#Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

darkmatilda · 5 months ago

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𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐟𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 | 𝐬.𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐝

𝐬𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐲: when you were accommodated in such a shabby hotel, the last thing you needed was a power outage. and upon learning about one of your colleagues' fear of the dark, you can't bring yourself to not help him

𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬/𝐩𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐰: spencer reid x newbaumember!femalereader, spencer is afraid of the dark and the reader comforts him, they comfort each other tbh, elle&morgan my fav duo, glasses reid obvi.

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: 4.7k

𝐚/𝐧: these are my official apologies for all the recent stories 🫶🏼 i wanted it to be so much shorter but i just love writing conversations between characters so that's how it turned out. @mggslover i'm so sorry for not adding spencer falling off the bed but i didn't want to ruin that subtle ending :(( maybe next time

"Please, I’m begging you, I’m really begging you—begging in the name of a god I don’t even believe in. Tell me we’ve got the wrong address," Morgan said, squeezing his eyes shut the moment you all crossed the threshold of the motel where you'd been assigned to stay while working on the case in another state.

You noticed Elle’s expression falter as well. From the outside, the place hadn’t looked that bad. Well, perhaps it only seemed that way because the street it was on was so dark you couldn’t make out much of anything. Midnight must have been approaching; the first day of the investigation was officially over.

“We didn’t get it wrong,” Reid declared, stepping inside as the last of you, quickly scanning the interior. “I memorized it perfectly. Besides, there aren’t any other accommodations in the area, so this has to be it.”

“Do you remember that one case,” Elle started, “where the unsub killed women in hotel rooms and decorated the interiors with their intestines?”

You glanced at her, curious—or as curious as you could be under the circumstances. You’d only joined the team fairly recently; this was your third or fourth case at most, and none of them had been quite that… gruesome. Of course, you were well aware cases like that happened. It was only a matter of time before one came your way. Unfortunately.

“This motel totally looks like the kind of place where something like that happens on a daily basis,” Elle continued. “My advice? Don’t look under the beds tonight. Or in the closets, if there even are any.”

“I just hope there’s hot water,” Derek sighed, his voice carrying a tone of resignation. “We once ended up in a place that didn’t have any. I almost handed in my resignation.”

“You deal with gruesome murders every day, but no hot water is too much for you, Princess?” you raised an eyebrow, glancing at him out of the corner of your eye as you made your way toward the reception desk to pick up your room keys. The motel’s walls were yellow—not the cheerful sunflower or sunny kind of yellow, but more like dried-up cat pee yellow.

“He’s got a point, though,” Elle chimed in, taking the key from an elderly woman at the reception desk. “Think about it. You come back after a long, grueling day, from dawn to midnight, just like today. You’re exhausted, barely standing, and you can’t even take a hot shower.”

Morgan pointed at her and nodded in agreement. You shrugged.

“Cold isn’t that bad,” you muttered. Honestly, you hadn’t expected anything luxurious from the place you’d been sent to. It was just a few days, after all.

“Oh, are you one of those people practicing that millionaire morning routine?” Derek teased. “You know—waking up at three, cold shower, steak for breakfast, daily planning, self-help book…”

I just grew up poor, you thought to yourself, but aloud you only let out a short laugh.

“I’d kill to have time to read a book before work. Any book. Not to be yanked out of bed by Hotch at five, like today, and scrambling to get out the door.”

Elle and Morgan exchanged a very brief look, almost secretive. You narrowed your eyes, suspicion suddenly welling up inside you. Before you could ask about it, someone else spoke up.

“He called me at half past six,” Reid said, tilting his head in mild confusion.

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed the others silencing him with a look.

“Hey, what’s going on?” you stopped in your tracks, demanding an explanation. “He called me half an hour earlier than the rest of you?”

“You live farther away.”

“We’re practically neighbors, Elle Greenaway.”

“I’m about to drop,” Derek suddenly interjected with theatrical exhaustion. A change of subject. A not-so-subtle change of subject. “If I don’t lie down soon, I’ll fall asleep standing up. See you all tomorrow, folks.”

“You’re absolutely right—sleep well.”

With that, he and Elle headed up the stairs to the third floor, where they’d been assigned rooms. You and, as it turned out, Reid were staying on the second floor.

You turned to him slowly, arms crossed over your chest.

You didn’t even need to say anything—your stern gaze alone made it clear you were waiting for an explanation. Reid looked like he was about to throw his hands up in a defensive gesture, clearly regretting that he’d brought up the topic at all.

“Okay,” he sighed nervously. “What I’m about to say is not meant to offend you in any way, not even the slightest…”

“Offend?” you repeated, furrowing your brow. “Jesus Christ, Reid, don’t look at me like that—I’m not about to punch you in the face…”

“It’s just…” he began, a little calmer now. “All of us, including Hotch, I assume, are aware of the fact that, occasionally—just sometimes—you have a slight tendency to…run a bit late to work.”

He looked at you, and a telling silence fell between you.

"Yesterday, you were fourteen and a half minutes late."

"Fifteen minutes doesn't count as being late. And have you heard of a grace period? It's allowed to arrive within that time frame, without any consequences."

"Fine. What about two days ago, twenty-one minutes and seventeen..."

"Metro malfunction. I had no control over that."

"And six days ago, on Tuesday? Twenty-four minutes and..."

"I don’t remember such a situation, because, Mr. Big Brain, not all of us have such a memory. But I assume there was a reason..."

"Alright, fine," Reid interrupted you calmly. "I’m not saying there wasn’t a reason. But still... it happens quite often, and that's a fact. So it’s no surprise that Hotch, when the situation especially calls for it, prefers to call you a little earlier than the rest. Just out of caution."

You sighed, no longer able to argue about it. Maybe he was right; you did sometimes lose track of time in the mornings or fail to wake up to the sound of your alarm, closing your eyes for an extra five minutes... which resulted in small delays. You had never been directly reprimanded for it, so you were unaware that it had become such a big issue. Slightly embarrassed, you pressed your lips together.

"As usual, I guess you're right. And by the way, I’m heading to my room. I had thirty minutes less sleep than all of you, I’m exhausted," you said in a lighter, joking tone. A brief smile crossed Reid’s face. "Good night, wise guy.”

"Good night. And don’t look under the bed."

"Believe me, I wasn’t planning on it!"

With those words, you both disappeared into rooms directly opposite each other. The sounds of doors closing synchronized. You started your usual evening routine, placing your suitcase in the corner of the room. It was really small, narrow, and rectangular. The walls had that same awful color, the light was too bright, causing a headache. So you decided to just turn on the night lamp on the shabby nightstand next to the single bed.

It turned out that the only bathroom was in the hallway. You almost cried; you didn't want to take all your things with you and then come back with them. You remembered that you'd taken a proper shower that morning, so maybe a repeat wasn’t absolutely necessary. You were too sleepy for it, so you just set the alarm for fifteen minutes earlier to do it in the morning. After changing into comfortable clothes, you immediately lay down on the bed. Following Elle’s advice, and then Reid’s too, you didn’t check what might be hiding under it.

You weren’t hiding it, you were a terrible sleeper. Falling asleep in new places usually wasn’t a problem for you, even if it was a place that looked like a dive where someone could stab you in your sleep. But that night, something was bothering you. After giving it some thought, you realized it was Reid’s words.

Of course, it wasn’t that you held it against him. He was just stating facts; he had no intention of offending you, as he assured. And you didn’t even feel offended. More like unpleasantly confronted with a certain fact. You had only been part of the BAU for a short time. Well, just a week ago Derek stopped calling you the new girl. Although on the outside, you came across as very confident, on the inside, you were preoccupied with the team’s opinion of you and what they might think about you. Mainly because they were all older and more experienced.

You were especially worried about the fact that your tardiness and chaos had drawn the boss’s attention. Being on good terms with your superior was incredibly important, in case something ever happened, in case you made a more serious mistake…those small things could influence how the rest of your career would unfold, and the decisions made about you.

But above all, you wanted everyone to like you. Simply like you. So you wouldn’t walk around every day with your heart in your throat, praying for the day to end, constantly overwhelmed by a sense of misfit and loneliness.

You turned to your side, not sure how long you had been lying there, thinking. Suddenly, you realized you had to pee.

With great reluctance and sleepiness, you reached for the bedside lamp to turn it on and go to the bathroom. However, when you tugged at the cord, it... didn’t turn on. The room remained shrouded in darkness. You tried once more, then blindly made your way to the light switch in the room. You pressed it, and nothing.

What was going on, a power outage?

You shook your head in confusion. Whatever was going on, it didn’t change the fact that you had to go to the bathroom. You remembered the flashlight in your jacket pocket, and in the darkness, it took you a while to find it. When you finally had it in your hand, you felt ready to complete the mission. To pee, that is.

The moment you stepped out into the hallway, a light source flared up right before your eyes. You let out a muffled exclamation, partly from surprise, partly from being almost blinded.

“Damn, sorry…” Reid hissed, equally confused, turning his flashlight downward, away from your face.

You rubbed your eyelids, turning off your flashlight. Two light sources were unnecessary.

“Is there no power for you too?” you asked.

Reid nodded. It was only then that you really looked at him—he was wearing very loose pajama pants and...

“Cute,” you clicked your tongue, pointing at his white sweater with a bear wearing glasses. He had them too, worn very low on his nose. He must have put them on absentmindedly, in the dark, right after getting out of bed.

“I got it from Penelope for my birthday,” he said in a tone as if he were giving a statement. His hand briefly touched the fabric, right at the center of the brown bear’s face. “It’s really comfortable and soft. Perfect for sleeping...Anyway, I was heading to the reception to find out what the issue is and whether anything can be done about it. You too?”

"No, I just really need to pee. Do you really want to go there at this hour?" you asked, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "I mean, outages happen, and they'll have to fix it, but it's the middle of the night. We don't really need the lights right now, and if you want to go to the bathroom, you have a flashlight, as I can see."

You kept your gaze on him, realizing that since he noticed the lack of light, he must have been either heading somewhere himself or keeping the light on. Or maybe he had been sleeping with the light on. He did seem a bit tense. One of his hands was still resting on the half-open door, nervously gripping it. The other was pressed tightly to his body, his chest rising in an odd rhythm. Not a quickened pace, like with a panic attack, but more unnatural, like he was trying to control it.

"Are you afraid of the dark?" the question slipped out of you directly. After a moment, you realized it might have been a little too blunt. You had asked it carelessly, suspecting there might be another reason behind his behavior. For some reason, fear of the dark didn’t seem to fit his rational character.

Reid quickly shook his head, firmly denying it.

"No. No, of course not. I was just... reading when the light went out."

Oh, you didn’t even need to be a profiler to see right away that he was lying. You crossed your arms, a little amused by how stubbornly he was denying it.

"You were reading? At this hour? When we’re back to the investigation first thing tomorrow morning?"

He shrugged, shaking his head again.

"I couldn’t sleep."

You sighed. In the end, neither his fear nor his shame were your concern, so you didn’t see the point in interrogating him any further. You signaled that you were dropping the subject, and some expression passed across his face. Gratitude. Gratitude for not pushing the issue or mocking him. You felt a bit offended that he had even thought you might do that.

“If you still plan on going to the reception, wait for me, I’ll go with you. I just need to quickly stop by the bathroom.”

Reid opened his mouth, clearly surprised by your suggestion.

“Well, what?” you replied with a shrug. “I can’t let something eat you on the way. A demonic hand emerging from the darkness…”

“Very funny,” he commented, rolling his eyes. However, the corner of his mouth twitched, and his breathing seemed calmer.

“…The ghost of Richard Ramirez haunting the walls of this hotel. Or some other bloodthirsty maniac.“

"Didn't you really have to pee badly?"

"The team wouldn’t recover from losing you, Reid!" You threw that line over your shoulder as you walked toward the bathroom.

Of course, there was no light there either, so you had to use your flashlight. He was waiting for you, and together, in silence, you headed down the stairs toward the reception. Given how small the motel was, it wasn’t open 24/7. You had to wait a while before someone came to assist you.

“That happens sometimes,” the employee shrugged. “We’re not sure where the problem is exactly, but someone’s supposed to come check it out tomorrow…”

“Can’t anything be done about it now?” Reid asked, a trace of frustration in his voice that he was trying to mask—especially when he glanced at you from the corner of his eye. “Maybe it’s just a simple overload? Where are the fuse boxes…?”

“Reid,” you said gently, placing a hand on his elbow to draw his full attention. He turned his head toward you, surprised by the tone of your voice. You gave the employee a discreet signal that you didn’t have any further questions and he could leave.

“You’re not fixing the electricity in some rundown motel. That would just be… ridiculous.”

“I’m not talking about fixing it,” he clarified quickly, though it was clear he hadn’t let go of the idea. “But in most cases, it’s just a simple short circuit. I could just take a look—”

“—Or you could just sleep in my room.”

The words left your mouth, surprising not only him but also yourself. Yet, it wasn’t as though you regretted them or wanted to take back the offer. On the contrary, the moment you said it out loud, it felt even more fitting. When you were a little kid—like most children, probably—you’d also been afraid of the dark, and running to someone else’s room always helped. Curling up beside someone, just knowing someone was there, made all the difference.

You watched his reaction, the way he shook his head slightly from side to side, a small frown creasing his forehead.

“You’re joking, right?”

“Not at all. Come on.” You grabbed him by the wrist—the hand not holding the flashlight—and pulled him along. He moved hesitantly, but he seemed too caught off guard to plant his feet and stay put.

He stopped only when you reached the door to your room, pulling his hand free from your grasp.

"How do you even imagine this working? There's... there's only one bed in there."

"If that bothers you, grab the mattress and some bedding from your room. You’ll hardly notice the difference—those beds are unbearably uncomfortable anyway."

He lowered the flashlight slightly, letting the surrounding darkness of the hallway creep over his face. It was barely visible now, but the hesitation etched on it was unmistakable. Standing across from him, you held his gaze without saying a word, silently reinforcing the fact that you weren’t joking.

The thought of him struggling to fall asleep for the rest of the night and then suffering through another day made you feel genuinely sorry for him. Besides, even though you hadn’t known each other long, you already considered him a sort of friend. If there was anything you could do to help, you wanted to do it.

"It's no big deal, Spencer," you reassured him one last time, hoping the words would finally sink in. "Really. And if you want... we don't ever have to talk about this again. Tomorrow, or ever."

His chest rose as he drew in a deep breath.

"Th-thank you," he said at last, cautiously, as though he'd packed so many thoughts into the single word that saying it out loud was an effort.

You smiled gently and understandingly. Before stepping into the room, you briefly placed a hand on his arm.

"Oh God, that sweater really is soft..."

He let out a short laugh, perhaps releasing a bit of the embarrassment he’d been holding back. You both disappeared into your respective rooms, and you lay down in bed, waiting for him to show up. Well, the moment dragged on a little too long.

You were almost certain he’d only agreed to your suggestion to get you off his back and had no intention of actually following through. Propping yourself up on one elbow, you debated whether to go to his room and drag him over or just let it go. They say you shouldn’t force help on others. Maybe there was some truth to that.

Shortly after that thought, your door creaked open slowly. You heard it but couldn’t see much—the room was too dark, and he wasn’t using his flashlight. Perhaps he assumed you were already asleep and didn’t want to risk waking you.

Either way, he moved around your bed to lay down a pillow and blanket on the floor, skipping the effort of hauling over an entire mattress.

"Your back is going to hurt," you remarked softly, your voice adjusting to the rhythm of the night, blending with the surrounding darkness.

You lay on your side, facing the spot where he had set up his makeshift bed. All you could see was the outline of his figure, his hands clasped loosely over his stomach, head resting on the pillow. You even caught the slight shrug of his shoulders in response to your comment.

"Actually, sleeping on the floor can have health benefits. It helps maintain a neutral spine position," he replied.

“Seriously?” you scoffed. “Do you really have to come up with a counterargument for everything I say?”

“Such a curse of mine. If you don’t like it, well, you invited me here.”

“Annoying bastard. I guess it’s too late to kick you out?” you wondered aloud, of course, rhetorically. But you quickly added, worried that he might take it seriously, “Sleep well. You and your spine.”

An amused sigh escaped him.

“You… and your spine too.”

Well, you guessed that's enough of the chit-chat. You felt a bit disappointed, but you had brought him here for a reason. To let him sleep, not to entertain you with conversation. To your surprise, you didn’t feel sleepy, even though you had struggled with it earlier. You had been thinking about... hard to even pinpoint what, there were a few things. The little worries typical of the night, suddenly growing to some huge proportions.

You were still lying in the same position, some time had passed. Your cheek was almost touching the edge of the bed, on the same side where Reid slept. Well, actually, he wasn’t sleeping. You could see a faint, barely noticeable gleam of his open eyes. They were cast downward, trying not to stare into the empty blackness above his head.

“Have you always been afraid of the dark?” you decided to ask, with no sarcasm.

“I’m not afraid,” he replied, though he could always pretend to be asleep. But the answer came out automatically.

“Alright, brave guy.” You didn’t even scoff, you just said it calmly and accepting. Maybe later he’ll tell you, when he stops being so embarrassed about it. “So, I guess you came here to get to know me better. And you know, I think you’ve got the chance. Could you... could you tell me something? Just honestly?”

"Me?" he asked, surprised, even sitting up slightly. "I mean... sure. But what?"

You suddenly sighed, regretting even bringing up the topic. God, that was so stupid...

"Just remember, honestly. Do you think the rest of the team likes me?"

Reid was silent, a strange feeling gathered in your stomach. Instead of answering negatively, he propped himself up on both elbows, and you saw a slight movement of his head. A nod.

"Are you asking this completely seriously?"

You shrugged, not sure if he noticed, so you confirmed out loud in a slightly hoarse voice. And then, to your absolute surprise, he just laughed.

"I don’t get it," he confessed after a short moment during which you stared in silence at his silhouette. "How... how could you think it could be any different? You’re always joking with Derek and Elle, and... we get along well too, I hope..."

"You��re right. But... but that’s not what I meant, I just... ugh, seriously, I can’t explain it. Fine, you know what, never mind."

You turned onto your back, as if that would completely sever the conversation. The one you’d stupidly started. You hoped he wouldn’t mention it to anyone. Another stupid thought, after all, he wasn’t like that.

Silence again, broken only by breaths. A new sound joined them, a slight rustle of the sheets. When Reid spoke again, his voice sounded somehow higher, and you were sure he was sitting on the floor as he said it.

"It might be a little surprising, but when I was a kid, I wasn't afraid of the dark," he began, completely changing the tone of his voice. He wasn't surprised like before; it was lower, gentler, despite the topic he was addressing. "I mean, I wasn't afraid of it more than any other kid my age. That... that serious fear, the real fear, started later. I don't want to say it was when I started working for the BAU because that wouldn't be entirely true. But it was around the time I started taking everything seriously. Seeing it with my own eyes, every day."

You didn't even realize when you had turned back onto your side, just to look at him, listening to his words.

"Do you have nightmares?" you asked.

"Sometimes. Actually..." he sighed, swallowing. "All of it, the fear and the nightmares, it's like they don't exist when I'm in a place I know. A place I trust. I can sleep just fine with the lights off in my apartment, the same in a jet. Everything starts in places like this. “

There was silence from your side, and you felt a bit… touched that he decided to tell you this. No beating around the bush, no lying, and, most importantly, no overwhelming embarrassment. It was a normal topic after all; everyone has their fears.

"And you?"

"What about me?"

"Do you have nightmares?"

In the first few days after starting the job, you did. Then they stopped. That’s just how things go, you suppose.

"Not anymore," you admitted, letting out a small laugh. "But that doesn’t mean I sleep well. Now I just worry at night."

"About whether the team likes you?"

"Okay, I know it sounds childish, but it’s really been bothering me lately. They might… they might seem to like me, but deep down, they might not think that highly of me. I… I'm new, not that experienced, I’m always late, and I don’t think I’m bringing anything new to the table..."

"Of course, you’re bringing something," he interrupted you. You hadn’t noticed when, but you were both sitting up now. Your voices weren’t sleepy whispers anymore, you were having a real conversation. "Each of us brings something different, something characteristic of ourselves. That's how it works in a team. That’s why you’re here. Without you… okay, you might not know this, but since you’ve been here, these last four cases have gone much more smoothly."

"Do you really think so?"

"Well, you asked me to be honest. Completely honest."

You've always had a bit of imposter syndrome, doubting your abilities, and approaching others' positive comments about you or your achievements with skepticism.

Something in the way he spoke, his quick words, his engagement in them... made you believe him, somehow.

"Reid," you began, surprised to find that there was less weight in your chest, in your body. "I know, I just know, that you'll refuse, but still, I'll ask. Do you want to lie down with me?"

You didn't even know what exactly prompted the question. Caring about your back, you could answer. But was that really all it was?

For a moment, he was silent, thinking you were joking, but when it dawned on him that you weren't, he scoffed.

"Well, you were right, I'll refuse..."

"Sorry, but I doubt you'll fall asleep any other way. I was watching you, as creepy as that sounds. You were lying there with your eyes open, you were scared."

"I'm an adult man who's afraid of the dark. That's pathetic on its own, without being tucked to sleep by a coworker."

"I never mentioned anything about tucking you in."

He hesitated, embarrassed.

"You took the least important part of my statement..."

"I took what I wanted. The rest is nonsense. Your age doesn't determine what you can or can't be afraid of. I'm a grown woman, and I'm afraid my colleagues don't like me. Which sounds more pathetic, huh? Fear of the dark or that?"

“I think it’s a point we could argue about for hours.”

“Which we don’t have. It’s late, we should go to sleep. Quick question, are you lying down with me, or are you fooling yourself into thinking you’ll fall asleep without it?”

A heavy, resigned sigh escaped him. Without adding anything else to his words, you turned onto your side, your back to him. You heard the rustling of the sheets, and for a moment, you froze, surprised. But no, he hadn’t joined you.

You weren’t sure how you felt. Disappointed seemed like too strong a word. It wasn’t as though he had refused some incredibly important request of yours. It was just… perhaps the best explanation would be that, once you had convinced him to sleep in the same room for the sake of helping him, you wanted him to take something comforting from that night. You wanted it to be one of those good nights, like the ones he had in his apartment or in the jet, the ones he had mentioned. Not one of the others, filled with fear.

But then, the mattress beside you dipped, as someone else settled onto it.

You turned to the other side, and suddenly your faces were right across from each other. Reid swallowed, almost nervously. He seemed to be adjusting to the situation, to the sudden closeness, the small space you shared. You propped your hand under your head, observing him discreetly. It hit you that he always had a bit of an issue with contact with others. A doubt crossed your mind: had you made him uncomfortable?

Minutes passed, though, and his body seemed to sink more comfortably into the bed. His arms were no longer stiff, his hands resting freely, no longer clasped tightly across his chest. You could also hear his breath, and the more peaceful it became, the calmer you felt too.

And even though no words seemed necessary anymore, he decided to speak once again.

"Thank you."

taglist: @she-wont-miss @mggslover @kakamixo @nyeddleblog @dylanobrienswife0420 @wmoony

@heddgie @khxna @marauder-exe-old @yujyujj @charleyreid @kitty-kai @sp3ncelle @pleasantwitchgarden @beesin03 @misserabella

#spencer reid #spencer reid x fem!reader #spence reid #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfic #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid criminal minds #spencer reid fanfic #matilda's recs #spencer reid x oc #criminal mind #doctor spencer reid #dr spencer reid #spencer reid comfort #spencer reid fluff

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simply-smitten · 3 months ago

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So much to gain (but much more to lose)

Chapter 1 Ao3 link

Chapter 1 Wattpad link

Dnf - 36k - rated T - secret identity AU - uploads every Monday and Thursday - 1/10 chapters

Summary: "Men in suits look very successful, until you realize they work for the man in a T-shirt and jeans."

---

Dream, a self-made millionaire, owns a luxury resort off the Florida Keys. After returning from his business in Orlando, DreamTech, he sees the manager hired a new bartender, George, in his absence. Through a tangled web of half-truths and white lies, Dream finds himself falling for the bartender who has no idea he owns the resort. Now, all he has to do is find a way to come clean before George finds out the truth from someone else.

#smitten fics #dnf fanfic #dnfblr #i love sassy george he’s my favorite #RAHHHH OKAY IM SO EXCITED THIS FIC IS FINALLY BEING POSTED

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saintmeghanmarkle · 1 year ago

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Comment in the Standard: How dare Montecito millionaire Prince Harry demand our tax money to cover his legal costs

This subject matter cannot be covered too much for my taste.

Emphasis and comments by me:

Prince Harry’s latest court defeat in his rightly unsuccessful bid to overturn the decision to refuse him guaranteed Met police protection after he pulled out of royal duties might seem like a trivial battle over legal fees.

But in fact the duke’s failed attempt to pass 50 to 60 per cent of the costs incurred by the Home Office in fighting his unmerited claim tells us much about the preening prince and his selfish disregard for virtually anyone other than himself, his equally self-obsessed wife, Meghan Markle, and his children. [No one else matters of course. It is all about them.]

That’s because when the Duke of Sussex, as he still wants to be called despite ditching his royal role, wasted yet more of the High Court’s time in arguing for the taxpayer to fund at least half of the hundreds of thousands of pounds that the Home Office was forced to spend on the case, what he was really doing was trying to pass on a large chunk of the bill to ordinary taxpayers. [Sponging off others is quite on brand.

That’s right: instead of having the decency to accept that he’d have to pay up when he lost, the Montecito multimillionaire, for whom the legal expenses will be loose change, wanted taxes paid by everyone ranging from people on the minimum wage to bus drivers, cleaners and pensioners to cover his costs. It’s frankly contemptible. [Does he think it is his birthright to have the peasants pay for his temper tantrums?]

It's notable too that yesterday’s costs order by the High Court judge, Sir Peter Lane, reveals that Harry, who is so protective of his own privacy (when it suits him), managed to breach a confidentiality agreement made as part of the litigation by emailing “certain information” that was meant to be secret to one his lawyers and the MP Johnny Mercer. The prince might have apologised for the error, but the costs order refers to the “seriousness of the breach” and it was at best a sloppy mistake that added to the Home Office costs that he was trying to avoid. [What were you up to Harold?]

Harry’s whole case was, of course, misconceived from the start and it’s worth recapping why.

He asserted that the decision in 2020 by security experts on the Government’s Executive Committee for the Protection of Royalty and Public Figures, known as Ravec, that he should no longer receive publicly-funded police protection in Britain because of his move abroad should be overturned.

The supposed reasons were that the committee had allegedly failed to take into account the impact of a successful attack on the prince and had also acted unreasonably, unfairly and with a lack of transparency.

It was nonsense for the prince to think that he knew better than a panel of experts informed by the latest security advice from the police and intelligence agencies. [This man has a very high opinion of himself.] The High Court unsurprisingly dismissed Harry’s claim on all grounds, finding that there was no reason to overturn the Ravec panel’s decision. It had in fact left open the possibility of occasional police protection for the prince when in Britain, if there was evidence in future of a sufficient threat to his safety.

An attempt by the prince to persuade the courts that a later offer by him to pay for police protection should have been accepted was also rebuffed. Yet another judge dragged into Harry’s interminable litigation ruled it would be wrong to allow the wealthy to receive a service from the limited pool of specialist Met protection officers that a less affluent person could not afford.

That too was the correct and inevitable decision. Police protection officers are highly skilled specialists, trained at significant public expense, who exist only in restricted numbers and who are required to safeguard those facing the highest risks such as working royals, Cabinet ministers and prime ministers current and former, not others like Harry wanting the comfort blanket of protection they don’t need.

In short, every argument put forward by Harry was flawed and rejected by the courts. It’s a sign of his delusion that even the succession of earlier rebuffs from the judiciary didn’t stop him basing his attempt to get off a big chunk of the Home Office’s costs in fighting the litigation on the fantasy claim that he’d achieved “partial success” in his legal action. [He learns nothing from his experiences.]

Maybe that was how Harry viewed it. After he all, he told the world in his biography Spare that “there's just as much truth in what I remember and how I remember it as there is in so-called objective facts”.

But it simply wasn’t true, as yesterday’s High Court costs order reminded him.

It pointed out that Harry had “comprehensively lost” and that there was “no merit” in his claim of partial victory with his judicial review argument failing “on all of the pleaded grounds.” [Harold is a big loser.]

It was the obvious outcome from the start and the claim should never have been brought. His inevitable defeat was deserved and now it’s time for the penny-pinching prince to pay up.

👉 How dare Montecito millionaire Prince Harry demand our tax money to cover his legal costs | Evening Standard (archive.ph)

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submitted: April 17, 2024 at 10:53AM via SaintMeghanMarkle on Reddit

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hollywoodstcr · 5 months ago

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⊹₊ ⋆ ( michelle yeoh, cis woman, she/her, 60, nicole kidman cc ) i think victoria li elliot just walked by! wow, they really are a michelle yeoh lookalike! they’ve been here in new york city for 35 years, and seem to always have their emerald ring on them. i heard they made their 250M fortune as an actress, and are often associated with the lingering scent of expensive perfume, diamond rings adorning slender fingers, old wine corks & empty champagne flutes. let’s hope the world doesn’t find out ( REDACTED ).

GENERAL DETAILS

full name: victoria li elliot.

nickname(s): vi, vivi.

name meaning: victorious.

age: 60.

date of birth: september 13th.

place of birth: kuala lumpur, malaysia.

current location: manhattan.

ethnicity: chinese.

gender: cis woman.

pronouns: she/her.

sexual orientation: heterosexual.

romantic orientation: heteroromantic.

religion: buddhist.

occupation: actress.

education level: university graduate.

extracurricular: tba.

living arrangements: lives in a large penthouse in the upper east side’s carnegie hill neighborhood with her husband.

financial status: multi-millionaire; 250 million dollar net worth.

speaking voice and accent: malaysian accent.

spoken languages: english, malay, cantonese & mandarin.

voiceclaim: michelle yeoh.

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE, ETC.

faceclaim: michelle yeoh.

hair color and style: long dark brown hair that reaches the middle of her back.

complexion: tba.

eye color: brown.

eyesight:

height: 163cm.

weight: tba.

body and build: slim, but toned.

tattoos: none.

piercings: double piercings on both ear lobes.

clothing style: classic & chic with a bit of an edge.

distinguishing characteristics:

signature scent: tba.

HEALTH

mental disorder(s): anxiety. she suffered with postpartum depression after all of her pregnancies.

physical disorder(s): tba.

allergies: none.

sleeping habits: light sleeper.

eating habits: tba.

sociability: very social.

body temperature:

addictions: she doesn’t think she has a problem, but she would be considered addicted to pills.

drug use: prescription painkillers; usually oxycodone or any others she can get her hands on.

alcohol use: regular drinker.

PERSONALITY

label(s): the hollywood icon.

positive traits: charismatic, clever, generous, loving.

negative traits: self-critical, secretive, aloof, meticulous.

likes: travel,

dislikes:

fears:

habits:

goals and ambitions:

astrology: virgo sun, gemini moon, scorpio rising.

personality type:

moral alignment: chaotic neutral.

element: water.

primary vice: alcohol, sex & drugs.

primary virtue:

weather: rain & thunder.

color: red.

music: kate bush, joni mitchell, blondie.

beverage: red wine.

food: laksa & murtabak.

animal: leopard.

season: fall.

RELATIONSHIPS

mother: tba.

father: tba.

significant other: richard elliot ( first name is just a placeholder until the wc gets filled! )

best friend: tba.

exes: tba.

sibling(s): three.

children: three; aged 21, 30 & 33.

extended family: tba.

pet(s): two dogs.

BACKSTORY

born in malaysia to chinese parents, victoria li spent the first 13 years of her life in kuala lumpur before moving to hong kong with her family, which is where she lived until the age of 18.

after graduating high school, she moved to the uk to study drama at university. her acting career began in london, before making the move to los angeles to pursue her hollywood dreams.

after hustling for several months in the city, she credits her big break to a very famous film director after meeting him by chance at a party. he gave her big break in a film that exceeded expectations at the box office and is now considered a cult classic.

a few months after moving to los angeles, she met the man who would eventually become her husband — he is also very famous in the film industry and the pair are considered hollywood’s power couple.

35 years later, victoria is a household name and one of the most prolific actresses in the world and has an incredibly impressive filmography that most actors could only ever dream of. she is the recipient of two oscars, six golden globes, two emmy awards and a BAFTA.

she has three children with her husband, whom she absolutely adores and dotes on. despite her incredibly busy career, she will always make time for her family.

her marriage isn’t as perfect as the world believes, and she’s currently having an affair with another man ( wanted connection )!

#luxetm:intro

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saynotofurrypropaganda · 2 months ago

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JOIN THE ANTI-FURRY-PROPAGANDA MOVEMENT IN ITS PURSUIT TO FINALLY PUT A STOP TO THE MISANTHROPIST, CANNIBALISTIC DYSTOPIA THE RULING CLASSES WANT TO BRAINWASH THE MOST VULNERABLE IN OUR SOCIETY INTO BEING SACRIFICED TO

I understand how most of you will be ignorant to my plight. I know it sounded insane to me at first. After all, I used to be a furry myself. I even considered starting to identify as a therian. I thought it was just harmless self expression. Until I realized IT WAS ALL A PLOT TO STRIP US FROM OUR HUMANITY IN ORDER TO TURN US INTO LITERAL CATTLE, SUBSERVIENT AS LOYAL PETS, UNPAID LABOUR OR FARM ANIMALS FOR SLAUGHTER HOUSES READY TO BE CONSUMED. NO, I AM NOT BEING METAPHORICAL!

I have found countless evidence. It is all out there in plain sight for those with an open mind and the intelligence to read between the lines and uncover the ATROCIOUS, MIND CONTROLLING PROPAGANDA WE ARE CURRENTLY BEING FED.

My eyes have been opened to the DISGUSTING REALITY WE LIVE IN, and I have made it MY MISSION to educate the masses about this LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE. I WILL FREE THE VICTIMS OF ANIMALIZATION FROM THEIR BRAINWASHING AND PREVENT NEW VICTIMS FROM GETTING ENSNARED IN THE ELITES' WEB OF LIES.

I will be RISKING MY LIFE by using this blog to spread awareness of the SECRETS THEY DO NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW. SECRETS SO HEINOUS, MOST DENY THEM OUT OF FEAR. (I only hold compassion and pity for those who cannot handle the truth, as their fragile minds scramble to protect their safe little bubble from the sharp reality of the world. If you cannot accept it, then my arms will be open in case you find the courage to finally look around you).

DNI IF:

Your mind is not ready to approach new evidence with an open mind

You are a furry/therian/otherkin truther (unless you are breaking out of your programming and are looking for assistance recovering. In which case, I will be happy to assist you)

You are a bigot of any kind shape or form

You hold any respect for any millionaires or world leaders whatsoever

You are attracted to anything that is not either a consenting adult or an inanimate object (I do not care if you find cars, tables, certain unconventional body parts or anything of the sort arousing. Just leave animals, children, and anyone who does not or cannot consent alone)

You are into DEHUMANISING OR ANIMALIZING kinks, such as pet-play, Dom/sub dynamics, primal-play, alpha and omega dynamics, vore, hypnosis, mind control, etc (I do not mind kinks, but these are all used to FURTHER THE ELITES' MALICIOUS AGENDA)

You are malicious towards furries/therians/otherkin. They are victims of MIND CONTROL, so they deserve our compassion in order to be set free

You do not like lists and diagrams. They will show up a lot in this blog

You follow any religion that believes in the existence of anthropomorphic animals, anthropomorphic deities, shapeshifters, any mix between animals and humans or any non-human sapient creatures (I am not against any other religion, although I do think separation between religions instead of the belief that all are equally true is just a way to pit us against each other)

You can ask me any questions you wish as long as you are respectful. I wish to educate you all, after all. I would be an awful teacher if I did not welcome questions. In fact, questioning our reality is how I got here! So question away! I will be happy to explain any misunderstandings or misconceptions you might have:)

#anti furry #anti therian #anti otherkin #skepticism #real conspiracy #facts #i’m not a conspiracy theorist #i know the truth #fighting back

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lagunabayrpg · 3 months ago

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Welcome to Laguna Bay—where paradise comes at a price.

In this coastal town of sun-soaked luxury and deep-seated grudges, the elite live like gods while the locals struggle to keep up. Old money, self-made millionaires, and legacy kids rule the scene, while the common folk watch from the sidelines—or try to break in. Some get along. Others want war.

But now, something far more dangerous lurks beneath the surface.

A shadowy group known only as The Terrors has begun a ruthless game of Truth or Dare, forcing the town’s most powerful and unsuspecting to expose their darkest secrets—or risk something even worse. No one knows who they are, what they want, or how far they’ll go.

In Laguna Bay, trust is a luxury, secrets are currency, and one wrong move could cost you everything.

So… truth or dare?

Will you play the game or survive?

#discord rp #discord rpg #new rp #oc rp #oc rpg #mature rp

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kingedmundsroyalmurder · 2 years ago

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Thinking about it more, I think maybe part of why the Redfern thing is weird for me and why I was so utterly blindsided by it is that it never once occurred to me that "Dr. Redfern" was a real person. Or at least not a currently living person.

I think this is a time thing. I live in hellyear 2023, where corporations are people and brands are soulless monsters papering over their sins with the masks of their long dead founders. I don't expect Dr. Redfern to be real in the way I don't expect Mrs. Butterworth to be real or Dr. Bronner (of the soap company) to still be alive. Whereas LMM was writing in the 1920s, when meeting the self-made millionaire whose name is all over the radio is a thing that could plausibly happen, if only to a very select few. I think the whole thing might well read as way less weird to a reader at the time.

Which makes me think that the modern AU equivalent isn't that Barney is a secret Walton or a secret Disney or something but that he's secretly the kid of a musician or a sports star. Like, Valancy comes home and finds John Elway waiting for her. Or, like, a game show host who's very well known and very rich but also kind of a joke. Like, if the whole story had been peppered with Valancy seeing George Clooney advertising Nescafe and Cousin Stickles drinking only Nescafe because she trusted only George Clooney with her coffee, and then Valancy finds out at the 11th hour that her husband is secretly George Clooney's kid, it might not have been quite so jarring. Because George Clooney is a real person who exists for me, whereas, like, Dr. Scholl is not.

#blue castle book club #mostly just thinking aloud here #also this is why they don't let a-list actors do product commercials in their primary markets #because george clooney is inescapably linked with french language nescafe commercials for me #and that's probably not the first thing his people want me thinking of when i think of their client you know?

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mrrashed · 5 months ago

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47 Productivity Secrets of Self-Made Millionaire - eBookEBooks

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BUYNOW

#911 abc #anya mouthwashing #agatha all along #bucktommy #batman #paid services #artists on tumblr

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bakawitch · 8 months ago

Note

So you mentioned that in Enchantlings, you mentioned that each of the main five have some trauma from their home lives with the exception of Alana, any chance we can get some info on that?

Sure!

Lisha: Her home life is relatively normal. She helps her parents, she's usually very reliable (unless she overpromises and forgets something), and she has a really big extended family! One thing that gives Lisha much anxiety, though, is her mother's near impossible expectations of her. It's not like she pushes her to do things she doesn't want, but the way her mother talks about what she hopes Lisha will achieve in the future makes her often feel under a lot of pressure. Her father is very attentive and sometimes a little too involved... There's also some big family secret everyone refuses to talk about around her.

(Kaito I already talked about, so I'm gonna skip him-)

Alana just has a regular happy home life with both of her parents in her life. She has an elder sister, but she's off doing university things in a different town.

Marcel: So Marcel is from a stupid rich family. Her mother was from old money, and his father is a self-made millionaire. He had a relatively strict upbringing, especially in etiquette by her mother, who basically hammered an always pleasant and polite manner into Marcel. Since he wasn't ever allowed to express the emotions he was feeling, he has a heck ton of pent-up aggression and sadness built up inside, and now that his mother is dead he doesn't really have anyone who pays attention to his mannerisms since his father is about as present in his life as a cryptid. So now basically all those negative emotions are starting to show, but he's doing a relatively good job at covering for himself.

Medea: My poor poor poor poor baby... Medea's family is very poor and very messed up. She lives with her parents, her aunt, and her younger cousin. Her father is a complete deadbeat, and her mother and aunt are very cruel to her, not to mention that the three of them are constantly fighting. She feels very protective over her cousin, though, and spends as much time with her as she can to give her as many happy memories as possible. Because of her home life though, she hates spending time in her own house. She often stays out as long as possible to avoid having to see them.

#enchantlings!#mlb au #miraculous ladybug #mlb #mlb oc #oc #ocs #parody #baka stuff #ask

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megan-loves-surveys · 1 year ago

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#24.

Last time you went on a rollercoaster: Last year when I went to Armageddon with my boyfriend, they had rides there and we went on the coaster.

Whose birthday is next, out of all the people you know? My boyfriend's, he's in May.

Would you eat a live cockroach if it made you a millionaire? Depends how much of a millionaire, lol.

Who do you think about most? My boyfriend and Jon Moxley xD

Do you have embarrassing parents? Not really, my parents are cool. Especially my Mum, all my friends love her haha.

Are you any good at writing? I like to think so.

What’s something that really matters to you? Music.

Do you prefer bar or liquid soap? Liquid.

Do you have high or low self esteem levels? In between.

Do you like mint or orange flavored chocolate? Orange is great, mint not so much.

How often do you get spots? Like, pimples? I get the occasional one, I'm clear probably like 90% of the time these days.

Do you prefer instrumental songs or ones with lyrics? Both! I love video game music, which is instrumental, but I love lyrics too of course.

Do you carry a bag around with you often? What does it look like? Yep, it's a green handbag, I got it like a month ago. It's so cool.

Name one of your favorite memories. So many to pick from, but I'll go with the entire trip to Orlando for Wrestlemania 33 cos the resort we stayed in was amazing (it had the nicest pool I've ever seen), we went to the WWE Performance Center (the tours to there are rare and expensive to get tickets to), I met a bunch of wrestlers (including Mox, my fave <3), we sat second row at Mania itself, we also had amazing tickets for all the other shows (including front row for Smackdown!), we did a bunch of tourist stuff and the weather was gorgeous. An all round perfect holiday.

Have you ever had braces? Do you need them? No.

Are you a subscriber to any magazines? Which? No. I used to subscribe to WWE Magazine but they stopped making it.

What is something you want but can’t afford to buy? All the Converse I want xD

Do you usually eat wheat bread or white bread, or are you gluten-free? Wheat.

Which lost friend do you most wish you could be friends with again? None if you mean 'lost' as in friends I just stopped talking to, but if you mean in general, then Zoe cos she passed away.

Do you think you would be happier if you had more money? Definitely.

What is something currently on your wishlist from Etsy? -

Is there a Target near you? We don't have it in NZ.

Which is closest to you: Target, Walmart, Kmart, or Meijer? We only have Kmart of those.

Who do you go to when you’re lonely? Or what do you do when you’re lonely? Depends.

What do you dislike about the house you live in? The complex next door is full of annoying people, the neighbours right next to us in there have 3 kids and they're loud little shits lol.

Have you ever been clubbing? Did you have fun? Yep, it's fun.

Have you ever volunteered? Yes. I've done data entry for a few charities in the past and that.

What holidays do you celebrate? Christmas & Easter.

Do you have a best friend? How long have you known them? Yep, I've known her since high school.

How often do you take selfies? It depends, sometimes loads, sometimes not that much.

What was your favorite way to spend a summer day as a kid? Playing outside, riding my bike with these girls who lived down the street from me etc.

Do you have any uncommon interests or hobbies? Depends what you consider unusual.

Have you ever drank so much that you passed out? No.

What is your favorite way to eat rice? (white, steamed, fried, brown, sweetened…) I love cheesy rice and rice with curry.

What’s your favorite horror movie? The Ring.

Have you ever had to have a tooth cut out? Yes.

What video games did you play when you were growing up? All the old school DOS games cos I'm a 90s kid - Doom, Wolfenstein 3D, Secret Agent, Crystal Caves, Commander Keen etc. All the platform games!

What pet names do you use for your friends/loved ones? I call my boyfriend babe and baby xD

What’s your favourite Disney movie? None.

Do you prefer regular or diet soft drinks? I only drink Coke Zero Sugar, so I guess the diet ones lol.

Have you ever met someone in person who you first met on the internet? Do you have plans to do that anytime soon? Yep, loads of times.

Are you a fan of garlic bread? Hell yes, gimme garlic bread.

Have you ever wanted to be vegetarian or vegan? No.

What is your boss’s (or school principal’s) name? His name's Oliver.

Do you like eggnog? I've never had it.

Do you know anyone with celiac disease? No.

Are you and your best friend complete opposites? In a lot of ways, yes. But in other ways, we're similar.

If you were to write a novel, what would it be about? A murder mystery or something.

Are you currently pretending to be someone’s friend? No.

Have you ever had a serious issue involving your eyes? My eyesight just sucks, especially my left eye, it's super blurry. Last time I got my eyes tested, they said my left eye got a tiny bit better... but my right eye got worse! SMH :/

Do you have sensitive teeth? Sorta.

What are your views on our current president? -

What is your biggest responsibility in your household? Paying bills.

Who did you last worry about and why? Myself tbh lol.

When was the last time you ate/drank something gross just to be polite? I can't do this. Depending how well I know the person, I'll just tell them I can't eat it and take what I can eat and have that. Otherwise I'll just say I'm not hungry and eat later.

Do you have a mouse for your laptop? (Assuming you have a laptop) Yep, a wireless one. It's a bit broken though, the middle scroll wheel doesn't click that well anymore.

What was your high school mascot? Lion.

What was your first job? Data entry.

Do you remember your first time? Yep.

Favourite home-cooked meal growing up? Bacon & egg pie.

What is something you don’t have any natural talent for? Maths and anything musical lol.

How do you feel about your body? It's pretty good, just need to lose my belly fat.

What are three things you like that are blue? My hair, water and denim.

What is one sad song that you enjoy listening to? Oh, there's loads.

Do you like butterflies? Love them.

Do you prefer to read fiction or non-fiction? Both.

If you have a significant other, what is his/her name? Will.

Have you ever had to use a wheelchair? Yep, when I broke my femur.

Have you ever been pulled over by a cop? No.

What are three things you would change about your body if you could? Flat stomach, longer thicker hair and feet 1 size bigger.

Who was the last person who gave you a hug? My boyfriend.

Have you ever questioned your gender? No.

What is your favorite thing to do in the snow? -

Have you ever swam in the ocean? Yes.

What were three of your favorite things to do at recess as a kid? Pretend to be popstars with my friends, play cards and just hang around and chat.

What is one thing you’ve gotten for free on your birthday? Starbucks xD

Have you ever been to Tennessee, USA? No.

What are some things that fascinate you? Geography, glitches, scams/scammers and true crime.

What did you last remember dreaming about? Hmm, not sure.

What did you last watch on TV? Big Bang Theory last night during dinner.

What is one of your toxic traits? I procrastinate.

Have you ever found a skeleton while outside? No.

Do you like meatball subs? Never had one.

What is your favorite smell on earth? Fresh bread.

If you have a sib, do you call him/her “brother” or “sister” sometimes? -

Did you ever collect stickers? I did and I still have them all! I had one particular book that I never used the stickers in them, I just collected them cos they were pretty ones. The rest I used on all sorts of shit lol.

Have you been baptized in any religious tradition? No.

Do you love the smell of sunblock? No, it smells weird.

What was the last upsetting thing that happened to you? Some bitch at work was talking down to me and treating me like shit cos we were having computer issues (the fucking reception computer strikes again...) and I couldn't check on her case for her. She basically said I was worthless cos I was "just the reception girl" and insinuated I slept with my boss to get my job. I was getting so annoyed at her and was about to snap when one of my coworkers who is super protective of everyone in the office rescued me and told the woman to fuck off.

What was the last thing you ordered from Starbucks? I got a mocha java chip frappe from there yesterday.

Do you trust your doctor? I don't have a regular doctor, when I go to the clinic I just see whoever is available.

Do you ever question if your mother loves you? Never, I know she loves me more than anything <3

What is missing in your life? Travel. I miss it.

What is your favorite type of Lunchables? Never had them.

What is the worst medication side effect you’ve ever had? Diarrhea and a bad rash. Ew.

What is your favorite thing to order at Taco Bell? I've only eaten there once or twice.

What church do you go to? -

Do you take risks often? Depends.

The last time you ate leftovers, what was it that you were eating? Pasta bake, I always have it for dinner then eat the rest the next day, I just warm it up in the microwave at work lol.

What was the last flavor of ice cream you ate? Chocolate.

What is your favorite song at the moment? Girls Aloud - Disco Bunny

What is one thing you have too much of? Hmm.

What type of fruit do you eat the most? Kiwifruit probably.

Would you rather eat strawberries or watermelon? I like both, but more strawberries.

Do you prefer hamburgers or hot dogs? The burgers.

How far away do you live from the place where you were born? I live in the same city as I was born.

If you buried a time capsule, what would you put in it? Hmm.

Describe your clothing style in three words: Wrestling, short and comfy.

What’s something you want to do more often? Travel.

Who is your favorite YouTuber? Call Me Kevin. He's hilarious, plays all sorts of games and he seems like he'd be the nicest person to know.

Do you believe in soulmates? Yes.

What band or artist do you think is overrated? I think Beyoncé is quite talented, but man her fans act like she's god.

What’s something untrue that you believed for a long time? Dunno.

Did you skateboard when you were younger? No.

Have you ever won a contest? Oh, loads. I have a knack for winning things lol. The biggest I've won is a trip to Los Angeles to attend WWE Summerslam where we got flights, a fancy hotel, tickets to the PPV and tickets to a meet and greet event. It fucking ruled. Then there was the time I won the top prize at a stand at a fair where you chose envelopes with numbers in it and my number was for a gigantic hamper xD I've also won smaller things like CDs, DVDs, posters, expensive earphones, plushies, giftcards and the like. The last thing was a 6 month subscription to a magazine website from the McDonalds Monopoly game, it was worth like 100 bucks lol.

What’s something weird you’ve eaten? Dunno.

Who is someone you would like to get to know better? Wrestlers xD

When’s that last time you saw snow? 2015 when I was in the USA, it was all piled up on the sides of the roads in Boston.

Who are the 3 people you love the most? My parents and my boyfriend.

Last person you slept in the same bed with? My boyfriend.

Have you recently been sick? No.

Would you marry someone if they were unable to have sex? I don't want to get married...

Does heartbreak really feel as bad as it sounds? Sure.

Last reason you went to the ER? I got hit by a car and broke my shoulder.

What facial cleanser do you use? I use one for acne on occasion, but only if it gets bad which doesn't happen much.

Have you ever cheated on the significant other that you have now? Noooooo.

Do your parents like your boyfriend/girlfriend? Yep. My Mum was a bit iffy on him at first cos she thought he was too old for me, but he's super charming and won her over quick, she loves him now xD My Dad liked him pretty much instantly.

What was the last fruit or vegetable you chopped/sliced up? Dunno.

Does the last person whose house you were at like anyone? Me lol.

Do you tend to talk on the phone a lot? No, only at work haha. My boyfriend and friends mostly text me or message me online lol.

What turns you on the most? Oh, loads of things.

Have you ever kissed someone of the same sex? Yep.

Have you ever suspected anyone of cheating on you? I knew they did, one of my friends saw them and immediately told me.

Ever get caught doing something naughty with your boyfriend/girlfriend? Yep xD One of his friends walked in on us, we all just died laughing.

Do you use q-tips to clean your ears? No.

Have you ever swam with dolphins? No.

If you/your gf became pregnant accidentally, would you consider abortion? Without a doubt. I don't want kids and I don't want to be pregnant.

What was the last candy you ate? Haribo.

Do you like zombie movies? They're fine.

What’s the grossest/worst thing you’ve ever seen in a public restroom? Blood everywhere.

Have you ever volunteered in a hospital? If not, would you ever want to? No.

How do you feel about runny egg yolks? The best! Hard egg yolk is so disappointing.

Have you ever hidden a relationship from your family? Yes, my first boyfriend cos I was 14 and wasn't allowed to date yet lol.

Who was the worst friend you ever had? Hmm.

When was the last time you made plans with someone? What are you going to do with that person? My Mum and I made plans to go to the Easter Show, then my boyfriend said he'd tag along as well lol.

Are you close to your extended family? Do you wish you were closer? No.

While on the road, do you play any road games? Sure.

Have you ever picked apples before? No.

Are you scared of semi-trucks? Especially when you’re driving next to one? Dunno tbh.

Do you have a fence? No, we have a stone wall around the back and side of our house, and the front is part of a gigantic open carpark in our complex.

If you have any pets, do you talk to them in a baby voice? I don't have pets, but I talk to every cat I see like that xD

Who was the last person to comfort you? My boyfriend.

Do you think that in the end, everything will fall into place? Who knows.

What was the last thing you swallowed? Water.

Do you like cats? Cats are my favourite animal, I love them so much <3

On a scale of one to ten how much do looks matter to you? 5 or 6.

What are you listening to? Little Mix - Notice

What’s the closest pink object to you? A hairtie.

Are you afraid of thunderstorms? Not at all.

Do you need a boyfriend/girlfriend to be happy? No, but I am happier with my boyfriend lol.

How much effort did you put into your last relationship? Last one, not that much. Current one, a lot.

Do you have impulse control? Sometimes I don't lol, I think when I'm out I wanna get fast food and I can't resist.

Would you do anything on a dare? Not anything.

#survey #surveys #personal survey #random survey

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cryingoflot49 · 1 year ago

Text

Book Review

The Last Days of Louisiana Red by Ishmael Reed

There is a chapter in Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra portraying a tightrope walker. The tightrope walk is an attempt the man makes to leave the commonplace behind, to explore new possibilities, to see new lands, to expand the parameters of life, to move on to something better...a higher state of existence. However, below the tightrope is the audience, made up of the masses of the narrow-minded, the simple folk, the ordinary citizens, the littlepeople, the flies of the marketplace as Nietzsche calls them. They aspire towards nothing but mediocrity and the maintenance of the status quo. These people resent the tightrope walker’s attempt at finding a new way of life, so halfway through the stunt, they pull him down from the rope so that he dies in the fall.

Ishmael Reed, in his novel The Last Days of Louisiana Red, transplants this dilemma to a different context. He applies it to the African-American community in Oakland during the 1970s where the politics of the New Left, Black Power, and the feminist movement are in full swing. I don’t know if Reed consciously borrowed the allegory of the tightrope walker from Nietzsche or not (probably not), but it does serve as a legitimate point of comparison. Ed Yellings, the businessman who starts the Gumbo Works business, can easily replace the tightrope walker; Ed Yellings gets murdered early in the book, but as it is, he stands in for the upwardly mobile element of the African-American community in the post Civil Rights Movement era. He represents the builders and founders of an African-American economic class that is self-deterministic and independent of white America. And s the envious mediocrities of Nietzsche’s town, the ones who kill the tightrope walker, correspond to the Moochers, Reed’s portrayal of the radicals and activists, some of which come from privileged backgrounds, who refuse to build a better society and instead insist on simultaneously destroying the society that exists while demanding that everything be given to them because they are an oppressed minority. This conflict might sound shocking to younger readers who weren’t alive in the 1970s, especially considering it is being articulated by Ishmael Reed, an African-American author, but he is addressing a real social problem with detrimental consequences in the real world.

Ed Yellings’ Gumbo Works is an instant success. The gumbo is sold in a restaurant and manufactured in a factory but little is said about these establishments. This lack of detail is, I think, one of the many flaws in the novel. The business is actually a front for a secret voodoo operation which involves the defeat of Louisiana Red who is not actually a character but more like a spirit of sorts that brings negative energy into the African-American community. Ed Yellings becomes a millionaire and raises a family of four children in a mansion. Wolf grows up to be a business man, following in his father’s footsteps in preparation to take over the company. Street is a Black Power-type radical and criminal who is obviously a caricature of Eldridge Cleaver. The passage about Street committing murder then fleeing to Algeria where he is given a villa free of charge by the government is lifted directly from that Black Panther Party leader’s life. Sister barely figures into the story but probably represents the Back to Africa ideal of the 1970s since her clothes are African-inspired and she associates with a Nigerian friend. Minnie is the one who plays the most prominent role in the story. Based on Cab Calloway’s classic jive anthem “Minnie the Moocher”, she is a prominent member of the Moochers, but she falls out of favor with them because she shows up at rallies to give speeches about ontology and epistemology and other pseudo-intellectual crap that puts people to sleep. She represents the feminist element of the radical Left and insists she is entitled to take over Gumbo Works even though she has no knowledge of business. The inclusion of all these representatives in one family is of symbolic importance. Not only do African-American people bond by colloquially referring to each other as Sister and Brother, but but the idea of the community as an extension of the family makes Reed’s whole point more clear. He is depicting the African-American community as a family which is supposed to be closely knit and supportive of each other despite their individual differences yet at the same time he is showing how this family is one that is dysfunctional.

Ed Yellings gets assassinated, his factory gets burned down, and the two brothers shoot each other while Minnie insists that she inherit everything her father left behind. This is not the way families are supposed to work.

So far it sounds like a lot of interesting and legitimate ideas are introduced into the story. And it is true, a lot of them are interesting and legitimate and there is an abundance of them. A lot of them barely go anywhere after being introduced though. Sister is the easiest example of this as she only makes two brief appearances and doesn’t contribute in any significant way to anything that happens. Street and Wolf are not developed much more as characters either. Street’s only purpose in the book seems to be for the sake of mocking Eldridge Cleaver without mentioning him by name. Some of the supporting characters actually do a lot more than the main members of the family. Nanny, a woman from Louisiana, gets hired to raise the family but her ulterior motive is to groom Minnie for the sake of disrupting Gumbo Works. Nanny is a representation of the old, southern African-American way of life that the urban professional class wants to leave behind. She is actually a practitioner of voodoo and intends to spread the chaos of Louisiana Red through the Oakland Black community.

Nanny’s opposition is Papa LaBas, a houngan who is brought in to replace Ed Yellings as head of the Gumbo Works corporation. The two are engaged in a magical combat that is an updated version of the voodoo war between Doc John and Marie Laveau. The history and folklore surrounding those two legendary figures from New Orleans is sufficiently explained in one chapter. You might remember Papa LaBas as a catalyst of the action in Ishmael Reed’s previous, and far superior novel, Mumbo Jumbo. Aside from running the company, his most memorable part is when he gives Minnie a marsh and misogynistic lecture about how Black women should stay in their traditional places. His twisted logic is that women are already powerful because they provide men with sex, something which makes men obedient and submissive. I suppose that line of reasoning works if you are the type of sex-obsessed man who thinks with the wrong head, but for those of us with a more diverse range of interests, it comes off as a rather infantile view of sexuality and power.

The author’s misogyny is extreme, even by 1970s standards yet it is totally in line with what a lot of African-American men were thinking at that time. Black hyper-masculinity and sexual potency were big components of the Black Power movement and those were the progressives of their time. Read up on the Black Panther’s approach to women and sexuality if you don’t believe me. One Black Panther, I forget who, famously said, “The only place for Black women in the Revolution is on their backs.” The more conservative members of the Black community then, as represented in this story, were even more traditional and domineering in their approach to sex and gender politics.

By far, the most interesting characters are Kingfish and Elder, representatives of the lumpenproletariate who Reed despises. These two clownish characters refuse to work and survive by collecting welfare and committing petty crimes like stealing, burglary, scamming, and begging. They are obviously capable of being useful but refuse to indulge in thing like employment, instead paying for beer and weed by swiping tips off the tables in restaurants. “Owning a business is something that Black people don’t do,” says one of them. This is the type of attitude Ishmael Reed is addressing in this novel in an attempt at correcting it for the sake of his people. Kingfish and Elder stand out here because they are the most direct and clear criticism offered up by Reed and they work well as comic relief.

The least successful character is Chorus, a man who acts as the chorus of the story, explaining what is happening and what is yet to come. He provides counter-narratives about Isis and Osiris, the Egyptian deities, and Antigone, the Greek daughter of Oedipus. These plots correspond to what is happening with Minnie, Ed Yellings, and Papa LaBas. But the stories are confusing and poorly narrated. The purpose of a dramatic chorus is to clarify a story, but in this case Chorus muddles the narrative to the point where skipping these chapters might actually make the book easier to read.

I am wondering if this novel was originally intended to be a play written for theatrical production. The inclusion of Chorus, as well as a scene in a theater where Minnie heckles the performers (sound familiar Leftist millennial students at Berkeley?) are obvious references to the theater. But the whole story is told through dialogue the way a stage performance would be. Even the assassination, the shootings, and the fire at the factory are explained through conversation rather than shown as part of the narrative. This might have been conceived of as a play but written as a novel for some reason I can’t comprehend.

The aforementioned lack of detail is a real weakness. As previously mentioned, the violence and the fire are relayed to the audience by speech. There is also no description of the restaurant or the factory. Even worse, for a book about voodoo, it is disappointing that the actual rites and ceremonies are not described. Rather than having these things talked about in casual conversation, actually showing them visually bulks up the writing, fills in the blank spaces, and makes the story more complete. It allows the audience to experience these events emotionally and creates depth by drawing us into the environment and the action. If the characters only talk about these things than we just move on to the next page without really connecting with them in our imagination.

The other big problem is that Reed introduces too many ideas but never follows through on them. The different characters all represent different aspects of the African-American community but they are little more than hollow receptacles of ideas. What they symbolize is obvious but beyond the symbolism they have no life of their own. With such underdeveloped characters and themes, it is hard to tell if Ishmael Reed is being fair in his critique or not. You can find plenty of things to criticize in the Black bourgeoisie, the Back to Africa ideal, the gangster, the Black Power movement, and the feminists but there are a lot of things those people got right too. By not addressing all sides of these issues, the author does a disservice to his claims by making his criticism look shallow, uninformed, and rudimentary.

The Last Days of Louisiana Red is the follow up novel to Ishmael Reed’s most celebrated work Mumbo Jumbo, a novel that deserves all the praise it gets. The main idea of that book is that if white people stand back and give African-American people enough space then their culture will grow and thrive. I think the main idea of The Last Days of Louisiana Red is that, now that Black people have sufficient space to grow and thrive, they have to deal with some problems internal to the Black community. Notice how prominent a role the white people play in Mumbo Jumbo and how marginal the white people are in Louisiana Red. Reed has progressed to a new set of parameters here. But this latter novel is less successful because he introduces too much information into those parameters. It is like a chef making a pot of gumbo and using every ingredient he finds in the kitchen so that no individual flavor stands out and whatever is there in the pot doesn’t blend in with everything else. Reed could have left a lot of the content out to give more room for the important ideas to take hold or he could have expanded the novel to three times its length to fully develop everything he introduces. Otherwise, he does raise a legitimate issue, that of some members of the African-American community working against its greater interests. even if Some of his criticisms, particularly of feminism, are not entirely justified. I like to think that Reed is too good an author to write this kind of book since he certainly showed what he is capable of in Mumbo Jumbo, but in comparison this just ends up being another novel that doesn’t live up to its potential.

#book reviews #ishmael reed #vintage books #vintage paperbacks #african american fiction #postmodernism #american literature

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