#daria would bully me for weeks

[wolfavens]

Happy New Year!🥰🥳

Question time! Share two truths and one lie about what's to come to your story on 2023.

Aaaah happy new year Maria! 🥳 Fingers crossed this one doesn't suck! 🤞 My biggest lie would be to pretend I still have a story I guess but i'll give it a try 😅

The main guy gets a dog. A few OCs die. There will be a proper wedding.

[floshav]

yearning for you pt.2

pairings: regulus black x fem!reader

read pt 1 here

warnings: bullying, mean draco, Regulus in the lightning era, sorta modern au cuz of phones, crying, fighting, Reader getting belittled, Snape showing a lil more emotion than he ever would, slight Self harm towards reader.

word count: 2k +

Y/n just can't seem to make anything any better.

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School was most definitely a bitch again. At least that was the excuse that kept her going for the whole week.

Constant late night calls with regulus finding comfort in his liquid smooth voice. Constant glares shot back and forth at the dining hall where they both sat at different tables so close yet so far. The tension between the two that had been created in less than 10 days was concerning. Even when they've never really hung out together in real life after the incident a week ago.

-----------------------

"Hey drangea.." Regulus said voice raspy on call

It was around 4AM and the two had been chatting away for the last 4 hours when y/n decided she couldn't sleep.

"Hmm, yea?" Y/n said sleepily as she shifted in her sheets

"I think you most definitely can fall asleep now." He chuckled showing his irregular 2 front teeth which y/n loved so much.

"Yea...But question is... do i want to?" y/n yawned clearly tired

"You do. Speaking of which, i have a question.." Regulus hesitantly inquired eyes now wider than before

"Hm T'is the matter?"

"Would you like to sit with me at breakfast tomorrow?"Regulus started off slow knowing she hated the prospect of an activity which could dart eyes all over her.

"L-like together face to face in the great hall?"

"Yea drangea, what else would i be referring to." Regulus barked out a laugh at her stupidness

"Y-yea! totally should i come to you or-?"

"Nah, i'll come to you."

All the sleep had dissipated from her face. Y/n was scared. She knew draco and heather would be near where she usually sat and she couldn't bare the idea of Draco seeing someone else with her for some reason. Not to mention the fact that Daria had moved on so suavely to a new group of friends. So why was she enclosing herself into this chamber of miserable torture. She was allowed to experience nice things, and regulus being her friend was definitely something she wanted people to know about.

"okay! perfect. See you tomorrow?" Regulus cheered with a goofy smile on his face

"Yea. See you reggie." Y/n breathed with a small smile feeling a mixture of excitement and nervousness bloom in her chest. Okay maybe not a mixture but impurities of excitement and 99% nervousness.

---------------------------

The covered sun had awoken y/n from her not so deep slumber. It was a gloomy day and y/n felt a pit of joy grow within her. These semi rainy days were definitely her favourite in the uk, though it was everyday usually, as of lately the sun had been a little too bright for her liking so today was going to be perfect. So she thought to herself quietly.

She woke up, her groggy mind fogged with the thought of having to sit with Regulus during breakfast which was in.... of course, 20 minutes. She swore she never woke up this late, why today out of all days universe?

After putting on her best smelling perfume which was of a scent called "lions domain" ( she still has no idea why it's called that ) she felt.... not so confident as ever like the perfume had advertised to make people feel.

What bullshit marketing y/n thought to herself before pacing her way down the spiral staircase.

She got used to the physical loneliness, especially since Daria had been her only friend in hogwarts ever since they were 11. It shattered her already broken heart into more minuscule pieces knowing Daria moved on so easily and yet she couldn't. What was wrong with her?

She tried to not think much of it as time grew shorter with each longing step she strode.

There he was, gorgeous black waves framing his defined cheekbones. His pretty eyes locked on whatever he was currently picking at. The one loose strand of hair effortlessly dangling on the crease of his eyebrow. The sight alone made y/n's heart jump like a mad man. But of course, the feeling she was feeling wasn't only because of regulus' killer looks, but because Draco and Heather were seemingly whispering whatever the hell to each-other whilst staring back at Regulus occasionally.

It's not like Regulus and y/n had been so close to a point where if anyone did anything to piss the other off, they'd probably be sorry. Yet, why was y/n feeling a growth of anger and destruction bloom in her chest? Draco who once looked like a fallen angel in her eyes, suddenly grew to look like satans spawn.

Just as y/n hopes to slither in without anyone noticing, Regulus caught guard of her and shouted a quick greeting.

Ugh. Reggie why. Why!!

"Y/n! Finally. Merlin what took you so long."

Why was he in this god awful cheery mood? She thought to herself

They were definitely complete opposites. As her favourite muggle artist once said, he was sunshine she was midnight rain.

"What? you took hormone pills or something this morning? What's got you so cheery"

"n'thin was just looking forward to seeing you" Regulus said with a twinge of sadness in his tone covered by a honey warm smile

"I was looking forward to seeing you too Reggie." Y/n sensed the signals she was sending him, and tried to tone down her bitch-e-ness

"It's great to finally see your face, not so....."

"...Pixelated?" y/n laughed before eyeing the food regulus had been mindlessly pushing around

"Hey eat your toast, you're gonna need it to fuel your talkative vocal cords." Y/n smiled whilst lightly rolling her eyes

"Yea, yea i will mom" regulus deadpanned with a fake smile

"Oi, what're you doing hanging out with a freak?"

Here it was. Just as everything was going fine, something, just something had to go south.

"What'd you say ferret?" Y/n barked back sick and tired of his bullshit

"The hell you call me?"

"Ferret. Ferret, ferret, ferret" y/n repeated just to spite him

"Y/n he's not worth it, c'mon." Regulus said now standing up.

Merlin. He was definitely a good few inches taller than draco, making the situation look even worst for the blonde boy.

The attention turned towards Regulus hot and boiling.

"You're not worth it, considering even your brother left you. What a shame." Draco yapped whilst chuckling at his own stupidity

"Alright that's about where I draw the line."

Were regulus' final words before shoving Draco clamouring into a table, metal spoons and goblets splashing aimlessly.

"Regulus, he's not worth it!" this time it was her warning him (ironically).

"The fuck?" Regulus panted as Draco attempted to shove him back. pathetically

"You would never live up to be as brave as your brother anyway." shove "He'll always be the better one for moving away from your god awful house"

"Don't you dare talk about Sirius!" The subject was clearly sensitive to Regulus as he punched Draco in the face almost missing by a beat.

By now a scene had formed around the trio, all chanting 'fight fight fight!' As Regulus continued to beat the already bloodied Draco. Let's be honest, Draco was all talk no game. So he definitely didn't have the upper hand here.

"What's the commotion?" The voice of a stern and deep yet unbothered professor slurred

By now professor snape had seen his two dearest slytherin boys getting all bloodied and bruised up like little children fighting over who played with what toy. (Except even children were more civilised than whatever this is.)

"Draco! Regulus!" He sternly yelled. The amount of anger flooding his tone was surprising to say the least.

"Or should i say little boys!" He yelled even fiercer

"This behaviour... is the type of a muggles school!" The crowd gasped

The crowd went silent, eyes darting from one another, waiting for the next ripple to send the stream into action. But there was a familiar face that sent y/n's mind into anything but silence. Daria. Oh how she missed Daria.

"N-no! It was y/n. She provoked them." The silence had to be diminished by a voice dripping in fake innocence. Heather.

"Oh really..."

"Y/n is this-"

Y/n was tired.

"No. No it really wasn't. C'mon professor, you really believe this yellow haired dog?"

"The hell you call me freak?" Heather yelled before stomping over, but was quickly stopped by Regulus' lean strong arm.

"Don't you fucking move a step towards her."

"Language!" Snape yelled even more furious than the last two times.

"Y/n, This is no way to go about school! Yes we are all tired and sick of life sometimes, you're not any different. So stop being the provoker of all these.... these horrible things!" Snape took his last breath before grabbing the arms of the two boys whilst stomping off into an unbeknownst direction.

Stupid bitch. y/n blamed herself whilst clutching her fists until a tiny pop of blood started to work its way out, slowly making its way to the ground as gravity does.

----------------------------------

Even though worried to the worst sickness there was on planet earth, she sat there. All alone with the breeze tangled up in her hair. It was the same spot she'd stumbled across Regulus in. The same dim dark rooftop looking off into oblivion. You could imagine it was merlin's hell type of cold, yet she still sat there, wondering why everything she was involved with always had to link back to something bad.

Eveytime something good happened, it was evident something bad was going to eventually follow. Just like rain. One could love it, yet it was evident sunlight was bound to appear again.

Sigh

She thought back to earlier today, how she remembered seeing Daria's face in the crowd. Her face disgusted and frightened, as if it wasn't her best friend facing the girl who took away her once man. She grimaced at the thought of Daria. It brought back too much pain remembering how the old Daria would stand up for her.

Creak

Y/n whipped her head around to be faced with a tired yet worried Regulus. There was 'wizards' brand plaster littered all over his face. His nose, his eyebrows, his lips. Was it wrong for her to think that he looked really good right now?

"Regulus." Y/n sighed before helping herself up

They both stood there in silence, not the comfortable type but the type where there was something, just something lingering in the air.

"Y/n.." He said with a small soft smile played on his lips, before that soft smile turned into a small fit of laughter. Not the mocking kind, but the kind that spoke did that really just happen?

Y/n quickly joined in before running into Regulus' embrace. The thought had grazed her mind a couple times, what it'd feel like to be held by him, to be touched by him.... to be loved by him.

It felt weird at first, i mean they've only known each-other for a week or so, yet the feeling was comfortable way faster than it would be with anyone else.

"Drangea... H-hey look at me." Regulus whispered eyes glossy as if he just cried a river of sorrow.

"Yes? Did we finally get justice? Did draco finally get, anything? Just anything to punish him?" Y/n said with pleading eyes, searching his as if they had an answer

"No. I-i." Regulus sighed

"I got suspended for a month." He finally let out

At this point they weren't in a hug anymore, but they were inches away from eachother... inches, yet it felt like miles.

"What?!"

"Yea. Cruel huh? This school."

"Now this school is actually being a bitch!"

He chuckled

"It always has been. Can you imagine? The first time we properly try to hang out and all this shit happens."

"Y-yea." She looked down

"I-i'm sorry. i'm- i'm just like this bad luck charm y'know? every time i'm involved with something, it always goes south" Y/n said with tears starting to fog up her vision. She tried to hide it, but she miserably failed.

"Hey! No. Don't you ever fucking say that. Merlin y/n. You are not a bad luck charm." He sighed a long sad sigh, wishing she knew her own worth.

"It's okay. I-i gotta go." Y/n sniffled before running out the door Regulus had just entered in a frenzied rush.

"W-Wha-" Regulus tried to say before dropping it knowing she wouldn't be here to hear it.

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Ohohoho.... cliff hanger lol only because if i write anymore, i'm gonna end up with like 5k words 😭 I promise to post pt.3 this week though! Thank u to the two that requested a part 2 love u💓 hahah

[the-sun-hawks]

Introducing Daria

Hello everyone, I'm Gila or Talen or Death Knight as some of my old collective followers would know, or if you're reading this on my main blog, paxpaxpax. A long time ago in the freshman year of high-school, I was failing algebra one and rather than trying to actually study, I started writing Daria. Daria follows the story of Hawk Olier, a man from the land of Klannossia who watched his country get burned down by an unknown horde as a child. Adopted by the dwarven man who had found him, Hawk has become a bounty hunter for hire alongside his best friend and thief Vae'lin Mournshaw. Both together and apart, Hawk and Vae will begin to uncover the workings of The Order of Hale, a group who wishes to put the bloodline of those who ruled the continent before back on the throne, reuniting the continent into one country once again.

I'll be posting chapters weekly here on @the-sun-hawks (i've already written 15 chapters in the past three weeks, and just started on the 16th). This piece of work wouldn't be possible if @cleonibbles hadn't bullied me into rewriting it and helping me edit along the way. She's practically cowriting it at this point.

Even if you don't read this or find yourself not liking it all that much, please consider giving it a like and reblogging it around, i've put a bunch of work into this and it's always nice to see your work spread around, y'know?

[unmaskedagain]

Rather be Me (than with You)

Hey everyone. This is a kind of angsty ONE-SHOT; not the usual humor and fun I usual go for. I decided to do something a bit different. I experimented with the idea of a story where Lila doesn’t get exposed. Marinette just moves on. Decides she deserves better.  This ISN’T a QUEEN MARI but Marinette does realize she’s a queen. 

This is Anti-Class but not Lila bashing. I didn’t not to got the normal LILA BASHING everyone usually does. Don’t get me wrong, Lila Bashing is my favorite tag in this fandom. But I wanted to do something different. Tell me what you think and if you like it.

It had been a long time since Marinette had cared about their snickering; cared that sometimes she ate alone. Marinette hadn’t given a rat’s ass about what anyone in her damn class thought. She had been done for a long time.

A year had passed since Lila created the hurricane that pretty much turned Marinette’s life upside. A year since Alya had been her best friend, since Adrien was her crush. Since Ladybug’s partner was Chat Noir, a year since she was anyone’s everyday Ladybug.

These days the other students in class ignored her, and she was fine with it. The minute Marinette stepped back and decide to say, “Fuck Them.” Lila had left her alone. The Italian girl still side-eyed her every now and then but was content to let Marinette be. One thing Lila did right was that she saw Marinette exactly as she should be seen; an unbeatable threat, and one hell of pain in the neck if she tried hard enough. For a while, Lila was sure the Marinette would expose her, that every lie she spun would come undone.

But then one day, just a few months after Lila had returned, Marinette came to school with a big grin on her face. Lila said one tall tales, and the other girl didn’t even blink. Lila still remembered that their eyes met and saw: nothing. No longer did righteous fury reside there. No hurt expression. Or tears. Just apathy, sheer indifference to everyone in class.

Lila didn’t smile that day. In fact, she found it hard to really smile for the rest of the week. Because though technically she had won, it didn’t feel like a victory. It was like the game the two girls played had resulted in a stalemate and Marinette decided the battle was over. Marinette lost all her friends. Lila had no choice but to keep up the lies, particularly, after her mother announced they wouldn’t be moving like they usually would after a few months. It took a lot of work. Lila could admit that if she had know Paris was permanent, she’d have been a little more honest.

So, in the end, neither girl won but neither girl lost.

Nevertheless, Lila was smart. She knew when to back off. And so she did. She learned quickly that if she kept Marinette’s name out of her mouth, she was golden. Lila also learned that Marinette wasn’t made at Lila. It was everyone else the Asian girl had a problem with.

Everyone else in class who quickly realized just what life was like without their everyday ladybug.

Gone was the random sweets from her parents’ bakery. Gone was the well planned birthday parties and class trips. Gone was the comforting shoulder. Gone was the friend who they could call no matter time of day or night if they needed someone to talk to. Gone was their biggest supporter. Gone was the always friendly face that promised to brighten the darkest day.

           The kids learned quickly, that if they were in trouble, they were on their own. Apart from Akuma attacks, that Ladybug still showed up for. Though Ladybug had taken to ignoring the students, particularly Alya. Even going as far as to say to the teen reporter, in front of other journalists, that she doesn’t talk to tabloids; too many rumors and lies.

           This had slowly but surly caused the downfall of the Ladyblog. Alya could no longer get the best scoop; no that went to Aurore who created an entire website with tips and advice and videos about and straight from Ladybug. The website fully endorsed by the hero. Alya had quickly decided that she just needed to talk to Ladybug to clear up whatever was caught the strife. It was then that Alya remembered that Marinette had gotten her that first interview, the interview that had launched the Ladyblog’s success. Marinette who she was no longer friends with.

           Marinette who had it clear that she didn’t care. She didn’t are that Alya’s beloved blog had spiraled into nothing. That Nino’s music career seemed to be at an all-time standstill. That Marc and Nathaniel’s comic and partnership had gone down in flames. (Mostly because Nathaniel had taken too much of Lila’s advice and changed too much of the comic to be recognizable.) Or that Ivan and Mylene had broken up. Juleka had gone back to never showing up in pictures. Rose was in tears that Prince Ali no longer wished to speak to her. Kitty Section had broken up. Chloe was a bigger bully than ever, though she too was smart enough to stay clear of Marinette. The list went on and on, getting worse and worse.

           Even the teachers realized just how much of a control presence that Marinette had. And just how lost their classrooms were without her.

           But still, Marinette didn’t care.

Marinette had been screwed over. Once. Twice. A dozen times. Her best friend, her sworn bestie, hadn’t been the loyal friend she promised she was; acted nice when was so not nice. Chat Noir, Adrien, had left her to fight alone so many times that Master Fu took back his Miraculous. Screwed over by her best friend. Twice. And then by all the other kids.

Still, no one could understand how the sweetest girl could go full Ice Queen.

They had been smart enough to get Luka and Kagami to ask Marinette at the school’s end of the year party. Adrien got Kagami to ask as Marinette had taken to ignoring him for a long time by then Juleka got Luka to promise to find out. Kagami and Luka had become her closest friends. And the fact that her classmates would use them to get information on her, just reminded Marinette just how done she was.

She was so done.

So after the two had asked. Instead of answering, Marinette texted Colton, her friend, and DJ of the party. Marinette needed to make something clear.

When the song, ended Marinette got on stage.

“Hey,” She said into the mic. Her hair was only a bit longer but the blue had been dyed out of it. Her skinny jeans were black and ripped and she had on a red halter top was lacy and elegant. “Someone of you might not know me. But I’ve done enough for this school and a lot the students, to know majority of you do.” Her tone was dry and her stare blank. “Over last year, I took a step back you could say from, well, bullshit.” There were laughs. Most of the students who knew of Marinette and had been affected by her kindness had reached out almost immediately when they realized something was wrong, something had changed.

           Marinette looked at the students, “I got screwed over by too many times to count.” She sighed. “Turns out, a lot there’s a lot of assholes in my class.” She said bluntly. “So how do I deal with it all. In fact, how do you deal with all the drama and bullies and liars and two-faced bitches in your life? I got some advice for you. Pay close attention because it worked great for me.” The music started and Marinette started to sing.

“Here's my secret strategy

It always works because

The world doesn't end

It just feels like it does”

           Marinette wasn’t the best singer but she was decent. The song wasn’t about high notes or theatrics. It was sung with grace and humor. A strong daria morgendorffer vibe.

So raise your right finger      Marinette raised her right hand flicked off the entire school and looked right at her classmates. There faces turned red and their eyes were wide.

And solemnly swear

"Whatever they say about me

I don't care!"

           The first few months had been hard. And full of mean looks were way and nasty remarks. Until they realized they needed her. They needed her charm. Her can-do attitude. Her to come back as class president. Her ideas. The free handmade clothes she designed.

I won't twist in knots to join your game

           Rose, surprising, had been the first to try to tempt her back. The other having enlisted the second sweetest girl in class to talk to Marinette. Rose had told Marinette that if she just admitted she was wrong Lila and apologize, they’d take her back. Marinette had told her to fuck off.

I will say, "you make me mad."

And if you treat me bad

I'll say "you're bad"

And if I eat alone from this moment on

That's just what I'll do

'Cause I'd rather be me, I'd rather be me

I'd rather be me than be with you

           Marinette had eaten alone for weeks until she made she found real friends in other classes, both upper and lower grades. That was when Marinette found out that she was well-liked by the majority of the school. And the majority of the school didn’t buy Lila’s lies.

We're supposed to all be ladies

And be nurturing and care

Is that really fair?

Boys get to fight, we have to share

           Marinette found new friends, made new plans, her schedule filled up again, and she was happy. That was when the rumors started. Alya and Alix, leading the charge, had taken upon themselves to tell Marinette new friends what a bully she was and the rest of the school as well. They got upset when no one believed them.

           They got even more upset when they realized Marinette didn’t care. At all. However, when Alix had taken it too far, he had decided to get physical and trip Marinette in the lunchroom….

Here's the way that turns out

We always understand

How to slap someone down

With our underhand

           Marinette got up, pulled her arm back, and knocked Alix’s lights out. “Don’t try that shit again,” Marinette had warned her ex-friends. “I have no problem kicking each and everyone one of your asses.”

She got a week’s detention but she smiled all the way through.

So here's my right finger Marinette flicked off the school again; waved it around so everyone could see it.

To how girls should behave

'Cause sometimes what's meant to break you

Makes you brave

So I will not act all innocent

I won't fake apologize

           From then on, it was everyone understood that a new Marinette walked the halls. One that didn’t care about being nice. How ladies should behave. She refused to apologize after a fight. And she never backed down from an agreement.

           Turns out losing all her friends didn’t break her. It made her braver. In a way Ladybug never managed to before then.

Let's just fight and then make up

Not tell these lies

Let's call our damage even

Clean the slate till it's like new

           Marinette never gave in; even when the ice out happened. All the kids in her class ignored her, they didn’t say a single word to her. Refused to pair with her. Didn’t even acknowledge her existence.

It's a new life for me

Where I'd rather be me

I'd rather be me

Than be with you

The once bluenette just laughed at their childish antics. She didn’t bat an eye as they wanted her too. She didn’t understand why they couldn’t fight like normal people. Or the very at least call the war done, the damage even on both sides, and then move on with clean slates.

I'll say, "NO!"

NO!

I'll say, "knock it off,

with your notes and your rules and your games."

           Marinette had just gone: NO. No. She wasn’t going to play their little games. Do anything to make it even remotely look like she card. It was over. She was done. It was all just a waiting game.

           Waiting for them to grow up and realize, it was game over. There was no magical way their friendship would ever be restored. They should move, let go. Find something better. Accept the loss and learned to live with it.

           Like she’d done with Lila. Marinette hadn’t been happy with the results of their chess game but she could live with it. Move on. Got a new life.

And those sycophants who follow you, Marinette turned her attention to the pretty Italian girl. If Lila ever came after her again… Or when her kingdom of lies fell, and there was no doubt it would. Marinette would be there to watch it burn.

I'll remember all their names, She sang to Lila who nodded having understood. Even she knew her time was running out. Though Lila wouldn’t just hand over her power willingly. No, Lila knew it would have to dragged away from her bloody hands before she let it go. Lila would fight. It was just the way she was.

           The one thing Marinette liked about the girl.

           Alya was getting desperately. Eventually, she’ll realize the answer to all her problems lay in the comments on her blog. All questioning why she was promoting such an obvious liar. And when she did… There would be hell to pay.

And when they drag you down

Like they inevitably do

I will not laugh along with them and

approve their palace coup, 'cause that's not me. She promised her once the greatest enemy. (Hawkmoth’s was Ladybug’s.) That caused Lila to smile.

           Because when the faux-faced kids turned their ire onto Lila. When they dragged her through the same torment they put Marinette though. At least the wannabe Volpina wouldn’t have to worry about the once Every Day ladybug.

           In fact, if Lila played her cards right, and she nearly always did. She’d find an alley to teach her. Teach her not to care. Teach her to be stronger. Teach her out to say “Fuck you” to the world.

           Because Marinette no longer cared enough to have any reason not to. Granted she could just say, “I. Don’t. Want. To.” Like she did frequently these days.

Janis. Janis. Janis. Janis

I don't need their good opinions

I have plenty of opinions

Everybody has opinions but it doesn't make them true

           Marinette didn’t care what her old friends thought. Or that they didn’t like her. Who cared? So what if they thought she was a bully? Or a jealous liar. Or a bad friend. Or the new Ice queen.

           She shrugged. She had a lot to say about them to.  And sure she bitched with Luka, Aurore, and Kagami but it wasn’t serious. It was just to vent. Because who cared?

What's true is being me

And I'd rather be me

I'd rather be me than be with you.

So raise them high 'cause playing nice and shy is insulting my IQ

           Marinette had no problem being a bitch if they pushed. She was no longer shy and sweet and far too nice for her own good. Because she had learned her lesson.

           And, Marinette thought, she learned it was so well that life rewarded. She was making clothes for Clara and Jagged. Worked with Chloe’s mom. She had an internship with Teen Vogue, in New York, that summer. Won several design contests. Got to see one of her designs on the red carpet worn by an up and coming actress that Jagged recommended her to.

           The actress said the brand was MDC, created by a kickass teenager name Marinette. That dress got the actress on the best-dressed list, and Marinette twenty more commissions by other almost, or kind of famous celebrities.

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah

I'd Rather Be Me

I'd Rather Be Me

So maybe I should thank you. Marinette adlibbed the line but sang it directly to Lila who smirked as she knew exactly what the other girl was referring to.

           While Marinette would never say it, Lila knew, she had done the girl a favor. Showed her who her real friends were. Or weren’t. And without them, without the niceness and overly caring nature she once had, Marinette had thrived; gone further than Lila ever imagined.

           Lila had only wanted them because she liked the attention. However, she knew they weren’t real friends. No matter what Alya said, they weren’t besties. Lila didn’t trust the glasses-wearing girl as far she could throw her.

Because now I know…

I'd Rather Be Me than be with you!

           Most of her classmates looked sad. A few looked angry. Lila just looked up at her used to be nemesis with admiration and a small smile.

           A brief look of wonder and hope flashed over her face and for a moment she of just saying “To hell with it.” Screaming her sins and go binge watch Grey’s anatomy. Take up dance class when summer was over and the new school year began. She always loved dancing.

           It was the only thing Lila knew was honestly good at; great at even.

           But that moment passed. Lila liked her power. Besides, there was a good chance she could make everyone think Alya was crazy or lying to convince to save her blog; that Lila wasn’t the liar.

           Lila smirked. She had all summer to slowly leave breadcrumbs that Alya was reading too much into the situation, was too desperate, didn’t know what she was talking about. By the time the summer ended, Lila could have all other students convinced the once future great journalist had just lost her edge. So much so that it was reason Ladybug dissed the Ladyblog.

           Alya wouldn’t be a challenge like Marinette had been. Not even close. Marinette had been the Sherlock to Lila’s Moriarty. (If Marinette had kept the game going, Lila would’ve too. Until it was a full-scale war. No prisoners. Just blood; both metaphorical blood and the real red stuff.)

Alya would be too easy. But it would still be fun. Even if Alya managed to pull a fast one, there was no way their little friendships would survive what they did to Marinette. Not all the blame could be put on Lila, no matter how much they tried.

And when Marinette didn’t come back after the truth was revealed and they begged and apologized for never believing her; for not trusting her. Blame would shift. Especially if Lila changed classes like she knew Marinette had to be at least considering.

I'd Rather Be Me

           Because, Marinette would never be their friend again. They were just pawns in the game of life. And Marinette realized that while pawns could become queens. They never went back to being pawns again.

I'd Rather Be Me

I'd Rather Be Me than be with you!

Marinette was doing just fine. She wasn’t their friend. She didn’t like them.

And most importantly, Marinette didn’t care.

[cristinablackthornkingson]

Shadowhunter Short Story #66. Matthew finally confesses his darkest secret.

CW/TW: Miscarriage, self-hatred, alcoholism, child loss.

It is a cold and gloomy day in November 1903, and Cordelia is curled up in armchair by the fire, in Cirenworth, with her newborn baby sister Daria curled up asleep on her chest, and Matthew stretched out on the sofa across from her. Cordelia had agreed to watch her sister today, while her mother and father attended to business in Idris and Alastair is on patrol. 

Half an hour ago, Matthew showed up looking for James, who was keeping Cordelia company while she looked after little Daria. A few minutes before Matthew showed up, James had gone into town to gather some ingredients to make lunch for he and Cordelia. Cordelia had explained this to Matthew and then invited him in to wait for James to come back. Thankfully Matthew did not appear to be drunk at this minute, but he is clearly hungover and in need of company. 

“Math?” Cordelia quietly asks, looking at her friend with concern. Matthew opens his eyes and pushes his damp blonde hair back from his sweaty forehead. 

“Yes Daisy?” 

“Why do you do it? Why do you drink so much, why are you always drunk?” Cordelia quietly asks. Over the last few months Matthew’s drinking habits have only gotten worse and the alcohol is clearly taking a toll on his health, she has noticed him losing his breath faster and more easily, he is not as fast on his feet as he once was, his aim with weapons is off, he is clumsy and always tripping over himself, he is lucky he has not gotten himself killed yet. 

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” Matthew quietly says, turning his face away from Cordelia. He will never admit to his awful habits, even though they are extremely obvious, he never tries to hide it anymore or pretend he is not drunk. 

“Matthew please.” Cordelia says in a soft tone. “I am your friend, I care about you and I am very worried about you, you are putting yourself in horrendous danger, you could end up dying.” 

“Good, it is what I deserve, after what I did.” Matthew says in a bitter tone, his lip curling in disgust. 

“Matthew! You cannot say such a dreadful thing about yourself! What have you done that is so awful?” Cordelia pleads with him. Matthew turns his gaze on her again, this time it is cold and full of loathing and hatred for himself. 

“You really want to know?” Cordelia nods, and Matthew pushes himself up into a sitting position on the couch. “Alright Daisy, I will tell you, then I dare you to look me in the eye and tell me I do not to deserve to die. Three years ago, when I was 15, your darling brother Alastair spread a rumor that my papa is not indeed my papa, that rotten gimp you call a brother, he started a rumor that my mama had an affair with my Uncle Gideon and conceived me, that I get my blonde hair and green eyes from him.

I was insecure and foolish enough to think it may be true, my parents and brother had been secretive and quiet in the weeks leading up to this, and my Uncle Gideon was helping my mama out even more than usual, this lead me to believe that mama and papa were getting a divorce. So, I went to the Shadow market one night and bought what I at the time thought was a truth potion, from a faerie woman. 

The next day I baked scones and cranberries for my mama and added the potion into them, intending to ask her if she and papa were separating and if I was indeed Uncle Gideon’s bastard, as Alastair claimed. 

Mama took one bite of the scone and collapsed, she almost died. 

While Uncle Jem tended to her in the infirmary, papa came to me and told me that the secret he, mama and Charles were keeping over the past weeks, was that mama was pregnant. Papa told me then, about my great-great Aunt Matilda, who I got my blonde hair from. He told me her nickname was Mattie, and when mama was pregnant with me, Papa suggested they name me Matthew, after his great-aunt Matilda, mama agreed and that is how I got my name. I knew then that those awful rumors were nothing but rumors, and Uncle Gideon was not my father, I should have known mama would never ever be unfaithful to papa and Uncle Gideon would never betray Aunt Sophie. 

A few hours later Uncle Jem came to me and... he told me that mama was alright, but.... she had a miscarriage.

So you see Cordelia, I am a murderer. I did not trust my own mother who is the most wonderful woman on this planet, and as a result I killed my sister before she was even born.

That is why I drink, to forget all my pain and all the pain I have caused others.

Now you look at me and tell me I do not deserve to die a horrible death.”  By the time Matthew finishes his explanation both he and Cordelia have tears running down their faces. Cordelia’s heart is utterly broken for Matthew and his parents, and she is simultaneously furious with Alastair. He is also responsible for Charlotte’s miscarriage and Cordelia does not intend to let him away with it lightly. 

“Oh Matthew.” Cordelia softly says, getting up and carefully placing Daria in her bassinet, before moving to embrace Matthew, holding him tightly as he sobs into her shoulder. “Math, it is alright. Yes you made a grave mistake, but you are not a murderer and you do not deserve to die. You did not know what was in that Faerie Potion.” Cordelia soothes him. 

“Uncle Jem warned me! He warned me that Faeries can be deceitful and that I should not trust them, he tried to prevent me from buying that bloody potion but I went behind his back and bought it anyway!” Matthew sobs, breaking Cordelia’s heart solidly in two.

“Oh Math, have you told anyone else?” Cordelia asks. 

“Uncle Jem, he is the only one that knows.” Matthew quietly says. 

“Matthew you must tell your parents, this secret is quite literally killing you.” Matthew frantically shakes his head. 

“No, no I cannot! They will hate me, rightfully so, but I cannot bare a life without them. I-I cannot go on without my parents, without reading with mama a-and listening to her stories about Charlie and I as babies, a-and helping my papa with his experiments and inventions.” Matthew frantically says, his mind racing with the thoughts of how miserable his life would be without his parents. He has always been both a mama’s boy and a daddy’s boy, ever since he was born he has adored his parents and always wanted to be with them. 

“Oh Matthew no they will not. Your parents adore you and they will understand, if anyone is to blame it is Alastair and believe me I will be having words with him about this. Please Matthew, you must tell your parents.” Cordelia begs, but Matthew just shakes his head again. 

“No, no I cannot. I should not have even told you Daisy, I am sorry.” He grabs his jacket from the back of the sofa and leaves before Cordelia can say another word. 

About an hour later, as Cordelia sits thinking about everything Matthew had told her that morning, she hears the front door open and close, and a few seconds later Alastair appears in the doorway, his dark hair tousled by the wind, his cheeks flushed from the cold.

“Hello Layla, isn’t James suppose to be here with you?” He asks, looking around for his future brother-in-law.

“He was but he had to leave early, Lucie needed him. I need to talk to you Alastair.” Cordelia says in a calm tone. 

“Alright, we can talk after I change my clothes.” Alastair says, not realizing how serious thing are about to get.

“No Alastair, I need to talk to you right now, while Daria is asleep.” Cordelia firmly says, surprising her brother. Cordelia is usually a very gentle and calm person, it is not like her to make demands. 

“Alright, then talk.” Alastair says, taking a seat on the couch across from Cordelia. 

“Matthew was here earlier, he told me about the rumors you started some years ago, that Charlotte Fairchild had an affair with Gideon Ligthwood and conceived Matthew, and that is why Matthew looks nothing like Charlotte or Henry.” Cordelia starts in a cold tone. Alastair pales.

“I will not deny it, yes I started those rumors. It was absolutely horrific of me, I know and I sincerely regret it to this day. It is no excuse but I was taking out my insecurities on Matthew, I was trying to fit in with the other boys from school. 

You never attended The Academy Layla, but there, it is bully or be bullied, and I was already an easy target because of our father and because of the color of my skin. If I wanted to survive there I felt as though I had no choice but to be a bully, and I saw Matthew as an easy target, he and his perfect family. I was jealous too, Layla. The Fairchilds seem to have such a perfect and lovely family, while we have an alcoholic father.”  Alastair explains in a bitter tone. “Believe me I am disgusted with myself Cordelia, and I am trying to make up for it.” 

“Alastair you do not understand the harm your nasty rumors caused. I... do you know that Charlotte had a miscarriage because of the stress those rumors caused?” Cordelia asks in a tight tone, briefly thinking of telling her brother what Matthew had told her earlier, but ultimately deciding she could not do that without first asking Matthew. 

“I... I know. Charles told me. Trust me Layla I feel absolutely horrific and I wish I could go back in time and stop myself from doing that, but I cannot.” Alastair quietly says in a tight tone. 

“Alastair you must tell Charlotte and Henry, as well as Gideon and Sophie that you started those rumors and you must apologize to them, it is the only way to even remotely make it up to them.” Cordelia firmly says. 

“I.... yes, alright. I will go when mama and papa come back in a few hours.” Alastair says in a defeated tone, knowing he must accept what he did and do what he can to make up for it. Cordelia nods approvingly. 

“I will come with you.”

2 hours later, Alastair and Cordelia are standing on the steps of the Fairchild London home, nervously waiting for someone to answer the door. When they had first arrived, they immediately noticed the Lightwood carriage in the courtyard, and Alastair can only hope that it is Sophie and Gideon who are visiting, and not Cecily and Gabriel or any of the Ligthwood children, so he does not have to repeat his story and can tell the two couples at once.

A few seconds after The Carstairs’ siblings knock on the door, the front door swings open to reveal Charlotte Fairchild, her dark hair in a chignon at the back of her head, and she is wearing a simple light-blue floor-length dress, with a dark blue cardigan over it. She smiles brightly at Alastair and Cordelia and opens the door further.

“Alastair, Cordelia! How lovely to see you, I am afraid Matthew and Charles are not here, however.” Charlotte says. 

“Oh, we are not here to see Matthew or Charles, Mrs. Fairchild. We were hoping we could speak to you and Mr. Fairchild, if you do not mind?” Cordelia politely asks. 

“Oh please call me Charlotte, or better yet call me Aunt Charlotte, and my husband would insist you call him Henry, or Uncle Henry, Of course you can speak to us, come in. Gideon and Sophie are here too but the four of us can speak somewhere private.” Charlotte says in a cherry tone, as the siblings step in and hand their coats to the Fairchild’s housekeeper. 

“If it is alright with you Mrs_ Charlotte, I-I would like to speak to Mr. and Mrs. Lightwood too, at the same time.” Alastair sheepishly asks.

“Oh, yes of course it is alright, come through to the drawing room, warm yourselves up.” Charlotte says, leading them into the drawing room, where Henry, Gideon and Sophie are speaking quietly. 

“Henry, Sophie, Gideon. Cordelia and Alastair here would like to speak with us, is that alright with you?” Charlotte asks, taking a seat next to Henry and slipping her hand into his.

“Perfectly alright with me Lottie.” Henry says in a cheery tone. 

“Us too.” Sophie says, while Gideon nods his agreement.  Alastair takes a deep breath before launching into his story. 

“I... I am sure you know of and heard the... the awful rumors that were spread, a few years ago, a-about Matthew’s parentage. I know they caused both of your families a lot of stress and shame. I... I came here today to tell you that... that I was the one who started those rumors. 

You see, I-I was jealous of your family, of Matthew. You seem to have such a perfect family and lives and... well Cordelia and I do not, we never have. 

As you know, our father has a serious drinking problem, which is why we moved so often. As a result our family was never normal, and I never got to be as joyous and care-free as Matthew had been when I met him, I was always hiding my father’s intoxication from Cordelia, and hiding his empty bottles o-or filling the half-empty ones with water, to make it look as though he had not drank as much as he did.

 I know what I did was absolutely horrendous and completely unforgivable, and I do not expect any of you to forgive me, or even like me. I cannot go back in time and take back what I did, much as I wish I could, but Layla made me realize that the only thing I could do, was tell you the truth and apologize. I am truly sorry for what I did, I know it makes no difference, but I regret it with everything I am.” The room is completely silent and still after Alastair’s explanation. Sophie has covered her face with one hand, and Gideon is consolingly rubbing her back. Charlotte has a look of both sympathy and absolute furry on her face, and Alastair nor Cordelia have ever seen Henry look so angry and upset before. 

“Do you have any idea what those rumors did to our families?” Gideon asks in a deadly quiet tone. “As if my wife and I did not have enough on our plates, with our Thomas only starting to grow stronger and healthier, and Sophie and I’s marriage always being laughed at and mocked, because Sophie use to be a mundane and a maid. Then those dreadful rumors began and almost destroyed our reputation.” 

“Oh but Gideon how they impacted us and our family matters so little compared to how they impacted Charlotte and Henry.” Sophie quietly says.

“Charlotte and I have always had trouble having children, after Charles we struggled greatly to have Matthew, he was and is our miracle. We both wanted more children after Matthew, but it seemed like it was never going to happen, we had almost given up hope, then Charlotte fell pregnant, with our first daughter. We were so thrilled, we were ready to tell our friends and family, but then the rumors began and the stress those rumors caused Charlotte....” Henry trials off in a tight tone. 

“I lost the baby, I had a miscarriage because of the stress those rumors caused and now it really will be a miracle if we have another biological child.” Charlotte finishes in a teary tone.

“The reason Matthew does not look like Charlotte or I, is because he looks like my great aunt Matilda, Mattie, for who he is named. Matthew is my son, biologically and all. My wife would never be unfaithful to me, nor I her. We do not have a perfect life by any means, you made assumptions based on how we appear to others, and it cost us a child.” Henry quietly says, his jaw clenched.

“I can assure you that I only have 3 children, 2 now our Barbara is... gone, I am extremely lucky to have Sophie as my wife and the mother of my children. From the moment I met her, I wanted to be with no other woman in this world, Charlotte is a wonderful friend and I love her dearly, but not in the way I love Sophie, she is the only woman I have eyes for, I am not my father, I would never break my vows to Sophie, I am a lucky man to be her husband, I would be a fool to throw that all away.” Gideon says in a cold and harsh tone.

“I think it is best you leave now, Alastair. Cordelia you are welcome to stay, but it would be best if your brother did not.” Charlotte quietly says, holding back the tears.  

“Thank you Charlotte, but I do not wish to intrude on such a private moment.” Cordelia quietly says. “Thank you for listening to my brother, and I am truly sorry for what he has done.”

Shortly after The Carstairs’ siblings leave, Sophie and Gideon decide to leave too, wanting to be alone and to check in on Eugenia and Thomas. 

“Henry.” Charlotte quietly says, once they are alone again. “Have you seen Matthew today?” 

“He was in the lab with me this morning Lottie, but then he left to go find James, I have not seen him since.” Henry says, worry striking him when he looks at the clock and realizes Matthew has been gone all day, again. 

“I know Charles is with Grace, but where is Matthew?” Charlotte asks in a worried tone, wanting her son back safe, so she can tell him the truth about the rumors, knowing how awfully they impacted him, too. 

“Perhaps he is with James, or one of the boys, or he could be with Anna.” Henry suggests hopefully, knowing that his nephews and niece will keep his Matthew safe, if he is indeed with them and not some random Shadowhunter or Downworlder he has decided to spend the night with. Henry has no problem with his son having an interest in both men and women, Shadowhunter or Downworlder, but he does wish Matthew would be more safe when choosing his partners and not go off with random people he does not know. 

“I hope so.” Charlotte says in an anxious tone. 

2 hours later, just as Henry and Charlotte are thinking of going out and searching for Matthew, afraid he has fallen into the Thames or something equally as awful, the front door opens and closes and Matthew stumbles into the drawing room, with no coat or hat or anything, his hair damp, his face red from the cold, and stinking of alcohol. 

“Matthew.” Charlotte breathes in relief. “Matthew Granville Fairchild, where have you been?!”  Matthew shrugs. 

“I cannot quite remember, I think I was with Cordelia and her baby sister this morning, then I... oh yes I remember now, I went to the pub, been there all day. Met a nice chap, had to give up on him when he told me he does not like dogs and poetry.” Matthew slurs, slumping down onto the couch across from his parents, patting Oscar’s head when the dog comes over and sniffs at him in concern. “’Course no one can hold a candle to Lucie, eh Oscar old pal? My fault for falling in love with a Herondale, they are known for being heartbreakers.” 

“Matthew.” Charlotte says in a concerned tone. “Sweetheart why do you do this to yourself? Why are you always drinking and going off with strange men and women? I do not care that you like both men and women, I could not care about that less, but you are going off with people you do not know who could harm you. Why Matthew, why do you do it to yourself?” Charlotte drops to her knees by her son’s side, brushing his hair back from his face. 

“You do not want to know mama, you will hate me.” Matthew quietly says. 

“No, no I will not Matthew, I could never hate you.” Charlotte softly says. 

“Are you quite sure about that? Well what if I told you that it is my fault you had a miscarriage? The rumors that I was Uncle Gideon’s bastard got to me and I wanted to know the truth, so like the fool I am, instead of simply asking you or papa, I bought a truth potion from a Faerie at the Shadow Market, and I put in the scones I made you that day, intending to ask you if the rumors were true.But it was not a potion, it was a poison that almost killed you and killed the baby. It was my fault, I am a murderer, I killed my sister.” 

For the second time that day, the Fairchild’s drawing room is filled with a shocked silence. 

“I told you you would hate me.” Matthew quietly says. Charlotte shakes her head, cupping Matthew’s face in her hands. 

“No, no no Matthew I do not hate you, I could never. Matthew, my baby, what happened was not your fault. Yes, I wish you had of come to me and your father and asked us the truth, but in honesty I likely would not have done that at 15, either. You had no idea what was in that potion, you were a confused and scared little boy who just wanted answers, you had no ill intent, you did not even know I was pregnant. It is not your fault Matthew, do you hear me? If anyone is to blame it is the Faerie who you bought that potion from, but most certainly not you.” Charlotte firmly tells her son in a teary tone. 

Henry wheels himself over to his wife and son and takes Matthew’s hand in his, squeezing it reassuringly. 

“My Matthew, my sweet, happy boy. You are not at fault here my boy, not one bit. Is this why you are always drinking? To forget?” Henry gently asks. Matthew nods.

“All these years I have kept this a secret, I used alcohol to forget and numb the pain, I do not know how to cope without it.” Matthew quietly says, as tears roll down his face. Charlotte sniffles and wipes his tears away, as Henry presses a kiss to his forehead. 

“Oh my sweet boy, my little miracle. We will help you Matthew, we will help your learn how to cope without alcohol, you are going to live a normal and happy life, you will not be able to go out drinking with Anna anymore, but there is still so much you can do with Anna and all your other friends.” Charlotte quietly says. Matthew laughs softly. 

“Perhaps Lucie will fall in love with me when I am no longer drinking, I cannot blame her for not loving me now, a brilliant girl like Lucie would not want to saddle herself with a useless drunk like me.” 

“Oh Matthew you are not useless, and you are not a drunk, you are an alcoholic, a lot of people are, it is nothing to be ashamed of.” Charlotte softly says.

“I want to be happy, I want to get married and have children, I want to read poetry and hunt demons with the boys, go to parties with Anna, see Jamie marry Cordelia. I want to marry Lucie and grow old with her, be as happy as you, mama and papa.” Matthew quietly says, his eyes closed and a smile tugging at his lips as he imagines a life with Lucie. He imagines their children, a girl first who looks just like Lucie, but with his eyes, then a boy who looks just like him, but with Lucie’s eyes. 

“You will Matthew, I promise you will be happy.”

2 years later, Matthew is a year and a half sober, with only two very minor slip-ups in that time. Recovery was long and difficult, and it will never be over, but it is more than worth it. Matthew is going on 20 now, and has been courting Lucie for 1 year. He had never been happier than when she told him that she loves him too, when he had been sober for 5 months. They have an extremely happy relationship and Lucie is so supportive of Matthew and his sobriety, he does not feel he could have done it without her.

Now, they are sitting on a picnic blanket in Hyde park, under a tree and away from the summer sun. They had finished eating a while ago, and Lucie has just finished reading Matthew an expert of her latest book, that is going to published later in the year. Matthew is so very proud of Lucie, and one of her biggest supporters, When Lucie had given him an early copy of the book, Matthew had turned around and asked her to sign it, which made Lucie very happy, and Matthew was very happy to be the first to have a signed copy, it is something he will cherish forever. 

“What did you think? I added this part last night, it is not in the copy I gave you.” Lucie asks, tucking the manuscript back into the picnic basket. 

“It was wonderful Lu, I guarantee people will be reading the book hundreds of years from now. Now, it is my turn to ask you a question.” Matthew says. Lucie smiles and moves closer to him. 

“Oh yes? And what would that be?” She asks. Matthew reaches into his jacket and pulls out The Fairchild family ring. When Charles and Grace had married last year, the ring was passed onto Matthew, he had been eager to use it ever since he got it. 

“Lucie, will you marry me?” Matthew does his best to keep the nerve out of his tone. Lucie looks from him to the ring and back again, her big blue eyes wide with shock. She is quiet for a minute, and Matthew is about to say something, when Lucie finally speaks up. 

“Oh Matthew, yes, yes of course I will.” Matthew sighs in relief and slips the ring onto her finger, then Lucie lunges forward and crushes her lips to his. When she pulls back, Matthew smiles softly at her, and pushes her hair back. 

“Mrs. Lucie Fairchild, I like the sound of that. Or will I be Mr. Matthew Herondale?” Lucie laughs, making Matthew’s heart swell with love. 

“Hmm, that is a difficult one. I like Mrs. Lucie Fairchild most.” Matthew grins and nods. 

“As do I.” Then he stands up and holds out a hand to Lucie. 

“Come along Mrs. Fairchild, let us go tell our family our news.”

[ofdiablos]

[  HWANG HYUNJIN, TWENTY, CIS MALE, PYROKINESIS  ] ╰  NAZARETH  SONG  just  came  over  half - blood  hill .  you  know ,  the  child  of  HADES  who  was  claimed  five  years  ago ?  i've  heard  chiron  say  that  he  is  INDIVIDUALISTIC  &  TRANQUIL ,  but  if  you  ask  the  aphrodite  kids ,  they'd  say  they're  BIZARRE  &  RECKLESS .  i'd  say  they  remind  me  of  smudged  black  eyeliner  ,  frigid  fingertips  ,  floppy  raven  hair  being  held  from  your  eyes  ,  and  bass  vibrating  from  speakers  ,  especially  since  they're  NEUTRAL .

hi tiny angels !! my name is moe , i am twenty years old , i use she / her pronouns , and i live in the est . i haven’t been in an actual rp group in ... months because of some bad experiences :/ but this rp seemed so cool & the admins seemed so sweet ... i just had to join . i really hope you guys enjoy naz as i continue to flesh him out a lil ! many kithes for u !

𝟎𝟎𝟏  .  𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒

full name  :  nazareth icarus song age  :  twenty gender  :  cis male pronouns  :  he / him romantic orientation  /  sexual orientation  :  biromantic  /  bisexual godly parent  :  hades , god of the dead and king of the underworld . inspiration  :  april ludgate from parks & rec , sydney novak & stanley barber from i am not okay with this , machine gun kelly’s album hotel diablo , maybe trent lane from daria if u squint . and just for the clownery of it all ... jughead jones . pinterest board  :  linked HERE  !! special power  :  pyrokinesis 

𝟎𝟎𝟐  .  𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘

bullying tw ?? idk mans didn’t really have a terrible life sry fkdsfkjsd

     nazareth was born and raised in chicago , illinois . his mother had him while still in college , much to her parents’ dismay . however , she was incredibly hard working & wanted to give her son the life he deserved . even though the young mother graduated with honors , her degree in marketing could only get her so far . while she got an unpaid internship at a company in the city just a few blocks away from the family’s tiny apartment , she also had to work as a waitress just to pay rent & keep food in nazareth’s mouth . 

     a few years passed & naz’s mother had moved up enough in the company to be able to quit her job at the local diner . she had met a woman at work who was suddenly spending a lot of time at the songs’ rundown apartment & sometimes naz would even catch his mother dancing around the kitchen to her favorite michael jackson songs . however , as things were looking up for his mom , nazareth was struggling at school . every single class was unbelievably hard for him to understand & the poor boy stuck out like a sore thumb when he was around other kids his age . he was lanky & awkward , but also gave off a weird , brooding energy that did not match any of the other kids . which would have been fine if that meant he would be left alone ! but kids are mean , and that instead meant that he would be frequently exposed to their ruthless torment . 

     this behavior carried on through the entirety of nazareth’s time in the public school system . there wasn’t much he could do about it besides weather the storm & return home to his mother’s warm hugs every day . luckily , nazareth’s mother never mentioned his father or the existence of demigods. this total ignorance brought him safety from monsters for most of his life . however , things started to change when the boy was around eleven years old . nazareth began to see spirits floating amongst regular people . they looked just like everyone else , but there was a heaviness hanging onto their forms as they breezed about . they would hear him if he called out to them , but wouldn’t usually take the time to stop & answer his questions . naz didn’t even like to think of the flames that would flicker at him palms for just a split second when he would get angry . all of these occurrences scared him , quite frankly . 

     finally , nazareth told his mother about all of the odd things that had been happening to him . with a forlorn look on her face & no further words spoken between them , naz’s mother began shoving as many things as she could into one large suitcase . within the next thirty minutes , the two of them were in a car headed to a place his mother called “ camp half-blood ” where the boy would be safe . nazareth continued to ask “ safe from what , mom ? ” but no answer came . she couldn’t bring herself to tell him . 

𝟎𝟎𝟑  .  𝐂𝐀𝐌𝐏  𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐅  -  𝐁𝐋𝐎𝐎𝐃

     nazareth got to camp half - blood when he was just eleven years old . however , he wasn’t claimed until he was fifteen years old . the little boy was lumped in with the hermes cabin for four - almost five - years until his father finally claimed him . as thrilled as naz was to be detached from the large number of campers who inhabited the hermes cabin , he still held a great deal of anger towards his father for taking so damn long to claim him . what was the fucking hold up ? he still isn’t sure to this day & continues to hold a little resentment at all times . but he rarely mentions it .  (  partially because he rarely speaks  )  

     now , with this whole conflict about claiming & cabins , nazareth tries to stay out of it as much as possible . if you ask him about it , good luck getting a straight answer out of him . he switches up what he says every time , just to get a reaction out of whoever he is talking to . nazareth knows too that if he actually gets into a conversation about the whole ordeal , his temper will act up & that isn’t good for anyone . 

𝟎𝟎𝟒  .  𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

     nazareth is anything but a people person . he doesn’t have good communication skills & doesn’t care to have them . he is severely sarcastic & does not care if he hurts your feelings . he is incredibly independent - almost to the point of being overly self - involved . it is extremely rare for him to genuinely care about others simply because how does caring about other people benefit him in any way ? quite honestly , he’s also a little weird . queue that ‘ i’m a weirdo ’ monologue by local Edgelord Fool Jughead Jones . idk man ... just ... good fuckin luck charlie . he’s annoying !

𝟎𝟎𝟓  .  𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃  𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

we might have to get a little creative with connections for nazareth because he is not exactly Mr. Friendly or Mr. Sunshine so it is ... unlikely that he is going to get along splendidly with too many people .

some ppl he can relate to on some level [ friendly connection ]

unlikely pals [ friendly connection ]

people who he just loves to bug and bother [ ??? idk bro connection ]

people who love to bug and bother him [ ??? idk bro connection ]

aw spooky boy has a crush let me cry [ romantic / friendly connection ]

obviously there are going to be a good many people he would gladly fight any day of the week [ not so friendly connection ]

literally my brain is just mush now ... but im so so down to brainstorm or whatever !  

[simplynikstuff]

Pretty Reckless, an all-new standalone high school, bully romance from USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen, is available now!

We were supposed to be best friends

But turned out to be worst enemies…

Penn

They say revenge is a dish best served cold.

I’d had four years to stew on what Daria Followhill did to me, and now my heart is completely iced.

I took her first kiss.

She took the only thing I loved.

I was poor.

She was rich.

The good thing about circumstances? They can change. Fast.

Now, I’m her parents’ latest shiny project.

Her housemate. Her tormentor. The captain of the rival football team she hates so much.

Yeah, baby girl, say it—I’m your foster brother.

There’s a price to pay for ruining the only good thing in my life, and she’s about to shell out some serious tears.

Daria Followhill thinks she is THE queen. I’m about to prove to her that she’s nothing but a spoiled princess.

Daria

Everyone loves a good-old, unapologetic punk.

But being a bitch? Oh, you get slammed for every snarky comment, cynical eye roll, and foot you put in your adversaries’ way.

The thing about stiletto heels is that they make a hell of a dent when you walk all over the people who try to hurt you.

In Penn Scully’s case, I pierced his heart until he bled out, then left it in a trash can on a bright summer day.

Four years ago, he asked me to save all of my firsts for him.

Now he lives across the hall, and there’s nothing I want more than to be his last everything.

His parting words when he gave me his heart were that nothing in this world is free.

Now? Now he is making me pay.

Download your copy today for the special release week price of ONLY $2.99 or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LhNRqW

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/PrettyRecklessLJ

Audio: https://amzn.to/2DCyEui

Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2FZssQ7

Excerpt:

“I don’t want you transferring into my school,” I hiss out. Melody would gladly file a transfer request, and Principal Prichard would salivate over the chance to snatch him up for our football team.

“That won’t be a problem. You guys suck so much ass, you have shit-breath.”

“Still smells better than poverty. You’re poor, right? Your sister was just bullshitting about being rich.”

When someone hits me with a stick, I run over them with a tank. I’m so mean to him I want to throw up. I hate this part of being me. The striking harder at all costs part.

“Just to make things clear.” I put the brush down, batting my lashes. “You’re not my step-sibling, foster brother, or a part of the family. You’re a stray dog. Last of the litter, most unlikely to be adopted, and a charity case.”

Penn takes a step toward me, and my heart is fighting its way out of my ribcage. The closer he gets, the more I realize that my heart might succeed. Penn’s eyes remind me of a snake’s. Mesmerizing, but inhuman altogether. They weren’t like that before.

His scent messes with my head. I want to reach out and caress his face. Kiss his wounds better. Beg for forgiveness. Curse him. Push him away. Cry on his shoulder for what we’ve done. For how it ended. For what we became afterwards, because I’m full of crap and he is totally empty.

We ruined ourselves the day of our first kiss.

Penn looks down at me. Time stops. It feels like the world is losing gravity, falling into a bottomless depth in space when he clasps my chin with his thumb and finger, lifting my head up. I can’t breathe. I’m not sure I want to, either. My towel drops to the floor with a thud, even though I secured it over my chest. I realize that he tugged at it intentionally. I’m naked. My body, my soul, my heart. All my walls are down. Somewhere in my head, a red alarm blasts and my inhibitions are getting armed, ready to fight back. I’m trying to decode his expression. He is amused, irritated, and…playful? The mixture of emotions doesn’t make any sense.

“Mess with me, Followhill, and I will ruin you.”

“Not if I ruin you first.”

About LJ Shen:

L.J. Shen is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.

Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets people's’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards.

She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.

Connect with L.J. Shen:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorljshen/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lj_shen

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authorljshen/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorljshen/

Stay up to date with L.J. Shen by signing up for her mailing list:

http://bit.ly/2umcYPg

Website: http://www.authorljshen.com/

[romancereadingdiva]

Pretty Reckless Blog Tour

I have an excerpt from LJ Shen’s Pretty Reckless! Book out now!

Excerpt: 

“I don’t want you transferring into my school,” I hiss out. Melody would gladly file a transfer request, and Principal Prichard would salivate over the chance to snatch him up for our football team. 

“That won’t be a problem. You guys suck so much a$$, you have s*#t-breath.” 

“Still smells better than poverty. You’re poor, right? Your sister was just bu!!s*#tting about being rich.” 

When someone hits me with a stick, I run over them with a tank. I’m so mean to him I want to throw up. I hate this part of being me. The striking harder at all costs part.

“Just to make things clear.” I put the brush down, batting my lashes. “You’re not my step-sibling, foster brother, or a part of the family. You’re a stray dog. Last of the litter, most unlikely to be adopted, and a charity case.”

Penn takes a step toward me, and my heart is fighting its way out of my ribcage. The closer he gets, the more I realize that my heart might succeed. Penn’s eyes remind me of a snake’s. Mesmerizing, but inhuman altogether. They weren’t like that before. 

His scent messes with my head. I want to reach out and caress his face. Kiss his wounds better. Beg for forgiveness. Curse him. Push him away. Cry on his shoulder for what we’ve done. For how it ended. For what we became afterwards, because I’m full of crap and he is totally empty. 

We ruined ourselves the day of our first kiss.

Penn looks down at me. Time stops. It feels like the world is losing gravity, falling into a bottomless depth in space when he clasps my chin with his thumb and finger, lifting my head up. I can’t breathe. I’m not sure I want to, either. My towel drops to the floor with a thud, even though I secured it over my chest. I realize that he tugged at it intentionally. I’m n@ked. My body, my soul, my heart. All my walls are down. Somewhere in my head, a red alarm blasts and my inhibitions are getting armed, ready to fight back. I’m trying to decode his expression. He is amused, irritated, and…playful? The mixture of emotions doesn’t make any sense. 

“Mess with me, Followhill, and I will ruin you.”

Pretty Reckless, an all-new standalone high school, bully romance from USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen, is available now!

We were supposed to be best friends

But turned out to be worst enemies…

Penn

They say revenge is a dish best served cold.

I’d had four years to stew on what Daria Followhill did to me, and now my heart is completely iced.

I took her first kiss.

She took the only thing I loved.

I was poor.

She was rich.

The good thing about circumstances? They can change. Fast.

Now, I’m her parents’ latest shiny project.

Her housemate. Her tormentor. The captain of the rival football team she hates so much.

Yeah, baby girl, say it—I’m your foster brother.

There’s a price to pay for ruining the only good thing in my life, and she’s about to shell out some serious tears.

Daria Followhill thinks she is THE queen. I’m about to prove to her that she’s nothing but a spoiled princess.

Daria

Everyone loves a good-old, unapologetic punk.

But being a bitch? Oh, you get slammed for every snarky comment, cynical eye roll, and foot you put in your adversaries’ way.

The thing about stiletto heels is that they make a hell of a dent when you walk all over the people who try to hurt you.

In Penn Scully’s case, I pierced his heart until he bled out, then left it in a trash can on a bright summer day.

Four years ago, he asked me to save all of my firsts for him.

Now he lives across the hall, and there’s nothing I want more than to be his last everything.

His parting words when he gave me his heart were that nothing in this world is free.

Now? Now he is making me pay.

Download your copy today for the special release week price of ONLY $2.99 or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited! 

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LhNRqW

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/PrettyRecklessLJ

Audio: https://amzn.to/2DCyEui

[goldcoastdreams]

15yo qualifier stuns Venus Williams at Wimbledon

Updated July 02, 2019 11:23:25 Cori Gauff served up the perfect excuse for missing school on Monday, with the 15-year-old American causing one of the biggest shocks in Wimbledon history by dispatching Venus Williams 6-4, 6-4 in the first round on Monday. Key points:Cori Gauff, 15, the youngest player in the draw, beat Venus Williams, 39, the oldestFormer world number one Naomi Osaka was beaten in straight setsAustralians Alexei Popyrin and Ajla Tomljanovic also progressed to the second round Williams, at age 39, is considered Wimbledon royalty, as she has been part of the All England Club family for over two decades. She has won the singles title five times including twice before Gauff was even born. But Gauff, the youngest player to qualify for the main draw in the professional era, made a mockery of the 24-year-age difference and 269 ranking spots that separate her from her idol. Playing a fearless brand of tennis that belied her young age, she bullied Williams into submission. "I don't even know how to explain how I feel," Gauff, who wiped away a tear as she walked off Court One, said moments after her remarkable win.

Photo: Gauff was handed a wildcard for the Wimbledon qualifying tournament at Roehampton. (AP: Tim Ireland) "I definitely had to tell myself to stay calm. I have never played on a court so big, but I had to remind myself that the lines on the court are the same size, everything around it might be bigger, but the lines are the same and after every point I was just telling myself to stay calm. "I never thought this would happen. I am literally living my dream right now, and not many get to say that. "So I am just happy that Wimbledon gave me the opportunity just to play and I obviously never thought it would be this far," added the teenager, who was given a wildcard into the qualifying tournament. External Link:Wimbledon tweet: She said congratulations A break in the fifth game of the opening set, which included a delectable lob over the statuesque Williams, was enough to win her the first set. The nerveless display continued in the second set and she sealed victory on her fourth match point when Williams netted a forehand. "After the match I told her just thank you for everything she did. I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her," she said. "I was just telling her that she is so inspiring and that I always wanted to tell her that. Even though I met her before, I guess I had the guts to [tell her today]." Gauff's stunning victory was not the only upset. Two-time major champion Naomi Osaka, who was world number one until a week ago, lost 7-6 (4), 6-2 to Yulia Putinseva, joining two young members of the men's top-10, number six seed Alexander Zverev and number seven seed Stefanos Tsitsipas, on the way out. Not all the seeded players struggled, though. World number one Novak Djokovic breezed past Philipp Kohlschreiber 6-3, 7-5, 6-3. Popyrin progresses after stunning debut Alexei Popyrin lived up to the hype with a spectacular Wimbledon debut, underlining his straight-sets, statement win over 2017 US Open semi-finalist Pablo Carreno Busta with four thunderous aces to finish the round one match. "That felt pretty good," Popyrin said. "I've done it a few times before but definitely not in the last game of the match to serve it out." After stampeding through the qualifying draw, Popyrin outgunned Carreno Busta, a former top-10 star, 7-6 (7-2) 7-5 6-2 in less than two hours on Monday. "It felt really good, having gone through qualies, having done all the hard work and getting that first-round win. It's a special feeling," Popyrin said. "I knew he was a solid player, maybe grass is not his favourite surface to play on but I knew it was going to be a tough match, either way." Popyrin thundered down 15 aces in all, but was also hugely impressive at the net. Showing the strides made under the grass-court tuition of 1987 Wimbledon champion Pat Cash, the young net-rusher who stands a towering 195cm tall won 28 points moving forward. Popyrin plays 11th seed Daniil Medvedev next on Wednesday and the 19-year-old fancies his chances of continuing his charge. External Link:Alexei popyrin tweet: On to round two "I give myself a decent shot against anybody, honestly," Popyrin said. "If not, if you don't give yourself a decent shot, then why are you even out there?" Medvedev also advanced without dropping a set, 6-3 7-6 (7-2) 7-6 (7-2) over Paolo Lorenzi. In the women's draw, Ajla Tomljanovic is confident she can continue her fine 2019 form after progressing to the second round of Wimbledon for the first time in four years The Australian number two beat Russian 2018 quarter-finalist Daria Kasatkina 6-3 6-1 in just over an hour "It probably looked a bit easier than it was," Tomljanovic said. "First rounds are always tricky and I don't think it was her best performance but I was able to take advantage and relieved I won." Tomljanovic will face another tricky test in the second round when she'll meet former two-time semi-finalist Victoria Azarenka. It was bad news for Daria Gavrilova, as the world number 74 fell to eighth seed Elina Svitilina 7-5, 6-0. Astra Sharma also departed the main draw, losing 6-4, 6-2 to American 27th seed Sofia Kenin. AAP/Reuters Topics:sport,tennis,united-kingdom,england First posted July 02, 2019 07:49:44 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-02/youngest-ever-wimbledon-qualifier-beats-venus-williams/11269888

[bookloversreviewer]

Pretty Reckless, an all-new standalone high school, bully romance from USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen, is available now!

We were supposed to be best friends

But turned out to be worst enemies…

Penn

They say revenge is a dish best served cold.

I’d had four years to stew on what Daria Followhill did to me, and now my heart is completely iced.

I took her first kiss.

She took the only thing I loved.

I was poor.

She was rich.

The good thing about circumstances? They can change. Fast.

Now, I’m her parents’ latest shiny project.

Her housemate. Her tormentor. The captain of the rival football team she hates so much.

Yeah, baby girl, say it—I’m your foster brother.

There’s a price to pay for ruining the only good thing in my life, and she’s about to shell out some serious tears.

Daria Followhill thinks she is THE queen. I’m about to prove to her that she’s nothing but a spoiled princess.

Daria

Everyone loves a good-old, unapologetic punk.

But being a bitch? Oh, you get slammed for every snarky comment, cynical eye roll, and foot you put in your adversaries’ way.

The thing about stiletto heels is that they make a hell of a dent when you walk all over the people who try to hurt you.

In Penn Scully’s case, I pierced his heart until he bled out, then left it in a trash can on a bright summer day.

Four years ago, he asked me to save all of my firsts for him.

Now he lives across the hall, and there’s nothing I want more than to be his last everything.

His parting words when he gave me his heart were that nothing in this world is free.

Now? Now he is making me pay.

Download your copy today for the special release week price of ONLY $2.99 or read FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LhNRqW

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/PrettyRecklessLJ

Audio: https://amzn.to/2DCyEui

Add to GoodReads: http://bit.ly/2FZssQ7

Excerpt:

“I don’t want you transferring into my school,” I hiss out. Melody would gladly file a transfer request, and Principal Prichard would salivate over the chance to snatch him up for our football team.

“That won’t be a problem. You guys suck so much ass, you have shit-breath.”

“Still smells better than poverty. You’re poor, right? Your sister was just bullshitting about being rich.”

When someone hits me with a stick, I run over them with a tank. I’m so mean to him I want to throw up. I hate this part of being me. The striking harder at all costs part.

“Just to make things clear.” I put the brush down, batting my lashes. “You’re not my step-sibling, foster brother, or a part of the family. You’re a stray dog. Last of the litter, most unlikely to be adopted, and a charity case.”

Penn takes a step toward me, and my heart is fighting its way out of my ribcage. The closer he gets, the more I realize that my heart might succeed. Penn’s eyes remind me of a snake’s. Mesmerizing, but inhuman altogether. They weren’t like that before.

His scent messes with my head. I want to reach out and caress his face. Kiss his wounds better. Beg for forgiveness. Curse him. Push him away. Cry on his shoulder for what we’ve done. For how it ended. For what we became afterwards, because I’m full of crap and he is totally empty.

We ruined ourselves the day of our first kiss.

Penn looks down at me. Time stops. It feels like the world is losing gravity, falling into a bottomless depth in space when he clasps my chin with his thumb and finger, lifting my head up. I can’t breathe. I’m not sure I want to, either. My towel drops to the floor with a thud, even though I secured it over my chest. I realize that he tugged at it intentionally. I’m naked. My body, my soul, my heart. All my walls are down. Somewhere in my head, a red alarm blasts and my inhibitions are getting armed, ready to fight back. I’m trying to decode his expression. He is amused, irritated, and…playful? The mixture of emotions doesn’t make any sense.

“Mess with me, Followhill, and I will ruin you.”

“Not if I ruin you first.”

About LJ Shen:

L.J. Shen is an International #1 best-selling author of Contemporary Romance and New Adult novels. She lives in Northern California with her husband, young son and chubby cat.

Before she’d settled down, L.J. (who thinks referring to herself in the third person is really silly, by the way) traveled the world, and collected friends from all across the globe. Friends who’d be happy to report that she is a rubbish companion, always forgets people's’ birthdays and never sends Christmas cards.

She enjoys the simple things in life, like spending time with her family and friends, reading, HBO, Netflix and internet-stalking Stephen James. She reads between three to five books a week and firmly believes Crocs shoes and mullets should be outlawed.

Connect with L.J. Shen:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorljshen/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/lj_shen

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/authorljshen/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authorljshen/

Stay up to date with L.J. Shen by signing up for her mailing list:

http://bit.ly/2umcYPg

Website: http://www.authorljshen.com/

[toldnews-blog]

New Post has been published on https://toldnews.com/united-states-of-america/top-french-journalists-used-facebook-group-to-harass-women/

Top French journalists used Facebook group to harass women

The existence of the private group was first reported last week by French newspaper Liberation, which said it was founded in 2009. The group called itself the “LOL League” and was made up mainly of men.

Members of the group have admitted that it was used to harass women. In one case, a member admitted to setting up a phone call in which a woman was offered a fake job and then sharing the recording publicly.

The scandal has drawn comparisons in the media to the #MeToo movement, which exposed wrongdoing by powerful men in the industry. Some aspects also resemble the organized online harassment of female video game developers and their allies during #Gamergate.

Victims have accused the LOL League of orchestrating targeted harassment campaigns that would result in streams of vitriolic messages on social media platforms like Twitter. One likened the experience to “running away from a sniper.”

It’s not clear whether the private Facebook group remains active or has been closed. Facebook (FB) did not respond Tuesday when asked about the group’s activities.

SOS Racisme, France’s leading anti-racism body, has asked the Paris prosecutor to open a preliminary investigation.

LOL League

Liberation has opened an internal investigation and suspended two journalists that participated in the group including LOL League founder Vincent Glad, who apologized and said it was initially created “only to have fun.”

“We spoke of trolling, it was harassment,” Glad, who is a regular freelancer for the newspaper, said in a statement posted on Twitter.

“I did not see that we had silenced, with our jokes, the first feminist words that appeared on social networks,” he wrote. “By creating this group, I created a monster that got out of my control.”

French culture magazine Les Inrockuptibles said it would fire web editor David Doucet after he took responsibility for the fake job offer.

“I saw that some people were regularly targeted but I did not think of the extent of the trauma they were suffering,” Doucet wrote in a statement posted on Twitter. “There are no excuses. I am sorry.”

Christophe Carron, editor-in-chief of Slate’s French edition, apologized for participating in the group but denied harassing anyone.

“If anyone was offended by my comments, or if they were considered in poor taste, I am eminently sorry and sincerely apologize to whom it may have affected,” he said in a post on Twitter.

Marc Sillam, the director general of Slate.fr, said in a statement that Carron was a “passive” member of the Facebook group who has “never harassed or insulted anyone.”

Carron will keep his job as editor-in-chief, but his deputy will supervise coverage of the LOL League scandal, Sillam added.

Victims speak out

Several women who said they were victims of the group shared their experiences on social media.

Capucine Piot, a former journalist, said that she was targeted with a mocking video montage and repeatedly attacked online for years.

“They humiliated us in public, without thinking of our pain, of what we could feel. It was a descent into hell for me,” she said in a tweet.

Florence Porcel, a videojournalist, said she was the victim of the job offer hoax. In a post on Twitter, she said she “cried from shame, humiliation and fear” when the recording was made public.

Activist Daria Marx wrote in a blog post that for years she has felt like she was “running away from a sniper” and escaping “virtual bullets of an army gone crazy.”

“With each tweet, with each photo that was shared, I feared I was going to be taken down,” she said. “I knew that I was going to pay the price of my freedom of expression.”

Tech reporter Lea Lejeune told CNN she had received apologies from five members of the group who had bullied her online. She described messages received on social media as a “torrent of abuse.”

Marlene Schiappa, France’s minister for gender equality, tweeted a message of support to victims on Monday.

“All my support and solidarity to bloggers and journalists who have had to suffer the sexist harassment of #LigueDuLol especially @FlorencePorcel,” she said.

“It’s not the ‘internet’ that’s cruel, it’s what we do with it,” Schiappa added.

Hadas Gold reported from London. Saskya Vandoorne reported from Paris.

[chestnutpost]

Top French journalists used Facebook group to harass women

The existence of the private group was first reported last week by French newspaper Liberation, which said it was founded in 2009. The group called itself the “LOL League” and was made up mainly of men.

Members of the group have admitted that it was used to harass women. In one case, a member admitted to setting up a phone call in which a woman was offered a fake job and then sharing the recording publicly.

The scandal has drawn comparisons in the media to the #MeToo movement, which exposed wrongdoing by powerful men in the industry. Some aspects also resemble the organized online harassment of female video game developers and their allies during #Gamergate.

Victims have accused the LOL League of orchestrating targeted harassment campaigns that would result in streams of vitriolic messages on social media platforms like Twitter. One likened the experience to “running away from a sniper.”

It’s not clear whether the private Facebook group remains active or has been closed. Facebook (FB) did not respond Tuesday when asked about the group’s activities.

SOS Racisme, France’s leading anti-racism body, has asked the Paris prosecutor to open a preliminary investigation.

LOL League

Liberation has opened an internal investigation and suspended two journalists that participated in the group including LOL League founder Vincent Glad, who apologized and said it was initially created “only to have fun.”

“We spoke of trolling, it was harassment,” Glad, who is a regular freelancer for the newspaper, said in a statement posted on Twitter.

“I did not see that we had silenced, with our jokes, the first feminist words that appeared on social networks,” he wrote. “By creating this group, I created a monster that got out of my control.”

French culture magazine Les Inrockuptibles said it would fire web editor David Doucet after he took responsibility for the fake job offer.

“I saw that some people were regularly targeted but I did not think of the extent of the trauma they were suffering,” Doucet wrote in a statement posted on Twitter. “There are no excuses. I am sorry.”

Christophe Carron, editor-in-chief of Slate’s French edition, apologized for participating in the group but denied harassing anyone.

“If anyone was offended by my comments, or if they were considered in poor taste, I am eminently sorry and sincerely apologize to whom it may have affected,” he said in a post on Twitter.

Slate did not respond to a request for comment.

Victims speak out

Several women who said they were victims of the group shared their experiences on social media.

Capucine Piot, a former journalist, said that she was targeted with a mocking video montage and repeatedly attacked online for years.

“They humiliated us in public, without thinking of our pain, of what we could feel. It was a descent into hell for me,” she said in a tweet.

Florence Porcel, a videojournalist, said she was the victim of the job offer hoax. In a post on Twitter, she said she “cried from shame, humiliation and fear” when the recording was made public.

Activist Daria Marx wrote in a blog post that for years she has felt like she was “running away from a sniper” and escaping “virtual bullets of an army gone crazy.”

“With each tweet, with each photo that was shared, I feared I was going to be taken down,” she said. “I knew that I was going to pay the price of my freedom of expression.”

Tech reporter Lea Lejeune told CNN she had received apologies from five members of the group who had bullied her online. She described messages received on social media as a “torrent of abuse.”

Marlene Schiappa, France’s minister for gender equality, tweeted a message of support to victims on Monday.

“All my support and solidarity to bloggers and journalists who have had to suffer the sexist harassment of #LigueDuLol especially @FlorencePorcel,” she said.

“It’s not the ��internet’ that’s cruel, it’s what we do with it,” Schiappa added.

Hadas Gold reported from London. Saskya Vandoorne reported from Paris.

The post Top French journalists used Facebook group to harass women appeared first on The Chestnut Post.

from The Chestnut Post https://www.thechestnutpost.com/news/top-french-journalists-used-facebook-group-to-harass-women/

[trendingnewsb]

How Mad Men Star Kit Williamson Made His Own Gay Soap Opera

The problem, says Kit Williamson, is that EastSidersthe Emmy-nominated LGBT soap opera he created in 2012almost shares a name with EastEnders, the well-known BBC soap opera currently in its 32nd year.

And so when Williamson recommends people check out his drama about handsome LGBT Los Angelenos living, loving, screwing up, and doing what people on soap operas are wont to do, they end up going down totally the wrong rabbit hole on YouTube, and finding instead a group of East Londoners doing their own variation of the same, if at a much louder volume.

My recommendation: Watch both.

Season 3 of EastSiders, released on Nov. 28 digitally and on DVD, takes the shape of a cross-America road trip, complete with stunning skies and endless horizons, beginning with Douglas/Gomorrah Rey (played by Willam Belli) having a blow-up row in full drag and 116-degree heat beside the side of a highway, as his boyfriend Quincy (Stephen Guarino) tries in vain to pacify the situation.

Bellis heels melted in the heat, and Williamson, 32, directed the action clad in cooling wet towels. The glamor of independent web TV, he says, laughing.

Williamsons character, Cal, and partner Thom (Van Hansis) are heading back west after their sojourn in New York City, and have an encounter with a drifter played by model and porn star (and Donald Trump supporter) Colby Keller. Also returning for the third season are John Halbach, Williamsons real-life husband, and Constance Wu, Williamsons longtime buddy, as straight couple Ian and Kathy. (To confuse you even more, a leading mother-son duo in EastEnders is called the same.)

I wanted to create characters that I didnt really see on television, Williamson, who played Ed Gifford on Mad Men, told The Daily Beast. I think you see a lot of cautionary tales in LGBT representation and then hyper- morally-upright representations. Youre either in a couple, living in the suburbs with 2.5 kids, or youre a drug addict in the 1980s. Its rare that LGBT characters are allowed to operate in between, like all human beings operate.

Williamson is heartened by the growing diversity of representation in the TV shows of Shonda Rhimes and on cable, and hopes his EastSiders characters have flaws, make messes, and pick up the pieces, just like straight characters on TV.

EastSiders has been mostly financed through Kickstarter funding, raising $250,000 across three seasons. The third season is also partially funded by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Impulse Group Global, and the show incorporates both organizations safer sex messaging.

Its incredibly moving, says Williamson of the publics generous financial support for the show, which makes him even more determined that the show does its fans justice. EastSiders aims to be as culturally mixed as a small cast and limited number of episodes can allow. Inclusive storytelling should be everybodys goal, says Williamson.

If Williamson has a dream, it is that one day television will be able to sustain having two LGBT-themed shows on at the same time; or even that there will be LGBT lead characters on TV, whose sexuality or gender identity is part of their identities, rather than defining them.

Until that rainbow shines, we have a smattering of characters and shows like Queer as Folk, The L Word, and Looking, which flicker into life, cause their controversies and debates, then go. The capriciousness of LGBT representation on our screens is down to the capriciousness of mostly straight-run broadcasters.

Hansis himself found fame as Luke Snyder on CBS daytime soap As The World Turns, as a landmark gay character whom fans clamored to be allowed to kiss his boyfriend, Noah (Jake Silbermann). (Oh, have you seen their horsing-around towel wrestle? You must see the towel wrestle.)

EastSiders refers geographically to the parts of East Los AngelesSilver Lake, Los Feliz Echo Park, DTLAwhere the characters live, a boho-y, very different sort of vibe to the muscle boys of West Hollywood, although (as their social media accounts reveal) the extremely handsome and charming Williamson and Halbach look just as hot as any WeHo guy.

Some scenes in the show are filmed at the mens home, and looks attractively ruffled and laid-back, filled with vintage furniture, mismatched cushions and twinkly lights.

Williamson had problems getting straight actors to play gay when EastSiders first began, even though there were no sex scenes in the first two seasons. Any show with gay content is immediately presumed to be exploitative, Williamson notes.

The road trip of Season 3 was filmed on the road itself, with cast and crew starting out in Woodstock, upstate New York, and ending up in Los Angeles, trundling across the vast expanse of America in a vintage camper trailer and another vehicle.

It took two weeks, with an extended stay in Idaho to scout locations and shoot scenes. It was exciting, invigorating and harrowing, says Williamson, laughing. Its no small undertaking taking two carloads of people across the country, and making sure theyre in bed at a reasonable hour.

The team ran afoul of a runaway tire that put a dent in the camper early on. They were snowed out of Yellowstone National Park. They shot on the fly, and in some places permits allowing them to film were withdrawn when it was revealed that it was a gay-themed TV show.

We started telling places where we wanted to film that it was called Go West, and just said it was about two friends driving across the country together, Williamson says.

The Black Hills of South Dakota were especially breathtaking, he says. You owe yourself ten minutes off the main drag to see the Badlands (National Park in South Dakota). I could have explored it all day if I had the chance. I am a huge lover of mountains. Even though it was terrifying driving that fucking camper trailer up and down mountains it was still breathtaking, even if I nearly killed everybody two or three times.

Williamson concedes that he is biased about California where he lives, but recommends the eastern part near Nevada for that big sky feeling, and that moment you get to the coast after weeks on the road to arrive at the Pacific Ocean and put your feet in the sand. It felt like a cool homecoming for the characters and the crew.

It was a really challenging place to grow up gay, and I also grew up very religious which didnt help matters.

Williamson himself grew up in Mississippi, where the countrys most anti-LGBT law, HB 1523, has just taken root. He is surprised as to how little attention the law has garnered nationally, compared to the outcry over similar laws in North Carolina.

I think a lot of people write off Mississippi as a lost cause, says Williamson, who emceed a Pride celebration there two years ago. I understand why, but its still sad to me as a person who grew up there. I really want people to understand there are great people living in Mississippi fighting for their own rights and fighting for their neighbors.

There was a lot of homophobia when he was growing up, says Williamson. It was a really challenging place to grow up gay, and I also grew up very religious which didnt help matters. It was definitely a challenge for my family to understand me.

His whole family are employed in the area of law, and he surprised all of them by wanting to act. They were supportive of me, even if part of them thought Hell get over this eventually and enter the family business. I tell them, One day Ill play a lawyer on TV. Thats all I can guarantee.

As a boy, Williamson was a big nerd. I read a lot of fantasy novels. I had a mullet. I was very socially awkward, and it was difficult at school to be friends with other people. It was really hard for me. I knew I was different, I didnt know why. I was savagely bullied as a kid, people were terrible to me.

Williamsons older sister modeled herself on the cult animated character, Daria. I thought the way you handled bullies was being sarcastic and funny, he says. It didnt turn out well.

He and Halbach once compared notes on childhood bullying. I was Gay Kid and he was Gay Boy. We both had really unoriginal bullies. Williamson laughs softly. Little did they know that Gay Kid and Gay Boy were going to get together.

I didnt really think growing up that it would be possible wed have gay marriage nationally, he adds. To be able to take advantage of it as a citizenhe and Halbach married last yearhas been so incredibly moving to me.

Williamson and Halbach met in March 2007. Williamson was then a bartender at NYC theater-land hangout Angus McIndoe, and the men were introduced by a mutual friend who told each of them separately, Hes single and not crazy. It was a perfectly judged match. That night, the men stayed talking until the bar closed.

Williamson had underplayed the significance of marriage equality because the possibility seemed so far off, he adds. When the Supreme Court ruled, it hit us both. Wed been denying ourselves something that we really did find meaningful. Im so glad we did it.

Williamson has worked successfully as a filmmaker and actor for years. Making Mad Men was a masterclass, he says, watching both those in front and behind the cameras. The sexy pictures on his Instagram account are in service of promoting his work and LGBT rights, he insists, adding with another laugh, and in shamelessly promoting ourselves. Instagram is a tool for good and evil, and we try to use it for good, for the best of possibilities.

Williamson chuckles that the idea was to use social media to direct people to EastSiders and the mens other work, promoting fashion and fitness influencers and LGBT destinations, but now people recognize him and Halbach from social media itself.

How EastSiders fans respond to the inclusion of Colby Keller remains to be seen. His scenes were shot before he revealed his support of Donald Trump.

I was really surprised and caught off guard when I saw that, says Williamson, who, a Hillary Clinton supporter, had been shocked when Trump triumphed in last years presidential election. I was driving to Idaho when the gay blogs erupted in fury over his (Kellers) political leanings. We did make the choice not to replace him. I havent talked to him about what happened.

When it came to keeping Keller in the season, Williamson asked himself whether he would work with Susan Sarandon, another Clinton naysayer who backed Bernie Sanders.

I think were living in really, really divided times, and I dont want to do anything to add to that divide, says Williamson. I also dont think we should be casting people out of the village. Its complicated. A lot of my family members support Trump, not for ideologically pure reasons beyond really liking the guy and what he stands for.

Keeping Kellers role in EastSiders intact presented an interesting dilemma, and I dont have the answer to it, Willliamson admits.

I ask, had he known that Keller was a Trump supporter, would Williamson have still signed him up?

I dont know. When we were planning the season we were 99 percent sure Hillary Clinton was going to be president. Faced with the reality of working with an active Trump supporter right now in 2017 my answer would be no. Its just too much of open wound for me, and friends I know who are afraid of being deported. I do think its a very serious situation.

If Hollywood is to have any leg to stand on in shaping the culture we need to own up to the abuses of power that are very real.

Williamson recently posted on social media his experience of sexual harassment when he was starting out in the entertainment industry.

At 18, he was invited to a party at an agents house. He proceeded to tell me not to come out if I wanted to be an actor, to stay in the closet, and then tried to put his hand down my pants, Williamson recalls. It was this one, two punch of harassment and homophobia that was a bitter pill to swallow, and it soured me on Los Angeles for a couple of years.

He did not suffer any graver sexual assaults, as allegedly committed by the likes of Harvey Weinstein and Kevin fucking Spacey. I think its really important we have these conversations. If Hollywood is to have any leg to stand on in shaping the culture we need to own up to the abuses of power that are very real.

What his experience also shows, again, is Hollywoods powerful gays seeking to keep the closet intact, part of a historyfor Willliamsonof different groups acting as their own morality police and oppressors.

Its very sad and true. Theres still not been a gay movie star. Look at a lot of people who have succeeded on television. Most come out after their big break. Im not here to judge: Its brave to come out at the height of your success, but in 2017 I think we need to look at the paths other people have blazed for us and be brave enough to walk down them without fear.

Next for Williamson may come more EastSiders. He is also writing a series about queer thirtysomethings set in New Orleans.

Id love to get to a place where the leads of a show can be gay where that is normal and not extraordinary, says Williamson, and where the storylines can be both unique to us and more universal in the same breath; where we are allowed to be doctors, husbands, wives, crazy, not crazy, parents, single, slutty, and settled.

The whole incredible range of human experience should allowed to be represented in LGBT characters, where we are not defined solely by our sexuality.

The open road Williamson and his crew traveled for Season 3 of EastSiders perhaps says it all.

The third season of EastSiders will be released on DVD by Wolfe Video and digital platforms on Nov. 28. More details here.

Read more: http://ift.tt/2BcEdfF

from Viral News HQ http://ift.tt/2A8iKqW via Viral News HQ

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How Mad Men Star Kit Williamson Made His Own Gay Soap Opera

The problem, says Kit Williamson, is that EastSidersthe Emmy-nominated LGBT soap opera he created in 2012almost shares a name with EastEnders, the well-known BBC soap opera currently in its 32nd year.

And so when Williamson recommends people check out his drama about handsome LGBT Los Angelenos living, loving, screwing up, and doing what people on soap operas are wont to do, they end up going down totally the wrong rabbit hole on YouTube, and finding instead a group of East Londoners doing their own variation of the same, if at a much louder volume.

My recommendation: Watch both.

Season 3 of EastSiders, released on Nov. 28 digitally and on DVD, takes the shape of a cross-America road trip, complete with stunning skies and endless horizons, beginning with Douglas/Gomorrah Rey (played by Willam Belli) having a blow-up row in full drag and 116-degree heat beside the side of a highway, as his boyfriend Quincy (Stephen Guarino) tries in vain to pacify the situation.

Bellis heels melted in the heat, and Williamson, 32, directed the action clad in cooling wet towels. The glamor of independent web TV, he says, laughing.

Williamsons character, Cal, and partner Thom (Van Hansis) are heading back west after their sojourn in New York City, and have an encounter with a drifter played by model and porn star (and Donald Trump supporter) Colby Keller. Also returning for the third season are John Halbach, Williamsons real-life husband, and Constance Wu, Williamsons longtime buddy, as straight couple Ian and Kathy. (To confuse you even more, a leading mother-son duo in EastEnders is called the same.)

I wanted to create characters that I didnt really see on television, Williamson, who played Ed Gifford on Mad Men, told The Daily Beast. I think you see a lot of cautionary tales in LGBT representation and then hyper- morally-upright representations. Youre either in a couple, living in the suburbs with 2.5 kids, or youre a drug addict in the 1980s. Its rare that LGBT characters are allowed to operate in between, like all human beings operate.

Williamson is heartened by the growing diversity of representation in the TV shows of Shonda Rhimes and on cable, and hopes his EastSiders characters have flaws, make messes, and pick up the pieces, just like straight characters on TV.

EastSiders has been mostly financed through Kickstarter funding, raising $250,000 across three seasons. The third season is also partially funded by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and Impulse Group Global, and the show incorporates both organizations safer sex messaging.

Its incredibly moving, says Williamson of the publics generous financial support for the show, which makes him even more determined that the show does its fans justice. EastSiders aims to be as culturally mixed as a small cast and limited number of episodes can allow. Inclusive storytelling should be everybodys goal, says Williamson.

If Williamson has a dream, it is that one day television will be able to sustain having two LGBT-themed shows on at the same time; or even that there will be LGBT lead characters on TV, whose sexuality or gender identity is part of their identities, rather than defining them.

Until that rainbow shines, we have a smattering of characters and shows like Queer as Folk, The L Word, and Looking, which flicker into life, cause their controversies and debates, then go. The capriciousness of LGBT representation on our screens is down to the capriciousness of mostly straight-run broadcasters.

Hansis himself found fame as Luke Snyder on CBS daytime soap As The World Turns, as a landmark gay character whom fans clamored to be allowed to kiss his boyfriend, Noah (Jake Silbermann). (Oh, have you seen their horsing-around towel wrestle? You must see the towel wrestle.)

EastSiders refers geographically to the parts of East Los AngelesSilver Lake, Los Feliz Echo Park, DTLAwhere the characters live, a boho-y, very different sort of vibe to the muscle boys of West Hollywood, although (as their social media accounts reveal) the extremely handsome and charming Williamson and Halbach look just as hot as any WeHo guy.

Some scenes in the show are filmed at the mens home, and looks attractively ruffled and laid-back, filled with vintage furniture, mismatched cushions and twinkly lights.

Williamson had problems getting straight actors to play gay when EastSiders first began, even though there were no sex scenes in the first two seasons. Any show with gay content is immediately presumed to be exploitative, Williamson notes.

The road trip of Season 3 was filmed on the road itself, with cast and crew starting out in Woodstock, upstate New York, and ending up in Los Angeles, trundling across the vast expanse of America in a vintage camper trailer and another vehicle.

It took two weeks, with an extended stay in Idaho to scout locations and shoot scenes. It was exciting, invigorating and harrowing, says Williamson, laughing. Its no small undertaking taking two carloads of people across the country, and making sure theyre in bed at a reasonable hour.

The team ran afoul of a runaway tire that put a dent in the camper early on. They were snowed out of Yellowstone National Park. They shot on the fly, and in some places permits allowing them to film were withdrawn when it was revealed that it was a gay-themed TV show.

We started telling places where we wanted to film that it was called Go West, and just said it was about two friends driving across the country together, Williamson says.

The Black Hills of South Dakota were especially breathtaking, he says. You owe yourself ten minutes off the main drag to see the Badlands (National Park in South Dakota). I could have explored it all day if I had the chance. I am a huge lover of mountains. Even though it was terrifying driving that fucking camper trailer up and down mountains it was still breathtaking, even if I nearly killed everybody two or three times.

Williamson concedes that he is biased about California where he lives, but recommends the eastern part near Nevada for that big sky feeling, and that moment you get to the coast after weeks on the road to arrive at the Pacific Ocean and put your feet in the sand. It felt like a cool homecoming for the characters and the crew.

It was a really challenging place to grow up gay, and I also grew up very religious which didnt help matters.

Williamson himself grew up in Mississippi, where the countrys most anti-LGBT law, HB 1523, has just taken root. He is surprised as to how little attention the law has garnered nationally, compared to the outcry over similar laws in North Carolina.

I think a lot of people write off Mississippi as a lost cause, says Williamson, who emceed a Pride celebration there two years ago. I understand why, but its still sad to me as a person who grew up there. I really want people to understand there are great people living in Mississippi fighting for their own rights and fighting for their neighbors.

There was a lot of homophobia when he was growing up, says Williamson. It was a really challenging place to grow up gay, and I also grew up very religious which didnt help matters. It was definitely a challenge for my family to understand me.

His whole family are employed in the area of law, and he surprised all of them by wanting to act. They were supportive of me, even if part of them thought Hell get over this eventually and enter the family business. I tell them, One day Ill play a lawyer on TV. Thats all I can guarantee.

As a boy, Williamson was a big nerd. I read a lot of fantasy novels. I had a mullet. I was very socially awkward, and it was difficult at school to be friends with other people. It was really hard for me. I knew I was different, I didnt know why. I was savagely bullied as a kid, people were terrible to me.

Williamsons older sister modeled herself on the cult animated character, Daria. I thought the way you handled bullies was being sarcastic and funny, he says. It didnt turn out well.

He and Halbach once compared notes on childhood bullying. I was Gay Kid and he was Gay Boy. We both had really unoriginal bullies. Williamson laughs softly. Little did they know that Gay Kid and Gay Boy were going to get together.

I didnt really think growing up that it would be possible wed have gay marriage nationally, he adds. To be able to take advantage of it as a citizenhe and Halbach married last yearhas been so incredibly moving to me.

Williamson and Halbach met in March 2007. Williamson was then a bartender at NYC theater-land hangout Angus McIndoe, and the men were introduced by a mutual friend who told each of them separately, Hes single and not crazy. It was a perfectly judged match. That night, the men stayed talking until the bar closed.

Williamson had underplayed the significance of marriage equality because the possibility seemed so far off, he adds. When the Supreme Court ruled, it hit us both. Wed been denying ourselves something that we really did find meaningful. Im so glad we did it.

Williamson has worked successfully as a filmmaker and actor for years. Making Mad Men was a masterclass, he says, watching both those in front and behind the cameras. The sexy pictures on his Instagram account are in service of promoting his work and LGBT rights, he insists, adding with another laugh, and in shamelessly promoting ourselves. Instagram is a tool for good and evil, and we try to use it for good, for the best of possibilities.

Williamson chuckles that the idea was to use social media to direct people to EastSiders and the mens other work, promoting fashion and fitness influencers and LGBT destinations, but now people recognize him and Halbach from social media itself.

How EastSiders fans respond to the inclusion of Colby Keller remains to be seen. His scenes were shot before he revealed his support of Donald Trump.

I was really surprised and caught off guard when I saw that, says Williamson, who, a Hillary Clinton supporter, had been shocked when Trump triumphed in last years presidential election. I was driving to Idaho when the gay blogs erupted in fury over his (Kellers) political leanings. We did make the choice not to replace him. I havent talked to him about what happened.

When it came to keeping Keller in the season, Williamson asked himself whether he would work with Susan Sarandon, another Clinton naysayer who backed Bernie Sanders.

I think were living in really, really divided times, and I dont want to do anything to add to that divide, says Williamson. I also dont think we should be casting people out of the village. Its complicated. A lot of my family members support Trump, not for ideologically pure reasons beyond really liking the guy and what he stands for.

Keeping Kellers role in EastSiders intact presented an interesting dilemma, and I dont have the answer to it, Willliamson admits.

I ask, had he known that Keller was a Trump supporter, would Williamson have still signed him up?

I dont know. When we were planning the season we were 99 percent sure Hillary Clinton was going to be president. Faced with the reality of working with an active Trump supporter right now in 2017 my answer would be no. Its just too much of open wound for me, and friends I know who are afraid of being deported. I do think its a very serious situation.

If Hollywood is to have any leg to stand on in shaping the culture we need to own up to the abuses of power that are very real.

Williamson recently posted on social media his experience of sexual harassment when he was starting out in the entertainment industry.

At 18, he was invited to a party at an agents house. He proceeded to tell me not to come out if I wanted to be an actor, to stay in the closet, and then tried to put his hand down my pants, Williamson recalls. It was this one, two punch of harassment and homophobia that was a bitter pill to swallow, and it soured me on Los Angeles for a couple of years.

He did not suffer any graver sexual assaults, as allegedly committed by the likes of Harvey Weinstein and Kevin fucking Spacey. I think its really important we have these conversations. If Hollywood is to have any leg to stand on in shaping the culture we need to own up to the abuses of power that are very real.

What his experience also shows, again, is Hollywoods powerful gays seeking to keep the closet intact, part of a historyfor Willliamsonof different groups acting as their own morality police and oppressors.

Its very sad and true. Theres still not been a gay movie star. Look at a lot of people who have succeeded on television. Most come out after their big break. Im not here to judge: Its brave to come out at the height of your success, but in 2017 I think we need to look at the paths other people have blazed for us and be brave enough to walk down them without fear.

Next for Williamson may come more EastSiders. He is also writing a series about queer thirtysomethings set in New Orleans.

Id love to get to a place where the leads of a show can be gay where that is normal and not extraordinary, says Williamson, and where the storylines can be both unique to us and more universal in the same breath; where we are allowed to be doctors, husbands, wives, crazy, not crazy, parents, single, slutty, and settled.

The whole incredible range of human experience should allowed to be represented in LGBT characters, where we are not defined solely by our sexuality.

The open road Williamson and his crew traveled for Season 3 of EastSiders perhaps says it all.

The third season of EastSiders will be released on DVD by Wolfe Video and digital platforms on Nov. 28. More details here.

Read more: http://ift.tt/2BcEdfF

from Viral News HQ http://ift.tt/2A8iKqW via Viral News HQ