#Ted from Midwest

[benicebefunny]

Ted Lasso, "Pilot" Rewatch

My key takeaway: Ted Lasso is not some country bumpkin too pure to understand (or participate in) social hierarchies.

There's an old feel-good comedy staple where a simple, salt-of-the-earth Hick goes to The City and meets Fancy Cityfolk. Not familiar with their fancy city ways, the Hick doesn't treat people according to this foreign hierarchy. He does things for himself rather than ordering around the butler. (He may even assume the butler is the Master of the House!) He innocently insults the Fancy Cityfolk by violating their social rules. He shakes the men's hands too hard. He invites the stuffiest matron around to go possum huntin'.

The Hick acts without respect to the Cityfolk's social hierarchies, because he doesn't understand them.

In the Pilot, it's clear that Ted is Not That Hick.*

Ted is a keen observer of power dynamics. Unlike the Hick who runs roughshod over social hierarchy out of ignorance, Ted is constantly negotiating social hierarchies. The Hick upends hierarchy. Ted is an active participant and often a beneficiary of hierarchy.

Ted has a brain that won't turn off and a fuckton of social privilege. And, by god, if he doesn't use both in the Pilot.

Example 1: Ollie, the Erstwhile Tour Guide Ted's first interaction on British soil with a British person is a bit of a fake-out. When Ollie (the cab driver presumably sent by Richmond) goes to take Ted and Beard's luggage, they refuse. Ted says no several times in a row, followed by, "We packed 'em, we'll carry 'em." Perhaps, for the briefest moment, we think Ted is That Hick. He doesn't want to be waited on; he doesn't want to watch someone labor on his behalf. He's opting out.

But then Ted immediately says, "Love to make a little pit stop though." After Ollie agrees, it's cut to: Ollie showing Ted and Beard the Tower Bridge. A thing that is very much not Ollie's job. A thing that Richmond is not paying him for. A thing that neither Ted nor Beard tip him for on-screen.

Ted seems uncomfortable with Ollie, a dark-skinned Black man, carrying his bags. He's wary of such a visible marker of class and racial hierarchy. The historical weight cannot be ignored.

However, Ted's fine with asking Ollie to play tour guide--something that literally is not Ollie's job and that he isn't dressed for (Ollie's removed his suit jacket in the sunshine of the water front). Moreover, Ted feels comfortable requesting a delay in their itinerary that could potentially lose Ollie further business with Richmond.

There's a connection between the refusal to let Ollie carry their bags and the request for a tour. It feels like a negotiation. We'll carry our bags; you give us a tour. The fact that Ollie is expected to carry his fares' bags becomes a bargaining chip. It buys Ted the good will necessary to get something he wants. (Which is so fucking Midwestern.)

In this interaction, Ted doesn't opt out of the racial and class hierarchy. He just alters the terms.

Example 2: Nathan and Nate Like Ted, I am also a Midwestern transplant. I understand the impulse for nicknames. Where I grew up, if you didn't have a nickname (preferably something ending with an -y sound), it meant people hated you. Or you were rich. Or both.

It was quite shocking to move to California and meet some Okie who introduced himself as "James."

Among family and friends, coining a nickname can signal affection, warmth, familiarity.

Among people who've just met, a white person inventing a nickname for a person of color is... bad, it's bad. Don't do it. It's wrong. No. I don't get to decide what their name is. Stop.

Nathan introduces himself as Nathan. Ted calls him Nathan a few times. But in their third scene together, Ted has started calling him by the diminutive, "Nate." By the time Nathan is driving out of the Richmond car park, Ted is calling him, "my man, Nate."

If I were in Ted's place, the moment Nathan dropped me off, I would call a cab, board a flight home, and change my own fucking name. I'd enter the Whiteness Protection Program so goddamn fast.

My point is: Ted is overly-familiar with Nathan. He takes liberties with Nathan. He redefines Nathan, shrinking him down into Nate. He exercises authority over Nathan's very identity.

Compare this with how George Cartrick calls Higgins, "Higgy Boy."

Contrast it with how Ted addresses Rebecca. He calls her Ms. Welton. When she corrects him, he believes her.

He doesn't call her Becca or Becky or Bex. He calls her Rebecca.

Because she's his boss.

Which is to say: he knows how power works at work.

Example 3: Tea Time? As a new employee, Ted is deferential to Rebecca. He is careful about staying in her good graces.

Ted initially calls Rupert a "good time" for being surrounded by champagne and groupies (a moment of casual sexism that Nathan would have criticized himself over). When Ted learns that's Rebecca's ex-husband, he immediately backpedals. He tries to save face and avoid offending his new boss.

Famously, Ted hates tea. He's never tried tea, but he hates it. When he receives tea by mistake at a restaurant, he returns it. When Rebecca gives him tea, he at least tries it. He views his rich boss Rebecca differently than the barista at Starbucks.

That last sentence may seem obvious, but it's a concrete example of Ted understanding and negotiating power.

The Hick would reject the tea from Rebecca, the same as at Starbucks. Ted doesn't.

Conclusion Ted is neither above nor oblivious to the flow of power. Ted is not pure in a world of filth. He's in the muck with the rest of us. He's not an innocent; he just has an accent.

In the episodes to come, Ted will use his understanding of power dynamics to create a more cohesive team. In doing so, he becomes complicit in those power dynamics and the harm they cause.

You can't win the game without playing the game.

*A deeper engagement with the Hick Goes to the City trope in other media may reveal that some (many or even most) Hicks are far more agile navigators of hierarchy than we are initially led to believe.

[twohearts-hs]

Always & Forever One - Marshall Mathers x Reader Series

Words: 2.3k

Pairings: Marshall Mathers x Fem!Reader Series

Synopsis;: They loved each other with every fibre and being. They knew that they were meant to be together, but it seemed like every obstacle came in the way. She was twenty-one, he was forty and they knew that it would be hard. Therefore, they promised forever and always as they were meant to be together despite every turmoil that came their way.

Warnings: Swearing, Alcohol & smoking. More warnings will come throughout the series.

|| Masterlist for Series ||

Hope you enjoy :)

May 2012

Y/N was utterly and devotedly late. Never in her life had she been so late for a job. However, she came straight from the diner and believed she had a fifteen-minute turnaround but with traffic and Miranda being late to cover the rest of the night, she was utterly and terribly late.

Throwing her jeans and tee into the hamper, Y/N ran around the studio apartment looking for a black outfit for the catering event. That was the uniform – all black and it did not help that she was two weeks behind in laundry.

“Fuck it,” she whispered as she grabbed the black dress pants and a turtleneck. It stunk lightly of body odour and sweat, but with deodorant and perfume, no one would know.

Y/N threw the clothes on, grabbed her sneakers and ran out of the door before jumping on public transport.

She needed this job. It was the summer and between her summer classes and the two jobs, she was a busy girl. However, she had to maintain her grades to keep her scholarship and additionally, she had bills to pay. 

Y/N moved to Detroit three years ago to complete her degree in art history at the local university. It was a move she never expected as she was from a small town in Canada, however, she was a star field hockey player and had stellar grades. Universities were lining up for her to come to their institution. It was a choice between the local university on Vancouver Island, Michigan and Los Angeles.

The idea of being in a hot climate, tourism and above all a city filled with celebrities sounded dreadful. The idea of staying on the island off the coast of Vancouver in Canada did not sound as bad as she thought. She grew up in a small town, Ladysmith, the same town as Pamela Anderson was from. With a single mother, she grew up with surfing and the ocean. However, she wanted something different.

It was hard to leave her mother. Ree was all she knew since she remembered. It was just her and the surf shop downtown. Y/N loved that shop. It opened when she was three and she spent so much of her time in that small shop. It was her first job, her first paycheque and the first time she fell in love with the idea of surfing.

She was a fantastic surfer.

However, when the University of Michigan offered a full-fledged scholarship as long as she maintained her grades and she played on the field hockey team, she did not know what to do. The idea of being in the Midwest was scary. The idea of being away from the water was terrifying. The idea of being in the United States of America was intriguing. However, above all being away from her mother seemed ridiculous.

But she ended up in Detroit at eighteen.

Now, it’s been three years. She unfortunately, had to leave the field hockey team due to injury but she was able to maintain her scholarship. As long as she kept the grades.

Y/N needed to work though in order to pay her away in the city. Two jobs in the summer, one in the school semesters. She had the diner job since she was eighteen. Ted’s Diner downtown was her favourite place to be. Ted was amazing and as the owner he deeply cared for his workers. A sweetheart at heart, a recovering addict who believed in second chances and was always so kind. The whole team at Ted’s was a blessing her world. Miranda the single mom – reminded her of her mom -  who gave her a slice of pie every time she worked past midnight on the house as a thank you. Then there was Gavin, the chef who always made sure if she was ever interested in a night of rendezvous, he was there.

They understood that she was a student. An art history student to be exact. They gave her time to get assignments done at work while still paying her. It was a second home and she loved it.

The catering job was just for the nights. It was for the extra cash. She would dress in black and go to events where she would hold trays of expensive prosecco or finger foods for the rich. It was fine. She did not mind it.

However, she was extremely late.

“I am so sorry!” she yelled as she ran through the conference centre to the back. Pushing through the crowd, she made it to the back where she saw a very displeased manager.

“I am so sorry,” she began but as soon as she got the next words out, he stopped her.

“Never again,” Sean said as he held up a finger. “You’re forty-five minutes late. You look like shit, and you smell like grease. I expect something a little higher than this but obviously you have hit an ultimate low.”

“Just let me work and I promise I will make it up to you.”

Sean raised a brow and rolled his eyes.

“Last warning.”

Y/N gave him a curt nod before turning back to the kitchen and seeing her coworkers coming and going with their trays.

“You’re late,” she heard behind her before a jab to her back.

A yelp escaped Y/N as she turned to the voice. Meira, her best friend in Detroit was in front of her with a smirk.

“The diner,” was all Y/N said with a roll of her eyes. She placed her apron around her before grabbing a tray. “What event is this for?”

“PR for a sports team,” Meira hummed as she loaded her tray up.

“So, we are catering a bunch of athletes?” Y/N groaned. “Joy, joy,” with sarcasm. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she ran her fingers under her eyes to get rid of the mascara flakes.

“Indeed, we are,” Meira exclaimed.

Y/N walked out with a tray to the crowd of athletes, managers, perhaps musicians and more. It was a room of the rich and famous. Y/N began to make her rounds, letting people grab the drinks off her tray as she walked in circles. A smile was plastered on her face.

However, she could not even imagine how tired she was at the moment. She worked at eight a.m. that morning, did a twelve-hour shift that went over and now she was working for another four hours.

Who was this woman? A superwoman perhaps.

Marshall was standing beside Paul as someone in front of him talked about something he did not care for. A red bull was in hand as he nodded but let his eyes wander the crowd. He dreaded these events and he desired to leave.

Dressed in jeans, a tee, and a hoodie with a chain, most would say he did not put much mind into this event as others wore suits and ties. However, he was just here for the appearance for a couple of hours before he would dip.

It’s been thirty minutes and all he could imagine was going home and watching some terrible movie on the TV.

“I am going to bathroom,” he leaned over and whispered to Paul as he turned away.

Making his way down the hallway to the bathroom, he turned the corner and smashed into a body.

“Fuck!” he snapped.

Y/N watched in front of her as the whole tray of glass champagne flutes smashed on the floor. Hands up, she took a step back as the mess unravelled in front of her. Instantly, her face fell. She was utterly fucked.

Her eyes searched from the ground to the man who was the perpetrator of this event and instantly she let out a loud breath.

"You should watch where you are going,” Marshall stated with a roll of his eyes.

“Me?” Y/N cocked. “You’re the one who ran into me.”

"Well, maybe you should not be so short on corners.”

“Thanks for the advice,” she whispered as she sighed. “Obviously, you can do my job way better than me.”

Y/N did not need this. Not now, not ever but particularly not right now when she was already in deep shit. Now this happened. She was destined to lose her job.

Marshall saw her look down at the mess then up to her. She was pretty despite looking like she had seen better days but there was something about her attitude. She matched him which shocked him.

He nodded before biting his lip to find out what to say next. “I can’t do your job. Thanks for the offer though,” he commented.

/N sent him a clenched smile as she nodded. “Ok, well, you’re welcome.” She was about to turn around to get someone to help her clean it, but Sean appeared from the kitchen. His brow was raised, and he had his arms crossed.

“First you’re late and now you’ve smashed hundreds of dollars’ worth of drinks,” he said with sarcasm.

She let out a sigh as she tried to compose herself. Rubbing her hands against her thighs, she slowly turned to look at Sean.

“I am guessing I am fired,” she whispered, and all Sean did was roll his eyes.

“Obviously,” he stated before walking off.

Y/N glanced at the mess in front of her and the gentleman. He was older, a hat on his head and dressed down but she did not care at this moment. Instead, she removed her apron and as she was folding it.

“Did I just get you fired?” he asked.

Finally, he had the audacity to talk.

Y/N glanced at him and sighed. “No, I haven’t been the best worker so it’s not your fault.”

She was Canadian after all, and she mimicked that type of hospitality. Kindness and sympathy were all she believed in. However, now as she the man in front of her tried to show her a form of sympathy due to his own actions. She brushed it off.

“I have been seeing you working quite hard tonight so-“

“You do not have to be nice. I fucked up and honestly, yeah, you helped but I believe everything happens for a reason and obviously this job was not in my path,” she stated.

Marshall nodded. “Sorry.”

“Don’t fret it,” Y/N stated before walking off.

Meira came out with a concerned face. “I heard smashing,” she began.

"I need a smoke.”

Y/N sat on the curb outside, kicking her legs out as the cars drove by. She was on her second cigarette as she let her hair down. Meira appeared with a bottle of something.

“If you’re going to get fired, I may as well too. I stole this,” she hummed as she settled next to her.

Y/N chuckled as Meira handed the bottle of expensive champagne to her due to the fact she did not know how to pop one. After popping the bottle, Y/N brought the poison to her lips. Beautiful, smooth but bubbly and sweet with a hint of tang. Perfect for everything tonight.

“I needed that job,” she whispered to her friend.

“No, you didn’t. You like to have a healthy saving, but the diner pays your bills.”

Y/N groaned. “I have never been fired.”

“Girl, you were only working there for over three weeks. No offence but Sean was out to get you since the beginning.”

Y/N let out a loud frustrated groan. “If only that idiot did not smash into me, I would still have that job. Then he had the audacity to be rude.”

“You were rude back…”

“Yeah, but he smashed into me!” Y/N exclaimed. “I needed the money,” she said in a low voice, “really needed the money.”

“For?”

“Masters. I am one year from graduating and I have no money saved up for my masters.”

Meira nodded as Y/N brought the cigarette to her lips.

“You know those will kill you,” a voice said behind her. Recognisable, deep and masculine but soft at the same time.

Y/N turned around and glanced at the mysterious man behind her. Him. The perpetrator. Rolling her eyes she brought the cigarette to her lips.

“I know, that’s the purpose,” she stated.

Marshall nodded, shoving his hands in his jeans before taking a step from the shadows. “Look, I just want to apologise and give you this,” he said coming closer to her. “I got you fired, and you need the money more than me.”

He placed his hand out and she spotted the cash roll in it. Y/N eyes widened. Hundred possibly thousands were in there, but she knew she could not take it. There is no way she was taking the money from a complete stranger.

The man nodded towards his hand.

“Thank you, but I cannot,” Y/N said.

“Hey, I am the idiot who smashed into you which cost you your job,” he tried to bargain with her.

“You heard?” she asked.

“Everything.”

“Why do you care?”

“Because I have been in your position before.”

“So, its pity.”

“No respect.”

She nodded. “I cannot just take your money.”

“Look either it pays for a part of your degree, or it sits in my bank account.”

Y/N sighed. “I am not someone who you could just pay for forgiveness.”

“I am not asking for forgiveness.”

“Then what do you want?” she asked with a confused look on her face.

“For you take-“

“Donate it.”

Y/N could not believe this man. He was just waving money in front of her like it was nothing. He was admitting that he was rich and powerful, yet he dressed if he was about to pick up some groceries. She could not accept this kind of money.

“A tip for your service,” he tried again.

“Just sit and have a drink. Have a conversation and perhaps you may get respect out of me.”

Marshall placed the cash into his pocket before stepping down on the curb. He sat next to Y/N as she bummed her cigarette out and brought the champagne to her lips.

“Meira stole this from the kitchen if you want some,” Y/N suggested.

“I don’t drink.”

“Admirable,” she commented as traffic continued to move in front of her.

“I think by running into Y/N you just saved her from four months of misery,” Meira said.

Marshall chuckled. “I try my best, but I am sorry for acting like a dick though. Respect goes out to you for the job you do.”

Y/N grinned and nodded. “Thanks.”

“Y/N is your name?” he asked. She nodded. “Marshall,” he introduced.

“Marshall,” she hummed, “it’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.”

“What are you studying?”

“Art history and Meira is in biology-psychology. What are you doing at this event?”

“Fulfilling my role.”

“Important or something?” she hummed.

“Something like that,” he hummed.

She nodded as she finished the champagne and placed her cigarettes back in her pocket. It was nearing midnight, and she had an eight a.m. shift the next day at the diner. She looked at Marshall beside her and she could admit he was cute. He obviously was important in retrospect of sports, but he seemed to keep to himself. She did not want to bug him, but as she got up, she checked her phone.

“Fuck,” she whispered.

“What?” Meira said.

“Fucking Sam,” Y/N said and that was all Meira needed to hear to nod. “I will deal with him tomorrow.”

Marshall got up as well and placed his hands into his pockets.

“I have to go,” Y/N said, “I am up at like six a.m. for work.” She looked at the Marshall and placed a hand in front of her. “Truce. No running into me again?” she joked.

He chuckled and placed a hand in front of himself too. “Deal.”

“Thanks for the whatever this was, Marshall. Enjoy the rest of the event,” she stated as she grabbed her bag and threw it over her shoulders.

“I am going to go home. I hate these things.”

“Fair. I would too.”

He nodded as she began to turn away. “Bye, Y/N.”

“Bye, Marshall,” she said as she wrapped a arm around Meira and they walked down the street.

All Marshall could think was, ‘who was this woman?’ as she was something.

____________

Author's Note:

Thanks so much for reading!

As said in my previous post, there will be 20 chapters as this book is completed. It's over 103k words therefore, it will be posted.

Send me your thoughts, opinions, love and more! I am excited to be releasing this.

Much love,

Ava <3

[toxicroyjamie]

Too many people are saying Ted would vote for Trump. DID YALL WATCH THE SHOW??

Being from the south does not = conservative.

Hilarious-yet-irritating to me that people insist Ted is a conservative because as far as I remember Ted is like the only character who has ever openly spoken about being politically liberal. Ted is such an Obama Democrat to me. Ted would've been on those White Dudes For Harris zoom call like it was his job

(also sorry not to nitpick but as a Southerner I gotta butt in here and say Ted is from the Midwest!! But people assume the same things about Midwesterners so)

[mariacallous]

As national legislation on deepfake pornography crawls its way through Congress, states across the country are trying to take matters into their own hands. Thirty-nine states have introduced a hodgepodge of laws designed to deter the creation of nonconsensual deepfakes and punish those who make and share them.

Earlier this year, Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, herself a victim of nonconsensual deepfakes, introduced the Disrupt Explicit Forged Images and Non-Consensual Edits Act, or Defiance Act. If passed, the bill would allow victims of deepfake pornography to sue as long as they could prove the deepfakes had been made without their consent. In June, Republican senator Ted Cruz introduced the Take It Down Act, which would require platforms to remove both revenge porn and nonconsensual deepfake porn.

Though there’s bilateral support for many of these measures, federal legislation can take years to make it through both houses of Congress before being signed into law. But state legislatures and local politicians can move faster—and they’re trying to.

Last month, San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu’s office announced a lawsuit against 16 of the most visited websites that allow users to create AI-generated pornography. “Generative AI has enormous promise, but as with all new technologies, there are unintended consequences and criminals seeking to exploit the new technology. We have to be very clear that this is not innovation—this is sexual abuse,” Chiu said in a statement released by his office at the time.

The suit was just the latest attempt to try to curtail the ever-growing issue of nonconsensual deepfake pornography.

“I think there's a misconception that it's just celebrities that are being affected by this,” says Ilana Beller, organizing manager at Public Citizen, which has been tracking nonconsensual deepfake legislation and shared their findings with WIRED. “It's a lot of everyday people who are having this experience.”

Data from Public Citizen shows that 23 states have passed some form of nonconsensual deepfake law. “This is such a pervasive issue, and so state legislators are seeing this as a problem,” says Beller. “I also think that legislators are interested in passing AI legislation right now because we are seeing how fast the technology is developing.”

Last year, WIRED reported that deepfake pornography is only increasing, and researchers estimate that 90 percent of deepfake videos are of porn, the vast majority of which is nonconsensual porn of women. But despite how pervasive the issue is, Kaylee Williams, a researcher at Columbia University who has been tracking nonconsensual deepfake legislation, says she has seen legislators more focused on political deepfakes.

“More states are interested in protecting electoral integrity in that way than they are in dealing with the intimate image question,” she says.

Matthew Bierlein, a Republican state representative in Michigan, who cosponsored the state’s package of nonconsensual deepfake bills, says that he initially came to the issue after exploring legislation on political deepfakes. “Our plan was to make [political deepfakes] a campaign finance violation if you didn’t put disclaimers on them to notify the public.” Through his work on political deepfakes, Bierlein says, he began working with Democratic representative Penelope Tsernoglou, who helped spearhead the nonconsensual deepfake bills.

At the time in January, nonconsensual deepfakes of Taylor Swift had just gone viral, and the subject was widely covered in the news. “We thought that the opportunity was the right time to be able to do something,” Beirlein says. And Beirlein says that he felt Michigan was in the position to be a regional leader in the Midwest, because, unlike some of its neighbors, it has a full-time legislature with well-paid staffers (most states don’t). “We understand that it's a bigger issue than just a Michigan issue. But a lot of things can start at the state level,” he says. “If we get this done, then maybe Ohio adopts this in their legislative session, maybe Indiana adopts something similar, or Illinois, and that can make enforcement easier.”

But what the penalties for creating and sharing nonconsensual deepfakes are—and who is protected—can vary widely from state to state. “The US landscape is just wildly inconsistent on this issue,” says Williams. “I think there's been this misconception lately that all these laws are being passed all over the country. I think what people are seeing is that there have been a lot of laws proposed.”

Some states allow for civil and criminal cases to be brought against perpetrators, while others might only provide for one of the two. Laws like the one that recently took effect in Mississippi, for instance, focus on minors. Over the past year or so, there have been a spate of instances of middle and high schoolers using generative AI to make explicit images and videos of classmates, particularly girls. Other laws focus on adults, with legislators essentially updating existing laws banning revenge porn.

Unlike laws that focus on nonconsensual deepfakes of minors, on which Williams says there is a broad consensus that there they are an “inherent moral wrong,” legislation around what is “ethical” when it comes to nonconsensual deepfakes of adults is “squishier.” In many cases, laws and proposed legislation require proving intent, that the goal of the person making and sharing the nonconsensual deepfake was to harm its subject.

But online, says Sara Jodka, an attorney who specializes in privacy and cybersecurity, this patchwork of state-based legislation can be particularly difficult. “If you can't find a person behind an IP address, how can you prove who the person is, let alone show their intent?”

Williams also notes that in the case of nonconsensual deepfakes of celebrities or other public figures, many of the creators don’t necessarily see themselves as doing harm. “They’ll say, ‘This is fan content,’ that they admire this person and are attracted to them,” she says.

State laws, Jobka says, while a good start, are likely to have limited power to actually deal with the issue, and only a federal law against nonconsensual deepfakes would allow for the kind of interstate investigations and prosecutions that could really force justice and accountability. “States don't really have a lot of ability to track down across state lines internationally,” she says. “So it's going to be very rare, and it's going to be very specific scenarios where the laws are going to be able to even be enforced.”

But Michigan’s Bierlein says that many state representatives are not content to wait for the federal government to address the issue. Bierlein expressed particular concern about the role nonconsensual deepfakes could play in sextortion scams, which the FBI says have been on the rise. In 2023, a Michigan teen died by suicide after scammers threatened to post his (real) intimate photos online. “Things move really slow on a federal level, and if we waited for them to do something, we could be waiting a lot longer,” he says.

[crazybiaatch]

I'm just gonna put some of my npmd hcs out into the world bc I have been thinking abt this musical all week and if I don’t talk abt it i Will Explode

Peter Spankoffsi

Polish Jew - ethnic, non practising.

Parents aren't around (travel/dead/lost custody) so he lives with Ted, he was originally living in Clivesdale and was shocked by the Clivesdale hate.

Moved to Hatchetfeild in the 4th grade and was immediately bullied by Max for being from Clivesdale

Had an emo phase

Ted and Paul set up playdates with Richie, Pete, and Alice so they could bond

Ruth Flemming

Lives with her autistic dad

Dad is touch adverse, Ruth's love language is touch. This is why she is so desperate to be touched.

Wannabe Discord Kitten

Plays COD - bullies everyone for sucking at it

Scarily good at English (it's the knowledge from the play)

Richie Lipschitz

ME

He was actually the "I have the power of God and Anime on my side" kid

only listens to Ops/Eds/Osts/J-Pop and Midwest emo music

If he wasn't already being bullied so severely, he would be a full blown emo

Grace Chastity

Baptist

Her parents didn't let her attend sex ed but she already knew everything from finding wattpad as a child

HATES Wattpad when we see her in the show

yknow those people who rant and rave about ao3 being full of cp and r/pe and all those other things? yeah that's her

runs a modesty outfit inspo insta account

She does actually mean well at the beginning of the show. The end is more complicated.

Max Jagerman

transmasc

WAIT GUYS DONT LEAVE IT MAKES SENSE

hypermasculine to reach his dads expectations

youngest brother (older sister at the least - also middle child brother but I'm not as sure on that)

poor

was scared of Coraline as a kid

If he was Australian he would literally just Be A Guy down here

100% makes Jagermeister jokes

Stephine Lauter

half black (duh)

CHUB

army

runs a very popular edit account

when her dad took her phone, her fans held a wake for her

horrible driver with way too much confidence

ofmd fan

was once a child on roblox scamming people for their robux

is now an adult on roblox taking dress to impress way too seriously

has written fanfiction

BONUS

Kyle is secretly a complete and utter geek and only became comfortable being geeky after Max's disappearance, he was also the only one on the team to actually mourn him when they found out he'd died (also offcier Bailey's son)

[goodmorninglovelies42]

Since the Brits love to lovingly lecture us Americans about football and British things in Ted Lasso (which I appreciate!), I want to do my part to educate on one American misconception that drives me crazy:

Kansas isn’t the south. It’s the Midwest. Ted’s accent isn’t a southern accent. Jason Sudeikis is putting on kind of a hokey, country accent. But it’s not southern.

Credentials: I’m from the south and have a southern accent.

[undead-clown]

Okay hear me out

Midwest emo Liu.

Midwest emo older brother liu.

He loves mom jeans the most and has so many cds.

Ofc he listens to other stuff but its mostly that. Like he got jeff into rock music. He’d play it a lot around jeff when they were younger.

No this isn’t me projecting my music taste on him. Yes im the youngest sibling. However i like both the idea of older and younger brother liu. I NEED liu drawn with like merch from a midwest emo band or like cds in the back or smth.

Thats the end of my ted talk

[thegreatimpersonator]

Hi everyone! Here’s the newest addition to my Creator Shoutout Series (july 21- august 4)! I want to appreciate editors and their creations that i love from the past two weeks. To track this series or look at previous shoutouts, please check out the tag on my blog *creatorshoutouts.

the nanny: fran fine gifset by @chappelroans

yellowjackets: taissa + character dynamics gifset by @taiturner

past lives: postcards gifset by @kahhorri

sabrina carpenter fan art by @shortnsweetgf

paramore: last hope graphic by @ociocupacional

yellowjackets: nat and lottie gifset by @cardvngreenbriar

bottoms: hazel callahan gifset by @thepunkpanther

sabrina carpenter: cherry baby gifset by @weirdobarbie

the bear: 2.08 gifset by @loveisalwaystheanswer

gilmore girls: rory gilmore + snoopy gifset by @deadpoets

it (2017): eddie kaspbrak gifset by @vader-anakin

mindhunter: 1.01 gifset by @wardengrill

yellowjackets: 1.05 and 1.08 gifset by @sophie-thatchers

paramore: told you so graphic by @cellphonehippie

halsey: lucky music video gifset by @tolerateit

chappell roan: the rise and fall of a midwest princess graphic by @megmcart

sad girl summer gifset by @antoniosvivaldi

yellowjackets: jackie taylor in 1x01 gifset by @jackiietaylor

gracie abrams: i love you, i'm sorry gifset by @ishouldhateyou

halsey: lucky music video gifset by @phoebesbridgers

phoebe bridgers: i know the end graphic by @artbyellie

schitt's creek: alexis and ted gifset by @alexisrosemullens

yellowjackets: natalie scatorccio gifset by @nataliescatorccio

chappell roan fan art by @toryamoon

paramore: live in munich gifset by @userparamore

watcher gifset by @bloodstain

phoebe bridgers: punisher graphic by @cellphonehippie 

[unofficialcreepcast]

-- 🕸🕷WELCOME TO CREEPCAST 🕷🕸 --

Hello,

I am Mod. I run this UNNOFFICIAL blog dedicated to CreepCast. If you're like me and your main social media platform is Tumblr, join me for updates and posts regarding our favorite spooky bois 𓉸ྀི

🕷What is Creepcast?🕷

CreepCast is a podcast available FOR FREE on Youtube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts where two youtubers, Meatcanyon and Wendigoon, read/watch and discuss internet horror stories and visual media!

CHECK OUT THEIR MERCH (IN STOCK)

LATEST EPISODE: Best of Creepcast 2024

CREEPCAST🎧

(Newest to Oldest)

If You’re Armed at the Glenmont Metro, Please Shoot Me I’m a Cop and I Keep Getting Called to the Same House The Dionaea House Goatman, Laughing Jack and more… The Whistler at 3:03 AM Ted The Caver SCP 3000 Deepwoods My Dog Was Missing For Three Days My Husband Has Taken Our Roleplaying Too Far Tales From the Gas Station My Job Is Watching A Woman Trapped In A Room It Breathes, It Bleeds, It Breeds Stolen Tongues Creepy Grab Bag #2 Feed The Pig Psychosis My Wife's Been Peeking At Me From Around Corners Tommy Taffy Creepy Grab Bag #1 NoEnd House The Showers 1999 The Thing In The Basement Is Getting Better At Mimicking People Gregory88 Left Right Game Pt.2 Left Right Game Pt.1 Penpal My Dead Girlfriend Keeps Messaging Me on Facebook Borrasca Pt.2 Borrasca Pt.1 Russian Sleep Experiment Jeff The Killer The Stairs in the Woods

CREEPTV📺

(Newest to Oldest)

Marble Hornets Pt.2 Marble Hornets Pt.1 UrbanSPOOK Midwest Angelica Username 666 Greylock

OTHER🔪

(Newest to Oldest)

Off The Record: The Tour Reacting to Your Creep Cast Memes Meatcanyon Responds to Wendigoon...

TAG NAVIGATION:

Use "creepcast short" to find the official Tiktok/YTShorts clips that I've reuploaded here

Common Tags- creepcast, wendigoon, papa meat, new episode

Fan Tags- fanart, meme, video, clip, discussion

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ASK BOX: OPEN SUBMISSIONS: OPEN

Stay Creepy! ~Mod

Graphics Credits: Blades banner and Sawblade Green and Black Hearts Masterlist Cassette Teeth Meat Drip Blood

[aurorawest]

Reading update

Arthur and Teddy Are Coming Out by Ryan Love - 3/5 stars

The Fate of Stars by SD Simper - DNF at pg 32

A Gathering Storm by Joanna Chambers - 4.75/5 stars

I kept getting the Madame Leota room from Haunted Mansion stuck in my head as I was reading this (not a bad thing!). This book has a surprisingly low rating on the Storygraph, and I'm not going to torture myself by looking at the reviews, but I'm assuming it's because of the power discrepancy between Ward and Nick. Clearly it didn't bother me as I really enjoyed the book!

Dionysus in Wisconsin by EH Lupton - 4.75/5 stars

At some point I might get tired of Mid-Century Modern romances, but not this day. This book was super fun, with an interesting world and lovely characters. And a Midwest setting! I've spent a lot of time in Madison, Wisconsin, where this book is set, so I got the added bonus of knowing most of the places pretty well. There was even a shoutout to an obscure piece of Madison history, the Lost City in the Arb. I have to get the second book in the series now!boy

Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan - 3.25/5 stars

I gave this book an extra quarter of a star for being written in 2003, when it would have been genuinely pretty groundbreaking. Reading it in 2024, it's very twee and pretty cringey (the queer utopia town would have been a magical fantasy in 2003, not so much now in a lot of places). When Levithan credited Francesca Lia Block's Weetzie Bat books in the acknowledgements, I though, ah. No wonder. Hated those as a teen.

All that said, there's some genuinely lovely writing in this book, and it has its place in the queer canon.

The Greywacke by Nick Davidson - 5/5 stars

Super interesting nonfiction about the discipline of geology and how the early geologic epochs were figured out. Also gave me an idea for a historical romance about gay Victorian geologists.

Home Grown Talent by Joanna Chambers & Sally Malcolm - 5/5 stars

I think I loved this one more than the first in the series. The social media scandal was perfect, in that it was exactly as absurd as every social media scandal is, and thus hilarious, but also chilling in how even something so stupid can ruin people's lives.

The First Bright Thing by JR Dawson - DNF at pg 1

Prince of the Sorrows by Kellen Graves - DNF at pg 30

Reuben's Hot & Cold by M Arbon - 3/5 stars

Slight Foxing Around the Edges by Melissa Polk - DNF at pg 132

Restored by Joanna Chambers - 5/5 stars

Balefire by Jordan L Hawk - 4.75/5 stars

A Rulebook for Restless Rogues by Jess Everlee - 4/5 stars

The Mars House by Natasha Pulley - 5/5 stars

See my brain vomit about this book here. If you've been around here for any amount of time you know all Natasha Pulley's books make me feral. Absolutely no exception here. I cannot believe her first UK publisher dropped her over this book. Idiots! It's wonderful just like everything she's ever written.

In the Case of Heartbreak by Courtney Kaye - DNF at pg 181

The Piano Tuner by Daniel Mason - DNF at pg 21

The Charm Offensive by Alison Cochrun - 5/5 stars (reread)

Just as good as the first time I read it!

Exhalation by Ted Chiang - 4.5/5 stars

The Foxhole Court by Nora Sakavic - DNF at pg 84

Crisped + Sere by TJ Klune - 4.75/5 stars

It actually kind of makes me mad that this series isn't Klune's most famous work, because it's real good. At this point it seems kind of unlikely he's going to continue it, but man, I'd love another book.

These Silent Stars by Chani Lynn Feener - DNF at pg 68

Trailer Park Trickster by David R Slayton - 5/5 stars

See below.

Deadbeat Druid by David R Slayton - David R Slayton - 5/5 star

I LOVE this series. Love love love love. Absolute must read. If you're a fan of KD Edwards's The Tarot Sequence, this series is right up your alley. It seems like there will be more after this initial trilogy, and there's also a spinoff book coming soon which I'm super excited for. Read them!!

[malinaa]

JULY SHORT STORIES WRAP-UP

well i’ve been getting back into reading individual short stories, so here’s a list of all of the ones i’ve been reading this month! they can all be found here as pdfs <3 all the ones marked with an * are my fav reads

ANT COLONY by ALISSA NUTTING — a woman hosts an ant colony in her body

THE VELDT by RAY BRADBURY — a mother, a father, two children, and their eerie automated home

NO IS YES by PAUL JENNINGS — a man teaches his daughter that yes is no, up is down etc. and her idea of language is tested when she meets another boy

THE PEDESTRIAN by RAY BRADBURY — in the near future, a man takes a walk and finds himself in a situation

THE SPECIALIST’S HAT by KELLY LINK — twins where one is better at playing dead than the other

THE OCTOBER GAME by RAY BRADBURY — a husband who hates his wife gets back at her

YOU'RE UGLY, TOO by LORRIE MOORE — local funny woman hates the midwest and goes back to the east coast to realize it’s also boring

THE HOUSE OF ASTERION* by JORGE LUIS BORGES — so basically you’re the minotaur and you live in a labyrinth and everything is fine until it isn’t

L’ESPRIT DE L’ESCALIER* by CATHERYNNE M. VALENTE — a type of modern orpheus and eurydice retelling but this doesn't end in the tragedy...or does it?

WE ATE THE CHILDREN LAST by YANN MARTEL — medical procedure turns to social experiment gone wrong

AT THE CLINIC by SALLY ROONEY — marianne and connell remember the events leading up to her visit to the dentist differently; alternatively, a microcosm of two people's relationship

I HAVE NO MOUTH, AND I MUST SCREAM by HARLAN ELLISON — ai wins and keeps five individuals alive for its own sick enjoyment

DIVISION BY ZERO by TED CHIANG — a wandering realization that, despite being similar, two people can be so distant, but with lots of math

FRESH WATER FROM THE SEA* by RAMONA AUSUBEL — a magical realist depiction of a daughter and her mother who’s slowly vanishing away

SHE UNNAMES THEM by URSULA K. LEGUIN — eve, of adam and eve biblical fame, unnames all the animals and then some

THE THIEF OF MEMORY by SUNYI DEAN — a hero with one duty, a desert that keeps taking, a storm that never ceases, and a villain that steals memory

HORROR STORY by CARMEN MARIA MACHADO — what’s worse? a haunted house or the relationship that’s crumbling inside of it

THE MOTHS by HELEN MARÍA VIRAMONTES — a granddaughter’s reflection of her family, but specifically her grandmother who died

THE PATH OF WATER* by EMMA TÖRZS — you’re in a fairy tale and you realize this and you try to unlock lost memories

HIGH DESERT by RAMONA AUSUBEL — a woman who lost both her daughter and husband to the sea moves to the desert but is still losing parts of herself

WARM BEDS by MÓNICA BUSTOS (trans. ANALÍA VILLAGRA) — three people share the same bed but never meet until the phantom presence of each other drives them to want to meet

IN THE CEMETERY WHERE AL JOLSON IS BURIED by AMY HEMPEL — an unnamed narrator visits her friend who’s dying

BONESOUP by EUGENIA TRIANTAFYLLOU — as the first line says, “you must eat the body part you want to grow stronger”

THE VERY PULSE OF THE MACHINE* by MICHAEL SWANWICK — a corpse at her back, her home base miles and miles ahead of her, an astronaut does everything to survive

TO EXHALE SKY by SHINGAI NJERI KAGUNDA — a queer speculative story about anticipated grief where the narrator has the ability to inhale and transform sorrow

XY by LUCY ZHANG — a woman with controlling parents finds their first attempt at a perfect daughter in the basement

AND YET by A.T. GREENBLATT — the haunted house of your childhood is a door into parallel universes

[tomorrowusa]

Texas is still suffering from power outages triggered by Hurricane Beryl which dissipated a week ago.

More than a week after Hurricane Beryl swept through Texas and left millions without power, nearly 60,000 people in the state still do not have electricity. The issue is more than an inconvenience, as many in the state have faced a deadly days-long heat wave that claimed its latest victim on Tuesday. Local news reported that a woman was found dead in her apartment after spending the last eight days in her home without electricity and air conditioning. The heat index in Houston had climbed to 110F (43F) the day her body was discovered. With the power issue lingering and more than a dozen deaths now linked to the heat, frustrations in Houston have started to boil over - particularly as the forecasts for the coming days warn of high temperatures. Armed residents living without electricity have reportedly harrassed and threatened workers from CenterPoint Energy, the local energy provider, who have been sent out to restore power. Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a statement saying that CentrePoint Energy "has lost the faith and trust of Texans". He issued a July 31 deadline for the company to respond to questions about what went wrong and what can be done to mitigate hurricane damage to the electric grid.

Climate-denying Republican Gov. Greg Abbott followed that Texas GOP tradition of leaving the state whenever climate causes a disaster leading to misery and death for residents. We remember Sen. Ted Cruz heading to Cancún when a winter storm caused the state's separate power grid to collapse.

Gov. Abbott went to Milwaukee to attend the GOP convention to brag about himself sending busloads of migrants to Chicago.

Gov. Abbott says Texas will continue busing migrants to Chicago during RNC speech

Those migrants are being sent north with taxpayer money in air conditioned buses while Abbott's Texas constituents are dropping dead from the heat.

Abbott himself was enjoying the moderate climate of the Upper Midwest where the high temperature in Milwaukee on Thursday is expected to be a refreshing 75° F/24° C. No place in southeastern Wisconsin will even make it to 80° today.

Abbott and other MAGA Republicans will be celebrating the climate policies of the Orange Dear Leader whose election would guarantee even more climate disasters for the Lone Star State.

Trump asks Big Oil for $1B in campaign cash

^^^ just sayin'

[daisychains334]

about time i did an introduction, i suppose…

hi, i’m daisy (she/her)

i am a lover of this world and the creativity within it.

after all, earth without ‘art’ would only be ‘eh.’ :)

here’s a few things about me <3

*•💿୨⎯music ⎯୧💿•*

artists/bands: lana del rey, artic monkeys, tv girl, fiona apple, mitski, smashing pumpkins, nirvana, hole, queen, chappell roan, the cure, boygenius, lorde, phoebe bridgers, foo fighters, wolf alice, oasis, taylor swift, arcade fire, ethel cain

albums: french exit, when the pawn, mtv unplugged, the rise and fall of a midwest princess, pure heroine, punisher, the record, in utero, live through this, evermore

+⭐️୨⎯media⎯୧⭐️+

books: the mysterious benedict society, the book thief, pride and prejudice, a good girl’s guide to murder, the kingkiller chronicles, enola holmes, we were liars, genuine fraud, how to be perfect, folk of the air series, humor me

authors: e. lockhart, sylvia plath, jane austen, markus zusak

movies/musicals: hamilton, little shop, enola holmes (again), wonka, the greatest showman, pride and prejudice (again), elemental (it is a BANGER ok??), 10 things i hate about you

shows: ted lasso, everything sucks!, heartstopper, i am not okay with this, cowboy bebop, mtv’s downtown

*🎀୨⎯other⎯୧🎀*

ideologies i believe strongly in: free palestine, girls protect girls, socialism or just general anti capitalism, freedom of religion without freedom of hate speech “because” of religion, black lives matter, pro-choice, feminism, love is love, trans rights are human rights.

things i love: reading, fashion history, fall, old dogs, sunshine, naps, “weird” animals, the idea that things are only worth what we’re willing to give up for them, academia type aesthetics, chanel, tea and coffee equally, thrift shopping, poetry, quiet but not quite silence, libraries, cafes, hot showers, vivienne westwood, grammar, rain puddles

things i collect: cd’s and vinyl, dice, playbills, seashells, polaroids, sweaters, rings

and here’s a little guide to my tags so you can navigate my page!!

#🪴୨⎯ tags⎯୧🪴#

#daisy’s writing things ~ shitposts i make about writing, whether that be tips, encouragement to others writers, or simply rants about how it annoys the hell out of me lol

#daisy’s random things ~ pure shitposts about no particular topic, just random things i happen to think of…

#daisy’s work ~ writing, poetry, art, etc. that is my creation :)

#daisy’s quotes ~ quotes, lyrics, or excerpts from poems or books that i really like!

#daisy’s mood boards ~ a curated vibe about a particular aesthetic or lifestyle i’m really into, expressed through quotes, writing, or pictures

#daisy’s asks ~ exactly what it sounds like: info about my asks, answered asks, etc. :)

(sometimes there may be multiple of these tags on one post if the post includes multiple of these)

(small side note about my page ~ i only follow people i know in real life, for safety reasons, this doesn’t mean you can’t follow me though!!)

thanks for reading!!

daisy 🌼

[after-the-end-times]

Every look and interaction between ted and trent this episode was truly that "Is he flirting or from the midwest?" meme

I'm crossing my fingers like dani making his 11:11 wish for flirting🤞🤞

[trashbag-baby666]

I’m from Wisconsin, Buckys from Wisconsin and that got me to thinking…is Buckys excessive drinking probably a form of self destruction/harm? Yeah probably. But people from Wisconsin also drink that much like all the time bc there’s fuck ass nothing better to do than drink and go to Walmart. Thank you for coming to my Midwest Ted Talk!

[castlesrp]

The Harrington Family

Demeter : Agriculture and Grain Industry

The Harrington family are an eminent force in the agriculture and grain industry that made their riches beginning as a humble grain storage business in Iowa before expanding across the Midwest and eventually launching into a full scale, complex international organization and successful competitor in global markets. First Harrington (78) has stepped down as CEO for the company as of two years ago, enjoying retirement with her husband and former socialite who graced the upper echelons of high society, First Fontana (77).

The Harrington Company is now run by the eldest son, First Harrington (51) as CEO, alongside his wife and documentary filmmaker First Harrington (50), with two children of their own. First Harrington (46) remains unmarried but actively contributes to the family legacy as a dedicated member of the Board of Directors. Taking after her father, First Nolan (44) has graced New York City’s high society as a socialite alongside her husband First Nolan (45), with two identical twin daughters to help with the family’s prestigious, perfect image.

The youngest daughter, First Harrington (39) has tried to keep herself away from the family politics and paved her own way as the Managing Editor of the New York Times, but has found herself on the front pages of her own newspaper due to the highly publicized (and some would also say quite sudden) engagement to renowned architect First Montgomery (48). At the end of the Harrington dynasty are the two youngest boys, First Harrington (36) and their adopted son, First Harrington (34) - both of whom have escaped the clutches and demands that their elder siblings face, allowing them to pave their own paths and discover what they want to do in the world.

Some may say that it is the privilege of being the youngest, but others would argue it’s because they didn’t receive as much attention and focus growing up as their siblings may have. Regardless, the Harrington family has made a lasting impression on the court of high society and seems to only be continuing the trend with the potential merger between the Harrington and Montgomery families looming on the horizon.

First Harrington: 78 Years Old, Retired Heiress and CEO, Sigourney Weaver, Available + First Harrington: 77 Years Old, Former Socialite, Ted Danson, Available

First Harrington: 51 Years Old, CEO of The Harrington Company, Michael Fassbender, Available + First Harrigton: 50 Years Old, Documentary Filmmaker, Melanie Lynskey, Available ----- First Harrington: 26 Years Old, Open Occupation, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Available ----- First Harrington: 23 Years Old, Open Occupation, Madelyn Cline, Available

First Harrington: 46 Years Old, The Harrington Company Board Member, Eddie Redmayne, Available

First Harrington: 44 Years Old, Socialite, Anne Hathaway, Available + First Nolan: 45 Years Old, Open Occupation, Ryan Gosling, Available ----- First Nolan: 22 Years Old, Open Occupation, Sydney Sweeney 1, Available * ----- First Nolan: 22 Years Old, Open Occupation, Sydney Sweeney 2, Available * * Note: Nolan (22) and Nolan (22) are identical twins.

First Harrington: 39 Years Old, Managing Editor of The NY Times, Sarah Snook, Available * * Note: Harrington (39) is engaged to Montgomery (48)

First Harrington: 36 Years Old, Open Occupation, Taron Egerton, Available

First Harrington: 34 Years Old, Open Occupation, Dev Patel, Available * * Note: Harrington (34) is adopted