#Swoon: Great Seducers and Why Women Love Them

[omg-hellgirl]

He’s neither mature, sober, nor faithful, and he would catch hell from a relationship counselor. But [Mick] has hundred-proof charisma on his side; as Marianne Faithfull put it, she felt as if she had “her very own Dionysus.”

Betsy Prioleau, Swoon: Great Seducers and Why Women Love Them.

[viiiiiiiiiin]

JAJSJSJDJSD HELL YEAH

Sanji with bff reader who's trying to be his wingman and failing pls (either because sanji is really bad at picking up ladies or the reader is horrendous at wingmanning, heck maybe even both, you decide)

Next Time: Sanji and Wingman Reader

Includes: Sanji , Male Reader , Strawhats

A / N: STOP I LOVE THIS. LOSERS BEING BESTIES FR !!! I hope u don't mind that I chose male reader. I don't write much of them and I want a variety :) enjoy ! Sorry it's short @@

"Cmon Sanji ! You got this ! Do what we rehearsed !" You gave him a thumbs up and a toothy grin. The blonde haired gentleman nodded in return as you took your place behind the door.

Another failed attempt , you assumed by the way his head was hung downwards. You walked over to him and patted his back gently. "It's okay , Ji. You'll get 'er next time !" You laughed and threw your arm around his muscular shoulder.

"Maybe I should try a different pickup line. What do ya got , Reader ?" He asked , grabbing a notepad from seemingly nowhere.

"Ooh ! Ooh ! How about this ! Pretend to spill a drink and be like 'I tripped over my feelings for you . . .' That's gotta win Nami over for sure !" You spun around and grabbed out a poster board.

"What about something about tangerines ? 'You heart is as sweet and sour as a Tangerine' as you kiss her hand. That's gotta make her swoon !" The fact that both of you were so bad at picking up women honestly made the crew feel a bit bad. Why Sanji listened to your advice , the world will never know.

"How about for Robin - Chwan !" He said , spinning as he spoke of the dark haired diva. You placed a finger to your chin , deep in thought. Maybe a dark pun ? Maybe a history pun ? Before you could think , you spoke.

"Ooh ! How about 'you stole my heart like Doflamingo stole Dressrosa . . .' Thats gotta woo her !" You jumped up and down and smiled widely. "What if I gave her something as I said that ?? Or you could help me trip for the pick up line with Nami - Swan !" Sanji rambled as he swirled around , a love tornado of lust was what he was.

"Ooh ! Great idea !! You're so smart !!" Sanji closed his notepad and you both walked over to the ginger. She raised an eyebrow and you pushed Sanji , fake acting like you did it by accident. "Oh no ! I'm sooo sorry Sanji !" You snickered , watching as he fell to his strong knees.

"I tripped over my love for you , mademoiselle . . ~" He spoke smoothly , a perverted grin on his pale face. Nami picked up the book she was reading and smacked both of you in the head.

"That one sucked ! At least be mote creative !" With that , she stomped away and left the both of you with massive bumps on your heads. You both groaned and sat up.

"Fuck , another failure. I'm sorry , Ji. I'll figure somethin' out." You scratched your aching head snd looked sadly at the devastated cook. "Maybe you just haven't met the right girl ! Try flirting when we get to the next island !"

Your suggestion didn't go unheard. As you approached an island to restock supplies , you snd Sanji ran out to the nearest bar. "Try buying her a drink and saying she's as sweet as it ! Or I could spill it on you and you could say your love for her spilled over you !" You suggested as the both of you dashed to the nearest bar.

"Yeahh !! I got this !!"

He does not got it. You spilled the drink and it got ALL over his slacks and the ground. You both ended up being kicked out for causing a disturbance and made all the women laugh at yalls failed attempt at seducing a possible suitor.

You both walked out , dejected at the last failed attempt. You sighed dramatically and fell to the ground. "I'm sorry , Ji ! Next time !"

Next time. How many more 'next time's can he take ? You both were seemingly made to be best friends. One horrendous at flirting and the other horrendous at wingmanning. Next time , next time , next time. Would there be a next time ?

[zahut]

“Great lovers hone and work their fashion sense. Casanova, an amateur costume designer, turned heads wherever he went. Decked in suits of taffeta and lace-trimmed velvet, and scented with “secret perfumes which controlled love,” he wore gold watches, medallions, and rings on every finger. Regency romancer, Lord Bryon, was as much a poet of attire as of verse who carefully crafted his ensembles for evocative effects and multiple messages. His auburn curls in artful disarray, he garbed himself in white pantaloons (instead of black breeches) and embroidered shirts garnished with chains and “swashbuckling accessorizes.” He exuded sartorial sex: a mysterious foreignness, combined with mixed gender-and-class signals. Women wilted over the ambiguous “wild originality” of his look.”

— Betsy Prioleau, Swoon: Great Seducers and Why Women Love Them

[busterkeatonfanfic]

Chapter 2

Nelly couldn’t have been happier as she rode across the I-Street bridge on her bicycle the morning of the 23rd, bathed in the orange glow of the early morning light with a cool breeze running through her hair. She arrived on set at a quarter to seven, fifteen minutes ahead of the start of her shift, but better early than late. She left her bicycle in the lot with the cars and walked down to River  Junction.

The city was more ghostly than it had been the previous day. There were no extras yet, just crew smoking cigarettes and laughing among each other. She realized she was almost the only girl in sight. A tall blonde man leaning against one of the facades winked at her as she passed by and she smiled back.

It turned out to be a hectic, busy morning. Workmen, directed by Bert, carried out various pieces of furniture, including several full-sized barber’s chairs, and she jotted it all down in her ledger and ran back and forth fetching smaller props. By the time eleven o’clock rolled around, she was starved. She took lunch in the canteen at one of the long tables amidst the female extras that the company had brought with them and who’d introduced themselves yesterday and waved her over to sit with them. Today she said her greetings and sat back to listen to their gossip over some cold chicken and peaches. She expected to hear all about the picture, but mostly the girls just talked about the sundry men they were involved with or wanted to be involved with. Buster was a hot topic. Nelly was shocked to hear some of the girls discussing how to seduce him.

“Seduce?” one said, laughing. “All you have to do is walk into his dressing room and offer yourself.”

The remark sent the other women flying into giggles. “That’s right,” another said, with a wink. There was another peal of laughter, so loud that several men at the other tables turned to look at them. Nelly grinned so she wouldn’t stick out, but inside she was horrified. She wasn’t an innocent, that wasn’t it. She’d had her fair share of dalliances with steady boyfriends, no big deal. She supposed it was the casual way the women talked about it, as if he weren’t a married father. She’d heard plenty of rumors about Hollywood of course, most of them sordid, but somehow she’d never stopped to consider that Buster Keaton, with his elegant wife and beautiful young sons, might be in their center. No one who was rational could really believe that he was the shy, hesitant lover he appeared to be on screen, and yet she guessed she’d bought into fiction without fully realizing it.

She still hadn’t seen him in the flesh yet; she had to mind the shop while Bert supervised the furnishing of sets and seldom left it except to relieve herself or take lunch. By the time she’d left the prop shop the past three days, the star of the picture had been long gone. She was curious to see him, but in no hurry. There were still at least three more weeks of filming and she had more than enough to keep her happy and interested. Already she loved sitting at her workbench going over the books while the radio played quietly nearby or taking inventory at the end of the day, drinking in the marvelous array of props.

Anyway, to speak of Buster as a conquest felt wrong. She finished her cold chicken and excused herself. She ran into Bert halfway back to the prop house. He was carrying a large floor lamp and kept bumping the shade into the side of his head as he walked. “Could you find Buster and ask him where he wants those barber’s chairs? We’re setting up right now and God forbid I ask Reisner over him.”

“Buster?” she said, stomach somersaulting.

“Yes, Buster.” The corner of his mouth twitched and he shook his head slightly as if he couldn’t believe her astonishment. “If you’re going to be in pictures, you’d better get over the starstruck thing quick. It’s all business here.”

She blushed. “Where is he?”

“Dressing room I imagine. Make it quick, filming starts in thirty.”

She didn’t actually know where the dressing rooms were, but spied the blonde man who’d winked at her earlier heading toward the prop shop as she headed away. “Excuse me. Can you point me to the dressing rooms?” she said. For one instant, she considered asking him to go ask Buster about the chairs for her, but realized how it might look to Bert if he found out she couldn’t take directions. Now that she had this job, nothing was going to get in the way of it.

The man smiled and his eyes crinkled at the corners. They were striking and blue. She realized that he was very good-looking up close. “What do you want to know that for?” he said teasingly.

“I’ve got to ask Buster about some barber’s chairs. Bert told me to.” She felt herself go red under his gaze.

“Just off in that direction. See that building on the left there? They’re in there.”

She thanked him and turned to go.

“Hey,” he called after her. “What’s your name?”

“Nelly,” she said.

“Nelly, I’m Tommy.”

“Okay Tommy,” she said, smiling. “Thank you. It was nice meeting you.”

“See you around,” he said with a wink.

The building that housed the dressing rooms was fairly empty, but she did find a man who could tell her which dressing room was Buster’s. It was larger than the others and set at a remove from them. Block letters on the door read simply ‘Keaton.’ With her heart in her throat, she tapped on the door.

“Come in,” said a voice.

She was momentarily stunned as she put her hand on the doorknob. The Great Frozen Face spoke! His voice was of middling deepness with a kind of East Coast edge to it. He sounded nothing so much as completely ordinary.

He was alone when she entered the room, sitting at a small table with a drink next to him and a notepad open in front of him. He’d been writing when she interrupted.

The sight of him tied her tongue. To start with, she didn’t expect him to be in costume. He was wearing the most absurd outfit she’d ever seen in her life, and she’d been to the circus almost more times than she could count. He had on a loud, diamond-checkered jumper vest, a striped velvet jacket, a polka-dot bow tie, and plus fours so oversized they almost entirely concealed his shoes. Topping off the outfit was a fake moustache glued under his nose, following the curve of his upper lip. His face was made up in greasepaint and powder, his lips painted scarlet and eyes lined in kohl. The only word for what she felt was awestruck.

“Can I help you?” he said, looking at her. He seemed oblivious to the way he looked.

She swallowed, but her knees felt weak and she couldn’t remember what she’d come into his dressing room for. Some question Bert had wanted her to ask. What was it? All she could seem to think was that she, a little old nobody from Evanston, was meeting Buster Keaton, a movie star. How many times had she seen him and films and here he was, right here, a real-life person? Her mind staggered with the enormity of it.

“Oh, I see,” he said, after the silence had dragged on for a few moments. He straightened up and put his palms on his thighs. “You want to be in pictures and you’re asking me for a break, but I’ve made you tongue-tied.” He nodded, as if she’d answered the question instead of him. “Sure, that’s what it is.”

She felt faint. The pounding of her heart in her own ears almost crowded out his words. Was it that easy? Was getting a break really this easy? It wasn’t why she had come here, but if he was offering …

She couldn’t seem to summon any words.

“Look, I’ll put it straight to you,” said Buster, sounding resigned.  

She couldn’t get used to his voice.

“You’re too tall,” he said. “You need to get rid of about twenty pounds, give or take. And you’ll want to do something about your bosom. It’s too big. It’s not in fashion.”

There was a roar in her ears as she struggled to process what she had just heard. She felt as though he’d just poured a bucket of ice water down the back of her dress.

He must have noticed what the expression on her face meant, because his mouth quirked sympathetically. “I’m not trying to be unkind, I think it’s just better you hear it now so you know what you’re up against. Girls are a dime a dozen in this biz and they’re expected to have a certain look, you know?”

She had never felt so humiliated in her whole life. Of course she did want to be in pictures, but that wasn’t why she’d come here. Not at all. He was wrong. If only she could speak, maybe she could sort out the misunderstanding.

“That’s not why I’m here,” she finally said, her voice barely louder than a whisper.

“Oh?” he cocked his head, appearing unaware that he’d just made a fool out of her. Realization appeared to dawn and his features relaxed a little. “Oh. If it’s that, it’s got to be quick. And I can’t undress all of the way, I’m supposed to be on set in twenty.” His hands went to his belt.

To say she was mortified was a deep understatement. She wished she’d never bumped into Bert and been told to come here. She shook her head. All she could choke out before she fled was, “I’ve got to go.”

She left the building in a daze, hands shaking. He thought she was propositioning him!

She managed to make it back to the prop house without swooning. When she was safely back at the workbench, it came to her. The stupid barber’s chairs, that’s what it was all about. Before she had time to properly compose herself, Bert walked out of the next room.

“Nelly, you’re white as a sheet. Something the matter?” he said.

She shook her head quickly. As far as she was concerned, her humiliating encounter with Buster would go to the grave with her. “I don’t think my lunch agreed with me,” she said.

“Well what did Buster say about the chairs?”

“He said—” Her mind went back to the way he’d begun unbuckling his pants and she couldn’t find a lie to patch the gap in her words fast enough.

“You did find him, right?”

She nodded, unable to meet Bert’s eyes.

“Ah,” Bert said, patting her shoulder. “Starstruck, right? That’s okay, happens to a lot of first-timers. I should have tried to introduce you before this.”

There was another man making assumptions about her actions, but this time she welcomed it. She nodded.

“Don’t worry about it. It probably won’t take us too long to set the chairs up. They’re heavy suckers, though.”

He disappeared, leaving her alone. Her thoughts went back to lunch in the canteen. All you have to do is walk into his dressing room. Maybe she was more of an innocent than she’d thought, because not once between that overheard conversation and standing in front of Buster had she considered what it meant to show up all by herself in his dressing room. In hindsight, her mistake was obvious. She cursed herself.

It was impossible to keep her mind on the books the rest of the day. Like a ghastly film, the scene in the dressing room played through her mind on a loop. The previous three days, she would have worked long into the night if Bert had let her. This time, when six o’clock rolled around she couldn’t get off the set fast enough. She was far from happy anymore as she bicycled back to 22nd street across the I-Street bridge. (Image: Evelyn Nesbit.)

[almaasi]

reaction post typed while watching SPN 14x14 “Ouroboros”

conclusion: yes, apparently feet can look gay, and Dean and Cas are both queer by proxy

04:35pm

me: still v magnesium deficient, sick, dizzy

LET’S WATCH A THING AND THINK ABOUT IT WITH MY PUDDING BRAIN

any thoughts stated here are run through a pudding filter so please do not be alarmed if they are incoherent or a weird colour

okay it’s a Steve Yockey episode so i guess he’s gonna give us a great character and then kill them before the title card

-

04:41

hang on i need to eat and i can’t eat and think at the same time so i’mma go watch an episode of shaun the sheep brb

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04:46

okay well i watched half an episode and ate half my food so,... yay

LET’S WATCH THIS OTHER THING THEN

-

04:48

sam’s “i believe in us” *PUNCH* still makes me laugh

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04:49

the body on the AAAAAAAAAAAAA I’

M SCREAMING NOPE NOPE NOPE

-

can i just watch this whole thing with my hand over the screen

because that is what i’ doing rn

oh god i hate this

-

actually you know what

i just skipped to the title card

cause fuck that haahahhaah nope

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oh lord it didn’t skip to team free will

how much of this do i have to take

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oh okay tfw are here already

WELL GREAT NOW I HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHERE TO SKIP BACK TO

ASJFSDFHSFHSJ

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04:54

i fuckin love rowena and how much they ask for her help even though they’re “enemies” except they’re clearly lowkey Fond of each other

also i like how this ep started in the middle of the case

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04:56

rowena: “hello castiel” ;) ;) ;)

okay well

this pleases me

because i know the only way this ends is that cas is not interested and that’s the Point

because he <3s dean

but also why the hell is rowena into cas....... surely she knows he loves dean. unless she’s just into starting shit, i wouldn’t be surprised

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04:58

the way jack says “i’m not dying”

10/10

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04:59

cas: ��he’s now claimed the lives of six people in northern new mexico”

why does he say “people” like that

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05:01

dean’s throwing a looooot of salt at rowna. maybe because she keeps flirting with cas

-

“everything means something”

YEAH EXACTLY

DEAN’S SALTY BECAUSE ROWENA’S FLIRTING WITH CAS I’VE DECIDED

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05:03

sam says dean can keep michael locked in his head “because he’s dean and dean is dean”

yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah okay

expert closet curator, you mean

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05:05

dean has a good feeling about bringing rowena in on this one??????????????? after all the snark????????????

cas: “they do have many books”

me: *squINTS REALLY HARD* i feel like they’re implying something else and neither of them are talking about the same thing. did dean set sam up on a date with rowena????????????

also?

DEAN AND CAS ARE ON A DATE. DEAN AND CAS ARE ON A DINNER DATE IN A DINER. ALERT ALERT ALERT

paralleling rowena and sam perhaps

-

05:08

concerned head tilt

oh god their love and mutual understanding and trust in each other is killing me with its softness

i’m so so so glad we get to see them in some downtime at fucking last

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05:10

oh no jack’s coughing again

why can’t he have nice things

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05:10

dean: “that’s what i’m supposed to say, right? i’m fine? keep on moving?”

cas: “no, dean”

the fact dean lets his guard down only with cas in private ;~;

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sidenote, this episode is giving me my bloody valentine meets hunteri heroici vibes, which is nice because they’re two of my all-time fave episodes

but god i wish it would go easy on the cannibalism

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05:14

dean: “i’m barely even sleeping” :D

THAT PAINED GRIN OH GOD

but also

i’m so emotional because he told anyone at all, but especially that of all people he told cas

of course he told cas, cas is his emotional sounding board

if this were a fanfic cas would offer to share the bed with dean and help him sleep

....but i mean, who knows, maybe dean was secretly hoping for that anyway

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05:19

that’s the face of “dean doesn’t know what liturgical means”

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05:22

jack: “what’s an av club?”

cas: “it’s a special club for people who do not play sports”

dean: *points at cas* “him. he’s av club”

mmmmmmmm yup

autistic nerd

dean’s baseball and track team, cas is av club and student tutoring

but also if dean ever got cas onto the baseball field cas would hit every ball first time

and dean would be swooning

BUT ALSO DEAN WOULD FUCKING LOVE AV CLUB ARE YOU KIDDING ME

he’d be in there with charlie every fuckin day and leaning seductively on furniture while cas does his nerd thing, until the point where something properly capures dean’s interest and then HE WANTS A GO and bats away everyone else’s hands and hogs the contraption for 3 hours. also he’d fix things when they break

DEAN TONE DOWN THE PROJECTION A NOTCH WOULD YA

JEEZ

look i’m just gonna count dean calling cas “av club” as flirting, because hello yes there is no way dean doesn’t find that interesting

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05:30

i fucking knew it

the moment this episode opened and i saw the guy’s bare feet in the kitchen somehow i knew he was queer ??????????

like

i can’t explain it

but the fact there was a shot of his feet and his feet looked gay i can’t even

anyway this probably doesn’t even count as legit queer rep given he’s seducing guys and killing them so

stupid gay feet

sidenote: did ANYONE else get queer vibes from that opening scene? CAN PEOPLE’S FEET LOOK GAY OR IS THAT JUST ME

maybe it’s like... the sensuality of bare feet + cooking, breaking pointless gender roles n stuff, my brain has been coded by society’s bullshit to perceive sensual men as non-heterosexual

idk

but also. the foot-upward view of a new character... male gaze, right? and seeing the male gaze on a male character makes it queer

goddamn

it’s a thing

it’s a thing and the directing got the point across and it took me until now to work it out

GAY FEET

-

also

now i’m going back to cas’ line “six people”

my initial understanding of that line was that they weren’t all men

but the thing was the people didn’t need to be said that way if it was just men and women

my immediate instinct said the victims were non-binary, but i didn’t type it because i had no reason yet to believe that might be true and it seemed unnecessary to say it

but at this point, as the baddie hits on a guy at a truck stop in exchange for a ride, they’re clearly potentially queer victims

so

yeah that explains the inflection

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05:41

on the one hand, i’m seeing a connection to that time dean was seduced by a siren

but see my problem with this is that the guy’s either gonna end up dead or saved and i don’t know which yet

i just want happy queer stories

so i’m pretty divided about this

but on the other hand, please, god, let this gorgon guy “sense things” about dean

ALSO WAIT

IS THIS THE FIRST GAY KISS ON THIS SHOW?????????? 90% SURE THIS THE FIRST GAY KISS. there might have been a background one once

PROGRESS HAS BEEN MADE

EVEN IF IT’S EVIL AND TWISTED AND MAKES ME FEEL WEIRD

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05:44

i feel like there should’ve been an optic nerve attached to that eyeball.. and a lot of gross stuff

but also thank goodness there wasn’t

ohdfjfdg i really hate this

but also i’m smiling?

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05:46

cas: “is this amusing to you?”

the guy called him sir!!! eeheheh

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05:47

cas: “you’re not standing alone, why doesn’t he mention me?”

dean: “maybe you’re not his type”

i mean. guess he can’t see angels. BUT ALSO

CAN WE UNPACK HOW UTTERLY QUEER EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS IS

WE NOW UNDERSTAND THAT NOAH’S TYPE IS QUEER GUYS

AND DEAN KNOWS THIS

SO BY SAYING CAS ISN’T NOAH’S TYPE THAT MEANS HE’S IMPLYING THAT HE HIMSELF IS

BECAUSE HE’S QUEER AF

steve yockey, this is the episode i was waiting to see from you

team free will working a case together, dean and cas on a date talking about their feelings, on a case about queer stuff

hell fucking yes

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05:52

rowena: “need anti-venom in case one of you boys gets sloppy”

wouldn’t that mean noah kisses either cas or jack

god i’m so glad rowena’s there too

this episode is great sdgsfkg

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05:53

ROWENA AND SAM FAKING A RELATIONSHIP + A DOG OH MRJGJD IFUCKING LOVE THIS

WHERE DID THEY GET THE DOG

WHERE’S THE BIT LATER WHERE DEAN AND CAS ~FAKE~ A RELATIONSHIP PLEASE

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05:55

OH MY GOD THE VET STUCK A THERMOMETER IN JACK’S ASS

OH MY GOFH D:

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06:00

noah: “then he doesn’t have to die like all the other men”

hmmmmmmm

okay so all the victims were men

which makes me even more curious about why cas used that inflection on “people”

cas also looked like of amused? definitely a misha expression rather than a cas expression, the little lilt of a smile on his lips like the way he says any word starting with “h”

maybe some of them were transgender men and cas didn’t know them before they died so could only guess as to their gender? maybe some of the bodies they found were not gender-conforming

it also kiiiiind of sounded like misha changing the script after a discussion on set about it

but if that were true then that means someone on set doesn’t believe gay or queer men are men? maybe? maybe i’m reaching there

but i’m genuinely caught up on that inflection and the use of that word, it really stood out to me

and it stands out especially, now, because like i said, we know the victims were men, we know team free will found them all, and we know they were queer.

but also it’s not dean saying it, it’s cas

and i can’t imagine any scenario where cas would have trouble with non-binary pronouns

if anyone has further thoughts on this, please direct me towards them

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06:23

my browser broke?? and i lost a chunk of this post, but i had the above stuff backed up in email

i'mma go back a bit and try and remember what i typed

-

idk i think it was just about the fact noah confirmed all his victims were men which further confused me

and then said he also eats ladies

and then said some feminist stuff which made me sad that it came from the bad guy

but also that i could imagine cas saying something similar, deadpan, and then reaching for dean’s burger

-

* schmooch *

whEN DOES DEAN GET TO DO THAT

-

06:28

okay YES

I KNOW WHAT I WANT TO SAY

NOAH SAYS HELLO TO DEAN

WHY JUST DEAN

WHY IS HE FIXATED ON DEAN WHEN THERE’S 3 OTHER PEOPLE IN THE ROOM? and why only write the letter to dean?

I’LL TELL YOU WHY

BECAUSE DEAN’S BISEXUAL AF

AND YES HE IS HIS TYPE

REPRESSED “STRAIGHT” MEN WHO SECRETLY LIKE GUYS

CAN THAT BE ANY MORE OBVIOUS?? I THINK NOT

i love how this episode refers back to some of the older episodes, in the best possible way

conclusion: dean is bi

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06:32

noah took the bag with the snek inside but i guess the snek esckep

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06:34

maybe true love’s kiss will wake dean up

CAS QUICK

MIGHT AS WELL TRY RIGHT

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06:40

hurts my heart how cas has apparently made peace with the fact he’ll outlive dean and sam

i guess it’s good but

can’t help but believe deep down he would rather die than live without them

-

and now i’m crying because cas says the point is that you got to know them at all

suddenly catharsis for future pain

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06:47

oh NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MAGGIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

D:

THIS IS THE WORST

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06:47

rowena as michael??? okay, that i can get behind

ooh

BUT ALSO

OH NO

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06:49

michael (about dean): “it didn’t work out. it was him. not me.”

flip of a classic dating line, making this QUEER AGAIN

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06:55

JACK THE LIL HERO

WHAT DID YOU DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

//waits for the silence to be over

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06:56

oh boy

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06:57

OKAY WOW

WHAT AN EPISODE

i was really hoping it would turn into a plotty one, the way changing channels does at the end

this was really well done and i enjoyed it a lot!!!!!!!!! i mean, besides the squicks, and the fact the queer rep and feminist lines came from a bad guy

dean was 100% noah’s type

jack is the bestest baby bean

i feel so bad about the thermometer thing..... like, i’m not sure if it was meant to come across as funny? but there was no indication it should be... which is good i guess? but also i feel secondhand violated

DEAN AND CAS’ DATE AND TALKING ABOUT FEELINGS WHEEE

i like that this episode actually came full circle on that “dean vs michael” point, rather than having it be a one-off conversation and things aren’t resolved until a later episode

i think i’m gonna enjoy rowena as michael. and i like that she said yes because she does care about team free will

sad about maggie :c

but also all those other extra hunters were changed out pretty much episode so there was no real way to know who they were. they seemed pretty diverse though, across various episodes

i liked the asian lady vet!!!! she was fun. and i’m glad the asian gay guy didn’t die... where did he even disappear to though? who knows

overall 10/10? it had all the good shit i like so. yep.

I WANT MORE EPISODE LIKE THIS. QUEER CHARACTERS (PREFERABLY NOT EVIL), MORE ASIAN CHARACTERS, MORE TEAM FREE WILL ON HUNTS, MORE LADIES GETTING COOL ROLES AS PART OF THE TEAM AND/OR AS AN FRENEMY, MORE JACK SAVING THE DAY

MORE ROWENA IN PANTS

yeah

but more of all

MORE GAY KISSES FOR DEAN AND CAS

i love that the fact noah was fixated on dean put him in the “noah’s type = queer” category, and when noah kissed cas it did the same thing

so really, by evil proxy, noah made a point of showing us who’s queer

i mean we already knew

but HE SHOWED US

yee

-

no conclusion on why cas said p e o p l e though

[the-scenic-route-stories]

The Ace of Hearts, Part 7

Next section. This was really hard to write and I’m not 100% happy with it but I do feel I’ve gained some empathy for people I previously thought of as ‘forward’ or ‘brash’ in a relationship context.

He needed very little sleep. On one of the first mornings, or whatever passed for mornings on the TARDIS, she awoke to find him sitting on the edge of her bed, watching her with bemused devotion.

“You haven’t been here long, have you?”

“Ummm…” he looked down at his hands, blushing. “Does it bother you? I’m so sorry. I wanted to be here when you woke up to wish you good morning. Rather self-indulgent of me. Perhaps you’d prefer a little more privacy.”

“Oh no, don’t be sorry, it’s just that it’s a very long time since anyone watched over me. It’s a little overwhelming, but in a very nice way.”

He said nothing, but most days when she woke he was there waiting for her.

One morning, instead, he was sitting in his dressing-gown in the chair by the bed, wearing his half-moon spectacles. He turned the pages of an old book gently, taking great care not to make a noise loud enough to wake her. There were piles of books on either side of him.

She watched him through half-closed eyes, not wanting him to see that she was awake, enjoying the peaceful tableau of him reading his book, long fingers curled around its spine. She wished she could etch this picture into her memory - her beloved, deep in concentration.

Finally, he noticed her watching him.

“Good morning, my dear. Have you been awake long? I was absorbed by my reading, I’m afraid.”

“And what was it that you were so fascinated by?”

“I have been making a comprehensive survey of the romantic literature in the TARDIS library. Love-poetry, romance novels and the like.”

“Lord Byron, Keats and so on?”

“Inter alia. You humans can be so very parochial. You do realise that there has been love-poetry written on planets other than Earth, even in countries other than England? On one planet, there is a race of highly self-organised slime moulds that have produced some remarkably moving romantic poetry. Of course, since they communicate with one another through viscous secretions rather than words, a certain something is lost in translation.”

“May I ask why you have developed this interest?”

“Am I not allowed simply to be interested in literature for its own sake?” he asked with feigned pomposity. “Actually, I am trying to gain a better understanding of romantic love in human beings. For, umm, purely academic purposes, naturally.”

“Naturally.” He didn’t fool her at all, probably because he didn’t really want to.

“According to these novels that were published around the time-period you came from,” he indicated a pile of books, the topmost of which showed a square-jawed man in a fedora and trenchcoat and a surprised-looking woman in a silky dress that appeared to be in the process of slipping off her shoulder, possibly on the way to slipping off the rest of her, “I should perhaps be attempting to, er, seduce you. The procedure by which I might achieve this is still not entirely clear to me, and I don’t think I look very much like this fellow here.”

“Darling. Those books are complete tosh. Ridiculous women swooning over pirates and spies. I don’t know who reads them. Bored housewives, perhaps. You’re far better-looking than that fellow on the cover, and a perfect gentleman too. You’ve whisked me away in your spaceship, taken me to the most beautiful places, danced with me among the stars. Now you’ve sat up all night reading love-poetry and pulp novels in an attempt to understand how to romance me. All while wearing a very fetching dressing-gown. I think you could safely consider me seduced.”

“I was thinking I should be doing something more to romance you, as you say.”

“You don’t have to do anything unless you wish to. I am already desperately in love with you and grateful for every moment we spend together. But...”

“Yes?”

She climbed onto his lap. “Perhaps I could try to seduce or romance you.”

He laughed nervously. “And what would that involve?”

She lifted his spectacles off his face and put them onto her own, looking at him sternly over the top of them. “Hmmm, I suggest we begin with a thorough investigation of the phenomenon of attraction. I think we will start with a consideration of the fact that you do not appear to be wearing your pyjama top under that dressing-gown.”

“It was… rather warm…”

“Leaving it off wasn’t part of your seduction strategy, then?”

“No. I do not have a seduction strategy, as you put it.” He tried to sound indignant.

She traced the tips of her fingers along his collarbones then leaned down to place a row of kisses along them. So many sensations: the silky folds of his gown and its rich colour, his soft skin with its scent and taste of old books and tea, sunshine through windows, fading roses and blue-white stars and distances, the lights and shadows falling on his face, neck and shoulders, the sound of his breathing and of two hearts beginning to race a little...

“You don’t need to do all this, really. I find you very attractive. Very attractive indeed. We could perhaps take it as understood that you’ve already managed to seduce me, whatever that entails, and - oh!” She had kissed him softly in the tender hollow where his neck met his collarbone and his heartbeats fluttered.

“Am I disturbing your mental equilibrium?” she asked, with mischievous triumph.

“To a quite alarming degree.”

“Do you want me to disturb it some more?”

He looked at her sadly, unable and unwilling to admit that yes, that was indeed precisely what he wanted her to do. Galaxies collided, empires waged war, despots raged, time and space swirled and folded and buckled and in comparison to this, it was entirely inconsequential whether or not a pretty girl kissed him in ways that made him feel deliciously giddy. He should not distract himself from matters of greater import by indulging such tiny, trivial whims and desires. He had already taken the unaccustomed step of bringing Betty on holiday - purely to make the dear girl happy, of course, rather than out of any self-interest - but such things could be the first step on a slippery slope towards wanton hedonism, and there was already far too much of that in the universe as it was. Oh, but if she did kiss him like that again (and again, and again), if she kissed him without asking him any of those inconvenient questions that he felt obliged to answer in the negative, if she kissed him until he felt so very giddy that he no longer remembered with any clarity what those questions were...

She looked at him sadly, seeing the troubled expression on his face. She didn’t pretend to understand half of what went on in his complicated, clever mind. He was always so sweet and so solicitous, but of course he did not need her and she could not wish for him to do so. She longed for him to let her love him and delight in indulging even his tiniest and most trivial whims and wishes - if indeed he had such - but she seemed to be no match for his self-control. Only once had she felt that control falter, but since then, he had seemed determined to protect her from the deeper, sadder parts of himself.

She kissed him on the cheek in a businesslike manner then got up off his lap and started leafing through some of the books.

He stood up too. "How about a nice cup of tea?" He turned and headed for the door, but felt his arms pinned to his sides and her arms tight around his waist.

“Mmmff! What’s this?”

“You did say that you wanted me to let you escape then catch you again…”

“Oh, I did, didn’t I?”

“Well, I’ve caught you.”

So you have. It appears that I am entirely at your mercy, my dear,” he said in a tone that suggested that he did not find this development wholly uncongenial.

[omg-hellgirl]

He’s an all-caps ladies’ man, impossibly magnetic, lovable, and unleavable. Despite his nonstellar looks (the raddled features of a very old chimp), he has been bathed in adoration by a long line of superior women, including his wife, Bianca, Marianne Faithfull, Marsha Hunt, Carly Simon, Jerry Hall, Carla Bruni, and his current girlfriend of eight years, designer L’Wren Scott.

Betsy Prioleau, Swoon: Great Seducers and Why Women Love Them.

[star-trekkin-across-theuniverse]

Congrats on 1600 followers!!!! Can I please request a drabble of watching Pride and Prejudice (the bbc version) with Bucky? Thank you much!!!

“Fitzwilliam Darcy,” you announced over dinner with the Avengers. Okay, the entire sentence was surreal when you thought about it. You’d been hired as a contractor because of your expertise in lightweight impact resistant fabrics, and once Tony Stark had you on his payroll as a contractor, he started the process of seducing you onto the team as a regular employee. It hadn’t taken long after he made his first salary offer for you to jump at the idea. Benefits, vacation, a 401k to die for. And access to the famed Stark Industries labs. 

Tony swore you’d already paid for yourself after you invented a new ultra-lightweight fabric that not only was bulletproof but was crush resistant, meaning the wearer couldn’t be squished like a bug under a falling building, which seemed an alarmingly common risk for the heroes you worked for.

Dinner was a celebration of that achievement. The whole team was together to celebrate the fabric, which had passed every test you’d been able to throw at it with ease. Clint’s regular arrows had bounced off it, his exploding arrows had stained it black in places, but the responsive dummy in the suit had no noted injuries. Natasha couldn’t stab it, Steve couldn’t damage it with the shield, Tony was unable to blast it into space with his repulsors. The hammer freaking bounced off it with a funny clanging noise, Wanda tried to use her brain to crush it with no success, and Vision used that freaky beam that came out of his forehead to try to fry it. It made a cool sizzling noise, but otherwise hadn’t been affected. Finally, Steve persuaded Bucky to accept the challenge of attacking the fabric. Even his powerful metal hand had been unable to rend, tear or otherwise damage it. It was impervious to everything.

And so, dinner and celebrating. The conversation turned to movies, as it always seemed to. There were just so many great films that both Steve and Bucky had missed, that there was always something new to suggest. You’d never had much to add to the conversation. You preferred books to movies, and every time you thought of a movie to suggest, the guys had already seen it. Steve had embarrassed you by sitting you down to watch Star Wars when you admitted you’d never seen it as a kid. 

Tonight, however, the conversation had turned from movies to great movie heroes, and you felt you actually could contribute to that conversation. Which lead back to you announcing the name of your favourite male lead of all time.

“Fitzwilliam Darcy?” Clint asked, looking confused.

“You don’t mean that insufferable ass from Pride and -” Tony started.

“Rich, clever, single, women constantly chasing after him?” You interrupted with a quirked eyebrow. “I sure do. You guys have a lot in common, Tony, you might learn something from the imperious Mr. Darcy.”

“Imperious? And yet he’s your favourite?” Steve asked.

“He develops a lot through the book,” you excused quickly.

“We are talking about movies, Y/N!” Clint protested.

“Oh, but there’s a number of Pride and Prejudice movies,” Natasha interjected. “I think I like the BBC miniseries the best. Y/N?”

“Absolutely,” you agreed. “The lake scene?”

“Right?” Natasha winked. Bucky perked up where he was sitting.

“Do you have the DVDs?” He asked, looking at you.

“Sure do,” you nodded.

“So when are we watching it?” He countered.

“Name the date, Bucky,” you smiled.

“Tomorrow?” He suggested.

“Sure,” you nodded.

“Great. It’s a date,” he concluded, picking up his plate and clearing it away. As he often did, once he’d cleaned up after himself, he disappeared back into his suite. Steve met your eyes across the table.

“Be gentle, Y/N. I think this might be the first date he’s had in well over seventy years,” he winked. You crumpled up your napkin and threw it at him.

XXX

You settled onto the couch and handed the bowl of popcorn to Bucky as you turned the movie on.

“You’re sure this is good?” He asked.

“It’s brilliant. Shush and watch,” you replied. “This is long, by the way. If you need a break or want to order a pizza, we can take an intermission.”

It was hilarious watching a movie with Bucky, you quickly learned. He was a movie grumbler, taking in the story and making scathing comments about the characters. 

“Is this before or after they started making vibrating machines for women with hysteria? Because that woman needs a few hysterical paroxysms to make her relax,” he muttered when Mrs. Bennet got wildly excited about Mr. Bingley.

“That Lydia is what we used to call a good-time girl,” he commented when he saw her assessing the soldiers. “They weren’t the kind of girl you took home to your ma though, you know?”

“You really like this Darcy guy, doll? He’s a bit of an insufferable ass.” 

“That fucking Wickham is a slimy bastard. I hope Lizzie figured that out before he gets his hands all up in her knickers!”

When you paused the movie to order in a pizza, you thought Bucky would want to stop watching completely, but he was keen to finish up. You brought a couple beers in with the pizza and plopped back down on the couch before turning the movie back on. You could feel Bucky getting more tense beside you as the movie progressed, and the next time Darcy appeared on the screen, he nearly came off the couch. 

“Inferiority of her birth? That dame is ten times the person that asshole is! Why she oughta -”

“Bucky, shh, watch!” You laughed. He settled back into the cushions and crossed his arms. 

When Lydia ran off with Wickham, he snorted, “Told you the two of them were no good. Now they’re no good together. And I bet this ruins everyone else’s prospects, right?”

“Jesus, what’s that Darcy ass doing in the middle of all this family drama?” He looked genuinely perplexed when Mr. Darcy helped settle Lydia and Wickham, looking at you, then back at the screen in confusion.

“Just watch,” you sighed with a smile. You loved seeing how into the movie he’d gotten. It was almost more fun watching him than the movie. It was the most animated you’d ever seen him, and the longest time you’d spent with him. 

The movie finally ended, and you dashed away a few stray tears, much to Bucky’s amusement. 

“That? That guy is your romantic ideal?” He asked, incredulous. “Doll, that guy is all talk and no action. He’s all blah blah my principles, blah blah your reproof, dearest darling Elizabeth, let me not touch you, not even hold your hand, but instead give you smouldering looks and then later tonight I’ll head home and shag the maid because you’re a lady.”

“Mr. Darcy does not shag the maid, Bucky,” you protested.

“Really? Who then? He certainly wasn’t swimming in that pond just for Lizzie to see. He didn’t know she was there. So who was he trying to impress with his wet poofy shirt? Oh, maybe the butler, you’re right,” Bucky scoffed, his Brooklyn accent coming across a little thicker in his annoyance. You bit your lip in amusement and waited for him to finish his rant.

“Tell me how you really feel, Buck,” you laughed as he wound down. 

“How I really feel? Y/N, if you think that bozo is romance personified, you need a little Brooklyn in your life,” he smirked. You raised an eyebrow in question.

“Oh?”

“Sweetheart, you’re beautiful, and you’re smart. I might not have ten thousand a year, whatever that means, but I’d also never treat you like dirt. And any man that would just because he had more money than you isn’t worth your time,” he explained, leaning a little closer. He reached up and cupped your cheek in his hand, running his thumb across your lower lip before tipping his head and pressing his mouth against yours. “Dearest, darling Y/N.”

You couldn’t help it. You swooned.

11/16

[theramblingonesie]

Nancy Downs: The Hero We Want, But Not The Hero We Need

There are two types of late Gen X/early Gen Y in this world:

Those who love Nancy from The Craft

And those who do not.

Admittedly, I didn’t know that Team No-Nancy existed until a few days ago.  Love is blind, I suppose.  I was in a group chat with some spooky friends, and one friend posted a picture of Nancy, which naturally caused half of us to swoon.  The other half, no dice.  They mildly dipped into ethical reasoning about why she was bad, while the rest of us walked away and tattled to Manon.  We ultimately agreed to disagree.

Because I can’t relax, ever, my feminist nerd brain immediately went to—YES. LET’S SORT THIS OUT, FOR REAL.  It felt to me like more than our group simply being split into order and chaos personalities. What is it about the character of Nancy that makes her so equally loved and hated in our awkward cusp generation?

Let me just get two very important things out of the way before really diving into this:

1.       The Craft is total garbage.  But like an Italian family, fans can talk shit about The Craft.  Not-fans get cut for talking shit about The Craft. Let that be clear.

2.       Fairuza Balk is a total goth dream babe.  Her role as Nancy was my bisexual awakening.  I have loved her since and will follow her to the ends of the earth. If you had asked me my type in my teens and 20s, I most often just responded “Nancy”.

Okay. So now, the actual blog:

(Suggested reading: the accurate mythology of Medusa. Did you know she was a rape victim? She was a maid/priestess for Athena, and Poseidon used his power to assault her in the temple; her own home. When Athena, found out, she stripped Medusa of her beauty and banished her from the kingdom because she was jealous.  Now, as Athena and Poseidon wanted, we call Medusa a siren [aka slut] and horrific monster. Find the common themes below...)

When I was a little teen nugget, I was SO. ANGRY.  Right? Weren’t most of us? I, like majority of others, was dealing with a lot of stuff in my life that left me feeling absolutely terrified and certain that there was no real justice in the world.  I was an outsider, super awkward, and frequently the target of slut shaming and gossip.  I felt absolutely used and disempowered, and wondered if I’d ever meet other weirdos like myself.

(Fast forward to now: YES, as an adult I definitely did meet an abundance of other “weirdos”, and they freakin rock. I wouldn’t trade my abnormal life for anything “acceptable”. THIS IS THE NEW COOL. EAT IT.)

Nancy was everything I secretly felt on the inside, expressed outwardly.  She was beautiful.  She was bitchy.  She was scary. She had friends who listened to her. She spoke her mind, and was completely irreverent.  She didn’t let people fuck with her or her crew.  She took matters into her own hands.  She was brave enough to lose her shit.  Watching Nancy on screen was the closest I ever got to catharsis, so I lived through her story.  Ultimately, Nancy was locked away because she did some bad shit.  By my teen logic, she was a Saint Badass.  By my adult logic, she done fucked up.  But it’s not exactly black and white; hear me out:

Nancy lives in poverty, it’s suggested that she’s been abandoned by her father (or he was a John and her mom was a prostitute; it’s unclear), and both she and her mom are regularly subjected to emotional and physical abuse by her alcoholic stepdad. At school, her reputation has been destroyed by some dumb jock fuckboy who gave her an STD and dumped her, subjecting to her mass slut shaming to save his own face.  Now Sarah, the seemingly perfect new girl, comes on the scene. Nancy feels a bit threatened because everything else in her life is disempowered shit and she knows how fragile her status as group leader actually is, but eventually she warms up and lets Sarah in to form a coven.  All of the other girls’ spells start working except for Nancy’s, which was a desire to no longer be “white trash”.  This only further contributes to her feelings of failure, self-loathing, and powerlessness. One night, her rage ends up causing her stepdad to die of a heart attack, and she and her mom inherit $100,000 to begin a new life.  She has her first taste of power, and refuses to let it go.  Curious about what else is possible, she becomes obsessed with gaining strength, and starts to go a little nuts.  After hearing that the same fuckboy who destroyed her reputation tried to rape Sarah, Nancy storms off and goes to confront him under the glamour of being Sarah.  She seduces him away from the party he’s at, and once they’re alone, she changes back to her original form, shocking and scaring fuckboy.  She begins to take him to task for what he’s done, and his response is to tell Nancy that she’s just jealous.

I interrupt this recap to highlight this part, because it’s the dramatic turning point for when Nancy really loses it: this woman calls a rapist out for his crimes, and he responds that she’s just jealous.

Exactly.

Upon being told that she’s “just jealous”, Nancy snaps and ends up sending fuckboy to his death out a window via telekinesis.  Sarah gets all upset at Nancy for this, and does a binding spell behind her back, feeling sorry for rapey fuckboy.  Nancy finds out, and feels unbelievably betrayed by Sarah.  From here, all hell breaks loose, and Nancy casts all kinds of illusions to completely torment Sarah, hoping that it will result in her death. She’s unsuccessful, Sarah ends up becoming the strong leader witch, and Nancy ends up in an insane asylum.

Nancy’s short life in a keyword nutshell: abandonment, poverty, rape, assault, abuse, betrayal, isolation, silence

I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT I WOULD PROBABLY ALSO SNAP AND GO CRAZY, JUST SAYIN.

Nancy is a fictional character, and yet, how many women and girls can identify with at least part of this story?  Or the whole story?  Our justice system and society completely destroy women and exploit victims, and when they finally snap under the weight of it, we just toss them aside as crazy or trash.  Now, I’m definitely in camp Get-Help-For-Your-Problems, and I don’t believe that what Nancy did was right, but it sure as shit makes sense to me.  If talking about Nancy like she’s real is making your eyeballs roll back so hard that they dislodge from their sockets, then take this real life example:

Cyntoia Brown is currently being held on a life sentence for murdering a pedophile.  She will not be up for parole until she’s 69, and she was locked up when she was 16.  She suffered from fetal alcohol syndrome as a baby and was given up for adoption, where was subjected to severe abuse by her adoptive dad.  She ran away from home and was taken in by a pimp named “Cut Throat”, who fed her lies of loving her and saying he’d take care of her.  He would drug her and rape her daily.  She was also regularly raped by his friends, and he would threaten her life if she tried to refuse getting passed around. Cut Throat eventually threw Cyntoia onto the street to start making money for him, and she was picked up one night by a 43 year-old marine named Johnny.  Johnny took Cyntoia back to his house, where he began showing off his massive gun collection and bragging about how powerful, strong and smart he was. Cyntoia was terrified, knowing that if he turned violent, she had no chance.  Not only because she was a small child, but also because she knew how prostitutes and women of color were viewed and treated.  While they were in bed, he leaned over to the side to grab something, and Cyntoia was convinced that it was a gun.  Not wanting to risk her life or safety, she shot him.

During her evaluation with the court-appointed white, middle aged therapist, Cyntoia was asked why she didn’t just leave the pimp.  She stared directly into his eyes and said strongly, “You’re. Not. Listening. To. Me.” The therapist decided that she had borderline personality because she was emotional and had black and white opinions of people.  He said her lack of trust was due to her mental instability, and the fact that she quickly dismissed people as unsafe was due to her immaturity.  

In the courtroom, the prosecuting attorney (another white, middle-aged man) ripped her apart, saying, “you felt safe enough to eat the Sonic dinner he bought you.  You felt safe enough to use his bathroom.  You felt safe enough to crawl into bed with him. You felt safe enough to fall asleep…” to which Cyntoia replied, “I never slept.”

These are the facts. If you’re anything like me, or an even mildly reasonable human, you’re probably sobbing or lighting everything on fire.  Fuck the law. This girl’s life was destroyed by every system, every “loved one”, every authority figure she was ever under.  But there are infinite (racist, classist, sexist, whorephobic) people out there who choose the side of “justice”, saying Cyntoia is a criminal and a murderer.  That her past doesn’t matter.  She could have left anytime.  She could have just pulled her life together and done the right thing.  That her mental illness caused a harmless marine, who served our great (fascist) nation, to be killed undeservedly. That the fact that she was a child at the time and her brain was underdeveloped doesn’t matter. She “knew what she was doing.”

Brb, gotta sob and light everything on fire again.

“Crazy Nancy” from The Craft is not Cyntoia.  Cyntoia is very real, and she deserves true justice.  She deserves her life back.  She deserves a world and a system that won’t fail her.  She deserves an award for what she did, in my opinion.  You can learn more about her story and how to help at https://socialistworker.org/2017/12/05/cyntoia-brown-should-be-free

Going back to my original point, “Crazy Nancy” is a figure who a lot of girls I grew up with looked up to. She, in her fictional setting, was failed over and over again.  Women and girls in real life have been failed over and over again.  As I always need to mention in every blog—let’s be particularly mindful of the intersectionality of feminism, and the varying severity of experiences within this broad system failure.  “Crazy Nancy” is not THE hero, but for many of my gothlette peers and I growing up, she was our hero.  She was that animalistic side we each possessed that just wanted to feel powerful, lose our shit, be scary so no one would fuck with us, and throw our rapists and abusers out the window with telekinesis to their deaths.  I look out into the world these days, and I feel a little afraid at times.  A lot of us are unleashing that wild, power hungry side that’s felt betrayed and stomped on for too long.  Too long in our lives, too long for our mothers, and too long for our mother’s mothers, and so on.  When we’re told to behave or that we’re not being nice, or to do the “right thing”, we don’t always hear that and think “oh yes, maybe I should calm down. I should really go easy on my enemies and friends who don’t support me. I should always defer to people of greater privilege than myself to tell me what to do.” No. Instead we think, “FUCK YOU!!! DON’T MAKE ME GO BACK IN THAT CAGE!!” *tears out throat and tosses carcass back to the rest of the pack*

I think a lot of us, right now, are at level Nancy.  And I super get it.  At the same time, sigh…. This isn’t how we actually fix things and create deeply rooted, sustainable change.  I know, that bums me out, too.  Which is why, as the title of this blog says, Nancy is the hero we want, but not the hero we need.  I will love you forever, Nancy, but when the credits roll, you get to come out of the movie set asylum and go back to being Fairuza Balk.  If we try to be like you, we’re gonna really fuck shit up in an irreparable way.  But for every abuser, every thief who stole our childhood and innocence, every lying gossip, every rapist, every victim blamer, every slut shamer, and every man who has hurt a woman deeply and then called her “crazy” when he doesn’t want to face his faults, I offer you up a little prayer before taking real action. Because you might not be real, but the writers who created your character pulled from real life inspiration. You can sit with us, but unfortunately, we can’t let you be in charge.

A couple years back, I was at the New Orleans Burlesque Festival with one of my troupes.  I’m not sure how it happened, but my burlesque sister and I got the chance to say, “we are the weirdos, mister” in a real-life situation at a bar.  It was beautiful.  I’m pretty sure my life was complete in that moment.  Let your anger flow and stay weird, friends.  We’ve got a long ride ahead of us.

[imagine-by-susu]

Keywords: (Y/F/N) = Your first Name (Y/L/N) = Your Last Name (Y/H/C) = Your Hair Color (Y/E/C) = Your Eye Color Word Count: 2,414 ________________________________________________________________ Being in war took it‘s toll on many men and also many women. While most of the men were at the front, fighting Nazis, their women hoped that this war would end soon and their men return alive. A few aren‘t lucky with that. Mothers, Wifes and Sisters received news from the army that their loved once died , to quote the army themselves ‚Fighting for their Fatherland‘. Each and every day you could hear cries of grief through the city of New York. Captain America alias Steve Rogers and his best friend James Buchanan ‚Bucky‘ Banres returned with their group of Soldiers after a long fight with some Germans that tried to get over the lines, but Germans lost and the Americans cheered knowing that every small victory against the enemy meant a step further to the big victory. Beaten, but with a big smile on each face, the soldiers reached the camp. Some were directly lead to the med bay and the others went to their tents looking forward to some rest for at least a few minutes. War didn‘t had time for any resting. Steve and Bucky also went to the tents. „I hope this ends soon.“ Steve said sighing and looking up to the sky. The sun slowly setting. His dark haired friend pated his back and smiled up at his old friend. „After Today I‘m sure that our enemies are pissing their pants right now.“ The blond man laughed a little something he didn‘t in awhile. He replied „You‘re right. We should see on the bright side.“ Bucky and Steve smiled at each other. Than Bucky spoke up again „You know what? We deserve a little time out. What about we fetch a drink?“ The Captain knew even when he said no to this request they would be still in a bar a few hours later. So Steve just nodded and both parted to take a quick and needed shower. After putting on cleaner clothes they both met up again and went to the nearest bar that wasn‘t destroied by a bomb. Music could be heared over laugther and people talking and dancing. It was crowded but not in an uncomfortable way. No it was a way that showed that there is still hope and live in all what the people did. Taking a seat at the bar both men ordered some drinks. They talked about everything. About the latest fight, about the war itself, what they missed from the time before the war started and what they would do when all this is over.

Let‘s say it got a bit poetic. Something Steve wouldn‘t expected from his friend but he sure had many drinks. Still, Bucky had a straight posture and he didn‘t look drunk at all. At some point they talked about what motivated them. Motivated them to get up every damn day in this war. „The World needs Captain America. They need someone who can lead them to a great victory.“ Steve explained and Bucky nodded knowing what his friend meant. Steve Rogers wasn‘t little Stevie anymore. This whole expirment changed him and not in just the way how tall and strong he is now. He wanted to change the world. He wanted to save people. „What about you Bucky? What keeps you alive?“ Steve than asked not sure what his friend may answer. Steve wasn‘t the only one who changed. Bucky was a childish men before he went to war. Always looking out for adventures. Or Women for that matter. It got on Steves nerves sometimes, but he wouldn‘t know what he would do with out Bucky. Now in the war, Bucky grow up. He became a man that would die for his country and his people. Bucky smiled a hals smile and reached into his jacket pocket. He pulled out a Picture. Cut out from a magazine, Steve asumed, looked two pairs of (Y/E/C) right into Steves eyes. „Are you serious Buck?“ Steve laughed a little. He pulled Buckys drink from his grasp. With a roll of his blue eyes, Bucky pulled his drink away from Steve. Then he looked at the picture. „I‘m more than serious. This girl is the reason why I‘m here.“ Bucky remembered it clearly when he first saw an article with this Girl. - The war just started a year ago. Live was hard. But some had taken the chance to show men that the army was the right choice to end this game of violence. Bucky would shook his head at all the men that swooned over some Girls printed on paper, showing off a lot of skin. After a really hard day at the factory that Bucky worked at he got into the crowded bus that brought him back home. He looked around when he suddenly took a glance at a paper a man held in his hands. A girl with a bright smile adorned the whole page. Her (Y/H/C) styled into an upright pin curl style, red lips formed into a bright smile that showed off pearly white teeth, her (Y/E/C) were stood out with the way the make up was done. She wore a way too short military uniform and in her right hand she held the american flag high up into the air. The left hand was on her hips. The headlines were saying ‚Join the Army!‘ ‚Bring Victory one day nearer!‘. Bucky didn‘t know this Girl but the female stole his heart right away. Still amzed, Bucky nearly missed his stop. After he got out of the bus in time, he made his way to the nearest store. When he entered he made his way straight up to the magazines, seaching for the unknown Girl he saw on the paperes only moments ago. He found what he seeked in no time. The man paid quickly and went out the store making his way down to his home. Meanwhile he flicked through the pages. Everywhere he could was a picture of this Girl. All in different themes. Bucky found at that this Girl was named (Y/F/N) (Y/L/N) a new Pin Up Girlfor the magazines. In the year that the war went on she got very populat due to her looks and smiles that would seduce men right into the army. That was when Bucky knew he would join the Army. Of course he wanted that before he saw (Y/F/N) but now he was 110 % sure he wanted it. And thats what he did. He joined the Army and he got far. He was a great soldier. When ever he felt that he loses his mind he would look at pictures of the (Y/H/C) haired girl with her big, bright smile and in an instant everything was well again. - „You can say she saved my life over and over.“ Bucky than said still looking at the picture. Steve rolled his eyes now. Than he said „You know what? This Girl doesn‘t even know you exist. How came that you fall for someone you don‘t know?“ Steve was sure his friend had more than enough drinks and let his friend out of the bar that was still filled with men and women dancing the night away. A bit tipsy but not completely drunk Bucky walked beside his muscular friend. „oh Come on Stevie. You and Miss Carter weren‘t exactly a perfect match when you joined us. And now you two act like a married couple.“ A little blush appeared on the blonds cheeks. Looking the other way so his friend wouldn‘t see he responded „Bucky, like I said this Girl has no clue that you exist and...“ before he could continue he was interrupted by his friend „Yet. She has no clue yet, Stevie. I tell you when this war is over I will find her and will tell her what I feel.“ Steve shook his head. „Okay Buck. That was for sure enough drinking for you we should take you to bed. As fast as possible.“ Bucky whined like a little child but Steve just let him effect that and put his friend to bed. ________________________________________________________________ Time went by slowly. The war was still on and the tension grew thicker with each passing day. Every Fight would drain the live out of the men. Losing more and more friends was hard for everyone. The only thing that could cheer them up was that the enemies, too are drained and hadn‘t the strength they had before. And with now winning another meaningfull fight all Soldiers planed on going to a bar to celebrate. The same Bar Steve and Bucky were just a few weeks ago. Said men both came along with their friends to celebrate that they are not dead yet. Like the other day the bar was crowed with people dancing and drinking. The music echoed into the room giving a comfortable atmosphere. Steve and his friends sat on a table and ordered their drinks.

Bucky looked around the bar not really interested in the stories his friends had to tell. He stopped looking when caught side of a familiar (Y/H/C) color. He shook his head, he blamed the lack of sleep and the many pictures that he had of (Y/F/N). But when he saw those shimmering (Y/E/C) eyes he was sure that this wasn‘t just his imagination. With a quick nod of his head he excused himself from his friends and got up to find the Girl he was looking for. As quick as he saw her as quick he lost her again. He looked all around the little bar and was ready to give up when suddenly a womans voice made him look up. „Excuse me but I need to get through...“ and there she was. (Y/F/N) (Y/L/N). Her (Y/H/C) was in a classic bombshell style and she wore a dark blue dress that hugged her hips perfectly and it ran losly around her legs to her knees. Her red painted lips had this big smile he knew so well. She had two drinks in her hand and tried to get to a table. Buck stepped aside a little ashamed. „Ehm...sorry.“ She looked into his eyes and shook her head. „Don‘t worry.“ Than she got to her table and put the glasses down. Bucky watched her as she sat down beside a Girl with short brown hair and a green dress. He asumed it was a friend. Suddenly she looked and met his gaze again. Bucky felt a chill ran down his spine when he saw her. He felt guilty for being so creepy. Too deep in thought he didn‘t realized that the girl got up and went to him again. „Is there a reason you‘re watching me?“ she asked amused. Caught off guard the dark haired man rubbed his neck nervously. „I...ehm...yes ..I mean no. God this is emberessing.“ The Girl laughed and Bucky thought his heard stopped by hearing her angelic laugh. „I don‘t bite. No reason to be nervous.“ that made Bucky smile a little. He reached his hand out. „I‘m Bucky.“ Without any hesitation she took his hand and shook it firmly. „(Y/F/N. But by the way you look at me I think you know who I am.“ Now feeling like a total stalker he looked down. „Yeah. Sorry I didn‘t want to look like a Creep.“ She waved it off with her fragile hand. A smile adorned her red lips. „I mean. It is quite hard to talk to someone who I have a lot of photos around my room...“ he than relaized how wrong it sounded. „Dang it...it didn‘t mean...“ but her laugh interrupted him. She held her hand to her mouth to silence her laughter. „Believe me you‘re one of the few guys who aren‘t creepy.“ Bucky let out a reliefed sigh nd than smiled a little at her and he could make the slightest blush on her cheeks. She is so cute, the Soldier thought. „You wanna fetch a drink with me?“ he then offered to her and mentioned to the bar. With a little nod of hers they both sat down on the bar stools. They ordered drinks and started talking. „So you‘re in the Army?“ she started and he nodded. „Yeah. Always wanted to. But the last thing to sattle that down was photo of you.“ he confessed. He made a complete fool of himself before so now he could continue it. She smiled a bit. „Let me guess. The one where I hold up the Flag.“ Bucky nodded and laughed togther with her. (Y/F/N) was just like Bucky imagined her to be. Lively, cute and so nice. They talked the whole night. About their Jobs, the war and thir Families. „Do you miss your Family?“ she than asked and Bucky nodded sipping on his drink. „Yeah. I do. But I will come back to them when the war is over.“ he looked her deep in the eyes and she looked away to emberessed to look him in those blue eyes. „What makes you sure to survive this?“ curiousity takes a toll on her. A few moments past till Bucky answered. „Well. I had the same conversation with my best friend. And I will tell you the same as I did to him. I have to come back to the Girl I fell in love. My friend thinks I‘m crazy just because she doesn‘t know me. Yet.“ He looked into his now empty glas. (Y/F/N) felt a pang in her chest as he mentioned that he fell in love already. Of course he would. He is a eye sight. She puts her hand over his and looked him straight in the eyes. „Like you said she doesn‘t know you yet. I believe she will love you back if she sees you.“ she said with a smile. Bucky laid his other hand on hers. „I think I just managed that.“ with that he leaned to her gave her a light kiss. Confused (Y/F/N) wided her (Y/E/C) eyes. Her whole face was now red as a tomato. Bucky smiled a bit. „Since I saw this picture of you in the papers I knew I had to fight. To make it possible to meet you.“ she couldn‘t believe it. With any other Guy she would have punched him right in the face but with Bucky it was so different. No other words were needed as she pressed her red lips against his full ones. ________________________________________________________________ First GIF is mine the second is not! I’m a big Bucky fan so if you want some Bucky imgines request them! Sorry my English is bad hope you still like it. Requests are open!

[parkersrevenge]

Anonymous submitted:

The Poe/Mutter Fic Chapter one

The dark haired man with pale skin clutches the hand of his young wife tightly; together they stare at the brightly colored sign denoting the entrance to a doctor’s office, the only practice in Philadelphia they haven’t yet visited. The doctor is new in town and has very few patients, but rumors say he studied with the greats in France, and the man is a Virginian- Edgar is wary, but hopeful that this doctor will be able to help them.

Upon entering the office there are two severely burned women glancing hopefully towards the door the examination room, the doctor is seen escorting yet another burned woman out of the room shortly.

“Just rest now Miss Hunter, I’m sure I’ll be able to help you. Unfortunately, you’re too tense for me to operate safely. I’ll be by in the next few days to massage your scars and loosen your muscles. Please don’t hesitate to let me know if there’s anything else I can do for you.” He smiles gently and has her hold onto his arm until she exits the practice.

The burned women have a hopeful glint in their eyes while Poe struggles to maintain his composure, surely these disfigured beings resemble monsters more than women. Virginia coughs and once again his focus is on his dear wife.

The doctor sweet talks the burnt women, marvelling at the beauty of their umarred patches of skin, “Why Miss Price, Miss Tuner, I’ve no doubt the two of you will be some of the finest belles of the ball once you’ve healed from the surgery. I’ll stop by tomorrow morning to begin preparing you for the surgery.”

The women giggle, and smile as much as their scar tissue will allow, Poe can’t help but think to himself how loose these people are. Why else would a woman fawn over a dandy physician to flatters them with promises of impossible procedures with the obvious intent of sleeping with them, for shame. He nearly steers Virginia out the door, but the two women are blocking the exit with their skirts as they leave, and very soon the doctor is upon them.

Before Poe can fully realize what is happening, Dr. Mütter has already kissed his wife’s knuckles and has held his hand out to shake. “Sir! Madam! What ails you that you’ve come to see me?” Edgar takes the outstretched hand warily.

“My wife is very ill, and every other doctor in Philadelphia insists there is nothing to be done. We would like a last opinion before heading South to the healing springs that Dr. Meigs had suggested.”

Virginia smiled gently as though to say “Edgar wants a second opinion.”

The doctor has to stop himself from scoffing at the mention of the healing springs, but the man spoke so passionately of them that he couldn’t bring himself to crush those hopes.

“What are your names so that I may put you in my ledger books?”

“Edgar and Virginia Poe.” she answers softly, squeezing her husband’s hand gently as a reminder to behave.

Thomas Mütter writes the names down quickly before standing straight and offering a kind smile and arm to Virginia. “Mrs. Poe, would you please follow me to the examination room?”

“I will not have you seducing my wife.” Edgar spat.

“Sir, in order to ascertain what is making the patient ill, she must be examined.” Thomas explained calmly then gave a gentle laugh. “In any regard I am married.”

“If you are married, why did you flirt with those…women? You are loose sir.”

“Mr. Poe, those sweet ladies have been suffering from their burns since they were children and are currently very nearly past marrying age. If I see it fit to try and raise the spirits of my depressed patients by complimenting them on the source of their self hatred, then by God sir, it is no business of yours.”

“Your wife must be a very lucky woman Dr. Mütter, to have married a man who seeks to make others feel well in both their soul and body as you do. Perhaps you could remind my dear Edgar of how singular his eyes are.” She smiles warmly at the doctor, bumping her husband’s hip lightly with her own before coughing again.

“Why, Mr. Poe, you simply have the loveliest violet eyes I’ve ever seen. If I were a woman I would swoon upon being treated to their glance.” Thomas replies jovially with a touch of a flush against his pale cheeks. Virginia laughs brightly, which is the only reason Edgar forgives the embarrassment.

“Mrs. Poe if you will, and Mr. Poe you’re more than welcome to come along and correct my observations if you please.”

The couple follows the doctor through the door, and he sits them in two very comfortable chairs while he himself occupies a rickety wooden stool. “How long have the two of you lived in Philadelphia? I recognize Mr. Poe’s accent as that of my own, a true man of Virginia.”

Poe rolls his eyes. “What does this have to do with healing my wife?”

“Mr. Poe, it is important to me to become acquainted with my patients personally so that the treatment may progress with an element of trust that is not solely reliant on my medical training.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“That may be true, but you were the one who came into my practice seeking help.” He smiles warmly.

“Barely a month.” Virginia answers the question gently. “Not long enough to have formed any real friendships.”

“Ah but a man may make a friend wherever he pleases should he only consider all of mankind a friend! If you’re in need of any Mrs. Poe, my wife is part of a quilting circle and I’m sure they’d love to have you.” Thomas smiles again, and Poe is beginning to question the other man’s sanity.

Virginia beams. “That’s very kind of you Dr. Mütter. I’m sure we’d have had friends by now, but as you’ve noticed, Eddy isn’t exactly the most personable of men.”

“Rest assured Mrs. Poe, if needed the two of you will always find a friend in me. Mrs. Poe what exactly seems to be the matter with your health?”

“I am believed to have phthisis.”

Dr. Mütter looked down at the tidy floor of his room, lips pursed gently into a frown, when he glanced back up his eyes were filled only with grief. “I’m so sorry. But, I’m afraid that all I can do is tell you to eat well, exercise regularly, and rest.” The doctor nearly looked as though he might cry. “We- the medical community, I mean- we have no way of treating it. I wish I could do something. I’m so terribly sorry.”

“Then we’ll have to go south to the springs.” Edgar insisted.

“There’s no healing in those waters Mr. Poe, those who tell you otherwise only want your money, not for your wife to be made well.”

“That’s a load of-” a stern look from Virginia silences him.

“Mr. Poe, if I was only after your money wouldn’t I be trying to sell you a miracle cure knowing that you’re at your last hope? I want you to be able to keep your money to make yourselves as happy as possible. It’s very likely that Mrs. Poe will be able to improve some with cool mountain air and exercise, but that’s not something that I can truly give to you or to anyone for that matter.”

“Going to the mountains is simply not a possibility.” Virginia said sternly, turning to her husband.

“But-”

“No, your work requires you to be in the city, and you have yet to take up that dispute with Mr. Bob at the publisher’s office. I will exercise and see to it that we have friends in the neighborhood, you needn’t concern yourself with me.” “You are my wife.”

“Yes, and I am telling you that in order to keep us financially secure and me happy we simply must stay in the city. That is final Edgar.”

Though Thomas wouldn’t dare say it now, what with Edgar so terribly upset, he was delighted that Mrs. Poe was standing up for herself like that, of course he was also perturbed that she’d sacrifice her health so blithely, but she had a fire in her that was most admirable, and who was he to judge others, he’d been sacrificing his health for the good of others for years.

“You are to tell me, Dr. Mütter, that you will offer those women an impossible surgery to turn their monstrous forms human, but you will not help my wife.”

“Mr. Poe, that surgery is not impossible, I have learned the methodology from the doctors in Paris. I unfortunately, have no way of curing your wife. I’ll continue looking to see if there’s anything that may be tried, and if I find something I will alert you immediately.”

Poe was about to yell that, that wasn’t enough, but Virginia simply smiled, “Thank you for your generosity doctor, but I’m afraid I’ve come to terms with my fate, any false hope will only hurt my husband more in the end.”

Mütter nodded solemnly, he had yet to inform his wife of his terrible illness that had plagued him from childhood. “I’m afraid you and I are quite alike Mrs. Poe.”  

Edgar, simply looked at the solemn look in the doctor’s eyes and was forced to come to terms with the fact that the man was telling the truth. “You care too much to be a doctor,” was all he said before he led his wife away, leaving a few coins on the ledger book out front.

Thomas was forced to agree with the statement, but that was exactly why he was a doctor, he cared too much.

[jameshboyd]

Resurrection Realities: The Miracle of Easter

(The angel said) “Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen.”-Luke 24:5-6

“Christianity has died many times and risen again; for it has a God who knows the way out of the grave.”-G.K. Chesterton (1)

Whether adorning a majestic church spire or dangling from a necklace, the Cross is the universally recognized symbol of the Christian faith, and for good reason. We look back on the cross with awe and reverence, recalling the unmeasurable depths of God’s love paying the ultimate price to reconcile us to Him (2). The great preacher Charles Spurgeon puts it beautifully:

“We will by faith put ourselves at the foot of the little knoll of Calvary. There we see in the center between two thieves the Son of God made flesh, nailed by His hands and feet, and dying in an anguish that words cannot portray. Look steadfastly and devoutly, gazing through your tears…I will ask you first to smite your breasts, as you remember that you see in Him your own sins…Then see the greatness of your sins that required so vast a sacrifice…If Jehovah did not spare His Son, how little would He have spared guilty, worthless men if He had dealt with us after our sins and rewarded us according to our iniquities.”(3)

Although it seems repulsive to our natural minds, it is truly beautiful to consider how such a hideous instrument of torture and death could become a symbol of life and hope to millions . This is because the story doesn’t end at the cross. Rather, it leads up to an event so powerful, so dramatic that it has split our calender in half into “B.C.” and “A.D.”! I am referring, of course, to Jesus’ bodily Resurrection from the dead. Often referred to as “The Capstone in the Arch of Christianity,” Jesus’ Resurrection is the “seal” which authenticates everything He said, did and stood for.

Consider for a moment the common objections skeptics have toward the Christian faith: “Churches are full of hypocrites.” “Religion has caused wars and other atrocities.” “If that’s what Christianity is all about, I want no part of it.” But that is not what Christianity is all about. I certainly do not deny that some heinous things have been done in Christ’s name, but that is totally irrelevant to the ultimate truth of Christianity. Neither the Crusades, the Salem Witch Trials nor the more recent televangelist scandals can undo the irrefutable, historical fact of the Resurrection. As Christian philosopher Ravi Zacharias observes:

It all seems so simplistic, does it not? A group of gullible, pre-scientific men, succumbing to the illusions and deceptions of their day. Yet, every piece of evidence mustered, including the prophecies that long preceded the event itself and the unexplainable change in the courage and confidence of the early believers, supported by the empirical evidence, argues powerfully for the truth of it all. (4)

In this study, we will look at a few of these evidences. On numerous occasions, prominent scholars have researched this topic, and to the surprise of many, have strongly verified the historicity of the Gospel accounts. One example would be Dr. Simon Greenleaf, the Royall Professor of Law at Harvard University. Dr. Greenleaf is considered one of the world’s top authorities on legal evidences. After applying this expertise to the Resurrection, he concluded that it was, in fact, an historical reality. His research is available in a book called The Testimony of the Evangelists.Another example would be British lawyer Frank Morrison. He set out to write a book repudiating the Resurrection and instead found the evidence so overwhelming he actually became a believer himself! His findings can be read in his book,Who Moved The Stone? Similarly, journalist Lee Strobel began his quest as a skeptic attempting to discredit the Christian faith, but wound up having his own life-changing encounter with the risen Jesus. His story is told in the popular book The Case For Christ. As we shall see, these men came to their conclusions based on verifiable historical and archeological facts which make Jesus’ Resurrection the single most provable event in human history.

Three of the most common arguments used to deny the Resurrection are:

1. Jesus did not really die on the cross. Rather, He simply “swooned” or lost consciousness. Later, He revived and walked out of the tomb Himself.

2. His disciples stole His body.

3. The four Gospel accounts of the Resurrection are worded differently, each including details omitted by the others. Therefore, they are contradictory and cannot be trusted.

Of course, the first two arguments are totally ridiculous in light of the facts. As anyone who has seen the movie The Passion can attest, the horror of crucifixion (which included a whipping so brutal that it alone was often fatal) was not something a person could simply survive and walk away from. Jesus’ death was confirmed when a Roman guard put a spear into His side (John 19:32-34). This resulted in a discharge of blood and water, which indicated that the cause of death was a constriction of the fluid sac surrounding the heart. Later, a Roman soldier reported to Pilate that Jesus was indeed dead (Mark 15:44, 45). Jesus’ body was then wrapped for burial and placed in the tomb by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (John 19:38-40). The tomb’s entrance was sealed with a heavy, disc shaped stone weighing between one and a half and two tons. A stone of this size would take approximately 20 strong, healthy men in order to move it. In addition, the tomb was guarded by elite Roman soldiers who would be brutally executed (burned alive) if the tomb was disturbed (5). Obviously, this does away with any possibility that Jesus’ body could have been stolen. Also, as we shall examine shortly, the disciples were willing to suffer and die for their faith in the Resurrection. Why would they do this if they had staged the whole thing by stealing the body?

Moving on to the third argument, it is true that each Gospel narrative puts a unique perspective on the Resurrection account. But is this a contradiction? Not at all. Each Gospel features its own special points of emphasis, and these additional details are complimentary, not contradictory. The notes on Matthew 28 in the Scofield Study Bible combine all four narratives to produce a very helpful time line of the post-resurrection events:

1. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, start for the sepulchre, followed by other women bearing spices. The three find the stone rolled away, and Mary Magdalene goes to tell the disciples (Luke 23:55-24:9; John 20:1-2).

2. Mary, the mother of James, draws nearer to the tomb and sees the angel of the Lord (Matthew 28:2). She goes back to meet the other women following with the spices.

3. Meanwhile, Peter and John, warned by Mary Magdalene, arrive, look in and go away (John 20:3-10).

4. Mary Magdalene returns weeping, sees the two angels, then Jesus (John 20:11-18) and goes as He bade her to tell the disciples.

5. Mary (mother of James and Joses), meanwhile, has met the women with the spices and, returning with them, they see the TWO angels (Luke 24:4-5; Mark 16:5). They also receive the angelic message, and going to seek the disciples, are met by Jesus (Matthew 28:8-10). (6)

One of the most striking evidences for the Resurrection is its immediate impact on the religious world of the day. With the founding of the church in 32 AD, we see a sudden change in the day of worship. This is significant because all of the early Christians were Jews coming from a strict background of observing the seventh day Sabbath. Once they became Christians, however, they made their day of worship Sunday, the first day of the week (Acts 20:6-12; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2) (7). This was done in order to commemorate Christ’s Resurrection on that day (Matthew 28:1-7; Mark 16:1-9; Luke 24:1-8; John 20:1-16). In addition, we see new ordinances practiced by Christians from the very beginning of church history. These include Lord’s Supper, i.e. Communion or Eucharist, which represents Jesus’ broken Body and shed Blood, as well as baptism, which represents His death, burial and Resurrection. In addition, the Resurrection is depicted in Christian art found in the catacombs dating back to the time of the persecutions. The First Century Church has also left numerous other monuments to this history altering event, such as hymns and church readings done in honor of the Resurrected Christ (8).

This brings us to the strongest evidence of all: The fact that the risen Jesus was seen alive by over 500 eye witnesses! If these appearances were a delusion, how could this many people testify to the exact same thing?

This is especially significant when we consider that many of them were tortured and killed for bearing witness to it. Would people endure this for something they knew to be false? We also see the dramatic conversions of two previous skeptics: James, brother of Jesus (1 Corinthians 15:7) and a brilliant scholar named Saul of Tarsus, who we now know as the mighty apostle Paul (1 Corinthians 15:8-9).(9) Again, I quote from Zacharias:

“Paul was too much of a thinker to construct his life on an uncertain foundation of credulity. He shunned all deductions that were based on false premises. Yet, this persecutor of the early church, who had called for the death penalty for those “seduced” by the Christian message, found himself a trailblazer for the cause of Christ. It was the knowledge and conviction that Christ had truly broken the chains of death and conquered the grave that gave Paul his hope.” (10)

It is also noteworthy that, in his own commentary on the Resurrection, Paul states that most of these 500 witnesses were still alive at the time (1 Corinthians 15:6). In other words, the reader could easily ask them about the things they had seen.

The Resurrection narratives strike at the very core of who we are as human beings. To anyone who has ever lost a loved one, whether it be to a long, painful illness or a sudden calamity such as a car accident, the shadow of death is a continual reality in our lives. We gaze into the coffin knowing full well that one day we are destined to be there ourselves. Hebrews 2:15 tells us that the fear of death will hold our entire lives in bondage. In other words, until this fear is dealt with, we will never truly learn to live. Knowing this reality makes Jesus’ promise all the more precious: “..because I live, ye shall live also” (John 14:19).

Friend, it all comes down to this question: Is what Jesus did a reality in your own life? Have you recognize your own sinfulness and need of God’s grace and forgiveness?

Everything Jesus did on that cross was for YOU! He took the punishment we deserved and paid the price so that we could be reconciled to God. Through Jesus, we can have a relationship with Him that will last forever. If you have never received this precious gift, why not open your heart to Jesus today?

© 2006 JHB

1-Quoted i The Real face of Atheism by Ravi Zacharias. 2004, Baker Books, Grand Rapids, MI. p. 146.

2-For a detailed study of Jesus’ crucifixion, see our article The Cross: Violent Grace, http://www.james-dave.com/violentgrace.html

3-From the sermon “Mourning at the Sight of the Crucified” by Charles Haddon Spurgeon. From the book The Power of the Cross of Christ. Compiled and edited by Lance Wubbels. 1995, Emerald Books, Lynnwood, WA. pp. 184-185.

4-Zacharias, p. 147

5-McDowell, Josh. A Ready Defense. 1990, Sixth Printing 1992. Here’s Life Publishers, Inc, San Bernidino, CA. Compiled by Bill Wilson. pp.226-230.

6- Scofield Study Bible. Edited by C.I. Scofield, D.D. New York, Oxford University Press. 1909, 1917; Copyright renewed 1937, 1945. p. 1043.

7-Little, Paul. Know Why You Believe. Third Edition, 1988 by Marie Little. Intervarsity Press, Downers Grove, Ill. pp. 50-51

8-Kennedy, D. James. Why I Believe. 1980. Word Publishing, Inc. Dallas, TX.pp. 107-108.

9-Zacharias, p. 147 10-Ibid.

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I really liked this, so I transcribed it here to share:“The More You Tell, The More You Sell.Your ad is your salesman. Don’t gag him by limiting his words.The one unquestioned “truth” most big ad agencies buy into is…people will not read a lot of copy in an advertisement. Online, offline, on Websites, in magazines, on TV.They believe this with the fervor of a Kamikaze pilot. That’s why they come up with – and base entire campaigns on – cute slogans, meaningless slivers of copy, and incoherent jingles.On the other hand…the one proven truth that all direct marketers known from experience is…Customers Love Long Copy When It’s Targeted To Their Passions.I once wrote a 23-page letter (twenty-three!) to bodybuilders, which mailed profitably for several years. It was all about a hot new supplement that helped you recover faster from brutal workouts, skip the soreness other guys suffered, and enjoy a measurable surge in testosterone that would create powerful new muscle faster than you ever dreamed possible.Included were five pages crammed with detailed analysis of ingredients with unpronounceable names. Two pages of charts. No photos at all. It was page after page of dense, detailed copy.And bodybuilders ate it up, because it was all about them. Every sentence connected with their passion for their sport. Challenged some notions they had about weight training while supporting others which seemed like revelations. And every page read like a…“Can’t Put It Down Detective Story!”I’ve written dozens of three and four-page magazine ads. And I’m talking about ads that run in major publications, like Golf Digest, Muscle and Fitness, and Men’s Journal. One or two small photos, at most, and the rest of the pages thick with copy.These “monster sized” ads often work so well…they actually change the way the magazine looks. After other smart marketers see my ads appearing time and again, and rightly figure out these super-long pieces are raking it in, they follow suite. It usually takes about 18 months…but suddenly the magazine is rife with long copy ads.Some of my most successful Websites are single-scroll pages that equal over 30 sheets of manuscript (By “single scroll”, I mean there are no links on the site – you just keep scrolling down to read the entire site. The only link I usually use is for sending the reader to the shopping cart, when he’s in a lather to buy.)I’ve written ads that fill entire pages of newspapers. That’s equivalent of 4 pages of manuscript copy, single spaced.The average direct mail letter I write is at least 8 pages long, with several other pages of accompanying material. I’ve penned magalogs that took 30 pages of manuscript to fill.In fact, the 3 x 5 postcards I’ve written contain twice the copy you would find in an average ad agency-created advertisement.Why do I write such long ads?Because That’s What Works!Salespeople who work face-to-face with customers know “The more you tell, the more you sell.” They wouldn’t dream of sitting across from a prospect and trying to win them over with cutesy slogans, or, God forbid, by singing to them.No. A great salesman knows – to make the sale – he must present all the benefits of his product, in ways that directly affect the selfish desires and needs of his customers. He must meet an entire menu of objections, with clear, honest and believable answers that satisfy completely.No one wants to be an “easy” sell. It’s not in our nature. We need to be persuaded. And that takes some dedicated talking.Well, guess what?Your Ad Is Your Door-To-Door Salesman!Your letter or print ad or Website or video is literally going door to door at thousands of residences. And that little ad is completely alone. There’s no back-up. No second chance to clarify anything.You wouldn’t send a salesman out there dressed like a clown, would you? Have him approach potential customers, do something silly, then run off singing an inane slogan? Would you?Of course you wouldn’t.Your ad is your salesman. Your customers won’t know about the handcrafted details, the rare ingredients, the Swedish design, the way women will look at them when they use your product…Unless You TELL Them!They didn’t ask for your presence in their lives. They didn’t invite you in. You barged into their awareness completely unannounced.So, if you have something to say, say it. And don’t handcuff yourself by setting limits on the number of words you use.Remember: The more you tell, the more you sell.There is one “catch” to this of course. Your customer will NOT be bored, and will NOT struggle to finish your thoughts. He will NOT “make the connection” of your vague metaphors.He will NOT do your pitch for you.However… if you share his passion…and focus your copy on things that excite him…and meet his needs, and counter his objections…and feed his own interests…He Will Read Every Friggin’ Word You Write!Have you ever sat around talking with a car nut? He will prattle endlessly and with palpable passion about overhead cam shafts, Hearst 5-speed trannies, and why the only ’62 Chevy Impala worth owning is the muscle car with the beefy 326 cubic inche engine, not the one with the anemic 283.Or a musician. He’ll swoon over talk about a rhythm section in the pocket, single-coil lipstick pickups, tube screamer stomp boxes and the ethereal tone of a tweed Fender Twin. Did you know that the great bluesman Stevie Ray Vaughn filled the recording studio with Twin Reverb amps, and le ft them on for days until the tubes were brittle with heat…just so he could get the exact tone he wanted for blues guitar? That is dedication, man.That is also a great example of targeted detail. I lost all the non-guitar enthusiasts way back there…but I "got” all the musicians. If that was my intended audience, I won. I’ve now got their undivided attention. And who cares if you lose the part of the audience you don’t want?Don’t waste a moment trying to appease anyone who doesn’t share your passion. Instead, concentrate on selling your soul-mates.How do you write long copy that stays in the “pocket” of your intended customer’s passion? You use…“Reason Why” Copy.“Reason Why” copy simply means that you explain everything you say…using good, catchy, believable reasons that convince the reader.Great copy explains itself as it goes along. With a folksy swagger that the reader can trust, because “It’s just us car nuts talking, man”. Forget about all that stilted prose you see in most ads: “When one feels the temptation to engage in libations, one chooses a superior Scotch…”Horseshit. Write like you talk. And talk like you would if you were sitting face-to-face with your reader. Just yakking away about your shared passions.And, oh, by the way…you have something here he might find very interesting.In order to sell, you must romance. Seduce. Use a little foreplay, for God’s sake. Show that you can be trusted, that you know what you’re talking about, that what you have to offer really is a fabulous deal.And you can’t do that while talking like you…Have A Stick Up Your Ass.Have you ever bought anything from a salesperson you really liked? You felt a small bond with him, agreed with his worldview, felt he really was on your side and honestly wanted to see you happy?It’s a funny thing. Often, the best salesperson on staff is NOT the guy with perfectly coifed hair, the sharp dresser with the handsome profile and deep baritone voice.No. Often, the best salesperson is the schleppy little mutt who always looks like he slept in his clothes, always seems to be having a bad hair day, tends to mumble a bit.What’s his secret? Personality. The guy understands his fellow humans…and actually cares about them. He’s a little odd, sure, but he’s lovable. And he knows what he’s talking about.That’s how you want to write. Put some goddamn personality into your words, Bucko. Let the reader know there’s another human being on the other side of your letter. Someone with hopes, fears, desires and needs…Just Like His!Romance him like you would a lover. Be that guy other people love to hang around…because you’ve been places, seen things, discovered some really juicy and exciting secrets. Secrets you are here to share.Treat your reader the way you want to be treated. (That’s the Golden Rule, isn’t it?) If you were gonna consider buying a product like this…wouldn’t you want to know what was in it? If it really performed as advertised? If it really was a good deal? If this thing could actually satisfy your passion?It takes a lot of copy to cover those bases.And be honest. This is a master’s level sales secret. Be completely honest about your product. Reveal a flaw or two. There’s never been a perfect product manufactured in the history of man. Everything has something wrong with it. And everyone knows it.When you admit the limits of your product, you gain credit for being honest. You’re a straight talkin’ guy. You’re someone who can be trusted to tell the truth.The thing is…by revealing a flaw or two…you shine a brighter light on the positive benefits of your product. Normally, people won’t believe anything you say. They take all boasting with a big grain of salt. They…Assume You’re Going To Stretch The Truth.So astonish him. Be different. When you’re honest, and you prove it… you are no longer in the same category as all other advertisers. (Those lying bastards.) Nope. You’re a straight shooter. You tell it like it is.You’re one of us, man.A few last points: First, never talk down to your customers, as if you are the teacher and they are pitifully inadequate students. Readers will not be put down. They will not be lectured. Or bored.Instead, use yourself as the bad example: “I used to be that cocky guy who thought he would never get sick. And I don’t have to tell you what a shock it was to wake up one day and realize you arthritis. Yes, you and I share this crippling disease…”Second: Consider the personality you put into your writing your “secret weapon” against competitors… especially if your product is pretty much identical to everyone else’s. Personality is how you set yourself apart. Given the choice of dealing with a soulless corporation, or a passionate, but slightly eccentric guy…all other things being equal…you will win the sale.Lastly: your sales pitch must be complete. You need the same detailed persuasiveness to sell a $19 widget as you do to sell a $199 gold-plated widget.In fact, experienced marketers know that it sometimes takes MORE persuasion to get a customer to part with twenty bucks than it does to part with hundreds of dollars. It’s human nature. We tend to sweat the pennies, and be oddly casual about the dollars.The lesson: Don’t scrimp on your sales pitch. Cover all the bases, every time.

[thekoreanlass]

Also known as Tempted (위대한 유혹자; Widaehan Yuhokja) is a 2018 South Korean television series starring Woo Dohwan, Park Sooyoung, Moon Gayoung and Kim Minjae. It is loosely based on the French novel titled Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. It aired on MBC from March 12–May 1, 2018.

The Cast

Woo Dohwan as Kwon Sihyun Park Sooyoung as Eun Taehee Moon Gayoung as Choi Sooji Kim Minjae as Lee Sejoo

The Plot

The series depicts rich young men and women in their twenties who discover their true feelings while playing the dangerous game of love. In an act of revenge, Kwon Shihyun makes a bet with his friends to seduce Eun Taehee, who believes people that are swayed by love are pathetic. After Eun Taehee meets Kwon Sihyun, her view on love starts to change. As Sihyun’s secret deepens, he starts to fall in love with Taehee

Review

And so, as the description above says, The Great Seducer is loosely based on the French novel ‘Dangerous Liaisons’. I read a little about how the summary goes in that novel and found that it mostly centers the game that the rich anti-hero started with one of her lovers. She also plays with lives of those weaker than her and her lover, a known seducer, plans on playing fire with an innocent soul. Indeed, that screams of ‘corruption’, but not the corruption you know. In a psychological sense, the corruption of the soul. Ruining someone’s true self for self-gratification, to feed ones already big ego.

Isn’t that great?

The novel is as bold as the French culture is. They love art to an extent–that is free, liberated. That I guess, the original is better in terms of content, consistency, the story build up or the character build up.

MBC’s attempt in loosely adapting the concept is a bit of a failure if we’re talking about consistency. I mean, the beginning of the story where they introduced the dark, extravagant life of those three friends–Sihyun, Sejoo and Sooji–is great. It shows how privileged they are because they are rich, but it also shows the ugly part of being in their status. That to stay on top, they have to constantly watch their backs, they are forced to do things that make them lose themselves, and they live in constant hollowness. Sihyun doesn’t even blink an eye when he plays with people’s feelings. Sejoo does the same and thinks that everything is a funny game. Sooji enjoys seeing others suffer for trivial reasons; for her own pleasure.

Isn’t that just as twisted as it should be? I found this part of the story really heavy, but at least it is true to its concept at that time.

But just as Eun Taehee’s character was introduced, it was as if everything was all rainbows and unicorns and girl power. She became the ice that cooled the fire down and brought a little more color to the story by being the light in Kwon Sihyun’s dark world. However, no matter how great the chemistry is, the premature build up of the characters ruined my expectations. I mean, I’m okay that Kwon Sihyun is like the tsundere type of guy that softened through time because of Taehee, but Taehee’s a different story. In the story’s description, before it even started airing, Taehee is labeled as someone who doesn’t easily believe in love. Plus, she started appearing the series as a tough chick who we are all sure won’t easily fall for the bad boy, but then what happened? She is easily swept off her feet by the seducer in just a few episodes and they even kissed.

It would have been really nice if she had strongly brushed Kwon Sihyun’s attempts to swoon her a little longer and with more resolve that her character didn’t appear so weak. I found Taehee’s character bold, but sometimes she can’t stand for herself, but honestly I’m glad I know Joy so I can’t say that her acting sucked. I still believe she did really better in this project that in her first acting gig (The Liar and His Lover) and that the cause of this loophole in character development is actually the script, how it is written and how they are described in paper.

Then there’s Sooji who is the mastermind of the vicious game they started. The game that says for Sihyun to seduce Taehee to get back at her ex-boyfriend who she thinks likes Taehee. Clearly, the game suggestion from the princess herself lack something to back it up, not unless she is that childish to play a prank like that for fun and because her ego sucked at that moment.

They were obviously talking about getting married to get back at their parents who were about to officially get married soon for purely business, but then Sooji just says the brightest idea of entangling the innocent Eun Taehee in the food chain. out of the blue, causing for a more complicated plot that hardly followed through. It’s a good thing Sihyun couldn’t stick to the sick game and followed his heart by liking Eun Taehee even if he had to lie to Sooji and Sejoo, but somehow the plan about marriage between the two of them became buried under a big rock for a long time, until Sooji tells Sihyun’s father of this plan. I don’t think that it doesn’t have that much impact then, considering Mr. Kwon is an adult who could care less about such a childish plot of revenge, plus, her mother is so in love with Mr. Kwon that Sooji may rest her case, and then there’s Sihyun who has completely abolished the plan in his mind because of Taehee.

Sooji could have been a really strong and scary character if it isn’t for the flaws in character development. She’s vicious for most part of the drama, but there are times when her resolve dwindle and she seems inflexible in such a way she has insomia and that has become a bigger problem in the end. It made her character weak and it doesn’t help that her mother is a doctor. Because the doctor can’t even see what’s wrong with her daughter. The link between them feels so superficial that her mother couldn’t have uncovered the real problem with her own child and that causes Sooji to rely so much in her friendship with Sejoo and Sihyun. That she is utterly destroyed when things start to fall apart among them.

Sejoo on the other hand is quite adorable in the beginning. In fact, I didn’t mind that he is sort of a womanizer or whatever, since it really doesn’t feel that way. And among the three of them, I feel he is the one that keeps them together. That it feels a little heartbreaking he had to hurt Sihyun just like how Sooji did even if he didn’t mean to. Out of revenge, he ruined them all and he isn’t even able to to throw a punch at his brother or that annoying Lee Kiyong when they beat him up and Sihyun. I just don’t get it. How are two privileged rebels who looks like they know how to fight can’t even pull the trigger at two self-proclaimed thugs?

I sound like my review is all over the place, but literally I think that’s how much chaotic and confusing the story is. Sometimes, I even think their problems are even pointless and that they always worry for nothing. But is it because they aren’t just able to really show a real mirror image of how it should have been if it is them that have been hurt that way? Did the emotions lack depth?

I always thought like that for the benefit of the doubt, but something always feels wrong. Say for example, the night of Taehee’s accident, she runs away just because her mother doesn’t want her to go to Seoul to study. If she already hates her mother for not loving her father, then could her mother’s opinion even mattered and had she ran away? I think she’d rather lock herself in her room or something. Plus, the drama made it seem like Taehee was in such a grave accident that traumatized her and caused her psychological damage, but the accident was her really being hit by the side of the car and injuring her leg. The only reason why she was in a ditch was because she tried to stand up and fell there. Then there were the other characters who limit themselves to orders made by someone who they think are much bigger than them. Sometimes its frustrating that they are obedient and that they think because someone said to get out of the house that they really should.

The only merit I found in this drama and that keeps me going back is the overflowing chemistry between Woo Dohwan and Joy. They have opposite characters that meet at one single turning point and helped them heal each other in such away that love knows no bounds and that it can conquer everything. Even if it is young and hurtful, they are still really cute together.

Plus, I should give props for them ending the drama happily. The last few episodes are really frustrating, emotional and dragging, so I am happy that they gave the characters some light in their dark world after a few years. A lot of people think this is some pitiful consolation for the characters and they did it to salvage the drama from bedrock bottom ratings, but I wouldn’t ask for another ending, you know. This is probably the best decision the people behind this drama chose to do.

Cast & Characters

I know I ranted a lot on my previous statements, but don’t take it out yet on me. I’m just frustrated with the roles these actors were given. Maybe the main characters are all too young to embody how deeply scarred Sihyun, Taehee, Sejoo and Sooji is, but that’s a room to make improvement.

Nonetheless, I think they did a stellar job and that if there is anything or anyone to blame with how things came out to be, it’s the director, scriptwriter, producer, or whoever is behind the camera. The drama couldn’t have been filled with too many flaws had everything been all mapped out carefully and smoothly.

Plus, it’s the first time watching Woo Dohwan, yet he has me really swooned. Perhaps I am the one really seduced by his charms? Haha. He tears up so easily that I watch every time he’s in drama mode and is pouring his heart out. That vulnerable side of Kwon Sihyun he is able to show simply touches my heart in many ways a guy with similar character could probably do. I mean, if he is my boyfriend, I would probably the luckiest girl that he allows me to see this vulnerable side of him. To say that least, Dohwan is indeed boyfriend material.

Then, there is Joy. Our Eun Taehee, who grew up from her awkward and cringe-y role from The Liar and His Lover (that thing is so much better in the original Japanese version). You will clearly see how much Joy has improved in her acting from her first drama to this one. Her expressions came out more natural now, even if many people still say that her smile is weird and that she’s just as expressionless as Shin Se Kyung in The Bride of the Water God. I don’t think she’s that bad and I’m going to say I will be looking forward to her future acting projects.

Moon Gayoung is one of my most favorite actresses since EXO Next Door and then Jangsoo’s Shop. She has lighter roles in the past and acting as Sooji in this drama is a huge step up for her. Even though she also received a lot of criticism for portraying the role, I believe that she is perfect to have been the one to play Sooji. I would ask for a more intense performance, considering Sooji’s character, but improvement is a process not something that comes true overnight.

I would love it if Sejoo’s poster isn’t this dark. It’s weird to see him pose as if he’s the gang leader or the mafia boss or something that serious, since Sejoo is more like a puppy than a conniving man.

But anyway, I can say that Kim Minjae really grew up somehow in this drama. I watched the drama ‘Second Time Twenty Again’, which he starred in as No Ra (Choi Ji Woo)’s son, and he was really cute and sort of nerdy back there. Kim Minjae made Sejoo his own person unique from his other roles.

Overall

Although the drama’s pacing, overall sequence, character build up and exposure all feel lackluster, I must say I enjoyed the journey to finishing the 32-episode series. Because despite the many flaws of the drama, they are able to take some good points: like being able to portray the two sides of the characters–the good and the bad, show good chemistry among the characters (especially Sihyun and Taehee; I don’t mind the ship sailing!), and have a happy ending for all of them.

I know that the drama didn’t intend to replicate or copy Dangerous Liaisons, but it would have been nice if the drama stayed true to the theme from beginning to end without making the characters’ growth abrupt or unsupported by a good and gradual build up. I must say, the choice of the age of the actors might have indirectly affected the potential strong impression The Great Seducer failed to maintain, considering the characterizations sometimes doesn’t suit how young the actors are, but at the same time I am thinking the actors were casted for the purpose of getting an audience. I do think that getting a mature cast and making the drama even more daring and darker would have been a disaster. I don’t think Korea is ready for that kind of plot. It’s perfect for the English speaking audience, but not for somehow conservative Asians.

Still, I’ll give a slow clap for The Great Seducer for making my heart flutter and I’ll rate it with a 3.8 out 5.

Review: The Great Seducer Also known as Tempted (위대한 유혹자; Widaehan Yuhokja) is a 2018 South Korean television series starring Woo Dohwan, Park Sooyoung, Moon Gayoung and Kim Minjae.

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  The Token Series: Alpha Billionaire Dark Romance by Marata Eros: Jared McKenna is a complicated billionaire. But one thing he’s crystal clear on… love’s not a part of his agenda. Until his bike collides with a mysterious young woman. A woman he’s drawn to. A woman who works in one of his upscale strip clubs – who also happens to be a virgin. Faren Michell has compromised who she is to save her mom. While a monster from the past shadows her movements. Can McKenna be trusted – or is he just like the man she runs from?

This book is Free on October 3, 2017

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  Brothers: Summer Lovin’ by M L Briers: Three witches go glamping and what do they find? They’re camped on pack land. Three wolf shifters on the hunt for their mates. Throw in a Summer Fair, a priest who knows how to get what he wants, a few senior church ladies who like to openly ogle the sexy shifter brothers, a sarcastic vampire who just loves to stir the cauldron and you’ve got another madcap romantic comedy to sink your fangs into. Grab it and growl.

This book is Free on October 3, 2017

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  Royal Princes of Ruthenia (Box Set) by Jennifer Blake: An innocent beauty and a dynamic prince caught in a web of international intrigue. A Louisiana belle who must seduce and betray a royal or her beloved aunt will suffer. Historical romance fans, be prepared to swoon at this royal tale of deception and secrets.

This book is Free on October 3, 2017

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  Exile Hunter by Preston Fleming: Beirut, 2023: When undercover officer Warren Linder agrees to lure an exiled opponent of the President-for-Life back to an impoverished, post-Civil War II America, Linder is unaware that the target is his childhood sweetheart’s father. When he resists, his ordeal takes him from Beirut to a Virginia interrogation center and into an Arctic labor camp. A richly imagined vision of a future American dystopia.

This book is Free on October 3, 2017

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  Stan the Awakening by Richard Wold: Ever since he survived his suicide attempt, controversial New York artist Stan Foster has not been himself. He’s been plagued by amnesia and is experiencing visions of death and destruction. The search for his true identity leads him to believe that he is Satan, living among the mortal inhabitants of earth. Has he gone mad or is there truth behind his troubling revelation?

This book is Free on October 3, 2017

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  Broken by Brooke Linford: When Amanda finds herself being stalked by a creep in a suit she’s forced to flee the city with Lucas, a man her friends think is perfect for her. But it quickly becomes clear that demons from both their pasts will haunt them no matter how fast they run.

This book is Free on October 3, 2017

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  Dark Paradise by Catherine Lee: One body, five contestants, a million-dollar prize and an island full of secrets… Detectives Cooper and Quinn must find a killer among the cast and crew of a hit reality show in this fast-paced mystery.

This book is Free on October 3, 2017

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  Cold Oath by Ray Flynt: Ryan Caldwell, an enterprising college journalist finds himself embroiled in controversy as he exposes secrets that threaten to shake the ivy-covered walls and topple those hungry for power. Lori DeMarco, the college chaplain, has her own secret. She likes Ryan but is unsure of whether to trust him to help unravel her past.

This book is Free on October 3, 2017

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  Unleashed by P. A. Fielding: Are you dying for Halloween? College student by day and emergency operator by night, Lucy is well-liked on campus but she’s hiding a dark secret. When she’s exposed, she’ll be dragged into a dark world of the Mather Curse and the results will be disastrous.

This book is Free on October 3, 2017

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  Victim Zero by Joshua Guess: Kell McDonald wanted to fix the world. Instead, his work was used to kill it. Can he survive long enough to make amends, or will he be crushed beneath the weight of his guilt?

This book is Free on October 3, 2017

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  Where There’s A Will: Inspector Stone Mysteries (Book 1) by Alex R Carver: When the kidnapping of a teen follows shortly after an armed robbery at a music festival, Inspector Nathan Stone is forced to juggle two difficult cases. Can he maintain focus and find the people responsible for these crimes, or will investigating two serious crimes simultaneously prevent him from finding the missing girl and put her life at risk from her kidnappers.

This book is Free on October 3, 2017

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[omg-hellgirl]

Rock star “Mick the Magic Jagger” has made spectacular capital on this appeal. A throwback to the total theater of shamanistic rites, he admits that sex is at the center of his Rolling Stones’ performances. He puts a sock in his crotch to simulate an erection, undulates like a “strip-tease[r],” and chants and rocks the audience to “mass orgasm.”

Betsy Prioleau, Swoon: Great Seducers and Why Women Love Them.