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pandorasprongs · 1 year ago

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CHAPTER TWO | you'll always know me.

'it's nice to have a friend' masterlist + playlist | previous chapter

PAIRING: jamie tartt x fem!reader

WORD COUNT: 4.3k

SUMMARY: a few weeks after their run-in, jamie suddenly craves some pizza and someone to share it with.

WARNINGS: language

A/N: here is chapter two! there's a little more jamie pov in this one just to see his side of things and we watch them catch up more in this one and see what liv (reader's friend) thinks about this whole thing ;)

After Jamie dropped you off, you didn't hear from him for weeks. Things just went back to normal for you after that night, and maybe you should've been glad. That was the closest to closure with Jamie that you could stomach, but there was still a part of you that hoped that every time your phone rang, it was him.

On the brighter side, Liv had started to make plans for the wedding and her first order of business was to ask you to be the Maid of Honor, a role you happily accepted. In between grading papers and office hours, you'd look through catalogs and websites that your best friend had sent you. Both activities were exactly what you needed to take your mind off Jamie.

But for the footballer, he couldn't stop thinking about you. He wanted to believe that you really had forgiven him, in some capacity. But each time he had the urge to reach out, the fear of you backtracking on your word overcame him.

This wasn't normal. He was Jamie fucking Tartt, for Christ's sake! He's been with tons of girls. More often than not, one text was enough for the guy and all was forgiven. But he hadn't been with anyone in months, and it was different now. It was different with you. It always had been.

Even back when you were kids, it was your opinion of him that he valued over most people, with the exception of his mum. You were the one he went to if he needed advice about girls or comments on his football form. You were the one he went to when he wanted to screw around, setting up traps for your parents as kids or sneaking beers to your rooms as teenagers.

Hell, you were the one he went to when he fucked up and needed help to fix his mess. Maybe that's why he doesn't know what to do now, cause he can't very well ask you for advice on yourself.

So instead of powering through his fears and calling you, he settled for searching you up. Just to see what you've been doing these past few years. His mum would sometimes mention a thing or two about you that she heard from your parents when he visited her, but he rarely actually listened, something that filled him with guilt in the present.

The first thing he found was research papers and articles with you listed as an author. They were all about varying topics, but it was always in the realm of genetics. You'd always loved biology and writing from what Jamie remembered, and he was just glad to see you doing what you always wanted. He tried to scan through one of the research papers for fun, but when he didn't understand a lick of it, he decided to cut his losses and check what else he could find.

He ended up on the page of an organization from your uni and found a video with you on stage as the thumbnail. It was almost 5 years old, around the time when...

Jamie hesitantly presses play and the clip starts with you walking up the stage. You seemed so confident and unafraid of the crowd in front of you. Maybe it was the liquid courage in your hand, but the footballer had never seen you so at ease before performing.

"Hello everyone! It's me again," You started, your energy easily transferring to the crowd who erupted in applause. "This will actually be my last song for a while because fuck finals!" There's laughter off-camera as you stabilize yourself.

"Before I start the song, I just want to give some background on why I picked it, if you’ll let me. This is dedicated to an old friend of mine. He was one of my favorite people in the world, but unfortunately, he's become an absolute fucking prick! Woo! So, what better way than to end the night with this song?" When he hears that, Jamie's heart drops and he closes the video as you sing the opening note.

He doesn't know why; this was years ago and you were obviously not as angry as back then. But the mere thought that there was a point in time where you felt enough hatred for him to go in front of a crowd and yell "Fuck you, fuck you very, very much!" only worsened his fears.

If Jamie from a year ago had seen the video, he wouldn’t have done anything. He'd scoff, call you bitter, and that would be the end of it because pretending it didn't hurt was, for him, a better option than apologizing for what he's done. But this was a new and improved Jamie, one that was trying to atone for his mistakes that Ted, Dr. Sharon, and the entire team so kindly pointed out when he came back to Richmond. Empathy, he had to have that. This was probably the best version of himself, but that didn't mean that just because all was forgiven by Richmond, everything else in his life was okay.

There was still you. Looking at how much you've done with your life, how confident you've become, and how happy you seemed to be with your new friends, he really must've been a dead weight on you. You almost even gave up the chance to study in Cardiff because of him, but thank God you snapped out of it and saw how ridiculous that was. Maybe you were better off without him, even at his best.

But Jamie was still having a hard time giving up his selfish habits.

Now, he was on a date with a French model. He had no real interest to get back into the dating scene, but he just had to get Richard off his back about setting him up. He had to keep holding himself back from pointing out that just because he was French, Richard was not fucking Cupid. It was even clearer to him when he was bored out of his mind barely 15 minutes into the date.

She was beautiful, of course, but neither of them could say an actual word to each other the whole time. Well, aside from her snide remark after he paired red wine with a type of fish, which honestly sealed the deal for Jamie.

He stayed the whole duration of the thing just to be polite; he even paid for the whole meal himself. But seeing how both of them spent almost the whole thing on their phones, there wasn't going to be a second date.

The food wasn't even filling, so now not only did Jamie just waste one of his best suits, he was still starving. While waiting for the valet to bring his car to the front, he spotted a group of fans hovering outside of the shop and decided to go greet him. It was a regular occurrence as a footballer, so he did the usual: signed some footballs and pictures, took selfies with some fans, and doing small talk with some of the younger fans. Maybe it was because they sometimes reminded him of a younger version of himself, but he always put extra effort to make those little kid's interaction with him enjoyable, even if their parents could be pushy as hell.

Jamie never hated interacting with fans, except occasionally when it was 1 am in a crowded pub and some of them acted like they were best friends. It was an absolute ego boost because he could act as cocky as he wanted and they’d love it anyway. Especially back in Man City when they would cheer his name as he left the clubhouse. God, no wonder he became a prick so quickly. He still had fans now, but he’d learned how to act more humble with them. Just a little bit more humble.

Once his car pulled up, he felt a notification from his phone and opened it to find a message from Simon. Hi Jamie! Your mum and I hope you're doing well. Congrats on the promotion!

It wasn't odd for Jamie to get texts from his step-dad which always opened with a check-in, then usually followed by a recipe of biscuits he could try and make at home or asking on his mum's behalf if he'd be visiting soon.

Before he could open the chat to reply, another text popped up.

Was looking through some old boxes (trying to find one of the homemade cookie cutters you made before), and found this picture!

Attached was a photo of their kitchen from years ago, which is obvious by the multiple school football team photos hanging on the fridge. It was you and Jamie, around 16 years old, eating some homemade pizza that Simon had made. The photo captured you staring at the slice as if it was Jesus reincarnated and caught Jamie staring at you. Jamie admits, he almost thought he liked you then, but that was probably because he saw you so often and puberty's a weird fucking time.

All Jamie could reply was, That's a nice picture, just so it wouldn't seem like he wasn’t replying on purpose.

His stepdad sent another one: Real fun that I managed to capture this! Wonder how (Y/N)'s doing now. Heard she went to the final Richmond game. Did you see her?

Yeah, after the game. Jamie answered honestly, as the valet handed him his keys and he got into the car.

That's nice you got to catch up with her. You guys were inseparable, back then. Well, stay safe, Jamie!

That was the end of the conversation, but a part of Jamie wanted to believe it was a sign. He didn't really believe in all that universal power and destiny type of thing, but if it gave him an excuse to reach out, he was going to take it.

That same night, you were at your flat, supposedly resting. Sundays were the only days you never had a class scheduled, but you were behind on grading your students' drafts because you had to allot a new chunk of your time to helping Liv with your maid-of-honor duties. Now, you were sitting on the floor of your living room in the same tank top and pajama pants you woke up in, racing through your students' papers that you promised to return the next day. Say what you will about procrastination, but it has never failed you once.

As you finish writing the grade on one of the papers, you get a call from an unknown number. You're too focused on the task at hand to fully comprehend it, and so you just press accept and put it on speaker.

"Hello, who's this?" You say mindlessly, your eyes scanning through the next essay.

"Uh, it's Jamie," Your underline extends just a little bit past the line due to your surprise. When you don’t say anything in reply to that, he takes the chance to explain, "I'm in the area and I was starving. I got a pizza, but I don't think I can finish it by myself, so if you're hungry, maybe I can pass by?"

Once you got past the initial shock, you were now contemplating whether or not to take him up on his offer. You honestly thought the car ride was going to be the end of it. But you were starving too and it was getting too late to order any food without seriously inconveniencing some workers at the end of their shift, so against your better judgment, you say yes.

You move to start fixing up your place to look more put together, but the doorbell rings before you get the chance to. Oh, fuck it, he's seen worse. You walk over to the door and find Jamie already here carrying a box of pizza. His hair was neatly slicked back and while it's weird to see him properly groomed late at night, you know that he's always been particular about his hair.

"How'd you get here so fast?" You questioned.

"I may have already been waiting outside when I called." Jamie shrugs and you give him a playful look. He seems to instantly relax at your reaction and you let him inside. He goes to place the box on your kitchen counter but takes a look around what you considered to be a messy apartment.

The university set you up with a good flat with two bedrooms, much to your parents' delight. It was mostly furnished when you moved in, so it was just up to you to decorate it. You liked the look of plants in a house but were always shit at taking care of them, so succulents and LEGO flowers were the compromises. You sprinkled photos around the place from different points in your life. In one of your more forgiving moments, you even hung some childhood pictures with Jamie, but moved them to the top of your bookshelf so you wouldn't have to see them everyday.

"Stevie Nicks, nice." He pointed to one of the albums you had hanging above your TV. It was next to your copy of Folklore and Punisher. Maybe a slight outlier, but you grew up with her music thanks to Jamie.

"Yeah," You turned back to the footballer to see him fully decked out in a dark grey suit with a blue collared shirt under that was a little oversized for him, but somehow, he made it work. You join him at the counter and lean on it, before pointing out, "A little dressed up for a late-night pizza run, don't you think?"

"Oh, yeah," He looked down at his outfit before opening the box and turning to you. "Was on a date before this. A teammate of mine set it up."

You stop yourself from showing your surprise at this revelation. You don't even know why you're surprised; he was obviously going on dates all the time like most footballers did. Maybe you were just surprised that he wasn’t currently in a relationship.

"How'd it go?" You ask nonchalantly, reaching over to grab two plates from the drying rack and a slice of pizza for yourself.

Jamie doesn't even try and hide his reaction to you asking, but he answers anyway. "As well as a date where neither of you spoke a word to each other could go. So, pretty shit." When his team would ask him about it on Monday, he was going to lie and say that things were fine, but they probably weren't going on another date. But he needed to be honest with one person.

You cover your mouth as you chew to stop the laughter. "Damn, that sucks."

The two of you go to the living room area and you move around the papers to make space for your plates.

"What's all this?" After unbuttoning his coat, Jamie took it off and hung it neatly on the arm of your coach before helping you stack up the papers in a neat pile. "You're a teacher?"

"Yup, I'm a professor." You clarified and settled down on the couch to put on a sitcom on your TV. "They offered me the job when I was completing my Master’s degree, but I decided to stay on cause I liked teaching."

Jamie raised his eyebrows and tilted his head. You furrow yours and ask, "Why? You surprised?"

"Well yeah, you hated tutoring back then." He points out and all you can do is scoff.

"Correction, I hated tutoring you." Jamie almost looks offended, but you continue. "Almost every one of our tutoring sessions ended early cause you kept finding ways to distract me or convince me to take a 'break.' All my other tutees were manageable."

"And yet, you kept up with it." He gives you a triumphant look and you playfully roll your eyes.

"Yeah, because I loved Aunt Georgie and knew how bad she felt every time you failed an exam." You remind him. "It was worth putting up with your nonsense because your marks got better every time I helped you out."

Jamie laughs and you feel a pang in your chest. The last time the two of you had been in a situation like this, — hanging out and just talking on a couch, — was seven years ago. You weren't sure which of your emotions were stronger: the warmth from being able to do this with him again or the pain from knowing why you stopped. But right now, you just wanted to enjoy it.

And turns out, Jamie was thinking about something similar, too. Only he verbalized it after a quiet moment. "I missed this. I missed you."

You couldn't stop the smile from creeping up on your face, but couldn't bring yourself to say it back, so instead you simply say, "Same."

Before it gets too awkward, Jamie decides to ask, "So aside from deciding to be a nerd for life," you punch him lightly in the arm, "what else have you been doing these past few years?"

You're not really sure where to start. You couldn't ask him to start because the media made sure to tell you every detail of his life, so you just start from where you left off.

"I guess, I started joining clubs in uni. Not ones for applications anymore, but things I liked. So I did some performing in an on-campus club which was nice." Jamie was always the first to compliment you on your voice because he was the only person you were willing to sing in front of. It did suck looking back that he couldn’t be there the first time you performed in front of the crowd, but that was his fault, wasn’t it?

"After graduation, I moved here to be a lab technician but didn't really like that, hence why I became a professor. What else? Dated a bit, here and there, but nothing ever serious." You don't know why you admitted that to him, but you continue on. "I'd go traveling with Mom and Dad during summer and with Liv, my best friend, too. Do some performing on faculty nights and... I think that's it."

Jamie nods his head, absorbing the information, and you add, "Not that remarkable, I know. At least, compared to your footballer lifestyle."

"Nah. I mean, it's been fun, but less exciting than you think." Jamie was definitely downplaying it, both of you knew that.

"Oh please, didn't you date Keeley Jones, and become teammates with Roy fucking Kent? Sixteen-year-old you would be reeling!"

You still remember the time that he put up their posters, both of them. And truthfully, you were more unsettled by Roy's poster than Keeley's. It felt like he was staring into your soul every time you slept over. "Kinda surprised though that you guys became rivals. I thought you'd be worshipping the ground he walked on if you got to work with him."

He hesitates and for a second, you think you've said something wrong. But he explains, "Yeah, I was a prick when I got loaned to Richmond and he didn't really like that as captain, y'know? But I think we're good now. Well, better. Pretty sure he still doesn't like me, but at least we're not fighting during matches anymore."

His tone was playful, but Jamie definitely felt bad about how his relationship with his idol turned out. He really did admire Roy Kent and that was very clear to everyone around you back then. There was a time that Chelsea had a match in Manchester, but it was during class hours, so you begged your dad on his vacation day to go to the hotel where they were staying and get his Roy Kent poster signed. You've never seen him happier. So knowing that for a point in time, they hated each other's guts, the Jamie you knew would be absolutely crushed.

"Well, he's your coach now, so maybe you'll get a chance to bond with him like the younger you always dreamed about." You offer, and Jamie just chuckles.

The rest of the night was spent catching up on each other's lives until it was almost 11 and Jamie had to head off. For a moment there, you forgot you were ever mad at him. That it was time and busy schedules that kept you apart all these years. But after passing by your bookshelf and spotting an old picture of the two of you at seventeen, it gives you a reality check.

No, stop dwelling on the past. You didn't need to, anymore. Things were fine now. You didn't have to harbor any anger for Jamie anymore. You shook any thoughts about it away and got ready for bed.

—

"Fuck, why did you ever quit doing research?" Liv points out and you just chuckle at her reaction. The two of you met up after your last class of the day for early dinner and while waiting for your dishes, she asked you for some help with the dosages of the most recent drug she was working on.

"Teaching was my calling." You also had more flexible hours, a summer break, and free housing, but you didn't feel the need to point that out. Once she finalizes the notes on the formulas, she stuffs them back into her bag and starts telling you about all the new office drama.

You and Liv had gotten the same degree from Cardiff and were coincidentally in the same hall as well, so many nights of yours were spent studying on the same exams and quizzing one another into the early hours of the morning. You had become practically inseparable, and even after graduation, you applied to the same companies and were roommates for a bit.

Then she and Frankie started to get serious and since it was around the time you changed jobs, she moved in with him and you started living on your own. Even after the changes and not sharing a single bathroom anymore, the two of you still spent as much time together as possible. You probably wouldn't have made it through uni and early adult life without her.

"Also, do you remember Marta? From sales?" You groan at the reminder of your former co-worker. "She got fired! She was forging budget reports!”

"Oh fuck," you exclaim and Liv just laughs at your reaction. "It's about time, though! She made the interns' lives a living hell, especially the women. Then when you get promoted above her, she'd act like you were best friends."

Soon, your food arrives and you take a break from chatting until you're on your way back to your flat. It was the nearer one of the two and Frankie had night shift at the hospital, so you just planned on watching a movie there.

While walking, Liv brings up the wedding and you enthusiastically join in. "I found some flower arrangements and centerpieces that might work for each of your possible themes. I'll show you the magazines when we get back to my place."

"God, I love you," Liv brings you in for a side hug as you go up the stairs of your building and you happily reciprocate it, despite the awkward position. When you finally get back, you dart to your dining room table to collect the magazines.

Your phone pings and you open it to find a picture from Jamie. His background looked like a salon, also seeing as his hair was dyed and blow-dried.

Blond? Bold choice. You send in reply, before adding, Looks good though.

Walnut mist, actually. He adds and you roll your eyes at the message before pocketing your phone again.

As you go back to opening the magazine to the pages you want to show to Liv, she suddenly asks, "You thinking about bringing a date to the wedding?"

You scoff in reply. "No, why?"

"I don't know, maybe you'd want to bring whoever the owner of this jacket is." You tilt your head in confusion before turning around to see her holding up Jamie's jacket. How had he forgotten that here? And there was no way to convince her it was yours because she knew your wardrobe better than you probably did. "Better start talking now."

You stuff the magazines under your arm before going back over to here and grabbing it. "Okay look, I did have a guy over, but it's not what you think." Liv's eyes instantly light up, but you try and calm her as you blurt out, "It's Jamie's! He came over last night to share a pizza and we just talked."

"Jamie? As in Jamie Tartt? Formerly Man City, now AFC Richmond Jamie Tartt?" Liv repeats and you nod, causing her expression to contort. "I thought you hated the guy!"

"I do!" You defend yourself. "I used to, but he gave me a ride home after the Richmond final and we patched things up."

"So he apologized?"

"Not necessarily," Liv looks like she's about to yell at you by how wide her eyes got, but you hold out your hands again. "I told him not to! I just... I don't want to deal with all of that right now."

Liv gives you sympathetic eyes before she brings you down to sit on the couch. There are a few quiet moments before she finally says something. "Look, I know that he meant a lot to you and that you guys used to be close, so yeah, maybe you don't need an apology to fix things. I don’t know how your friendship was, but honestly (Y/N), from experience, denying it won't fix it. You've harbored such strong feelings for him for so long and I saw how it broke you that night. Talking through it with him might be a good thing, even if it's hard. Cause at some point, you might just explode because of it."

"I know," you admit. "You're obviously right! But, I don't want to talk about it just yet. It's nice being able to spend time with him again." She gives you a disappointed look, so you simply add. "I promise. Triple swear, I will talk about it with him and you'll be the first to know what happens."

"Okay, good." She seems satisfied with the promise, especially since you used your ultimatum with her that you made back in college. Back then, you used it to promise that you'd load each other's clothes into the machine. But now, it was used for bigger things. "Now, let's look through these stylings you picked, yeah?"

A/N: yay! another chapter done and i hope you like this one! reader should definitely start listening to liv (tee hee). i apologize if it’s a little fast paced but there’s only a few chapters in this fic so bear with me and i hope you all still enjoy it. i'm definitely thinking of doing insert chapters and outtakes like illiterateaffairs’ distraction series once it’s over if you guys would be interested in that! that’s all, see you next time!

TAGLIST: @moonflowersandsparkles @faith-alons26 @rexorangecouny @aiyaiy @thegirlthatwantedtowrite @giggling-sewer-ginger @katdahlali @higherthanheroes @guccilongboard @alipap3 @rockchickrebel @ellietartt @shineforever19 @skewedcherries @jamirtarttdodo @scaramou @rae4725 @oxxolovemelikeyoudooxxo (couldn't tag you for some reason?)

#jamie tartt #jamie tartt x reader #jamie tartt reader #ted lasso #jamie tartt fanfiction #jamie tartt imagine #jamie tartt fic #ted lasso fanfic #jamie tartt fanfic #jamie tartt fluff #jamie tartt x f!reader #jamie tartt x female reader #it's nice to have a friend series

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velvetvexations · 8 days ago

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youtube

This video is something I've thought of posting about before. It's extremely emotional to me. To give you an idea of some of the lyrics, my favorite is:

Can you show me now that I will not be killed in vain? Show me just a little of your omnipresent brain Show me there's a reason for you wanting me to die You're far too keen on where and how, but not so hot on why

Mm! That sure is a mood! It's one of those dramatic moments in a film where a character screams outside a church demanding to be told why something has to happen but it's literally Christ himself doing it. He felt that way too.

There are a lot of amazing productions of JCS that do this number really well and bring out the pain and anger I'm currently feeling perfectly. But in this particular performance, what gets me so much isn't the Park Eun Tae as much as it is the reactions of the crowd.

In South Korea, the number of Christians is relatively small, but still significant. Can't really know if any of the audience here is Christian or not. You can't really know that of the audience to any given production in the US either, of course, aside from the chances being much higher. Regardless of the country, with any clearly emotionally affected individual watching who the camera catches and lingers on like this, there are too options:

They are Christian, and they are ran through with the suffering of Christ, not just the physical pain itself but the absolute horror, confusion, and fury Jesus felt knowing it was coming.

They are not Christian, and though the song is based on actual scenes provided in the Bible,* this is very likely the first time they'd ever heard of Jesus not stoically going to the cross cool as a cucumber, and even if they think this is just a subversive twist on Jesus's concept it's still managing to hit them in a way that comes close to connecting them with who Jesus actually was a as a person beyond his role, which JCS in general is very much all about. They may not be interested in Christ beyond seeing a really cool work of fiction based on artistically interpreting holy texts they don't subscribe to, but even so, in this bubble of time and space Christ's suffering is sitting in their hearts and moving them to tears.

I have an interest in how people process this song because it was a description of Jesus experiencing all suffering, which includes all queer suffering, that made me break down sobbing last year and come to the conclusion that there was something in Christianity that connected with me** even if I belong to no church. I had been doing research for a character when I came across this:

In Gethsemane, Jesus experienced the pains of a person dying of cancer. He experienced what it is like to be a queer kid who is constantly bullied. He experienced the birthing pains of every mother who ever lived or would live. He experienced the embarrassment of a gay boy having an erection at the sight of his school crush in the locker room. He experienced conversion therapy. He experienced rejection. He experienced the brutal physical and psychological attacks that trans women endure.

It actually goes on quite a lot longer than that, but it's at that point where going to find it just now for the sake of copying here that I once again launched into uncontrollable banshee wailing and had to take a moment to collect myself before continuing with my eyes stinging and my throat sore.

So like, Jesus, right? He was consumed with fear and anxiety, knowing the the pain still to come. He was trembling with bitter rage at the inhuman cruelty of God's plan, the only assurance being that it was God's plan. It's how I feel right now, harder than ever. I feel that connection with Christ and I am comforted only slightly, but I am comforted all the same.

*He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.

**1/5th of this multiple system; one is Christian, one is Hindi, one is an anti-theist, and two are non-committed

#jesus christ superstar #depression #us politics #discourse #cw Christianity #cw transphobia #cw homophobia

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my-supernatural-rewatch · 26 days ago

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Episode Five: Bloody Mary

Dean Winchester in the Supernatural episode Bloody Mary

Never one of my favorites but on this rewatch I realized it's actually pretty damn scary.

A child's game of Bloody Mary unleashes the vengeful spirit of a woman who travels through mirrors and seeks revenge on those with guilty secrets.

This one will probably not be that long either.

Right out the gate, we get concerned Dean who wants to talk about Sam and all the bad dreams he's having. Sam isn't very forthcoming. Big surprise.

I know we get a lot of "no chick flick moments" and all from Dean in the dialogue. But we also get Dean consistently saying to Sam basically "LET'S TALK ABOU THIS" so the narrative that Dean doens't like to talk about his or anyone else's feelings is already dispelled within the first five episodes of the first season yet it stuck to Dean for the entire series.

Make it make sense.

Right here is where I'm going to remind anyone who might come across this and decide to read it that I am not writing full synposes of the episodes so if you haven't actually seen the episodes there's a good chance you will be lost reading these posts if you're looking for any semblance of a plotline. This is definitely one of those posts that will completely confuse you if you don't know the episode. Sorry/not sorry.

I'm wondering if this is the only episode where we see the brothers bribe someone? It probalby isn't but at least it's the first. Sam bribes the coroner's assistant with money Dean won in a poker game.

Which gives us more of Sam trying to take the moral highground when Dean complains that it's HIS money by dismissing it becuase Dean won it playing poker. As if that isn't working for the money.

Christ, Sam.

Also on Sam: Yet another episode where he changes his voice when talking to the family of the victim so he sounds more sympathetic. How did ai never notice this before?

Cute brothers moment in the bathroom when they're both standing in front of the mirror talking about Bloody Mary and both refuse to say the words.

Okay, an important plot point: Bloody Mary only kills people with a terrible secret that they're absorbed with guilt over. Spoiler: Sam feels guility because he had dreams of Jessica on the ceiling burning for days before she died and he not only didn't warn her but he also took the fuck off with his brother to find their missing father who isn't really fucking missing. (Hey, does this mean we can pin Jessica's death on John?)

Another Dean myth dispelled in this episode is his intelligence. I mean they already pretty much have shown us Dean's no dunce, but in this ep he spends a LOT of time doing research, absorbing the material, and explaining things. And in one scene, he decides to do a national search for dead women fitting Bloody Mary's profile, against Sam's judgement...and THAT is how they figure out who she is.

Check out the big brain on Dean, motherfuckers!

They drive from Toledo, Ohio to Ft. Wayne, Indiana, and back to interview someone, and my geography knowledge is so limited that I had to Google how long that would take. In one of what I would guess is one of their shorter trips, it's only about 3 hours round-trip. (THESE are the things I'm thinking about while watching the show?)

The name of this week's damsel in distress is...Charlie. I get there were over 300 episodes of this show but it drives me nuts how often they re-use names. (Amelia anyone?) Anyway...

Using his patented compassion and soft looks Dean's the one who gets Charlie to admit the thing she's guilty about (a troubled boyfriend who threatend to kill himself if she left him and then who DID kill himself after she responded "Go ahead").

In the Impala, the brothers are discussing how to call out the spirit and Sam says he has the guilt so he'll do the summoning. Dean has had enough of his emo, fatalistic bullshit so he stops the car and tells Sam to fess up his secret for fuck's sake.

Dean's concerns are that the spirit will kill Sam, and he reminds Sam that it isn't his fault that Jessica died. Someone should tell Dean we've decided it's John's fault because what does Dean say?

"Why don't you take a swing at ME? I'm the one who dragged you away from her in the first place."

Setting up a decades-long argument among SPN fans who think Sam made his own decision because he wanted to go back to hunting and those who blame Dean for goddamn everything.

To be fair to Sam, his response is, "I don't blame you."

Thanks for that, Sammy. (That's from me, not Dean.)

Dean really doesn't want Sam to call out the spirit but Sam is damned and determined to. It feels less like he's doing it to save poor first Charlie and more like he's doing it because he feels like he shoudl be punished for what he did (or really in this case didn't) do.

And thus begins the storyline of emo Sam feels guilty about everything that isn't his fault for the next two seasons culminating in Dean going to hell...

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Inside the antique shop where Mary's mirror is supposed to be, Sam is trying to call her out while Dean goes outside to talk to the cops who have shown up since someone is mucking about in the shop. When he can't convince the cops that he is the adopted son of Mr. Yamashiro, Dean knocks both cops out.

How often has Dean (or Sam) done this? I feel like not often.

We're also on a steady stream of slowly showing how well Dean can handle himself in a fight and I'm here for it.

Hey back to smart Dean (and skipping over pretty much the rest of the story): He breaks the first mirror that Mary appears in when she seems to have Sam in his trance and it gets Sam out of his trance, but it doesn't kill her. She shows up again and Dean...not Sam, Dean, gets the idea to hold another mirror up to her...and she kills herself when she looks in it.

Dean is a smarty. Stop telling me he isn't.

But not that smart...this time he only gets a handshake from the woman he saved...not even a kiss on the cheek. Oh well, Dean. Better luck next time.

We end the episode with Dean asking Sam what it is he feels guilty about...what his secret is, and Sam says this:

"Look...you're my brother and I'd die for you, but there are some things I need to keep to myself."

Two things: Sam telling Dean he'd die for him is kind of huge. Up until now, he's been acting like Dean is an inconvenience. So I loved hearing that. But, again, we get Sam not opening up to Dean about his secret...and yet fandom lore is that Dean is the one who always refuses to open up.

Some notes for posterity:

The significant music from this episode comes from Def Leppard -Rock of Ages (the first but not the last time we hear this one!), Fall Out Boy - Sugar, We're Goin Down, and The Rolling Stones - Laugh, I Nearly Died.

The brothers pose as medical students from Ohio State but don’t give out their names. When they introduce themselves to the first victim's family, they give their first names and say they worked with the victim. When Dean is talking with the police he tells them he's the adopted son of Mr. Yamashiro.

This hunt takes place in Toledo, Ohio, and they take a trip to Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Dean wears John’s jacket in this episode.

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ms-lirio · 6 months ago

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Thoughts on Macau? I think he'd be an interesting character to think about

💛 MACAU + BRASIL 💚

I know the question was directed to Macau, but it will eventually end up being Maycentric lol since the vision I always bring is the characters' relationships and their interactions with my oc.

In this case, a member of the Portuguese-speaking community and we have a lot to talk about. However, I'm not an internationalist, I know a little about diplomacy and history as a simple hobby. I am not an authority figure.

🎲 MACAU:

My human name for him is Miguel da Silva Xavier/Chan Yee Cheung. Sometimes he may present himself as Miguel Chan. His nickname is Mimi and no one can stop me from calling him like this.

I remember someone a long, long time ago in the fandom giving him the fanon name "Xavier", so it got stuck in me for years, but it sounds better as a surname, in my opinion. So I preserved the Xavier, but as a surname, as a memory, for the sake of that good old-times fanon name, haha.

I baptized him Miguel, fits him better. Actually, Afonso did it, not me xd I am not the colonizer here. 💋

About the Cantonese name... I am not sure if it is correct, I spent so much time researching Cantonese names, and surnames, about important Macanese people, so I could have an idea of names... So, I am deeply sorry if I commited a mistake, if you are Cantonese/Macanese, feel free to correct me. I really tried my best 😔 uff

Lusofam (from Brazil's perspective)

Firstly, nowadays, Mayara barely sees Afonso as a father figure (perhaps due to a kind of resentment that she developed over time). Although yes, in other historical moments Portugal and Brazil have maintained a kind of relationship similar to that of parent-child, but it was a very troubled relationship. And, it's still a complicated relationship. Although, currently, they are on great terms and cooperate with each other. They've been rebuilding a kind of family relationship, but there are still many fights and disagreements; It is very complex to define lol

I know it will sound sad, but May is a bit isolated from Lusofam. Not for the same reasons as the Hispanic American countries, but due to the distance. And because she is not all aware of them.

Brazil is the only country that speaks Portuguese in the Americas. The other Portuguese speakers are too far away to create strong family ties with, although yes, she is interested in getting closer to the Lusofonia, and little by little the relationship between them is becoming closer.

Many of these countries and regions, however, had contact with her at some point during Maylore.

The closest lusófono Mayara feels to having a family relationship (besides Afonso) is Lívia (Angola). With whom I believe she created a true fraternal bond (Brazil was the first country to recognize the Independence of Angola, for example).

HISTORICAL TIES

(Chinese Tea plantation in the Jardim Botânico of Rio de Janeiro)

The first relations between Macau and Brazil took place through trade and architecture through Portugal during colonial times.

(Via: Terra de Santa Cruz)

Chinese Jesus Christ.

"They came in one of the ships that traveled the "Indian route", a trade route between Europe and Asia. The presence of these statues in Bahia may have been the result of a mercantile exchange between Brazil and China. Recôncavo's tobacco was appreciated in the East, yielded profits for the Bahian farmer and enriched the region.

One of the fans of Cachoeirense tobacco would have been the Chinese emperor Quianlong (1711-1799), fourth monarch of the Manchu Qing dynasty, who had relations with the Portuguese through Macau. It is likely that, in this circulation of goods and culture between the two regions, a Carmelite friar, a businessman or a high-ranking official from the Portuguese overseas Empire bought or exchanged the set of sculptures for tobacco, giving them as a gift to the Order. Terceira do Carmo." (Font: A Terra de Santa Cruz, FB)

Leão de Fô decorating a church located in João Pessoa, Paraíba.

This is a Chinese-looking statue. Sculpted by Macau and Goa artists in Brazil. This was a type of called "Arte Achinesada", "Chinese-looking art".

Church of Nossa Senhora do Ó de Sabara, Minas Gerais, with Chinese Pagoda style and Macanese-Goan Chinese-looking art, made by a Goan artist.

This type of art was very popular at the time, and inspired Brazilian artists as well.

The first Chinese Immigrants in Brazil came from Macau:

Now let's talk about what I HC that I believe it was the first personal contact between May and Mimi.

"In 1812, a boat from Macau with tea planters arrived in Rio de Janeiro." First image above in Historical Ties.

"The truth is that there is no consensus on the date. Nor, even, about whether this landing of immigrants was the first contact between China (always through Macau) and Brazil." (A/N: I believe not, due to the infos above).

"Leonor Diaz de Seabra, one of the Portuguese who has most studied the relationship between China and Brazil, points to 1810. The professor at the Department of Portuguese at the University of Macau (and at the Research Center for Luso-Asian Studies) argues that since 1810, tea cultivation began, in the Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro, with plants imported from Macau and with 200 Chinese to work there."

(Font: PontoFinalMacau.Wordpress)

Macau wanted Brazil

"If there is no [...] scientific evidence in the Macau archives about the date of sending the ship "Vulcano" with farmers from Hebei to Rio de Janeiro, where they dedicated themselves to planting tea, there is no doubt that Macau has been trying to get closer to Brazil for a long time."

(Font: PontoFinalMacau.Wordpress)

This makes me think that, yes, Brazil and Macau may have met each other somewhere during the ~1810~, a little after the Portuguese Royal Court moved to Brazil. This is a HC, however.

(I DIDN'T GIVE THIS TITLE I JUST STOLE FROM THE SITE WHERE I GOT THE INFO OKAY I AM INNOCENT HERE DON'T LOOK AT ME)

CONCLUSION

AS YOU CAN SEE, there is too much to talk about them. But I had to stop here, because it is becoming too long. I would like to put more details. But you can research by yourself (if you understand Portuguese lol, or if I made another post like this, or to correct myself in the future(?).

Macau and Brazil, in my own views, do not have a fraternal bond (like Brazil and Angola, for example), however, this does not mean that the relations between these two are disposable. Quite the opposite.

Macau is a strategic point for closer ties with China, precisely because they have ties that unite them, which is the history with Portugal and the Portuguese language. (I may have read it in an article many years ago, but I don't remember it).

They do not necessarily need to see each other as siblings, but they can maintain a different relationship; like old acquaintances. Like...someone you have a fondness for based on your historical similarities!

Certainly. I don't see any problem with portraying Lusofam as a family in some type of AU, for example. Like, they all being siblings. I myself have already made drawings portraying May and Mimi as adopted siblings. And it is adorable to see them like this.

It is upon you. 🫵 This is just my vision on them. ☝️ I know I talked more about history and shit, but I think this way I could explain better my vision on them.

All the information I used has its fonts and credits.

Lívia (Angola) (c) @favichanwriter

#mayara trivia

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assortedfruitsnacks212 · 4 months ago

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"America is so over." "We're screwed." "We're cooked!"

HEY. Eyes on me. No, don't look at them, look at me.

This isn't as unprecedented as you think. Assholes have been trying to seize power for eons, and people have tried to assassinate them for just as long. Sometimes failing. Sometimes not. Yeah it emboldens their fan base, yeah it turns them into martyrs. That's not unprecedented either.

The question now is what are YOU going to do about it. Yes, YOU, my fellow American citizen.

Yes, I know it's terrifying. Breathe through it. Have a good cry if you need to. Vent to a friend or several. Then stand up, dust yourself off, and make a plan. Think: what's your sphere of influence? Your REAL sphere of influence. I'm not just talking about voting, though yes absolutely do that please (and learn a lesson from the French: don't split the vote. Not this time). I'm talking about the people you know in real life. Platforms you might have where people actually listen to you. What can you do in your limited sphere of influence to fight back?

Fighting back can take a hundred thousand forms. Here are some I've personally come across and/or practiced:

- Check in with your friends who might be struggling emotionally. Make sure they don't feel alone. Be a good friend!

- Have the hard conversations wherever they feel appropriate. By conversations, I don't necessarily mean confrontation. It can be hard to talk to someone you disagree with, especially if it's a topic you're passionate about, but you're sure as hell not gonna change anyone's mind if you yell at them, Jesus Christ.

- Find out who's in need in your area and help them out. I don't just mean strangers, I mean people you know too. Be curious about their lives and listen to their problems. Maybe your uninsured friend is struggling with migraines, and you happen to have migraine meds she can use. Maybe your broke friend needs a pair of jeans, and you have a pair you don't wear anymore. Maybe you grow herbs on your balcony and can brighten people's lives by giving some away. The possibilities are endless. Whatever you decide, the more of these small choices you make, the safer and happier the people around you will be. In a country without a proper social safety net, it's up to YOU to help weave one.

- Spend your energy wisely. Don't argue with Trumpers on the internet, and for God's sake don't waste your time fabricating elaborate conspiracy theories about "what actually happened." Whatever it was, it happened, and now we're dealing with the consequences. Our job stays the same: keep Trump out of the White House, push the far right back. That's the goal. Now lock in.

- Keep living your life. You can't be engaged in the fight all the time. Eat. Stay hydrated. Watch your favorite shows. Hang out with friends. Do the things you love, whether it's writing fanfic, drawing, or listening to music. Go outside. Enjoy beauty wherever you find it. How else are you going to remember what you're fighting for? Draw strength from the good things in life.

- Learn a little history. Read books or listen to podcasts about other hard times. Let them broaden your perspective. This isn't the first time people have faced a dire political threat, and it won't be the last.

- On that note, research ways other grassroots movements have brought down authoritarians in the past. The Serbians did it twenty years ago. Now they're telling us how they did it.

- Whatever you do, DON'T GIVE UP. It's not over till we say it's over. Don't just give Trump the country! Say no, goddammit. Stand up. Follow the example of so many of the famous stories we love here on Tumblr (Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Stranger Things, etc), and fight, even if it feels impossible. This is a contest of belief. Find your reason for fighting and lean into it hard. Don't let Trumpers outbelieve you.

Chin up, love. You are more powerful than you'll ever know. And when we stand together, they should be afraid of us.

#us politics

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coffeewithcutcaffeine · 10 months ago

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I have tried to give CoP II another shot today and I simply cannot because—

I have no idea why foreigners (but especially those from the country beginning with U and ending with SA) think that being from Eastern Europe means that we live in shoddy, perpetually gloomy environment where everyone is bloody and violent and carries daggers in their boots, chews on raw potatoes, where we use skulls as Christmas decorations and put barbed wire around our necks for the pure Gothic effect. And where nobility lives in a fucking Castle Dracula so that they can embrace those Addams Family vibes.

Yes, I know your laziness and zero research leads you to the clichés of apartment complexes and gopniks with golden chains around their necks but, surprise surprise, Eastern Europe also looks like this:

And these are just a few results after typing "Eastern Europe aesthetics" into Pinterest that spits out these searches in less than five seconds.

At the same time, no, things are hardly ideal in this corner of the world — it is tumultuous, and each generation goes through their own challenges. Yet they refuse to grasp the heaviness and pain and struggles our countries often face because of politics and wars, leaning into badly done dictatorship vibes just to add the feel of gloominess for Eastern Europe. I am not saying things are rosy here. They are not. For some of us, dictatorships are a daily presence — and that is why, if you choose to explore these things, you need to give it the gravity and nuance it deserves. Pain of others is not for you to use as aesthetics.

I do not mind when foreigners take Eastern Europe either as a solid setting or for inspiration, as long as they treat it with respect and care. This corner of the world is special and specific for both its beauty and its pain. But for the love of Christ, do not treat other people's cultures as something to disrespect for the sake of entertainment.

#enraged eastern european vents again #i will always be one of the most vocal haters of crimes of passion 2 sorry not sorry #at least open google and dedicate thirty minutes of your time to at least some semblance of research

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poognthebrainbois · 9 months ago

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Rant/vent about current denial spiral under the cut - some context first: (*extremely brief mention of abuse/SA, medical history mention)

Had a fight with my mom about why I "still think it's DID." There were a lotta layers to that conversation, including:

- My (our) experiences don't line up with all the "research" she's done about DID

- according to her, co-consciousness doesn't exist and "you would have no idea there's another person [controlling your body], you can't be 'standing behind, watching.'"

- she doesn't trust anecdotal/personal experience of actual systems because "that's just people on the internet making up whatever they want"(paraphrase)

- she had also never heard of OSDD before. Even though she claimed she knows all about the DSM-5.

(medical trauma/history mention)

- I was never *physically abused or SA'd, therefore I don't have trauma. (She doesn't believe in emotional/verbal abuse, and all my *medical trauma/history was during/right after my birth (I was born 10 weeks early, had a surgery while in the NICU) so it doesn't count [I can't disagree with that])

(Might make a separate vent post about what we consider possible trauma that she "doesn't count")

- she told me "it sounds like you found something and stuck to it" (paraphrase) (meaning I learned about DID and just decided that was my problem.)

- made the same sweeping generalizations as always about my entire generation "wanting to be different" and "wanting to have something wrong [with us]"

(Again, I could make a separate vent post about what she says during literally every argument)

- told me (us) to "stop saying 'we' for Christ's sake!" (We will not.)

- she decided I (we) need to bring her "actual sources" of why I (we) believe it's DID/OSDD.

Which meant to us that we were gonna stay up all night doing extensive research.

Or that was the plan, before the denial set in.

(Recreation of Denial spiral below, just to throw it out to the void and be able to come back to it later to disprove I guess?? Could be triggering (lots of repetitive phrases, disbelief of trauma, derealization/depersonalization, there's a lot in here.)

What if she's right and I'm not a system? What if it's not DID or OSDD and I'm just desperate to make it into something? What if I actually don't have trauma and I'm secretly an endo??? (Any headmate tries to talk to me) You're not real, shut up. Why did I do this to myself? I ruined my life over something that's not even happening! Why did I let it get this far? Why am I still perpetuating this if it's not true?? It was never a problem until I did weed and "opened doors" that was just weed! I'm making up trauma that's not real! I want so bad to be traumatized so I can feel justified to be mad at my parents when really I'm just an entitled little bitch who's never had anything happen to them and needs to pretend they're worse off than they are! She has real trauma! She's actually been through real abuse and they've never done anything to me other than yell and that doesn't mean anything and I'm just a crybaby for being scared of getting yelled at they never actually threaten me (why do you remember the "I'll give you something to cry about" threat/phrase then???) and I cried over nothing all the time for no reason and I've just always been afraid of nothing. I can't believe I'm actually sitting here thinking about doing all this research just to prove a point?? Just to prove her wrong? That doesn't mean anything! That's not a good reason! I shouldn't even bother. This is a waste of my time. I should just tell her she's right and move on. It's not DID and (Losing my train of thought trying to write this, Jesus) I've just convinced myself it is but it's not. I've made it out to be more than it is so they'll care and that didn't work anyway. I can't believe this is happening right now. There's no way I got this far. That all of this really happened over nothing. They were just characters in my head! Why did I ever start believing more than that when I don't have trauma! Nothing that bad has ever happened to me and all these thoughts that keep coming up are fake and even if some of this stuff was trauma it wasn't in my childhood so it's not relevant. I spend too much time on the internet and I shouldn't just believe all of this stuff. What do I think I'm actually "relating" too? I should've just left it at Maladaptive Daydreaming and been fine. I've made everything worse for myself. There was a reason I stopped doing research on DID years ago! 'Cause I don't have trauma and I can't sit here and pretend I do. Why am I doing this?

(Etc etc etc. Front changed while writing this. I've been in co the whole time but Parker needed to step back for their own comfortability.)

We went back n forth for a while about a bunch of this stuff. Had a number of headmates hop in co-front just to prove a point, only for Parker to continue to tell them they're not real and it's "all me and I'm faking" bro you are at that point proving a point to yourself but okay.

Anyway, eventually Kiara took front and started on research anyway. We were up til 5am. Didn't finish but marked all our tabs so we could go back and finish it up the next day (yesterday). Did not get back to it yesterday 'Cause Parker got anxious.

We now have a deadline to present this shit. We've got a psych appointment tomorrow morning and Mom's leaving on Thursday to visit a friend. So we should get to it today. But they're really not ready for that conversation. Unfortunately we (Lio) told our psychiatrist that we might actually get to that conversation with our parents before our next appointment so now Parker feels like we have to. And if we don't then they'll be anxious about it the entire time Mom's gone which is also not productive.

There's a worry that if any of the rest of us try to explain it then it won't be taken seriously because we're not them. This whole situation is exhausting. We weren't planning on trying to have this conversation yet and now we're so rushed and there's a lot more pressure.

In any case, there's a chance we'll post an update if/when it happens.

If you've read this far, any kind of support would be appreciated. <3

-❤️

#system denial #abuse mention #spiral #emotional abuse #verbal abuse #depersonalisation and derealisation #pooger.txt #fuckboi/pos #dissociative system #osddid #did osdd #system vent #vent post #personal vent #endos dni

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fictionadventurer · 1 year ago

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Now that I have some feedback on this year's Inklings Challenge themes, a few suggestions seemed the most popular.

Several voices expressed interest in Gifts/Fruits of the Spirit, which continues to intrigue me, but I shy away from it for the same reason that I have other years, which is that Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Gentleness, and Self-Control mostly fit fairly closely in with one another, which would make it difficult to single out one as a focus, and could make for stories that fit within a very narrow band.

One possibility that occurs is to make a list of lists: seven themes that are all groupings of their own, though this makes it even more complicated.

However, now that I’m thinking of those lists, I suddenly have a bunch of other ideas.

If this was a strictly Catholic challenge, we would totally be doing sacraments for the theme list.

The Corporal Works of Mercy are also probably mostly a Catholic concept, but they offer very specific yet wide-ranging prompts for stories.

Feed the hungry

Give drink to the thirsty

Shelter the homeless

Clothe the naked

Visit the sick

Visit the imprisoned

Bury the dead

If I’m willing to expand the list just slightly, we could do the Eight Beatitudes, which also offer very specific story-related prompts.

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

Blessed are they who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for justice, for they shall have their fill.

Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.

Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God.

Blessed are they that suffer persecution for the sake of Christ, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

There was also a lot of interest in letting people pick books of the Bible as inspiration, leaving it up to the author to choose whether to be inspired by plot points, themes, characters, etc.

If I did go with this option, I’d probably do a combination of specific books + categories to cover a wider range. Something like

Genesis

Judges

Kings

Prophets

Psalms

Gospels

Revelation

I do like this idea, but this does leave a burden on the author to dive into the Bible, and with only a three-week writing window, people could get too tangled up in possibilities or the time commitment of rereading to actually write anything in time (and it could suggest we’re expecting retellings, which would not be the case.)

Other Bible-related options that intrigue me included the suggestion to list seven Bible characters to use as inspiration—which could have the same effect of making people think we’re expected retellings instead of just “use this as a spark of inspiration”. One way to avoid that could be to list several categories of characters and let people pick: Fathers, Judges, Kings, Prophets, Apostles, etc. But then we get back to the “requires too much research on the author’s part” problem.

I also loved the idea of using seven of Christ’s parables as prompts. This has a similar benefit to the “books of the Bible” option in that it would allow people to choose plot points, characters, themes, imagery, etc., but it narrows the focus so there’s not so much reading to dive into. It also has a similar drawback—people might think we expect retellings. But in our Christian storytelling challenge, it seems very fitting to tie our work to the idea of Christ as storyteller.

List of possible parables include the well-known story parables:

The Good Samartian

The Prodigal Son

The Ten Virgins

The Unforgiving Servant

The Rich Man and Lazarus

The Pharisee and the Tax Collector

The Laborers in the Vineyard

The Ten Talents

As well as some with more abstract imagery:

The Parable of the Sower

The Parable of the Wheat Among Weeds

The Parable of the Lost Sheep

The Parable of the Pearl

The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

The Parable of the Friend at Midnight

I understand I have not made my problem easier. I’m just trying to list some options and get more specific feedback.

#adventures in the inklings challenge

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dbcjr3 · 2 months ago

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youtube

There is a rich Hebraic background behind the Bread of Life (Yeshua Hamassiah, Jesus the Messiah), breaking bread together (The Last Supper, communion), and forgiveness. It was prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2).

Bethlehem is in Hebrew, Beit Lechem, means “House of Bread”. And Jesus was born there fulfilling that prophecy just as the Bible said. The Hebrew faith assigned numbers to letters and those numbers represent something. Beit Lechem adds up to 490, a value connected to forgiveness.

Peter asked Jesus how many times should I forgive in Matthew 18:22, seven times? He thought he was being spiritual because 7 represents the number of completion. But Jesus replied 70x7 or 490. Why?

Because 490 has the numerical value of the Hebrew word, “tamim”, which means perfect. The Law commanded that we be perfect. Jesus said that He didn’t come to abolish the Law but fulfill it. But how? Not by judging, at least until He comes again. But let’s explore this further.

Jesus made a startling statement in Matthew 7:1 "Judge not, that ye be not judged" Judging others with our grudges and resentments

The state of condemnation was about falling short of keeping the Law, thus, condemnation. Paul expressed a tormented soul in the state of condemnation in Romans 7:27, the “wretched man” verse. But verse 8:1 says, “There is, therefore, no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

In John 6:35 Jesus says “I am the bread of life…” He’s from the House of Bread declaring He is that Bread but it is a particular kind of bread, the Bread of Life. We cannot live without it. And, it would seem, to stretch a metaphor, that we cannot digest His Life without forgiveness because it is because of His forgiveness that we have Life, the more “abundant life “ He describes in John 10:10.

There’s something about holding onto a grudge that brings condemnation upon ourselves. It’s downright unhealthy! And there has been scientific research that provides evidence of that. It disrupts digestion, inflames the body, advances arthritis, raises the ph levels promoting cancer. When we judge, we are bringing condemnation onto ourselves - the exact opposite of what Jesus came to do!

We see Paul explaining that in 1 Corinthians 11:24-37. He says that to take communion without properly discerning the body, the bread broken for you, that we are eating and drinking judgment upon ourselves.

Now this is not a preclusion to taking communion but an invitation to make it right so as not to open the door to satanic forces to bring condemnation on us that often leads to physical manifestations like poor health and interrupted prosperity. It’s hard to flow in the faithfulness of God when we stubbornly hold onto grudges, resentments, etc.

The Lord showed me that I might have a “right” to feel that way but my rights are killing me! Does that mean if I forgive that that I let them do it again, and again, and again? No! Paul addresses that earlier in the same chapter when he tells us that we’re not to have “fellowship” with people who are habitually (perhaps “addicted”) partakers in certain sins that are particularly harmful.

That word for fellowship in the original Greek is “koinonia”, meaning intimate Christian fellowship. It doesn’t mean not to associate at all, just keep boundaries with them, particularly in the areas of trust and deep spiritual connection. For goodness sake, don’t marry one! Missionary dating rarely works! It usually goes the other way. I know from experience the hard way!

So, don’t avoid taking communion, people! That’s a satanic lie that will keep you in health-stealing, wealth-robbing, and spiritual-growth-stunting condemnation! No, Jesus said take communion “often in remembrance of Me!” Seize it as an opportunity to make things right, as in righteousness!

Take a moment to do a quick inventory of guilts and resentments and confess them to the Bread of Life, the One who Forgives and gives LIFE EVERLASTING! Let Him cleanse you and take communion as often as you need to to get the gunk out and keep it out. Because the devil doesn’t believe you will. He thinks you’re as stupid as he is.

So every time stinkin thinking comes on you do your own communion right then and there. You know what “communion” means? It’s that koinonia we were talking about but this time we’re not talking about with people but with the Bread of Life Himself!

#Youtube

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the-firebird69 · 10 months ago

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Product Link in Bio ( # 1092 ) @MaviGadgets ▶️USEFUL ELDERLY PRODUCTS!

We have this technology and we use it and the max use it and these guys are trying to use it and they're advertising it and they're not very good at it but they say they're going to be masters of it this is how they say it we do understand what they say and we don't want to hear it anymore it's repulsive they're extremely offensive to us and to others and they do it on purpose and expect no reprisal no punishment and to go free for absolutely no reason nobody's sympathizes with you anymore because of what you're saying and doing and nobody wants the world to blow up and it is Dave's idea in the max to have you in the state of idiocy and look at you laying there prone threatening everyone they come up and just pull the plug and you're gone or turn the gas on

Thor Freya

Olympus

You might be stupid we keep saying this stuff to everybody and we're getting small we're having a little bit of a civil war and we're not that great and he says that his people clear out so many bombs we go blind in the next two the max do it too they were clearing out trillions and trillions of arms and a big area a day and we heard about it and we did not stop and it is idiocy we're never going to be fast enough or smart enough and we can't get any of these bombs anywhere with huge armies and we're not listening it really is pitiful and it's disgusting and doesn't want us to keep blabbing about it and doing stupid s*** have to kind of pay attention to what's happening and really I get the story but for Christ's sake there's a lot of stuff like that it's not just that this other fleets it's other races we have all these people against us who are planning like nincompoops and sees trumpsters they won't shut the f****** I mean it is terrible

Brad

Olympus

You're sick Trump and you're ruining us and we ain't going to be nothing it's way way past it and people are figuring out it's not the blame for any of this stupid crap

Bja we did a lot of research people have it now the computers compile it and they look at it all and it's one to one you having to do stuff it's ridiculous and you're not a genius you're an ass....

And that note we're taking over more companies on Tuesday and they have come to us and requested it they can't stand this guy Trump and the maxfield confident they can take it all back.

*one such company is Occidental petroleum and we took over the remaining companies no but on Tuesday we shall all of them want to sign 100% as well as the parent company that's a lot of companies and they're very big keep in mind we only had 60% or so of the ones we had controlling sheriff and I was about 3/4 of them and the other is 40%. So people want us to be taxed we're going to be if we don't recruit and Sunday is tomorrow and that's Church I do hear what he's saying it's got to go out and this is about fire and they get enthused so we're going to put the car wash on it but for real this is a huge purchase huge this is going to be 70% of the world's gas stations gas production oil production and refineries drilling rigs rubber products across the board and oil products and practically everything that runs machines and synthetic and all sorts of different oils and compounds transmission fluid diesel fuel jet fuel all that comes from these companies and the two remaining really Sunoco and shell have sold us a 20% each and they're scared and they realize that these people are nuts and they realize that Dave's plan is awful and the max plan is screwball plan now. We're going to publish this is huge

Thor Freya

Olympus

This is massively nice and good timing and we need it and we need it now I want to be free I want to be out of here give a couple events coming up that can help I needed to happen I really need to be with people

Hera I understand what you're saying it might be another year it really is not too long for me I don't like it being alone but it's not as bad as what happens to you I understand what you're saying you'll be okay and you're upbeat and you can stop things and we have huge teams and we have stuff that's going to be here fairly soon and I do know what you're saying that our movement is becoming bigger not smaller are people are gathering and we will overcome and it's going to be a dream but it's still a long time but I anticipate being out much later but I see things are moving along and it's really cool and me and you worked on this whole thing and they have a plan to the max but really it's quite ingenious that we helped and our people I came up with this Frank Castle hardcastle and Thor and Freya and Duke nukem Blockbuster came up with a big big parts of it and a lot of Olympus and Ariana had the idea in Moana and okay of the cars and it's a mainstay and it's worked and Thor and Freya a motorcycle and it's way over the top. They're going to make that motorcycle up there they are going to go make the motorcycle up there they are going to make the motorcycle and it's going to be awesome everybody's fighting over it but they all need it and they have like nothing now because Joe activated the embeds and thought Ihed run Dave's plan

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miajolensdevotion · 1 year ago

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Our Hope Is Christ, The Risen Lord!

WELCOME How was your celebration of Holy Week different this year from previous years?

WORD 1 Peter 3:13-15 13 Now who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, 15 but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect,

Our grave concern about COVID-19 clearly brings out fear of death. We sometimes think that death is the end of life, forgetting that we are all just passing through on earth. Eternal life & there is no other religion or person who can claim victory over death apart from JESUS; the only ONE who conquered death! In a seemingly hopeless situation, where do you look for HOPE? Hope is so crucial to our daily existence. Research shows that people without hope are the most susceptible to sickness & death. The apostle Peter tells us in

1 Peter 3:14

14 But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled,

not to be afraid or be troubled & he points his readers towards the HOPE that is IN US. It is JESUS CHRIST alone! Therefore, Jesus has to be central in everything in life. This means that we must take into consideration what JESUS wants us to do in every situation we find ourselves in. Peter instructs believers to sanctify Christ as Lord; which means that you do not only do what He wants you to do, but you also uphold Him as your source of confidence. Peter then encourages his readers that their lives should be so distinctly different so that others who do not believe will see that HOPE IN CHRIST is so much more than any other earthly source of hope. In fact, we are expected to be able to explain this to others effectively. HOPE in the Bible means CERTAINITY & that is why it is very important to put our HOPE in CHRIST, the RISEN LORD!

Hebrews 11:1 By Faith 11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

said “faith is the assurance of things hoped for.” Faith & hope are like a pair of wings; they work together. Ou Christian life will soar in Christ alone! When we say our HOPE is in CHRIST, we have to look at three things that form the basis for this unshakeable confidence we have: His CLAIMS, the PROOFS He gave & the IMPLICATIONS of His resurrection from the dead.

HIS CLAIMS

The only way-Jesus said, “I am the only way”

John 14:6

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

and it sets Him apart from all the other founders of various religions in the world. His claim was specific; He is the ONLY way & therefore, Jesus defined His ministry with such great & impeccable precision!

God-In the old testament

Isaiah 44:6

Besides Me There Is No God 6 Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the Lordof hosts: “I am the first and I am the last; besides me there is no god.

God spoke of who He is; the King, Redeemer & the LORD of Hosts, the first & the last. In the new testament, Jesus made the same claim in

Revelation 1:17-18 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, “Fear not, I am the first and the last, 18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.

Gives eternal life-In John 10:22-33 I and the Father Are One 22 At that time the Feast of Dedication took place at Jerusalem. It was winter,23 and Jesus was walking in the temple, in the colonnade of Solomon.24 So the Jews gathered around him and said to him, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly.” 25 Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in my Father's name bear witness about me, 26 but you do not believe because you are not among my sheep. 27 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. 28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. 29 My Father, who has given them to me,[a] is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. 30 I and the Father are one.”

31 The Jews picked up stones again to stone him. 32 Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father; for which of them are you going to stone me?” 33 The Jews answered him, “It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God.”

the Jews demanded that Jesus reveal once & for all if He was indeed the Christ; the promised Savior. Jesus answered that He has the power to give eternal life. In

John 10:30

30 I and the Father are one.”

Jesus stated, “I & the Father are one.” The word “one” used was in tge neuter form, which means they are one in ESSENCE. Who alone can give eternal life other than God? The people understood this, so they wanted to stone Him for blasphemy.

Grants forgiveness-In Mark 2:3-5 3 And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic

Jesus declared to the paralyzed man that his sins were forgiven. This was attributed as blasphemy on the part of Jesus & this was why the religious leaders wanted to kill Him, blasphemy was punishable by death. People doubted His ability to forgive sins, but He showed His authority over all by commanding the paralytic to stand up & walk. The people were amazed & glorified God upon seeing this!

Mark 2:6-12 6 Now some of the scribes were sitting there, questioning in their hearts,7 “Why does this man speak like that? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?” 8 And immediately Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they thus questioned within themselves, said to them, “Why do you question these things in your hearts? 9 Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk’?10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the paralytic— 11 “I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” 12 And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!”

PROOFS His resurrection-put simply, the proof of who Jesus is, was His RESURRECTION,

Romans 1:3-4 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David[a] according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

the most important evidence of Christianity! We believe in Jesus because we know from historical & Biblical accounts that He died & rose again; a foundational truth for us Christians. Many people can make claims, as what other religious leaders are doing. But why is our HOPE so secure?

1 Corinthians 15:1-4 The Resurrection of Christ 15 Now I would remind you, brothers,[a] of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

tells us that the most important truth of the gospel is that Jesus died & He rose again on the third day, in fulfillment of prophecies made about Him in the scriptures.

Legal Method-science is not the only way to access & assess truth claims.

1 Corinthians 15:5-8 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep.7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me.

mentons to whom Jesus appeared. These eyewitness include James, the brother of Christ who did not believe in Jesus but eventually led the church in Jerusalem, Paul, who as Saul, persecuted Christians & even to the infamous doubting Thomas:

John 20:26-28 26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!”

These are credible legal evidence from these “adversarial witnesses.”

Martyred followers-the 11 of the 12 apostles of Jesus died for their faith. To risk your life for something that you know is not true is something that you just do not do; but they willingly gave their lives to prove their belief that the death & resurrection of Jesus Christ was TRUE & ultimately important. They have encountered the reality of the resurrection & did not fear death because of this truth.

IMPLICATIONS We are given these wonderful ASSURANCES as we HOPE in

Assurance of forgiveness-

1 Corinthians 15:17-19

17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.19 If in Christ we have hope[a] in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

reminds us of the assurance of our forgiveness. Many of us have skeletons in our closet. We have done things we know we should not have done, but knowing that Christ can offer absolute, complete pardon & forgiveness, it gives us hope!

Power-we not only have assurance of forgiveness, but according to

Ephesians 1:18-20 18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, 19 and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might 20 that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places,

we are also assured that the same power that made the resurrection possible is at work in us to accomplish His purpose for us.

Eternal life-In

John 11:25-26 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.[a] Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Jesus said that He is the resurrection & the life. All who believe in Him will enjoy eternal life with Him!

Glorious future-

1 Peter 1:3-5 Born Again to a Living Hope 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

promises that our future is so glorious. It is guaranteed & protected by God Himself. That is why we can choose not to fear or be troubled, because a great future awaits us with the Risen King who will be worshipped forever; Jesus Christ, whose resurrection we celebrate & remember this Sunday!

DISCUSSION QUESTION: (DONT INCLUDE HERE YOUR PAST EXPERIENCE BECAUSE WE ARE NOW AT THE PRESENT 2020, POST THIS IN YOUR WATTPAD)

How is your sense of hope nowadays considering the pandemic? Have you experienced feeling hopeless? Mia answer: My sense of hope nowadays considering the pandemic by being hopeful to Gods purpose; no I never experienced feeling hopeless Kathy answer:

Where do you put your hope aside from Christ? Mia answer: I put only my hope in Christ Kathy answer:

List down two verse from this lesson that are most meaningful to you. How will you apply the truth in these verses in your life this week? Mia answer: 1 Peter 1:3-5 Born Again to a Living Hope 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

& John 11:25-26 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.[a] Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

I will apply this by continuing believing in faith & put my hope in Christ Kathy answer:

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joziokowalski · 2 years ago

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also for christ’s sake stop devaluing everything you do. “well so what if i’ve spent a lot of time researching [insert topic] i didn’t actually do anything for it so it doesn’t disprove that i’m lazy and stupid” no you literally did it. it was you who read all the online articles and watched documentaries and sought out books and made efforts to get your hands on them and spent time reading them. most of that information and content was not in your first language so it was also you who learned the languages you used to find out all that stuff. no one did any of those things for you and people are not born with the knowledge that you have. you have actively sought it out and put your own time and effort into this process so give yourself the goddamn credit for it

#and focus on doing more of that instead of using up all your free time coming up with reasons why you aren't actually good for anything

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mewnyan · 2 years ago

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i feel this post so much as a filipino 😭 we don't have explicit political comedy here in the philippines since the last time our news barely scratched the surface about duterte's extrajudicial killings, an entire channel got taken off air through legal bullshit (not to mention our uh, deadliest country for journalists statistic). on the other hand, politicians in my country still need to garner some sort of celebrity status or else people would simply not give a shit about them or worse, be victims of negative propaganda by our conservative politicians. so we're in a kind of in-between state where politicians don't usually appear on shows as politicians when it isn't campaign season (if theyre not the host of the show already) but use other media streams to become more relatable to people.

it really is a complicated situation bc i too want to have the ideal of people voting according to a candidate's ability and platforms alone, disregarding how "human" or "relatable" they are, but also having to reconcile with the fact that humans will naturally be a tad bit irrational and thus vote the one they could easiest empathize with.

last year, my country elected a former dictator's son through a combination of wide scale disinformation/historical revisionism and this sort of "comedy washing" through youtube and tiktok (look how theyre goofing off in this photoshoot while wearing hoodies!). the philippine president does travel vlogs, for christ's sake. unlike his rival, who stuck to more conventional campaign methods.

sometimes i think of what would happen if philippine television was allowed this sort of political commentary the likes of british tv. i'm quite proud of filipino comedy and we do tend to be brutally honest when allowed to be, so i'm genuinely curious about how our tv personalities (particularly our queer ones) would tackle issues if there weren't as much repercussions as there are now. there's already a lot of good stuff done just from subtle jabs alone, what more if they got actual words and names in? could the opposition be finally lent a voice in our political machinery? a lot of filipinos rejoiced when john oliver covered the 2022 philippine election, and i would really like to see all that from the voice of a filipino.

but at the same time that's another media stream to worry about, when our far right politicians are all rich elites who can artificially extend their influence however they want and everything that's been said about people voting because a candidate was funny or honest (like they already did with duterte).

it really sucks imo, and i cant give an exact answer either, unless we're willing to bother a university to conduct deep research about it. i also realize that i strayed so far from anon's question too lmfao

i guess if i have to answer i'd say, "whether or not a politician is given an appearance on a comedy show, they'll find other ways to turn the tides if they have enough resources and are slimy enough. so the very least a tv person can do is to acknowledge that they're a cog in politics and act accordingly." which is honestly pretty bleak!

anyway, i will use this space to say fuck you marcos!

what are your thoughts on politicians turning up on comedy shows? i ask because i noticed recently that i've become sort of desensitized to them, like on the recent episode of the last leg when they introduced the politician it barely registered, whereas when i first saw a politician on comedy tv it was really surreal. the problem i have with it is it seems to make them more likeable (or at least make an attempt to make them more likeable), to the point where i have to regularly remind myself that while they may come across as amusing or clever, in their day to day life they're enforcing a system that lets children starve and works people to death. i spoke about this with a friend who said politicians being on comedy shows was a good thing because it humanises people we disagree with and gives us a chance to understand their motives. anyway you know a lot about both comedy and politics, so i thought i'd ask your opinion on the matter, also im curious as to what the situation is like in canada with regards to politicians going on entertainment tv.

First of all, I love this message. I think it’s a very good question about a complicated issue to which I definitely don’t know the perfect answer, but it’s an important thing to think about. Honestly, this is a problem created by seeing stuff on TV and just taking it at face value, so people asking this question at all is a movement toward a solution.

It’s also lovely that you think of me as someone who knows a lot about this stuff, but I’m obviously not an expert on anything, and will defer to the many people who know more than I do about how this works. I’m definitely not an expert on British politics, as I get my news from CBC shows that cover Canadian news in detail and then give and overview of the big international stories. Besides that, most of what I know about British politics comes from comedy shows, and as a related issue to what you brought up, comedy shows should never be anyone’s primary source of news.

I also hope you’ll forgive me if I go a bit beyond the question you asked, just because it’s something I’ve been thinking about lately. How having politicians on a political comedy show is almost always bad, but more than that, just mixing politics and comedy at all can be dangerous. That’s related to what you asked me about but not exactly what you asked me about… sorry for going a bit off topic.

Okay. There is a term for what you’re talking about, which is “comedy washing”. Where someone – it can be a politician, but it doesn’t have to be – goes on a comedy show, or appears somewhere with comedians, to rehabilitate or just improve their public image. A similar concept to “sports washing”, the thing everyone’s been talking about lately because of Quatar trying to use the big soccer tournament to cleanse their reputation (obviously there are many different degrees for how bad this is – Angela Rayner appearing on The Last Leg does not mean she’s covering up responsibility for the deaths of thousands of migrant workers).

The quintessential example of this is Boris Johnson, and how he appeared on Have I Got News For You a bunch of times before he rose to political fame. Here’s an article that summarizes that issue, and does show both sides of it, including the argument that you can’t attribute his success solely to six appearances on a TV show. Which is true, of course, and I can’t say for sure how much blame they deserve. But I think there’s a compelling case that they deserve at least a bit of it.

Boris Johnson got where he is because people thought he was funny. A lot of people who voted for him will say that almost word for word – they voted for him because it seemed like it would be a laugh. Comedy shows helped Boris Johnson’s campaign every time they made him a figure of comedy – by having him on the comedy shows, or even just by making enough jokes about him.

I’ve seen a lot of people talk in the last ten or fifteen years about whether political comedy can do good, whether something like The Daily Show or Last Week Tonight succeeds in its aim of educating people about important issues and promoting good causes (again, no one should get most of their news from anything like that, not even from Last Week Tonight with my hero John Oliver, and John Oliver himself will be the first to say so). But it’s only in the last very few years that I’ve seen much talk about whether political comedy, even good and progressive political comedy, is doing harm.

My own views on that have been shifting lately and I’m not even completely sure what I think, but I believe now more than I used to that anyone who does comedy about the news has a responsibility to be careful. Because when you make fun of someone, even if it’s in a really mean way, you’re making them funny. Someone who seems funny seems palpable, and not so dangerous, and people will vote for them for a laugh. A joke about someone’s harmful policies can educate people, make an important point, or just provide catharsis to those who are hurt and angry. A joke about someone’s hair makes them funnier and therefore more electable.

I love political comedy and I don’t mean it’s always harmful, just that it can be. I want to give some credit to Nish Kumar, for how hard he’s tried to make a political comedy career while being careful of those pitfalls. It’s stuck with me that in an early episode of The Mash Report, he discussed the “Boris Johnson on the zipline” thing, but not to say, “ha ha, the guy got stuck”. Nish pointed out that the guy clearly got stuck intentionally stuck there as a publicity stunt and everyone’s falling for it. In Late Night Mash, there’s a bit in the background of the set, where it lists joke headlines, that says: “Idiots still calling him ‘Boris’.” Which is another good point. We don’t say “Kier” or “Jeremy” or “Ed”. Even on the Tory side, people don’t say “David” or “Teresa”. Boris Johnson intentionally created a situation where he’s the only politician who goes by just one name, and it’s a fairly silly name (one that he chose, because it’s not his real first name), so he’d seem more fun that the others.

That’s a whole other thing – here’s a post I made last year that has a clip of Andrew Maxwell, of all people, pointing out how the first name thing works. Calling it a “stage name”, which I think is such a good description. Boris Johnson (and other politicians – all politicians do this, Boris Johnson is just one who did it extremely well) curates his image the same way comedians do. Uses a stage name, a stage persona, his own USPs. He wants to be a comedy character, and so many comedy shows play right into that.

Of all the British comedy shows I’ve seen, The Last Leg is the most guilty of this (though I’ve never seen Have I Got News For You). They’re aware of it, too. They had Boris Johnson on as a guest in their second season, and since then, Adam Hills has taken many opportunities to tell us that just before walking onto their set, Boris Johnson looked in a mirror and then messed up his hair until he was happy that it looked bad enough. Adam points out that this means the silly appearance is a curated ruse, which is true. But I sometimes find it frustrating that he’ll say that, and then go on to make more jokes about the hair, not seeming bothered that he just told us that’s exactly what Boris Johnson wants.

Those are some things I’ve been thinking about lately with political comedy in general, and any palpable-izing effect of jokes made about someone are magnified if that person actually appears on the show. For a politician who relies on that effect, it can make a whole career. Which is why I think something as innocuous-sounding as six appearances on Have I Got News For You does deserve at least a bit of the blame it gets for Boris Johnson’s rise to fame.

Having said that, Boris Johnson was a special case, and this won’t do the same thing for every politician. I don’t think Angela Rayner is going to become Prime Minister because it was funny when she electrocuted Alex Brooker on live TV. But still, it all adds up.

I’ll admit I have a bias as well. If The Last Leg brings on a Tory, I’ll think they really shouldn’t be doing this, they’re contributing to people seeing that as the fun person on TV instead and forgetting all the bad things they do. If they bring on someone from Labour or Lib Dems, I’ll think it’s not great, due to the principle of political integrity, but it’s not that bad. When in reality, political integrity should apply across the board. In a perfectly principled world, no politician would make any public appearances, because they don’t want to gain votes based on charm or charisma. They’d all lay out their plans in some spreadsheet that’s on the internet for all to see, and people would vote according to those.

I’ll say this: I liked Sayeeda Warsi when all I knew about her was The Last Leg and Taskmaster. Until one day I decided to actually look up her voting record, and… yeah, it seems that she is, as she presents herself, much better than the rest of the current Tories. But that’s a low enough bar so being much better than them can still include a history of voting for some pretty bad stuff. Also, being a member of the House of Lords has a certain amount of inherent moral indefensibility.

The Last Leg also made me really like Nick Clegg, which is probably fine on a practical level because he wasn’t going to accomplish anything on the back of that (of me, a Canadian with no say in UK politics, watching his appearance on a show nearly ten years after it happened and long after he’d moved on from politics), but the point is that no comedy show should be making me like anyone. Nick Clegg was going along with a lot of bad stuff in a coalition government at the time, and no one’s focus should have been taken off that to laugh at Alex Brooker pressing a Bullshit button while he spoke.

Over the years, The Last Leg has also had on Ed Miliband, Jeremy Corbyn, Alastair Campbell, Jess Phillips, Mhairi Black, and Boris Johnson’s father and sister. I’ve had various reactions to all of them, as I like some of those people much better than others, but really, if principle still mattered, none of them would have been there. It’s all comedy washing, even if I think that according to my own biases, comedy washing Mhairi Black is pretty cool.

I still love The Last Leg, even though the comedy washing is one of several things I can criticize about it. And that’s mainly because, at this point, I think there are just so many worse things out there. Politicians are so far beyond integrity right now that this seems like nothing. They’re going on reality shows. They’re breaking rules right out in the open and no one cares. They don’t have to go on comedy shows to rehabilitate their image because scandals don’t bother anyone anymore anyway.

Comedy washing is so much more than this, too. It’s Elon Musk at that Dave Chappelle show. It’s Matt Hancock in the jungle. It’s Alastair Campbell facilitating war crimes and then getting a game show to make a joke out of it. For that matter, there’s an argument that my favourite TV show, The Thick of It, helped Campbell out by basing beloved character Malcolm Tucker on him. Campbell probably did get some of what he has now, the chance to appear on panel shows and things like that, because he can be marketed as “real life Malcolm Tucker”. In a perfectly principled world, no one in politics would be marketed as anything.

For a faster summary than I can make of any of this, here’s a Munya Chawawa video where the joke is that he’s playing a “posh drill rapper” called Unknown P, releasing a single called Piers Morgan. The joke there is that Unknown P, who’s an asshole, really likes Piers Morgan, because Piers Morgan is also an asshole. And here’s Piers Morgan reacting to that video, because from where he sits, it’s just fun to have the attention.

To be clear, I don’t think that means Munya Chawawa did anything wrong (I think Munya Chawawa may have never done anything wrong in his entire life, except when he tripped and dropped all those ducks on Taskmaster). It’s not a good solution to just never put anything out there because you can’t control how it will be received. Munya Chawawa has made some really sharp, informed political comedy, and he’s also made some fun and silly videos, and I don’t want him to stop just because Piers Morgan doesn’t give a shit about context. I also don’t want all political comedy to stop just because no one gives a shit about context anymore. But the more important the issue they’re taking on, the more responsibility I think comedians have to consider what effects they could have.

The situation I’ve set up as a perfectly principled world is a an impossibly high standard. Compared to that standard, everything is comedy washing. Technically, Mark Watson advertising cider is comedy washing, if we consider that alcohol causes serious societal problems and that’s a political issue. If we start with the idea of a perfectly principled world, then everything’s comedy washing, and therefore we may as well assume that nothing is. Politicians are never going to just stop appearing on television altogether.

So what this means is some compromises away from perfect integrity have to be made. The question then becomes how much compromise we’re willing to accept. Personally, in light of all the other shit going on, I can live with Angela Rayner on The Last Leg. It’s so much less bad than what other people are doing, I think it’s barely worth the energy it takes to complain about it. But it’s still not great. It’s a move I wish The Last Leg wouldn’t make.

So, those are some thoughts I have in general. To respond to your specific message (which this post hasn’t done all that much, and I’m sorry about that, it’s mostly because you happened to touch on an issue where I’m not fully sure about all my own views), I see your friend’s point about it humanizing people we disagree with. I can see why it might not seem great when I say this, but that’s exactly why I think it’s dangerous. I think we shouldn’t be seeing politicians, for better or worse, for their human qualities. We should judge them on their record. On their stated intent, and on their history of sticking to that intent.

If I disagree with a politician, it’s probably for good reasons. It’s probably because they’re doing things that are harming vulnerable people. I don’t want to “see the human side” of a person like that, and maybe have it make me ignore what they do and like them anyway. But on the other side, I shouldn’t even “see the human side” of a politician I do like, and then vote for them just because they were charming on TV. If they have a good record, let that speak for itself.

I know it’s more complicated than that, I know in many cases there’s no perfect thing for a politician to do. I know that not every politician I disagree with is automatically evil – some of them are people who also want the best for everyone, and just have different ideas from me about how to achieve that. But also, lots of them are charlatans who just want to line the pockets of their own people at the expense of everyone else. And in practice, it doesn’t matter if they’re a charlatan or a good person with a different opinion or even someone who shares my opinion. In any of those cases, they should be judged on their actions and not on their TV presence.

You asked about Canada as well, which is a good question. We don’t have quite the same thing here, as we don’t have panel shows, and the whole panel show culture, in quite the same way. Our current Prime Minister was famous before he was elected, but only because his father was Prime Minister before him (which is a whole other type of not great, but trust me, our only currently viable alternative is worse). We have lots of vapid morning shows and things like that, so lots of opportunities for politicians to go on TV and try to be human at us. But not so much in the way of things that are explicitly comedy shows.

The biggest Canadian equivalent I can think of is the Rick Mercer Report, the now-canceled CBC show hosted by Canadian comedian/national treasure Rick Mercer. He traveled over the country, did weird stunts, made jokes about the news, and interviewed people, including lots of politicians. Sometimes top-level politicians. Those politicians went on there and looked human.

Honestly, I don’t think Rick Mercer did any damage to the Canadian political system, partly because he is a national treasure who’s never done anything wrong in his life (I’m joking, kind of), and partly because, unlike UK panel shows, it was just never popular enough to permeate the Canadian public consciousness. Most people here mainly watch American media. Voter apathy’s a big problem, like it is everywhere. Most Canadians don’t know most of our own politicians, because we don’t show them off on popular entertainment programs, and too many people don’t watch the actual news.

So there is an argument for the other side. In Britain, maybe politicians on comedy shows will bring more people into noticing politics, when otherwise they just wouldn’t bother. If you add up the good done on that front and subtract the harm done by comedy washing, I genuinely have no idea where you end up. I’m sure you end up in a different spot every time, though. It’s complicated. The point is that it’s fucking complicated.

So, thanks again for the message. I genuinely apologize for getting so far away from your original question, I didn't realize I had this much to say until I started writing. I hope that something, somewhere in this giant screed, sort of gave you the answer you were looking for.

And like I said, I'm no expert. There's no reason why my thoughts on this are more valid than anyone else's, and just being engaged with thinking about this is a good thing for anyone to do. So, you know, draw your own conclusions. The main thing that matters here is someone asked me that question, and I thought about it a lot and then answered it, and hopefully other people will read this and think they’re own thoughts about it. And more importantly, hopefully this is happening out there on a bigger scale than my tiny blog. Comedy washing is one of the few ruses that can be beaten just by wanting to beat it, by being aware of the problem and choosing to think beyond what you’re shown on TV. By looking up Sayeeda Warsi’s voting record after she makes you laugh on Taskmaster. By looking up Angela Rayner’s voting record after she makes you laugh on The Last Leg, even if she’s from your preferred party and you like her. Look up everyone’s voting record, all the time, because it’s the only thing that doesn’t lie! That’s how you beat the system. That’s the one thing I’m quite sure about.

Well, one of the two things. I’m also sure that Piers Morgan can go fuck himself.

#mew's rambling #i hope u dont mind if i also tag this as #long post #i have many feelings about media and political propaganda and i apologize that i dumped some of them here sjdjsjd

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mossy-rainfrog · 3 years ago

Photo

[Image ID: A digital drawing of Martin and Jon in season 1 of the Magnus Archives. Martin is seen out in the archives hallway, through the doorway to Jon’s office. Martin a fat Black man with short coily hair, round glasses, and snake bite lip piercings. He wears a blue sweater over a white collared shirt, and carries a brown satchel with him. Martin is looking over his shoulder with interest as he walks into work, and in a smaller panel to the side, we see Jon watching him with wide eyes. Jon is a thin Persian person with long greying hair tied back in a low bun, and rectangular glasses. He wears a red button down underneath a brown jacket, and is seated at the desk in his office. He stares out at Martin, looking flustered. There are small lines by Martin’s mouth indicating the piercings, and there are exclamation marks by Jon’s head indicating his reaction. End ID.]

I found an old fic in my notes about Martin dressing alt/punk outside of work and accidentally leaving on a small indicator of his usual fashion when he comes into the archives and I just. had to bring it back. Also, because I am still fond of it, please enjoy the aforementioned fic🥰:

Jon is having a difficult morning, to say the least. He had believed that coming into work an entire hour early would provide him with ample time to get a head start on today’s organizing, but that has decidedly not been case. He’s already had to take the statements of two utterly ridiculous liars who could barely keep the grins off of their faces as they recounted their ludicrous tale, and then listen to Elias subsequently dress down his so-called ‘attitude towards patrons’ for nearly half an hour, and suffice it to say, he would really like to get started on something that is actually worth his time.

He dislikes settling down with the more... difficult statements before all of his colleagues arrive, an attempt to keep them from interrupting his recordings to greet him, so once he’s finished his other menial tasks, he finds himself simply sitting and waiting for the ensemble of his assistants to arrive.

Tim and Sasha are the first - entering together as usual after having stopped for coffee on the way in - but Martin is slow to follow, taking nearly another fifteen minutes to arrive. It’s nearly ten past seven at that point, and once Jon hears Martin’s steps coming towards his office, he has half a mind to give the man yet another lecture on punctuality and work ethic. He gets as far enough as bracing his hands on the table to stand up, and then Martin appears in the doorway to his office, and he realizes something strikingly different about his appearance.

That is to say, Jon’s whole world narrows down very suddenly to the little black studs decorating the space underneath his bottom lip.

He’s staring, he knows he is, but Martin is busy looking down the hall for the moment, so Jon doesn’t force himself to tear his eyes away just yet. How long has he had his lip pierced, Jon wonders? Has it been there the whole time he’s known him? Has he only recently gotten it done? How? Why?

It’s hard to imagine Martin - soft, unassuming Martin who is far too large for the amount of space he crams himself into, always slouching, always pulling himself inwards as if he can make himself disappear - dressing in any way other than soft sweaters and slacks, but if Jon’s honest, he’s never actually seen the man outside of work. He has no idea how Martin chooses to dress himself when out from under the Institute’s rigid dress code, and this tiny window he’s been provided with is making him maddeningly curious.

He’s not... he doesn’t have feelings for Martin, aside from a general annoyance, occasionally marked with curiosity. He’s a professional, for God’s sake, not to mention that Martin’s very existence as a given is like a grain of sand in his eye, rubbing and irritating. Now he cuts clean through without even noticing. Jon itches to know more.

“Jon?” Martin’s voice tears him from his thoughts. “Is something wrong?”

Oh, shit. Jon can feel his gaze heat up as if he’s done something horribly wrong - how embarrassing that he can’t even keep a blush off of his face - but he still forces himself to open his mouth and stutter out an excuse. He means to remark on one of Martin’s missing reports, or the fact that he’s coming in nine minutes late, but what ends up leaving his mouth is; “Your lip is pierced.”

Just a sentence, not a question. He thinks he’s positively beet red. Martin freezes, the tips of his ears darkening visibly against his brown skin as his hand shoots to his mouth and his eyes widen.

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry, I must have forgotten to take them out,” the poor man looks like he’s about to panic as he whips his gaze around as if to see if anyone else has noticed. “Don’t tell Elias, please, I’ve seen how he gets after Tim for the dress code, and there is no way, I mean no way—”

“Oh, n-no, it’s- I- it’s fine, really,” Jon raises his hands in defense as Martin rambles, for some reason inclined to reassure the man. “I won’t- I’m not- I’m not going to tell him.”

Martin hesitates, wringing his hands, apologies visible on every pore of his face. “I- Thank you. I’ll- I’ll go take it off. Christ, that’s embarrassing.”

“Only if you want,” Jon shrugs, which is definitely not the correct thing for him to say as a boss, and it definitely comes out a little gentler than he intends it to, and Jon is three seconds from screaming if he can’t figure out how to make himself react normally to this. It’s a non-traditional piercing in an academic institute of research; it’s against the rules, however dated they may be, and further than that, there is no reason for it to completely undo his composure the way that it has. He tries to get a hold of himself. “I-I mean, that’s likely for the best.”

Martin is giving him a funny look - probably a response to seeing the whole spectrum of human emotions flash across Jon’s face in a millisecond - but he still nods and says: “Sorry again. Thank you,” and then disappears down the corridor.

Jon immediately buries his face in his hands and sighs.

What is wrong with him? For God’s sake, he’s just seen Martin with a lip piercing, it’s not like he’s witnessed the man undressed. Besides, he works in an archive where he has to read statements about the intricacies of monsters that rip off people’s skin and suchlike every day, he should know how to keep his composure better than this. He should just move on with his day and focus without a problem, just like he does every morning.

Except, his mind keeps wandering back to it; the way the little studs had followed the shape of his mouth, the way they had quirked up when he flashed one of his nervous smiles, the way Jon is still desperately curious about what brought him to get them done, and also what it might feel like to brush a thumb, or perhaps even his lips over them.

Jon sits up so fast his head actually smacks against an open filing cabinet behind him. His mind is too busy reeling to notice the ache that fills his head, and he stares straight ahead with wide eyes and utterly scorching cheeks. Absolutely not. He absolutely did not just think about kissing Martin Blackwood. that was- that would be...

He blinks hard, clears his throat. It doesn’t matter what that was. He’s decidedly not interested in Martin Blackwood romantically, or in any other capacity given his truly ridiculous academic competence and his obnoxious habit of interrupting seemingly every stable thing Jon has in his life. He crushes the feeling down hard, locks it up in a box, stuffs it down under his lowest two ribs, and resolves himself never to open it again.

He is not going to keep thinking about this all day. He has work to do, and if something as simple as a pair of metal studs can distract him this badly, then he needs to make absolutely certain it doesn’t happen again.

He tells himself he’s not disappointed when he sees Martin without the piercings later that day.

#the magnus archives #jonathan sims #martin blackwood #jonmartin #tma s1 #tma season one #martin with piercings my beloved #tma fic #tma fan art #mossy art #man i wrote this concept back in december but ohg i'm still so fond of it #alt/punk martin my angel my sweetheart my light and love #if you read this fic MWAH i love you

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