#always on the move since he was 12 and al was 11. always guaranteed to be one of the strongest and smartest people in the room despite-

[fullmetall]

i like thinking abt pre-canon ed but i also like thinking abt post-canon ed a lot

[let-it-raines]

Catch Me If You Can (13/?)

298 days. That’s how long Killian Jones was away from a baseball field. It’s less than a year, only part of a season for him, but it might as well have lasted a decade as he alternated between physical therapy and spending an excessive amount of time sitting on his couch. 

But then he came back and won the World Series.

It’s something no one saw coming, and it’s certainly not something anyone who knows about his arm would predict. Now it’s a new season with new possibilities, and anything could happen. On-field reporter Emma Swan will be there to cover it all even if she is not his biggest fan right now. 

Asking her out live on-air will do that.

Rating: Mature

A/n: I obviously can’t make it through an entire MC story without changing the aesthetic I made at the beginning. Oh well. Happy Monday! Here are new words! As always, the MVP trophy goes to @resident-of-storybrooke for reading through all of these words ⚾️ 

AO3: Beginning | Current

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Tag list: @eala-captian @mariakov81 @ultraluckycatnd @royalswan @shey-starsfury @sals86 @iam2307 @ashley-knightingale @karenfrommisthaven @skyewardolicitycloisdelena91 @scientificapricot @captswanis4vr @ultimiflos @jamif @idristardis @nikkiemms @resident-of-storybrooke @tiganasummertree @wellhellotragic @bmbbcs4evr @onceuponaprincessworld @jennjenn615 @mayquita @captainsjedi @teamhook @notoriouscs @kmomof4 @ekr032-blog-blog @cs-forlife @andiirivera @jonirobinson64 @galaxyzxstark @qualitycoffeethings @thejollyroger-writer

-/-

Killian Jones keeps hazelnut coffee creamer in the refrigerator of his apartment for her.

She made one comment about it, about how that’s how she likes her coffee, and the next time that she showed up to his apartment, it was there, waiting for her. He didn’t tell her, didn’t make a big deal about it or point it out to her. It was simply there waiting to be used sitting in the fridge in a spot that she knows he carefully cleaned out just for her.

It’s the smallest thing, nothing really, but it’s so damn considerate that it made her heart swell.

He does that to her.

She’s not used to people doing small things like that for her, but Killian is always doing little things like that.

And it’s not what she should be thinking as she watches him throw out his forty-second pitch of the game against Blue Jays, but it is.

Honestly, though, she’s either going to think about the fact that he really listens to her when she talks, or she’s going to think about the clench of his heavily stubbled jaw, the way that his hair falls messily over his forehead, the way his sea-blue eyes turn dark as night, and the muscles in his biceps as his fingers moved swiftly against her center as he made her come undone on top of the leather of his couch with Black Sails playing in the background.

Killian’s voice had gotten gravely as he spoke to her, dirty whispers and encouragements, and every bit of her body felt electrified. She was so ready, so damn desperate to have the rough pads of his fingers moving against her, to have his delicate touch teasing her breasts, and to have his lips attached to her neck as he thrust into her in easy motions that her mind has been conjuring up for a few weeks now.

She wants to fuck her boyfriend and feel the heat of him covering every inch of her.

And they can’t seem to find the time.

Granted, it’s only been six days since they pretty much dry humped – and a little bit more – on his couch, but it’s felt like so much longer. Killian got called away to practice, and that seems to be all that he’s done since. They had the series against the Sox, which Al seemed to really be stressing about more than usual, and despite the fact that they won the series and are currently number one in the league, the entire team seems to be on edge.

And, honestly, she can tell that it’s having a negative impact on the team considering how badly they are losing this game right now.

“I’m pretty sure Jones has a hickey on his collarbone,” Ruby speaks into her earpiece, and Emma is so damn glad that she’s not on camera right now for the way that she knows blush is painting her cheeks.

Jeff rolls his eyes from where he’s sitting next to her, the camera turned off and resting by his feet, but he’s very obviously still got his own earpiece in.

“I don’t think so, Rubes.”

“No, no, I think it is. It might be an old one. Do you think he has a new girlfriend? Or maybe just an overly enthusiastic one-night-stand?”

New girlfriend, yes.

But Ruby doesn’t know that. And she can’t. Not quite yet. And not over a system where several people can listen to their conversation, Walsh included. David decided that he’d fly several people to Toronto for this series as some kind of practice run and learning experience for what games are like on the road, and she absolutely cannot wait until they get to go home so that she’s not around all of these people this often.

Ruby, Jeff, and David – absolutely fine. Walsh – not fine at all.

He’s still got such a stick up his ass, and she prefers not to see his face. He’s the one who broke her heart, who betrayed their relationship, but sometimes he acts like she’s the one who ended them and cheated on him.

Definitely not.

Asshole.

“That’s really not our business,” she sighs, sinking a little further into her seat as her eyes scan over the field. It’s surprisingly cool outside today, and she’s really regretting wearing a dress instead of her jeans when her favorite pair is sitting inside of her hotel room.

“It’s kind of our business.”

“You’re just nosy,” Emma laughs, wishing she could change the subject. “Technically, our job is to only cover how these guys play, but it does help to know about their personal lives. If Killian has a new girlfriend, I’m sure it’ll be discovered soon enough. He’s never exactly been private in the past.”

Okay, harsh, Emma, she thinks to herself. She knows that she’s trying to cover a lie, but damn.

“Maybe he’s changed his ways.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

“Is this what you guys always talk about when you’re supposed to be working?” David asks, his voice coming in loud and clear over her earpiece.

“Yes,” Jeff mutters next to her, and she reaches over to slap his shoulder as Killian throws another ball. “They are the height of professionalism.”

“Jeff, if you’re finally going to speak, maybe don’t rat us out.”

“Maybe I don’t speak because you two never give me a chance.”

“Damn,” Emma mutters, winking at Jeff, “who knew you were going to be like that? And David, these games are very long, and I work for so little of them. Of course we talk. I hate my road trips where I’m by myself sometimes. That’s usually when I go bug the players in the dugout.”

“That makes it sound like I need to see if I can find more things for you to do. Maybe we can get you to commentate on a game.”

“Hell yes,” she says a little too loudly, the people around her looking at her like she just committed murder or something. “Can you really do that?”

“I can talk to a few people. I can’t guarantee anything, but maybe we can test you out on a few smaller games later in the season.”

“You’re the actual best.”

“Well, I figured I was already the best since we’re family, and you love me.”

“That’s beside the point.”

“It’s most definitely not,” David sighs, and she just knows that he has a smile plastered onto his face. “Speaking of family, Mom is coming into town on the twenty-first. I know that’s a busy week for you and that we’re sending you to London right after that, but I think we’re going to do a big dinner at the house.”

“I can make time. I didn’t know she was coming into town.”

“It was a last-minute thing since we couldn’t decide on the date that worked for all of us. I’m sure she’ll call you about it soon, but I know that she expressed concerns that she would be charged an arm and a leg for calling you right now since we’re technically out of the country.”

“She most definitely won’t,” Emma laughs all the while Arthur catches a ball in the outfield and the fourth inning ends, all of the players running back to their dugouts. “But yeah, that’s fine. Just let me know, and I’ll be there. I’m sure she’s still upset that I haven’t come to visit as often as you have, which doesn’t even make any sense considering you’re her child and I am not.”

David clicks his tongue, and she grumbles to herself knowing where she messed up in that conversation. “She’s not your mom like she is mine, Emma, but you’re our family. You know that.”

She does. She really does. Just…childhood hang-ups that are likely never going to go away. Maybe one day. She loves Ruth, loves David, and it’s only when she thinks about it too much that she doesn’t refer to David as a brother. Fully accepting love has been hard for her for a lot of her life, but she’s working on it.

“I know. Sorry.”

“You know,” Ruby sighs, “for someone who got onto us for talking while working, you sure seem to be doing a lot of that.”

“I’m the boss,” David huffs.

“You just keep thinking that, buddy boy.”

-/-

The Yankees lose that day, but they’re 38-22 for the season so far, and things seem to be looking up if they keep progressing the way they are.

But Emma knows that it’s a long season, and they’ve barely begun.

-/-

Killian: Do you have dinner plans tonight?

Emma: I’m literally eating with David and Ruby right now. Why?

Killian: I figured we could sneak out and find a restaurant together. I could take you on a proper date.

Emma: Is this proper date your version of being a gentleman?

Killian: Now, darling, you know I am one.

Killian: Eat with David and Ruby. I’ll figure out a way for us to go on a date that doesn’t involve my apartment at some point, yeah?

Emma: That sounds really nice. Though I do love your apartment. Especially that couch.

-/-

One of their producers ended up not coming on the trip with them, so Emma managed to snag her own hotel room instead of sharing one with Ruby. It’s not that she would have minded sharing when that’s one of her absolute favorite things, but she likes that she can sit on her bed and watch what she wants to watch on television without anyone bothering her about it.

Sometimes a girl needs her peace and quiet, and when she’s spent all day around massive groups of people, that’s kind of what she needs right now.

And something to drink.

She’s really damn thirsty, and bathroom sink water isn’t really cutting it for her right now.

Sighing, she gets up from the bed and grabs her wallet and her hotel room key, slipping her feet into sandals as she leaves the room and goes in search of a vending machine. They’re usually so readily available, but for some reason, nicer hotels don’t have them. Like rich people don’t want a bag of chips in the middle of the night.

What’s the point of being rich if you can’t eat junk food whenever you want it?

Emma checks the entirety of her floor, as well as the five floors below her, before resigning herself to only checking the main floor of the hotel to find herself something to drink. If all else fails, she’ll just ask someone at the front desk or walk down the street to whatever convenience store she can find even if that’s not that safe. She’d rather be mugged than pay the price of the drinks in her mini fridge.

Okay, that might be a bit of an exaggeration.

As she’s walking down the back hallways away from the lobby and the breakfast area, she passes the pool, not thinking anything of it until she sees a splash from her view in the tiny glass window pane over the door that looks into the indoor room.

Killian.

That’s Killian swimming laps in there.

For a moment, she debates whether or not she should go inside, whether that’s invading his privacy, but then she’s pushing the door open and closing it behind her, purposefully moving away from the door so that no one from outside can see her. This is very much them interacting while out in the open even if she doubts several people are going to be walking by the pool past ten at night.

And if they do, she and Killian are simply two people who decided to go for a late-night swim.

She just happens to swim in shorts and a camisole, and her body is completely dry because she hasn’t stepped foot inside of the water.

It’ll make a lot of sense to whoever walks in on them.

(She hopes that doesn’t happen.)

“Yo, Phelps,” she yells when Killian comes up for air at the side of the pool that she’s standing on.”

He blinks up at her, his mouth gaping like a fish, which seems appropriate, before he’s shaking his head and his hair out, the water droplets falling all over the concrete floor, and propping himself up on the edge of the water.

Heat pools between her thighs at the sight of water falling over Killian’s tanned skin, the dark hair on his chest curling in different ways than usual, and his muscles more defined even under the awful florescent lighting in this room. The want that she’s been feeling for weeks now keeps piling up, the untamable desire to be connected to Killian in more ways than just emotionally ramping up, and she already knows that when they have sex, it���s going to be different than it has been before.

That freaking terrifies her.

But she’s also more than ready.

It’s been a whirlwind six weeks, and she’s still trying to catch her breath.

Judging by the way Killian’s chest is heaving, she imagines he is too. More literally than figuratively.

“Swan,” he says on a sigh, reaching up to push his hair back off of his forehead, and that definitely doesn’t do anything to her at all, “what are you doing in here?”

“I was on a quest for something other than fifteen-dollar diet coke to drink, and I happened to pass by the pool. What are you doing in here?”

“Exercise.”

“Didn’t you get enough of that today?”

“Eh.” He reaches up to scratch behind his ear, a water droplet tracing the veins in his forearm. She really likes the veins in his forearms. That’s such a particular thing to like, but it’s a good thing to like. “This is relaxing to me, and it’s low impact. Archie recommended it for me for my shoulder.”

“Well, that’s good. You want to keep taking care of that shoulder. It’s the money maker. You played well today even if you guys lost.”

“Both an insult and a compliment all at once. Amazing.” He crooks his finger toward her, his brows waggling across his forehead while his smile stretches from one side of his lips to the other. “C’mere, love.”

“No,” Emma laughs, crossing her arms over her chest, the chill of the room tightening her nipples. “You’re wet, and I am not getting closer to you.”

Killian actually pouts, his bottom lip protruding, and she can’t help but chuckle at how ridiculous he is.

The most ridiculous.

“Oh, come on, Swan. This is a heated pool. It feels glorious.” He leans back into the water, spreading his arms out into the water as he floats on his back. “Why don’t you join me?”

“I’m not wearing a bathing suit.”

“You got underwear on under those clothes?”

“That is none of your business, twenty-nine.”

He whines in protest, standing up on his feet so that his chest is exposed to her again. “I’m also fine with no underwear being on underneath those clothes. Come on, Swan. What else do you have to do tonight than spend some time with me in an indoor and empty heated pool?”

He’s right. It sounds entirely appealing to join him, so without saying anything, she grabs the bottom of her camisole and pulls it over her shoulders, wishing she was wearing a different bra than the one she has on right now. It’s more lingerie than actual support system for her boobs, and she’s only wearing it because it didn’t show lines under her dress today. But if the heat of Killian’s gaze is any indication, the way that he’s hungrily staring at her, she can say that he probably doesn’t mind.

Deciding to toy with him a little bit, she turns around and slowly takes her shorts off, knowing that he likes her ass, before bending completely over to pull her hair up into a bun so that it doesn’t get wet. She can’t believe that she’s about to do this, but like Killian said, what else does she have to do tonight?

Slowly, she steps down into the pool, the warm water hitting her ankles, then her knees, then her stomach as she gets a little closer to where Killian is waiting, a far too triumphant smile on his face.

“Shut up.”

“I haven’t said a thing.” He swims a little closer to her, the ripples of water moving with his touch, before he’s in her space and cupping her cheeks so that their lips come together in a slow kiss that’s all soft lips and small tilts and something she’s never truly experienced before. “You’re simply reading into my actions.”

Emma scoffs, rolling her eyes a bit, but wanting more of his kiss and the feel of him pressed up against her, so she uses the momentum of the water to wrap her legs around his waist, her core pressing just at his hip, and hold onto him by holding onto the back of his neck. She can feel every inch of him lined up with every inch of her, and like it so often is with the two of them, nothing else exists outside of the darkened blue of his eyes and the way that his fingers are kneading at her ass, exploring parts of her that he hasn’t really gotten to explore despite how intimate they’ve been before.

This is not Killian’s couch.

Every move they make causes water to move, a loud echo in the enclosed space, and she tightens her ankles around his back while her fingers toy with the hair that’s getting a little long at the back of his neck.

“Do you always wear bras like that, love?”

Her gaze flickers down to where Killian’s is, the swell of her breasts as obvious as the tightness of her nipples from how her bra has shifted.

“Nope. They’re usually very beige and boring but comfortable since that’s the whole purpose of them. For me at least. So, you’re getting lucky tonight.”

“Am I?” he asks, his right brow raising high on his forehead, and she realizes exactly what she just said.

Is this the most sexual tension to ever happen inside of a hotel pool? Probably not. But that’s how she feels right now.

“Maybe. If you play your cards right.”

“Damn. I’ve always been bad at card games.”

“Remind me to invite you to poker.”

Killian chuckles, a sound that’s dark but also light and joyous, before one of his hands is releasing the firm grip on her ass to come up and brush away loose strands that have fallen in her face, an intimate touch that has a shiver running down her spine.

Yeah, that’s why a shiver is running down her spine.

“You’ll take away all of my money.”

“Little do you know, that’s been my plan the entire time.”

“I asked you out first, so I’m not sure it really could have been your plan.”

“Yeah, but when I asked you out, we actually did something about it.”

“Touché.” Then his head dips and his mouth is running against her jaw, soft pecks that get more insistent when he moves back toward her ear, his teeth nibbling at her lobe, scruff burning into her skin, that makes her sigh into him. “You are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I’m so damn glad you stumbled into the pool tonight.”

She tilts her head back, wanting to give him more access to her skin, and he takes full advantage of it, nibbling and teasing and soothing as he works his way down her chest, biting down onto the swell of her breasts. It’s so much and not enough, so she tries to climb his body, to move herself further up, and he boosts her with his hands on her ass so that he can nose at her bra until her nipples are exposed and he’s sucking one into her mouth.

Holy fuck.

Killian hums around her, the sucking insistent, and she starts to wonder if she said that out loud, but she doesn’t really care when all of her focus is on the intense way that Killian is riling her up with his tongue and his teeth and his – ah.

She’s not above getting creative on places to have sex, but a public pool is not high on her list…and that’s definitely where it’s been leading.

“K-Killian,” she gaps, practically panting. “Killian, stop.”

He releases her with a wet plop, and when his head is leveled with hers, she can see the redness of his cheeks, the pink on his lips, and all of the dirty thoughts that she’s sure are curled at the tip of his tongue.

“What? Why?”

“We’re in a pool. That’s not exactly private, and with the way things are going, I think I’d rather like some privacy.”

“Yeah?”

“Absolutely.”

“My room?”

“Fuck yes.”

It has never taken her so long to dry her body enough to put her clothes back on, and after what feels like an hour but is probably a minute, she pulls her top back over her shoulders and yanks her shorts up all the while Killian places his chain around his neck and wraps the towel around his waist without putting a shirt on. He doesn’t have a shirt. Of course not.

Anticipations buzzes through her, her feet never able to stay still, so as she silently follows Killian down the hotel hallways and up the elevator, she’s practically bouncing off of the carpets. She can tell that he feels the same way with the tense set of his jaw and the way that his hand squeezes onto hers, and the moment his hotel room door closes behind him, she lets out a sigh of relief that’s captured by Killian’s lips as he pulls her closer by the straps of her camisole and hungrily devours hers, quickly swiping his tongue into hers with no preamble.

Then again, they’ve had weeks of it.

He’s heavy and insistent against her, and even though she feels a chill from the dampness of her clothes, all she can feel is warmth. His hands move from her shoulders to her waist, tugging her closer so that they’re completely pressed together, and there’s no hesitation in the way that he moves against her.

None at all.

For years, all she knew of Killian Jones was that he was attractive, known for his dating life, and that he was a damn good pitcher. All she saw was the confidence and cockiness, the way that he swaggered on and off the field and threw people off with a flirtatious answer or a sly smile. She didn’t know him, no matter how well she thought that she did, but that’s not how it is now.

She knows that Killian is confident and cocky, that he can flirt successfully almost every time, and that he is sure of his movements with how he’s tangling his tongue with hers and making her melt into him. But she also knows that he’s got a lot of darkness hidden behind the blue of his eyes, that a lot of his confidence is fake and is only there to hide where he’s insecure.

The great Killian Jones can be insecure.

And unsure.

There are so many facets of him that she knows, so many that she hasn’t yet discovered, but she can’t wait to learn.

Nothing about him right now is unsure, though. Not the way that he pushes her back toward the bed, his steps precise and the movements of his hands directed to cover every inch of her skin at once. His chain is pressing into her skin, the cold metal a contrast to the warmth of his skin and his chest hair against her, and when his fingers slide up her neck and into her hair so that he can tilt her head to the side to deepen their kiss, she groans into his mouth.

This is absolutely everything, and she wants to be kissed like this – passionate, possessive, lovingly – every day for the rest of her life.

When her knees hit the end of the mattress, she pulls away from Killian so that she can tug her shirt off, the clothes falling to the floor. Immediately, she reaches for her bra, but then Killian’s grabbing onto her hands and moving them away so that he can undo the clasp, helping her remove the wet lace.

“Beautiful,” he mumbles with a slight shake of his head, his eyes focused on her breasts before flicking up to her eyes so that she can see the slight smile. “So beautiful.”

Even though she talks for a living, she’s never been great with words, so she doesn’t say anything, simply tugging him closer by the waistband of his swim shorts, and then he’s pushing her back onto the bed, her back hitting the mattress with a small oomph that has her laughing the slightest bit.

First times (and so many times after that) are always so heated and yet awkward, elbows in places that they don’t need to be and sounds made that shouldn’t be made, and while she’s usually nervous, she doesn’t feel that way right now.

“Something funny there, love?”

“Nothing at all.” She beckons him closer with a curl of her finger like he did to her earlier, and he obliges, bracing his palms on either side of her shoulders so that he’s staring down at her, hot breath hitting her already overheated skin. “I just like you is all.”

“Funny thing,” he smiles, dipping his hide to bite against her collarbone, “I rather like you too.”

She pulls herself up to try to start working at his shorts, but he wraps his fingers around her wrist all the while tugging her shorts down. She has to lift her hips to help him out, kick out at her ankles so that they fall to the floor, and she’s just about to try to work at his shorts again when his fingers are moving against the slick flesh that’s wet and aching and absolutely desperate to feel his touch again.

A whine escapes from her lips, one that even she knows sounds needy, and she can feel Killian’s chuckle against her breast as he breathes her in and keeps on driving her mad with the expert touch of his fingers. He’s very obviously a good listener both with coffee creamer preferences and sex preferences because he’s doing just what she asked him to last time.

No one should be able to bring her this much pleasure this quickly, should be able to make her feel like she’s already coming apart at the slightest touch.

Emma Swan wants Killian Jones, and she’s finally going to have him.

Her hips roll up into his, an attempt at chasing pleasure and bringing her more friction even with the way Killian is circling her clit, but when she gets the friction she’s chasing, Killian pulls back with a hiss and a clench of his jaw.

Some of the high comes down then, but only for a moment before he’s pulling his shorts down his thighs, exposing thick, muscled thighs covered in hair and his length bobbing against his stomach. She gulps, the thought of him sliding into her overwhelming her and exciting her all at once, but then he’s leaning back over her, nearly aligning their bodies so that he’s pressing against her thigh, smooth and thick and so goddamn hard that her body jolts at the touch.

“You’re a siren, do you know that?” He whispers the words as he ruts against her, his lips tracing her clavicle before he’s taking a nipple between his lips and lavishing there. He watches her as he does it, blue eyes under those unfairly long lashes, and she can barely control her breathing. Her heart may very well explode. “Everything about you. Your eyes, your hair, your pretty pink lips.”

His right hand trails up the mattress until he’s grabbing onto her hand and threading their fingers together, holding them above her head all the while he shifts his hips so that his cock brushes against her aching flesh, desire continuing to build.

She’s going to burst.

“The way your ass looks in your jeans,” he continues, moving away from her breasts and up her body until his lips are hovering just over hers his nose squishing into her cheek. “The way you smile and the laugh that follows after it. Or the way that you eat so many horrible things but get so happy while you’re doing it. The way you’re so passionate about your job, about your friends, about everything you do. A damn siren calling me to you.”

She gasps, words still failing her, so with her free hand, she reaches up and traces her fingers along the line of his scruff, smiling up at him as she blinks. “Has anyone ever told you that you’re really good with words?”

“Once or twice.”

“You are. Just, like, the best.”

His smile can be tasted in his kiss, and it’s this slow, tender thing, so unrushed like the rest of tonight, and she revels in it even as their hips keep rolling together.

“Do you have a condom this time?” she asks on a whisper.

“Bought a whole damn box on my way home from practice that day.”

She giggles into the comforter and then whines when Killian moves off of her, his bare ass in her view as he gets up and ruffles through his suitcase, pulling out a foil and carefully ripping it open. He moves to put it on, but this time it’s her turn to stop him. His breath hitches, his chest visibly moving, and the curses that he murmurs when her fingers travel over his length and the velvety feel of him are downright dirty. She tries to keep eye contact with him, but she can’t help but watch as between her thighs slicken.

“Lay down on your back.”

There’s a raise of a brow, but he listens, settling down onto the mattress and spreading his legs as she moves to hover above him, kissing along the muscles of his stomach and his inner thighs all the while her nails follow the path. He’s trembling, just barely though, and she smiles into his skin before balancing above him on her knees while his fingers find purchase on her hips, squeezing into her skin as she slowly moves above him so that he brushes against her flesh.

This is everything she imagined, and she did imagine this, but nothing compares to the real thing.

“Emma – ” His fingers move, his eyes wide, and she nods her head to his silent question before sinking down onto him and taking in every inch that she can.

Perfect.

Warm.

Full.

It’s a slight stretch, a new adjustment, and she reaches forward to press her hands against his chest, curling her fingers into the hair there as she sighs.

“Holy fuck.”

“That’s kind of what I was thinking too,” Killian chuckles, the smile on his face bright compared to how hooded his eyelids are.

And then she’s moving.

It’s a slow pace, one that’s full of learning and experimenting and simply trying to find a rhythm that’s right for the both of them. Electricity is rising on her skin, her flesh covered in bumps as the coil in her stomach continues to tighten, and with the way that Killian is thrusting up into her all the while she’s circling her hips over him, she doesn’t know how much longer she’s going to last.

“I need,” Killian mutters, adjusting his position under her while he tugs her down to bring their lips together, her breasts pressing into his chest as sweat trickles down her back.

“Faster?” she questions.

“Fuck yes.”

Then it’s a quick, dirty fuck, skin slapping against skin and moans being exchanged between them, and when Killian’s hand snakes down between them and starts rubbing against her flesh, she nearly loses it, having to bite into his shoulder as he wraps his arms around her waist and turns them. He slips from her as they reposition themselves, but then he’s sliding back into her in a rhythm that’s so intense that she has completely lost her breath.

She comes with a keening whimper into his jaw, her orgasm more sparks of electricity across her skin, and Killian encourages her to feel it, to let herself fall, all the while he thrusts into her, grunting and cursing and then finding his own releases as he presses into her and the cool metal around his chest does the same, their bodies connected in every damn way possible.

Killian coming is a beautiful sight.

His eyelids are hooded, his jaw clenched, and the intensity is like none other.

As far as first times with someone go, she thinks she likes this one the best.

He falls onto her, pressing into her with his weight, and she reaches up to comb her fingers through his hair, damp from the pool and from sweat, and she’s never been so fond of the smell of chlorine.

“I stand by my comments of you being a siren,” he mumbles against her skin before rolling off of her and off of the bed, quickly disposing of the condom before he crawls back In and pulls the blanket over the two of them. She needs to get up to use the restroom, but she has time for that later. “There is no way I’m ever going to be able to give you up now.”

Why did she ever bother catching her breath when it’s going to be taken away with words like that?

Emma rolls over to Killian, looping her leg over his calves and resting her head on his chest so that she can feel metal under her cheek and the quick beating of a heart to prove that this is real and not some kind of dream. Rough fingers trace across her back, spelling out words she can’t figure out, and then there’s a press of lips to her hairline that has her eyes fluttering closed in happiness.

[secretradiobrooklyn]

The Singing Senator Edition | 5.22.21

Secret Radio | 5.22.21 | Hear it here.

1. Dara Puspita - “Bertamasja”

Dara Puspita was an Indonesian band, active right from the start of rock n roll — like, they jumped into it in 1964. I love how it sounds like gnarly garage rock until the lead guitar tone pulls out and reveals a super VU sound. With a surf structure! It’s just about a perfect nugget of song. 

2. Yol Aularong - “Sou Slarp Kroam Kombut Srey (Rather Die Under a Woman’s Sword)”

Yol Aularong has the wildest voice, and total commitment to rock’s magic transformative power, even in a context where he was risking his life. He does things that would make Screamin’ Jay lean back and appreciate. The arrangements and his delivery just o��erbrim with life and character. 

3. The Psychedelic Aliens - “We’re Laughing”

This band is like Atomic Forest in that they’re just the answer to any collector’s wildest dreams of rarity: they’re a Ghanaian band who released exactly 8 songs and were big in the Accra scene. The groove of this song, especially in headphones, is just mesmerizing, and his delivery gets gradually more and more abstract. It sounds like Marijata and what I wish WITCH sounded more like. Undeniable.

- Glenn Miller Orchestra - “Sunrise Serenade”

4. Prewar Yardsale - “Turn On (Live Peel Session)”

We got into Prewar Yardsale through Jeffrey. Because we got into this band that he introduced us to, he said he had some rarities and other tracks. That he sent our way, and this is from that.  

5. Chai - “In Pink (feat. MNDSGN)”

I think first it was the New York Times, then the Guardian, then the New Yorker all writing about this band essentially in the same week — and we definitely had no idea what they sound like. This song had just debuted on YouTube 18 hours earlier. I think, especially now through repeated listens, it’s a rad track. I love the way MNDSGN winds his vocals into the song, then has his passage, then smoothly winds his way out again. It’s like meeting a really interesting person at an already cool party.

6. Waipod Phetsuphan - “Ding Ding Dong”

Siamese music — Thai music. The guitar part is so primal and the drums so bright in the fills and meanwhile it sounds like he’s casting a spell. And what a refrain.

7. Jacques Dutronc - “J’ai me un tigre dans ma guitare”

One of the greats — I have loved every song of his I’ve ever heard. This song really makes me appreciate his band, especially his drummer. 

8. Orchestra Baobab - “Kelen Ati Leen”

When we started WBFFing, it was partly because we were being blown away by the indisputable proof of James Brown’s influence on, and interaction with, the entire world. I don’t think I realized JB was a lot bigger than the Beatles in huge swaths of the world. This track is fundamentally expressing a JB groove and doing their own entire thing at the same time. The lead vocals’ flavor is just off the charts and the band is SO tight. 

9. Pierre Vassilou - “Qui c’est celui-là?”

What IS this song? It’s in French but it sounds like Brazil — I guess really it sounds like Os Mutantes. 

10. Betti-Betti w T.P. Orchestre Poly Rythmo - “Mahana”

The abundance of T.P. Orchestre keeps on giving. This beautiful, beautiful song is from an album they did with Cameroonian star Betti-Betti, who basically expressed the pain of her country so precisely that the whole nation mourned her passing when she died young. This melody is just stunning, and the harmony 

- Stunt Double - “Be My Baby”

Ace track from some of our favorite people in all of LA.

11. Bug Chaser - “Crowley’s Kids”

I don’t know if Bug Chaser is active at the moment, but some of our favorite STL shows have been watching and/or playing with Bug Chaser. We did the City Museum rooftop twice — and we split favorite VU songs at the Lou Reed Farewell show. Two drumsets, way too much information per track, and an epic live show with a lead character who knows how to lose himself in a song.

12. Eko Roosevelt - “Attends Moi”

We learned about Eko Roosevelt by glimpsing him in a movie about Betti-Betti. He’s a handsome bearded gentleman behind a piano. The first songs by him that got us were super heavy disco, but this one has its own special power. Lately Paige has been singing and playing it on guitar — I’m kind of hoping that we hear her version of “Attends Moi” in another broadcast.

13. Manzanita y Su Conjunto - “Shambar”

One of the sweetest musical gifts in our life has been the discovery of Analog Africa’s ever-growing musical jackpot. They sent their list a note recently about an upcoming record focused on Manzanita y Su Conjunto and their path through cumbia music, and there are two  tracks available now counting this one. We’ll be getting this record, this shit is amazing.

Paige: “I gotta get in touch with Mrs. Link.”

14. Lizzy Mercier Descloux - “Fire”

This song is from her 1979 debut, “Press Color,” and man, what an undeniable new character on the scene! She was based in Paris, hooked up with Michel Esteban, and together they not only established a store of crucial Parisian punkness but also published a fucking MAGAZINE called “Rock News”!! While making music like this! Eventually they moved to New York in 1977 (natch) and as far as I know just continued to be the coolest humans on Earth. I can’t wait to share some of her other tracks with you — besides the brilliant first album, there’s a whole record called “Zulu Rock”! 

15. Os Mutantes - “A Minha Menina”

And as always I think: What did the Beatles think of this music?! They must have known about it, they must have. To me it really brings a whole additional level that the Beatles wanted to get to but literally didn’t know how — and Os Mutantes did. 

16. Suburban Lawns - “Janitor”

Sometimes I wonder why something that sounds so objectionable can be the most vital music in the world. Like, nothing about the lyrics or the way this song is sung should be appealing — and instead, this song is brilliantly undeniable. It’s even better when you see them performing it. If you don’t know what they look like, I guarantee you she will be a surprising character.

My favorite words on it ever are something someone wrote as a comment under the video of their TV performance of this song: “Spent 15 years as a janitor. Can confirm every word.”  

17. Sinn Sisamouth and Ros Serey Sothea - “Mou Pei Na”

These two are just amazing characters in the pre-Khmer Rouge Cambodian music world. Ros Serey Sothea’s voice is totally unique, and Sisamouth has a sincere urgency that gives the whole song a surprising narrative shape.

18. Ranil - “Ángel Terrenal”

Analog Africa again — the cure for what ails you. They are truly combing the world for music that amazes. They played the length of the Amazon river and did their best to stay out of big cities after a bad experience with a record label. So they released these psychedelic jungle masterpieces on little slabs of vinyl that they sold up and down the river. Can you freaking believe that? 

- Salah Ragab - I believe you are responsible for telling us about Salah Ragab, Josh Weinstein. So good.

Also, as promised, further information about glue traps and why they’re so harsh (and how to pull off a successful rescue!) can be found here.

19. Dagi D - “Beka”

I feel like I knew my musical life had changed when I started thinking of every visit to an Ethiopian restaurant as a valuable moment to learn as much about the music as possible — especially Meskerem in St. Louis, it must be said. It turns out modern Ethiopian pop music is super addictive and can easily get stuck in your head for days. 

20. Raxstar - “Jaaneman”

We’re still pretty new to Kensington, our neighborhood in Brooklyn. We knew that a Muslim holiday called Eid al-Fitr was happening, and when it was happening, but we were still surprised by what a joyous holiday it was in our neighborhood. Everyone of all ages was out in their fines, which involved a whole lot of sequins and shining metallic threads. The men wore a lot of caftans and those excellent long shirts and/or jackets, most with beautiful patterns. We went for a long walk and just enjoyed seeing a holiday at full pitch — excited kids and tutting grandmas, people carrying big flower arrangements (in the shape of a crescent and star!), heavy-looking tins of food headed toward a feast, even fireworks overhead. We crossed paths with a group of dudes all dressed up in various states of celebration, from a sharp Western-style two-piece suit to an even sharper South Asian suit with a Nehru collar and snug caftan. It looked like they had just finished the parental part of the night and were deciding where and who to meet up with — exactly like, say, Thanksgiving night in your hometown. It felt like, from Coney Island to McDonald, Church to Cortelyou, it was New Year’s Eve for everyone but us. 

After our walk we returned to our apartment and set up a little folding table out back to enjoy a glass of wine in the warm air. Our neighbors across the fence were still in the midst of family time, with tons of kids running around, including a teensy little girl on a tiny little pink scooter and a gaggle of beautifully awkward teens in the posture and attitude that says “stand by your cousins and let me take your picture.” As the evening wore on and the parents drifted back inside, the young adult contingent got a speaker going, and soon we were catching tracks we’d never heard before. The one that made us first pay attention was “Jaaneman,” with the vocalist’s super-charismatic delivery and priceless accent. We found ourselves Shazaming song after song, and thus started learning about Desi hip hop, a whole world of East Asian immigrant tracks that offer a lens into life in the US and UK that I haven’t really seen since watching “My Beautiful Laundrette” many years ago. Fascinating!

“Jaaneman” literally means “soul of me,” but translates to “my love” or “my darling.” Check out Raxstar — I’d love to see him play SNL and get an impression of what he’s like live. Just last month he released “Forever Jaaneman,” which updates his original smash hit and is also a very strong track.

21. Nate Smith - “Spress Theyself”

One of the last shows we got to see in St. Louis was Nate Smith at Jazz at the Bistro, and holy smokes, what a pleasure to see him do his thing up close. I love this solo album because it sounds like a practice sesh that died and went to heaven. It doesn’t have a song’s logic, but it does follow the feel of a great intuitive exploration of a beat, wandering through subdivisions and feel variations with complete ease. 

22. Jefferson Airplane - “White Rabbit”

This is Paige’s call. I think it’s cool because I can hear the direct connection between this and Erkin Koray’s Anatolian psych rock style, which I previously had no idea about. This listen through, we’ve both been appreciating how overwhelming massive Grace Slick’s voice is.

23. Marie France - “Dereglée”

Another cut off the fantastic Born Bad Records comp “Paink,” and more proof that punk was happening in other languages at the same time. (Though I think they called themselves “méchant”… or denied being méchant, depending) The album art reveals that Marie France happened to look uncannily like a punk Marilyn Monroe, which only makes both MM and MF cooler. 

24. Operation Ivy - “One of These Days”

I was never for one second a punk in high school, but I knew that the Op Ivy t-shirt was the essence of functional punk.

- Shin Joong Hyun - “Moon Watching”

25. Shin Joong Hyun - “Spring Rain”

This guy has an otherworldly sense of melody and performance that indie rock only starting catching up with decades later. This is the guy sometimes referred to as the “Korean godfather of rock.” He was active from the early ‘60s til 1975, when he was arrested, tortured and banned in South Korea. Eventually, the leader who had hammered down on him died, and he was able to begin piecing his life back together. These iconic, evocative, cinematic recordings would sound great in any decade. 

Spoiler: it wasn’t! We walked across the bridge and it was a thoroughly magical New York evening. 

[opedguy]

Gore Gives Trump Gratuitous Advice

LOS ANGELES (OnlineColumnist.com), Dec. 13, 2020.--Giving 74-year-old President Donald Trump some gratuitous advice, 72-year-old former Vice President Al Gorge said it’s time for the president of concede, after the Supreme Court refused Dec. 11 to hear the Texas lawsuit to toss out Electoral Votes in the battleground states.  Gore lost the Florida primary in 2000 by a measly 537 popular votes, reaching the magic number of 271 when the Supreme Court ended Democrats’ challenges to the Florida vote.  Gore’s the last person who should give Trump any advice, when he knows former Texas Gov. Jeb Bush and his chief election official former Secretary of State Katherine Harris played dirty.  When thousand of Palm Beach County ballots for largely elderly Democrat voters ended up in dumpsters, Gore’s should bite his tongue about when it’s time to concede.  Gore may think he did the right thing but the Supreme Court left him no other choice.       

      In Trump’s case in 2020, Gore knows that the Supreme Court didn’t give Trump as shot to prove that voter irregularities and possibly fraud turned the Nov. 3 presidential election to 78-year-old President-elect Joe Biden.   Trump’s reluctance to concede is not, as Gorge suggests, some phony patriotic duty but related to some degree of integrity with the system.  Trump doesn’t trust a system that ordered universal mail-in ballots against the best advice of seasoned election officials because it would be difficult to verify whether votes were cast legally.  “Your know, Winston Churchill once said of the American people . . .they generally do the right thing, after firs exhausting every available  alternative,” expecting Trump to concede.  “And there were no remaining alternatives after the final Supreme Court decision,” Gore said.  To Trump, it’s not about options but what’s right.      

       Bush v. Gore got their day in court, even when the Supreme Court decided Dec. 12, 2000 to end potentially endless recounts.  Unlike Bush v. Gore, Trump did not get his day in court, leaving a bad taste in his mouth about the outcome of the Sept. 3 election.  Gore said after the Supreme Court ruled against him, “partisan rancor must now be put aside,” not realizing that multiple calamities would follow the Bush presidency.  Trump’s been defeated in his attempt to get his day in court but there’s little reason to concede the election to Biden.  “MOST CORRUPT ELECTION IN US HISTORY!” Trump tweeted today, something that he’ll always believe.  Trump had a hard time fathoming that his three nominees to the Supreme Court, Associate Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett voted to not hear any challenge by Texas Atty. Gen. Ken Paxton and 18 other state attorneys general.      

        Back in 2000, there’s was ample reason to believe Florida election officials under former Gov. Jeb Bush disposed of thousands of Democrat ballots in West Palm Beach, hading the election to his brother, George.  Gore never pursued the fraud angle because he had no proof at the time about missing ballots, eventually found in trash dumpsters.  But whatever happened in 2000, Gore’s in no position to lecture anyone about what’s the gracious thing to do.  Persecuting Trump for four years with a phony witch-hunt alleging Trump’s ties to Moscow, Democrats and the press say it’s treason for Trump not to concede the election or at least accept the results.  Trump has zero trust in the press or in U.S. law enforcement and intel agencies that illegally investigated Trump and his 2016 campaign for four years, eventually finding nothing. But suddenly the press says it’s treasonous not to accept Biden as President-elect.     

        Gore said he hopes after the Electoral College meets tomorrow to certify Biden’s victory, Trump and his followers will move on. “I’m going to express the hope, Jake, that the Electoral College that votes tomorrow in 50 states, and with President-elect Joe Biden receiving the majority that that will be a point at which some of those who have hung on will give up the ghost,” Gore told CNN’s Jake Tapper.  Trump certainly doesn’t care what CNN thinks, after spending four years whipping up baseless conspiracy theories about Trump’s ties to the Kremlin.  CNN masquerades as a news organization when it’s a propaganda wing of the Democrat Party.  Since Biden won the election, CNN’s daytime and evening lineup has spent time celebrating and gloating about Trump’s defeat.  Gore had no problem telling CNN that Trump’s a “demagogue” refusing to concede so his backers could move on.       

      Unable to find anything to talk about, CNN has been fixated on Trump since the challenged the election results in the federal courts.  Trump’s actions are hardly treasonous or against the American way because Trump seeks to redress his grievances in the courts something guaranteed by the Constitution. If Trump sent the Proud Boys or Boogaloo out to protest violently in the streets, CNN would have something to talk about.  But when Antifa, Black Lives Matter and other leftist groups burn down cities over the summer, they justified the mayhem in the name of civil rights.  No one’s civil rights were preserved when rioters, looters, arsonists and anarchies destroyed American cities. ”It’s not over,” Trump tweeted today about the Supreme Court ruling. “We keep going.  And we’re going to continue to go forward,’ not admitting that he’ll be moving out of the White House before Biden’s Jan. 20, 2021 inauguration.

About the  Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He’s editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma

.  

[kerahlekung]

Civil forfeiture - UMNO is in a “catch-22” situation...

Civil forfeiture - UMNO is in a “catch-22” situation....

Attacking The Uniform Of Anti-Corruption Chief Shows Corrupt UMNO Is Incredibly Desperate And Panic...

What is so terrified about Latheefa Koya, the first woman chief of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC), so much so that the supporters of UMNO had to attack the “uniform” she was wearing? The answer is simple – Latheefa is the latest badass in town who appears to be enjoying her job combating and fighting corruptions. The final straw that broke the camel’s back happened about a week ago when the MACC filed a civil forfeiture against 41 entities comprising individuals, companies and political parties – aiming to recover RM270 million – the biggest forfeiture by the anti-graft body. The civil action was filed under the Anti-Money Laundering, Anti-Terrorism Financing and Proceeds of Unlawful Activities Act 2001 (AMLA). As it turned out, UMNO was the biggest recipient constituting close to 80% of the total dubious money, with RM212 million going into the accounts of several state liaison committees, divisions and leaders. Apparently, the money given to those 41 recipients came from former Prime Minister Najib Razak’s personal bank account, which in turn was allegedly stolen from 1MDB funds. The MACC later hinted that there are more entities – other than the 41 disclosed – involved in its civil forfeiture move to recover monies allegedly stolen from 1Malay­sia Development Bhd (1MDB). It is safe to presume all the 191 UMNO division chiefs had taken the dirty money, one way or another. And the anti-corruption commission is testing the water to see who would play ball and return the money received. Taking a page from the U.S. Department of Justice, the change in strategy of using civil forfeitures is a clever plan. In the case of Najib Razak, a similar civil forfeiture suit last month against him and families has successfully frozen properties, jewellery, designer handbags, watches and sunglasses valued at RM680 million from being returned to the crook due to a limitation in criminal charges.

MACC  Logo 

In the case of the committees, divisions and leaders linked to UMNO, they have to return the money even though they claimed the funds gifted by their former boss Najib had been spent. It makes sense because otherwise drug traffickers or criminals can always send their ill-gotten money to associates, friends or proxies who would in turn claim innocence when get caught. Like it or not, UMNO will have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the RM212 million did not come from 1MDB, if the political party decides to challenge the government in the courts. That could, however, reveal more skeletons in the closet. Hence, it may be easier to return the money than to go to court. Unlike criminal prosecutions, the prosecutors do not have to prove anything in civil cases. However, if UMNO were to return the money, it will prove they had indeed taken money stolen from 1MDB. And that would make Najib’s life more difficult. How could the former PM argue the money given to UMNO did not originate from 1MDB when some of the UMNO entities decide to return the money? You don’t return money that’s rightfully yours, do you? What makes the entire civil forfeiture both excited and entertaining is the fact that there’s no guarantee the MACC under the leadership of Latheefa will not start criminal charges anyway, even after the crooks return the money. So, UMNO is in a “catch-22” situation. Damned if they return the money, damned if they don’t return the money. It appears UMNO has a new enemy far worse than Attorney General Tommy Thomas. The UMNO-Malay cannot attack Latheefa Koya using race or religion cards, the same way they did to Thomas. But UMNO top brain, Lokman Noor Adam, had a fantastic idea. The man with the “IQ of a carrot” attacked the MACC chief’s uniform, questioning the bling-bling on her.

Mr.Lobakman

Mr. Lokman claimed Latheefa received “many awards and medals” despite serving in the post for less than a month, suggesting that either the newly-appointed MACC chief was wearing fake medals or she had put on honorary titles that did not belong to her. Lokman should stop trying to prove that he deserves the “IQ of a carrot” title bestowed by his own colleague, Khairy Jamaluddin. Lokman Noor Adam – Najib’s strongest supporter and loudest cheerleader – has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that he’s the dumbest leader in UMNO for not being able to differentiate between rank insignias and honorary titles. Similarly, UMNO secretary-general Annuar Musa also ridiculed Latheefa’s bling-bling uniform. Perhaps the MACC chief should wear pyjamas to work. Going by the logic of Lokman and UMNO supporters, the newly-appointed Inspector-General of Police Abdul Hamid Bador must have had bought more medals than Latheefa from Lazada or Amazon as well based on the police chief’s uniform. Yes, the “Lobak Man (carrot man)” was so stupid he could not tell tampon and french fries apart. Amused, Latheefa lectured the opposition that she was not wearing medals or any other decoration as alleged, but the very service ribbon in line with the Standing Order of the MACC Chief.  The Standing Order of Chapter-A (Policy) No 1 of 2012 dictates that a Chief Commissioner wears a certain number of ribbon bars by virtue of the position. Latheefa said – “The bar ribbons must not be confused with medals or honorary titles awarded from the palaces, whether at the Federal nor State levels. The other details on my uniform are the ‘rank badges’ which I must wear as Chief Commissioner, and based upon the standing order. I frankly admit I am only now learning about rank badges, bar ribbons and uniforms.”

MACC Chief Commissioner - Latheefa Beebi Koya 

Appointed as the new MACC chief from June 1 on a 2-year contract basis, the badass Latheefa told her critics – “My immediate priority since taking office has been about several grave corruption cases, and not the details of my uniform.” Clearly UMNO, in hot soup over past corruption practises, has been burning the midnight oil to divert the graft buster’s attention. Pro-UMNO cybertroopers, propagandists and bloggers, meanwhile, screamed until foaming at the mouth that the new anti-corruption chief isn’t combating corruption, but rather combating the enemies of the new ruling Pakatan Harapan government. Well, too bad that the old Barisan Nasional government led by UMNO has too many cans of worms collected over the last 61 years. The opposition tries to create a perception that under the new leadership of Latheefa, the anti-corruption body is being used to specifically target UMNO. In truth, the MACC has been targeting the ruling government too. For example, the same Lokman had lodged a report against Economic Affairs Minister Azmin Ali for receiving bribes from construction company UEM. Upon investigations, the MACC has cleared Mr. Azmin of any wrongdoing over allegation that UEM had transferred US$741,440 (RM3 million) into a Malayan Banking Berhad account belonging to Azmin on December 19, 2017. It was found that not only the bank account did not belong to UEM, the account number of the Maybank account was an invalid one – did not exist! Perhaps UMNO, especially Lokman, should learn a thing or two from whistleblower Rafizi Ramli. Instead of shooting blanks and making a fool of himself, the “Lobak Man” should stop being lazy and put in some effort to ensure whatever so-called documents or proof he possessed are genuine and not fake. Crying wolf too often would affect whatever integrity left of him, or UMNO for that matter. Instead of being petty and childish, UMNO should make full use of whatever time left to rebuild and revitalise itself to be relevant. Already. playing racial and religious issues to win Malay support may not prove to be the key to securing votes in the next general election. Therefore, playing a silly issue like the uniform wore by the MACC chief proves that the desperate opposition runs out of relevant issue. - FT

Conversation With Dr.M...

Sekapal belayar di lautan...

1. Walaupun ‘Duit Itu Raja’ atau ‘Cash Is King’ namun segala-galanya ditentulan oleh Dia Yang Maha Adil dan Berkuasa. 2. Najib dan penjilat – penjilatnya sebelum ini begitu yakin tiada siapa yang boleh mengalahkan mereka. 3. Ketika berkuasa mereka buta sejarah yang Allah telah dedahkan dalam Al-Quran bagaimana hebatnya Firaun, Namrud dan sebagainya, dan sekaya-kayanya Qarun pun akhirnya tersungkur juga. 4. Dengan bantuan ALLAH SWT dan atas rayuan rakyat yang menyokong, termasuk pemimpin – pemimpin pembangkang ketika itu, Tun pada usia 93 tahun akhirnya bersetuju mengepalai sebuah kapal yang akan menempuh badai di lautan yang bergelora. 5. Segala – galanya terjawab apabila pada Rabu 9hb Mei 2018 majoriti rakyat telah mengambil keputusan bersejarah. 6. UMNO yang satu ketika dahulu didokong oleh 12 parti yang lain, kini balik ke asal semula; ia tak ubah seperti parti PERIKATAN di zaman Tunku Abdul Rahman dahulu, iatu hanya dianggotai UMNO, MCA dan MIC. 7. Akan tercatit dalam sejarah, Najib Tun Razak selaku Presiden UMNO dan Pengerusi Barisan Nasional ( BN )bertanggungjawab terhadap kekalahan parti tersebut. 8. Jika dahulu Tun Abdul Razak, Perdana Menteri ke 2 dan Presiden UMNO dan Pengerusi PERIKATAN bersusah payah menubuhkan BN, kini atas sebab tamak dan hawa nafsu, anaknya telah menghancurkan segala harapan murni ayahnya itu. 9. Buat pertama kali seorang Perdana Menteri negara ini, isteri dan Timbalannya diheret ke Mahkamah atas tuduhan rasuah dan berbagai kesalahan yang lain.

10. Berkemungkinan besar Najib, Rosmah, Zahid Hamidi dan ramai lagi akan disumbatkan ke dalam penjara. 11. Segala kerinduan pungguk yang merindu bulan kini mulai terjawab. 12. Dari segi kemajuan ekonomi negara dan rakyat, pelaksanaan janji – janji Pilihanraya dan pembersihan negara dari segala amalan rasuah , sedang di usahakan oleh Tun secara berperingkat dan dengan amat teliti . 13. Jika dahulu rakyat terlalu berhati – hati menyuarakan pandangan, kini kerajaan mengalu – alukan rakyat bersuara TANPA khuatir, asalkan ia tidak merosakkan Perlembagaan yang telah dipersetujui. 14. Perlantikan Latheefa Koya, seorang peguam yang terlalu bencikan rasuah dan salah guna kuasa sebagai Ketua Pesuruhjaya SPRM yang baru adalah satu lagi bukti ketegasan Tun Dr. Mahathir bagi membersihkan negara ini dari perbuatan keji itu. 15. Namun Latheefa perlu berwaspada terhadap beberapa pegawai di bawahnya. 16. Pesananan orang – orang lama harus diberi pandangan dan diambil kira. 17. Semoga ingatan itu akan membantu beliau lebih berwaspada bagi melaksanakan segala usaha murninya. 18. Latheefa perlu berhati-hati dengan kelicikan dan kepura-puraan beberapa orang pegawainya yang tak ubah seperti: “Harapkan Pegar, Pegar Makan Padi” “Musuh Dalam Selimut” atau “Gunting Dalam Lipatan” ” Pepat Di Luar, Runcing Di Dalam”. 19. Tatkala berbagai tindakan diambil seperti yang dilakukan baru-baru ini, namun beliau harus berani bertindak tegas terhadap anai-anai yang akhirnya akan menghancurkan institusi tersebut.

20. Beliau tidak perlu melayani lalat-lalat dan langau-langau yang kotor itu; beri tumpuan yang jitu dan bukti terhadap tanggungjawab yang telah diamanahkan dengan ikhlas dan bersungguh-bersungguh. 21. Selain rakyat kini merasa geli dan muak dengan telatah dan kenyataan-kenyataan bodoh beberapa pemimpin PH; masing-masing berlumba-lumba mencari publisiti murah. 22. Semoga semua pihak dalam Pakatan Harapan atau PH HENTIKAN percakaran sesama sendiri MULAI saat ini. 23. JANGANLAH SEKAPAL BELAYAR DI LAUTAN , TAPI TIDAK SEPERAHU KE PELABUHAN. 24. Jika tidak mahu membantu Perdana Menteri, sekurang-kurangnya JANGANLAH berusaha menikam beliau dari belakang. 25. ‘Don’t Kill The Goose That Lays The Golden Egg’ atau ‘Jangan Membunuh Angsa Yang Bertelur Emas’. 26. JANGAN MENCURAH AIR DI TEMPAYAN SEMATA-MATA MENDENGAR GURUH DI LANGIT. 27. BERSATU KITA TEGUH, BERCERAI KITA ROBOH. - Tamrin Tun Ghafar

😂😂😂

cheers.

Sumber asal: Civil forfeiture - UMNO is in a “catch-22” situation... Baca selebihnya di Civil forfeiture - UMNO is in a “catch-22” situation...

[365footballorg-blog]

Armchair Analyst: Your complete guide to the Week 18 MLS slate

June 29, 201812:54PM EDT

The World Cup group stage is over and there are, as we speak, a cadre of MLS players winging back home. None of them will play this weekend, but most will play again soon.

Let’s dive into Week 18:

Friday Forecast

Minnesota United FC vs. FC Dallas

8 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

Let’s forget the Loons for a second because we know all about them at this point (they’ll play a 4-2-3-1, they’ll be soft at central midfield, they’ll be disorganized at the back and Darwin Quintero can ball). There’s just not much left to explore.

There’s a bit more to unpack about FC Dallas, who could be on the verge of entering the post-Mauro Diaz era. The Magic Little Unicorn™ is, according to reports from multiple outlets, on his way out, with his landing spot said to be Shabab Al-Ahli Dubai FC in Dubai. It seems credible and it seems very close to final, and that means Dallas are going to have to find a new way to define themselves as an attacking club.

Because since his arrival in 2013, that was Diaz’s job (when he was healthy, which was not often enough). He was/is/has been a throwback No. 10, built in the Valderrama mode – find the ball at midfield, avoid a challenge, then release a throughball to put the Dallas wingers into space, or to put a forward through on goal. When he was on the field Dallas pretty much always had the answer to “How do we move the ball into the attacking third and get dangerous?” and, because of that skillset, it was worth adjusting the rest of the team to account for Diaz’s individual weaknesses.

To put a point on it: He was literally the best player for the best team in FC Dallas history (the 2016 Supporters’ Shield/U.S. Open Cup double winners), and was their best player so far this season as well.

When he’s not been on the field the last five years, Dallas have struggled. There were times when “sit deep and counter through Fabian Castillo” worked pretty well and, early last year, “Let Kellyn Acosta spray to the flanks” had its moments. But Castillo’s long gone and Acosta’s not the guy he was 12 months ago, and there’s a reasonable concern that this team could suddenly be short of ideas.

There are, at this point, three possibilities as direct replacements for Diaz on the roster:

Roland Lamah: The Belgian veteran has low-key had a nice season (6g/4a in 1000 minutes), and was part of one of the most interesting tactical wrinkles of the season from Dallas when Oscar Pareja moved him off the flank and into a No. 10 role, while Diaz was shifted wide to the left. It was bizarre and I thought it wouldn’t work, but it did – really, really well. Lamah doesn’t have the passing vision of a pure playmaker, but if Dallas want to go pure counterattack, using him underneath the center forward would be a very reasonable choice in large part because his movement and speed would disrupt opposing defensive midfielders (they’d have to drop deeper just to track him, which would cause dislocation in their own shape).

Santiago Mosquera: The Colombian, acquired this offseason, hasn’t been great (1g/3a in 700 minutes), but has shown flashes of the talent that made Dallas decide to go out and get him in the first place. His movement isn’t as sophisticated as Lamah’s, but his vision’s better and he’s a more natural central player. He’s also arguably more of a modern No. 10 than Diaz, in that he absolutely will push up into the 18 and get his fair share of looks. At the same time he’s nowhere near the same kind of through-ball artist – who is, really?

Mosquera has been rehabbing, but he did travel this weekend. And long-term, he’s probably the best bet to take this spot.

Paxton Pomykal: The 18-year-old has been dominant in his age group, but has had too many injuries and too few minutes to become an effective pro as of yet. If he’d been getting minutes for a USL team the past two years, perhaps he’d be more ready to take on a larger role, but FCD have yet to make the investment in their own affiliate (though – good news, everybody – Dallas TD Fernando Clavijo once again confirmed they’d have their own USL club starting next year).

Pomykal might not be a No. 10, anyway. He’s often looked more comfortable on the flank, and sometimes as a No. 8. And as a passer he’s looked more of a zone-mover rather than a chance creator. Who he really is as a pro is a very open-ended question.

And that’s true of FC Dallas as a team at this point. Up until last week they’d lost just twice all season across all competitions. Now they’ve lost twice in a week, shipping six goals and scoring just twice, and lost their best player. I absolutely understand why they’ll sell Diaz – this is a business for one, and for two they learned to their detriment last year that holding on to players for too long can/will have long-term fatal consequences on a their season.

But they’ve got some problems to solve now. There’s hope that the answers can come from within, but nothing in this life’s guaranteed.

Saturday Slate

Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers

4:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

Portland took care of the home/easy part of their schedule, and over the past two games have edged into the more difficult run of games. A scoreless home draw against Sporting was fine; a 1-1 draw at Atlanta United last weekend was better than that. Another result would run their unbeaten streak to 10 games (12 in all competitions), and it’s because of their defense.

I can’t sum it up better than this:

Gio’s Timbers have shown themselves to be a really effective reactive team. They’ve limited and countered ATL, NYFC, and LAFC — some of the best attacks in MLS this year.

They haven’t shown they can impose themselves on an opponent and dominate, though. #RCTID

— Chris Rifer (@ChrisRifer) June 24, 2018

Are the Sounders a team they want to try to impose themselves upon, on the road? I doubt it. Seattle’s too inviting a target to counter against given their lack of mobility in central defense and the way they throw their fullbacks way upfield. Expect more of the same from Portland (though with Sebastian Blanco coming off a knock, it’s an open question as to whether or not their three-man attack will be as effective as it was through April and May).

Atlanta United vs. Orlando City SC

7 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

Atlanta United are going to miss Darlington Nagbe. Our Ben Baer broke down what the US international has brought to the Five Stripes this year, and it’s not been insignificant. His ability to hold onto the ball has remained elite, and Tata Martino has turned that into a weapon.

My guess is they compensate by moving Julian Gressel into the No. 8 role, shifting back to the 4-2-3-1 Martino prefers, and finally getting Tito Villalba into the XI.

For Orlando City… I don’t know. They’ve played two games under interim head coach Bobby Murphy and both times it’s been a back five rather than the back four everybody’s gotten used to. I’m not sure how much he could or should change, and to be honest I’m nowhere near convinced that the formation has been the problem. Bottom line is that no matter who’s been on the field for the Purple Lions, and where, it’s felt, looked and played like a series of individuals rather than a collective.

Notice how Sané slows down. He needs to be sprinting to his spot so he can open his body toward the field. He doesn’t & he doesn’t and you see what happens. It’s so poor technically and, quite frankly, just lazy and lets his team down. pic.twitter.com/KDI8f69TDH

— Bobby Warshaw (@bwarshaw14) June 24, 2018

Murphy’s not going to be able to fix that on an interim basis. They need a new, permanent head coach within the next week.

EDIT: As I wrote that, Paul Tenorio reported that they’re closing in on Louisville City’s head coach James O’Connor as the new boss. I haven’t watched a ton of Lou City this year, but the smart USL-watchers I speak with always name O’Connor first when I ask for their list of the best USL coaches, and as Portland’s Gio Savarese has proved this season, if you’re good at your job you can make the jump from the lower divisions into MLS pretty seamlessly.

Montreal Impact vs. Sporting KC

7:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

The Impact have won three of four, and credit to them for that. But as with Orlando City’s good run a few months back, it’s important to pay attention to who they’re actually beating. In Montreal’s case it was the Dynamo reserves at the start of the month, and then a pair of wins over the death-spiraling Lions.

So enjoy the wins, but don’t get too far ahead of yourselves, my Quebecois friends.

Meanwhile, Daniel Salloi is developing into a star:

If the season ended today, Daniel Salloi would have the highest G+A per 90 among 21-yr old forwards of the past 11 seasons. Here he is next to the other 3 who finished above .7 over a whole season pic.twitter.com/DLkiJE9Ejd

— Kevin Minkus (@kevinminkus) June 28, 2018

Since Week 2 Sporting are 11-1-5 across all competitions with a +20 goal differential. If the Impact win this won, then we’ll start to talk.

Columbus Crew SC vs. Real Salt Lake

7:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

Wil Trapp drops deep and splits the defenders. The fullbacks push up. Artur and Federico Higuain present second- and third-line passing options. Trapp sprays. And the machine hums.

That’s the rough sketch of the Columbus Crew SC system, which has propelled them up to fourth in the Eastern Conference. It’s been running smooth as ever from the back, but so far it’s been breaking down in the attacking third because their finishing has just not been good enough. Other than Gyasi Zardes, nobody on this team has more than a single open play goal.

As per Opt,a Columbus have generated 30.67 expected goals, and that’s translated to just 22 goals total. That means they’re underperforming by 8.67 goals, and only Seattle are in the neighborhood (11 goals on 17.05 expected) in terms of front-of-net profligacy. Nobody else in the league has underperformed by even half as much as Columbus.

Fortunately for Zardes et al, RSL’s 33.49 expected goals against is worst in the league, and that they’ve allowed 30 goals off of that, and that they have been particularly bad on the road (1-6-1, -15 GD).

Crew SC are winless in five, and are actually just 4-5-5 in their last 14 games. This will be their 11th home game of the season, and while I still like the way they’re playing and their defense has been rock solid… this is a must-win game for them, especially with five of the next seven on the road. They have to get three points.

New England Revolution vs. D.C. United

7:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

The Revs are a lot like Columbus: They got off to a hot start in March and have been sort of scuffling along ever since. They’re 3-3-5 in their last 11 – 3-4-5 in all competitions – and the press that caused so much discomfort for so many at the start of the season has suddenly been at least a little bit gappy.

A month back, Columbus simply played over the press. In New England’s last outing, San Jose just played through it:

D.C. have the ability to do that, though they haven’t shown it much because they haven’t been able to comfortably push either fullback up the pitch (both sides of have been an issue, to put it mildly).

This is the start of a three-game homestand for New England, before they play five of six on the road. For D.C. we’re entering the very end of their unbalanced schedule, as this is the second-to-last road game before they open Audi Field in the middle of July.

United have some pretty big tactical fish to fry coming up, by the way.

Chicago Fire vs. New York City FC

8 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

Since Dax McCarty and Luis Solignac got healthy a month back, Veljko Paunovic has mostly dropped the game-by-game adjustment cha-cha and have consistently played in a 4-3-3. Brandt Bronico has won a job beside McCarty and Bastian Schweinsteiger in central midfield, playing as a ground-eating, ball-moving No. 8 who does a bunch of unselfish running. Schweinsteiger’s been more of a pure playmaker than at any point in his recent career.

Here’s their network passing map, courtesy of Opta, from two games ago against Colorado:

Solignac (No. 9) has a different job than his opposite-side winger, Aleksandar Katai (No. 10). Katai stays high and is a pure attacker, while Chicago use Solignac’s non-stop engine to run endline-to-endline, drop into the middle to help defensively, and generally raise hell. His work allows the central midfield trio to stay compact.

The Fire have one win and three draws since making the switch, and have generally carried play against their opponents. NYCFC, even without the injured David Villa, is a very worthwhile measuring stick.

LAFC vs. Philadelphia Union

8 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

I wrote a ton about the Union after last weekend’s impressive showing, and with Haris Medunjanin suspended, all of that stands. I’m planning to write a ton about LAFC this weekend, so let’s not dive in too deep here.

I’ll just leave it at this: Earlier in the year LAFC were getting goals based upon their ability to create space and chances via flowing, back-to-front moves in transition. That’s what happens when you have Carlos Vela and Marco Ureña on hand.

Without those guys, and with the additions of Lee Nguyen and Adama Diomande, they’ve become much more of a “quick combinations in the final third” type of team. So in part they’ve flipped their identity from “center forward creates space for the attacking midfielder and wingers against a stretched defense” to “attacking midfielder and wingers create chances for the center forward against a back-foot defense.”

San Jose Earthquakes vs. LA Galaxy

10 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

Mikael Stahre has continued to tinker as he’s tried to figure out a workable formula for his Quakes. In recent weeks he’s stayed with some version of a 4-4-2, though at times it’s been closer to a 4-4-2 diamond and at other times it’s been a 4-1-3-2 and at other times it’s been an almost perfectly flat midfield four.

Always with the two up front, though, because Danny Hoesen is quietly having an All-Star caliber season, and while Chris Wondolowski isn’t (4g/3a in 1133 minutes), it’s not like anybody on the roster is making a compelling case to take his playing time away.

Amazingly, this is just LA’s fifth game against a team below the playoff line this season. So far they’re 3-1-0, which includes a 1-0 win over these Quakes a month back. And last time out, they dominated an RSL team that had been on a good run of form entering the game.

This was my favorite sequence of play from the Galaxy in that one:

LA’s midfielders have slowly figured out how to make dangerous, complementary runs off of Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s hold-up play, and there’s been genuine chemistry at times both on and off the ball. They’re 3-1-1 in their last five.

Sunday Doubleheader

Toronto FC vs. New York Red Bulls

4:30 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

This one’s simple: RBNY are the highest, hardest-pressing team in MLS (and I’d say they’re the highest, hardest-pressing team in MLS history). They live off of turnovers, winning 50/50 balls all over the field and wearing teams out until they make a fatal mistake.

Toronto FC have been the sloppiest team in the league playing out of their own end, and have been one of the league’s worst defensive teams over the final 15 minutes of games. They looked and played exhausted in the second half last weekend against NYCFC, and if you do that against the Red Bulls you lose by 50.

Also remember that the last time these two teams met, in last year’s playoffs, Jesse Marsch entirely pulled off a bit of trickery by playing a 4-4-2 diamond with Tyler Adams at the point. The object wasn’t to have him be the playmaker, but for him to make Michael Bradley’s life a living hell and prevent any sort of meaningful distribution from the TFC lynchpin.

It worked. RBNY won the game and should’ve won the series. Only some poor finishing kept them from advancing.

Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Colorado Rapids

7 pm ET | Match Preview | TV & streaming info

The Rapids got their first win since April 14 last weekend, dominating 10-man MNUFC in the closing stages before Tommy Smith’s headed winner off a corner kick in stoppage time. It was a cathartic moment for a team that has not been good thus far in 2018.

“Cathartic” does not mean “corrective,” though. The issues that have plagued Colorado all season were still on display against the injured and short-handed Loons, and the one that’s been most decisive has been their inability to defend in space:

Darwin Quintero 1v1 against just about anyone is a mismatch. Quintero 1v1 against a retreating center back?

I don’t know why the Rapids aren’t more compact, and why their big CBs are asked, week after week, to make plays in the open field. These are plays they can’t make.

And so enter the Whitecaps, a team that can and will eviscerate you if you let them get into the open field. Last time these two teams met, at the start of the month… yup. And yup. And yup. And honestly it just keeps going.

The ‘Caps need to be patient and sharper than they were last weekend against Philly. As long as that happens, they’ll find chances.

One More Thing to Ponder

Happy weekending, everybody.

Series: 

Topics: 

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Armchair Analyst: Your complete guide to the Week 18 MLS slate was originally published on 365 Football

[kidsviral-blog]

How Prince Taught Me About Female Sexuality

New Post has been published on https://kidsviral.info/how-prince-taught-me-about-female-sexuality/

How Prince Taught Me About Female Sexuality

He helped me realize there are men who enjoy being submissive to women — and that being a woman who’s more sexually experienced than a man isn’t something to hide or being ashamed of.

View this image ›

CROLLALANZA /REX USA

As a little kid in the early 1980s, I remember watching the video for Prince’s “I Wanna Be Your Lover” for the first time, as I experienced the magic of cable television and MTV in my family’s first house. I could not look away from this man with the hairy chest, single hoop earring, and feathered hair. When I was around 11 or 12, my sister was in college and dated a guy who was a huge Prince fan. He let me listen to his records, including the B-sides and bootlegs, like “Girl,” “Erotic City,” and “17 Days.” I felt like I was a member of a club with select membership.

I’ve been fascinated with sex since an early age, and even as a child, I knew Prince was “nasty,” but it drew me to him even more. Prince built a reputation on his risqué songs, like “Head” with lyrics that said, “I know you’re good, girl/ I think you like to go down.” With songs like “Soft and Wet,” it’s easy to think that Prince only sees women as objects made for sexual pleasure, but looking further, his songs show women with the same sexual urges as men. Acts like Salt-N-Pepa and Madonna were equally important in showcasing women’s desires through song during my childhood, but Prince’s work resonated more with me. His music shaped my own sexuality because it helped me realize there are men who enjoy being submissive to women, that there are men who are willing to admit to helplessness during sex, and that being a woman who’s more sexually experienced than a man isn’t something to hide or being ashamed of.

His ’80s catalog, in particular, was a revelatory mix of sex, politics, and religion. He sang as a man unafraid of changing how society looked at masculinity, a man who enjoyed a more sexually experienced woman, and as a man willing to follow a woman’s lead.

“Darling Nikki,” from the 1984 Purple Rain soundtrack, details a one-night stand. It has all the markers to offend — a sex fiend of a woman masturbating in public who abandons her conquest after using him. On the surface, the song has much in common with 1982’s “Little Red Corvette,” another song about a one-night stand with a promiscuous woman. However, in “Little Red Corvette,” Prince’s persona warns the woman against her sexually adventurous lifestyle and attempts to “tame” her into monogamy. In “Darling Nikki,” the object of the woman’s affection has no problems with being used and ends the song begging for her to come back. Also, “Darling Nikki” was the catalyst for Tipper Gore, ex-wife of former Vice President Al Gore, to become co-founder of the Parents Music Resource Center, which led to “Parental Advisory” stickers on music deemed too explicit for children.

People frequently sing “Darling Nikki” to me because of my nickname (although I spell it differently) and love for Prince, but they don’t realize how empowering the song was for me once I became sexually active as a teenager. As I matured, I frequently warred with the idea of being a “good girl” who doesn’t talk about sex openly because it meant I was “easy” and yet wanting to express myself sexually in an open and honest way. I was warned that when women talk about sex, no matter how innocently, it makes people want to have sex with her, and that could have dangerous consequences. Even though “Darling Nikki” is told from the point of view of her conquest, I felt drawn to the woman in the title, bold and memorable. I wanted to be like her. I haven’t followed Darling Nikki’s exact footsteps, and my journey to realizing my full sexual self hasn’t always been straightforward, but I often think of her and the song when challenging myself sexually.

Beyond fast-paced rock and pop songs like “Darling Nikki,” “Little Red Corvette,” or even “Raspberry Beret,” where Prince sings about succumbing to the wiles of women more sexually experienced, he has more traditional R&B-like ballads, making sexual demands of his lovers for their mutual satisfaction. In “Do Me, Baby” from 1981’s Controversy and “Scandalous” from the 1989 Batman soundtrack, he asks to be touched and explored and lets the objects of his desire know that he’s at their mercy. Despite the persona’s obvious eagerness to make love, he lets his partners set the pace. In “Do Me, Baby,” he waits for his lover to lay him down, a sure sign of the other’s readiness. In “Scandalous,” Prince croons, “Anything’s acceptable / just ask me / and I’ll try it.” He’s willing to follow someone else’s lead. In these songs, Prince sings of his overwhelming desire for his partner but doesn’t rush the rendezvous. He encourages his lovers to lead, knowing that his being in a submissive position will be mutually beneficial.

Video available at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=eu9qkMPr10I.

When people jokingly wonder how a man who wears heels and makeup, challenging ideas of masculinity, is able to date so many women, I often think of songs like “Do Me, Baby” and “Scandalous.” He understands the need to give his partners room to take charge and how doing so doesn’t equal a threat to his manhood. On the album version of “Do Me, Baby,” Prince ends the song with his orgasm, begs his partner for help, and finally asks to be held. The vulnerability he displays perhaps answers the question of how this diminutive man in eyeliner and lace can be considered a ladies’ man. It set a high bar for me when it came to my own sexual partners. I expected my boyfriends to let me lead sometimes and to express neediness without shame. My disappointment was frequent, so I’d return to Prince’s music to daydream.

As much as Prince’s music gave me permission to accept my own sexual maturity, his discography is not without issue. Sometimes he is flat-out hypocritical and misogynistic. “Little Red Corvette” borders on what we’d now call slut-shaming. On stage, Prince frequently pairs women dancers together in sexual mimicry, and yet some of his lyrics scold women about being bisexual. On the 1979 self-titled album, the song “Bambi” attempts to convince a woman to abandon her female lover because “it’s better with a man.” Prince ends the song declaring, “Bambi, I know what U need / Bambi, maybe U need 2 bleed.” In the 1982 bootleg single “Xtraloveable,” Prince’s persona tries to seduce a woman by asking her if she wants to take a bath with him. He praises her because she doesn’t brag about her love life and doesn’t appear to be loose with her affections: “What I dig the most is the way that U keep your sugar in your hand / till I want it.” However, later he claims he’s “on the verge of rape” then: “I’m sorry / but I’m just gonna have 2 rape U / Now are U going to get in the tub / Or do I have 2 drag U?” Prince moves from seduction to rape, and it’s jarring. Here, his usual submissive role is gone and replaced with an overly aggressive one. One moment, the song’s persona is happy that his lover makes him wait, and the next he’s threatening rape because she doesn’t respond to his advances quickly enough.

Prince recently performed “Bambi” on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon with the all-female band he fronts, 3rdEyeGirl. He didn’t sing the final threat of violence, but the overall sexist sentiment of the song remained, especially considering the fact that Prince stood in front of an all-woman band. Perhaps Prince decided to play the song because it’s more rock than funk or R&B and showcases his rock guitar talents. It remains an odd song selection.

In 2013, Prince released “Extraloveable Reloaded,” with sanitized lyrics. The sugar in hand becomes a vague “it,” and any mention of rape is scrubbed. Since Prince became a Jehovah’s Witness in 2001, he’s become increasingly conservative, refusing to play most of his racier songs that cemented his place in pop culture. Recent music like “Da Bourgeoisie” returns to shaming a woman for her bisexuality, but “Breakfast Can Wait” hints that the old, raunchy Prince is still around.

Video available at: http://youtube.com/watch?v=GHbyNrGXpAA.

Prince still has moments where he wags his finger at a woman because of her choices, but then I think of “If I Was Your Girlfriend,” from the 1987 album Sign O�� the Times. It’s a song so important to me that I have a line of its lyrics tattooed around my left ankle. In it, Prince’s alter ego Camille sings in the perspective of a man who wonders if becoming a woman would lead to a closer relationship with his current female lover. Again, Prince disrupts heteronormative ideals of masculinity by being willing to change genders for more significant connection, the kind shared between women.

It’s hard to reconcile the Prince of gender-fluidity with the one who refuses to comment on same-sex marriage. I’ve overlooked his bouts of hypocrisy and sexism to concentrate on what I’ve learned from his music over the years. With his music, I gave myself permission to be bold and shameless in my desires. As a Southern woman, I’ve grown up dancing to a lot of music that directly contradicts my feminist beliefs, like bass and bounce. Lyrics demanding women to pop their pussies or guaranteeing material goods in exchange for satisfactory sex fly directly in the face of the idea that a woman is more than her body and sexuality. It’s not enough to shrug off the misogynistic verses simply because of a good beat. Not only did I give myself permission to speak freely about sex, I also had to allow myself to be a complex person who enjoys flawed artists and their art.

Prince’s early catalog taught me things about myself I wasn’t even aware I was learning at such a young age. When I made the decision to become sexually active as a teen, I imitated Prince’s moans and gasps from his songs as practice to make sure I would sound sexy in bed. To this day, you might catch me making sounds straight from “Do Me, Baby,” “Girl,” or “Vibrator,” a Vanity 6 song Prince wrote. That’s what was sexy to me — a man willing to vocalize pleasure and be vulnerable and so I sought to translate that into my own sex life. Despite his increasingly conservative beliefs and his occasionally sexist lyrics, Prince helped me achieve an honest and good sex life. For that, I’ll always be grateful.

Read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/tnwhiskeywoman/do-me-baby

[rtirman-blog]

21       Graduation,roses, and                          baseball.

The first graduation I remember ever attending was when I graduated from high school.  I can’t remember going to Al’s graduation, but I know he graduated.  Mickey and I graduated together.  Mickey is sharper than almost everyone I know.  He was having difficulty in school because he has dyslexia.   The whole way through his education, the schools and the teachers had no idea how to help…or they never heard of dyslexia. There were no such things as Learning Services, or Disability Services. I can’t even remember any Special Education classes.  Generally, just about any kind of disability put you out of school, destined for home education.  

 Our graduation was outside in Freeport Stadium, the home of the Freeport Red Devils!  We were on a portable stage, located on the 50-yard line of our football field.  I can remember both Mickey and me receiving our diplomas on that very sunny, breezy day in June of 1954.  Mother and Joe, probably, were in the stands. But if it was on a Saturday, Daddy and Phyllis were not. However, if it was a Sunday, all of them were there.  I can guarantee no grandparents, aunts, uncles, or friends of our family were there.

 Neither Mickey nor I received any kind of special recognition.  However, if there was recognition for most absences, Mickey deserved that award, with me as runner up.   If you were absent from school, you needed to bring in a signed note from home giving the reason for your absence.  I wrote all the notes.  If my mother would have written one, it would have been considered a forgery.  Here’s an example:

                 Dear Mrs. Skinner,

                 Please excuse my son Michael for having been absent yesterday,

                December 11, 1953. He was kept home from school because of

                 illness.

                 Sincerely,

                 Signature,

 One time when Mickey played hooky, I decided I was not writing an excuse for him because he could have made it to school that day, and he had far too many days absent.  Naturally, Mickey was certain I would write the excuse for him.  He kindly explained my options- write the excuse… or…get the crap beat out of me and then write the excuse.  My role, as the excuse writer, over time, may have made me more responsible and adult like. Regarding Mickey’s attendance behavior…I told him I would not write the excuse.  After a few punches in the arm and my face being pushed into the living room floor, I wrote the note… in tears.  In my heart, I vowed to shove a knife into his stomach when I get bigger.  It has never happened. But we are both still breathing in our 80’s – there still is time!

 Before I write about my life after high school graduation, there are just a couple of things I want to share with you that happened earlier. The first involves my friend Roger, my wingman who helped me get that date with Carol Lee in 6th grade. Evidently, the B-12 vitamins he was consuming helped him grow. By the time we were juniors in high schools, Roger was a good five inches taller than me.

Also, he was much more involved with girls than me.  We did hang out sometimes. But as time progressed, I saw less and less of Roger. I spent most of my time with John and, of course, Mickey.  It was weird, in a way. He probably had friends I never met; yet no matter what he was doing in life, I always felt close to him- he was forever my friend.  He died from nephritis at age 24.  I was in the Mid-West when I got the call telling me he died.  All I remember was me lying, face down, on the living room rug crying.  Even with the years of separation, I lost a “brother”. My memories of him are forever.

 The story is about softball, and it begins with Roger.  It was either the summer of 1952 or 1953.  Roger’s dad helped Roger form a softball team.  Unlike the basketball team when I wasn’t a starter, I was a starter on the softball team.. I was put in right field.   Do you have any idea what being put in right field meant?  It was like being told you stink at this sport. Since we have to include you, we’ll put you in right field (where there is hardly any action), and oh! you are batting ninth (last in the lineup). As the home team, we ran out onto the field as the game began.   I was all set, and all alone, way out in right field.  I should have been playing 2nd base.  That’s my position.  On our team at Princeton Summer Camp, I was the 2nd baseman. My throws to first base were exemplary.  I had an overhand throw that sent the ball to 1st like a bullet 3 feet off the ground. I was the Eddie Stanky of softball! (Stanky played 2nd base for the Dodgers in the 40’s).  

 Here I was, out in right field, feeling lonely and misused. Almost immediately, I decided to go home. So, quietly, I walked further out in right field to finally disappear.  I walked all the way from Randall Park to home. A day or two later, Roger told me that in the third inning, when I was due to bat, they couldn’t find me.  No one missed me!  Unless your Carl Furillo (Dodger right fielder), it’s a common fear- if you are playing right field and leave, no one will miss you.

 That year, the Police Athletic League (PAL) was beginning its softball team.  The PAL was not well organized in Freeport. In fact, it was not well organized anywhere outside New York City.  Joe Romeika, a cop assigned to help get Freeport boys involved in sports, suggested I join the older boys on a PAL team.  Joe was a terrific guy, who I had met earlier, at Randall Park, when we played hardball.  Believe it or not, in hardball, I was either a shortstop or a catcher.  Anyway, Joe Romeika suggested my move to the PAL team right after I shared with him my right field experience.    Even though I looked 10, I reminded Joe of how old I was, and that I would catch for the PAL team.  Actually, playing with those guys was quite a few steps up for me.  Needless to say, I was a good catcher.  I fashioned myself as the next Mickey Owen, another Brooklyn Dodger.

 Just at the time I joined the team, Joe had decided we needed uniforms.  To pay for the uniforms, we had a lottery to win a TV console with an AM-FM radio and a phonograph record player.  Over the next two weeks, each of us on the team were selling one dollar chances to win that big prize. I got busy selling!  I can’t remember how many chances were in each book of chances, but I went door-to-door, ending up selling 66 chance books.  My efforts just about paid for uniforms for half the team. Joe Romeika was super grateful, and proud of me.  He then asked me if I would like to attend a Dodger game and appear on television on Happy Felton’s Knothole Gang.

 Prior to every Dodger home game, along with the game, WOR-TV Channel 9, broadcasted live, from Ebbets Field, “Happy Felton’s Knothole Gang”.  As hundreds of thousands of baseball fans tuned in, three of us from the PAL got to throw a baseball with a Dodger, then compete against each other for a chance to attend another game while sitting in the Dodger Dugout.

 As my family, cousins and all, were glued to the TV, Renzi Lamb, some other kid, and I were on the screen throwing a ball with Jim Russell, a Dodger outfielder. Happy Felton asked each of us a few questions, and finally, the competition.  No, I did not win.  Renzi won.  He would return to Ebbets Field the next Day.  This may seem like sour grapes…I was a catcher, not an outfielder, Renzi’s uncle was Harold Parrott, the traveling secretary for the Dodgers, and finally, the lower part of the right field wall actually is angled at least 45 degrees from the ground and the upper part of the wall is perpendicular to the ground. When Jim Russell practiced with us, he threw balls off the upper part of the wall. We would play the ball off the wall and throw it back to Russell.  While playing ball with me during the competition, which was televised,

he threw the ball toward the lower part of the wall causing the ball to bounce further away from me than I expected.  Just as Happy Felton was telling the TV audience about what hustlers we kids were, I was sadly moping for the ball in disgust.  My family said that as soon as they realized I was not a hustler, the TV went to a brief commercial.  I think they were kidding me, but I certainly put myself out of the competition. Perhaps if that competition was done behind home plate or if one of my uncles worked for the Dodgers, things would have turned out differently. Like I said, no sour grapes.

 The other thing that I was thinking about was 7th grade.  Many things stand out in my mind. The first is Mrs. Carpenter, my homeroom teacher for the first half of the year.  I think she taught English, but I never was in one of her classes. I can’t tell you the measure of her contribution to my survival. Believe it or not, I would go to school early just so I could spend time with her.  She talked with me, had me help her with small tasks, and simply let me know I was someone she cared about.  Maybe she was my homeroom teacher the whole year, but somehow I think she was gone the second half of that year.  

 Then, I had Mr. Acerno for math.  He was a superb person with a great sense of humor.  At the end of the year, he had me help him with administering the Final Exam. I got A’s from start to finish.  Administering the final was a special treat.  The other kids would know I was the smartest kid in our math class.  Also, some of the smartest kids in 7th grade were in that class.  

 If you remember that lady, across the street from us, who made the bouquet of roses for my mother, then you know where Mr. Acerno’s fiancée lived.  She was that lady’s daughter.  Occasionally, we would see him visit her.  Doing his patriotic duty, he joined the Army to fight in Korea.  To my disbelief, he was killed in battle. I wish I could remember his fiancée’s name.  I did go visit her and her mom to say how sorry I was.

 Then there was one morning, near the end of the year, when I stopped to see Mr. Southard, the Principal of the Junior High School.  I liked Mr. Southard a lot.  He soon became Principal of the High School.  His daughter Janet was a classmate of mine. She was just about one of the prettiest girls, ever!  I never got to know her well, but we said hello.  She didn’t know this, but one day at Jones Beach, she was standing right by my blanket in her bathing suit, and my eyes were glue to her legs up by the bottom of her bathing suit, with my imagination going wild.  It was fortunate I was lying on my stomach.

 When I stopped into Mr. Southard’s Office, no one was there. The secretary must have gone somewhere, and I could see his empty office through his open door.  As I sat waiting, I looked on the secretary’s desk and right on top of the desk was the pile of Mr. Case’s Social Studies Final Exam that we were to face in a day or two.  Again, with quickness of action, I grabbed an exam, folded it, and pocketed it. I left the office in due haste.  Before noon, I had secretly shown my find to, at least, ten of my friends, most of whom were top students.  Naturally, they all took a good look at it, and we planned to look at it after school. When I went home at lunchtime, I told Al what was going down.  Al strongly suggested I turn myself in because someone is bound to rat on me. He said I shouldn’t have told anyone.

 So after lunch, I went to see Mr. Southard, and told him what I did.  I apologized and told him I deserved any punishment he thought to give me. At his request, I also gave him the names of all the other cheaters.  The next scene was Mr. Southard reprimanding lots of the top students. His talk to them included my honesty in coming to him.  He was very proud of me, and disappointed in them.

 So I came out of 7th grade with fairly good grades and with my future high school Principal having enormous trust in me.  I wish he would have said to me, please date my daughter, Janet!