanna punch my past self.

Until he took me to a motel one time. He said we're just gonna hang out there because in that place, no one will see us. It is a huge red flag, I know what people do in a motel, but I went with him anyway. I really like him, you can say I was really blinded by this so-called love.

When we arrived, we just started watching tv. I feel awkward, of course, we're in a f*cking motel. It's the first time I felt nervous when he get closer to me. My intuition was right 'cause he started touching me. I am shivering inside, the nightmares from before is still lingering. But I distracted myself by thinking "This is for the best, this is your chance to fight your fear." (Yeah right,'for the best' my *ss.) but I still can't do it. I told him I can't and we should stop but he never listened. He started kissing me and kept touching me. I stood up and yelled "I said stop!" He became angry and that's the first time I saw him angry. He slapped me and threw me back to bed and told me "I know you want it too you dirty little slut. It's all your fault!" I was shocked. He's never like this before. I knew this was gonna happen. Regret came all over me and I started blaming myself all over again. "Yes, this is all my fault, I should just let it be. I am really just a dirtbag..." That's what I thought at that time. I felt empty all over again.

And since then, I became his s*x slave, I was afraid he'll become violent on me again if I refused. He even go for threesome sometimes. Worst, he lets me watch him have sex with other girls and tell me to masturbate on the corner. It hurts me a lot.

To this point, I began questioning myself why I always end up with these kind of guys but I also end up answering myself with "because you're a slut, a whore, a dirtbag, who wants to be with a girl who's already touched by many guys?"

I tried to commit su*c*de by cutting my wrists just to end my suffering but I ended up still living. I failed so many times that even in dying, I still failed.

I've been his s*x slave for how many years, I can't even remember. It all ended up when I finally stood up for myself and cut all communications with him. It's also an advantage when I moved out because he doesn't know where I live anymore.

He kept messaging me on social media but I always block him. I also changed my phone number. He finally stopped when I was a college student and knew better. I told him I caught STDs and I have proofs of him fooling around with minors. He was scared of STDs and his reputation being ruined. What's a f*cked up guy who always fools around but scared of STDs? Thankfully, he's a stupid f*ck who believed my lie. It's been years and he doesn't bother me anymore.

I told my story not to gain sympathy but to raise awareness and help encourage others who's experiencing the same to keep on fighting.

After everything I've experienced, I learned how to fight for myself in the end. I learned how to respond to these kind of people. I also didn't end up hating all men because I learned that there's still good men out there through my father. Besides, some girls are also capable to r*pe/s*xually assault.

This is what r*pe, s*xual harrassment/assault does to a person. We get scared, we get nightmares, we get confused, we blame ourselves. But remember, we are still capable to fight. You f*ck up the minds of the children you harrased/assaulted. It f*cks up their perspectives as a child. It's hard to fix. As I grow up, it was hard for me to regain my confidence and self-love. It was tiring and I even tried to commit su*c*de.

To all the people who experienced the same ('cause not only girls experience r*pe, don' t you ever forget that!), whether it be you're a girl or a boy or part of the lgbt, keep fighting for your life! Never give up. It was hard but I know we can get through it. I, myself, still have nightmares sometimes but I am now able to respond to it without breaking down. And most importantly, NEVER BE AFRAID TO SEEK HELP. If you need help, ask for it. There are still people who are kind-hearted. Therapy helps too! So please, don't keep it all to yourself. If you can't take it anymore, ask for help.

You can also message me if you need to. Spread love and not hate! Have a safe day.

[funknrolll]

Celebrating Prince: discovering a timeless artist and his meaningful and impactful art. Part 3. The legal battle against Warner Bros, The Gold Experience and Emancipation eras.

Hi music lovers, as I anticipated on monday, music addiction is going to celebrate Prince and his amazing and timeless work!! The article will be split into a few little articles. I hope you enjoy this new format and these articles!!

For some reasons I had to repost this article therefore the 4th part will be uploaded tomorrow✨ stay tuned for more✨

As I said yesterday, let me say that I have heard so many things about Prince’s artistry. Some comments came from uneducated people who did not even take a second of their lives to understand, and do research on his art. Hence, I think the time to shed some light on Prince’s art, has come (finally). I hope to help some of those people understand this artist better and to finally appreciate him the way he deserves. We owe Prince big time. Today’s music and musicians  owe Prince everything. Without him, many of the artists we listen to today, WOULD NOT BE EXISTING. As we all know, Prince loved to experiment with music, trying out new music genres, new styles, new harmonies, melodies, rhythms and so on. This is one of the factors that led this legend to create a unique, wide and broad vault. There are so many songs of his that I love so much and that I find relevant for this article. The ones I chose, are going to prove that Prince and his music did not just revolve around sex and sexuality, (even if the artist through his music took the topic to another whole level). Through the article, we will see that Prince was more than all that I mentioned above. He was an extraordinary human being, blessed with so many enormous talents, with a beautiful mind, a uniquely pure soul. A true gift of God. With this in mind, let us start this article.

This is the sequel of the 2 articles I posted yesterday, so in case you guys missed them, check the previous 2 out.

Before I continue with this article, it is important to mention the Prince’s fight against Warner Bros. I know this was a matter so close to his heart and he cared about that. Hence, I think there is the impellent need to explain the situation to spread awareness and to remind the huge efforts Prince made beside his beautiful music. Back in the 90s, the artist’s music was owned by the aforementioned record company, although Prince was the person who composed, wrote, and performed HIS music. The artist was extremely aware of the importance of owning his masters and therefore his music wanted to buy back the rights to his music from Warner Bros, but the company denied that. Therefore, the artist would have had to re-record his music, the same music HE composed, HE wrote and performed. Indeed, as Prince stated in a 1999, Paper interview, “I wanted to buy my masters back from Warner Bros. They said no way. So I'm going to re-record them. All of them. Now you will have two catalogs with pretty much exactly the same music—except mine will be better—and you can either give your money to WB, the big company, or to NPG. You choose.". During this long legal battle, the artist decided to leave Warner Bros and created his own record label The NPG Records. Besides all of that, Prince, during the legal fight with Warner Bros, changed his name into an unpronounceable symbol and started to write the word slave on his face to symbolize the condition of slavery under which many artists had to stay. This battle lasted for about 4 decades. With this Prince was fighting for his artistic freedom, ownership of his work, and his rights. In addition to that, Not only was this huge artist fighting for himself, but also for all the other artists exploited by record companies. The artist formerly known as Prince was not to be silenced. Indeed, many of the works he crafted during the 90s, were an act of protest against record companies. It is extremely important to remind people how this artist gave his contribution and paved the path for other artists to be free and be more aware of this ENORMOUSLY important issue. I briefly summarized and addressed this HUGELY RELEVANT issue, but there would be more to say, and I will write an article about that. I will never stress enough the importance of Prince’s battle against record companies and his music being robbed from him. He has made a big impact and we all should be thankful and grateful to him for being bold enough to speak up about the topic and address this issue. 

Moving back to his music, in 1993 Prince ended the partnership with Warner Bros and started his own record label the NPG Records. Needless to say, as soon as the artist started his label, he began working on his new project, The Gold Experience, that eventually was released in 1995. This timeless gem is the product of Prince’s deep and broad artistic evolution. On this masterpiece, there are 3 songs that I find extremely relevant which are: We March, The Most Beautiful Girl in the world, Billy Jack Bitch, and Gold.  Through its forthright and explicit lyrics, We March is a powerful protest song where the artist speaks up against racism, misogyny, and prejudice.

If this is the same avenue my ancestors fought 2 liberate

 How come I can't buy a piece of it even if my credit's straight?

 If all the water's dirty and I wanna lay the pipe, my dammy

 The river that I drink from, will it be the same as your mammy 

In these lines, the artist is raising his voice against the prejudice of moneylenders.

If this is the same sister that U cannot stop calling a bitch (Bitch)

 If U can't find a better reason 2 call this woman otherwise

 Then don't cry, U made the bed in which U lie

These lines are a protest against misogyny, particularly slurs such as the term bitch which is seldom referred to women. 

Now's the time (now's the time) 2 find a rhyme (Yeah)

 That's got a reason (Yeah) and frees the mind (free your mind)

 From angry thoughts, the racist kind (Yeah)

 If we all wanna a change then come on get in line (Get in line!)

 Next time we march (Whoa)

 We're kickin' down the door

 Next time we march (Hey yeah) (Whoa)

 All is what were marchin' 4

With this bit of the lyrics, Not only is the artist revolting against racism, but it is a warm encouragement to react and change the situation. This song is a total anthem against racism, prejudice, and misogyny, to the point that in 1995 it became the hymn of the Million Men March. Moreover, I think it is urgent to focus on the arrangement of this song. The arrangement is strictly connected to the lyrics to make the song even more vivid.  I picked the music sheet for the piano. I am not going to annoy you with some obnoxious details, and I will try to be brief. I hope to be as clear as possible. The arrangement is presenting a key signature at the beginning of every staff which means the song is arranged in G major.  The key signature designates notes that have to be played higher or lower than the corresponding natural notes, and it is applied through to the end of the piece or up to the next key signature. In this case, after the clef, we can find a sharp sign which means that some notes are raised one semitone above the natural notes. Some other notes have the natural sign near them which means that the sharp key signature is canceled for them, hence these notes are natural. With this said, the question should be, why would Prince arrange the song like this? In my opinion, the artist might have used a key signature to raise some notes and the natural sign to cancel the accidental, for a specific reason. Musically speaking, Prince was an educated genius, hence I am sure he knew exactly what he was doing and why. The artist wanted to create an imbalance between the notes to create the effect of a real and difficult march, almost like climbing a mountain. Perhaps this arrangement might symbolize a difficult march that eventually will lead to the achievement of freedom, respect, equality, acceptance. Therefore, I would say that the connection between the extremely complex arrangement and the lyrics was magistrally crafted. This song is just one of the many examples of how brilliant Prince was.

Furthermore, another song that I love is Billy Jack Bitch. This is another protest song, but the topic is totally different from the previous one. Through these hilarious and sarcastic lyrics, Prince is revolting against a gossip columnist named Cheryl Johnson who was caught being utterly rude. As a matter of fact, the song is so crystal clear that there is no need for further explanations. However, one thing that I noticed in the lyrics Prince managed to mention the initials of the woman. 

Joy - it's in the dictionary

 See "J" Billy Jack Bitch 

The artist could not write the actual initials of the woman, because otherwise he would have been sued. Nonetheless, Prince was so smart that through a phonemic effect (see J) he managed to say the initials of the woman and thus give subtle hints about the woman’s identity. Moreover, what impressed me about the song is the drumline which is in my opinion phenomenal. The striking background vocals also caught my attention because, after some research, I found out that the voice we hear belongs to the rockstar and Prince’s fellow artist Lenny Kravitz’s. Two geniuses in one song are there anything more iconic?

Last but not least, my favorite song on the album is Gold. I love this masterpiece with every cell of my body. The meaning and the message this song is delivering are so POWERFUL!! The deep meaning behind these uplifting lyrics is to be ourselves, be unique, and never follow the mass because “All that glitters ain’t gold”. We should never follow the crowd. Not everything the crowd does is gold, even if it looks like it. We should be ourselves and make a difference. We should take difficult roads and climb the highest mountains to see the top. There would be another method of interpretation. The majestic music video and the scribble slave across Prince’s face might be inferring another significance. Thus, I would assume that this song might be another protest but this time against Warner Bros since Prince was in the legal battle against record label. Indeed, the meaning of the song may apply well to that situation. As a matter of fact, Prince might be inferring that even if contracts with a record company look like gold, in reality, they just glitter that tie the artists to a condition of slavery. Anyways, the arrangement also deserves attention. Indeed, the chorus of the song goes “All that glitters ain’t gold” and in my opinion, the arrangement of the keyboard is extremely peculiar and well related to this bit of the lyrics. First, it is important to say that the keyboard is dominating and I also think it is important to pay attention to its arrangement.  As I could see from the music sheet, the arrangement is characterized by high notes which are raised by the key signature after the clef. Indeed, this song is arranged in D major which means that the arrangement contains 2 sharps and the arrangement is written like this : 

This also means that all the already high notes on the staff are raised one tone. Now you might be asking: what is the point she is trying to make? what does this have to do with Prince? I am aware that the logic behind this might seem odd, but I will get to the point of this. As I said, this song’s composition is characterized by a range of middle-high notes. As Prince was musically educated, I am quite sure that the composition of this masterpiece and its arrangement, have a deep connection with the lyrics. Indeed, I would assume that Prince might have opted for this arrangement to enhance the meaning of this beautiful masterpiece. The chorus of this song goes “all that glitters ain’t gold” and in the music video we can see Prince being “showered” with a rain of golden glitters, therefore this recurring topic might be what connects the lyrics to the arrangement of the song. As a matter of fact, when we think about glitters, especially a rain of glitter we might associate this with a particular sound which most likely might be characterized by some high tinkling sound. This is exactly the effect Prince aimed to create with this magistral arrangement. Those middle-high notes I mentioned have the peculiarity of creating this beautiful effect that is the sound of glitter tinkling, which is even more enhanced by the music video. 

The release of Emancipation marked Prince’s definitive end of the partnership with the record label Warner Bros. It was the artist’s 19th studio album and probably one of my favorites. From the self-explanatory title, it is quite evident that Prince was still fighting against WB for his rights. However, not only is this work featuring protest songs but also some covers and some love songs where the artist expresses his affection for his former wife Mayte Garcia. Through some well thought and precise details, Prince’s personal touch is quite evident in this project. Indeed, this is a triple album and each album is consisting of 12 songs. Each album lasts exactly 60 minutes. Hence, the accuracy and the precision behind this masterpiece are quite impressive. In fact, the artist had an explanation for this, as he explained in several interviews, this was based on his studies of ancient Egypt and Egyptians: “The building of the pyramids and how the pyramids were related to the constellations. They were a message from the Egyptians about how civilization really started."

Among the most significant songs on this masterpiece we can find: The Holy River, Slave, The Love We Make, and the homonymous Emancipation.

The first song mentioned is The Holy River. Through these exceedingly deep lyrics, we can infer that the artist went through a major spiritual shift. More precisely, the Holy River might be a metaphor that might be symbolizing the baptism. Indeed, if my guessing is correct, this metaphor will be perfect with the general meaning of the song as being baptized also means the beginning of a new life, which is what Prince experienced with this major spiritual shift. 

Let's go down 2 the holy river

 If we drown then we'll be delivered

 U can still see the picture upon the wall

 One eye staring at nothing at all

 The other one trying 2 focus through all your tears

 U can try and try but there's nothin' 2 hide

 U can't run from yourself and what's inside

 U got 2 find the answers 2 the questions that U most fear

So over and over U ask your soul

 Why'd U come down 2 a world so cold?

 And the voice inside says 2night the truth will be told 

Also, the chorus of the song is quite eloquent as Prince is providing a detailed explaining of how he went through a dark moment in his life where he was struggling to find answers, where he was afraid to look inside of himself and to find the truth and the answers. 

U surrounded yourself with all the wrong faces

 Spending your time in all the wrong places

 Puttin' your faith in things that only make U cry

 People say they love U when they wanna help

 But how can they when U can't help yourself?

 The more they say they love U, the more U just wanna die

 So here we go again, the self-analysis

 Have another glass of Port and uh... forget this

 The band's playin' at the club 2night and they're bound 2 groove 

Also, these lines are quite eloquent, and I think there is no need for some further explanation. These are practically a description of the troubles he went through and how lonely and hopeless he felt during that time of his life and how he managed to survive. 

There U are, U think U're high

 U can't ask yourself cuz U'd only lie

 If U had a dollar 4 every time U tried

  U can't call nobody cuz they'll tell U straight up

 Come and make love when U really hate 'em

 Relationships based on the physical are over and done

 They're over and done (They're over and done)

 U'd rather have fun

 With only one, with only one

 Only one... one (one) 

Again, in these lines, the artist is describing what he went through. In the last 5 lines, we can notice that a major spiritual shift was occurring and thus the positive change the artist went through Indeed, in the next lines, the artist describes how he started to change after he realized that God was by his side.

And then it hit 'cha like a fist on a wall

 Who gave U life when there was none at all?

 Who gave the sun permission 2 rise up every day? (Ooh, oh yes)

 Let me tell it (Go'n)

 If U ask God 2 love U longer

 Every breath U take will make U stronger

 Keepin' U happy (happy) and proud 2 call His name (Go'n and say it)

 Jesus (Jesus)

  And over and over U ask your soul

 Why'd U come down 2 a world so cold?

 And the voice inside said 2night the truth will be told

 And this time I was listening, hear me 

As a matter of fact, as I mentioned, these lines explain, perfectly a time of transition when the artist was evolving and changing. In the next lines, the artist describes the moments after the spiritual shift took place.

Let's go down 2 the holy river

 If we drown then we'll be delivered (Yes we will)

 If we don't then we'll never see the light (No)

 If U die before U try

 U'll have 2 come back and face the light (Oh yes)

 When U believe it, U got a good reason 2 cry (Oh my, my)

  So I went on down 2 the holy river

 I called my girl and told her I had something 2 give her

 I asked her 2 marry me and she said yes, I cried

 Oh, that night I drowned in her tears and mine

 And.. and instead of a glass of sorrow and wine

 Looking back y'all, I don't miss nothing except the time

 And when I see that picture up on the wall

 The one eye staring at nothing at all

 My eyes trying 2 focus but these are much different tears

 Oh, yes they are 

Like the end of a beautiful story, these last lines, are the conclusion of this masterpiece that closes with a “happy ever after”. Indeed, in these last lines, the artist compares the act of going down to the holy river to facing the light which means a new beginning, a new life. In these last 9 lines, the artist describes the exact moment when he proposed to his girlfriend to marry him. He then reconnects to the beginning of the song where he cried tears of sorrow while at the end of this story he said to be crying “much different tears” which perhaps might be tears of happiness. Moreover, musically speaking, the arrangement of this song is quite homogenous except for the very last bars. After the artist finishes performing the lyrics, he reprises the main harmonies and performs them with a guitar and piano solo, then adding a choir that performs the background vocals with some light head voices that recall the angels singing. These last bars are played in such a manner that reflects the feeling of the artist: joy, love, relief, ultimate happiness. All the emotions a person who has experienced a major spiritual shift will feel. Furthermore, I have also noticed a shift in the instrumental. At the beginning of this masterpiece, the instrumental is “softer” and the sound of the instruments is kept lower. This happens for the first part of the song where Prince describes what he experienced when he was going through a difficult time. Then, after the artist sings these lines: “ Relationships based on the physical are over and done

 They're over and done (They're over and done)

 U'd rather have fun

 With only one, with only one

 Only one... one (one) “ 

it is extremely evident that the instrumental changes. Indeed, Prince turns up the volume of the instruments which are in my opinion, also joyously played, like he is telling his listener “listen to me, this is my story, I Am happy, and you should be too”. 

Another song that I totally love is Slave. This is, in my opinion, such an ingenious masterpiece and we can hear how Prince took inspiration from the whole work songs genre. With the forthright message of the song, Prince was still raising awareness about how record companies exploited artists, hence he wrote this powerful masterpiece, a protest song, to release all his rage and frustration. 

Everybody keeps trying to break my heart

 Everybody except for me

 I just want a chance to play the part

 The part of someone truly free 

From its chorus, this song is extremely eloquent. Prince is basically protesting against his enemies who most likely would be record companies and perhaps, as he mentioned in the 4th line 

“My enemies kept it turning, but now they pound the gavel

 And judging me accordingly, I know, I know”  

 those who judge him for commencing a legal fight against record companies. However, I am quite sure that this masterpiece is a protest song crafted to vent and raise awareness about the condition artists had to stay under for an extremely long time which was treated as slaves. In support of my theory, I would report these lyrics:

Slowly candle burns, where'd they learn hypnosis?

 How'd they keep me under for so long?

 Break the bread I earn, just keep me far from closest

 I need their kind to illustrate what's wrong - what's wrong?

 Well, I'll tell you they just keep trying to break my heart

 They just keep trying to break my heart, ow! 

From the second line, it is quite clear that those who kept the artist under and broke the bread he earned might have been the record companies, particularly Warner Bros, that contractually forced Prince to produce his music and kept a big part of his earnings OF THE MUSIC HE PRODUCED, HIS OWN MUSIC. Another interpretation of this line might be that Warner Bros owned the rights of PRINCE’S MUSIC. Therefore, the artist did not have the rights of his own music which should have been HIS OWN. Moreover, as Prince explained in several interviews when he asked the record company for the rights of HIS MUSIC back, they just said no. This might explain well this line as the record label by not giving him his rights back kept Prince far from emancipating, and hence the artist just left Warner Bros and started his own record company. Moreover, what left me speechless and mesmerized, in total awe about this MASTERPIECE, is the instrumental and the music genre Prince chose to craft this MONUMENTAL PIECE OF ART. Why did Prince choose to give this masterpiece the title of Slave and what music genre could suit well a song with this eloquent title? Obviously, a work song with some soul influences. Indeed, what amazed me is that this masterpiece is crafted as a real work song. To understand this masterpiece better, I need to step back to the work song genre and explain some of their distinctive and relevant peculiarities. Work song is a music genre that was spread around the world (indeed there is more than just one type of work song, they were used all around the world), but focusing on Afro-American work songs, this music genre developed in America during slavery times between the xvii-xix century. This genre had several functions for instance: to coordinate the labor of a group of people working together, which improved the efficiency of the work, and to relieve the boredom of a tedious job, which improves the lives of the workers. Also, work songs were seldom used as an act of protest against the condition of slavery, injustice, and poverty. These songs were frequently sung by a leader followed by a choir. Additionally, to keep the rhythm of those chants, workers generally used their working tools or the stomping of their feet or they even clapped their hands. With this said as I would say that Slave by Prince is part of this music genre. Moreover, as we can hear, the beats of this masterpiece resemble the use of the tools used by slaves to create the rhythmic path to their chants. Another peculiarity that was taken after the music genre just mentioned, is the choir to which Prince was the lead singer. Indeed, the artist performs the main lines while the chorus is performed by the choir. This technique is called call and response which was quite typical in Afro-American work songs. Additionally, the emphatic and emotional and heartfelt performance the artist offered, makes it easy to sympathize with his pain, his rage, and his exhaustion. 

Furthermore, one of my favorite songs on this album is The Love We Make. Such a breathtaking masterpiece. In my opinion, the meaning of this masterpiece is quite hermetic. Indeed, just by reading the lyrics, it might not be clear what Prince meant with those words. However, It is widely believed that this song might have been produced to remember Jonathan Melvoin, Susannah, and Wendy’s brother, who died from heroin overdose. Melvoin was a musical child prodigy who worked with Prince on several projects and he also collaborated with some punk bands. It is believed that this song is dedicated to him for several reasons: the first one is the year he passed away which was 1996, secondly, and most importantly because the artist described the song as “written to speak to the spirit of a friend lost to drugs”. Moreover, in the liner notes to the Emancipation 1996 LP, the song is described as “written for a lost friend”. Hence, for all these reasons, this song is believed to be about Jonathan Melvoin. This is perhaps one of the most powerful and inspiring songs in Prince’s vault, truly breathtaking. With the reassuring yet preaching lyrics the artist was delivering an enlightening message: no matter how difficult life might be, there is still hope and we should all be grateful for the miracle and the gift God gave us. 

Happy is the way 2 meet your burdens 

 No matter how heavy or dark the day 

 Pity on those with no hope 4 2morrow 

 It’s never as bad as it seems until we say 

As I mentioned, specifically in these lines Prince is encouraging the listener to be happy and full of hope no matter what, condemning those who do not have hope in the future as things are never as bad as they seem. 

Precious is the baby with a mother 

 That tells him that his savior is coming soon 

 All that believe will cleanse and purify themselves 

 Put down the needle, put down the spoon 

 Even though these lines are quite hermetic and enigmatic I will attempt to give a proper explanation. The artist is mentioning a baby and his mother, and the mother telling the baby that his savior is coming soon. Hence, as Prince was extremely spiritual and had a great, broad, and keen knowledge of the Bible and the Gospel, I would assume that these two lines are related to the Scriptures. The logic behind this might seem odd, but I will attempt to get to the point with a proper explanation. As Prince was fascinated by the ancient Egyptian world, as it is evident from the set up of the songs on the album, I would assume that these lines are connected to two biblical figures. Honestly, at first, before doing my research, I was going to assume that Prince was alluding to Jesus Christ and the Holy Mary. However, the biblical figures he was hinting to, were instead Moses and his mother Jochebed. For those who are not familiar with the Scripture, Jochebed to avoid the mass slaughter of Hebrew boys, and therefore, her son to be brutally killed, she set her baby adrift in the Nile River, hoping someone would find him and raise him. God so worked that her baby was found by Pharaoh's daughter. Jochebed even became her own son's nurse. Then, God used Moses mightily, to free the Hebrew people from their 400 years of slavery and took them to the Promised Land. Although little is written about Jochebed in the Bible, her story speaks powerfully to mothers of today. Hence, the connection between those two lines of the song and the biblical figures is quite clear. Moreover, as the title of the album is Emancipation and one of the topics of this masterpiece is the artist’s rebellion against Warner Bros, which forced him to work in a condition of slavery, Moses's story who freed Hebrews from slavery and took them to the Promised Land, might apply quite well to Prince’s story who fought to free himself from Warner Bros and start his own record company. Moreover, with the following two lines Prince is suggesting that by believing in God we are purifying and cleansing themselves. As regards to the last line, as I mentioned, is what created the widespread belief that this masterpiece might have been dedicated and inspired by Jonathan Melvoin. In addition to that, on the album, there are not reported the full lyrics of the song, but just one line of it which is precisely “Put down the needle, put down the spoon” and on the bottom line we can find “Written 4 a lost friend.” which hints even more to Jonathan Melvoin. Again, referring to the line I just mentioned, Prince is using another tone to sing these words. Indeed, if we listen to the song attentively, we would hear how the artist was preaching against drug addiction. Furthermore, the next lines, are extremely well related to the previous one. 

Sacred is the prayer that asks 4 nothing, oh 

 While seeking 2 give thanks 4 every breath we take, oh 

 Blessed are we inside this prayer 

 4 in the new world, we will be there 

With these lines, Prince is encouraging the listener to be grateful for the gift of life, giving thanks for every breath we take, praying God without asking him for anything but rather praying him with gratitude for the gift of life. In the last two lines, Prince is basically telling the listener that those who pray God, believe in Him, and have faith in Him, will be blessed with a “new world” which is the Kingdom of Heaven. The last lines of the song are the chorus.

The only love there is, is the love we make {x2} 

 (the only love there is, is the love we make) 

 Only love there is, only love there is 

 The only love there is, is the love we make (yeah) 

 The only love there is, is the love we make 

These lines repeated four times like a beautiful monumental hymn, are used to teach a vital lesson: the only thing that matters is the love we give out, the love we spread while we are alive. That is to say, this is the ultimate purpose of life: to give love and being grateful for the gift of life. Furthermore, as regards the arrangement of this masterpiece, it was crafted in such a way that it allowed the artist to use a preaching tone during the interpretation. This peculiarity in the performance of the song is even more enhanced at the end of the masterpiece. Indeed, when the artist performs the lines that begin with “Sacred is the prayer that asks 4 nothing”, he changed the vocal register from a light chest voice to a powerful head voice which also gives more power to the words he was singing turning them into a real preach. The shift of vocal register in this particular bit of the song is also extremely effective as the artist is singing out loud such an important lesson that MUST be heard by everyone. Perhaps Prince has put so much emphasis on these magistrally written lines because this is the fulcrum of the song that everyone must listen to carefully. Additionally, if we listen to Prince’s voice attentively, we will hear some slight shifts in the intention put in the performance. As regards to the instrumental, the Artist opted for a slow ballad in 4/4. Although the choice of a slow ballad, the song is reinforced by guitar, drums, and piano. Additionally, while I was listening to this masterpiece, I realized that the instrumental is characterized by a progressive raising of the tonality of the song. This way, the instrumental was raised by 2 octaves. This characteristic, besides making this masterpiece even more effective and turning it into a beautiful and inspiring preach, gives the listener the idea of a beautiful climb that gets straight to heaven. Personally, whenever I listen to this masterpiece, I feel like I’m watching a beautiful sunset or hiking in the mountains. Moreover, the arrangement is mostly characterized by music accidentals, which in my opinion are an extremely important part of the composition of the song since without them the song would not be perceived as a powerful preach. 

If you guys would like to purchase your copy of the albums I wrote about in this article (which I recommend, PLEASE DO NOT BOOTLEG PRINCE’S MUSIC), I’ll post the links below here

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G4RYC5D/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=giuliabianchi-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=2a37eabce98ae7fd530fddeff2287ed5&creativeASIN=B07G4RYC5D

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VRFM9YJ/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=giuliabianchi-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=a1e0d017e5a3de4e6b01f3fc5a5f4f3c&creativeASIN=B07VRFM9YJ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G4LHQHQ/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=giuliabianchi-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=1da616a288e24d1a38bd64113cbb08a0&creativeASIN=B07G4LHQHQ

This was the third part of a series of articles dedicated to Prince to celebrate his life and most importantly his art. Stay tuned for more. If you have missed the first part feel free to check it out✨ In the meantime stay home, stay safe and healthy. Peace and Love 4 one another. thank you so much for your attention 💜 G  💜

[dea-certe]

I really want so many people to see this post. If I have the power to make a post go Viral* or whatever, let this be the post.

My dad is a truck driver. He has been one since I was 5ish (I have memories of living in my grandmother's house behind her florist shop, from when he wasn't a truck driver, before he got his CDL, but I'm like 99.9% sure it was 4-6 that he started driving). I cannot, for the life of me, remember a time that he wasn't breaking the law by keeping 2 logs. Truck drivers are required to keep logs showing that they got the legally required amount of rest. The "legally required", the "the most amount we can have them work before they kill someone" logs were ridiculous. They can be found in detail here but the number one takeaway is not driving for longer than 14 hours. Now, have you ever spent 14 hours on the road? I have. My mother has. My father has. My sister has. My brothers have. Pretty much every adult in my extended family/friends-that-are-family group (over 100 people) has done so.

I want you to think about that drive. I want you to think about when it was over. Another big thing the law states is that they can drive 8 hours before they must take a 30 min break. So picture a drive where you've only gotten out to pee, stretch, get food and water, once in 8 hours. Now, at the end of it, 14 hours, you've now got to drive home (if you're lucky, someone can pick you up, but yards are rarely within 20 minutes of places to live). Then, finally, at last, you can shower and change and brush your teeth and move around. Most importantly, you can sleep. You have 9 hours to do that. Recommended sleep time is 8 hours but no adult I know gets that regularly. Usually 5-6 is good. Spend an hour with the kids after school, or see your friends and family, maybe even watch a movie or episode.

Now, do it again. And again. And again. And again. And again. And again. Because they can make you do this for 5-7 days before you have to have 34 straight hours off. And that's your life.

I want you to picture how goddamn exhausted and honestly sick of driving those people are when they get into their sedans and f-150s and challengers and drive home. On the same highways and frontage roads and city streets and school roads as everyone else. At any time of the day. Maybe while your new driver of a teenager is taking their siblings home.

That was my dad, and his friends at work, and the folks he met along the road, and the 3.6 million other CDL drivers on the road. Along with the new doctors. The parents who can't afford a sitter or daycare and so go to work at night while their day shift co-parent is at least at home with the kids; those folks are usually running on 2-3 hours of sleep a night at best, and often going 32+ hours without sleep for 5+ years until the kids go to kindergarten. Along with millions of other drivers going through their same crap.

This is all a long winded way of saying "People dying of lack of sleep due to health reasons or accidental reasons is responsible for approx. 500,000 deaths a year."

Sleep deprivation is just one of the things that working the American Average of 47 hours a week. Add up the other reasons (poor diet, untreated injuries and diseases, addiction, etc) and you've got a million or so people dying a year (at least) in large part due to our work culture.

So to answer "Who the fuck does 13 hour shift?"

Everyone, except the young and rich.

when you get off a 13 hour shift

[amewinterswriting]

For the elements ask: Earth, Fire, Shadows, Space

Earth: What do you think is the foundation of your WIP?

For Agorned, found family. Throughout every story, there's a consistent theme of being different or lost or abandoned or persecuted and subsequently finding connections with unlikely seeming companions who share some of the same struggle.

For Passions of Secret London, exploration of identity and sexuality. From loving what is monstrous about your partner (and yourself) to working out how your relationship fits in with the world. I mean, how do you see your long-term plans changing when you get involved with a selkie with very protective sisters?

For the Welsh WIP (which needs a name, I can't keep calling it that), it's a bit of an exploration of my childhood/teenage years - the struggle of feeling isolated and not knowing who (if anyone) can help. It's about unwillingly being dragged into a mess you didn't create and don't have the power or tools to fix but somehow all the people who could fix the situation choose to be blinded by their own petty grievances.

Fire: What’s a scene that you are dying to write?

It's a dumb scene that's stuck in my head from Passions of Secret London. In this particular story, the protagonist (Scarlett) is short on rent. She finds out her landlady (Elizabeth) is a vampire - money flow is no issue once you've been around long enough and compound interest is working its magic, but blood is somewhat more difficult to get. Pretty sure you can see where that's going. Anyway, this particular scene is Scarlett asking Elizabeth for more details about the vampiric condition. For example, does Elizabeth need to be invited into Scarlett's flat explicitly? After all, it's technically Elizabeth's property, Scarlett is just renting it. And Elizabeth is just steadfastly ignoring the 'vampire' aspect of it and only addressing the 'landlord' aspect. Like: "Of course I can't enter your flat uninvited, that would be illegal. If I needed to gain access to that space for whatever reason, I would need to inform you at least 24 hours in advance and gain permission to enter." And Scarlett spends a lot of time trying to get her to answer candidly whether the obstacle to entry is simply legal or supernatural (becoming more and more exasperated the longer Elizabeth refuses to give a straight answer).

Shadows: What’s the darkest theme you’ve ever written about?

I've definitely written about darker stuff (suicide, abandonment, death, torture) in my teenage years but the best story that comes to mind is this: In the near future, we can record and playback sensations in a kind of VR setup. Touch, pleasure, pain, etc. The main application of this is in the medical field - 'doctors' are less trained in the external symptoms of disease and disability; instead, they train on recorded simulations of various pain so when they are hooked up to their patients, they can diagnose based on what it feels like. People being people, new doctors make this into a competition: putting themselves through the most harrowing records of pain and suffering and seeing who can endure the longest. There's a betting pool. It's entertainment. Doctors are valued less on what knowledge they have and more based on how much pain they can endure, since they would be able to diagnose a larger pool of patients based on their second-hand experience. While I now feel I didn't really come to a natural point when I first wrote this (the original story ends with an invasion and the outside forces commenting on how barbaric the practice is) I think if I revisited it now, I would like to point out the difference between enduring pain on a voluntary and temporary basis and how that pales in comparison to say...a chronic condition that you have little to no control over. That a doctor might make the argument that a patient's pain is 'minor' because they endured it themselves (with full control over when and how long to experience it) and that their patient doesn't need any real medical help (like painkillers or assistive devices), instead suggesting lifestyle changes and determination.

Space: Where’s your favorite place to write?

Less of a favourite but more like my most effective: the bus when communicating to work. It's like an enforced writing sprint - I have 25-35 minutes where I can't do anything else so I might as well write. The short time frame means it doesn't feel too intimidating and I'm more likely to get something down, without getting too precious about the exact wording or quality.

[havekiddoswilltravel]

#notwithoutmychild An American Traveling Family’s Take on the Zero Tolerance Policy

Let’s attempt to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes...

Photo credit: Rebecca Wilhite Photography

When our first born was 15 months old, my family traveled to the Dominican Republic on an extended family vacation with my parents and sister. At that time, children could travel with both parents with an official raised seal United States birth certificate and didn’t need a passport. As a first time parent, I was naive enough to trust this process and off we went. We entered the Dominican Republic with no problems, a bienvenidos and a smile. We spent 7 nights enjoying the picturesque waters and beaches of the island, while also visiting family and friends. To our surprise, at the end of our trip as were going through customs and immigration in Santo Domingo, we (my husband, baby girl and I) were separated from my parents and sister and brought into the back room. After several minutes of complete silence, agents looking at our passports, plane tickets and her birth certificate while whispering to each other in Spanish, we were called to the desk. It turns out that the custom agent whom check us into the country stamped the adult’s passports and inadvertently didn’t stamp our daughter’s birth certificate. Thus, there was no record of her entering the island and we basically looked like child traffickers. Here we were, young law abiding American Citizen parents stuck in limbo in the holding area with no idea how to get out of this predicament.

Our story had a happy ending for many reasons

First, I am a Dominican born United States citizen and was traveling with a U.S. born U. S. citizen husband who also happened to be an M. D. Why does this matter you may ask? I’m fluent in Spanish and could understand all of the speculations being made by the officers. I could also advocate for our family fluently in their native language without needed U.S. embassy involvement. Dominicans are known to value and respect education and titles. Having my husband be a doctor may have actually helped them believe me and added credibility to our side of the story. Having licensiado and doctor in front of your name goes a long way in Latin American culture. 

Secondly, I am obsessive with documenting our children's lives and had a lot more time to do so with just one child. As a result, I was able to produce pictures on my phone and camera from her birth, first year of life and our family vacation on the island. I even had pictures of her on the plane and as we entered the customs area a week prior. Phew! By the grace of God, we dodged that bullet, but the scars have stayed with me.

Lastly, as a Dominican American who’s traveled in and out of both countries extensively, I had an insider’s view of both cultures. I was able to navigate and use that to our advantage and this resulted in us leaving many other people behind in that holding room and not even missing our flight. Others are not so lucky. 

The lack of empathy and dehumanization of immigrants is troubling and hurtful. Our family’s immigration story is the epitome of the American Dream, on the surface at least. My mother is a college educated Dominican whom actually taught English in the Dominican Republic prior to our family immigrating to the United States in the early 80′s. This did not protect us from the trauma and pain associated with any immigrant story. My parent’s decision to move to the United States was made in order to provide their children with educational opportunities. What started off as an idealistic and financially tasking undertaking, turned out to be one of the most traumatic experiences of our family’s lives. It has shaped my passion for social justice and the disenfranchised. 

My father traveled to the United States first (once our papers were granted) in order to secure a job and set up a place for us to live prior to my mother traveling with the three kids. My mother unexpectedly got a call that my father had been detained and held while attempting to enter the United States. She had to immediately leave her teaching job, home and three children behind in order to clear my father. Why? My mother had been sponsored by her eldest sister and she had in turn sponsored my father and us. She was not aware that because her name was the primary on my father’s residence card (green card), he couldn’t legally enter the United States for the first time without her. I was the youngest of their three kids at that time and though only four years old, I remember the confusion, sadness and pain associated with that experience. It’s for this reason that I cannot stomach watching videos and images of children being separated from their parents. What if this was your story? What if what you’re leaving was that difficult that you were willing to risk death to leave it? How do we decide whose life has value and whose children to protect? 

In order to protect my extended family’s privacy, I will leave out the details of much of the pain and trials that we’ve experienced in our adventures in the United States. All of us are now Naturalized United States Citizens. My father passed his immigration test at the age of 70. My parent’s “American Dream” became a reality, as all three of their children have college or masters degrees, however that “dream” came at a cost. My passion around #notwithoutmychildren comes from a place of deep personal pain associated with immigration and time away from my parents as a result. 

My personal life experiences as well of those of my extended family and friends still make me slightly distrustful of the “system” that is suppose to protect us. I treat our family’s passport like treasures. I never let them expire and don’t leave the country by air, land or sea without them. I also when solo traveling with my children, travel with a letter from my husband stating that he’s aware that I’m leaving the country. I’d rather be safe (slightly paranoid) than sorry, when it comes to spending one night of my life away from my children. 

Where do we go from here?

Are you struggling with understanding, processing and responding to what’s going on with families? These are resources that I’ve used with my family to discuss and attempt to understand how we got here and where we stand on this issue. Also, I challenge you to turn off the news and attempt to interact with real people in real life on this issue. Do you know any immigrants of color? Have you broken bread with them? Have you heard their story from their own mouths? If you don’t know any immigrants of color, I’m willing to share some of mine. Here’s my cousin Lorena’s story. Read it, process it and take a step forward in better understanding people’s experiences. This blog post has been in draft form for over two weeks. Why? This stuff is painful. It brings up old hurts and creates triggers like no other experiences in my entire life. I’m letting you into a very personal part of my history in hopes that hearts will be moved and we can move toward empathy and love. Choose love. 

Additional resources:

This is a great resource that can be used to discuss the current events with our children in a manner that protects them and their sensitive hearts. We don't watch the news and I personally can't stomach watching the videos or images on this issue. My focus has to be on raising our children to be different, and looking for ways to advocate for those with no voice. 

One of the challenges that I believe many of us have in regards to engaging on this topic is lack of understanding of our country’s history. Dr. Kira Banks did a great job putting together a video outlining our history and sharing ways to help us makes better understand what is going on.

I will continue to update this blog post with additional resources that I’m using to make sense of what’s going around us.

History doesn’t have to repeat itself...

What are you doing to have your voice heard in this matter? 

Let’s start by sharing our stories. 

Pin it for later:

THE BEST WAY TO HELP IMMIGRANTS AND REFUGEES WHO HAVE BEEN ARRESTED/DETAINED

”Immigration advocates have noted one sure-fire way to help people separated from their children: Posting their bail. This is one of the fastest ways to reunite immigrants with their family,” said Pilar Weiss, project director at the National Bail Fund Network said.

This is true for undocumented people who have been detained by ICE across the whole Country, including in my home state of CT.

Here are two organizations that can help:

National group

Connecticut Group: http://www.ctbailfund.org/

About Ruth: I’m a wife and mami of 4 active and globe-trotting kiddos. I’ve always loved a good adventure and truly believe that it’s possible to travel with kids. Join me, as I share our adventures and inspire you to get out of the house with your kiddos. Whether you’re planning a family vacation, a road trip or a trip of a lifetime to an exotic destination, I’ll share insights, trip reports and information that will inspire you. Check back often to stay up to date on things to do with kids at your next travel destination.

[mugoki]

[ 5 March — 14 March, 2021 ]

1K Pages Readathon wrap-up

Here are all the books i read for #1kpagesmarch challenge! 💗

Total pages read: 1104 / 1000 (if my math is correct)

Here are my book reviews:

The Old King in His Exile (2017) by Arno Geiger

Arno Geiger tell in great detail of his father's slow change into dementia, how his strange behavior and mannerism suddenly isn't made to fit in their everyday life, as if he'd been put in exile. But also of his father's childhood, in a way to explain the new ideas and needs the illness put in the old man's head. Beautiful story of a man struggling to chase his memories as the world around turn stranger. 180 pages 🌟 4/5 stars

- - - - -

Diary (1956) by Olof Lagercrantz

Went into this book blind, don't think i've read this author's books before. Idk, i couldn't get into it. The text doesn't feel 100% genuine, feels written specifically for an audience instead of personal journal and even if the language is poetic - is like uninteresting smalltalk. Olof lives near a graveyard, and when he isn't thinking deeply about death and life, he mention cute women he has seen during the day. I dropped this book at 55 pages read (out of 159 pages), giving it 1/5 stars 🌟

- - - - -

111 Ways to Save the Planet (2019) by Jonna Karvonen and Marie Schjulström

111 listed ways to save the environment as a single human being! First the book tell of the bigger picture, if each person change their old ways and educate, we are bound to make a difference. If not for everyone else, at least do it for the animals.

I haven't read much environmental books but after some severe signs of our dying earth lately, i felt i wanted to do something but had no idea what. Found myself incredibly inspired by this book! Many of the points speaks to different kind of people: like the regular joe or the broke student or the business owner or a parent. Like the book have something that everyone can do within their own restrictions and boundaries.

I used post-its to remember a few points that spoke to me. 92 pages and 5/5 stars 🌟

- - - - -

Aniara (1956) by Harry Martinson

Tried reading this sci-fi novel after watching a super interesting youtube movie review, but the language of the book made me too impatient to continue. The concept sound insanely good though! The spaceship Aniara on its way to Mars suddenly end up off course and hover indefinitely waiting for an asteroid to help turn them back, but as the years go by, the passengers grow more desperate and crazier.

When reached chapter 15 (out of 200) i felt frustrated, like "i can't go on like this". Got myself through only 32 pages out 188 pages before calling it quits. 2/5 stars 🌟

- - - - -

Homework (1989) by various authors*

Anthology short stories about childhood school memories from early 1910s up to 1960s. Very interesting how school looked, worked and felt like during those days - more god praising and physical punishment than i far expected. But every story had something i enjoyed reading. 223 pages, 4/5 stars 🌟

*Bengt Anderberg, Mats Arvidsson, Sun Axelsson, Jonas Gardell, Lotten Gustafsson, Staffan Göthe, Cecilia Hagen, P. C. Jersild, Nina Lekander, Bodil Malmsten, Agneta Pleijel, Margareta Strömstedt, Maarja Talgre, Karl Vennberg, Claire Wikholm, Herta Wirén and Pia Zandelin. Editor: Lena Persson.

- - - - -

Desperate Characters (1970) by Paula Fox

Sophie and Otto are a married couple in their 40s. She is a bit naive or at least timid while he is cynical and bad at showing emotions.

Sophie gets bitten pretty severely by a wild cat, and for some reason she doesn't want medical attention. I think it's because the bite is the most exciting thing happening to her life since forever, or maybe she just doesn't want to be a bother? So she let it become infected spreading up her arm, but with the pain, her personality changes from being someone passive - to being able to argue, angry and be loud.

Meanwhile Otto has a problem of his own. His longtime business partner and friend Charlie has decided to start his own lawyer company. Charlie manipulate their customers to turn their back on Otto and join his new company. At first Otto is very cold about this, as if he doesn't care but as the story progresses he slowly open up how betrayed and hurt he feels about the whole ordeal.

Other stuff happen in between, memories of when Sophie had a secret romance with someone else, their house get vandalized, they go to dinner parties.

All the other characters speak in this weird similiar manner btw - they hold monologues about something that leads to another topic that leads to another, then back to the first one. It reminds me of the theater somehow. 182 pages and 3/5 stars 🌟

- - - - -

It is Strange Nowadays (2009) by Karin Flygare

Birgitta cares for her mother who slowly succumbing to dementia. It's ugly and tragic and frustrating, but also beautiful. When suddenly becoming a mother for her own mother, Birgitta finds herself struggling to maintain her own identity and life to care for a woman who is rude, reluctant and downright bothersome towards her with constant need for attention. I quote "Even though i'm worried, i'm angry over the fact that she's ruining my day." and i can't help feeling frustrated with her. Every waking moment, always calling, taking care of everything and still get no recognition. But also a child's love for their parent, staying through everything despite getting hurt. I can relate so much with my own life situation.

I know this is fiction but it all sounds so realistic, and even the care-home process feel well researched. At one point, the agent of a low quality home tries to sign themselves as their legal guardian for her mother, but luckily she is quick to notice and makes herself present. Good job! Also, good book! 207 pages and 5/5 stars 🌟

- - - - -

The Sea-man (2012) by Carl-John Wallgren

A big sister witness how some guys at school drench a cat in gasoline and sets it on fire, killing it. This leads to the bullies to daily harass her little brother who has slight intellectual disability. One day they get jumped, the brother is forced to eat dirt and the big sister get a branch shoved up her rear (no joke, wtf). Then another classmate shows up and bargain to leave them alone in exchange for something. The bullies want $100. The big sister and classmate start stealing clothes from shops to resell them. I only read to page 106 out of 287, when the sea creature finally gave an appearance. But by then they had already payed the bullies and gotten rid of the conflict. I felt exhausted and unmotivated to continue. 1/5 stars

- - - - -

In the Grip of the Lindworm (2014) by Hans Ohlsson

One of many horror stories from his novel collection called Stranger, Intruder. The story tells of a grandfather taking his granddaughter on a three day hike through mountains and forest, as a pick-me-up after a recent accident took both her parents. She is bitten by a snake during her pee break and start getting really sick. We feel stressed with grandfather as he tries to find help before it's too late. It's based on a Swedish mythological creature called Lindworm, which could bring both luck or misfourtune. Never heard of it causing illness but wish he would have filled in some info instead of relying on the reader to automatically know. I'm definitely going to continue reading this collection though! 4/5 stars and 27 pages 🌟

[warlocksass]

I can't decide between these two, so either, or... (would not say no to both, either, but I'm so greedy!!

It took me a bit to come up of what I wanted to write, but here it is! I went with the first prompt but I might write something for the second one, too! :) 

Thanks for sending it! ♥♥

I apologize for the random mistakes you’ll probably find. It’s after midnight and I should be sleeping :D

Read on AO3 :)

Here’s the prompt list if you feel like sending me one :) 

“You’re kidding.” Magnus looked at the man in the passenger seat of his car. “You have to be kidding. Magnus! This looks haunted in broad daylight! There’s no way you want to hold a photoshoot there!” 

Magnus’ sly smile was all the answer he gave as Alec continued to freak out.

“And please tell me how do you know this place doesn’t have any security and we can just go inside? It looks private. And fancy. And very very  haunted.” As if on cue a stronger gust of wind made some of the older windows rattle and Magnus chuckled as Alec shivered.

“Relax. This place belongs to my dad. Well, used to, anyways.” Magnus shrugged and turned off the engine when he determined to be close enough to the building so carrying all of his equipment wouldn’t be a hassle. 

“And what happened to him?”

“He’s in jail. Did a lot of bad stuff.” Magnus was surprised Alexander hadn’t made the connection himself, it wasn’t like he was hiding who his father was. Magnus even carried his name due to some legal matters and not having enough time to change it. 

Alec gasped and looked at Magnus, all fear replaced by a softer look. “I’m sorry, I didn’t…” He bit his lip before continuing to look like he was thinking about what to say. Magnus shrugged, saving Alec from that awkward speech. There was nothing he could say that would help, anyways.

“I don’t really care, we were never close.” Magnus shrugged again and rubbed his fingers together, resting his forearms on the steering wheel. When he managed to talk Alexander into helping him wit his photoshoot Magnus wasn’t sure if the subject would come up, but he was hoping it wouldn’t have.

“I still can’t believe I let you talk me into this…” Alec murmured and Magnus took the opportunity to change the subject.

“Well at least I’ll owe you a favor. Besides, there’s really no one else I could see as a model in this shoot.” Magnus grinned at him and could see a faint blush appear on Alec’s cheeks as he gave a weak smile back.

“But still… Does it have to be here?” Magnus nodded excitedly and Alec groaned, stepping out of the car and into the cool morning air.

The sun played really well on Alec’s body and Magnus took a second to admire as he stretched, bathed in golden sunshine. The day would grow hotter, but now, in the early morning, it was still chilly and Magnus could see goosebumps rising on Alexanders skin. 

As if feeling his gaze on him Alec turned to look at him with raised eyebrows. “Are you having second thoughts? Because I’d love to get out of here. This place is creepy. No offence.” 

Magnus grinned and shook his head and motioned for Alec to follow as he stepped on the few steps before the front door and took out his keys that he had to fish out from the back of one of his unused drawers. Shouldering the door open Magnus managed to make it creak open and stared inside. 

Truly, it was a grand mansion at one point, but now everything was dusty, trash littered inside. Some belongings still remained, but most of it was sold out in the auctions instead of leaving it to collect dust inside. 

Magnus could still see the details in all the wall decorations and on the rails of the grand staircase that led to the second floor. He’d only been here a few times and he always hated coming here when his father was still a free man, but now his presence wasn’t weighing him down and Magnus felt that the house was just that, a house. 

Perfect for a photoshoot. The whole place had an eerie vibe, like it was halfway between life and death and it was perfect. Even the dust had a certain charm to it. That is until a gust of cool wind picked up a cloud of it and made Magnus and Alec cough their lungs out. 

“Okay, let’s go exploring!” Magnus was somewhat excited, already taking out his favorite camera out of its case and onto his neck so he could take some tryout pictures. He heard Alec groan and mumble something along the lines of “can we just get over with this?” and chuckled to himself.

The first floor had some pretty places, but nothing that stood out to Magnus. His favorite one was probably the old living room that still had some sofas standing around an ornate fireplace, with a broken grand piano leaning in the corner. One of its legs was broken so it looked sad just sitting there at the back of the room. 

They continued to the second floor, Alec trailing behind him, but keeping close. Magnus wanted to make some conversation, but he was too occupied in exploring his surroundings, looking for the perfect spot, taking a few pictures. Opening room after room they explored with minimal conversation, Alec too creeped out by every crack and groan and Magnus too curious to see what he could find. 

He opened one of the heavier doors, that would have probably led to a master bedroom. It was mostly empty now, some sheets piled on the floor, but what caught Magnus’ attention were the double doors. They were tall and with glass windows and they led to what looked like a balcony that overlooked the once immaculate garden. 

Magnus grinned at Alec. “I think I found the perfect spot!” 

Alec wasn’t a difficult model to work with. He was stiff at first but soon relaxed into Magnus’ orders of what to do. His photogenic face helped, too. Magnus had once worked with Isabelle, Alec’s sister and while she was way more natural at modeling and the camera loved her, Magnus had to admit he had more pleasure when working with Alec. 

Alexander liked keeping to himself more than being in the spotlight, so for Magnus to have an opportunity to draw something more out of him was a pleasure. He’d ordered for Alec to take his bow and arrows so he could feel more at ease while being photographed and it certainly changed the whole photoshoot.

With his favorite bow in hand Alec changed, he grew confident and calm, Magnus was so happy to get to see him like this when no one else could see them, both in their element. In a way it felt really intimate, sharing their lives like that.

Magnus managed to get Alec talking about his siblings and archery and how his own studies in the graphic design department were going and managed to get a few stunning shots of Alec with a full blown smile, cheek to cheek, his eyes crinkled in an adorable way. Magnus knew instantly that he would never delete those photos, even if they wouldn’t end up in his final project. 

The sun was full on shining now and they decided to take a small break. Alec was starting to sweat with all the sunlight shining right at him through the windows. Magnus watched as a few stray drops of sweat trailed down the side of his face and into the material of his dark shirt where they disappeared. And suddenly he was surprised with the sight of Alec taking off his shirt.

Magnus was sure his brain just shut off for a few seconds with all that view of sweaty skin. It made him think of other ways he could make Alec sweat and it was distracting. Distracting enough that he had to force himself out of a daydream after a few seconds before it went too far. 

“Sorry, it’s too hot, I can’t take it.” Alec gave him an apologetic smile. 

Magnus almost rolled his eyes and gave him his best smirk. “Oh don’t apologize. I’m enjoying the view…” He made a show of trailing his eyes all over Alec’s torso and back to his hazel eyes. “In fact…” Magnus raised his camera and took a picture. Or a few. Just in case one didn’t capture how perfect Alexander looked. No other reason, of course. 

When he lowered his camera Magnus wasn’t sure how Alec would react, but he didn’t exactly expect this. Alexander was looking at him in a similar way Magnus imagined he was looking at Alec. With obvious hunger. Though Alec’s had this tone of sweetness to it, especially when he tilted his head just a fraction and looked Magnus straight in the eye.

Neither of them talked or moved for a moment. But then Alexander’s eyes lowered to Magnus’ lips and he licked his own. Magnus found himself mirroring the action and took a few slow steps closer to Alec where he was leaning on the cool wall. 

When Alec didn’t stop him, but instead seemed to welcome him in his space Magnus walked so close to him there was barely a breath of space left between their bodies. Magnus could feel Alec’s strong hands resting on his sides, welcoming him and keeping him close. Alec’s body was so warm Magnus could feel it on his own skin, along with his warm breath fanning his face, so close to his lips.

Slowly reaching out Magnus did what he’d wanted to do ever since he saw Alec in his college building and put his hands on Alec’s chest. His very naked chest. The chest hair tickled his fingers and Magnus looked him straight in the eyes, feeling the tension between them. It was like a current running through their bodies and Magnus thought that even if he wanted he wouldn’t be able to pull away. 

His eyes scanned Alec’s face, his perfect cheekbones, the light stubble on his jaw, before resting on his lips. Alec gasped quietly and licked his lips again. Magnus could feel his fingers digging into his sides and back, encouraging him to get closer even if there was barely any space left between them. He trailed his fingers up from Alec’s chest slowly, over his shoulders, up his neck an into his hair. He could feel the anxiety roll off Alexander, but he found it fun to prolong the moment, to tease before giving in.

When Magnus finally kissed him he was sure that no one in his life had kissed him the way Alec did. Alexander melted into the kiss, responding immediately and holding Magnus close. Their lips moved together as if they had done this numerous times, Alec knew just the way to kiss him to make him weak in the knees. The soft touch of lips and the tiniest amount of tongue, just enough to leave Magnus wanting more left him feeling like he was about to melt just from the way this man was touching him. 

It grew hotter and more frantic as Magnus tugged on Alec’s hair and the man groaned into his mouth, retaliating with a nip on his lip, licking over it in apology right after and it was Magnus’ turn to groan. He raked his nails over Alec’s scalp and chest, which made Alec pull him impossible closer, nudging one of his legs between Magnus’. 

When they finally came up for air Magnus was a little dazed, not sure if it was the lack of oxygen or the mind blowing kiss itself. Alec rested his forehead on his and smiled his bright smile still panting and holding onto Magnus. 

“I’ve wanted to do that ever since I saw you in your photo exhibition.” It wasn’t easy to make Magnus blush, but that did it. Alec had seen his art shows and it made a shiver run through Magnus. 

“Well it took you long enough.” Magnus grinned and pecked Alec’s lips softly just in case Alec got mad at his teasing. Alec chuckled and drew him in closer, hugging Magnus.

Magnus wasn’t sure how long they stayed like that, trading soft kisses from time to time, but it was as if the time stopped for them. It was Alec who first brought them out of their little bubble.

“So are you done with the shoot now? Because I’d still like to get out of here.” Magnus laughed and Alec grinned at him.

“Fine. We can go.” Still chuckling Magnus went to pack and put away his stuff. He had enough photos for his project and even a little more, or at least he hoped so.

When they were finally settled back in the car Alec turned to Magnus. “I think I know what I want in exchange for this.” Magnus just raised his eyebrows and waited. “Would it be weird to ask for a date in exchange for modeling for you?” He was grinning now and Magnus couldn’t help the answering smile on his face.

“Usually it would be weird, but I’ll make an exception for you.” He winked at Alec and looked around to see if he had everything. “Aw, crap, forgot to close the door. One second.” 

But before he could turn to the car door the front door of the house slammed close sending shivers up Magnus’ spine.

“Can we go?” Alec sounded just as creeped out as Magnus felt.

“Yep. Yep. Never coming back. You win.” Magnus shook his head and if he was speeding just a little Alec didn’t say anything. “Hey, at least I got you out of it, right?” Magnus grinned at Alec as he took his hand ant let the intertwined fingers rest between them.

“Yes.”