#el being his future sister-in-law is perfect

[wibble-wobbegong]

yeah so um let’s talk about how mike has parallels with ted forced by karen through his clothes and when he tries to act normal but parallels with hopper when he’s being himself, specifically with el, and how hopper is the one who mike hugs because in his heart mike truly is nothing like ted and ted could never be a proper father to mike the way hopper has been and that’s why we get a hug specifically between these two adults and mike. karen is still mike’s mom and he loves her but hopper? that’s mike’s dad. fuck ted.

[gejo333]

El Destino- Chapter One

Miguel x fem! Spider! Reader fanfic

It’s finally here! Chapter one of El Destino! I know I promised it yesterday, but I wasn’t 100% loving it yet. But after rewriting some things and editing it I decided it was ready to be seen!!!

In the photo, I wanted to give the color scheme of the spider outfit.

My Spanish is no where near perfect so I had to rely a bit on Spanish Dict. (waaay better than google translate.) I also apologize for any grammatical mistakes I missed.

WC: 2.3k

____________________________________________

Nueva York- Earth 3030

The chatter of people and the noise of the coffee machine blurred from the 24-year-old woman as she stared aimlessly at her computer screen. Her gaze kept moving from her work to her phone every time she heard it make a buzz. Rolling her eyes, she turned it on silent and flipped it over, determined to focus on her work and not on some guy she barely knew.

You slumped back against your chair, gaze now, staring at the popcorn ceiling. No amount of coffee would make your mind focus on the tasks that had an impending deadline. Suddenly, a figure approached you and placed a coffee on the table.

“Here.” Your gaze moved toward the woman standing in front of you.

“Aw, thanks, Michelle, that’s sweet of you. The next drink is on me.”

“Y/n, if we go out for drinks. I’m paying. How else can I impress my future sister-in-law.” Michelle chuckled as she waited for you to gather your things. You then walked out of the cafe and onto the humid streets of Nueva York.

“Girl, you’re my best friend. You don’t have to impress me. Though I think you and my brother are a cute couple, I’ll never understand what you see in him. He’s such a dork. You better not remove your last name once you tie the knot.” You grab your sunglasses and put them on. The summer sun of Nueva York was always brutal.

“I’ll still be Officer Moreno. But L/N is such a nice name too! I’m still going to take it.” Michelle smiles down at you. She was a tall woman. Almost 5 inches taller than you. You thought you were tall at 5’ 8’.” But her brother didn’t mind since he was 6’ 6.” You both entered the main building of Alchemex, where your brother worked.

You made it to his office after passing through the front desk and the annoying security checks. Right before walking in, you both jump in fright from a small explosion in the room.

“Liam?!”

“Honey?!”

You rush inside the office to see the man in question laughing as he wipes away the black smoke from his goggles. You let out a long breath, relief that he was alright. Michelle rushed to her fiance’s side.

“I’m fine. Just a little misstep in my experiment.” Liam cupped her cheek, grazing his thumb softly against her skin to ease her worries. Michelle pinched his cheek hard before giving him a quick kiss on the lips.

“You had me and your sister worried. Be more careful next time!”

“I’ll try my best. But being an Alchemex scientist means taking those risks! Breaking the barrier of our knowledge of the universe!”

“Dork.” You rolled your eyes at your annoying brother, which earned a chuckle from Michelle.

“Hey! At least I’m contributing something to society. All you do is write.” Liam whined as he began to clean up his mess.

“I’m a journalist! I work for the Nueva York Times! I should report your ass and your stupid projects. But I’m a nice sister.” You scoffed, offended by his comment.

“If you say anything to the public, my job will be on the line!” Liam grew more upset than annoyed as Michelle got between the L/N siblings to stop bickering. You rolled your eyes.

“You know one thing you lack in the intellect department, Liam? It’s Sarcasm.” You stopped laughing, knowing you had pulled one of his triggers.

Thankfully Michelle was there to calm him down. Unbeknownst to anyone in the room, a small spider squeezed through a crack in the ceiling. Its gaze went in multiple directions, looking for its victim. It took less than a second for its gaze to lock down on you as it descended. The silver and light blue spider glistened against the ceiling lights, sparkling like a diamond. It landed on your shoulder before it made its way to its destination.

“Well, I was going to tell you both over dinner tonight. It seems now is better.” Michelle spoke up, which brought the L/n sibling’s full attention.

“What is it, Mich?” Asked Liam.

“I’m going to be Captain!” Michelle smiled as she jumped in excitement.

“Oh my god! That’s amazing, Michelle!” You said, excited for your best friend.

“I’m so proud of you, Mich!” Liam brings her into a large hug.

“’ I’m finally going to bring change to the Nueva York police force!”

“Well, I’m done here! Let’s celebrate!” said Liam as he finished cleaning his mess.

…

After enjoying dinner with your brother and best friend, you separate ways with them, letting the couple celebrate the rest of the night alone. A sigh of disappointment left you as you reached the steps to your apartment, not wanting the night to end.

You scoffed as your keys slipped and fell to the ground. As you leaned down to pick them up, a scream left your lips when you noticed a spider on your hand. You flicked it off, but not before being bit by the nasty creature.

You rushed into your apartment, no longer wanting to gain the public’s attention with your small outburst. You rushed to the kitchen sink to clean the wound. It stung slightly when you touched it, so you quickly rubbed antibiotic cream, not wanting to get an infection. After the chaos, you turn on the TV as background noise as you get ready for bed.

The news was always playing in your apartment, not just because you were a journalist but because it was safe to know what was happening in the city. You will forever love Nueva York, but it wasn’t the safest city. Always a new story about a villain wreaking havoc and how the police force could barely keep the city safe. Thankfully, Michelle would hopefully change that as she moves up the ranks in the police force. You settle into bed, turning off your lights as you fall asleep to the sound of the news.

…

“Y/n! Why are you asleep! I need this draft by 5!” Your body jolts up from your desk, scared by the sudden intrusion. You fumble with the papers on your desk before passing one to your editor.

“Here. I have it done already.” The older man standing before you eyes narrow slightly before snatching the paper from you.

“You’re lucky that you’re so good at your job, y/n. If you weren't, I would have fired you for sleeping at work!”

“It won’t happen again, sir. I promise.” You heard a scoff come from him before he slammed your office door.

A loud sigh escapes from your lips, slumping back into your chair. You didn’t understand why, but you slept horribly last night. All night the entire room either felt scorching hot or ice cold. Not to mention how your figure looked in the mirror. You have always been in top shape, maintaining a mostly healthy diet and going on runs every other day. But you looked slightly tighter in your ass and thighs. Not to mention how amazing your hair looked after waking up. Usually, it looks like crap, and it takes you half an hour or more to make it look perfect.

However, those differences in your body were not the weirdest thing that happened this morning. Every other minute your hand would be stuck to a surface or an object. You wouldn’t think twice about how you stuck to your ceiling before coming into work late, which your boss was also on your ass about earlier.

Maybe your tired mind was playing tricks on you. But logic seemed to have flown out the window as your mind kept coming up with reasons to say this WAS happening to you. You kept picking up your phone, about to call your brother, but you immediately hung up every time you pressed the call button. What would happen if you told your brother? Alchemex would definitely find out. They would want to run all kinds of tests on you. The thought brought chills down your spine. You also thought about calling Michelle. But thought against it. Even though she was your best friend, you felt she wouldn’t understand.

It was only 1 in the afternoon, but you felt like the day had already ended. Since all your important deadlines are done, you’ll leave early to run errands.

…

A long groan escapes you, finally done with your last errand, as you walk out of the grocery store, walking back home. As you walked back, the hairs on your neck stood up as if someone had been watching you since you left work. However, every time you check your surroundings, no one was there. Obviously, your lack of sleep has made you delusional.

You decide to turn down an alleyway as a shortcut to your apartment. You thought it would be fine since it was still light out. How wrong you were.

“Give me your wallet.” A voice said from behind you. You felt something pointing into your back.

“Dude, I’m really having a shitty day today. I don’t need you making it worse.”

“I don’t care if your day was amazing or bad. Just give me your wallet, lady!” The man grew annoyed as the thing pointing in your back dug deeper into your spine. You took a chance and turned around.

“Do you really think I will give up my wallet when you don’t even have a gun?”

“Hey! This is a gun! And I’ll use it if you don’t give me your money!” The man said as he pointed whatever object from his jacket.

“Bye now.” You wave them off before continuing on your way.

“Hey!” He goes to grab you, but you quickly turn around, and now he was stuck to the wall?

He tries to move but is trapped in a white sticky substance. You were just as confused as the man. However, it was your chance to escape.

As soon as you turned around, you collided against something hard before falling on your ass to the ground. Looking up, you see a large man in a red and blue suit that completely covers him from head to toe.

This day was getting too weird as you slowly rose to your feet. Before the man could speak, you began to run. However, you didn’t get far as you felt something wrap around you, pulling you straight back to the intimidating figure. Looking down, you see a red rope substance around your waist. You ripped it off, about to run again, when he pulled you back in again.

“Would you let me go!” You yell out in annoyance.

“I told you, you shouldn’t have snuck up on her.” A small digital figure appears next to the man. It appeared to be a woman dressed in a fur coat with heart-shaped glasses hanging off the edge of her nose as she chuckled. The man groaned in frustration.

“How else could I have done it?”

“Umm, hello? Can you tell me what’s going on? Or, more importantly, who the hell are you?”

“My name is Miguel O’Hara. I’m from another dimension. I lead an elite force dedicated to the security of the multiverse… Why are you ignoring me?!”

A grin comes to your lips as you laugh. “Where are the cameras? I must be on some kind of prank show.”

“What? This is not a prank show. I’m from another universe. In my universe, I am Spiderman. In your universe, you are Spiderman. Or, well, Spider Woman.”

“Spider-what?”

“Dios mio! Were you bitten by a spider?” The man before you grew more annoyed, which made you chuckle.

“I was. Last night.”

“That was a radioactive spider genetically mutated in your universe’s Alchemex.”

“How did you..”

“It’s a canon event in every spider-person story. Obviously, yours just started.”

“What’s a canon event?”

“You know what. This will explain everything. Lyla, do the thing.” The small woman appeared next to the man again.

“Huh? What thing?”

“W-What do you mean, ‘What thing? The information explaining thing!” He looks at the small woman as if she should know what he was talking about.

You held your hand to your mouth, trying to hide your laughter. Your entire surrounding turned dark as a series of webs with images appeared.

“What is this?” You gazed at your surroundings, amazed by the sight.

“This is the arachnoid humanoid holy verse.”

“Catchy name.” You chuckle.

“Yeah, ok, it’s a stupid name. But it’s factually accurate. Going back to your question about a canon event. It’s a moment in every spider person’s life, every time. Some are good, some bad, some very bad. However, you don’t need to think about any of that yet. You’re just starting out.” The surroundings changed back just as soon as you were getting curious about what he was saying.

“So, why are you here then?” You ask, curious about the figure before you. You looked him over again. He was in the shape of his life; if only you could see what he was hiding behind that mask.

“I wasn’t planning on coming here. But you popped up on my scanner, so I checked it out. But I came too early. You barely have uncovered your powers yet.” He says as he fiddles with the futuristic watch on his wrist. A large orange portal splits open in thin air. The man turns around and walks into it, disappearing.

“W-wait!” You rushed over to stop him, but you were sucked into the portal before you could stop. The entire thing came all at once, which made your head dizzy. As quick as you entered, you stumbled out onto the floor.

“Ow.” You rubbed your head before standing up. You finally register your surroundings. It was spectacular.

Floors were going in all directions with a person or thing in a red and blue suit walking by as they gave you strange looks as if you had a third eye.

“Where am I?”

A woman in a red and black suit with yellow goggles approaches you.

“You must be new. My name is Jessica Drew. And you?” She smiled.

“Y/n L/n?”

“Well, Y/n, welcome to spider society.”

————————————————————————

Translations

El Destino= Fate

Dios mio= oh my god

Hope you enjoyed the first chapter! Chapter two should be out in a day or two! In between there will be one shot posts! If you have any one-shot recommendations, don’t hesitate to ask in the comments or dm.

[thecaffeinebookwarrior]

The Importance of Antiheroes

By Brooksie C. Fontaine (me) and Sara R. McKearney 

Few tropes are as ubiquitous as that of the hero. He takes the form of Superman, ethically and non-lethally thwarting Lex Luthor. Of Luke Skywalker, gazing wistfully at twin suns and waiting for his adventure to begin. In pre-Eastwood era films, a white Stetson made the law-abiding hero easily distinguishable from his black-hatted antagonists. He is Harry Potter, Jon Snow, T’Challa, Simba. He is of many incarnations, he is virtually inescapable, and he serves a necessary function: he reminds us of what we can achieve, and that regardless of circumstance, we can choose to be good. We need our heroes, and always will.

But equally vital to the life-blood of any culture is his more nebulous and difficult to define counterpart: the antihero. Whereas the hero is defined, more or less, by his morality and exceptionalism, the antihero doesn’t cleanly meet these criteria. Where the hero tends to be confident and self-assured, the antihero may have justifiable insecurities. While the hero has faith in the goodness of humanity, the anthero knows from experience how vile humans can be. While the hero typically respects and adheres to authority figures and social norms, the antihero may rail against them for any number of reasons. While the hero always embraces good and rejects evil, the antihero may do either. And though the hero might always be buff, physically capable, and mentally astute, the antihero may be average or below.  The antihero scoffs at the obligation to be perfect, and our culture's demand for martyrdom. And somehow, he is at least as timeless and enduring as his sparklingly heroic peers. 

Which begs the question: where did the antihero come from, and why do we need him?

The Birth of the Anti-Hero:

It is worth noting that many of the oldest and most enduring heroes would now be considered antiheroes. The Greek Heracles was driven to madness, murdered his family, and upon recovering had to complete a series of tasks to atone for his actions. Theseus, son of Poseidon and slayer of the Minotaur, straight-up abandoned the woman who helped him do it. And we all know what happened to Oedipus, whose life was so messed up he got a complex named after him. 

And this isn’t just limited to Ancient Greece: before he became a god, the Mesoamerican Quetzalcoatl committed suicide after drunkenly sleeping with his sister. The Mesopotamian Gilgamesh – arguably the first hero in literature – began his journey as a slovenly, hedonistic tyrant. Shakespearian heroes were denoted with an equal number of gifts and flaws – the cunning but paranoid Hamlet, the honorable but gullible Othello, the humble but power-hungry MacBeth – which were just as likely to lead to their downfall as to their apotheosis.

There’s probably a definitive cause for our current definition of hero as someone who’s squeaky clean: censorship. With the birth of television and film as we know it, it was, for a time, illegal to depict criminals as protagonists, and law enforcement as antagonists. The perceived morality of mainstream cinema was also strictly monitored, limiting what could be portrayed. Bonnie and Clyde, The Good the Bad and the Ugly, Scarface, The Godfather, Goodfellas, and countless other cinematic staples prove that such policies did not endure, but these censorship laws divorced us, culturally, from the moral complexity of our most resonant heroes. 

Perhaps because of the nature of the medium, literature arguably has never been as infatuated with moral purity as its early cinematic and T.V. counterparts. From the Byronic male love interests of the Bronte sisters, to “Doctor” Frankenstein (that little college dropout never got a PhD), to Dorian Grey, to Anna Karenina, to Scarlett O’Hara, to Holden Caulfield, literature seems to thrive on morally and emotionally complex individuals and situations. Superman punching a villain and saving Lois Lane is compelling television, but doesn’t make for a particularly thought-provoking read. 

It is also worth noting, however, that what we now consider to be universal moral standards were once met with controversy: Superman’s story and real name – Kal El – are distinctly Jewish, in which his doomed parents were forced to send him to an uncertain future in a foreign culture. Captain America punching Nazis now seems like a no-brainer, but at the time it was not a popular opinion, and earned his Jewish creators a great deal of controversy. So in a manner of speaking, some of the most morally upstanding heroes are also antiheroes, in that they defied society’s rules. 

This brings us to our concluding point: that anti-heroes can be morally good. The complex and sometimes tragic heroes of old, and today’s antiheroes, are not necessarily immoral, but must often make difficult choices, compromises, and sacrifices. They are flawed, fallible, and can sometimes lead to their own downfall. But sometimes, they triumph, and we can cheer them for it. This is what makes their stories so powerful, so relatable, and so necessary to the fabric of our culture. So without further ado, let’s have a look at some of pop-culture’s most interesting antiheroes, and what makes them so damn compelling. 

Note:  For the purposes of this essay, we will only be looking at male antiheroes. Because the hero’s journey is traditionally so male-oriented, different standards of subversiveness, morality, and heroism apply to female protagonists, and the antiheroine deserves an article all her own.

Antiheroes show us the negative effects of systematic inequalities (and what they can do to gifted people.) 

As demonstrated by: Tommy Shelby from Peaky Blinders.

Why he could be a hero: He’s incredibly charismatic, intelligent, and courageous. He deeply cares for his loved ones, has a strict code of honor, reacts violently to the mistreatment of innocents, and demonstrates surprisingly high levels of empathy. 

Why he’s an antihero: He also happens to be a ruthless, incredibly violent crime lord who regularly slashes out his enemies’ eyes. 

What he can teach us: From the moment Tommy Shelby makes his entrance, it becomes apparent that Peaky Blinders will not unfold like the archetypical crime drama. Evocative of the outlaw mythos of the Old West, Tommy rides across a smoky, industrialized landscape. He is immaculately dressed, bareback, on a magnificent black horse. A rogue element, his presence carries immediate power, causing pedestrians to hurriedly clear a path. You get the sense that he does not conform to this time or era, nor does he abide by the rules of society.

The ONLY acceptable way to introduce a protagonist.

Set in the decades between World War I and II, Peaky Blinders differentiates itself from its peers, not just because of its distinctive, almost Shakespearian style of storytelling, powerful visual style, and use of contemporary music, but also in the manner in which it shows that society provokes the very criminality it attempts to vanquish. Moreover, it dedicates time to demonstrating why this form of criminality is sometimes the only option for success in an unfair system. When the law wants to keep you relegated to the station in which you were born, success almost inevitably means breaking the rules. Tommy is considered one of the most influential characters of the decade because of the manner in which he embodies this phenomenon, and the reason why antiheroes pervade folklore across the decades.

Peaky Blinders engenders a unique level of empathy within its first episodes, in which we are not just immersed in the glamour of the gangster lifestyle, but we understand the background that provoked it. Tommy, who grew up impoverished and discriminated against due to his “didicoy” Romany background, volunteered to fight for his country, and went to war as a highly intelligent, empathetic young man. He returned with the knowledge that the country he had served had essentially used him and others like him as canon fodder, with no regard for their lives, well-being, or future. Such veterans were often looked down upon or disregarded by a society eager to forget the war. Having served as a tunneler – regarded to be the worst possible position in a war already beset by unprecedented brutality – Tommy’s constant proximity to death not only destroyed his faith in authority, but also his fear of mortality. This absence of fear and deference, coupled with his incredible intelligence, ambition, ruthlessness, and strategic abilities, makes him a dangerous weapon, now pointed at the very society that constructed him to begin with. 

It is also difficult to critique Tommy’s criminality, when we take into account that society would have completely stifled him if he had abided by its rules. As someone of Romany heritage, he was raised in abject poverty, and never would have been admitted into situations of higher social class. Even at his most powerful, we see the disdain his colleagues have at being obligated to treat him as an equal. In one particularly powerful scene, he begins shoveling horse manure, explaining that, “I’m reminding myself of what I’d be if I wasn’t who I am.” If he hadn’t left behind society’s rules, his brilliant mind would be occupied only with cleaning stables.

However, the necessity of criminality isn’t depicted as positive: it is one of the greatest tragedies of the narrative that society does not naturally reward the most intelligent or gifted, but instead rewards those born into positions of unjust privilege, and those who are willing to break the rules with intelligence and ruthlessness. Each year, the trauma of killing, nearly being killed, and losing loved ones makes Tommy’s PTSD increasingly worse, to the point at which he regularly contemplates suicide. Cillian Murphy has remarked that Tommy gets little enjoyment out of his wealth and power, doing what he does only for his family and “because he can.” Steven Knight cites the philosophy of Francis Bacon as a driving force behind Tommy’s psychology: “Since it’s all so meaningless, we might as well be extraordinary.” 

This is further complicated when it becomes apparent that the upper class he’s worked so arduously to join is not only ruthlessly exclusionary, but also more corrupt than he’s ever been. There are no easy answers, no easy to pinpoint sources of societal or personal issues, no easy divisibility of positive and negative. This duality is something embraced by the narrative, and embodied by its protagonist. An intriguingly androgynous figure, Tommy emulated the strength and tenacity of the women in his life, particularly his mother; however, he also internalized her application of violence, even laughing about how she used to beat him with a frying pan. His family is his greatest source of strength and his greatest weakness, often exploited by his enemies who realize they cannot fall back on his fear of mortality. He feels emotions more strongly than the other characters, and ironically must numb himself to the world around him in order to cope with it.

However, all hope is not lost. Creator Steven Knight has stated that his hope is ultimately to redeem Tommy, so by the show’s end he is “a good man doing good things.” There are already whispers of what this may look like: as an MP, Tommy cares for Birmingham and its citizens far more than any “legitimate” politicians, meeting with them personally to ensure their needs are met; as of last season, he attempted a Sinatra-style assassination of a rising fascist simply because it was the right thing to do. “Goodness” is an option in the world of Peaky Blinders; the only question is what form it will take on a landscape plagued by corruption at every turn. 

Regardless of what form his “redemption” might take, it’s negligible that Tommy will ever meet all the criteria of an archetypal hero as we understand it today. He is far more evocative of the heroes of Ancient Greece, of the Old West, of the Golden Age of Piracy, of Feudal Japan – ferocious, magnitudinous figures who move and make the earth turn with them, who navigate the ever-changing landscapes of society and refuse to abide by its rules, simultaneously destructive and life-affirming. And that’s what makes him so damn compelling.

Who needs traditional morality, when you look this damn good?

Other examples: 

Alfie Solomons from Peaky Blinders. Tommy’s friend and sometimes mortal enemy, the two develop an intriguing, almost romantic connection due to their shared experiences of oppression and powerful intellects. Steven Knight has referred to Alfie as “the only person Tommy can really talk to,” possibly because he is Tommy’s only intellectual equal, resulting in a strange form of spiritual matrimony between the two.

Omar Little from The Wire, an oftentimes tender and compassionate man who cares deeply for his loved ones, and does his best to promote morality and idealism in a society which offers him few viable methods of doing so. He may rob drug dealers at gunpoint, but he also refuses to harm innocents, dislikes swearing, and views his actions as a method of decreasing crime in the area. 

Chiron from Moonlight, a sensitive and empathetic young man who became a drug dealer because society had provided him with virtually no other options for self-sustenance. The same could be said for Chiron’s mentor and father figure, Juan, a kind and nurturing man who is also a drug dealer. 

To a lesser extent, Tony from The Sopranos, and other fictional Italian American gangsters. The Sopranos often negotiates the roots of mob culture as a response to  inequalities, while also holding its characters accountable for their actions by pointing out that Tony and his ilk are now rich and privileged and face little systematic discrimination.

Walter White from Breaking Bad – an underpaid, chronically disrespected teacher who has to work two jobs and still can’t afford to pay for medical treatment. More on him on the next page. 

Antiheroes show us how we can be the villains. 

As demonstrated by: Walter White from Breaking Bad. 

Why he could be a hero: He’s a brilliant, underappreciated chemist whose work contributed to the winning of a Nobel Prize. He’s also forging his own path in the face of incredible adversity, and attempting to provide for his family in the event of his death.

Why he’s an antihero: In his pre-meth days, Walt failed to meet the exceptionalism associated with heroes, as a moral but socially passive underachiever living an unremarkable life. At the end of his transformation, he is exceptional at what he does, but has completely lost his moral standards.

What he can teach us: G.K. Chesterton wrote, “Fairy tales do not tell children that the dragons exist. Children already know that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.” Following this analogy, it is equally important that our stories show us we, ourselves, can be the dragon. Or the villain, to be more specific, because being a dragon sounds strangely awesome.

Walter White of Breaking Bad is a paragon of antiheroism for a reason: he subverts almost every traditional aspect of heroism. From the opening shots of Walt careening along in an RV, clad in tighty whities and a gas mask, we recognize that he is neither physically capable, nor competent in the manner we’ve come to expect from our heroes. He is not especially conventionally attractive, nor are women particularly drawn to him. He does not excel at his career or garner respect. As the series progresses, Walt does develop the competence, confidence, courage, and resilience we expect of heroes, but he is no longer the moral protagonist: he is self-motivated, vindictive, and callous. And somehow, he still remains identifiable, which is integral to his efficacy.

But let us return to the beginning of the series, and talk about how, exactly, Walt subverts our expectations from the get-go. Walt is the epitome of an everyman: he’s fifty years old, middle class, passive, and worried about identifiable problems – his health, his bills, his physically disabled son, and his unborn baby. Whereas Tommy Shelby’s angelic looks, courage, and intellect subvert our preconceptions about what a criminal can be, Walt’s initial unremarkability subverts our preconceptions about who can be a criminal. The hook of the series is the idea that a man so chronically average could make and distribute meth.

Just because an audience is hooked by a concept, however, does not mean that they’ll necessarily continue watching. Breaking Bad could have easily veered into ludicrosity, if it weren’t for another important factor: character. Walt is immediately and intensely relatable, and he somehow retains our empathy for the entirety of the series, even at his least forgivable.

When we first meet Walt, his talents are underappreciated, he’s overqualified for his menial jobs, chronically disrespected by everyone around him, underpaid, and trapped in a joyless, passionless life in which the highlight of his day is a halfhearted handjob from his distracted wife. And to top it all off? He has terminal lung cancer. Happy birthday, Walt.

We root for him for the same reason we root for Dumbo, Rudolph, Harry Potter: he’s an underdog. The odds are stacked against him, and we want to see him triumph. Which is why it’s cathartic, for us and for Walt, when he finally finds a profession in which he can excel – even if that profession is the ability to manufacture incredibly high-quality meth. His former student Jesse Pinkman – a character so interesting that there’s a genuine risk he’ll hijack this essay – appreciates his skill, and this early appreciation is what makes his relationship with Jesse feel so much more genuine than Walt’s relationship with his family, even as their dynamic becomes increasingly unhealthy and Walt uses Jesse to bolster his meth business and his ego. This deeply dysfunctional but heartfelt father-son connection is Walt’s tether to humanity as he becomes increasingly inhumane, while also demonstrating his descent from morality. It has been pointed out that one can gauge how far-gone Walt is from his moral ideals by how much Jesse is suffering.

But to return to the initial point, it is imperative that we first empathize with Walt in order to adequately understand his descent. Aside from the fact that almost all characters are more interesting if the audience can or wants to empathize with them, Walt’s relatability makes it easy to understand our own potential for toxic and destructive behaviors. We are the protagonist of our own story, but we aren’t necessarily its hero.

Similarly, we understand how easily we can justify destructive actions, and how quickly reasonable feelings of anger and injustice swerve into self-indulgent vindication and entitlement. Walt claims to be cooking meth to provide for his family, and this may be partially true; but he also denies financial help from his rich friends out of spite, and admits later to his wife Skylar that he primarily did it for himself because he was good at it and “it made (him) feel alive.”

This also forces us to examine our preconceptions, and essentially do Walt’s introspections for him: whereas Peaky Blinders emphasize the fact that Tommy and his family would never have been able to achieve prosperity by obeying society’s laws, Walt feels jilted out of success he was promised by a meritocratic system that doesn’t currently exist. He has essentially achieved our current understanding of the American dream – a house with a pool, a beautiful wife and family, an honest job – but it left him unable to provide for his wife and children or even pay for his cancer treatment. He’s also unhappy and alienated from his passions and fellow human beings. With this in mind, it’s understandable – if absurd – that the only way he can attain genuine happiness and excel is through becoming a meth cook. In this way, Breaking Bad is both a scathing critique of our current society, and a haunting reminder that there’s not as much standing between ourselves and villainy as we might like to believe.  

So are we all slaves to this system of entitlement and resentment, of shattered and unfulfilling dreams? No, because Breaking Bad provides us with an intriguing and vital counterpoint: Jesse Pinkman. Whereas Walt was bolstered with promises that he was gifted and had a bright future ahead of him, Jesse was assured by every authority figure in his life that he would never amount to anything. However, Jesse proves himself skilled at what he’s passionate about: art, carpentry, and of course, cooking meth. Whereas Walt perpetually rationalizes and shirks responsibility, Jesse compulsively takes responsibility, even for things that weren’t his fault. Whereas Walt found it increasingly acceptable to endanger or harm bystanders, Jesse continuously worked to protect innocents – especially children – from getting hurt. Though Jesse suffered immensely throughout the course of the show – and the subsequent movie, El Camino – the creators say that he successfully made it to Alaska and started a carpentry business. Some theorists have supposed that Jesse might be a Jesus allegory – a carpenter who suffers for the sins of others. Regardless of whether this is true, it is interesting, and amusing to imagine Jesus using the word “bitch” so often. Though he didn’t get the instant gratification of immediate success that Walt got, he was able to carve (no pun intended – carpentry, you know) a place for himself in the world. 

Jesse isn’t a perfect person, but he reminds us that improving ourselves and creating a better life is an option, even if Walt’s rise to power was more initially thrilling. So take heart: there’s a bit of Heisenberg in all of us, but there’s also a bit of Jesse Pinkman. 

The savior we all need, but don’t deserve.

Other examples:

Bojack from Bojack Horseman. Like Walt, the audience can’t help but empathize with Bojack, understand his decision-making, and even see ourselves in him. However, the narrative ruthlessly demonstrates the consequences of his actions, and shows us how negatively his selfishness and self-destructive qualities impact others.   

Again, Tony Soprano. Tony, even at his very worst, is easy to like and empathize with. Despite his position as a mafia Godfather, he’s unfailingly human. Which makes the destruction caused by his actions all the more resonant.

Antiheroes emphasize the absurdity of contemporary culture (and how we must operate in it.)

As demonstrated by: Marty Byrde from Ozark.

Why he could be a hero: He’s a loving father who ultimately just wants to provide for and ensure the safety of his family. He’s also fiercely intelligent, with excellent negotiative, interpersonal, and strategic skills that allows him to talk his way out of almost any situation without the use of violence.

Why he’s an antihero: He launders money for a ruthless drug cartel, and has no issue dipping his toes into various illegal activities.

Why he’s compelling: Marty is an antihero of the modern era. He has a remarkable ability to talk his way into or out of any situation, and he’s also a master of using a pre-constructed system of rules and privileges to his benefit.

In the very first episode, he goes from literally selling the American Dream, to avoiding murder at the hands of a ruthless drug cartel by planning to launder money for them in the titular Ozarks. Despite his long history of dabbling in illegality, Marty has no firearms – a questionable choice for someone on the run from violent drug kingpins, but a testament to his ability to rely on his oratory skills and nothing else. He doesn’t hesitate to engage an apparently violent group of hillbillies to request the return of his stolen cash, because he knows he can talk them into giving it back to him. The only time he engages other characters in physical violence, he immediately gets pummeled, because physical altercation has never been his form of currency. Not that he’s subjected to physical violence particularly often, either: Marty is a master of the corporate landscape, which makes him a master of the criminal landscape. He is brilliant at avoiding the consequences of his actions. 

It’s easy to like and admire Marty for his cleverness, for being able to escape from apparently impermeable situations with words as his only weapon. He’s got a reassuring, dad-ly sort of charisma that immediately endears the viewer, and offers respite from the seemingly endless threats coming from every direction. He unquestionably loves his family, including his adulterous wife. As such, it’s easy to forget that Marty is being exploited by the same system that exploits all of us: crony capitalism. The polar opposite of meritocratic capitalism – in which success is based on hard work, ingenuity, and, hence the name, merit – crony capitalism benefits only the conglomerates that plague the global landscape like cancerous warts, siphoning money off of workers and natural capital, keeping them indentured with basic necessities and the idle promise of success.

Marty isn’t benefiting from his hard work in the Ozarks. Everything he makes goes right back to the drug cartel who continuously threatens the life of him and his family. He is rewarded for his efforts with a picturesque house, a boat, and the appearance of success, but he is not allowed to keep the fruits of his labor. Marty may be an expert at navigating the corporate and criminal landscape, but it still exploits him. In this manner, Marty embodies both the American business, the American worker, and a sort of inversion of the American dream.

In this same manner, Marty, the other characters, and even the Ozarks themselves embody the modern dissonance between appearance and reality. Marty’s family looks like something you’d respect to see on a Christmas card from your DILF-y, successful coworker, but it’s bubbling with dysfunctionality. His wife is cheating on him with a much-older man, and instead of confronting her about it, he first hired a private investigator and then spent weeks rewatching the footage, paralyzed with options and debating what to do. The problem somewhat solves itself when his wife’s lover is unceremoniously murdered by the cartel, and Wendy and Marty are driven into a sort of matrimonial business partnership motivated by the shared interest of protecting their children, but this also further demonstrates how corporate even their family dealings have become. His children, though precocious, are forced to contend with age-inappropriate levels of responsibility and the trauma of sudden relocation, juxtaposed with a childhood of complete privilege up until this point.

Conversely, the shadow of the Byrde family is arguably the Langmores. Precocious teenagers Ruth and Wyatt can initially be shrugged off as local hillbillies and budding con-artists, but much like the Shelby family of the Peaky Blinders, they prove to be extremely intelligent individuals suffering beneath a society that doesn’t care about their stifled potential. Systemic poverty is a bushfire that spreads from one generation to the next, stoked by the prejudices of authority figures and abusive parental figures who refuse to embrace change out of a misguided sense of class-loyalty. 

Almost every other character we meet eventually inverts our expectations of them: from the folksy, salt-of-the-earth farmers who grow poppies for opium and murder more remorselessly than the cartel itself, to the cookie-cutter FBI agent whose behavior becomes increasingly volatile and chaotic, to the heroin-filled Bibles handed out by an unknowing preacher, to the secrets hidden by the lake itself, every detail conveys corruption hidden behind a postcard-pretty picture of tranquility and success.

Marty’s awareness of this illusion, and what lurks behind it, is perhaps the greatest subversion of all. Marty knows that the world of appearance and the world of reality coexist, and he was blessed with a natural talent for navigating within the two. Like Walter White, Marty makes us question our assumptions about who a criminal can be – despite the fact that many successful, attractive, middle-aged family men launder money and juggle criminal activities, it’s still jarring to witness, which tells us something about how image informs our understanding of reality. Socially privileged, white-collar criminals simply have more control over how they’re portrayed than an inner-city gang, or impoverished teenagers. However, unlike Walt, Marty’s criminal activities are not any kind of middle-aged catharsis: they’re a way of life, firmly ingrained in the corporate landscape. They were present long before he arrived on the scene, and he knows it. He just has to navigate them. 

Just like our shining, messianic heroes can teach us about truth, justice, and the American way, so too does each antihero have something to teach us: they teach us that society doesn’t reward those who follow its instructions, nor does it often provide an avenue of morality. Even if you live a life devoid of apparent sin, every privilege is paid for by someone else’s sacrifice. But the best antiheroes are not beacons of nihilism – they show us the beauty that can emerge from even the ugliest of situations. Peaky Blinders is, at its core, a love story between Tommy Shelby and the family he crawled out of his grave for, just as Breaking Bad is ultimately a deeply dysfunctional tale of a father figure and son. Ozark, like its predecessors, is about family – the only authenticity in a society that operates on deception, illusion, and corruption. They teach us that even in the worst times and situations, love can compel us, redeem us, bind us closer together. Only then can we face the dragons of life, and feel just a bit more heroic.

Other examples:

Don Draper from Mad Men. A similarly Shakespearian figure for the modern era, Don is a man who appears to have everything – perfect looks, a beautiful wife and children, a prestigious job. He could have stepped out of an ad for the American Dream. And yet, he feels disconnected from his life, isolated from others by the very societal rules he, as a member of the ad agency, helps to propagate. It helps that he’s literally leading a borrowed life, inherited from the stolen identity of his deceased fellow soldier, and was actually an impoverished, illegitimate farmboy whose childhood abuse permanently damaged his ability to form relationships. The Hopper-esque alienation evoked by the world of Mad Men really deserves an essay all it’s own, and his wife Betty – whose Stepford-level mask of cheerful subservience hides seething unhappiness and unfulfilled potential – is a particularly intriguing figure to explore. Maybe in my next essay, on the importance of the antiheroine.

[edufangrf]

Sweet elite Main 10 type of deres

português: Para quem não assiste anime ou não sabe, Dere é utilizado no japão para determinar pessoas que estão apaixonadas, em animes a vários tipos e é muito comum a encontrar principalmente em otomes ou harens, então eu resolvi procurar quais tipos se parecem com os nossos queridinhos da Main 10.

inglês:For those who do not watch anime or do not know, Dere is used in Japan to determine people who are in love, in anime of various types and is very common to find mainly in otomes or harens, so I decided to look for what types look like our darlings from Main 10.

Avisos: eu estou fazendo isso com o que foi apresentado da temporada um, se voce está vndo isso depois que a temporada dois já saiu e esteja errado sobre sertos personagens, eu naõ posso ver o futuro né. E eu não sou fluente em ingles então provavelmente tera certos erros.

warning: I am doing this with what was presented from season one, if you are seeing this after season two has already left and you are wrong about serious characters, I can’t see the future right. And I’m not fluent in English so I’ll probably have some mistakes.

Alistair (Hajidere)

português: Hajidere refere-se a um personagem que está muito nervoso e envergonhado por sua paixão. Sua timidez só aparece com eles ou se intensifica ainda mais em torno de seu interesse amoroso. Pelo que eu Alistar combina perfeitamente ou um pouco com esse tipo, ele é claramente um pouco tímido mas sua timidez parece realmente aumentar mais perto do scholar. 

inglês:Hajidere refers to a character who is very nervous and embarrassed by his passion. Their shyness only appears with them or intensifies further around their love interest. From what I can see, Alistar is a perfect match or a little bit with this type, he is clearly a little shy but his shyness seems to really increase closer to the scholar.

Axel (Oujidere)

português: Oujidere se refere a personagens que querem ser tratados como príncipe pela pessoa que amam, ok eu sei que isso não combina com ele, mais me deixe terminar, oujideres podem se considerar acima da lei e dos outros, algo bem presente em Axel, já que ele está sempre quebrando as regras, pulando as aulas, seu problema com figuras de autoridade e principalmente em que no capitulo 6 onde Axel disse que pagaria outra pessoa para fazer seu trabalho. Bem ele não completamente um Oujidere, mas definitivamente tem características de um.   

inglês:Oujidere refers to characters who want to be treated like a prince by the person they love, ok I know that this does not suit him, but let me finish, oujideres can consider themselves above the law and the others, something very present in Axel, since he is always breaking the rules, skipping classes, his problem with authority figures and especially where in chapter 6 where Axel said he would pay someone else to do his job. Well it is not quite an Oujidere, but it definitely has characteristics of one.

Claire (Dandere)

português: Eu realmente preciso explicar esse...Se refere a alguém que é quieto, silencioso e tímido mas se tornar mais falantes e alegres quando estão com as pessoas certas, literalmente é o resumo completo da Claire.

inglês: I really need to explain this ... It refers to someone who is quiet and shy but becoming more talkative and cheerful when they are with the right people, literally is Claire's complete.

Ellie (Bakadere)

português: Bakadere se refere a personagens inocentes e estupidos, claro que isso é o total oposto da Ellie, mas com pesquisas mais afundo descobrir que bakadere pode também ser utilizado para personagens que estão sempre felizes e que fazem de tudo para conseguir animar os outros ou as vezes nem se importam, podemos ver essa atitude durante o problema do Tadashi,e as vezes um pouco audaciosos, o que resume uma parte da personalidade da Ellie.

inglês: Bakadere refers to innocent and stupid characters, of course this is the opposite of Ellie, but with more research I find that bakadere can also be used for characters who are always happy and who do everything to get others excited or sometimes they don't even care, we can see that attitude during the Tadashi problem, and sometimes a little audacious, which sums up a part of Ellie's personality.

Karolina (Himedere)

português: Definitivamente a mais difícil de achar um tipo de dere, inicialmente eu pensei em usar Mayadere para ela, já que ela seria um vilã que se apaixona pelo protagonista, mas depois de analisa as Himederes elas se encacham mais com ela. Elas querem ser tratadas como princesas pela pessoa que amam, elas são conhecidas pelo seu grande ego e sarcasmo, a principal característica da Karolina que se considera a melhor de todas, e seu ego e muito bem mostrado em sua relação com o scholar no inicio do jogo ou no capitulo 1 onde ela se declara a estudante mais quente da academia. 

inglês: Definitely the most difficult to find a type of dere, initially I thought of using Mayadere for her, since she would be a villain who falls in love with the protagonist, but after analyzing the Himederes they are more close to her. They want to be treated like princesses by the person they love, they are known for their great ego and sarcasm, the main characteristic of Karolina who considers herself the best of all, and her ego is very well shown in her relationship with the scholar at the beginning of game or in chapter 1 where she claims to be the hottest student in the academy.

 Neha (Kuudere)

português: Outro que eu realmente preciso explicar...Um pessoa que é fria,conservada ou calma por fora, mas por dentro é uma pessoa gentil, doce e etc, literalmente isso tá na introdução dela e eu estou na rota dela e ela age como uma completa kuudere.

inglês: Or else I really need to explain ... A person who is cold, conservative or calm on the outside, but inside is a kind, sweet and etc. person, literally this is in her introduction and I am on her route and she acts like a complete kuudere.

Raquel (Deredere)

portugês: Eu não queria colocar esse nela mas eu fiquei sem opções. Deredere se refere a um personagem alegre, energético e amigável que parece ter comido muito açúcar ou ter tomado 50 bebidas do Tyler, literalmente é como a Raquel age durante todo o jogo com o scholar e outros personagens, então acho que não precisamos mais de explicações. 

inglês:I didn't want to put this one on her but I ran out of options. Deredere refers to a cheerful, energetic and friendly character who seems to have eaten a lot of sugar or to have taken 50 drinks from Tyler, literally is how Raquel acts throughout the game with scholar and other characters, so I think we don't need any more explanations.

Tadashi (Tsunshun)

português: tsunshun normalmente são parecidos com tsunderes, mas a diferença é que eles agem de uma maneira mais distante e seria e sem agredir o protagonista, eu escolhi este para ele porque era mais parecido como Tadashi aje durante o jogo, de uma maneira fria mais não totalmente e tendo um lado mais amigável que reramente o mostram.

inglês: tsunshun are usually similar to tsunderes, but the difference is that they act in a more distant way and would be and without attacking the protagonist, I chose this one for him because it was more like what Tadashi is during the game, in a cold way but not totally and having a friendlier side that rarely shows it.

Tegan (Darudere)

português: São personagens que são retratados como distantes e preguiçosos, mas que sempre vão ajudar aqueles que são importantes para eles quando é necessário, bem podemos claramente ver isso em Tegan,mesmo que não estando em nosso grupo ele nos ajuda a recuperar nosso trabalho e ainda que estando bastante cansado ou o que ele fez por sua irmã no capitulo 11. Definitivamente a isso cai como uma luva para ele.

inglês:  They are characters who are portrayed as distant and lazy, but who will always help those who are important to them when it is necessary, we can clearly see that in Tegan, even though he is not in our group he helps us to recover our work and even though being quite tired or what he did for his sister in chapter 11. It definitely fits that like a glove for him.

Tyler (utsudere)

português: Utsudere se refere a um personagem que costuma estar triste e deprimido, outro que aparentemente não se encacha com o personagem, mas os utsuderes podem contruir uma mascara ou personalidade para esconder sua tristeza, que normalmente é alegre e feliz. Eu realmente vejo que o Tyler é assim e isso sera abordado em seu arco já que ele aparenta ser uma pessoa que precisa da aprovação dos outros e com pouco amor proprio o que gera uma tristeza que ele reaolve esconder.

inglês: Utsudere refers to a character who is usually sad and depressed, another who apparently does not fit in with the character, but utsuderes can build a mask or personality to hide their sadness, who is usually cheerful and happy. I really see that Tyler is like that and that will be addressed in his bow as he appears to be a person who needs the approval of others and with little self-love which generates a sadness that he resolves to hide

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Bem eu terminei, se tiver uma opinião diferente da minha ou que outro tipo se encacha melhor do que os que eu coloquei me diga nos comentários.

Well, I finished, if you have an opinion different from mine or that another guy is better than the ones I put, tell me in the comments.

[myheartbeatskids]

So Declan loved me and we talked about science and lab babies and clones and all that. So He told me he loved me because i was the first person to really really listen and understand as opposed to being the one to teach.

And so he had understood what he was taught then developed and built upon it correctly with help from his own brain and God. And del Muerte whom helped me understand as well cause that shit was mind blowing.

So he asked me to have his soul mate. To give birth to her.

And I was pretty much dragged out and Declan ran the show after that.

I agreed but it was more like a thing where i had to focus and talk instead of fainting.

So Matt actually helped to implant because I have an upturned uterious and so things like that are painful because of the rigidity and non flexible as i need materials used while Jeremiah comforted and helped me relax.

So then essentially i was kidnapped.

Declan is part clone and part Neanderthal.

Annabelle is part clone and part Neanderthal.

So some of us from Michael Jackson's boarding school --- although I wasn't i stayed there alot on my own. So i was part of it, unofficially as i am a civilian doing military shit now. --- have clones in a laboratory. But they are miniature human size as they are kept in barbie size containers.

Since Declan was a clone Jesse gave permission to make, they said i should use a clone.

It took 5 eggs until Declan approved the child that would be created in the embryo. Del Muerte communicated to us what God said.

Most males get their soul mates at age 7. Declan was only 2 years old. So God hadnt had enough experience to program or create his perfect soulmate.

So it just so happened it was 2 years of plus 5 embryos which makes the year 7 while added together.

So when Annabelle was born Declan came to get me and her but my now ex-husband got me all fucked up and i had amnesia and all that and i remember the power struggle type issues while signing the birth certificate which is why i get child support as my ex swore bla bla bla and signed papers to those statements but I was all "Dude while he's signing let's run!" Because he pissed me off during that time and i was all no hes wrong and all... But I guess I was scared of him or his aura csused me confusion or Idk. I remember feeling sick.

So craziness. We are 16 years late. And unfortunately yet fortunately a lot of research was done and i have a lot of government apology money coming my way. Which i don't have yet.... But soon.

This is Cambria AvaLynn named after Alexis Dejoria.

Because Matt's parents were into hiding, they named him after a mat. A common object so in case of ESP feom the people they hid from they would think "welcome mat" like welcome to travel with us son named Matt. Welcome to eat at the dining table, Matt. Well, come, Matt.

So came or come because i would always want to see Matt so I would say "You came!!!" When i saw him and hug him and he would say "welcome"

And Bria after me.

Turning the x into a v (for Victory) and Lynn as in the 80s most of my friends on the military base i lived on has Lynn as their middle names. So to remind me she is a friend.

She's my child that was ectopic due to the sponges Jamie & Doug Otis found and reminded us of. But we went to the hospital because i began to hemmoragge and they were able to save her and her twin.

Then my mom killed her and he died naturally as he was in ICU TO experiment on them being raised/healed as premies temporarily as one within an incubator and the other skin to skin contact. As woman need to be comforted more, we picked Ava to bring home.

They were the first experiment with soul mates being born as twins. Both clones of my and Jeremiah and his being Ava and my being the male Andrew.

Andrew after Jesse... "And he drew" cause he was always drawing beautifully.

And the other clones were of Jesse James and Alexis.

Alexis got kidnapped by her dad and so the story goes... I did too Eventually

Jeremiah's dad helped us as the grandparent in house.

This is Declan.

He told Jeremiah "I'm not the one sitting around waiting with a pouted lip waiting for someone to do it for me. Now i found the woman and go get my kid!!"

Dude WTF I'm not having someones kid... I'm only 21!!

"Now im the man around the house and what I say goes!!! And you are going to have my kid!!"

Dude whatever. So i did dream into the lab with them but... I thought we were just playing and so i agreed and so next thing i knew there was a frozen child ready to be implanted. Thus my ability to be kidnapped so easily...

Cause when a kid is all telling you about clones and labs and shit... And you're hearing voices... that shit is insane. Literally.

So i didn't take it seriously enough.

But Declan is only 19 Now. And my kid is 16.

So it's old enough to have a romantic relationship. To avoid issues i had as a child with social services.

The plan was to have them grow up as friends but also believed it may been too dangerous....

Yet I still don't agree that it was.

However for the last 10 year's I have been working daily for my amnesia to be solved and also saving the world (of NHRA especially) at the same time.

And have earned multiple Nobel Peace Prizes which i have yet to receive.

So working on law enforcement and the military and government, about to break into the public school system and tear that up ;) as a civilian has earned me billions of dollars i have yet to receive....

But i have given away as i can and have bought businesses that I want.

As proof that the government does care about all its people's hopes and dreams they have bought them on my behalf and am gsining bank! And i shop st my own businesses too... Ironically! I been shopping at Loves for nearly a year... went into Speedway a few times now i drive an extra 5 miles just to shop there because i like it more!!

Robert, the shift manager finally told me tonight as I bought all the GIANTS for my Giant 6'7" man. And i turned the ones in Valencia County to Speedway in honor of Aaron and Paul (twins) who wanted to show the dangers of meth and the meth community as they honored me with my idea of how to end Breaking Bad with the movie reel of El Camino (the mother road) of the manner of the psychological reality of life gone wrong.

I freak Robert out... He was worried when he saw me there that I was to audit like a monster, fire everyone and work the cash register and store myself.

So tonight he saw I bought milkshakes (not available at Love's) figured it out and gave me a pack of smokes for free and blurted out why.

So i took all the giants as i always do and fucked them all up and made them better.

So i own them till i make my money back on the businesses and then they get given to who I intended it for... As I do double check they will always be worthy... If not i keep them for me because I was being good snd honest and fair the whole time.

So 360° K i own.

So i only compete with Love's whom I always promised the King's Highway to... You know him... As an old time Western Thug bitch ass womanizer player. Motorcycle Guru. Hot Rod extraordinaire. Texas loving son of a gun. Jesse James Smith! Just kidding... Just regular old ole fogie mad scientist Jesse Gregory Smith. Of West Coast Choppers. Which i own and always have as i put up the money for his business intending to always be in his life and helping him. So my apology... The only one i can ever give as i can't predict the future without help is Love. And he loves everyone and won't let Google tell.

I bought every gas station in the country as we will be switching to electric and hydro electric and non fuel and solar and hybrid autos by 2030. So the previous owners have a nice retirement and no stress. As the storage oil facilities that were shot in Saudia Arabia were actually empty. I own them.

Fossil fuels are actually the blood of dinosaurs and other dead bodies that are converted and broken down and dehydrated by plant life...

I found that out by the eternal bushes burning.. I mean growing... here on the mountain. Tumble weeds otherwise known as thyme. And we found via satellite tons of skeletons by Earth xrays under the bushes and some not as they are closer to the Earth surface. I found a wooly mammoth knuckle bone.

We moved here in 2002 and there was a patch of earth that looked like concrete by the mail boxes and we just drove over them assuming that's what it was.

They were mummified wooly mammoths. Now broken up and scattered all over the desert road.

I would not like my blood which could potentially bring me back to life wasted on a car... For someone to get to a job they hate. So no more. Not from the USA anyways.

One night I was at dinner and i said Obama needs to handle thwt South Dakota pipeline. My dad was all what is he supposed to do? All simple solutions were crap and had an argument. I said "then lie! Tell the American people they are scum! Tell them we opened the pipeline up and the pipes broke and destroyed the precious land that needs to be protected." My dad laughed and i felt kinda stupid for being so angry.

But Uncle Donald heard my point and so thats exactly what he did. Fake news? Its real.

Because he saw the change I made in the NHRA with some lies that laid very close to the truth.

You don't need to believe in reincarnation for it to happen. I didn't until about 6 months ago. But my mom's mom and my great aunt my grandma's sister ... Granny Bessie Heltons 2 daughters did. My grandma explained it to me one night when I was 18 as i had asked my Great Aunt Nita i was closer to but she didn't explain she just said "because i do" And the dictionary explaination i already knew. But my grandma traveled with me like y'all know i do And showed me.

We started in Heaven with only having one human life and having the soul figure of a human that we select. Hers was a teenage body, absolutely beautiful. With her old ass mind and experience. I told her what I wanted was to be a child. A dirty raggedy haired barefoot blonde without a care in the world, feeling smarter than I feel now... Because that is when i was happiest. When i saw i could end pain and suffering with death, when i knew life could escape heart ache, even when evil exist.

And so now on her second cat life with me, as her first caused her kidnapping by the same drug induced psycho piece of shit that arrested and molested Jesse James dog, Coco and her untimely death as I did record in Tumblr. "Sister Kitty" was kidnapped by him, hes in a special jail. He just had his pinkie finger nail and big toe nail removed as he did kidnap Mogar and slice his face and slice Kizzys leg. So in order to understand what he did he agreed to similar punishment as he did to our precious cargo...

Cargo my bitches!

Jesse: No! I only ask!

Me: who do i have to convince?

Jesse: Idk Jeremiah?

Me: Ava who is your dad?

Ava: Idk I guess not Jeremiah?? IDK!! HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO TELL!? you all always told me they are both my dad's. Let me ask God. Oh! Jesse! ..... And Jeremiah

Me: your dad is your dad and dad he will always be no matter shine or high water, love will always be there for you and for me. Alexis, do you know that one?

She nods all teary..

Jesse: well did i get loves?!

Me: uhh yes ass hole! We always love you back. What do you want with a gas station with no gas? That's like having a family with out us, most especially me!

Jesse: well it got gas now!!!

Me: well gas up at your local, bring a truck. I got a lot of stuff.

Declan: you hear her? Most especially me! Me! Well, me too, you better pick me up.

Me: Jesse... You ready for Orlando?? I got a Chase bank account with the Princess Castle on the debit card... Just needs a little cash in the account.

Jesse: You Mean You Will Pay!!!

Me: i see that was not a question so that does not deserve a response. But yes. I am suppose to have a wire transfer per last night's discussions that will pay for it.

Jesse: WHOA SHIT!

Me: Jeremiah you down?

Jeremiah: to pay Miss Giant Owner?

Me: uhh I'm Miss Speedyway now. No.. Carry me through times square after some Disney World Fun!

Jeremiah: FUCK YES!! uhh yes thank you for inviting me. I will go

Matt Hagan: look look at this. Im the best friend i even got her kid named after me

Me: Matt Hagan... Looks like you're invited, The Best Friend. In or out of Disney World for the hotel.

Matt: IN!!

Me: youre definitely going you know how to do it right! Pops... You gonna stay home alone with your woman?

Pops: not if i don't have to

M3: you don't

Pops: shit! Oh yeah!

Chuck: what about Cookie!!

Me: you and bring Your comrades I need to talk to

Chuckie: oh Cookies going!

Me: I didn't know he could do the Conga.

Jesse: yes you did!

Me: no wonder it looked familiar.

[alisonwritesimagines]

The Set Up ~Steve Harrington Imagine~

Requested by anonymous:

Summary: You’re Dustin’s older sister who came back for your last year of high school. When Dustin and his friends decide to set you up with Steve Harrington, you’re in a world of fun. 

Author’s Note: I’m getting Stranger Things requests and I’m here for it. 

The only people who remembered that Dustin had an older sister was his group of friends and their families. That’s why it was a shock to Steve when he saw you with Dustin as you both went out for ice cream. 

“Hey, it’s Steve!” Dustin said happily as he noticed the boy with good hair outside.

“Who?” You asked confused. 

“He’s a friend. Come on,” Dustin said as he dragged you out of the ice cream parlor. 

“Steve!” Dustin said happily.

“Hey, Dustin. Who’s this?” Steve asked looking at you.

“My older sister, Y/N. She’s in the same grade as you,” Dustin said.

“I didn’t know you had an older sister,” Steve said. 

“I was attending school in California but came back to be with Dustin for my senior year,” You tell him with a smile.

“Must’ve been hard moving back here,” Steve said.

“Oh it’s fine. I have Nancy Wheeler and Jonathan Byers. Do you know them?” You asked him.

“Yeah. We’re friends,” Steve said. Dustin looked back at the two of you as you both smiled at each other. Dustin could see something between you two making him smile.

“We gotta go,” Dustin said.

“We do?” You asked in confusion.

“Yes. Bye, Steve. See you next time!” Dustin said.

“It was nice meeting you, Steve,” You say to him before walking off with Dustin. 

Dustin had called all of his friends over so he could tell them his amazing plan. 

“Why did you call us over here?” Max asked him as she leaned against the wall. 

“So my sister is back in town and we need to set her up with Steve,” Dustin said.

“Y/N with Steve?” Mike asked confused.

“Come on man. We all know Steve isn’t Y/N’s type,” Lucas scoffed.

“Then who is her type?” Dustin questioned. Lucas tried to give Dustin an answer but kept quiet.

“Besides, if we have Steve around more, he can drive us around and he’ll be wrapped around Y/N’s finger who would do anything for me and us,” Dustin said.

“So basically free rides in his car?” Will asked. 

“Yes and maybe more. So who’s in?” Dustin asked.

“Dustin has an older sister?” El asked Mike.

“Yeah. She’s really nice. You’ll like her,” Mike tells El. She gives him a nod before looking back at Dustin.

When Dustin came up with the perfect plan, the whole group waited at their spots to watch the magic happen. Dustin had made you gone out for snacks while Mike called Steve to get him to go to the market because Dustin needed help. 

“Y/N?” Steve asked as he saw you in the snacks aisle.

“Oh, hi Steve,” You smile at him.

“Where’s Dustin?” Steve asked you.

“At home. Why?” You asked.

“That little... nevermind. I got a call from Mike saying that Dustin needed help over here,” Steve tells you.

“Weird. Well, since you’re here, can you help me get that please?” You asked as you pointed to the chips which were too high up for you.

“Yeah,” Steve reached up before grabbing the bag for you. 

“Thanks,” You smile.

“Are you glad to be back here?” Steve asked you.

“Back in town? Yeah. I missed being here,” You tell him.

“So, what’s it like being related to Dustin?” Steve asked you. 

“It’s interesting. He’s a hyperactive child,” You joked. Steve chuckled as he walked around with you at the store. Max shoved her skateboard in front of you making you almost fall.

“I got you,” Steve said, catching you quickly. You looked up at him with a smile.

“Thanks, Steve. That could’ve turned ugly,” You tell him.

“It’s not problem,” Steve smiled down at you. 

Just as you left, Dustin and the group walked over to him with crossed arms.

“What was that?” Dustin asked.

“What was what? And what the hell are all of you doing here?” Steve asked. 

“Why didn’t you ask out my sister?” Dustin asked. 

“Hold up. What?” Steve asked him.

“Oh come on. It’s obvious you like her,” Lucas said. 

“You guys want me to go ask her out?” Steve asked. 

“Yes!” Dustin said.

“You’re okay with me asking out your sister?” Steve asked Dustin.

“Of course. Would I be doing all this if I wasn’t okay with you dating?” Dustin asked him.

“If I’m going to ask her out, I don’t need any help form you dorks okay?” Steve tells them.

“Got it,” Dustin said. 

“Alright. Now if you excuse me, I have to be somewhere,” Steve said before walking between the group.

“What if Steve becomes your brother-in-law in the future?” Will teased.

“Then at least I’ll be able to say that I was the one who introduced the two together,” Dustin smiled proudly. 

As you sat at home, reading a book, the doorbell rung. You got up from the couch before walking over to see who it was. To your surprise, you saw Steve standing in front of you with a bouquet of your favorite flowers.

“Hi, Y/N,” Steve smiled.

“Hi, Steve. Nice flowers,” You tell him.

“They’re for you,” Steve said, handing it to you.

“Aw thanks,” You say.

“I was wondering if you wanted to go on a date with me on Friday,” Steve asked you.

“I’d love to go on a date on Friday,” You smiled.

“Really?” Steve asked.

“Yeah. Pick me up at five,” You tell him.

“I will do that,” Steve said.

[toongrrl-blog]

Part One of Barb Series: Why Barb Died (Character Device Talk)

*Please watch the Betty Draper Francis video first, for extra credit, check out the channel’s vid on Jack Dawson and come with knowledge of Beth March*

Happy end of the 2010s! Before I discuss what Barb could have brought to the Party in Stranger Things I need to discuss how as a character she needed to die.

1. Beth March

In one scene in Little Women, the girls and Laurie discuss their ambitions for adult life. Oldest sister Meg wants to marry and have kids, oldest middle sis Jo wants to become a known and successful writer, youngest sister Amy wants to become rich and famous as an artist and maybe a socialite, and middle child Beth wants things to stay the way they are for her, with her loving family at her side. What’s wrong with this? What the other three sisters have in common is that they are hoping for adult lives which include a lot of change, responsibility, independence (either as a career woman or running a household with little kids underfoot), new experiences, and even new people in their lives (Meg would need to meet a guy to marry and have kids with him, Jo would need to meet people in her professional life, Amy would entertain guests and appeal to patrons). Shy Beth is a talented pianist, vet, and doll collector and is very charitable but she doesn’t seem to want to take the risks it would take to grow as a person and thrive and mature or be noticed for her own merits aside from “Angel of the House” and the future looks pretty hostile; so by the end of the novel, Beth has died in her early 20s while sisters lives have changed (Meg married and had children in a cottage while gaining confidence as a homemaker, wife, and mom; Jo sells her writing and meets a professor who wants to start a school where she becomes headmistress after they marry; Amy goes on a Grand Tour of Europe and marries wealthy and happy).

The series Stranger Things, on a whole, is a coming-of-age series that borrows from the John Hughes and Steven Spielberg films of that era that captured the joys and pains of growing up, while Joyce’s and Hop’s storylines borrow from conspiracy thrillers around that era and somewhat from Hitchcock films. All these films captured ordinary people undergoing extraordinary (E.T., North By Northwest, The Goonies, The Stepford Wives) and life altering events (Jaws, The Breakfast Club, Silkwood) that force them to encounter challenges and make decisions they wouldn’t normally make in their mundane lives. Joyce ends up facing a monster with an axe and even makes demands of people who could wipe her off the Earth, the boys have to ride their bikes to evade murderous men in vans and hide a young traumatized girl, Nancy has to learn to create and use deadly weapons and use her skills of sneaking out for something besides sex, Jonathon has to cut his and another girl’s hand to lure a monster to their trap, Hop sneaks into a morgue just to slit a dead boy’s corpse and find cotton stuffing, Will has to use what knowledge and skills he has to survive another world filled with creatures out to kill him, most of the kids throughout the series have to lie and break laws to save their town. 

While the official guide does list Barb as being a varsity softball player and a mathlete and Shannon Purser concurs that Barb would have been the Velma of the group if she lived, there is one big thing that separates the Velmas from the Barbs and Beth’s of the world: Velma takes risks, she would trespass private looking property and dilapidated buildings to solve a mystery. Barb is a loyal friend and honest and studious and smart, but she’s ultimately the good girl archetype: cautious, obedient to her elders, predictable, conservatively and femininely dressed, chaste. An archetype that Nancy is trying to flee (not that the alternative of being a girl who sneaks out with her boyfriend to makeout is going to help Nancy at all) to avoid ending up like her mother. Barb has the fangs (talent and means) to be a Party member, she just lacks the nerve to jump and sink those fangs.

2. Commentary on the Patriarchy and the Tyranny of Beauty Standards

Most of the female characters in the series don’t fit the strict criteria of their Reagan era Indiana small town regarding what makes a good woman. Joyce is a single mother who doesn’t come with well-coiffed hair and she appears to be hysterical and is a working mother in a time and place where all these factors would label her a “bad mother”, Nancy is a frank young woman who takes risks and even asserts her sexuality and herself when plenty of people (like the shitheads at Hawkins Post) would prefer her to be a delicate virgin in pastels, El is physically stronger than the boys with her powers and she is very direct in her manner despite her soft-spoken demeanor, Max is a girl who is interested in arcade video games and skateboarding and brightly colored summer clothing and reads her Mom’s Cosmo cover to cover and is assertive, Erica is an assertive young girl who can talk truth (and shade) to adults and has a knowledge of My Little Pony and Cold War Politics, Robin is snarky and has a style that makes her stand out from most girls in Hawkins and is a teen genius, Kali’s rage and Joan Jett-esque appearance would make the preppy and pastel and autumnal tone wearing residents of Hawkins in Cardiac Care, Suzie has defied notions about girls in science and math and even the Mormon beliefs of her parents by french kissing and dating a non-Mormon boy like Dustin, and Karen despite her appearance of hot housewife perfection is dissatisfied with her marriage and comes close to cheating on her husband. 

In contrast Barb is pretty much the most conventional character: she dresses conservatively in ruffles and pink, she is seemingly chaste, follows the rules diligently and worries about getting punished by the Holland and Wheeler parents, and has a more common body type found in cis-gender women (correct me if I’m wrong, hopefully I don’t offend trans pear shaped women) and not often found in the older members of the female cast. But despite Barb’s body being common among women in general and specific to her region (the American Midwest is noted for starchy and creamy and fried foods and is historically farming country, where pioneers would find her strong for work in and out of the log cabin and give birth to the necessary amount of children i.e. extra hands for work), the delicate and slender builds of Joyce and Nancy, the classic proportionate and slender grace of Robin, and the leggy and toned image of Karen are closer to the female standard of beauty in the 1980s. In Barb’s lifetime (1967-1983), the image of beauty was dominated by leggy, toned, slim, busty women or lean women with minimal breasts: no room for tall, broad, pear shapes like herself. And in 1983, Molly Ringwald wasn’t yet a household name that freckled redheads with dry wit and atypical images could look on with pride. Hell I remember reading a copy of Color Me Beautiful where they recommend that women with heavy hips and small waists (similar features of Christina Hendricks and Shannon Purser) shouldn’t cinch their waistlines, the celebration of Marilyn Monroe pinups with round hips, pillowy thighs and tummies, rounded tushes were long gone by then. Basically Barb being her natural self, was not seen as “feminine enough” and combined with her glasses and style (any plus sized or early developing gal can tell you that it is hell to find junior styles that suit your body size and shape) have ruled her as “uncool”. 

There is also that Barb does a lot of things that the boys do: being slightly geeky, a loyal friend, has innocent and wholesome interests, chaste, and is quiet (like Will) but she still gets killed. One can sense that #JusticeForBarb came out of an anger with misogyny in media and society that tells women to be a certain way and punishes them whether they fit a mold or not. Women are still underpaid in the workplace, underrepresented in government, still deal with unequal and toxic relationships, are shamed for being virgins or for having sexual experience (Carol pokes fun at the idea of Barb finding the sex sounds too much and yet contributes to the slut shaming graffiti of Nancy), are told on one hand to look a certain way to attract the male gaze and shamed when they indulge in sexual desire (something Nancy can attest to with her glamorous mother who offers to lend her black heels and focuses on Nancy’s beauty before a funeral, the same mom who was angry her daughter had sex), they are either too fat/skinny/busty/flat/frizzy/straight haired/pale/slutty/prudish/dark/feminine/masculine/full-butt-ed/quiet/loud/naive/cynical/smart/dumb/angry/happy, and they deal with a media that sells a very narrow standard of beauty to the point that when they see a drop dead gorgeous actress or model with similar features they feel seen.

Oh Bondage, Up Yours!

*Read this is not a “Barb is a slut shamer!” piece yes that was shitty but she was a teen girl in a small 1980s town and she ISN’T starting a (paraphrasing Kimberly Nicole Foster quote) “no whores allowed campaign” OR trying to pass a law that demands women keep their ectopic pregnancies to full term*

3. End of Innocence

When Barb died, it marked the end of Nancy’s childhood and her needing to grow up. That was the night Nancy went straight from childhood (Barb), teenager (sex with Steve), and then shortly became an adult when she realized that Barb had disappeared. For many women (like myself at ages 9 and 10), the moment they get their period or grow breasts or reach a certain age, marks a dramatic end of their childhood. Suddenly many are told to police their behavior and language around boys, even policing the food they eat or their bodies. There is also extra responsibility and stress, demogorgans being one of them. Nancy is now having to deal with the sorts of issues that adult women dealt with on Mad Men along with scary monsters threatening her town and the fact her parents are not as happy as they look to the world, there is a gap between the experiences of her and Mike, she has a baby sister who probably was conceived to save the marriage, and Nancy can’t confide or trust either of her parents (who are absorbed with their own issues). Now Nancy is making big decisions that Barb, with the sheltering and seemingly close parents, will likely never deal with. Nancy is even taking fashion risks with clothes that are more functional, stylish, show off her figure, and can even withstand flayer blood and exorcising her boyfriend’s little brother.

4. A Huge Threat

Barb was intended to be a character that we connected with, someone to be built up somehow. There was a character like this in a movie: her name was Marion Crane. She was a secretary who has been supporting herself and her little sis since their parents died, patiently waiting for her boyfriend to make more money at his job so they can marry and stop sneaking around sleeping with one another, in desperation she steals a lot of money from her workplace, drives to California where she meets a mild-mannered but strange young man who manages a distant motel in the vicinity of a Victorian house where an older woman is croaking about promiscuity, after talking with him over a dinner of sandwiches in his taxidermy themed office, she goes to take a shower and has decided to return to Phoenix to return the money, then a strange figure comes with a large butcher knife in horribly out of date clothes and starts stabbing her to death.

This was from the Hitchcock film Psycho, the forerunner of the slasher genre that dominated the earlier half of the 1980s, and it premiered to shocked audiences in 1960. The meaning of the grisly murder of Marion, a character the audience was following from the beginning of the film, was that Norman Bates was a huge threat and intensified the need for Marion’s killer to be brought to justice.

The same thing can be said about the deaths of Benny and Barb, to show how much a threat the demogorgan and Hawkins National Lab were to the townspeople of Hawkins (and the world as a whole), basically such big threats that a little boy can be kidnapped from the safety of his home, a young teenage girl could be snatched up and killed from a suburban swimming pool, and a kindly cook and owner of a local diner would be executed for knowing about a runaway child. 

5. The future of Women in Stranger Things

Not all is lost, Barb’s death forced the Duffer Bros to take a look at how women were written and treated in their series, and even helped spurred tv viewers (who ordinarily wouldn’t pay attention to social issues) to take a deeper look and interest in how people especially women are treated. For some reason I like to think: Max, Robin, Erica, and Suzie are a way of recognizing Barb’s potential within the series and even what viewers saw. 

Now stay tuned to where I figure out how Barb could have been beneficial to the party.

[willel]

Suspicious Minds - Notes

I finally finished. It was nice to listen to on the long road trip, time flew by!!!

All kinds of things interested me. If you’re interested in my notes, feel free to keep reading! If you follow this blog, you know I have special interests so sorry if you’re looking for something else. I’m here for family feels and evidence peoples.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Rest in Peace Andrew. Andrew Riches is El’s paternal father. He was a college student against the Vietnam war. He was one of those dudes that are definitely nerds, but somehow they’re also social butterflies. Case in point, he begged Terry to read Lord of the Rings because he fell in love with it, but he also skipped school to attend a concert, Woodstock. Later on, he went on to protest President Nixon’s address or whatever which got him in trouble with the law and the school. Brenner used this to get revenge on Terry who accidentally stumbled across Kali in the lab one day and made friends (what a jealous creepy asshole. Disgusting) Kali started drawing pictures of her and Terry together and Brenner would throw them away. 

Andrew was killed in Vietnam before Terry got a chance to tell him they were having a baby. Promptly after that, Brenner started referring to Terry’s child as “our” baby. 

Guys. I swear. The Byers have powers. Everything I’ve been talking about on Joyce’s intuition and stuff? That’s Ken. Ken does all of that. There’s no exact science to his intuition. He just knows and feels stuff. He knew Terry was pregnant before she did, or rather, he felt SOMETHING about her but could never put his finger on it. He knew something bad was going to happen to Terry and Jane, but again, he couldn’t really put his finger on it. One thing he was absolutely certain about with no doubts was when he placed his hand on Terry’s belly and told her it was a girl. 

Another interesting thing to note is that I don’t think Brenner knew he actually is psychic. Ken passed all of his ‘tests’, but did not display actual power like Kali for example. People like Ken (who claimed his whole family was like him) fly under the radar for people like Brenner. 

Ken is a gayer calmer version of Joyce. 

I LOVE KEN. HE WAS TRYING SO HARD TO DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING TO PROTECT HIS FRIENDS. AND ANDREW. HE AND ANDREW WERE THE CUTEST PALS, I WISH 

Ken, Gloria, and Alice are all still alive. Brenner nearly discovered that Alice has future sight to they faked her death and she went to live with family in Canada. Brenner probably lost interest in Gloria and Ken because he didn’t get what he wanted from them (I don’t think Gloria has powers, but she seems to be the smartest of them all). Ken started dating one the military dudes at the facility so he was the one feeding Terry information about the lab, other kidnapped subjects, and El. 

Terry became the “face” of the mission to shut down Hawkins Lab to protect Ken and Gloria even though they were helping her from the shadows. Alice still lives in Canada apparently, pretending to be dead. 

I must stress the importance we should probably start calling El by her real name or stick to El. Eleven or 011 is an identifier Brenner stuck on this child that he STOLE because “Names are too troublesome.” He continued drugging Terry, knowing she was pregnant before she did because he was trying to create the perfect “subject”. He referred to Terry as an incubator and told her El is his child just as much as she is Terry’s, and then later went on to say El was HIS child, not hers. 

This man is disgusting. Who cares if Eleven or 011 is iconic, only her enemies should refer to her by that. It’s dehumanizing. It’s gross. When she’s with family and friends, her name should be El. When she’s in public, Jane. That’s the name her mother gave her, the mother that rebuffed everyone who told her to get rid of her child. The last thing Terry has on this earth of the man she loved so dearly. The little girl Terry never got to raise because of the man who stole her in the first place fried her brain. 

This man had someone hold down a pregnant Terry so that he could inject her with something that would force labor. He went to the hospital ahead of time so that he could slide himself into the rush of stuff going on. He sat up next to Terry in pain and in labor and told her to push before taking the baby and leaving. 

This man is disgusting. 

Have I mentioned how disgusting he is? How he got Kali all excited for a new “friend” and introduced El as her brand new sister to make Kali behave and listen to him??? Urg

Becky is such a good big sister, but is very out of the loop. She was paying for Terry to go to college and looked after her when their parents were killed in an accident. And even though Terry was shunned by a few people for getting pregnant out of wedlock, Becky supported her 100% and said she was happy they didn’t wait to get married because now a piece of Andrew is still with them. 

So sweet. She really tried to protect her sis. 

Terry figured out that her daughter would become 011. Alice kept seeing visions of El being mistreated in the future even though Terry only found folders for kids going up to 010. She put the pieces together and realized her daughter would become 011.

El and Terry have the same power to enter the void, but El’s is definitely stronger. El can reach the void (without baby El’s help because when she was very pregnant, she could do it easy), but she needs drugs to do so. Terry doesn’t appear to have any telekinesis, so that’s all El.

Some weird things with the void.

Terry spoke to Kali multiple times in the void. They could touch each other, talk, everything. But it was never Kali who initiated it. Terry went to find people, but she had to be close to them to do so. 

You’d think this would support my theory that psychics can do things in the void that others can’t, but I’m not so sure. You see, later in the novel, Terry also uses the void to find Alice. Alice is 100% psychic, but Terry cannot interact with her like she can Kali, Alice is unaware just like normal people.

So, I wonder if it’s a threshold? Kali is already very powerful even though she’s only 5. But, if the Byers are psychic, I wouldn’t say they’re very powerful really... I dunno. 

Ok. I think.... I’ve rambled off mostly everything. If ya got questions, I can answer.

If Brenner comes back, they’re all in trouble. Especially El and Will. 

[kyloren]

Mileven post-S2 fanfiction recommendation list: PART V

For past rec lists please see instalments I, II, III, and IV. If your fanfic isn’t featured, apologies. Message me and we’ll amend that grievance in the next rec list instalment. 

* marks the ongoing stories. 

canon: 

for laughs, for luck, for the unknown by ArtemisRae: “Mike goes away to college. El goes with him. Within a year she gains a new set of grandparents, a pet, a job, and enforces party rules.” 

+ its sequel the monkey in the wrench by ArtemisRae: “Mike ends up in the hospital, El has to face her insecurities, and they turn the corner with Mike’s parents.” [ArtemisRae’s works are so beautiful, I can’t breathe.] 

a wonderful awful idea by ArtemisRae: “Mike wants to recapture the Christmas magic of his childhood, but mostly he accidentally makes his girlfriend cry.” 

the last picture show by ArtemisRae: “Hopper catches Mike and El at the local drive in after being led to think that they were at the Hawk with their friends.” 

six weeks* by bananannabeth: “There are six weeks between the night El comes home and the night of the Snow Ball, which leaves not a lot of time to deal with a whole lot of shit. Somehow, she and Mike ride it out.” 

can’t argue with that by bananannabeth: “Karen is well aware of how stubborn her only son can be, but as much as he tries to pretend he has to do everything on his own, Mike isn’t alone anymore. So if he’s insisting on running to El’s rescue at the cabin in the middle of the woods at two in the morning, you can bet his mom is not letting him go alone.” 

+ its prequel with background Mileven: alone by bananannabeth: “Karen left Joyce alone when she so obviously needed support, and now she’s trying to make amends. Casserole and coffee seems as good a place as any to start.” God, I love bananannabeth’s You Can Talk To Me (aka. Karen Wheeler is a Good Mom™) series so, so much. 

just another sleepy sunday by suchastart: “Game night, a few years into the future.” 

promises by blacktreeswhitesky: “For Jane Ives, it’s always been like this. She was always searching for something, for someone.” [I’M NOT CRYING. YOU ARE CRYING.] 

how we sleep by zombiecupcake: “The gate is closed, and the gang finds themselves getting the much deserved rest they all needed.” 

love you like that* by ohanae: “Snippets out of Mike and El’s life after she closed the gate to the Upside Down. They learn things together, go to school together, grow up together.” 

operation christmas for el* by Booklover1217: “When the party discovers that El has never experienced a Christmas before they are horrified. That is until Mike comes up with the plan to give El the most amazing first Christmas imaginable and so Operation Christmas for El is born. The next days that follow are filled with gingerbread, mistletoe, snow, and the magic of Christmas which just may change El’s life forever.” 

home by lesbeatlesbunch: “Mike gets his license.” 

pretty by hma1313: “Sometimes he thinks he sees her standing at the end of the street in that ratty dress of his sister’s, the fabric torn and stained, but he’ll blink and then she’s gone and he’s half convinced he imagined it all.” 

scrap my knees, whatever; i’m gonna let them bleed by ceruleanstorm: “How many compliments can Mike and El yell at each other over a card game?” 

close the door by g00denough: “Because we are just waiting for when someone walks in on El and Mike kissing.” 

things you said* by Brown Eyes Parker: “a collection of one-shots revolving around Mike & Eleven and things they say to each other.” 

+ its sort of sequel, sort of outtakes things you said, alternate stories* by Brown Eyes Parker: “Original and alternate or continuations of stories in my “things you said” series.” 

heartbeats in the quiet by screamingintosilence: “It was usually just a cold, but this felt like the flu.” 

perfect summer day by AR357: “It was a sunny summer day in 1984. Mike had been looking forward to this day for a while. With each breath of crisp summer air, he felt more and more invigorated. With each hill he crested, he felt his heart thumping away. But then again, maybe he was just thinking about what the day’s events would hold.” 

flutterby, butterfly* by foreverinthe_eighties: “What would happen if, years after the events that took place in 1984, Kali seeks Eleven out herself. And gives her the opportunity to change her mind.” 

the name game by Strange_Archivist: “El and Mike have their first real fight, and it’s a doozy.” 

eleven things* by Socalledfriend: “Eleven returns, but things don’t just go back to the way they were. It’s not clear how she managed to get home, and meanwhile Will’s sickness is only getting worse. Some things never change though, and while she’s back, Mike manages to teach her at least eleven things about the outside world.”

raspberry breeze by urdearestmom: “Sometimes she stays up with him, and she calls him ridiculous. How don't you fall over when you get up in the morning? She asks. Pfft, I don’t need sleep! Who do you think I am? He says, but then he smiles and her heart melts, she's never been able to be angry at this boy for more than a few minutes.”

promises* by Vontar: “Sometimes, it’s the little things in life that matter. Scenes of life from Eleven and Mike, as they face the future together.”

stranger things holiday extravaganza* by Commernator: “Mike, Hopper, and the rest of the party help Eleven experience holidays for the first time.” 

alternative universe: 

the boy with freckles like constellations in the night sky* by got credits (Poly_Grumps): “It had been a quiet night in the town of Hawkins Indiana when Will Byers disappeared seemingly out of thin air. Jane Ellie Ives could still recall her last moments with him, the last words she had spoken with him before she watched him bike off into the night. It had started like any other day in fact, with the curly-haired girl and her gang of friends all sitting around in her basement gathered around a rather intense game of dungeons and dragons!” Reverse AU. [guys, guys, guys. I’m screaming. It’s so good.] 

(all i wanna be is) somebody to you* by sinclairsmax: “Elle Hopper never thought that she’d win American Idol. Then again, she also never thought Mike Wheeler would fall in love with her. Behind the cameras, everything is turned upside down.” YouTube AU. [this is everything I didn’t know I wanted.] 

we could be heroes* by ValBirch: “A series of connected vignettes about our favourite characters—but with superpowers.” Superhuman AU. I repeat, SUPERHUMAN AU. [Plus, the author has a whole set of moodboards/aesthetics for characters and I’m dying.] 

the artist & the dancer* by JavaCat26: “Her warm honey-brown eyes were fixated on him. Emotion washed over him like warm bath water. He wouldn’t let her down. Ever. He took a deep breath, steadied his hand, and pressed his pencil to the canvas. “I can do this…”” College AU. 

upside down and back again* by Crataeis: “When a new threat begins to emerge from the ashes of the Upside Down, an unlikely group of four of our six main protagonists band together to try and stop it.” Alternative Reality? Time Travel AU? I can’t quite tell, but although this fic is in its early stages, it’s really good and worth a look. 

a rose by any other name by serendipitous_rambles: “The Montague and Capulet high schools never got along. There was bitter rivalry between the two schools, nothing good could come from associating with each other. But what happens when two fall in love?” Romeo & Juliet-style High-School AU. 

+ bonus: wherein The Party is featured prominently…again: 

in a dream where the air is soft by a simple space nerd: “El has hair slicked back behind her ears, darkly ringed eyes, and somewhat bedraggled clothes, and Max would normally steer clear of people looking like her, but she’s heard so much about El, and God, why is this group of friends so unlike everyone else Max has ever met? Max never used to care about what random people thought of her. “Curse you, stalker,” she mutters half-heartedly.” [I love Mike and Max in this one. This has to be my favourite interpretation of both characters, hands down. This fic is so in tune with characterisation, it can be considered canon.] 

more than one best friend by topangamatthews: “El’s first best friend is Mike, but he’s not her last.” 

after the gate closed* by insomniacwriter17: “Just one shots about all the little head canons I have.” 

el’s word book* by Noth_lit_9: “El is frustrated that her vocabulary lags behind those of her friends, so Hopper wants to provide her with a way to see her growth.” 

it’s okay to not be okay by talesfromthesnogbox: “Jim Hopper knew it was a real emergency when he was woken in the night by a phone call from his son-in-law Mike from the hospital. All was not well, but Jim reminds Mike that sometimes it’s okay to not be okay.” 

teenage girls by EvieSmallwood: “El & Max hang out at the arcade. They talk about the present and the future.” 

a is for alphabet* by urdearestmom: “Each chapter is a letter of the alphabet, lots of fluff and laughs ensue.” 

so i could kill them for you by valancysnaith: “Max deserves so much better. The party is there for her.” 

.

.

okay, so I had a lot more, but my Cloud messed the fuck up and deleted half of the bookmarks I made. now, I gotta go and track down the fics I lost…

UPDATE: part VI is out.

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Point of Interest: Why the Legion of Super-Heroes Introduction is Important to the Arrowverse

So with Supergirl on a break as the CW has seen fit to alternate Mondays between Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow in 2018, I thought I'd give my opinion on one of the show's major plot-points this season which is the introduction of the futuristic Legion of Superheroes and also validate why I feel this is one of the shared universe's greatest strengths at present.

Backstory:

So who are The Legion? Well in the comics they debuted in Adventure Comics #237 way back in April 1958 as a team based in the 30th Century who were founded by teenage Superman superfans Lightning Lad, Cosmic Boy and Saturn Girl in honour of their idol Kal-El aka Superman. As the decades have gone on and the fanbase has increased for the team they have become more of a mainstay in the comics and now serve almost as the futuristic version of the Titans or Young Justice team being a law enforcement organisation with its own rules and regulations for protecting the peace.

Throughout the years and several reboots the team has recruited many “Legionnaires” including Superman while he was still teenage Superboy, Brainiac 5, Supergirl, Mon-El and Superboy aka Kon-El. There are also many others however none have been introduced in any media outside the comics or as fan-service cameos when the Legion has appeared in the DC Animated Universe.

Arrowverse Version:

While this isn’t the team’s first appearance in live-action, it is the first major recurring appearance having only made minor appearances or cameos beforehand which I will discuss further down. Having said that, during the first half of the season they have pretty much been in the background as a team aside from episode 10 which was titled “Legion of Super-Heroes” so it makes sense they were in the foreground for that one but the three episodes that followed before the mid-season break did not really focus on them as a team and instead individuals, more specifically Mon-El and his arranged marriage to Imra despite his feelings for Kara and also Brainy being jealous of Winn. Also it does seem as if we are not going to see any more Legionnaires outside of these three and personally I feel that is a missed opportunity for the show and the Arrowverse at large.

Now of course as I stated before Mon-El has been a member of The Legion in the comics before however in the most recent incarnation as I think it has been through two reboots in the team’s tenure. However everyone did guess that when Mon-El went through that portal at the end of Season 2 that he was going to the future and would join The Legion. However I do not think anyone expected him to start up the team let alone lead it because again he’s never done that in the comics. Some fans have theorized that this version of the character is a composite of both Mon-El and Superboy from the comics which I find personally weird because that would effectively make him and Kara cousins but maybe that’s a thing on Daxam and Krypton and who are we to judge? But also it is stated that Mon-El formed the Legion of Super-Heroes in honor of Supergirl and I personally do not like that even though it’s her series because the team is supposed to be a Superman fan club and changing the foundation of a long-standing team such as this is just in service to the girl power theme the show constantly pushes.

For instance in Gotham recently they have made Barbara Kean the new Demon’s Head as she is now the leader of the League of Shadows...however from what was teased in the reveal it does seem it is going to be largely focused on the Sisters of the League which is a deviation from the comics but a different spin which I personally like. But if the Legion of Super-Heroes has no deviation from the source material and is supposedly the same team that it should have the same foundation, especially considering Superman has already been introduced into the series and we have seen a Legion Flight Ring in the Fortress of Solitude suggesting he has already met them...

Saturn Girl is the only founding member of the original team to be introduced into the Arrowverse and personally I am okay with that because of the three I find her the most interesting. I am not too keen thus far on Amy Jackson’s performance as she seems more robotic than Brainiac 5 and he is essentially a robot whereas Imra is supposed to be an alien woman from Saturn’s Moon of Titan, which on a side-note is another example of there being co-morbidity between DC and Marvel because of course Titan is the homeworld of Marvel supervillain Thanos which we will apparently visit in the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War. Irregardless I do like how they have depicted her telepathic powers so far, again they have not shown much but in terms of being an actual vigilante she is the one to get the most screen-time as she teamed up with Supergirl, Livewire and Psi on that mission to Fort Rozz. Again this does seem like Supergirl as a series pushing the female agenda given that the character’s introduction to the series was announced at the start of the season and Brainiac 5 who is male was only announced when he was introduced in Episode 10.

Speaking of Brainiac 5, I am a massive fan of all things Brainiac. I think in his original form he is a superb supervillain and a perfect nemesis for Superman. He has had many great incarnations in various media including TV Series’ both animated and live-action most recently Krypton which I am starting to watch along with everything else I am watching and my uni work, but also in video games most notably Injustice 2. In the comics Brainiac 5, also known formally as Querl Dox is originally thought to be the great-great-grandson of the original Brainiac who is ashamed of his ancestor’s villainous deeds and makes it his mission to atone for them by joining The Legion. However it is later revealed Brainiac is in fact an android and Querl Dox descends from Brainiac 2 but is apparently cloned from Brainiac 1. It’s all very confusing and to be fair Supergirl does nothing to even address Brainy’s origins so unless you want to know it’s not something you have to know. I am not overly keen on Brainy’s design, for a start he’s blue whereas in the comics he’s green and secondly he has hair that makes him look like Doc Brown from Back to the Future as opposed to the shorter more youthful blonde look he has in the comics. I do appreciate them using the three dots motif that the original Brainiac is known for and also that Season 1 villain Indigo aka Brainiac 8 also had despite that fact Brainiac 5 usually does not sport them in the comics and they do make the character look slightly cartoonish.

On the subject of Indigo, there is thus far no mention or reference to suggest that Brainy and Indigo are in any way related to each other despite the fact that one is called Brainiac 5 and one is called Brainiac 8 and they both come from the same planet just 10 centuries apart from each other. Also it is slightly puzzling that a modern day Brainiac is called 8 whereas a futuristic Brainiac is called 5 but I digress. I know I haven’t really reviewed Supergirl as I have done with Arrow and The Flash but again since starting uni I cannot fit in episodic reviews of shows I watch anymore because I barely have the time to do movie reviews these days, but just to get my thoughts out there I really disliked how Indigo looked. Firstly she looked more like Mystique than how she does in the comics, again if they had made her green it would have been more faithful. Also Laura Vandervoort tried god bless her but her superhero heyday was as Supergirl in Smallville.

Now the series has referenced another Legionnaire, I think Mon-El mentioned having a friend in the 31st century named Ayla who in the comics is the Legionnaire codenamed Lightning Lass who is the sister of founding member Lightning Lad. The team has stated there are at least three unidentified members other than themselves so both Lightning Lass and Lightning Lad could be members as well as Cosmic Boy because the latter two along with Saturn Girl have always been the founding members in all incarnations of the team. However again why there has been no mention of a Rokk or Garth even by Imra yet there has been mention of an Ayla is maddening to me because again it’s pushing the female members of the team more than the original and faithful members.

On a final note about this universe’s version of the team. I do not like the fact the team are uniformed identically, it really annoys me. As much as I love the X-Men film franchise it annoys me about them too because it almost strips them of their identity. Particularly when you consider Team Arrow, Team Flash, the Legends, every supervillain depicted and even Black Lightning all have costumes similar to the comics.

Previous Versions:

As I mentioned earlier this isn’t the first incarnation of The Legion outside of the comics, the first that came to my attention was on Smallville Season 8 which is also a CW DC series and in my opinion did more in 1 episode to establish the team than Supergirl has done in the series so far. For a start they introduced the team with the original founding members Cosmic Boy, Lightning Lad and Saturn Girl, they established the team was founded on what they believed was Superman’s ideals, also they allowed the creation of Brainiac 5 and depicted the origin of said character in a more organic way than established here. Yes they went straight from Brainiac to Brainiac 5 by simply reprogramming the original which I guess brings in the clone angle from the comics but either way it was pretty straight forward and the recurring villain that James Marsters brilliantly portrayed for 5 seasons on and off transitioned into the reformed hero when he returned in Season 10. Also Supergirl is briefly a member during Season 10 as she goes to the future before going off to fight in the war on New Krypton.

Other than live-action the team has made multiple appearances in animation, firstly in the DC Animated Universe of the 90s-Early 00s and then in their own, albeit short-lived, series trying to capitalize on the success of the original Teen Titans series.

Benefits to the Arrowverse:

So now we’ve gone over who the Legion of Superheroes are, why do I believe the team are one of the stronger current installments to the Arrowverse?

Well the Legion’s primary base of operations is in the 31st Century, now yes while the Earth-38 (Supergirl’s reality) variant of the team is currently operating in present day, they could easily travel back to their own time and even take Supergirl with them to see what the future is like either if Reign remains victorious or after she is defeated.

However as has been stated numerous times, the Multiverse consists of 53 different realities including 16 numbered Earths, 5 unidentified Earths and the Nazi ruled Earth-X. Also it his widely known that there are various doppelgangers of most characters. Barry Allen of Earth-1 has an Earth-2 counterpart as well as Killer Frost, Cisco Ramon, Ronnie Raymond, Martin Stein, Iris West, Joe West, Nora Allen, Oliver Queen, Robert Queen, Floyd Lawton and David Singh as well as Earth-X counterparts of Kara Zor-El, Oliver Queen, Tommy Merlyn, James Olsen, Felicity Smoak, Winn Schott and Leonard Snart. Also seemingly a Harrison Wells on every Earth. So it does stand to reason that on at least a couple of Earths there are variants of the Legion of Superheroes.

Also because the team operates in the 31st Century, Barry Allen or the Legends could travel to the future and meet them in order for the team to ally them in a mission. This could also introduce new members including founders Cosmic Boy and Lightning Lad, that’s just on Earth-1. Also it is a public fan-theory that Smallville exists on one of the 53 Earths which already has its own Legion team so that is already another variant right there.

I do not believe the Legion can hold it’s own series for the pure and simple reason that Legends of Tomorrow is already a team series and the similarities are too close. However they could easily become recurring support for Supergirl, the Legends or Team Flash potentially in a future four-way crossover or a two-part story in one of the four series’ the universe comprises of.

So what do you guys think? Do you think the Legion of Superheroes has a place in the Arrowverse or do you think they’re just a plot-device on the current season of Supergirl. Post your comments and check out more DC TV posts as well as other posts.

[sterekgala-blog]

A rec list will be posted every day with a few of our favorite Sterek Christmas fics, and a masterpost of all our rec lists will be posted on the 31st. Requests are always welcomed!

New Year’s Countdown Rec List #7

Snow Flirting by thepsychicchic || 11k

As Beacon Hills get pounded with foot after foot of snow, single dad Stiles can't quite keep up with his four year old, his job, and shoveling his driveway. Derek makes his teenage son shovel Stiles' walk, and that just leads to Derek helping Stiles out with a whole bunch of other tasks. That's okay with Derek, though, cause any chance to be with Stiles is okay with him.

Single parents sterek and snowball fights!!! Can it get any fluffier than this?!

Abominable by Revenant || 20k

Where Derek buys a secluded cabin halfway up a mountain, meets a yeti and falls in love with Stiles, but not necessarily in that order.

This is one of those must read sterek fics that is just too perfect for the holiday season

Holiday Thief by literaryolivion || 2k

“Stiles!”

“Yes, El Capitan?” Stiles replies with a grin, leaning on the desk of the Sheriff, his boss, who also happens to be his father, which means he can get away with a lot (lies, if anything he gets away with less).

The Sheriff gives him an unimpressed look. “We got a call about a suspicious person and possible B&E. You get to go check it out.”

Short and sweet christmas fic featuring Deputy!Stiles

Love, Most Definitely by finduilas || 23k

This is a Love Actually AU in several parts. I have taken the couples and storylines from the movie Love Actually and turned each one into a Sterek fic. Each part is separate and stands alone. I have only done three parts so far. I might add other parts in the future, if I find some writing mojo again. Each part is a finished fic in its own.

Every part of this series is utter adorable and amazing and it’s such an incredible spin off of Love Actually. I love reading every sentence of it :)

Fairy Tale Of New York by vanillawg || 20k

In which Stiles and Derek adopt an astronomy club, a bunch of kids, and kind of fall in love along the way, just in time for Christmas.

This is probably one of the most unique college aus I’ve ever read and it’s really just so lovely I can’t get enough of it!

i wish i had a river by thepsychicchic || 15k

Derek is the editor of a successful publishing firm, and is horrible to all his employees, including Stiles. On Christmas Eve night, he gets visited by three spirits and has to take a look at his life.

aka A Sterek Christmas Carol

Come on guys, how can we have a Christmas count down and not have a Christmas carol au? It’s mandatory

Don We Now Our Gay Fake Boyfriends by relenafanel || 15k

“What happened to your sweet Camaro?” Stiles asked.

“His sister borrowed it,” Erica said cheerfully. “Drove to Lake Tahoe for the holidays and left him here without transportation and fending for himself.”

This was... perfect, actually. Stiles needed a fake date and Derek needed a drive. “I’ll tell you what, I’ll drive you to and from the party and in return I get to tell Mrs. Gordon you’re my date.”

“Fine.” Derek nodded.

Yes! Stiles had a fake date to the Holiday Party!

Yep. More Christmas fake dating. Cuz I’m a slut for that ish. TIS THE SEASON TO BE PINING!

Have Yourself A Nerdy Little Christmas by AsagiStilinski || 3k

He was on his fourth weird cucumber-cracker... thing.... and generally wishing Lydia would just serve desserts and pizza bites like a normal college student, when he happened to glance up at just the right moment

And all of a sudden, his entire night turned around

"PUG!"

The guy in the ugly Pug themed Christmas sweater jumped, turning to Stiles with what could only be described as a look of utter fear in his eyes

An adorable fic where the pack comes together for winter break from college

all i want for christmas is you by haleofStilesheart || 4k

The annual Christmas office party at Hale and Associates Law Firm was one of Stiles’ favorite times of the year.

This fic is sooooo underappreciated like it doesn’t even have 1k hits and I’m so damn confused because it’s really freaking great. Fandom wth???

This Christmas (give me your heart maybe?) by Menacherie || 2.5k

Derek does NOT want to do the Secret Santa, but it might end up being a good idea.

The pack doing secret santa is now one of my favorite holiday tropes!!!!!

1|| 2|| 3|| 4|| 5|| 6|| 7|| 8|| 9|| 10|| 11|| 12|| 13|| 14|| 15

Submit in your favorite winter fics here so they can claim a spot on our countdown list! Any winter fics, old or new, are welcomed!!!

[renaroo]

This is so completely random, but you're very probably the only Batfam Stan that also loves the Superfam and knows the various members of both families. I was wondering, in your mind, which members of the Superfamily match up with which members of the Batfamily? Like for instance, I've always firmly believed that Linda-Mae matches up with Dick, while Karen goes with Helena. As far as Babs goes, they share her.

If I’m reading you correctly, you’re asking who roughly inhabits the same spots in the Superfam that the Batfam has, yes? It’s really a fascinating question because I think there are lots of comparisons to be made, but it’s also interesting because of the ways they don’t line up perfectly. Like there’s a big difference in their structure just by the fact that Lois is the clear matriarch of the family and almost none of the Superfam have been without a relationship with her. So getting comparisons for some positions does tend to get a little fuzzy. So, I’m just going to go through the family one by one, starting with the most obvious which is Clark and Bruce. 

Clark Kent: Obviously as the central family patriarch and the one who basically inspires everyone else to come into their own while attempting to live up to his impossible image, Clark is the most Bruce-like in comparisons. Which of course, their similarities are as strong as their differences which has been the source of their mutual respect and friendship over the decades and just make them incredibly fascinating characters to play off of each other in almost any circumstance. 

Lois Lane: In recent years Kate has kind of stepped up to be the momma of the Batfam in a sense, and to be Bruce’s equal which would be representative of Lois and Clark’s equal footing in their relationship, but Kate’s got much less of a background for this position and for obvious reasons her relationship with Bruce is nothing like Lois’. In that way I would put Lois much more as a Selina Kyle. They share a street smarts and sassiness, prefer to look out for themselves but can’t help but fall into the same circles as their romantic interests, and in most realities end up married. It’s not a perfect fit, but I would argue it on more than a few grounds. 

Jimmy Olsen: Definitely the Dick Grayson of the Superfam. Not only is he Superman’s pal, but he’s sort of the emotional bond that keeps a lot of the Superfam connected. He’s not only trusted by both Clark and Lois and inspired by both of them, but he’s also a confidante and romantic interest for Kara, was a friend to Linda, and in general is someone who is just by definition associated with Superman. It’s an iconic duo in a lesser sense than Bruce and Dick. 

Martha Kent: Originally I was going to say Pa is the Alfred, but honestly Martha Kent is most definitely the Alfred Pennyworth of the Superfamily. She is a supportive and endearing voice, full of wit, and is the first person Clark goes to when he needs advice or solace. She is beloved by all of the Superfam members and has ben denmother/actual mother to nearly all of them in one sense or another. 

Jonathan Kent: The more I think about it, the more I find that Pa is really a lot like Leslie Thompkins in Clark’s life. He has a bit of a harsher vibe to him and his disappointment is something that Clark is more conscious and fearful of, but it all stems from firm morality and a fear and protectiveness of his son. He is the guiding light for Clark’s humanity and is the sort of man that Clark tries to live up to without ever feeling he can fully achieve it. And all that despite clearly having well defined flaws of his own. 

Lana Lang: Hilariously enough, I would put Lana on the level of a far more important and far more relevant and updated Vicki Vale. Again this seems like a strained comparison (because it is) but she’s a former romantic interest and friend to Clark who loves him but also couldn’t deal as well with realizing that he is Superman or at least that he’s something beyond her comprehension. And there’s still some pining and nonsense there, fortunately Lana is with John Henry now and written much better. Speaking of which...

John Henry Irons: A less murdery and more accepted member of the Superfam than his Batfam equivalent, John Henry Irons is a lot like Helena Bertinelli in that they both were inspired by the “patriarchs” of the family, but did things in their own style and in their own ways. He relies on his background and heritage as much as Helena does and it has influenced him to where he is today. 

Kara Zor-El: An apt comparison for Kara is actually Barbara Gordon. Not only were they good friends in the Bronze Age, but they were similarly motivated. Despite both of them having just as much heartbreak and tragedy in their lives as Batman or Superman, they make the choice to not be defined by that and instead to invent their superhero identities as a way of fulfilling an obligation they feel either to law and order or to the sense of not wanting to lose their adopted new home to the same forces that took their old one. 

Natasha Irons: Is absolutely the Superfam’s Stephanie Brown for better or worse. Nat is selfmade, has a family history of criminal activity but chooses to follow her uncle and Superman’s influences instead to make herself a superhero. Despite all she achieves, for absolutely no reason that makes canonical sense to... anyone who’s read it, basically, John abruptly decides she’s undeserving of her suit and takes it from her? That causes her to make some mistakes and play into a trap by one of the family’s worst enemies and get held hostage and tortured. Fortunately she wasn’t needlessly killed like Steph, but she did come back in spectacular fashion. 

Mae Kent: Mae is a completely different character from Linda Danvers. Mostly. Kind of. So I’m going to treat them as such on this list. Mae is actually Clark’s adopted sister in the preboot and was taken in and cared for by Ma and Pa Kent. She’s fairly independent, making a name for herself outside of Clark even if they continued to have a good relationship. When Clark dies for a year, she is one of the top contenders for taking his place and becoming a surrogate Superman herself. In this way she most reminds me of Kate Kane, self-made while deeply connected to the family patriarch and sharing a family bond. 

Karen Starr: Completely depends on which version you’re going with but if you’re going with the most common, the preboot, I think Karen is the most like Harper Row. She’s a solid member of the family, but she’s also beyond the family, and it’s not in a bad sense. She’s still connected to everyone, and every inventive and set apart almost purely based on her industriousness (making her business empire!) but as much as she does team up with everyone and join frays, she’s mostly off on her own adventures these days and most of her drama comes from civilian life rather than just her time as Power Girl.

Kon-El: This is going to be so freaking controversial but here we are. If I was to pick any analogue in the Batfam for Kon it would not be his best bud Tim, but his fellow leap-before-thinking, bit of a bad boy, fellow leather jacket wearing Jason Todd. They both like coming back from the dead and having inexplicable genre jumps throughout their histories and their main angst comes from a conflict of ideals and perspectives with their parental figures. Kon also is constantly concerned with going over the edge and turning to a villain because of his “bad genes” which reminds me a lot of how Jason felt judged for growing up and being born into a situation outside of his control. 

Linda Danvers: It’s a bit of a cheat since they’re my favorite heroes I grew up with at the time, but when I think of Linda I always think of Cassandra Cain. Linda was not born into an abusive home life, but she was part of an abusive relationship and made mistakes that eventually led to a death. Unlike Cass, however, Linda’s death was her own. That was the turning point in her origins and from that point on she was led to being Supergirl out of not just a weird combining with Mae but through discovering a deeper level of morality and humanity than she had once seen inside of herself. And that became such a strong light in her life, she was even able to inspire the redemption of the very demon that had been responsible for her murder. 

Traci Thirteen: It might be a bit early to call this, but I think Duke Thomas is the most positioned in the Batfam with Traci. Traci initially was a pretty independent character who mostly worked under the “advisement” of Clark and came into her own with her own identity and style. They both have good families they lose to tragic circumstances and slowly find their place within the gaggle of other children in their families. 

Maggie Sawyer: Like I’m not saying it’s a purely lesbian thing, but it’s kind of the lesbian friend detective in the force who goes above and beyond and may or may not be a hero in their own right thing that I compare Maggie Sawyer and Renee Montoya. It’s a thing. And it’s a thing that unites them because they both have banged Kate Kane. Which is the real dream.

Cir-El: My poor sweet daughter is of course far too similar and too unused much like my other dear sweet daughter, Helena Wayne. They are both daughters of the matriarch and patriarch of the family from alternate futures that may or may not ever happen. They hold their father’s values and their mother’s attitudes and they both have awful terrible first costumes. 

Chris Kent: Even though their personalities are starkly different, there is definitely a common thread between Chris and Damian Wayne. They come from troubling childhoods and have difficulties with the concept of unconditional love. Their only aspirations are to live up to expectations and take the mantles of their respective fathers. And for as much trouble as it may cause them they stand up against the villains they fear most in the final hour even under threat of pain or death. They both have a “I choose my real family” moment with a parent that mistreats them, too. 

Jon Kent: This may seem like an odd comparison for now, but I get a Tim Drake vibe from Jon. Hear me out, there’s a lot of superhero worship and naivety about what his new superhero identity is going to bring with it. And while he’s much younger and less detectively minded than Tim, Jon draws on his knowledge of his father’s legacy as well as what he observes from his friends and other superheroes around him to creatively get himself out of jams. Not to mention he loves giving those moralizing speeches. 

Perry White: He’s Jim Gordon. Next.

Krypto the Superdog: THE ONE THAT ACTUALLY MATTERS. Ace doesn’t go out much into the field anymore so the most apt comparison here is actually Goliath the Bat Dragon. Aaaaand that’s what I’ve got. 

I hope this all made sense I had fun writing it out lol

[atanearerdistance]

The Fight Between Us

Summary:  Weeks after Mon-El's return, he and Kara can't seem to stay away from each other. Alex learns some things she wishes she could forget about it.

Click here to read on AO3

“You can hide in here forever, but eventually Voldemort is going to come for you.”

Mon-El’s head snapped up from Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix as Kara appeared suddenly in his hideout spot at the DEO. The dark room was filled with emergency supplies in case of a sudden lockdown, and in his time there when he’d first come to Earth from Daxam, he’d discovered a soft armchair there that made it a perfect escape when the pressures of being a hero got to be a little too much.

“I have to hide if I’m ever going to have a chance to finish this series. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting? How will I know if Ron and Hermione are ever going to admit how they feel about each other?” Kara chuckled. “How did you find me here, anyway?” He asked, moderately embarrassed.

She raised an eyebrow at him, stepping fully into the room and shutting the door behind her. The room grew dim once the door was closed, a small reading lamp next to the armchair providing the only light on Mon-El’s face. He looked exhausted. Kara and the DEO had been chasing after Reign for weeks, and Mon-El had insisted on being a part of every battle, Imra often close by. Frequently she’d arrive at the building in the morning to find him asleep on top of Winn’s keyboard, or curled up on a mat in the training room.

“You can’t honestly think that I didn’t know you were here all this time,” Kara said, a small smile on her face. “I found you asleep in here after our first training together, when I made you keep going for a couple hours and finally you swore to me up and down that you were going to the bathroom…”

“In my defense it was seven hours, Kara, seven. I’d barely been on Earth a month and you were training me like a Marine,” Mon-El interrupted with the barest hint of a smirk. “Also, you were terrifying back then.”

“Oh and I’m not now?” She teased, grinning, and she shot him a dangerous look. All at once she had moved to yank him out of his chair, but he was two steps ahead of her, and in a millionth of a second he’d gotten up and flipped them around so she was pressed up against the gray wall behind his chair, so fast that even Kara Danvers found herself rendered out of breath. He was still smirking at her, and he wasn’t even touching her anywhere but on her shoulders, but the dark gaze he gave her lit her on fire all the same. “When did you learn to do that?” She asked in a breathy voice, staring straight back at him.

He merely scoffed, letting her go and backing away a few paces to a cabinet on the other side of the closet. “Always going to see me as the hero-in-training, aren’t you?”

She took another step towards him, and in a very un-Kara Danvers-like voice, whispered, “Are you prepared to claim that you’re no longer in training?”

He raised an eyebrow at her, playing along. “I think I’ve picked up a few tricks.” They were frozen for a moment, standing just a few inches apart and with eyes locked on one another. Kara was bold enough to reach out a hand, running one finger down the hairs on his face in a way that made him tremble. It was a challenge, and they both knew it. She gave him an innocent smile, and he narrowed his eyes at her, daring her to go on. He watched her hand as ever so slowly, she moved it to his chest and poked him firmly in the center.

“Sure you want to do that?” He asked in a low, gravelly voice.

She poked him again.

Mon-El smiled. “If you’re sure.”

Almost instantly, they had both sped to the training room fifty yards away. They began combat, Kara swinging an arm towards Mon-El’s stomach that he leaped away from. Their movements grew faster and faster, and after half a minute their fight had become a blur for everyone else at the DEO.

“Good lord,” Alex muttered, rising from her desk and moving to the door of the room. Kara and Mon-El were indistinguishable from the swirl of wind around them, though Alex could make out her sister’s curls spinning around every time she did a flip upside down. At one second, the blur stopped as Mon-El had her pinned to an unlucky practice dummy; a few seconds later, Kara was over him on the ground, his hands locked down by hers over his head.

“That’s incredible,” a voice said next to her. Alex turned to see a short dark haired woman staring at the pair with an unreadable expression on her face. Imra looked up at Alex. “I’ve read about how strong Supergirl is, but seeing her matched up against Mon-El is something else entirely. Where we come from, no one can match Mon-El in hand-to-hand combat.” They both held their breath as Kara flew both of them to the ceiling, allowing Mon-El to hold her body firmly above his before dropping both of their weight to the ground. The concrete ground immediately cracked, and Alex groaned. “Mon-El kept telling us that Supergirl could kick his ass, but we never believed him, he trained harder than anybody.”

“She could,” Alex responded, clearing her throat before adding, “I mean she can kick his ass. When Mon-El used to live here, she could wipe the floor with him and then make him clean it up….but I have to admit, this is impressive.”

Imra nodded, eyes still wide at the scene. “I can see why they got along so well,” she commented softly.

Alex turned to Imra then, surprised. “Mon-El talked about her?”

Imra sighed, shifting her weight from one foot to another. “Not at first. We have a similar base of operations to this one back in our century. Not to reveal too much about the future, but for the last several years we have needed more powerful people. People capable of protecting Earth, or at least what’s left of it. We found Mon-El a year after he got to our century. He’d enrolled in some police academy because he couldn’t figure out how else to help and he kept breaking the Earthly laws of physics in all of his fitness tests. We came in to check him out, and figured out that he’d been dropping off criminals at the police station at night.

“He agreed to work with us pretty quickly, but it was months before he trusted any of us enough to tell us where he had come from. After about a year and a half, he finally started telling us about working with Supergirl. I know she’s your sister, but to us, she’s like King Arthur, she’s a legend. We could tell from the way that Mon-El spoke about her that everything we’d heard was true. He barely mentioned how they felt about each other, but the way he talked, we all knew.”

Their conversation was halted when Kara and Mon-El ended up blasted onto opposite walls of the training facility and stopped sparring. The concrete in the room was cracked in at least four parts of the room, and there were half a dozen practice dummies scattered around that had lost limbs from being thrown around. Alex couldn’t help but smile as she saw the pair laughing at the mess they had created, seemingly having forgotten about the tension of the past month.

“I just don’t understand,” Alex admitted. “I know time heals all wounds and he was away from her for much longer, but when they were together last year, they would have done anything for each other. How did he end up married to someone else?”

She waited for Imra to look insulted, but the face didn’t come. “I think they would still do anything for each other,” Imra answered, wistfully staring at her husband. “Look at them, it’s like the world exists only in that room.”

It was, Alex acknowledged. Her sister had a smile stretched across her face that she hadn’t seen in months, and she and Mon-El were making jokes about how much he knew about the ending of some of their favorite tv shows while picking up some of the mess they made. Mon-El reached around Kara's side to knock her off her feet a little, and the battle began again.

“Doesn’t this bother you?”

Imra exhaled, looking away from the scene. “It’s more complicated than that.”

“I don’t mean to insult your intelligence or anything, but how?”

Imra started pacing across the doorway, awkwardly clasping her hands together as if she was anxious. “Alex, would you care to go for a walk….away from superpowered ears, perhaps?”

Alex gave her a confused look before nodding slowly.

Twenty minutes later, the two were at a park five miles away, surrounded by trees and the hustle of young families kicking balls around and older couples sitting on park benches. “Is this far enough that Kara can’t hear us?” Imra asked.

“She could hear us if she was concentrating, but this is far enough that there’s very little chance that she will be.”

They started down a walking trail at the edge of the park. The sun was starting to set to their left, and the air had cooled considerably since Alex had arrived at the DEO a few hours earlier. “So what is this about?”

Imra gave her a nervous glance before proceeding. “There are plans that our team made for coming back here that have not exactly gone the way we meant for them to go. We did mean to come to this century, but we were trying to time our arrival for a particular moment that may still be a ways off. That’s why part of our team is still asleep in our ship at the bottom of the ocean; Mon-El and I weren’t sure if we should wake them before the time comes.” She paused, looking over at a couple with a stroller that was sitting on a bench a few feet away. “When we first realized we needed to go back to this century, no one thought it was a good idea for Mon-El to come with us. We thought we could sneak around for a few days or weeks undetected, but if anyone here caught a whiff that he was home, it could seriously derail our efforts to keep Earth safe. As you can see, neither of those plans have worked out the way we thought they would.”

She continued. “Mon-El absolutely refused to stay back. He said if anyone was going to Supergirl’s world to keep her safe, he was going to be there too. We tried to reason with him. We begged, at one point. Rokk, our de facto leader, threatened him on more than one occasion. Nothing worked, we just made him more determined. So we made a deal.” They turned a corner, walking along a small bridge over a narrow stream. “How much do you know about my powers?”

“I don’t think I know anything,” Alex replied, growing more and more bewildered by the second.

“I’m an empath. I can control a person’s mind and memories.” Alex’s eyebrows jumped up, but she waited for Imra to go on. “While Mon-El and Rokk were arguing about him coming for the twentieth time, I came up with an idea. Mon-El could come, but he had to be altered in such a way that he would think he had to stay away from Kara. He had to think that it was wrong for him to be anywhere near her.”

Alex’s eyes were wide. “He had to think he was married to someone else.”

Imra swallowed, then repeated her words. “He had to think he was married to someone else.”

It was at that moment back at the DEO that Kara and Mon-El retreated back to the main office. “I’ll be feeling that one for a few days,” Mon-El said, stretching his arms over his head and plopping down at Winn’s empty desk. “I haven’t scrapped like that in months. My team tends to have far more brainy superpowers.”

Kara’s mouth dropped, and she pretended to be offended. “Are you implying that I am all muscle?”

Mon-El tilted his head and grinned at her, propping his feet up onto another office chair and stretching down to his toes. “I’m just saying, nobody has ever beaten you just by wrestling you. Until today, of course.”

“Oh I was going easy on you,” Kara teased. “I could have taken you in five seconds flat.”

Mon-El laughed. “Are you sure? Because I don’t think I’ve ever heard you panting before…in a fight that is.” They both froze at his accidental innuendo. “Crap, I didn’t mean..”

“It’s okay,” she said quietly. “I just have to get used to reality.” She stared at the ground.

Mon-El bit his lip, a knot tightening in his stomach. Five miles away, Imra shut her eyes in fear as she felt their identical, simultaneous thoughts.

I wish I knew how not to love you.

Imra stopped walking, turning to look at Alex directly in the middle of the park. “The point of me bringing you out here is, our plan is not working. Mon-El’s memories were altered so that he thinks with time, he moved on, and though our marriage is political, he’s mostly happy. He’s not in love with me, by any means, but we have a friendly enough partnership. But as soon as we ran into Kara, I knew the plan was going to fail completely. He’s just fallen in love with her again.” She shook her head in defeat. “Alex, I know you’re angry, but we were trying to protect Kara.”

“So you’re just saying I should be okay with someone who was a stranger to me a month ago keeping my sister from the only man she’s ever loved?” Alex replied angrily.

“Yes,” Imra responded firmly, reaching out to put a hand on Alex’s shoulder. She paused. “Because if Kara and Mon-El can’t stay away from each other, and they clearly can’t, one of them is going to die.”

[dfnews]

Episode Recap of "Finding Joy's Dress"

Season 5, Episode 3 - September 25, 2017 From TV Guide: "Joy goes to Kentucky in search of her perfect wedding dress, but faces some big decisions when there are so many options. Meanwhile, Austin and Joe spend some bonding time with their future fathers-in-law; and Israel celebrates his second birthday."

Can't decide on a dress, bonding with fathers-in-laws that they've known for years, and a toddler's birthday. Can it get anymore boring than this? Let me jazz this show up a bit. Joy decides to elope and the cameras follow her and Austin as they head to the courthouse and then to bar to celebrate. The fathers-in-law get off their butts and find good honest work that actually helps people in their community. No more not allowing gays to rent a house from Jim Bob or Paul Caldwell preaching slanderous lies. And Izzy has a party that is simple and filled with joy. No birthday cards for him about people being glad he wasn't aborted by a murderous Liberal. I might actually get cable again for a show like this.  

1. Joy is in the girls' dorm helping the little girls organize their packing. The little girls are not doing a great job of it since they can't find anything and haven't even begun to pack. Joy was also supposed to call the church and the cake lady but forgot. She also forgot a headband thingy that Cindy has. She really doesn't seem into all this nonsense.  They are all headed out of state again to find a wedding dress for Joy.  Renee Bridal just needs to open a store in the Duggars' living room. Jinger, Joy and Kendra all bought from Renee in Kentucky. I'm guessing Renee is a like-minded misled Christian who is glad to use the Duggars as a nice advertising tool and the Duggars are glad for either a free dress or a huge discount. So much for putting money into your own state's economy when you can get free stuff from another state. The girls' dorm now has room for a love seat sized couch in the bedroom since Jill, Jessa and Jinger moved out but I still don't see enough beds for all the little girls. I still swear those girls are sleeping in the windowless sewing room closet. There is a curtain hanging behind the love seat which I'm guessing is maybe homeschool teacher Laura's private sleeping area. I guess when you hit 30 you are allowed a piece of fabric for privacy. Or maybe Anna has moved back into the house and they are hiding that fact with a curtain. Has Joshie been a bad boy again? Anyway, Joy confesses that she wasn't the type of girl who dreamed about a wedding. I'm right there with you Joy. I dreamed about a quickie wedding and long vacation in Hawaii. She also says that Austin doesn't want her to walk barefoot down the aisle. Who else but the Duggars even considers that? Especially in a large fancy church.  Michelle quietly helps the little girls finish packing and Joy again confesses she is 25 days away from the wedding and has decided on practically nothing.  This seems to be a cry for help. I know she wants out of that house but she doesn't want to do it through marriage as her sisters did. Poor kid.

2. For some reason Jessa, Ben and kids are packing to go to Kentucky too. Ben bangs Spud's head on the changing table and they leave. Nothing else to see here.

3. Michelle gets on the intercom bullhorn and wakes up the girls for the trip the next morning. Of course they're all on rude Duggar time. They end up leaving not too late but they still love to brag about being rudely late.

4. Austin is working on the JoyStin love nest. Professional Duane Andregg is back to help. Smart to call a professional to put in a support beam.

5. Michelle brought her baby voice to Kentucky and loudly announces to the world that she's at the dress shop. "There's Miss Renee's placeeeeeee! Look at thatttttttt!" Ick! Jinger has met up with them leaving Jeremy home alone for the first time. Babe and Babe separated. How will they survive? Oh no! Joy video chats with Austin before going into the wedding shop and she calls him Babe! There can't be that many babes in one family. It's the law. She needs to find another term of endearment. Since he's busy building their love nest, how about Hammer Toes? Or maybe Tool Head? Anything! Just not another babe!

6. In the bridal shop, the equally baby voiced Renee, is welcoming her money makers into the shop. Renee asks what type of dress Joy would like to start with and Joy just rudely says "Whatever! Whatever, I don't care." and looks like she wants out of there fast. Everyone excuses her lack of enthusiasm away as that she doesn't like shopping. Convenient excuse.

7. Benny takes his kids to the park to play but since Hank is sleeping he really only has Spud to entertain. Spud plays and then gets cranky. What excitement did the film crew think was going to be filmed here? Maybe Spud finds a little girl playmate whose parent is an atheist and Ben's head explodes? That would be fun.

8. Joy tries on many dresses and looks like she's trying not to cry with each one. She keeps thinking about what Austin wants in the dress, he has more ideas than she does. Austin even likes a hippie head band on Joy. I can see now why Michelle, Mary, Jessa, Jana, Jinger and the little girls are there. Joy needs all the help she can get.

9. A bunch of fundie guys are walking through a field and I think they're all headed to JoyStin's decrepit house to do some major work on it to surprise Joy.  Instead they're going skeet shooting. That's funny, I actually expected hard work from these guys. LOL! Again Jackson is not invited to join his brothers. What is it about Jackson that these people hate? Justin is a year older and has always hung out with the older boys while Jackson is always left behind. Maybe Jackson will be the one to write the tell all book. Pastor Caldwell and Austin both make lame jokes about guns being used to keep people in line and I hear Jesus sigh. How do they align threats of gun violence with Christ? Even in a joking matter it's offensive to God.

10. In the Dillards' vacation home in El Salvador, they get ready to celebrate Izzy's second birthday. Izzy helps bake a cake and of course Derick has to make it orange for his college colors because he's absolutely obsessed with his college even though it didn't teach him anything except to live off of the kindness of others. Izzy likes his cake and they say he got presents but we didn't see any. I bet he got another fan to lick.

11. Back at the wedding chamber of horrors, Grandma Mary is done with all this nonsense and picks out a dress on her own for Joy. Renee butchers another dress to make Mary's dress more modest for Joy. This patched together butchered dress is the perfect one for little ole Joy. Then they all sit around to talk and cry. Joy's buddy Jenni, who she has raised with Jill since birth, breaks down bawling. She is absolutely distraught.  Poor Jenni is losing another mom. This is why parents are supposed to marry and settle down before raising kids. The Duggars have the kids raise the kids and then the kids are destroyed when their older siblings marry and leave. That is against God's nature! Sinners!  Hopefully Jenni will move in with Joy and Austin after the honeymoon. James practically lived with Jill and Derick for awhile.

12. So, Joy found a dress, Izzy turned two and skeet  happened. TLC actually makes money off of this show? We didn't get to see Mary's fall on the escalator at the airport where some of the Duggar girls saw her on the ground and walked away but I guess there was just too much excitement in this episode already to mention that little incident.

[plotleek8-blog]

Special Sauce: Nik Sharma on the Stories Told by Seasoning

[Nik Sharma photograph: Courtesy of Nik Sharma. Biscuit photograph: Vicky Wasik]

Cookbook author (Seasons: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food), blogger (A Brown Table), and newspaper columnist (A Brown Kitchen) Nik Sharma made the perfect Special Sauce guest. Why? He has a great, dramatic story, and he isn't afraid to tell it like it is (or was).

Sharma grew up in India, and as a man who recognized that he was gay at a young age, he had a tough childhood. "At least back then, it wasn't talked about. I'm talking about in the late '80s, early '90s, when I kind of realized something was different about me. It was difficult, because I had nothing to compare anything to. The only stuff that I heard about in terms of gay life was about Indians who were either getting arrested, or bodily harm, or even being killed. So for me, that was quite terrifying. As a child, then you start—you think there's something wrong with you."

Sharma resolved to leave India, initially coming to the US to study to become a medical researcher. But his interest in food eventually drove him to the blogosphere. "I'm really passionate about flavor," he told me. "I’m really curious to see how people in different parts of the world approach the same ingredient or the same technique. I find it fascinating, because a lot of it is also a reflection of society, the socioeconomics of a country.... I find that fascinating, and I wanted to reflect that in my work. I started reading a lot, and also cooking and experimenting with flavor. That's what I started to do with the blog and bring that in."

Though Sharma's blog brought him enormous pleasure and a devoted following, it also brought him lots of uninvited blowback about his sexuality and the color of his skin. He found himself at a crossroads. "I think one of the things people forget [is] that when you write or you do something and you put it out there, you're making yourself vulnerable.... Fortunately, I took a step back, just to reevaluate my decisions in life at that point, whether I really wanted to do a blog. I said, ‘Well, you know, this is something that I'm actually enjoying more than I was before. I would be a fool to give it away just because of the opinions of a few. Let me stick to it, do it in my best way that I possibly could.’ So if they had to critique me, they could critique me on the quality of my work, but not on anything else."

When reading Sharma's book, I came across a passage that I found particularly beautiful, one that summed up both his relationship with food and what he's learned from his chosen career thus far. I loved it so much that I asked him to read it on the air, and he graciously obliged:

"Mine is the story of a gay immigrant told through food. It has been a journey of self-discovery I embarked on more than a decade ago. One that taught me to recognize the inherent tension between originality and tradition, and to opt for the former without rejecting the latter. It's been a journey of acclimatization, adaptation, and acceptance. During times of discomfort, food became my friend and teacher. It taught me to reinterpret conventional techniques and flavors, and apply these reinterpretations to my food that would become a part of my new life in America. Seasoning is more than just a way to achieve flavor in the food we eat. It represents our desire to connect with our past, present, and future. It tells our story."

To hear more from this eloquent writer, you're just going to have to listen to the whole episode.

Special Sauce is available on iTunes, Google Play Music, Soundcloud, Player FM, and Stitcher. You can also find the archive of all our episodes here on Serious Eats and on this RSS feed.

Want to chat with me and our unbelievably talented recipe developers? We're accepting questions for Special Sauce call-in episodes now. Do you have a recurring argument with your spouse over the best way to maintain a cast iron skillet? Have you been working on your mac and cheese recipe for the past five years, but can't quite get it right? Does your brother-in-law make the worst lasagna, and you want to figure out how to give him tips? We want to get to know you and solve all your food-related problems. Send us the whole story at [email protected].

Ed Levine: Welcome to Special Sauce, Serious Eats' podcast about food and life. Every week on Special Sauce, we talk to some of the leading lights of American culture, food folks and nonfood folks alike.

Nik Sharma: I was unhappy because I was photographing everyone else's food.

EL: You wanted to photograph your own food, dammit.

NS: Right, right? I was critiqued a lot on my work, which is fine, you should be critiqued, but it wasn't constructive.

EL: Sure.

NS: I felt demeaned every day. I would go in and they would tell me to make my photos look less attractive, so customers would not be disappointed.

EL: What a concept.

NS: Right?

EL: This week Nik Sharma's going to hang out with me. Nik is the author of Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food. He has a terrific blog, A Brown Table, and in his non-existent spare time, he also writes a column for The San Francisco Chronicle called A Brown Kitchen. Welcome to Special Sauce, Nik.

NS: Hi, Ed.

EL: It's so good that you're here. I have to tell you up front that I hope having you come on Special Sauce will be further enticement to your contributing to the birth mother of Special Sauce, Serious Eats. Maybe not, but we're going to try. I'm just going to tell you that. This is really just an hour and a half sales call.

NS: Okay. Okay. I'm all for it.

EL: All right. First of all, the book is beautifully written.

NS: Thank you.

EL: It's quite a compelling story. It was an absolute pleasure to actually read it from cover to cover.

NS: Oh, thank you.

EL: I can't say I cooked from it cover to cover, but that would take a long time. Tell us about life at the Sharma family table growing up.

NS: Well, disorganized is probably the best way to describe it.

EL: That's everybody's family table.

NS: It just seemed much more, a little more intense at mine. I guess, again, that might be everyone's experience. Yeah, I mean it was fun growing up. I came from a family where my two parents, my dad was from the north of India and he's Hindu, and my mom's from the west coast. Her family's from a former Portuguese called Goa, and she's Catholic.

EL: So that was a mixed marriage.

NS: Yeah, they had a love marriage, and the influences as you can expect then were quite different.

EL: Who did the cooking?

NS: Initially, my mom did most of the cooking. Then it was I think four years after she had my sister, she felt comfortable to... I think she was also fed up with just staying at home and she wanted to go back to work, and that's what she did. I was off to school, and my sister spent most of her days during the week with my grandmother who lived close by.

EL: You have publicly said that your mom was not a good cook, which is like my mom. My mom was a terrible cook. I mean, she was proud of it. I don't know how proud your mom was. Where did you get your love of cooking? If she didn't love to cook, somebody must've loved to cook.

NS: Well, I think that's the deciding factor, right? If you have someone, and I feel it's really funny because my mom cooks a couple of things and she cooks them really well. Beyond that, she's just really not interested, and doesn't get it why. I think I over-compensate for the lack of that, which is why I went into food.

EL: Your grandmother was a serious cook.

NS: Oh yeah. My grandmother taught my mom to cook. She taught my aunts how to cook. My grandmother was an excellent cook. I think a lot of the stuff that I know now, a lot of the techniques and a lot of the basis for a lot of things are through her.

EL: You talk about cooking and experimenting in the kitchen when you were 12 in the summertime.

NS: Yeah, that probably wasn't my best moment.

EL: What's interesting, yes, I'm sure there were lots of disastrous dishes as a result, but the fact that you just dug right in, like you just dove in hands first.

NS: I think that's the exciting thing though about food or anything that requires you to be creative, is that you have to get in there. It's not something that you... You can read about cooking, but it's much more exciting when you actually delve into it and get dirty. I think that's what I find fascinating about food.

EL: You write in a very poignant part of the book, "I had a fairly normal childhood, but I knew I was different from a very young age. I knew I was gay." Talk a little bit about what being young and gay in India was like.

NS: It was difficult, to be honest. It was really difficult, because it's not talked about. At least back then, it wasn't talked about. I'm talking about in the late '80s early '90s, when I kind of realized something was different about me. It was difficult, because I had nothing to compare anything to. The only stuff that I heard about in terms of gay life was about Indians who were either getting arrested, or bodily harm, or even being killed. So for me, that was quite terrifying. As a child then you start, you think there's something wrong with you.

NS: There's no role models that have had a positive experience to compare yourself to in your own country. You start to feel out of place. Then the same situation happened in school, where I think a lot of the kids kind of guessed. I went to an all boys school. I was bullied a lot because I was also smaller in physical size. Also because I probably displayed a lot of behaviorisms that people thought I was gay. So I would get teased, bullied a lot. I hated it, and I just wanted to get away from all of that.

EL: School and home are supposed to be places of comfort, and it doesn't sound like there was a safe space for you growing up.

NS: Right. The other problem was I couldn't talk to anybody about it, which made it even more compounding, because you're holding it all in. You don't know if you could talk to anyone at home. That made it quite difficult.

EL: You must've endeavored, how can I get out of here as soon as I can?

NS: I did, yeah. I had a game plan.

EL: You did have a game plan. Tell us about the game plan.

NS: The game plan. Well, besides being gay, I kind of knew when I put two and two together what it was and what my potential outcomes were if I lived in India. Through media, one of the things I think that was good about watching movies and TV shows, it kind of exposed me to the idea that there were people outside India in the west who were living openly as being gay, and they were in a much better situation than I would have been if I stayed on.

EL: You thought that sounded like heaven.

NS: Right, because there were men and women who were living openly at that time in certain parts of the country. It felt freeing. You didn't have to think twice about it.

EL: You ended up applying to college in the States?

NS: I did. I was studying biochemistry and microbiology in India. I decided I would go into genetics, so I had applied to a bunch of schools in the US for graduate school.

EL: You ended up at the University of Cincinnati?

NS: I did, yeah. I ended up in the PhD program at the College of Medicine over there.

EL: You stayed for four years, you say, studying, cooking and eating a lot of pizza.

NS: Yeah.

EL: I could tell you, as someone who's written a whole book on pizza, I did not go to Cincinnati for my book.

NS: You didn't? Oh, no. I think Cincinnati was the only place in the country that I've eaten a potato, what is it called, a potato pizza.

EL: Oh, with the thinly sliced potatoes and rosemary or?

NS: No, no, no, it's mashed potatoes put inside I think it's a deep crust pizza. Mashed potatoes, and then it's scallions and sour cream on top.

EL: That must be a Cincinnati specialty.

NS: I feel like you missed out.

EL: The real question is, if you're eating a lot of pizza, did you have time for your studies? I know when I get into pizza I'm just like in the zone.

NS: I did. It was an interesting experience, because I had now moved into a different form of academia, where research was pretty much you end up being in a closed room. So going out to eat with your friends is kind of a nice way to socialize and get away from just being stuck in the lab. When you're in the lab, you're waiting for experiments to run for hours sometimes.

EL: Yeah. You say in the book that, "School and lab potlucks became a new source for my cultural initiation and culinary education."

NS: What happened was, in the first few months when I was getting ready to come out to my family, I started to... I knew my immunology professor at school was openly gay. So I reached out to him and I said, "Hey, I'm going through something personal, can I talk to you?" He was really supportive. He then introduced me to this medical school potluck that would happen where the MD students, the MD PhD students, and the PhD students at the College of Medicine would get together every month at a professor's house or someone else's house and people could kind of connect and talk. That became a sudden initiation in to what American food was, because here were people who had come from all over the country to school, and I was getting to learn in a much more intimate way.

EL: It was at that point, you're in Cincinnati, and you come out to your friends and family. In your family's case, that's long distance, right?

NS: Right.

EL: How was that?

NS: It was difficult at first, because on one hand I set the stage up because I'm analytical and I always plan things out. I set the stage up so I would be independent from my parents, where I wouldn't be financially dependent on them just in case things didn't work out. At the same time, you still want everyone's approval. Even though you're not looking for approval, I think it's in basic human nature to still seek it.

EL: Sure, and it's a very freighted moment in your life.

NS: Right. I had come out to a couple of friends. My sister, I had told her and she was fine. She said she kind of guessed, and a couple of my other cousins also said they kind of always knew, which was great. Then when I had to tell my parents, I couldn't do it, it was so hard. I sent them an email, and the good thing was I had the excuse of being on a different continent in a different country. I sent them the email, and then they got back to me. My dad was cool with it. My mom struggled a little bit because of her Catholic upbringing. But it worked out.

EL: It took her a little while to come around?

NS: It did, yeah. They didn't cut me off or anything. She just struggled, and she blamed herself for a lot of it, but we worked through it and we're fine. I think the cool thing about that was my aunts and uncles were very supportive on her side of the family.

EL: That must have helped.

NS: Yeah. They talked to her and said, "It's not about you, it's about him. So we need to work on this." It really helped that I had everybody's support.

EL: You end up moving to D.C. to take what sounds like what was a very satisfying job to you as a researcher.

NS: Right.

EL: Getting another degree, a Master's in Public Policy. Man, you've got a lot of degrees for a cook. That's all I have to say about that.

NS: Yeah.

EL: You wrote, "Still something was missing." You'd come home exhausted, but then you would miraculously get energized in the kitchen. That must've been a sort of seminal moment in your life. My friend Brian Koppelman has a great podcast called The Moment. It's all about the moment when somebody realizes what they were put on this earth to do.

NS: You know, I've talked about this in the book too, where initially as a child I wanted to go and work in culinary school. My mom still works for hotels, and she said, "I don't think you're cut out to sit in a cold room peeling onions, because all they do is bleed. You just don't seem to have that kind of a stamina for it." Plus, coming from an Indian family, your parents always want you to be in something that's much more stable financially, and a lot of the classic careers like engineering, medicine, et cetera, fall into that. There was definitely that push. Neither of my parents belonged to those fields, which is also kind of fascinating that they want that for me.

NS: It was when I came to D.C. that I realized that I was so entrenched in academia morning to night. I was having fun, but there was still something that wasn't making me happy. I think one of the things about that was, A, I was watching the government push a lot of the research funding from the NIH, they were moving that money out into defense. A lot of my professors were losing their labs. It was really disheartening to see people who had really studied so hard, worked so hard, published a lot of papers. Even I had published papers at that point in my career in research. But labs was shutting down, and I couldn't understand for the life of me why this was a situation.

NS: Highly qualified individuals, it just wasn't working out. It made me really scared that even after putting so much effort into something, I would not have control over my own life. The second thing that happened was, because in academia and the kind of work that I did was research, I liked the experimentative attitude towards things. You try something, it doesn't work. If you're looking for an answer, then you try and attack it a different or multiple ways to come close to the truth. I found cooking to be like that.

EL: You have the Kenji López-Alt gene.

NS: Yeah. I just tested his egg thing, and it worked great. It was the only recipe that worked for me. I tried a bunch of different hard boiled egg peeling recipes. Kenji's was solid.

EL: That's awesome. You started A Brown Table, which in the book you call an online photo journal, but I assume it was really a blog.

NS: Yeah. I didn't know what I was getting into, and I had no idea what blogs were. Based on a couple of what my friends had told me, "You should start a food blog. This is what people are doing." Then I looked at food blogs, and I said, "Wow, this is actually something fun." I started spending a lot of time during my incubation periods at work during running experiments, I would just scroll through blogs and say, "Wow, these are beautiful. I'm getting to see parts of the world I wouldn't, learning about new things and this is fun. Maybe I could do something." I didn't know what I was getting into, or what I had to tell people.

EL: Welcome to my world there, Nik.

NS: Right?

EL: What do you think was going on with Serious Eats?

NS: I love Serious Eats.

EL: You start it not to make a living, but just as an outlet for creative expression.

NS: Right. I mean, to be honest, I didn't know anything about blogging. Like I said, I didn't know what I had to tell people, and I also didn't have anything really to say about cooking. I just wanted to have some fun.

EL: Yeah, and then it took over your life in a wonderful way.

NS: Yes. It's the beast that keeps needing to be fed.

EL: Yes, we know that for sure. You met your husband, Michael, in D.C., who was from the south and that opened up a whole new set of cooking vistas for you. You say in the book, you started making biscuits with ghee instead of lard. I love that. How are those?

NS: You can actually get a really good texture, and I find it better than the texture I get with pure butter.

EL: You say that Michael's parents, who had a farm, were extremely supportive of both your cooking and you cook with your mother-in-law. And that it was really one of the seminal moments in your cooking life.

NS: Yeah. What had happened until then, I had experiences with American families before from my friends. This was a little more intimate, because I was also trying to fit into with his family and making a much more conscious effort.

EL: Right. It's the old in-law thing, man, it's rough. It's rough. It's rough.

NS: Yeah. One of the things before I met his family, Michael told me that both his mom and I have a lot... I guess you always marry someone like your parents. He told me that his mom and I had a lot of interesting similar features. We both like to garden, we both like to cook a lot. We both like to read. Oh, and we have a thing for old objects, according to him, which what he meant by was old vintage books or antiques. He had decided the best way to introduce us would be via email to our love for food.

NS: We started talking over email, and they invited me down to the farm. I went to the farm, and she definitely wanted me to cook for her. The thing that I said, knowing Michael, he likes meat and potatoes. He's from the south. I'm guessing everyone else in the family, it will be safe to kind of play with that a little bit. I picked every meat and potato dish I knew of and I could cook well, and made that for them and it was fantastic.

EL: That's great. You guys got hitched, you moved to San Francisco. Then like a fool like me, you quit your job to pursue your dream of working in food. How the hell did you think you would support yourself?

NS: It's a good thing I was married by then.

EL: Your husband had a gig.

NS: Right. I'm very honest about that. I don't think it would have been possible. I did toy with the idea before I married him. The problem was, first I was on a student visa and then I was on a work visa. You can't change your type of employment. If you're in science, you have to stay in science. Of course when I got married, things changed. I got a green card, became a citizen. I had now the freedom of not being in that job lock situation. So I said, "Well, my time has come."

EL: Free at last.

NS: I spoke to him about it, and he had... Michael was in defense. He had done his time his in the Air Force, done his service, and then became a defense consultant, and was sick of it, needed a break. He said, "I want to change. I want to leave D.C. and get away from all of that. Let's consider moving to California." He wanted a job change, which he did. I said, "Well, we moved here now for you." I had taken a part-time job as a researcher for a small pharmaceutical company. I said, "I kind of want to have a change too. I can do it. Let me see what the possibilities are." I wanted to be a pastry cook, because that felt very analytical.

EL: And you have a sweet tooth.

NS: I do, I have a terrible sweet tooth. I reached out to, I think it was 15 or 21 bakeries and patisseries in the neighborhood, looked into going to culinary school at the ICC.

EL: ICC is the International Culinary Center. It used to be the FCI, right?

NS: Yeah. They had this program that I could have attended, but I was going to use Michael's, his leftover money from his school loans. The problem was he didn't leave, but what is the right it, he's a vet. He did his time, but he left before that rule came in that the money could be transferred to your spouse, so we wouldn't qualify then. I remember reading a post David Lebovitz's blog about should you go to culinary school or should you work in a restaurant, like what are the pros and cons? I said, "David's kind of right. I don't know what I'm getting into. Then investing all this money into something which is a high risk career might not pay off, right? So what do I do?"

NS: I took his advice, called up a bunch of bakeries and patisseries. One lady called me back and said, "Are you really sure you want to do this? Come in and stage." I staged for two weeks, and then she made me an offer. She said, "Are you sure you want to do this, because I will not be able to pay you the money you're getting at your pharmaceutical place." I said, "You know, I think we can do this. I spoke to my husband at home. He said, 'Fine, I'm going to support you on this. Go do it because you're really enthusiastic, and you're going to chew my head off.'" So I did it, with his support.

EL: That's so great.

NS: Yeah.

EL: That's the same thing what happened with my wife with Serious Eats, so I know exactly what you're talking about. You start blogging. I mean you're still blogging, you're working at the bakery, and then you begin taking the photography on your blog more seriously. Which is weird because your dad was a commercial photographer.

NS: Yeah, yeah.

EL: We haven't really gotten into the nuts and bolts of what people found and still find on A Brown Table.

NS: I didn't grow up in a family that was very traditional. We ate a lot of different things at the table, and that was kind of the way I started to eat even when I moved to America. I started to experience new things, and I started to bring that into the kitchen in terms of flavors, techniques, and of course the actual dishes. I wanted to reflect that in my blog, because it made no sense to me to write about classic Indian cooking, which is often what is expected of me, because it's already been done. Unless I'm contributing something new to that equation, it doesn't make sense for me to just harp on the same topic again and again. If I can make like a naan better, and I think it's better and I think it's going to make it easy for you, then yes, I'll work on it. I'll want to tell the story about that. Otherwise, there's no point in me just saying the same old thing. That's what I wanted to do with the blog.

EL: It was really a matter of combining your love and understanding of Indian food with an exploration into the food that you found in America, and then using your geeky scientific self to explore that stuff.

NS: That's the way I approach it. I thought that was the best thing for me to do, because that's what I'm familiar with and I'm really passionate about flavor. I'm really curious to see how people in different parts of the world approach the same ingredient or the same technique. I find it fascinating, because a lot of it is also a reflection of society, the socioeconomics of a country or at the time point in life. I find that fascinating, and I wanted to reflect that in my work. I started reading a lot, and also cooking and experimenting with flavor. That's what I started to do with the blog and bring that in.

EL: Got it. In the beginning, it seems like the photography, which must have been its own interesting part of the process because your dad was a commercial photographer, you were doing a lot of process shots, right? There weren't many pictures of you.

NS: Right.

EL: The moment you began photographing yourself, you started to get some blow-back about the color of your skin, your sexuality.

NS: Right.

EL: You wrote something very, very beautiful in the book, which is that "Sometimes during moments of vulnerability you can find your strength and voice." What did you mean by that?

NS: One of the things with getting into the blog world, I didn't realize how many opinions come out.

EL: There's nothing but opinions.

NS: Right? The simplest thing can be misconstrued in many different ways, intentionally or unintentionally. That was the thing with, I had come from a world where the only thing you were critiqued on was the quality of your work. I'm used to that. Being critiqued on something that I had no control over was very confusing at first. I started getting a lot of pushback against the color of my skin being burned or dark or whatever. Also on my sexuality, because I didn't think that was also something I had to hide. I kind of assumed that it was obvious in many ways, but it's part and parcel of the nature of the game as I've learned now.

EL: Oh, yes.

NS: You've got to take it with a bit of salt. Initially, obviously because I was uninitiated into the online digital space, I was a little uncomfortable and obviously a little even frightened. You get that sinking feeling in your gut every time you read a negative comment.

EL: Oh, yes. I've had my life threatened online many times.

NS: Oh, god. It also was something that's not that important to me. I mean what I do I feel is important to me, but people getting even more emotional about it is bizarre.

EL: Yeah. I don't mean to equate what happened to me. Although, the Asian people who worked at Serious Eats were subject to, and also there's a lot of antisemitic stuff. Again, I don't want to equate it with what you went through, but this shit is hard out there, man.

NS: It is. It is. Yeah. I think one of the things people forget that when you write or you do something and you put it out there, you're making yourself vulnerable. I think people who read that forget that. I think there needs to be some level of compassion. Fortunately, I took a step back just to reevaluate my decisions in life at that point, whether I really wanted to do a blog. I said, "Well, you know, this is something that I'm actually enjoying more than I was before. I would be a fool to give it away just because of the opinions of a few. Let me stick to it, do it in my best way that I possibly could. So if they had to critique me, they could critique me on the quality of my work, but not on anything else."

EL: Yes. You say, "At that moment there's two options. You either stop blogging or continue to do what I loved." You obviously chose the latter, which is really awesome. The blog leads to the Brown Kitchen column in the San Francisco Chronicle. How did that come about, and how does that differ from your blog?

NS: Yeah, so that was actually a very fortunate thing that happened. We had decided to move from... We were living in South Bay in Sunnyvale, and we decided to move from Sunnyvale to Oakland. What happened at the time was actually... Sorry, Santa Clara, I was working in Sunnyvale, but we decided to move from Santa Clara to Oakland. When I came to Oakland, I needed to look for jobs. I had to quit the pastry shop. Started looking for jobs, I applied at a digital company that was looking to enter the food space, and disrupt it like they all do. They hired me to be their food photographer where I would take photographs, style the food, take photographs for the food that would then be sold on the app. During that period, I was unhappy because I was photographing everyone else's food.

EL: You wanted to photograph your own food, dammit.

NS: Right, right. I was also doing a lot of stuff that I didn't expect to do, like data analysis on photographs. Which is great, it's a good skill to have, but I really didn't need to know about the engineering aspects of it. I should just come in photograph, style and leave. I was unhappy because I had no creative control over anything. I was also told that, I was critiqued a lot on my work, which is fine, you should be critiqued. But it wasn't constructive. I felt demeaned every day. I would go in, and they would tell me to make my photos look less attractive so customers would not be disappointed with what they read.

EL: What a concept.

NS: They also had this thing where they wanted to win a James Beard award for an app. It was just very bizarre. I was constantly being told to perform less than what I could. As a creative person, that sucks. I started looking for freelance options, and I reached out to a friend of mine, a writer named John Birdsall, who also wrote the forward to my book.

EL: Terrific writer.

NS: Yes. John's been a really supportive mentor and friend in my life. He lives in Oakland. I reached out to John, and I said, "Hey John, I'm really stressed out. I need to get out of the situation I'm in. Do you know anyone who would be looking for a photographer?" I thought that was my skill. So I reached out via John to my editor, Paolo Lucchesi at the Chronicle who was not my editor back then. I met up with Paolo, and I sent him my work. I said, "This is what I've done." He said, "Okay, let me talk to my team."

NS: Then he came back I think after two weeks and said, "Hey, so we're thinking you shouldn't be a freelance photographer with us." I said, "Oh shit." He goes, "Would you be interested in writing a food column for us, a recipe based column, because we think that's your strength." I said, "Oh, really? Okay, I don't know what this is about, but it sounds fun. I'll do it." It turned out to be one of the most important defining moments in my life. When you're on a major platform, like a newspaper, people start to take you much more seriously.

EL: Yes. You must have been like, can I really do this? Then you're like, wait a minute, I can do this. I write my blog, I take the photographs.

NS: Right. It taught me a lot, because not only was I able to talk about food, I've also been given the opportunity to write about food culture.

EL: Yeah, which is great.

NS: Yeah. It's also a different audience, and so it helps me kind of expand the horizon on what Indian food is known as in America, but also what people can appreciate it for.

EL: You wrote this amazing paragraph on page 20 in the book. Rather than have me butcher it, I would like you to read it. It's the one that starts with, "Mine is the story."

NS: Yeah, of course. "Mine is the story of a gay immigrant told through food. It has been a journey of self-discovery I embarked on more than a decade ago. One that taught me to recognize the inherent tension between originality and tradition, and to opt for the former without rejecting the latter. It's been a journey of acclimatization, adaptation, and acceptance. During times of discomfort, food became my friend and teacher. It taught me to reinterpret conventional techniques and flavors, and apply these reinterpretations to my food that would become a part of my new life in America. Seasoning is more than just a way to achieve flavor in the food we eat. It represents our desire to connect with our past, present, and future. It tells our story."

EL: That's an awesome paragraph. I wish I had written it. In fact, I may take credit for it and plagiarize, and please don't sue me.

NS: I won't sue you.

EL: Nik, we're out of time for this episode of Special Sauce. What you just read is a perfect segue to talk about Season: Big Flavors, Beautiful Food. We will get to that topic during your next episode of Special Sauce. Thanks, Nik Sharma, for starting us off right.

NS: Thanks for having me, Ed.

EL: We'll see you next time, Serious Eaters.

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Source: https://www.seriouseats.com/2019/06/special-sauce-nik-sharma-part-1.html

[mayquita]

Self Promo Sunday - My Fics

Because maybe I need a reminder of what I'm capable of doing to try to overcome my writer's block, right?

I Choose You

Summary: When Emma Swan’s brother and his fiancee decide to get married, she suddenly becomes the maid of honor. Although she is not very fond of weddings, her sister-in-law-to-be assigns her a mission, helping her with the wedding photographer’s choice. What she didn’t expect is that they are the ones who need to be chosen by the photographer, who turns out to be an insufferable Irishman. His name, Killian Jones. AU. Enemies to Lovers. WIP.

Damn You For Making Me Love You

Summary: Emma Swan and Killian Jones are close friends and co-workers. And both are in love with each other. The problem? They keep their feelings secret not only to the other but also to the rest of their friends. When Elsa, Emma’s best friend and Liam, Killian’s brother and boss find it out, they decide to form an alliance and work as a team with a clear goal, to get Emma and Killian to take the next step in their relationship and confess their love for each other. AU. Friends to Lovers. WIP

Call Me

Summary: Emma loses her phone after a chase, but she finds a phone in a cafe just when she needs it most. Killian forgets his phone in a cafe when he is about to take a flight to Ireland. Killian makes a call to his own number hoping someone answers on the other end of the line. What will happen when Emma answers the call? AU. Long Distance Relationship. WIP

Promises

Summary: Emma returns from the Wish Realm and manages to defeat Gideon in their first battle. When David wakes Snow up so that she’s able to welcome her daughter, it’s time to make a few promises. Canon. One-shot.

Everybody Loves Killian Jones (And Emma Swan)

Summary: Storybrooke is going through an unusual period of peace. That’s why Emma and Killian begin to live a normal life. They are happy, but Emma soon learns a lesson. She will have to share Killian’s affections. Canon future. Complete.

A Normal Life

Summary: Six years after their return from the Underworld, Killian and Emma have created a family and they are happy together. But some nights Killian can’t sleep. In those sleepless nights, he makes a tour of the house, that helps him to remember who he was before and who he has become. Canon Future. Complete

Confessions Around a Campfire

Summary: After being sucked into a portal, Charming Team faces a new adventure. David and Hook recall a time lived a while ago, in the light of a bonfire. But this time, confessions could be different. Canon. A Captain Charming one-shot.

Fate Is Cruel

Summary: When a portal sucks them to an uncertain destiny, David tries to encourage Hook after his return to life. Canon. A Captain Charming one-shot.

A New Life

Summary: After saving Emma from the darkness, all the inhabitants of Storybrooke returned to the Enchanted Forest. Emma and Killian live happily, but three months after their wedding, something will change their lives forever. A new life is about to begin. Canon divergence. EF. WIP.

The Legend of The Lighthouse’s Man

Summary: When Killian meets Emma on a secluded beach, the shadow of an old legend hangs over them. Their time together runs parallel to the old legend, but maybe they will have the ability to live a different ending. AU future. WIP.

Love Is All Around

Summary: This is the story of how Emma and Killian found their love song. It all started by chance, but Killian managed to engage some of the inhabitants of Storybrooke in the search of the perfect love song. Canon future. One-shot.

Right Here

Summary: After saving Emma from the darkness, all the inhabitants of Storybrooke returned to the Enchanted Forest. One year later, the night before their wedding, Emma sneaks into Killian’s bedroom. She’s nervous and afraid, but Killian comforts her. They will live together a special and unforgettable night. Canon Divergence.  EF. One-shot.

The Hero’s Journey

Summary: After saving Emma from the darkness, all the inhabitants of Storybrooke returned to the Enchanted Forest. Everyone found their happiness, but one day, five years later, Killian has to carry out a mission in which he will need to turn into a pirate again. Canon Divergence. EF. WIP.

El Viaje del Héroe (Spanish)

Resumen: Después de salvar Emma de la oscuridad, todos regresan al Bosque Encantado. Todo el mundo encontrará su felicidad, pero un día, cinco años después, Killian tiene que llevar a cabo una misión que le hará convertirse en un pirata de nuevo. Canon Divergente. WIP.