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marveltrumpshate · 4 years ago

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As we said in our closing message at the end of this year’s auction, 2020 has been a year of tremendous change—change that we had no control over and change that we made with our own hands. Many times this year—and the past four years under the Trump administration for those of us in the U.S.—we’ve felt helpless in the face of terrible upheaval. But rather than forcing us to give up, the calamities we’ve witnessed and experienced galvanized us. We’ve seen people volunteer to drop off groceries for immunocompromised neighbors during the pandemic. We’ve seen people donate generously during the worst global economic crisis in modern history. We’ve seen people become more politically active, taking to the streets to protest and voting in record numbers like they are tonight.

And we’ve seen that same passion, that same desire to make change and help people, fuel all the MTH participants this year.

We weren’t sure what the turnout would be like. Would people have the time or energy to sign up as creators? Would people be willing to donate, and would they have the means to do so?

Our worries proved to be baseless.

This year, 273 “Marvel”-ous creators came forward to offer 416 auctions.

And this year, we raised…

That’s just over $11,000 more than the MTH 2019 total. 😮💖🎉

We’re going to channel Beast here and exclaim, “Oh my stars and garters!”

The race started off with a bang, with bids racking up quickly on the first day. Even so, we were shocked when we matched last year’s total, which we weren’t sure we could do ($27,193.91 was beyond our wildest expectations), and then just ran right past it before the auction even ended!

It’s been an incredible journey, with the mod chat pinging at all hours with excited gifs, effusive heart emojis, and inarticulate keyboard smashes as we expressed our love for the wonderful people in our fandom. It’s been very hard not blurting out the milestones as we reached them when we desperately wanted to share these amazing results with you all.

Creators, we couldn’t have started this auction without you. We loved seeing so many veteran creators sign up again and were pleasantly surprised by how many new faces showed up to the party.

Bidders, as crazy as it sounds, most donations were small ones (including some of those crazily high winning bids—several were the result of people pooling their five dollars together!). This has been consistently the case since MTH began. It just goes to show how much of an impact you can have when you’re part of something bigger than yourself. Each donation has a ripple effect, and enough ripples can cause a wave. You matter, and you can make a difference.

We also owe our success to our amazing signal boosters. There can’t be an auction without any participants, so to every fandom community Tumblr that agreed to reblog our posts, every Discord server mod who let us post announcements, and every person who shared our posts and encouraged their fandom friends to sign up and/or bid, thank you so much! Together, we reached hundreds of fantastic creators and bidders from all corners of the Marvel fandom, many of whom we didn’t know and some who were hearing about us for the first time.

Thank you all. We’re so touched by the massive number of people who donated above and beyond their pledged amount, creators who took on multiple auctions and offered multiple winner slots, and bidders who accepted their second-place wins with such eagerness! We also had people make donations in the spirit of MTH even though they didn’t win an auction, which was beyond generous.

We’ve already seen how our donations are changing the world for the better. To name a few examples:

Partners In Health is on the ground testing, providing care, assisting local government response, and mobilizing community health workers in countries where the mortality rate for COVID-19 is expected to be much more severe than those with well-resourced health systems

The Southern Poverty Law Center raised $10 million to fight voter suppression in the South, with some great successes in Florida

World Central Kitchen has purchased over 10 million meals from small, independent restaurants in 400 cities, putting $105 million and counting directly back into the economy and helping both struggling businesses and people who need food the most during the pandemic

We’re sure that in the months and years to come, we’ll see even more wonderful results.

In addition to the astounding amount of money we were able to raise for charity, MTH was successful in other ways. We strove to be as inclusive as possible, determined to make this event a fandom-wide effort. Considering that the auctions covered over 369 unique platonic and romantic relationships (if we include “all ships/gen”-inclusive relationships, this number is even higher) across 31 universes within the Marvel multiverse, we can safely say that we accomplished our goal.

This spirit of inclusion also applies to our auctions and charities. Every one of 416 auctions was bid on, and every one of our 30 supported charities received donations. We’re in awe of your commitment to supporting all our creators and charities and thrilled that you spread all the love around, bidders!

Here’s our breakdown of the donations (click to enlarge the image and hover to see the donation amount per charity):

We’ve also listed the amount raised per charity on our 2020 auction results page.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for helping us turn our third Marvel Trumps Hate auction into such a fantastic experience. We cherish every single message of love and support that we received and continue to receive on our Discord server and through DMs, Tumblr messages, emails, tweets, etc. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!

To remember or learn why we created this auction in the first place, please check out our 2018 “thank you” post to all of our creators, bidders, signal boosters, and supporters.

If you’d like to stay updated on all of the 2020 Marvel Trumps Hate fills, follow us and/or check out the “mth 2020” tag on our Tumblr. You’ll also be able to find works posted on AO3 in our Marvel Trumps Hate 2020 collection and links to fills in our Discord server, which you can join to brainstorm prompts, chat about fills, and find out about other fandom events.

Thank you once again to everyone who volunteered their services, time, money, and platforms to spread the word. Though we may sometimes wonder how much of a difference we can make, it’s moments like this that show that every bit helps, no matter the size of our contribution. With that in mind, we’d like everyone to keep the following quote close to their hearts as we move forward and find ways to make the world a better place, to remember these words when they’re feeling lost or small.

“Purpose is the essential element of you. It is the reason you are on the planet at this particular time in history. Your very existence is wrapped up in the things you are here to fulfill.” — Chadwick Boseman

Think about your purpose. Think about what you can do while you’re here. Know that you matter.

And with that, MTH 2020 has officially come to a close. We’re so beyond grateful to you all, and we can’t wait to see all of your fanworks over the coming year!

Lots of love and gratitude, Your 2020 MTH mods

#marvel trumps hate #mth 2020 #announcement

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dictacontrion · 4 years ago

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On Reccing

Today marks seven straight years of daily fic recs. That’s an entire Hogwarts education. That’s 2,559 daily recs, from 878 fics, plus non-quote recs.

On this occasion, some thoughts on reccing.

Reccing is a form of squee. Reccing is the act of running onto the internet and going “OMG have you seen this fic?????” Reccing is jumping up and down with excitement, but with words. Reccing is sharing something you love with other people, so they can love it too. Reccing is a joyful thing to do.

Reccing can be easy. It can feel, sometimes, like it’s impossible to find the words for something you love, something that’s moved you. If you’ve left a comment it’s already there, just a matter of editing or copying and pasting. If you say something simple - “this was great!” or “really enjoyed this!” - then you’ve written a rec. If you don’t have the words, you can select a quote or reblog the author’s post or include it in a rec list of fics you’ve enjoyed and use the author’s summary. And remember: we all speak keyboard smash. We all know the feeling that creates keyboard smash. That alone is rec enough.

Reccing people you don’t know is fun. I’ve seen this debate so many times in the last seven years – do people have an obligation to rec authors they don’t know, is it wrong to only rec your friends? Let me render that irrelevant: reccing people you don’t know is fun. Exciting and enjoyable. It is something that makes fandom communities stronger. It is something that makes someone else’s day. It is a way to meet new people, to build wider networks, to encourage new writers to come forward, to support writers and readers alike. Of course I love my friends’ work too – after all, I met a lot of them through reccing! – but reccing strangers doesn’t cancel that out. It builds on that. It expands our circles. It expands the joy of this.

Reccing fic and authors no one’s ever heard of is really fun. I will admit, there may have been times when I’ve recced a little-known story I’ve found on an ancient rec list or in the depths of the AO3 tags and then gone back the next day or two or three and checked its kudos count. Seeing it go up and up – and knowing, as an author who was once a total unknown, how that feels, what it’s like to have readers see and enjoy work that you thought was languishing unnoticed – is thrilling. It makes my heart so full. Especially (though not only) when then there’s another story sometime after, and there are more readers for that one, and I can think maybe, in this small way, I’ve encouraged a writer to stay and keep trying and keep writing wonderful stories.

Reading beyond your usual makes fandom more interesting. The best-known writers in this fandom have written so much excellent work that anyone could stay busy reading just that for years, and you can always revisit your faves. Going deeper is incredibly rewarding, though. You experience new perspectives, read about new headcanons, experience the characters differently, find new angles on classic tropes. Reading more voices and new voices keeps the fandom experience fresh and exciting. And you very well might discover your new faves; quite a few of mine hadn’t even started writing when I first started reading.

Reccing with a voice is good. It’s not about the fics that are “good.” It’s about the fics you think are good, the fics you love, the fics that you keep thinking about, the fics that made you scream into your pillow and stay up all night reading. Your voice, your perspective is what makes for good recs and good rec lists.

Reccing is fandom history. When I first started reading Harry Potter fic, I tore through @pir8fancier’s rec list. I read every single thing on it. I discovered fic and authors I never would have found otherwise. Then I went through @capiturecs’ archive and did the same. And the same again, with other reccers. This is how we learn about our fannish roots. This is how we learn how fandom used to be and how it changed. (Remember when Draco was always barefoot? Remember when Draco only wore blue sweaters? Remember when Blaise was Italian and a girl?) This is how we keep stories alive.

Reccing has made my fandom experience so, so much richer than it would have been otherwise. It’s given me a community to squee with, the chance to encourage writers, the motivation to keep trying new things. So if I have a best last rec in this series to give, it’s this: I recommend reccing. 20/10, would do again.

#fandom #recs #reccing #drarry recs #hp recs #dcsays

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yuto-non · 6 years ago

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Ready Player 8 (M)

Pairing: Xu Minghao x Reader

Word Count: 4.7k

Warnings: Alcohol, Dom!Minghao, situations without obvious consent from both parties, gaming!au, professional gamer!au.

Summary: You and your team have worked hard all year to attend the World of Warcraft Arena World Finals. You play on one of the best teams in the entire world, and with your main rival team there as well, things don’t go as you thought.

A/n: I had SO MUCH FUN writing this! This will be a three part series (sorry, I love series). I used to play video games professionally, so I really wanted to try and draw on that experience I had! Please let me know if you like it! <3

DAY 1

"I can't believe we made it here!" Your exclamation carrying both surprise and excitement. You clapped your hands together in front of you in a show of absolute elation as you scanned the room before you. People were hurrying about, computers took up a majority of the large convention center, while vendors took up the rest. The large room was packed to the brim with people and computers. The only area in the room that was free of people was the stage you all currently stood on at the helm of the arena. You couldn't believe you actually made it, your team had made it. You had all worked so hard for this moment, and you were going to enjoy every single second of it. You squealed when you looked up to the ceiling, a large banner hanging proudly in the center of all the hustle bustle. The words plastered across the banner only made this moment feel even more real.

"World of Warcraft Arena World Finals" Wonwoo read the sign aloud, an air of proudness surrounding his words. He swung his arm around your shoulders and pulled you closer. "We did it, finally!" Wonwoo exclaimed. Wonwoo was one of your two teammates, Mingyu being the other. The three of you made up one of the top arena teams in the entire world in the game World of Warcraft. Throughout the entire arena season, you three had entered endless competitions, spent countless hours playing, strategizing, and kissing your social life goodbye to finally end up here, at the world finals. "Come on, guys! Let's go get set up." Wonwoo pressed forward with his arm around your shoulders, but was met with resistance as you held your ground.

Nerves. They hit you like a truck, right to your gut. Sure, you have all been preparing for this all year. You played every single day, logged into your virtual reality and climbed the ranks..but playing online and actually being here, in front of thousands of people and millions online, was a smash right to your reality. Your eyes slowly took in the sight in front of you again. You could see bodies everywhere and hear their voices mixed with the whirl of hundreds of computer fans. Wonwoo and Mingyu looked at you, struck with concern. You chewed your bottom lip nervously. The gravity of the situation really was taking your breath away. The fact of the matter is, gaming is a male dominated event. In this sea of men, you were one of the very few females. Online, you were used to the harassment that came with the territory. You and your teammates got so used to the daily taunts, trolling and teasing, that you all just laughed along with it. Being in front of the people who may say these cruel words behind their screen was a whole new level. While these people were brave to say these things through the protection of the internet, the internet had also become your safety wall. You were not sure how you would react if you were harassed by these people in person, and the thought made you sick with worry. Wonwoo pulled you closer to him and looked down at you. “Hey, you alright?”

You snapped from your daze, and met Wonwoo’s curious look. “Yea, just a bit nervous, I suppose.” You had all worked so hard to be here, and they had both been nothing but absolutely supportive of you the entire time. While you may get a lot of unwanted attention and flack online, Wonwoo and Mingyu never let you stay down, they always picked you up, supported you, and helped prove everyone wrong. The high-end gaming world was a small place. Luckily, you haven’t had too much trouble navigating yourself in the world of professional gamers. There seems to be an unspoken understanding among the top players that you deserved to be there - female or not. Most of the negativity you received came from people who saw you play on streams, heard about you, or just wanted a reason to be negative. Unfortunately for you..most of the people attending the event today were just that. Everyday gamers. The same people who watched you on those streams, had heard about you, and some of them were probably the same people who wanted to say something negative. As the three of you began your descent down the stage and onto the floor with the mass of people, you tried your best to focus on why you were all here. You were not here to dwell on the negative comments. You were here because you have all worked so hard to become one of the best arena teams in the world, and that meant you needed to get out of your head, and focus. If not for yourself, for Mingyu and Wonwoo. If anything, they deserved you to be your best. “Where to first, boys?” You beamed up at both of them as you all made your way through the crowd.

The event was a three day affair. Day one was the day everyone got together, situated themselves, and spent their money on items they probably didn’t need. It was also the day for the people participating in the games to do their team interviews. Day two, the event would begin. The games were played in a single elimination style, 8 teams being entered in total. Four teams made up each side of the ladder. Two teams would face off, and the winner of that group would face the winner of the other two teams. The winner of that group would face the winner from the other side of the bracket in the finals. Each match consisted of best of three. You had played all of these teams before, but playing them almost face to face in person was an entirely new experience. You become so accustomed to your surroundings of home, that being pushed in front of a huge crowd on an unfamiliar computer really sets the pressure and tests your skills. Day three was the day you may or may not make it to. Finals. Day three was either the best or worst day of the entire event, and you were determined to at least make it there.

The journey to day three started today. “Well, we could check out some vendors before we head to our rooms?” Mingyu suggested. The three of you agreed, and made your way through the throngs of people and peering eyes. Whispers could be heard as you passed, your team name falling from the mouths of knowing fans. You attempted to ignore them, focusing on following Wonwoo and Mingyu to their chosen vendor. Anytime you heard your own name, though, your ears would perk up. You tried to not look obvious as you scanned the room for eyes to connect with yours, curiosity killing you to know what people were saying about you and your teammates.

You arrived at the vendor of Mingyu’s choice, selling keyboards, before you could find an answer to your questions. Mingyu went to work, asking them questions about their gear, checking specifications, and testing the product. Wonwoo and yourself hung back, talking over plans for the rest of the night. Just as you were about to break Wonwoo on finally deciding what you would all eat for dinner, loud cheers broke out in a group near to you. You turned around, searching for the cause of the commotion only to find...them. Your arch rivals. Since the professional gaming community is fairly small, you had already faced off against every team attending the world finals multiple times, but you had come out on top when matched with all of them. Except one. And now..here you were. Face to face with the only team to ever dethrone your team and snatch your title of number one. It was easy to spot them, as they all wore their team jerseys, and just looked like people you didn’t want to socialize with. You let out an obvious sigh and rolled your eyes as they approached, locking their eyes on the two of you. Normally, you wouldn’t have such a negative reaction, if the three of them weren’t such egotistical oafs. Sure, they were an excellent team, but that doesn’t make up for their sour attitudes. They had a habit of showboating and causing unnecessary drama around the arena world.

“Oh, in the flesh.” Their leader, Hoshi, stood in front of the other two, and chose you as the target his eyes would land on. Your blood ran cold and it took every ounce of power you had to maintain eye contact. You were much braver behind a screen. It was easier to avoid these three in a virtual world. Hoshi stepped forward and extended his hand in what seemed like an olive branch. You looked up at Wonwoo, who looked just as confused as you. “Hello?” Hoshi looked down at his empty hand.

After a painfully long pause, you shook Hoshi’s hand. Hoshi smiled, his eyes turning upwards as he did. Wonwoo greeted Hoshi after, with an equally awkward handshake. “You guys just get in?” Wonoo’s space-filling question came out more natural than his handshake as he questioned the three guys in front of him. Hoshi nodded and motioned towards the door behind them.

“Yea, we were just heading to the hotel to get situated.” Hoshi replied and began to step forward, brushing past the both of you without another word.

“Yea, nice to meet you too..” you mumbled under your breath, straining your eyes from rolling them so hard at the lack of respect Hoshi was showing you and your team. Once your eyes relaxed from their exercise, they were met with another familiar face that you were used to seeing in the arena field. Except this time, you were face to face with his real, in person face. Mingaho. Minghao stepped forward to follow Hoshi, but time seemed to slow down as he swept past you, his eyes not breaking their gaze on you for a second. Minghao’s hair was perfectly kept in a playful black style, slightly longer in the back, and swept across his forehead in the most whimsical way. His eyes were hooded, his expression giving you no hint at how he was feeling as he bore into your soul with such a simple stare. His shoulder skimmed across yours, causing you to fall slightly off kilter, stepping to the side to avoid being run over. A shiver shot down your spine and fluttered through your entire body at the contact. He barely did anything, but his presence was so strong that Mingaho had left you feeling some kind of way, and you weren’t sure you liked it.

You shook your head to bring yourself back to reality, clearing your throat and peering over at Wonwoo to see if he noticed your trance-like state. Wonwoo, being his usual self, didn’t notice anything...as he probably didn’t care. You ran a hand through your hair and let go of the breath you had been holding. You didn’t even see their other team member, Chan, as he followed his team to their corridors. “Hey guys, what are you doing?” The ever clueless Mingyu inquired, showing off his new keyboard to the two of you. He had no idea that you just had a brush with the three evils. You just smiled as Mingyu’s innocent ways, and commented on how great his new addition was. It was time for you guys to get to your rooms, you really needed to relax and get out of the overwhelming venue.

The three of you made your way out of the room and across a breezeway to the elegant hotel your sponsors had put you up in for the event. The tradition of gaming conferences was simple. Everyone came together to compete, sure, but when you weren’t competing..you were partying. See, there was barely ever anytime for a social life beyond your skype conversations and chats with others online, so when everyone was gathered, you celebrated together by drinking, eating, and trying to sober up before your game the next day. It was always nice to get to know the elite group of gamers on a more personal level. Your only plan for the night was to avoid those three guys you already had the displeasure of running into. Other than that, you were ready to let loose.

Mingyu and Wonwoo were sharing a room. You’re sure your sponsors only matter with you being a female was the fact that they had to pay to get you an extra room. You, on the other hand, loved this perk. The two guys headed to their shared room, while you went to yours. You loved having your own private space to have time to breath and clear your head. Right now was not that time, though. Right now, you needed to change from your not-so-stylish travel clothes into the clothes you only wear for such special occasions as getting drunk at an incredibly fancy club the night before a life changing competition. At home, you never did your hair or makeup. There was no need to while you lost yourself in the glow of your computer screen, but tonight you had every reason to break out the make up, and even watch a youtube tutorial to make your hair look as if you knew exactly what you were doing. Your hair was done, your makeup looked good enough, and your dress definitely had no more room in it with how form-fitting it was. You finished your look with a pair of black heeled booties that you wore on only such occasions, and made your way over to Mingyu and Wonwoo’s room once you had checked yourself out for the umpteenth time.

“Hello hello in there!” You knocked on their door, announcing your arrival. Behind the door, you could hear some shuffling and laughing, but no one came to answer. Just before you could knock on the door again, you heard another door open down the hall. Curiosity killed you, and you leaned back a little to see a figure leaving the room and closing the door. Upon further investigation you noticed it was none other than Chan. You let out a breath of relief while you watched him step from his room. Just as you relaxed and began to turn back to your mission, something caught your eye. Chan was not alone. He was very much not alone, and the person with him was none other than Minghao. Now, you just found yourself frozen and watching them both out of the corner of your eye. You must’ve looked ridiculous, not moving, just standing blankly in front of a door, but you couldn’t move knowing Minghao was making his way to you. You didn’t know why..something about his air of confidence. Something about the way that when he looked at you, not only did it feel as though he was looking into your soul, but also as though he was looking directly past you. They approached closer, then stopped at another door. Hoshi walked out, saying something to make the other two laugh under their breath, before they headed back towards you. They all looked like they cleaned up well, didn’t look like they had quickly looked up a youtube video, as they all looked so natural and effortless in their attire for the night. Minghao’s hair was already perfect before, so the fact that it was in the same uncomplicated style was not surprising. His black sweater was torn and distressed, displaying his collarbone for all the hungry eyes he would pass. The front of his sweater was tucked into his pants, displaying a black belt with a silver buckle. As your eyes trailed down, they were met with the most splendid pair of leather pants that led down to his designer black shoes, adorned in a perfectly matched silver buckle. Such a simple outfit, but on Mingaho, it was anything but.

“Hey, gamer girl.” You? Where they talking to you? Of course they were. You jerked yourself back to earth and spun on your heel.

“Hello, Hoshi. Chan.” You said their names without much thought, but held you breath while you tried your eyes over the expanse of Minghao’s figure, locking eyes with him as he smirked at your reaction. “Minghao.” You brushed him off, and turned back around to the door, your initial destination.

“Hope to see you out and about, gamer girl.” Chan remarked, despite your cold response, and while you banged on your teammates door without mercy, you could hear the footsteps and chatter of the rival team fade into the distance. Finally, but rather late, Wonwoo swung the door open, fixing his tie to make it look as though he didn’t try to look so put together.

“Geez, what were you guys doing in here, making out?” You huffed in annoyance at the fact that neither of them were there to rescue you from your embarrassing moment of judgement by Mingaho. Wonwoo looked at you with an expressionless face while he continued to manipulate his tie. Mingyu poked his out from around the corner of the room and gave you a warm smile and wave.

“You look great.” He complimented, taking in your choice of outfit, hair and makeup. Wonwoo and Mingyu have always been a little flirty with you, you weren't surprised. It wasn’t as though they had much time to meet girls. You knew, though, that they were harmless, and always stayed respectful and rather protective of you. Besides, they could both easily get a girlfriend, especially a girl in the gaming world. Everyone knew who you all were, but they both chose to remain single and focus on their gaming career.

“You both look quite dapper, too. Come on! I’ve been waiting forever, I really want to get out and relax!” You grabbed Wonwoo’s tie to drag him out, Mingyu following close by. You all hailed a cab, slid in, and headed to the club you all knew everyone would be at. The cab ride was filled with you all coming up with a strategy for the following day, laying out your schedule, and preparing before you all became clouded with alcohol and questionable judgement. Arriving at the club, your talk came to a sudden halt, and you exited the cab new people.

After presenting ID to the bouncer, you stepped into the club, being hit with a wave of heat from the amount of bodies present. The music was loud, almost uncomfortable, but you knew over time you would adjust. The lights were dim, and strobe lights danced around the bodies that danced themselves across the floor. Mingyu and Wonwoo stood on either side of you, looming over you slightly in a protective stance. Mingyu gripped onto your wrist to lead you towards the bar. You breathed in the humid air, smiling to yourself, as you felt a surge of excitement for the rest of the night. It was so nice to be out and about, in a place where you could let loose and no one would blink an eye. All you needed was a drink or two to kick start the night.

As if Wonwoo himself was a mind reader, you were presented with a colorful cocktail. You attempted to thank Wonwoo, but the music allowed no words to be passed between the both of you. You sipped back the cocktail, surprised to be met with way more alcohol than you would’ve guessed from the deceiving looks. You were fine with nursing your drink, taking a shot and then slowly making your way onto the dance floor as your liquid courage built up, but Mingyu had other plans. Mingyu tipped back two shots before dragging you both out onto the dance floor. You held onto your drink for dear life as you all tried to navigate the crowd before ending up near the center of the commotion. You never thought of yourself as much of a dancer, but it felt nice to do things you wouldn’t normally do. You continued to sip back your drink slowly, feeling the rush of alcohol make its way throughout your body. Your body was feeling completely sensitive to all the sensations around you. The reverberation from the music, the alcohol creeping its way throughout every inch of you, and the warmth of the club wrapping itself around you. You felt totally at peace and in a state of bliss as you began to move your hips to the sound of the music, mimicking what the girls did around you. Wonwoo was quickly nabbed up by a girl close by, who was not shy in letting him know that she wanted a dance and a drink, stat. Mingyu stayed close by to you, fending off guys who got too close. The only guys Mingyu allowed near you were people whom he knew from the convention.

Jun was a nice enough guy. He was one of the quieter gamers in attendance, but he was very well known around the circuit. While Jun was normally fairly reserved and focused on the game, he seemed to maybe have had one too many drinks tonight, as he made his was confidently over to you. “Hey there, wow you look way better in person”, Jun slurred his words as he slid up next to you in an attempt to dance. You laughed as his oddly charming compliment and patted his shoulder.

“You alright there, Jun?” Jun nodded in response and began to make his way closer to you. Mingyu looked at you to make sure you were fine, as Jun made his way behind you, moving his hips in time with yours. His hands captured your waist, pulling you closer. Jun’s head began to dip down near your shoulder as his drunken state overtook his train of thought, pressing his hips further into your backside. Mingyu kept a close eye on you, and the moment Jun’s hand began to trail up your stomach, Mingyu stepped in.

“Hey, why don’t we get you some water.” Mingyu grabbed Jun’s hands, tearing him from your body and swinging him around front. “I’ll be right back. Please grab Wonwoo if you need help.” Mingyu motioned towards Wonwoo, who seemed a little busy himself with the girl who claimed him. You laughed and continued to dance as Mingyu left with poor Jun. Normally, you would feel so shy and second guess yourself as you danced to the music alone, but the mixture of alcohol, music and the small confidence boost Jun had given you, had put you in the mood to let go.

The songs all stayed the same in the sense of the high energy, upbeat melody. The alcohol rushed through to your head, causing you to close your eyes and let your body move without thinking, completely losing yourself in the music. You had completely forgotten about being left alone, not a worry in the entire world. Even when a pair of hands slinked their way around your waist, you were not worried. You smiled, enjoying the feeling of skin contact while your body burst into flames from the touch. The body moved closer to you from behind, pulling you into them. Your hips continued to move, swaying from side to side as the person behind you gripped your waist tighter and closer to them. You leaned your head back on instinct, drinking in the delicious cologne the person who held you was wearing. Then, a sudden burst of need shot down your neck and sizzled throughout your entire body as you felt a gust of warm breath fan across your ear. “Hello there.” Two simple words, but nothing more needed to be said. Your eyes went wide, your body was on autopilot. You should’ve looked, but you didn’t need to. You could tell from the way your body was reacting, the sound of that velvety voice. Minghao. He pulled you even closer, and the feeling of his body grinding against you had your head spinning. You could feel his cock straining against your ass as your body’s moved together. You looked over to Wonwoo, who was totally oblivious to the situation you were in. One of Minghao’s hands began trailing up your stomach, slowly, all the while continuing to move with you. “You didn’t seem very happy to see me earlier.” His breath his your ear, causing you to shiver. Your knees were weak, and while his hand continued its upwards journey, his mouth continued to tease in the most wonderful ways. Minghao pushed his forehead against the side of your head, causing you to tilt your head to the opposite side. With his new found space, Minghao’s lips began sucking on your neck, biting the sensitive skin while you shamelessly moaned into the deafening music. Your body was leaning back into Minghao’s, melding together on the heated dance floor while Minghao had complete control over you. His hand continued up between your breasts, barely making contact with your skin until it found where it wanted to be, your neck. Minghao’s hand gripped your neck, while his lips left it, coaxing a small whine from you due to the lack of contact. His hand began to slowly tighten, creating the perfect amount of tension to elicit the most intense feeling you’ve felt yet shoot straight down to your core. The combination of Minghao grinding his now fully erect cock against your ass, the soft moans that flowed from his mouth into your ear and his hand clasped around your neck sent you seeing stars. Your head was leaned back onto his shoulder, your core was dripping, and all you wanted to do was take Minghao back to your room, but you were frozen in absolute ecstasy. “God, I want you so bad. I need you.” He purred, biting your ear lobe and gently sucking on it before releasing. The grip around your neck loosened, as his hand dropped down back to your waist. You moaned and pushed back onto his cock. “Nuhuh, baby girl..not now” He growled, halting your hips before you could make another move. “I have to go, but I hope you’ll think of me tonight.”

And just like that..he was gone. Minghao left you before you could protest. Before you could truly understand what was happening, he was gone. Your pussy throbbed from lack of contact, and you pressed your legs together in a futile effort to release some of the pressure. You looked behind you to watch Minghao’s figure disappear in the sea of people. You knew you couldn’t go after him, even if you wanted to. You also didn’t fully understand what just happened. A member of your rival team had just danced on you, controlled you, and left such an impression that all you could hear was your breathing as it began to regulate and all you could feel was where his body was meshed against yours.

You and Mingaho had always been the nicest to each other, even with the tension between both teams, but you never in a thousand years would’ve guessed this would happen. You couldn’t think clearly, all you could think of was how much you wanted him, how much you needed him. Before you could do anything more stupid than you already had, Mingyu found and collected you, dragging you and Wonwoo out of the bar. “Guys, it’s way too late and you”, Mingyu pointed to Wonwoo in a mother like manner, “are way too drunk. Don’t forget why we are here.”

Mingyu was right. Minghao had to of been messing with you, right? Was this his fucked up way at getting into your head? To make you mess up? Well, you’ve spent so long proving everyone wrong, and getting to the world finals, so now you had to prove Minghao wrong. You could focus, you could win, and Minghao would not be stuck in your head.

Right? Yea...you had to keep telling yourself that..

Part Two

#seventeen smut #minghao smut #svt smut #seventeen imagines #svt imagines #svt minghao #xu minghao smut #the8 smut

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akwelvhi · 6 years ago

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Transient transgressions that transcend time

I wanted to do something for Trans character day, but I couldn’t come up with something. Instead, this happened. Well -shrugs-.

“Trans-”

Short for transgender or transsexual

Trans also is sometimes used as a shortened term for Cis-trans isomerism, Trans-lunar injection, Trans-acting just to name a few.

Needless to say this word "trans" means a variety of things depending largely on the context of course.

Same can be said for the word "bi" or "poly" - especially when these words are being used within the R&D or Science departments of Q-branch.

Misunderstandings and mis-hearings is something bound to happen when you mix the staffs of the different levels and branches of MI6 into the one staff cafeteria (because MI6 will not part with the budget of paying for more catering workers who need to undergo such thorough clearance and briefings just to make food that feeds the humans who do Her Majesties important work)- anyway coming back from that tangent.

It happened one day in the cafeteria, that this person overheard that person say something bad-sounding about something-trans or so, as such the rumour was passed down that trans people and others in the LGBTQ+ community were treated unfairly in MI6. Which somehow escalated to Q-branch having yet another - small unimportant task which snowballed into an issue - piled on top of their ever growing list of technological related issues that IT department deemed "not my department".

The rumour in question had led to a staff generated poll, on one of those benign staff feedback portals, that had gained a viral response following. The strength and width in which the rumour and the poll in question had spread, had resulted in a portal crash so bad IT department submitted a request for budget approval of a new system because they couldn’t fix it. Which then became Q-branch's problem because well, Q was the youngest and smartest of all branch heads and that's just the way things worked much to Q’s annoyance.

The poll in question asked.

MI6 does not provide adequate support to staff belonging to the LGBTQ+ spectrum.

0 --- Agree

0 --- Disagree

0 --- Others. Please elaborate : ______________________________________

The idiot who created the poll made the mistake of not only allowing all options to be selected instead of one. But also allowed the maximum character limit for long-answer responses which was a 1,000 character limit.

The dear, poor, minion QB-X8 who was tasked to "fix that system, we don't have the budget for a new one. Q-Branch you fix it because of that 1.2 million project of yours." managed to uncover the source of the issue.

The 1,000 character limit, was long enough a character limit, for a single keyboard smash response to somehow be translated to a line of code that led to the system crashing. It didn’t help that the system was already glitching to begin with.

After going through approximately four thousand eight hundred and fifty two responses on LGBTQ related matters, in which over a thousand of them came from how they couldn't use the company medical benefits for LGBTQ+ related treatments. QB-X8 was understandably delirious enough that a loud branch-wide rant ensued.

[[Disclaimer: MI6 medical benefits does allow coverage of any and all medical treatments as long as it is prescribed and administered by a professional physician. This includes coverage for cosmetic plastic surgery. Though of course like all medical insurance coverage. There is a cap. The cap is also dependent on your salary grade.]]

This led to Q authorising QB-X8 to send out a MI6-wide email blaster - with monthly reminders which included a pop-up box which would last a whole year, especially for those who took the time to flood the poll with multiple responses or those who did not answer properly. It was only due diligence, if those responders did not abide by the basic rules of completing a poll, then they obviously needed additional reminders.

The email entailed, in detail, the medical benefits and HR staff entitlements document pasted out onto an email word by word format (no document attachment, because some people don't open attachments). Which amounted to three hundred and twenty one pages of words. In Comic Sans font 15. No fine print excuses now.

On the plus side. HR was glad that 80% of the staff were finally fully utilising the benefits of the company’s medical insurance coverage - which had the company paying a very large six figure number paid monthly for the premiums. Employers and people in general always lost money to insurance companies. Well this year. MI6 would say they gained - in the sense that their staff were filling claims to the insurance company. Their staff were happy and healthier, the LGBTQ community included. And thanks to the 10 year agreement they just signed with said insurance company. It was all good on their accounts end too.

On the minus side. Q-Branch was on the receiving end of random and frequent death glares whenever they were identified (should their staff pass be visible) when they visited the communal space which was the staff cafeteria. (So you see guys, this is where the hearsay that the cafeteria food is lousy came from. Q-branchers would rather just avoid the place, well at least for a year till the monthly emails stopped.) And medical's stock of hormone treatment suddenly depleted resulting in a month long waiting list for staff receiving timely service from medical. Thus irking their head to no end because medical has never failed to deliver.

Overall. It was all good.

The next poll that went up asking the same question (with the ' improved by Q-branch' modifications made so the system wouldn’t crash again) received an overall 87% satisfaction rating on MI6's staff benefits including support for LGBTQ+ staff.

All is well.

Now if only people just read the damn fine print and hundred page document on terms and conditions. None of this would’ve happened. To think these people work for the government of Her Majesty for god's sake!

A/N: The title may be a bit superfluous but it just wanted as many trans-words in it as possible, haha, sorry. XD

#007 fest #007 Fest 2019 #team civilian #QB-V4

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prime-one-blog · 7 years ago

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12 Takeaways From Michael Jackson’s Thriller

(DISCLAIMER:This is a bit of a read.If you enjoy reading and music,I think you’ll like this.)

1982 was a year in music where a telephone number could function as a catchy rock song chorus (Tommy Tutone's "867-5309/Jenny"),where continents could get mad love or representation via Billboard-worthy singles (Toto's "Africa" and Men At Work's "Down Under"),and where "the number of the beast" was less a harbinger of earth's impending apocalypse and more a heavy metal masterwork (Iron Maiden's album and song of the same name.) It was a year that announced the arrival and breaking through of two artists that,together with Michael Jackson,would form the trinity of Eighties musical titans (Madonna and Prince,respectively.) As a rapper,it would be shameful if I didn't mention that 1982 was also a year where hip-hop was given a good,hard,from-behind shove into the mainstream courtesy of Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five's seven-minute long rap treatise of ghetto life that was "The Message" and Afrika Bambaataa And The Soul Sonic Force's Kraftwerk-inspired piece of rap/electro bliss that was "Planet Rock." (The latter song also spawned the freestyle subgenre of electronic music due to its Roland TR-808 generated drum track that became freestyle's default rhythm setting.)

With 1982 having already served up more than a generous helping of killer tunes (enough to make for an extensive and excellent playlist in today's terms),a nice portion of tasty albums (Roxy Music's Avalon,Duran Duran's Rio,and the aforementioned Iron Maiden offering of Number Of The Beast,to name a few),and a few watershed moments for burgeoning styles of music,it was only appropriate that the King Of Pop enter into the arena and throw his hat in the ring.On November 30th of that year,Thriller was released and the album would go on to not only be a monster smash but a game-changer in the music industry.

As a kindergarten-age pup at the time of Thriller's release,I had no awareness or understanding of the significance of that moment in recorded music history.My concerns were not of the transpirations within pop music as they were with having fun with die-cast dinky cars.Fortunately,given that Thriller was a mammoth pop record and there was some adroit promotion of it,it was still scorching hot product nearly two years after its coming-out and,as such,ties into a few of my childhood memories that were made when the buzz about Thriller was at its loudest.After undergoing the lengthy transition from being a young boy who enjoyed looking through his father's collection of 45-rpm vinyl records and playing around with a Casio keyboard to a grown adult that had a fiery passion for music and who immersed himself in the making of it,Thriller became more than just something I listened to for pleasure and entertainment.Having become cognizant of how big Thriller was in terms of sales,production,impact on popular culture,and influence on future music acts,the album was an object of thorough and serious study as it provided me with valuable education on how to make great music.

All that aside,it's mind blowing that three-and-a-half decades have elapsed since Michael Jackson dropped the highest selling album of all-time on the world like a large nuclear warhead.On the anniversary of its release,I offer my twelve takeaways from what I deem to be the GOAT of all albums.

12."BRUUUUUCE!"

Rarely,if ever,does a major-label recording artist or band make an album completely on their own.Looking at the personnel listing of Thriller,Michael Jackson had a small army of talented musicians to help him make the record.Among all of the names were three men whom-along with Jackson-formed an indomitable foursome.There was super-producer Quincy Jones (whom I'll get to later on),British songwriter extraordinaire Rod Temperton,and Bruce Swedien.

The mention of "Bruce Swedien" to your average Joe (or JoAnne) would probably get a "who's that?" in reply.If they ever saw him,they might think Swedien played in the movie Cocoon and did commercials for Quaker Oats and Liberty Medical (diabeetis!) In the music producer community,however,Swedien is something of an engineering O.G.that has probably forgotten more about recording and mixing than most people would ever come to know.When the man speaks,you listen because you might damn well end up learning something that will make you a better producer.But I digress.

Thriller was an ambitious project.Included within its lofty goals was-in Quincy Jones' words-to "save the music industry" and for the album to represent the gold standard of sound and production.With production credentials dating all the way back to Count Freakin' Basie,Swedien's experience and expertise made him the right man for a big job.And,boy,did Swedien ever deliver as the production value on Thriller is quite high.The uptempo tracks on the album have a Sugar Ray Leonard-type punch to them and it's that punch which makes them exciting and exuberant pieces of pop music.There's a clarity of elements in every cut off Thriller and good use of the stereo panorama where Michael Jackson's vocals are almost hugged by the backing instrumentation in a way that isn't suffocating.And something should be said about the convergence of Hollywood and pop music via the creepy and cinematic sound effects on Thriller's titular track.In short,Thriller is a fine example of what a pop record should sound like but rarely,if ever,does nowadays with loudness being prioritized over the preservation of dynamic range or the maintenance of good mixing work. Though the time that Thriller was made and vinyl records still being an absolutely necessary medium of music distribution played a large role in the album's production quality,Swedien's work enabled the record to hold up nicely against those of the future that would be combatants in "the loudness wars." It's pretty safe to say that Thriller might very well not be the album it is or possess the sound that it does without Bruce Swedien's miking and mixing prowess.That said,we should all give him the props that he deserves.

11.Getting sued sucks.But sometimes it isn't always so bad.

I know,it's easy to say when you've never been litigated against.I'm sure that no one in human history that has been made a defendant in a legal matter was overjoyed by the possibility of having to fork over some coin due to some allegation of negligence or infringement.That includes Michael Jackson,who was made subject to a lawsuit by Cameroonian artist Manu Dibango for the use of "mama say,mama sa,ma ma coosa" in "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'."

One can't fault Dibango for filing suit against Jackson.After all,recording artists tend to get anal if one of their contemporaries pilfer or appropriate material that was borne from their creativity without so much as a request for permission of use and pursue legal action in response.Though Jackson had to compensate Dibango with more than just a few Cameroonian francs in an out-of-court settlement,it was more of a gain than a loss.For starters,the moolah that Jackson gave Dibango was a drop in the bucket to the haul that Jackson would eventually receive from sales of Thriller.It was not a bank-breaker for Jackson by any means.If anything,it was an investment into what has to be the best part of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'." Though there may not be a direct connection between the song's subject matter and the "mama say,mama sa,ma ma coosa" which is repeated several times near the song's ending,it's easy to overlook.This is mainly due to the fact that it's so damn catchy.If the chorus hook with its "yeah,yeah" doesn't embed the song in your grey matter for some time after hearing it,the inclusion of the "Soul Makossa" chant is insurance that it will.It's triumphant,joyous,and it's a stroke of genius that isn't restricted to achieving maximum catchiness to the song.In the something-for-everybody approach that Thriller seemed to take premeditatively,the borrowing of "Soul Makossa" for its opening jam infused a world music flavor-specifically of the West African variety-into a Western pop song and it may also be a young black artist's musical acknowledgement of his mother continent.That said,it was worth every franc that Jackson doled out.

10.Eddie Van Halen was a bowse.

Before 1978,there was no shortage of guitarists that axe enthusiasts could revere or be influenced by.Page,Clapton,Blackmore,Iommi,Hendrix,Richards,Gilmour,and Beck were just a few names within the pantheon of string-plucking deities.Then along came a Dutch guy with a bad ass last name whose incendiary and almost futuristic guitar playing put him atop Olympus.Edward Van Halen was on a whole 'nother level and no one,save for the equally gifted Randy Rhoads (Ozzy Osborne's guitarist),was in the same tier.Sadly,Rhoads' young life was cut short in a March 1982 plane crash and his death left Van Halen alone at the top.Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones needed a guitar solo for the pop-rock combo of "Beat It" and "VH" was the most logical guy to go to first.

Right from the get-go,Van Halen was in bowse mode.He hung up the phone on Quincy Jones assuming that it was a prank call.Then he defied the "no doing anything outside of the band" rule that he and his Van Halen bandmates had by going down to Westlake Studios in L.A. and contributing to "Beat It." Then he set one of the monitor speakers in the studio's control room on fire in the process of laying down a seventeen-bar guitar solo for the ages that he didn't even ask a dime for! However,the bowse didn't stop there.When his Van Halen mates found out about their guitarist's breaking of band rules and told him that he was foolish for doing pro bono work on someone else's project,Eddie fluffed it off and stated that he knew what he was doing and he wouldn't have done it if he didn't want to.

Behind the dazzling and superhuman guitar shredding is a real dude that does whatever the hell he wants and doesn't care.Bowse.

9."The Girl Is Mine" was a significant moment in music history.

Perhaps rightfully so to an extent,"The Girl Is Mine" deserved the flak that it got from music critics.Though not a terrible piece of music,it likely was a wasting of potential that a Paul McCartney-Michael Jackson duet could have otherwise yielded and it does require a suspension of disbelief to listen to (although that potential ended up being better met the following year on McCartney's "Say Say Say.") Two guys fighting over a girl often get violent with each other and don't use words like "doggone" in their exchange (maybe "goddamn" but not "doggone.") Furthermore,if you're going to make a song based upon that concept,it's better to give it the crunchy,heavy,aggressive,and hard-edged sound of "Beat It" than it is to make it an ultra-sugary soft rock number.Nonetheless,it was a hit and probably so because it was aimed squarely at the older crowd,many whom indubitably met ex-Beatle McCartney and his fellow invaders from the British Isles with anything but resistance and rancor.

When you look beyond the saccharine character of "The Girl Is Mine" and examine the whole of the song,the significance of it becomes more visible.Macca and MJ teaming up to do a song was not only significant in that it was a pairing of legends on the same track but that it was a symbolic "coming together" (Beatle pun intended) of two major pieces of twentieth century music history:The British Invasion and Motown.

8.If it wasn't for Peggy Lipton...

Let's first establish who Peggy Lipton is before I proceed.Lipton is an actress who's perhaps best known for serving up coffee and cherry pie as Norma Jennings on the iconic television series Twin Peaks.At the time of Thriller,Lipton was Quincy Jones' wifey-poo and,as such,her lingerie and Hollywood connections would result in her making a contribution to parts of the album.

Yes,Peggy Lipton's intimate wear did indeed contribute to Thriller.Jones noticed that the lingerie said "pretty young things" on them which,in turn,caused a light bulb to appear over his head.His spouse inadvertently gave him at the very least a title to a song that could go on a Michael Jackson album and eventually did with the James Ingram-penned "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)." Aside from being a bouncy,relatively funky tune that perhaps gave a passing nod to the electro genre that was gaining steam at the time (with its vocoder elements),"P.Y.T." exists as a musical testament to artistic inspiration sometimes coming from the most unlikely or unexpected things.

Probably of more importance than her lingerie being the origin of "P.Y.T." was Lipton's role in having a big-named movie star do a feature on "Thriller." The song was already a danceable number that,at its surface,seemed like a celebration of the scary and horrific but there was something missing:A chilling spoken-word rap that gradually brought the song to its conclusion.Quincy Jones could envision horror-flick legend Vincent Price reciting this rap and Lipton did her part in making that a reality.Nowhere does Lipton's name show up on the Thriller personnel listing or in the songwriting credits but she helped in more than a small capacity,whether she intended to or not.

Speaking of Price...

7.Vincent Price sorta got shafted.

One would think that Price's evil,reverb-drenched laughter at the end of "Thriller" alone would have had the ducats coming into his estate even now never mind the rest of his masterful recitation of Rod Temperton's Edgar Allan Poe-like spoken-word rap.Nope.Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones paid a rather low "price" for Vincent's feature on "Thriller." $1,000 was what it cost to get the horror film star to be at his most creepy over top haunting and ominous pipe organ chords that have "Baroque period" written all over them.Obviously,the one-off deal was great for Jackson because he got a Hollywood icon on his record for cheap.The deal worked the other way around for Price whom,after seeing "Thriller" blow up the way it did,got salty about getting a measly grand for his feature.He attempted to reach out to Jackson with the intentions of appealing for a more generous compensation and was ignored.

On one hand,Price had no right to seek out more money for his cameo on "Thriller." After all,if he wanted a handsome sum of dolla,dolla bills,he could have used his celebrity and legacy to negotiate something with Jackson and Jones that was fair for all parties instead of agreeing to a one-off that would put only ten "benjamins" in his pocket.Price made the regrettable mistake of undervaluing his own talent and,rather than let it be a live-and-learn experience,he wanted to renegotiate a done deal.

However,it's hard to be devoid of sympathy for Price.He put down perhaps the most epic poetry reading ever through his magnificent voice-acting and gave "Thriller" the piece it needed to complete its spooky picture.The fact that neither Jackson or Jones revisited their deal with Price when the song had proven to be a hit and offered him more on the basis of it being the morally right thing to do was something of a douchebag move.It certainly wasn't one of Jackson's or Jones' shining moments,to say the least.

6.It's a good thing that Quincy Jones let one particular demo casette play.

Toto guitarist Steve Lukather,drummer Jeff Porcaro,and keyboardists David Paich and Steve Porcaro were making contributions to Thriller while concurrently working on their own band's 1982 project Toto IV.En route to the recording studio,Steve Porcaro had gone to visit his young daughter that had been living with his "baby mama." After arriving,he'd been informed about his little girl's terrible day at school,one that saw her being pushed off a slide by a boy.When asked by his daughter "why" this boy would do that to her,Porcaro told her that the boy probably liked her and that it was "human nature." In trying to explain to the best of his ability to his emotional young child why a boy could be so mean to her,it inspired Porcaro to later come up with a song called "Human Nature." He recorded a demo of the song on a casette tape.

David Paich was working on some keyboard grooves for Quincy Jones in this time frame.Knowing that Jones' assistant was going to stop by,Paich asked Porcaro-whom was staying at Paich's house-if he could make a casette with what Paich had been working on for Jones.Realizing that they had run out of tapes,Porcaro recorded Paich's material on the A-side of the casette that he had put the "Human Nature" demo on and eventually gave it to Jones' assistant.Jones was listening to Paich's grooves and ended up becoming preoccupied with something in his office,which allowed the A-side to play all the way through and for the auto-reverse feature on Jones' casette player to run the B-side of the tape.Porcaro's demo caught Jones' attention and he asked Porcaro if "Human Nature" could be used on Thriller.After being given the green light from Porcaro,Jones enlisted songwriter John Bettis to replace Porcaro's original lyrics as Jones wasn't too keen on them (save for the "why,why" and "tell them that it's human nature" stuff.) The inclusion of "Human Nature" to Thriller gave a song called "Carousel" the swift boot off the album.Though "Carousel" (later released as a bonus track on a re-issue of Thriller) was a fairly decent track that was so wonderfully early-Eighties in its sound,"Human Nature" was leagues above it.Being my favorite cut off Thriller,there's so much right about "Human Nature." Jackson's vocal delivery is breathy and from a place deep in his soul.The song's lyrics,with its clever metaphors and its underlying meaning,are well-written.The synth melodies are aural candy and sound like they were composed in heaven.All in all,the song is a smooth R&B track that is perfect for something like a night drive in the city.

Quincy Jones was of the belief that a higher power had a hand in making Thriller the successful pop masterpiece that it is."Human Nature" making it on to the album could very well be an attestation that divine forces were at play.Had Jones not been involved in something,he may have stopped the tape after hearing Paich's music and "Human Nature" wouldn't have seen the light of day.Fortunately,things happened the way they did and a little girl's lousy day at school was turned into something great.

5."Billie Jean" was all types of crazy

According to Jackson,Billie Jean was purely a fictitious female that was MJ's composite of all the groupies that he and his Jackson 5 brothers had to deal with.However,according to Jackson's biographer J. Randy Taraborrelli,the song may have been inspired by an obsessed female fan that had taken her obsession with Jackson to great lengths.In 1981 (the year before Thriller),Jackson had been in receipt of a few letters from a chick claiming that he had been a father to one of her twins.In response to her paternity claims and her expressions of love for Jackson and her desire to have a family with him being ignored,she got angry and sent Jackson a parcel containing her photo,another letter,and a gun.In the letter,she instructed Jackson to commit suicide on a certain date and that she would do the same after murdering the baby that Jackson had supposedly impregnated her with.If Taraborrelli's theory was correct that "Billie Jean" derived from something so chilling as to induce goosebumps and cause the tiny hairs on the back of the neck to rise,the song was already crazy in the literal sense by who and what inspired it.

In the process of writing "Billie Jean," Jackson's life could have ended more prematurely than it did with his June 25,2009 death at the age of fifty.Being so absorbed in this song that he was working on,he was completely oblivious that the vehicle he was driving in had a fire going in it and he had to be made aware of the situation by an alert and concerned motorcyclist.Add another layer of crazy to the mix.

Then there was the song itself,which was a smash hit that went deep in the upper deck.Though "Human Nature" is my favorite MJ tune and personal bias could compel me to say that it's the finest work in Jackson's catalog,"Billie Jean" was perhaps Jackson's magnum opus.From a musical standpoint,it had all the necessary ingredients for it to be a high-charting pop joint.The rhythm could implore one to get on the dance floor the very instant that the solo drum break starting "Billie Jean" off sounds.The bassline-a rather simple repetitive eight note sequence-grooves and can lodge itself in the listener's head.The pre-chorus alone is hook-ish never mind the chorus itself,which is hook perfection.There's the gradual introduction of funky synth,punctuated guitar,and dramatic string elements that keep the song interesting.And,yet,for all of the sheer pop goodness that "Billie Jean" offers,it just might be more frightening than "Thriller" because the subject fare of the song is far more real than zombies could ever be."Billie Jean" may well be as much a song about paranoia as it is about what could result from being famous and messing with a girl that has "schemes and plans" behind her feminine wiles.Adding to the stark nature of the song is the conflict that Jackson seems to have within himself.On one hand,he declares with conviction that "Billie Jean is not my lover" and that her "kid is not my son." On the other hand,his vocal delivery when he speaks of looking at a photo of the little boy and realizing "his eyes look like mine" is one of shock,fear,and resignation.It arouses wonderment whether Jackson's repeating of "Billie Jean is not my lover" a number of times late in the song is an emphatic proclamation of his innocence or a convincing of everyone including himself that the truth is really a lie.It all makes "Billie Jean" a crazy good song.

If things weren't crazy enough,the video for "Billie Jean"-deserving of its own exegesis-helped the fledgling MTV to soar into the mainstream.Furthermore,it was also the song to which Jackson-at the Motown 25 television special watched by an estimated 50-million people-created a craze by performing his famed "moonwalk" dance move for the first time."Billie Jean" had every crazy base covered.

4.Thriller was almost as much Quincy Jones' project as it was Michael Jackson's

Michael Jackson is the only name that shows up on the cover of Thriller.And rightfully so,as he is the performer that's front and center on the album.When all the other musicians and producers were finished with their work on the album,it was Jackson that took the songs from out of the studio and brought them to concert venues around the world.However,Thriller could have easily borne both Jackson and Jones' names and it would have been fair.

Jones was in possession of some incredibly keen ears.One could have dropped a nickel on the ground from half a block away and Q would've likely heard it.Jones had an amazing acuity for sound that went to its deepest level.Maybe of greater importance was Jones' encyclopedic knowledge of music.From that,Q's instincts were more often than not trustworthy when it came to chasing down a hit song.He could discern what would make a musical work fly and what could cause it to flop.Michael Jackson wanted to make a killer album and he knew that Q would make the odds of him doing so quite favorable.It likely took no arm-twisting for Jones to get on board with Jackson's vision and become as invested in it as Jackson was.Part of Jones' investment may have been spurred by what he would stand to gain if this album had succeeded in meeting all of its goals:A boatload of money and a larger-than-life addition to his CV.But it's hard not to get the sense that Thriller was a labor of love for Q,one that not only involved a love for good music and the making of such but a love that he felt for the artist with whom he was working.The relationship between Jackson and Jones wasn't solely a professional one,which meant that Jones had a more deeply personal interest in making Thriller a big-time record and giving the young pop singer he had been mentor to with the needed fuel to be a superstar.In so doing,Jones-along with Jackson-had went through approximately 700 demo recordings and only committed what was felt to be the creme de la creme to the album.

It was Jones who,inspired by The Knack's "My Sharona," came up with the idea of having Jackson foray into rock territory and who could visualize Eddie Van Halen performing a guitar solo in the instrumental midbreak of what became "Beat It." It was Jones who felt that a recitation of a spoken-word rap in the outro of "Thriller" was needed and he could hear Vincent Price doing it.And,when the initial finished product of Thriller revealed a falling short of the desired goal for its sound upon play through,it was Jones who rallied the dejected troops to do what needed to be done to correct things with the deadline fast approaching.It was Jones who willingly took on the rigor and exhaustion that came with the production of a highly aspiring album.It's beyond difficult to fathom Thriller being as magical or scintillating without "Q" as its executive producer.

3.Even the non-singles on Thriller were great tunes.

Though it's a given that Thriller is a hit-laden,solid from first-to-last track album,saying that 77.8 percent of its songs were singles really illustrates how insanely good it is.(It bears a resemblance to a greatest hits compilation.) However,the other two cuts-or 22.2 percent-that weren't singles are by no means filler material."Baby Be Mine" is a danceable love tune that seemed to be a continuation of the Off The Wall sound,albeit in a punchy post-disco vein where synthesizers replaced the orchestral element (usually string sections) that was present in scads of disco tunes like Jackson's own "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough." With "Baby Be Mine," Jackson's pre-Thriller fan base were able to enjoy some degree of consistency in Jackson's sound while tweaks were made to it to veer away from disco and warmly embrace the Eighties.Then there's "The Lady Of My Life," a gorgeous love ballad that closes out Thriller.With Jackson's soulful vocals,its heartfelt lyrics,and its warm R&B-meets-smooth jazz character,it might just be the perfect song for a newlywed man to put on and do his bride to.

"Baby Be Mine" and "The Lady Of My Life" could have probably been hits in themselves had they been on someone else's album or not pitted against stiff competition on its own.However,despite being overshadowed by the more behemoth songs on Thriller,these two cuts were sparkling necessities for the whole of the record.

2.There is an irony in Thriller.

If it's not an irony,maybe it's a paradox.If it's neither,I don't know what you would call it.

Prior to Thriller,Michael Jackson-inspired by Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker" suite-wanted to make a colossal album that was the highest selling of all time and would launch him into the stratosphere of superstardom.And yet,something of a leitmotif is established on Thriller in the subject matter of 3 of the album's nine tracks:Jackson's dealings with the negative aspects of being a pop music luminary.Wasting no time,"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"-the lead off track on Thriller-is Jackson's ebullient counterstrike on media and their propensity for sensationalism and gossip.Long before Jackson had faced scrutiny for the lightening of his skin color and the surgical alterations to his face as well as allegations of sexual misconduct toward children,he had an issue with bad press and the spreading of rumors.He likens being a celebrity to being a vegetable that "they"-most likely the media but not limited to-will feed off for their own survival or gain.Then there was "Billie Jean," which I have already addressed in my fifth takeaway from Thriller. "Billie Jean" calls to mind Jackson's earlier celebrity/vegetable analogy from "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (Jackson does mention the name "Billie Jean" on that song) but,on this occasion,the one trying to do the feeding is a girl claiming Jackson's paternity to her young child.Finally,on "Human Nature," Jackson touches on his longing to step out into the city night and walk around like an average person instead of being cooped up in his room and insulated from the world which he was known all over.Part of Thriller in essence was Jackson expressing the discontentment he had with life in the spotlight and letting his listeners know that fame and fortune wasn't all glitz and glamour.However,having been thrust into the spotlight as a young boy and being someone with an artistic soul,the possibility of giving up the life he'd known since his formative years and denying himself further opportunity to be creative wasn't realistic.Perhaps resigning himself to the notion that fame was inescapable,Jackson decided to embrace it to the best of his ability and make himself as huge a star as a human could be.

1.Thriller established why Michael Jackson was (and still is) the King Of Pop

If Jackson's fabulous 1979 effort Off The Wall wasn't his coronation as pop music royalty,Thriller saw the diadem placed atop his jheri curls.Jackson raised the bar so high with Thriller that he made it near impossible for anyone,including himself,to elevate.Though his death forced him to abdicate his throne,he was buried with his crown.

One only needs to reference Thriller to understand why Jackson is pop music's kingly figure.He was his harshest critic and a staunch perfectionist who never rested on his laurels.Though Off The Wall was a critically acclaimed album,he wasn't entirely happy with it.It was like he was constantly nagged by the thought do more,do better.He set huge goals and then pushed himself hard to accomplish them.He had the right people working with him to make his vision a reality.Jackson embodied indefatigable work and relentless drive.

Whereas we might refer to all pop music stars as being "artists," such a description of Jackson wasn't given to be polite but rather because it was befitting.He had such an appreciation for art.As previously mentioned,Jackson's inspiration for Thriller was Tchaikovsky,who had written suites like "The Nutcracker" filled with great music.He had instructed the musicians who had worked with him on Thriller to "think of Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel" and to do what they felt was necessary to provide the right "colors" for his songs.Jackson's art was transcendent of the audio medium.The videos for songs from Thriller were iconic as the songs were themselves.

Michael Jackson made pop music that was palatable.Jackson's brand of pop was so much different.It was pop that sounded like pop but yet didn't.Though,like all popular music,Jackson's material had the largest possible listening audience in its crosshairs,it frequently didn't come off as being kitschy and that was especially the case with the cuts off Thriller.Jackson's music reached into the handy-dandy grab bag of tried-and-true musical devices without conveying the impression that it was trying too hard to be a hit pop song.It didn't need to encourage people through chorus hooks to get on the dance floor or shake what their mothers bestowed upon them.People just got on the dance floor.Most importantly,Jackson's pop was staunchly avoidant of placing a best-before date on itself.Though Thriller may be very Eighties in its sound and its premeditation to be humungous (because everything had to be big in the "decade of decadence"),it contained the necessary preservatives to keep itself fresh over a lengthy span of time and there's an awfully high probability that it will never grow stale or become a relic of the period in which it came out.A sizeable quantity of pop music simply isn't in Jackson's league.As such,it doesn't stand out from its ilk but rather sounds like simulacra of it.It tends to be corny and irritating instead of stylish and agreeable.It makes itself easily replaceable by future music that will inevitably use the same recipe from the musical cookbook to whip up something for the Hot 100.

Perhaps the only way that someone can take the King Of Pop distinction away from Michael Jackson is if Jackson's soul is reincarnated in someone else's body.Otherwise,Jackson continues to reign and it's due in large part to Thriller.Happy 35th!

#thriller #michael jackson #1982 #quincy jones #bruce swedien #rod temperton #album #paul mccartney #peggy lipton #vincent price #toto #steve porcaro #david paich #jeff porcaro #steve lukather #eddie van halen #pop #music

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pendragonfics · 8 years ago

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This Girl Is Afraid of Elevators, What She Did Next Will Astound You!

Paring: Derek Hale/Reader

Tags: female reader, anxiety attacks, fear, fear of elevators, fluff, angst, hurt/comfort, humour.

Summary: Everyone has a fear. Yours just has to be elevators, and with the stairs and fire escape out of action, there's no other choice to leave Derek Hale's loft...but by elevator.

Word Count: 1,888

Current Date: 2017-07-12

It didn’t matter that you were an adult. That you were a teacher. Could drink alcohol, could drive. It didn’t matter that you were the girlfriend of Derek Hale, the well-known black sheep of Beacon Hills, and that if it came to it, he’d fight until the death for you. None of things mattered…when there were elevators involved. For as long as you could remember the sensation – a sort of jolt of your stomach falling to your knees when the metal cage dipped down, a nausea when it jerked upward – it had made you feel sick, especially when you were by yourself in the space. It didn’t help that loads of movies had scenes where the elevators broke down, often leading to the two protagonists to make out until help came, or fall to their deaths.

But over time, a near-miss accident in the mall, a prank gone wrong (“Screw you, Jackson, and the horse you rode in on!”) your fear was completely, and utterly rational. Apparently, in the USA alone, there were an average of twenty-six deaths per year on the account of elevators. There was a Facebook page community for people like you who hated metal death traps. But be it rational or not, you had to shake it off. Or stay another night at Derek’s place.

For the last week, you’d stayed in his bed, wearing his clothes, eating his food. The pack thought it was gorgeous; almost drop-dead domestic that Derek would have you hang around and spread your scent everywhere. You had rolled your eyes, and gone and used your toothbrush (that had been hiding in a package under the sink), and prepared to shower. Not that you could really hear them; you had no special stuff, powers, or any of that jazz. You were just a human. If you could hear, you’d be surprised how much snooping was going on.

As soon as the door to the bathroom was closed behind you, Scott turned to Derek, and looked up at him. “It’s been days, _________ hasn’t left your place. Doesn’t she have work?”

Derek shrugged, indifferent. “I guess. I don’t know, she hasn’t said anything.”

“Dude,” Stiles raised a single eyebrow, shaking his head slowly, “You need to ask her. For all we know, she’s been kicked out, and mooching from you.” He chuckled at that, but upon catching sight of Scott’s small shake of the head, added quickly, “I mean, ah, it’s the right thing to do.”

From the corner, Isaac piped up. “She’s been here almost six days, right?”

Scott nodded. “Yeah. Since Thursday.” The Alpha confirmed, and narrowed his eyes at the scarf-loving blonde. “Why?”

The curly-haired werewolf got up from his seat on the couch, and his fingers to count his points on. “On Thursday, we had the attack on the apartment block, remember? The stairs got smashed up, and we’re still waiting on the supplies and maintenance to come from Sacramento.” He grimly reminded them. “Your fire escape is kind of out of order, Derek…since the Oni, I think. You need to work on that. Which leaves, the elevator.”

Stiles frowned. “Yeah, what of it?”

Derek’s eyes widened. “_________ hates elevators.”

Scott swallowed. But instead of commenting on it, their werewolf-senses heard you turn the shower off, and before you’d even wrapped a towel around yourself to come out, they’d dispersed, and changed the subject to something less touchy, but dumbed down enough for any old idiot to get what they were playing at. But as you went upstairs and changed into clean clothes, you rolled your eyes, and made your way downstairs.

“Good morning,” you greet Scott and Stiles, and sparing a wave to Isaac, you pause, and remember your manners. You might be human, but your mother didn’t raise you like this. “Am I interrupting –?” you ask Derek, glancing around, but you can’t see any more pack members; no Kira, Malia, or Lydia. “I can –,”

Derek shakes his head. “Stay. I mean, if you want. You don’t have to.”

“Don’t tread softly around me,” you narrow your eyes, “I know I’ve been here a week, Derek.” You turn, and give everyone a slight glare, “I can tell that it’s what you’ve been talking about, you all went sort of quiet when I left the bathroom. I work with kids. You have werewolf senses? I have other skills.”

Scott nods his head along with your words, agreeing.

“So,” you challenge your boyfriend, standing up to your full height. “You’re kicking me out?” It does nothing on his brick-like, buff-as-heck frame, and makes you think that you’re like a puppy challenging a wolf.

Isaac shook his head. “We’re just worried for you, _________. You’ve missed work. I don’t think it’s good for your fears to get that much in the way of your life.” He tells you, in his soft voice.

You shrug, indifferent. “I’ve been here since Thursday; only means three days of sick leave, Isaac. Or have you forgotten that outside the whole Werewolf McWerewolf lives you all lead, I grade your history papers?” You glance to the other boys, and add, with unknown bravado, “Please. I bet I could do it. I can leave right now, and it won’t be a problem at all.” The boys say nothing as you grab your bag from the bedroom, and wait by the door to the loft. “What?”

Derek shakes his head. “Nothing. Come on, let’s go.”

Stiles ran ahead, and pressed the button to the elevator. By the time the pack had caught up, the elevator had arrived, and hesitantly, you walked into the metal box. Scott’s eyes were wide, and muttered something about leaving his phone in the apartment. Before you could hit the hold the elevator! button, you realised that there was none, and when Derek moved to hold the door, it shut anyway. Leaving you two to descend in moderately lit silence.

It was fine. At least, you thought you were; apart from the fact that you were enclosed in a really small space descending downward through a tunnel suspended by a cable. And that you were sure that there was sweat on the back of your neck, and that Derek could hear your mile-a-minute heartbeat like a techno disco beat one door down the hallway. It was fine, except one whole minute after the door closed, there was a jolt. And the elevator stopped.

“Are you okay?”

You shake your head. “I’m fine.” But, as always, you speak too soon, and there’s a jerk, and the elevator seems to slide down a way, almost like a free-fall. It’s enough to freak you out; enough to wrangle a screech from you.

“_________ –,”

“I knew this was a really, really bad idea!” you cry, backing away from him. “Der –,” you feel your breathing accelerate, nausea fills your stomach like mouldy milk. Derek placed a hand on your shoulder, but you burst, backing up into the corner of the elevator floor, your arms wrapped tight over your head. “I’m going to die. We’re going to die in an elevator.”

“It’s okay, _________. It’s just an old elevator.” He assures you.

“Oh my g –,” your eyes widen, peeking up at Derek in fear, a wash of dizziness coming over you. “We’re definitely going to die in an elevator.”

While you’re focusing on not tossing up breakfast and onto the aluminium-plated ground, Derek has his phone out, and is furiously texting, his frown matching the intensity of little taps of the keyboard. You’ve heard that reception can be shoddy in closed in spaces, like trains, old underground war bunkers, submarines, elevators. You take a deep breath, and close your eyes, trying to think of something other than that you’re trapped with Derek.

“Tell me something good,” you whisper.

Slowly, Derek settles himself before you on the floor. It makes you think of a wolf approaching a puppy; Derek’s hair is getting long, his facial hair too. But those eyes, the green in them so bright, they look almost like a crystal, shining from within his soul. You watch him take your hands in his, and feel his fingers caress yours, warming your palms. As you close your eyes, he begins to speak.

“It was summertime, I think,” he starts off, his thumb drawing lazy circles over your knuckles. “You’d just graduated from UCLA, returning home. But some idiot had burst a tyre on their car on the way into town, and this fresh grad student helped the guy out.” Through your barely-closed lashes, you can see him smile a little, that rare gem of a smile that always made you feel better, “You hadn’t seen him since school, and here he was, stranded, and you managed to swap the tyre, and defiantly teach the guy a lesson about not knowing about his own car.”

“I was kind of badass,” you whisper.

“Yeah,” Derek agrees, and adds, “But to be fair, that guy was better at other things than changing blown out tyres.”

At that, you chuckle. “Yeah. Like turning into a werewolf, and fighting baddies while I’m stuck inside a classroom teaching school kids about the Salem witch hunts.” Before you can share a smile, the elevator jerks, dipping lower, and what calmness you’d managed to amass had gone south. “Derek,” you murmur, worried.

He gathers you close to him, so your head is nestled under his chin, between his shoulders, wrapped tight within his arms. In his arms, you can hear his heartbeat; it’s steady, calm, even though you’ve been in your worst nightmare for the last ten minutes.

“Shhh,” he whispers, his hands migrating to the back of your neck, stroking your hair slowly, calmly. “It’s going to be okay. I promise.”

---

Four minutes later, the two of you came out, unscathed. Derek’s texts had gotten through which lead Scott and Isaac to parkour over the balcony, and arrange for maintenance to come to the building and fix the predicament. All it took was the afternoon spent at your place heaped in blankets, bingeing on Netflix and snuggles with Derek and pizza.

Nobody told you that while all the maintenance tango/elevator hellscape was going on, that it left – the very human, very unable to perform parkour (and survive) down several dozen stories – Stiles Stilinski, on the level of the loft. It also left Stiles alone, and very unsupervised, and to lead said young man to eat all your Doritos…and leave a mess through Derek’s DVD collection.

But that didn’t really matter.

In conclusion, really, Doritos could be bought. DVDs scattered around the living room could be cleaned up. The stairs could be fixed, the elevator regularly maintained to avoid that mishap. But the worth of your lives, was greater than all the above. Even if it meant going to counselling and therapy to work toward a neutral zone with your fear. Even if it meant that the whole pack knew about your problem. It was okay. It just meant that there was a whole pack of teen wolves and other Halloween-esque creatures looking out for you.

And for you (the human who studied history teaching who never thought they’d really amount to anything that mattered because of that silly fear); it was good. Better than good, in fact; it was great.

#derek hale #derek hale x reader #derek tw x reader #derek hale/reader #derek hale x oc #teen wolf x reader #teen wolf fanfic #chaotic--lovely #pendragonfics #Female reader

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