#gordon walker my beloved

[prettyflyshyguy]

Graphic design continues to be a new passion???

[sapphoherselz]

this is going to sound weird BUT

the need to give birth to all of the foxes so I can give them the childhood they deserved

[s-3lliot]

Foxhole Court

Yeah the book and trilogy are problematic and basically trigger warning central, but it’s also fucking hilarious.

TW: Mentions of (censored) r*pe and F-slurring

[smute]

What are ur fav books? (Fic and nonfic) If ya got 2.5h to kill I may as well send asks xD

skgkxlkslf im actually on the train now but that just means i have 7 more hours to kill so yes! thank you!

(im gonna have to divide this up into categories and ill give you my top 5 for each because im an indecisive bitch)

fav classic novels: women in love by d. h. lawrence, the waves & mrs dalloway by virginia woolf, a portrait of the artist as a young man by joyce, moby-dick (duh!)

fav contemporary classic novels (post-wwii for simplicity's sake): a single man by christopher isherwood, beloved by toni morrison, the haunting of hill house by shirley jackson (i read this every year for halloween), giovanni's room by james baldwin, housekeeping by marilynne robinson

fav classic novels that were written in 1913/14 but not published until 1971 thus making you reconsider the categories you take for granted before even having read a single word: maurice by e. m. forster

fav contemporary novels: a little life by hanya yanagihara (this is not a recommendation actually if you want to read this book find a therapist first, then put it in a box labeled 'uncle jimmy's failed tie-dye projects' and forget about it forever), call me by your name by andré aciman, earthlings by sayaka murata, milkman by anna burns, my tender matador by pedro lemebel

fav recent novels: assembly by natasha brown (you could also call this a novella tbh i think it's less than a hundred pages), swimming in the dark by tomasz jedrowski, the life of the mind by christine smallwood, jonathan abernathy you are kind by molly mcghee, the book of goose by yiyun li

fav short stories/short story collections: mothers and sons by colm toíbín, dubliners by james joyce, the garden party by katherine mansfield, odour of chrysanthemums by d. h. lawrence, life ceremony by sayaka murata

fav nonfiction: sea and sardinia by d. h. lawrence, the lonely city by olivia laing, fearing the black body by sabrina strings, a field guide to getting lost by rebecca solnit, shrill by lindy west

honorable mentions: the color purple by alice walker, through a glass darkly by jostein gaarder, disorientation by elaine hsieh chou, medallions by zofia nalkowska, what we dont talk about when we talk about fat by aubrey gordon

THANK YOU FOR THE ASK THIS TOOK ME A FULL HOUR

[new-berry]

Wait! Why would Trent be loathed by the younger players?

Okay! So there is some convoluted headcannon! (Not that convoluted. You will not need red string.)

In the last Euro’s Jude was part of the leadership group. He was there to help “bridge the gap between the older and younger players.”

He also made an advert for Predators that made it seem like he was (to borrow a phrase from someone who likely don’t want to be associated with my madness) the antidote to the virus that was Frank Lampard.

And Jude was clearly who the team was built around, and he was front and centre for all the press and he was always the “big” interview that you lead up to. Everyone else got to play golf or do silly competitions and draw pictures but Jude was always the end game. And Trent was often the one beside him.

I will always give Gareth Southgate credit for the harmony and the lack of tribalism he allowed in the team. He was lucky to be a time of professionalism and players brought up through academies and sports psychology as well. However he laid foundations that were important.

So the leadership group is the older dudes Harry Kane - crucially he was clearly injured and not his best.

Walker - not beloved and facing a moral crisis. Stones was injured.

There are the kids, Mainoo, Wharton, Palmer,Gordon. And the kind of hollowed out middle. Rice who has the massive and stated ambition to be England captain. Bowen etc.

Right. No one gets to the England team without having a healthy view of their own abilities. And leadership potential. And right to be a star. Except… Jude Bellingham. Tall broad shouldered champions league, face of advertising, and he’s there to help the “youth” integrate.

One way I would describe that as your parents saying they wished you were more like your cousin Jeff - he’s in finance. You know Jeff is a tool.

Couple this with the team winning but not in a beloved way. Even their last minute winners were kind of dull and then up pops Jude. Saying “who else” and the benched players might have been saying “any one of us and in regulation time if we got to play.” Like Ollie Watkins and Ivan Toney? Them.

Personal banana thoughts? Southgate picked his tactics well before the tourney started so didn’t take Grealish or Rashford because there would be more pressure to play them. He already had to show horn Phil Foden in on the left.

Anyway. Harry Kane is on the decline, his authority is being questioned along with with his obvious unstated injury. The old guys stones picks Walker are all mocking trippier. Saka and rice and Bowen are trying to play peacemakers. The families are frustrated by the long camp and the travel package.

Phil Foden feels you can build a team around HIM without Jude constantly getting in his channels.

And hey why aren’t you more like Jude? He’s learning Spanish? Why aren’t you more like Jude? We’re building a team around him. Isn’t Jude great/funny/beloved/ he did a cool celebration. With Trent.

Who is genuinely liked by most. Except. He’s Jude’s constant sideman and shadow. And he can tease Jude. But mr Real Madrid can get picky if others do. He pretends he doesn’t mind a joke. But he pretends badly.

There are some missteps with the clique who played in the under 21’s and he is a bit “thanks for your service” to the players that will be bench warmers. Dunk is heard to say he wishes he had a daughter so he could forbid her from dating Jude.

Eze thinks he is the most uncool person he has ever met. Wharton doesn’t get the buzz. Gordon knows he isn’t playing because Jude and Phil drift left.

But in all of this of course they are still all reacting to Jude. Even when he is being loathed he is STILL the centre of the discourse. Trent is always beside him. But he’s a bit unaware of the currents. Henderson’s not there to talk him through his emotions. Virgil’s off with his own side.

Declan is trying to edge Harry Kane out and has one when the next manger will be. Jude gives a speech in the dressing room. Palmer makes fun of it like it’s the lord of the rings. Jude has a playlist. Maino and (surprisingly Saka) rip it to shreds.

I’m sorry this got to long. TLdr bubbling resentment because the old guard is crumbling away and everyone else is sick of Jude Jude Jude. And Trent as an extension of him? Don’t involve Trent he will tattle to the teachers pet.

[brooklynislandgirl]

From my beloved @mouthoftheocean Optional tag: Music-fiends, you know who you are. 1.   a song you can listen to on repeat Red Right Hand || Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds Whatever It Takes || Imagine Dragons 2.   a song from one of your favorite albums Alive || Pearl Jam - 10 Levon || Elton John - Madman Across the Water 3.   a song you loved when you were a teenager or kid Mr Brownstone || Guns N Roses Me and Bobby McGee || Janis Joplin The End || The Doors 4.   a song that makes you feel strong The Warrior Song - Leviathan || Sean Householder Wolf Totem || The Hu 5.   a song that makes you sad Indian Sunset || Elton John The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald || Gordon Lightfoot Pirate’s Plea || The Musical Blades 6.   a song that cheers you up Can’t Stop || Red Hot Chili Peppers Mwahahahah || Ookla the Mok Survivor Evolved || Neebs Gaming ft. JT Music {{RIP Thick44}} 7.   a song that reminds you of your friend(s) Lux Aeterna || Clint Mansell Throw Your Arms Around Me || Hunters and Collectors Sugar in the Hold || The Jolly Rogers Friends in Low Places || Garth Brooks 9.   a song that reminds you of yourself Texas Longhorn || Django Walker Closer to the Heart || Rush A Pirate Looks At Forty || Jimmy Buffet 10.  a song that brings back good memories Get the Funk Out || Extreme Amarillo By Morning || George Strait Sex Type Thing || Stone Temple Pilots {feel free to ask why} 11.  a song that grew on you Smooth Criminal || Alien Ant Farm {cover} On a Boat || The Lonely Island 12.  a song from a musical Music of the Night || Michael Crawford - Phantom of the Opera Right Hand Man || Jonathan Young and Caleb Hyles - Hamilton You’ll Be Back || Jonathan Young - Hamilton Falcon in the Dive || Terry Mann - The Scarlet Pimpernel Into the Fire || Douglas Sills and Original Broadway Cast - The Scarlet Pimpernel Madame Guillotine || Original Broadway Cast - The Scarlet Pimpernel Stars || Phillip Quast as Javert - Les Miserables 13.  a song with a great music video Sweep the Leg || No More Kings Jack Sparrow || The Lonely Island 14.  a song that’s better as a cover Temple of Love || Johnny Hollow The Plagues || Jonathan Young and Caleb Hyles -Prince of Egypt Old Town Road || Richaad EB and Jonathan Young 15.  a song that’s better acoustic Down in a Hole || Alice in Chains Radioactive || Daughtry {cover} 16.  a song with great lyrics Anybody Listening? || Queensryche Comfortably Numb || Pink Floyd 17.  a song for summer Santeria || Sublime When the Sun Goes Down || Kenny Chesney Toes || Zac Brown Band 18.  a song for heartache Snuff || Corey Taylor {Slipknot} Fuck You || Cee Lo Green and Daryl Hall

19.  a song for car rides Life is a High Way || Rascal Flatts Free Fallin’ || Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers Calypso || John Denver 20.  a song for the rain Featherstone || Paper Kites What Kind of Love || Childish Gambino Nocturne #20 in C Sharp Minor || Chopin 21.  a song for dancing Can’t Dance || Cooper Allen Rodeo || Garth Brooks What I Love About Sundays || Craig Morgan 22.  a song for making out Hole-Hearted || Extreme More than Whiskey in Mind || Christian Kane Bad Romance || Lady Gaga 23.  a song for a lover Hallelujah || Jeff Buckley A Thousand Years || Christina Perri I’ll Be || Edwin McCain 24.  a song from before you were born White Rabbit || Jefferson Airplane Killer Queen || Queen 25.  a song from a band that’s no longer together Blow Up The Outside World || Soundgarden Big Empty || Stone Temple Pilots 26.  a song you’ve seen live Operation LIVEcrime || Queensryche {{yes the whole album/show}} 27.  a song you want to see live Hollywood Pirate || The Musical Blades House Rules || Christian Kane 28.  a song by a band you don’t usually like   Bang Bang || Jessie J, Ariana Grande, Nicki Minaj 29.  a song you recommend Montero || Lil Nas X

[steely-eyedmissileman]

Supernatural, Ep. 3x07

first off, it's my girl! it's mercedes mcnab! she is here, she is playing a vampire! again! two years after the last time! apparently, she's not important enough to put in the opening credits, but i knew. i knew immediately.

i did not expect to like this episode. i do not like gordon walker. i am not interested in his plotline. i am not interested in him. i desperately want him gone. success! honestly, i could have taken some more vampire walker. he is a much more interesting character as a vampire than he was as a human. when sam says he is still a hunter because he didn't kill the girl and walker says, "no, i did something much worse." chills. so many chills. the idea of a man becoming the thing he hates is so moving. that's one thing i wish buffy did: the hunter becomes the thing they hunted. there's shades of it with angel, but angel's story is interesting in a different way. i'd love it if someone like holst or justine or even a past slayer became a vampire and then had to deal with that. it would be so wonderful! as it is, walker was pretty interesting now that he was interesting instead of just shades of religious right.

let's talk about sam and his came back wrongness. one: i am contractually obligated to say that no one is doing came back wrong like buffy anne summers. simply no one is doing it like her, least of all samuel middle name winchester. two: i don't quite know where they're going with this plotline, but i know where i'd like them to go. i want sam to not have come back wrong, but come back the same (like my girl). he is the same as he ever was, but now he has license to let out his baser instincts. he can be an asshole and a monster and cruel and heartless. because, if he is, it's not really him. it's the came back wrong of it all. the moments where dean looks at sam for his moral guidance and is surprised when sam agrees with dean! that's sowing seeds. did sam come back wrong? or was he like this the whole time? i'm voting for the second one because it's more interesting. the first option can be fixed with a spell or something. that's plot shit. the second one: that's character! and i love character! don't come back wrong, sammy. come back the same.

also, dean, my love, you are suicidal. you have not said this, but you are. it is okay. that is not a failing. and i also think that this has been in you the whole time. now you can let it out. honey, you have always been throwing yourself into danger, always been reckless, always been careless. it's just that now, there's less reason to pull back. i see you, dean. and i wish you could see yourself. the moment where you decide to teach sam instead of continuing to shut him out... i see you. you are a good big brother. it has not always been easy. in fact, it has never been easy. but you are doing a good job. and i love you. plus, i see where this plotline is going. you don't die until you decide you don't want to. that's how you make it hurt the most. you have to twist the knife, not just stab. anyway, i hope this show fucking breaks me. i dare you. make me cry. just fucking try it. also, i am only nine episodes away from castiel my beloved. unfortunately, i am so many episodes away from charlie the love of my life.

[zorlok-if]

I got an ask recently inquiring about any suggestions I have on learning to write/improving your writing. Since then I've been trying to come up with a helpful, coherent, and relatively concise answer, but that's taking a long time.

So, for now I'd say my biggest piece of advice is the cliché: if you want to become a better writer, read (or watch/listen to/etc.) everything you can. Everything. Engage with media from as many different creators as possible and from as many different backgrounds/experiences/cultures as possible. Seek out things you don't know a lot about. Venture into new territory and always try to expand your horizons. This includes engaging with media you would never drift towards naturally, even towards things you don't expect to enjoy (which isn't to say read things that will disturb you or be dangerous for your mental health, more that you should try reading things you know you won't love or that fall way outside your genre comfort zone). You can learn a lot about writing from things you don't like or aren't blown away by. I imagine it like XP farming in a video game. Even if some of what you're doing/reading isn't particularly exciting or interesting, it'll level up your writing skill all the same. You may come away with a better understanding of what you don't like and don't want to do. You may come away with some new idea you wouldn't have thought to include in your normal body of work. You may discover a love for something you never expected. Who knows?

This advice applies to more than books—watch shows or movies, play games, listen to podcasts or free YouTube lectures/video essays, whatever you want. Just try to reflect critically on what you encounter (for example, "how can I incorporate (or avoid) ___ in my own writing?").

If you want any recommendations, I'm more than happy to give some. If you want me to clarify any of these points, just let me know. And since it may interest someone/provide a point of reference as to what stuff I'm reading, here's an incomplete, visual (and hopefully somewhat helpful or interesting) snapshot into some of the media I'm engaged with. I present to you...

All the Items I Currently Have Checked Out from the Library:

(A Cautionary Tale)

Currently Reading:

Hainish Novels & Stories, Volume One by Ursula K. Le Guin, Frank Herbert's Dune the Graphic Novel, Book One by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson (illustrated by Raúl Allén and Patricia Martín), Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir, American Gods (graphic novel) by Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell, and Scott Hampton, The October Country by Ray Bradbury, The Books of Earthsea, The Complete Illustrated Edition by Ursula K. Le Guin (illustrated by Charles Vess)

Just Read In or Found Through My Current Courses:

Nat Turner (graphic novel) by Kyle Baker, Beloved by Toni Morrison, Dogeaters by Jessica Hagedorn (play adaptation of the novel), Bad Indians by Deborah A. Miranda

Fun Stuff/Miscellaneous:

How to Slay a Dragon by Cait Stevenson, The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening (2019), Neuroqueer Heresies by Nick Walker, Unmasking Autism by Devon Price, PhD, 100 Prompts for Science Fiction Writers by Leslie and Jarod Anderson

Writing Books:

How to Write a Mystery edited by Lee Child with Laurie R. King, On Writing Romance by Leigh Michaels, How to Write a Damn Good Thriller by James N. Frey, Writing Fantasy & Science-Fiction by Orson Scott Card, Phillip Athans, and Jay Lake, The Art of Time in Fiction by Joan Silber, Writing Without Rules by Jeff Somers, Fabulous Monsters by Alberto Manguel, The Art of Description in Fiction by Mark Doty, The Essential Guide to Freelance Writing by Zachary Petit, Beginnings, Middles, & Ends by Nancy Kress, Mastering Suspense, Structure, & Plot by Jane K. Cleland, 45 Master Characters by Victoria Lynn Schmidt

Cooking/Food Books:

Pure Vegan by Joseph Schuldiner, The Soup Book (new edition), Neuroenology by Gordon M. Shepherd, The Italian Vegetable Cookbook by Michele Scicolone, Wine Simple by Aldo Sohm with Christine Muhlke, Cook Korean! by Robin Ha (graphic novel)

Coding Books:

Sams Teach Yourself JavaScript in 24 Hours (7th Edition) by Phil Ballard, CSS: The Definitive Guide (4th Edition) by Eric A. Meyer & Estelle Weyl, CSS: The Missing Manual (4th Edition) by David Sawyer McFarland, Learning JavaScript (3rd Edition) by Ethan Brown

[pers-books]

10 characters, 10 fandoms, 10 tags

I was tagged by @thisbluespirit​​ (Thank you!)

Share ten different favourite characters from ten different pieces  of media, in no particular order, then tag ten people.  

DI Jill Raymond (Jemma Redgrave) from Silent Witness S23 and S25. My Big Macho Waistcoat Wearing Detective Inspector who is impossibly gorgeous and competent! (Rude!)

The Major (Rtd) Bernie Wolfe from Holby City aka the Big Macho Army Medic, here looking ridiculously cute AND sexy, a combination Jemma Redgrave pulls off far more frequently than you might suspect if you don’t know her work well!

Kate (Lethbridge) Stewart, daughter of the beloved Brigadier Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart. She is also played by Jemma Redgrave (are you spotting a theme here yet?! 😜) in Doctor Who and who has been criminally underused of late. Here with her hands buried in her pockets (a characteristic JRed character move, actually!)

DCI Cassie Stuart, played by Nicola Walker, in Unforgotten, an incredibly compassionate and committed copper who deserves all the happiness in the world.

Ruth Evershed, played by Nicola Walker, in Spooks | MI5. She is fiercely intelligent and capable (although sometimes clumsy as hell) and deserves all the happiness in the world.

Annika Strandhed, played by Nicola Walker (are you spotting another theme, yet?! 😜) in Annika. Which began life as a BBC radio drama before Black Camel Pictures turned it into an ace TV show and relocated it from Norway to Scotland!

Captain Michael Burnham, played by Sonequa Martin-Green, who is FINALLY, FINALLY! in the place she belongs - the Captain’s chair aboard the USS Discovery on Star Trek: Discovery. She went through hell to get there, but she finally got there!

Seven of Nine, born Annika Hansen, played by Jeri Ryan on Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Picard. Seven was a child when the Borg assimilated her and it’s been a long, hard road for her to become the incredible competent and capable woman she is today.

Alice played by Hattie Morahan in The Bletchley Circle. She’s just stunningly gorgeous and competent.

Helen Sinclair, played by Hattie Morahan, and Liv Chenka, played by Nicola Walker, in the Big Finish Eighth Doctor audio serieses. Yes, I know I’m cheating because this is Doctor Who, but guess what, I don’t care! 😜

Tagging (with no obligation to play): @riversofmars​ @meluisart​ @slightlyintimidating​ @doctorjameswatson​ @lapalfruity​ @ktlsyrtis​ @fortytworedvines​ @jinxedwood​ @onaperduamedee​ @starfleetwitch​

[caranfindel]

Oooh 9 and 17 for the ask game! :D

9. Best season finale?

Oh, can I count All Hell Breaks Loose part 1 as a finale? Because it’s kind of perfect. Sam dies on his knees in the mud, in his brother’s arms, as Dean clutches at him and cries and calls his name. It just doesn’t get any better, friends.

But if I have to pick an actual final episode of the season, I’ll go for the season 8 finale, Sacrifice. I am not a fan of the front half of s8 (and that’s putting it mildly), but the back half? The trials? Jesus H. Christ that’s some good shit. And I know a lot of people don’t like Dean’s “what, all those times I told you how horrible you were, you believed me?” speech, but let’s ignore that. Let’s just concentrate on Trials!Sam, falling apart but pushing forward, doing what needs to be done to close the gates of Hell. Let’s think about Crowley slowly humanizing, and Sam’s badass dispatching of Abaddon. Let’s think about “So?” Let’s think about Sam being dragged out of the church, collapsing against the car, and watching the angels fall. Let’s think about that a lot.

(Let’s also agree to ignore Dean’s suggestions for things Sam could confess, because it makes us angry.)

17. Favorite villain?

You know, one big problem with Supernatural is that it tends to ruin its villains if they hang around too long. The most obvious example is Lucifer. Season 5 Lucifer? He’d definitely be at the top of this list. That shiny, genial exterior over a completely rancid core. Subtle, patient, “I’ll never lie to you” evil. It is glorious. And Hallucifer is just as good, because he’s a combination of Sam’s memories of Lucifer and his own self-doubts. Chef’s kiss, friends. But then later seasons Lucifer turned into a whiny disappointment. It’s a shame.

(Sidebar: I am disturbed to find that some of you apparently think Lucifer never lied to Sam because he told him he’d never lie to him. I hate to be the one to break it to you, but that is what a liar would say.)

Gordon Walker has always been special to me, because he’s not a mustache-twirling, cartoon character type of evil. He’s complicated. He has reasons for everything he does, and the reasons are not “he’s a bad guy.” Gordon would easily be the hero of a story written from his POV. Honestly, you could make him as sympathetic as Sam Winchester himself, without breaking a sweat. The horror of his sister being turned, the turmoil of his decision to kill her, the violent thirst for vengeance, and then the final quest - to take out the future Boy King before he can burn the world. And eventually the tragedy of becoming a monster himself, the heroic decision to end his life as soon as he fulfills that quest, and the heartbreaking failure. We know it was sweet little Sammy Winchester he was trying to destroy, but he only knew he was hunting the ultimate monster. Gordon’s story arc is Shakespearean, my friends, and Sterling K. Brown plays him masterfully.

But how can I ignore Zachariah? Zachariah, my beloved, you had my heart from your first appearance as Dean Smith’s cheery, friendly boss who suddenly wasn’t. “In Heaven I have six wings and four faces, one of which is a lion!” I’ll never get over that. I don’t know who decided to take Kurt Fuller, who was designed by God to play goofy side characters, and cast him as this powerful petty villain, but they were a goddamn genius.

Honorable mention: Meg and Ruby. I tip my hat to you glorious badass bitches.

Thanks for asking, @trials-era-sam!

[gayjaytodd]

15. Name three things you would change about spn.

1. no racism (leading to respect for pagan/non-christian religions and better treatment of characters of colour - especially Cassie Robinson, Gordon Walker, Victor Henriksen, and Raphael the Archangel)

2. only sexy spicy homophobia like Cas getting lobotomised or Dean getting hatecrimed by Sam, and more respect for queer characters (specifically Charlie)

3. good writing (consistent characterisations, thought through plotlines, writers that don’t hate their fanbase)

but despite these (except the racism one; that’s non-negotiable) what makes supernatural good is how extremely bad it is most of the time so maybe in the end i’d only thing i’d really change is the hero-narrative surrounding j*hn winchester; @spn writers just say he’s abusive and get out

Thank you for the ask, my beloved! xx

ASK ME SOME DESTIEL QUESTIONS

[vsionvry]

Black Creation Is A Revolutionary Act, One We Need Now More Than Ever

People are angry. Angry as cars burn on the streets of Los Angeles, as police knock an elderly protester onto the hard concrete, as mainstream media diminishes demands for equality and justice to violent rioting and looting. All of this anger has several questions circling in my mind, like vultures circling a decimated husk of what was once a living thing: For a nation founded on violence of magnificent magnitudes, by the same people and institutions that wish to continue oppressing and killing the Black population, does no one else see the hypocrisy in such outcry against violence by mainstream media? Does no one remember the legacy of violence that has infiltrated our society and our communities, such that at a point in time mass shootings were as commonplace as a bird flitting from tree to tree? Has no one been listening and watching and absorbing the messages that Black artists and activists have been putting out for the world’s consumption for decades?

Black people have created a legacy of protesting the violent, abrupt beginnings and endings of our lives since this country’s inception. Yet, I ask you to reflect on the messages that artists have been painting, dancing, and photographing for years. Pay attention to how the years have progressed, but the theme of the work has stayed the same. Pay attention to how Black art is discussed and how it's viewed. Pay attention. Pay attention. Pay attention.

Pay attention to how little these oppressive systems care for those who are still viewed as a separate group. When society concludes that we are not normal, abnormal things happen to us, and continue to happen to us over and over again. And out of all of this abnormality, Black artists still create powerful works that speak life to a volume of pain not experienced by others in this country to the same magnitude.

After our beloved Civil Rights leaders were murdered in the state-sanctioned violent acts of the 60s and 70s, Black artists formed collectives to create art specifically for Black audiences that asserted Black identity and racial justice. The politicization of Black students with the Watts Uprising in 1965 created so many opportunities for Black art and politics. That work was abundant and clear in its messaging — asserting Black humanity even though it is often denied to us.

This anger many of us feel now is nothing new. Despite the “victories” of the Civil Rights era, there were frequent uprisings brought on by the continuous oppression of Black peoples. The protests we’re experiencing now are the product of a legacy of anger and demands for change. People would have you believe that the protests of the 50s and 60s brought upon change because they were “nonviolent.” In reality, those protests weren’t viewed that way at the time. The art that was birthed during this period by photographers like Gordon Parks showed a nation still divided and a subclass ever present even in today’s time. 

Artists of the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s struggled to assert their identity as well. Some of Jean Michel Basquiat’s most poignant work was about the death of his friend and fellow artist, Michael Stewart, at the hands of the New York Police Department. Kara Walker’s work examines what it means to be a Black woman, considering the legacy of rape and violence against Black women at the hands of the White slave master — a figure that still exists to this day in the form of police (slave catchers) and slave auctioneers (President Trump) that devalue the cost of Black life. 

Black art is about creation and freedom from an oppressive regime determined to smother the flames of passion, protest, and demands for the recognition of lives lost.  We are in a period of civil unrest, in response to the countless deaths of Black people everywhere, and the continued silence around the deaths of our trans and nonbinary family. 

I ask you to examine your relationship with Black art now. If you are an artist: keep creating. If you are a viewer: keep uplifting. Because not only is Black life, Black protest, Black joy, and Black pain revolutionary — Black art and creation is a revolutionary act. Black art can not be tamped down nor ignored, and neither will the cries for change echoing throughout this country, throughout this world.

Ralph Ellison, the author of Invisible Man, said in a 1995 interview, “I recognize no dichotomy between art and protest.” To create is to protest. To be happy, angry, or in despair is protest. To exist is to protest. 

Rest In Power to the countless lives lost to police brutality and systemic oppression. I exist for you. 

[hannah-deserved-better]

Ultimate guide to my Supernatural Fics

This is an ultimate guide to the fics I currently have out on AO3. Like or comment if you would like to be part of a tag list of people I tag when the fics are updated. PLEASE READ AO3 tags! And continue to read them as I update them as I go, and my fics tend to get dark! Also, no hate about the pairings, don’t like them, just keep scrolling. I write for me first and no one is forcing you to read. ALL my fics are Castiel/Hannah centered and common other pairings include Dean/Jo, Sam/Eileen, and Crowley/Meg. I also favor poly pairings so there will be lots of those. All of my fics, art, and RPGs on here will be under the tag: #HannahGirl

Chosen: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19219222/chapters/45695716

Characters; Castiel, Hannah, Dean, Sam, Eileen Leahy, Jo Harvelle, Crowley, Meg, Charlie Singer (Bradbury), Anna Milton

Season One: A remake of the series starting from when Dean picks up Sam from Stanford. They run into Castiel who is on the hunt for a renegade angel who is alleged to have defied Michael and started the apocalypse. Meanwhile, Hannah is on the run from heaven. She meets Jo and as Team Free Will begins to form, they realize that it’s not just heaven and hell. The gods of the Greeks, the Celts, the Norse, the Hindus, the Aztecs, and the Egyptians have all chosen this team free will to be their champions against the ultimate apocalypse

Pairings: starts off with most characters being strangers, but as they meet and work together, the main pairings will be Castiel/Hannah, Sam/Eileen, Dean/Jo, Crowley/Meg, and Charlie/Anna but there will also be a lot of poly pairings, just not sure who yet. Jo/Gordon Walker is a temporary pairing in the beginning.

Warnings/ratings: Medium smut, dark themes, angst, violence, implied torture, secret societies and religious mystics of many world religions, including Christianity and Judaism (if you are triggered by such things, beware). Jewish persecution, black death.

Castiel (Judeo-Christian): Castiel arrives on Earth to try to track Hannah who is guilty of killing another angel and leading a siege into hell, opening its gates and starting the apocalypse. As he travels with the Winchesters, he sees the many signs of the impending apocalypse, starting with the seven deadly sins. He also learns that his vessel, Jimmy, was a member of a secret society dedicated to the hunt for religious artifacts.

Hannah (Judeo-Christian): Hannah claims that she went to hell under orders from the archangels. Now, she feels betrayed by them because they seem to be pinning the apocalypse on her when she was only following orders. Now, she is a renegade on Earth. She learns that her vessel, Caroline, was the descendant of a Dutch Jew who arrived in New York in 1650 and whose family has had an ongoing rivalry with the Thule.

Dean (Norse): Dean is drawn into helping Castiel track the angel and the seven deadly sins but along the way, he discovers that he has been chosen by Odin to prevent the Ragnarok from beginning. 

Sam (Hindu): Sam is still grieving his girlfriend and he is hoping that after they find their father, he can go back to Stanford and try to live a normal life. But he’s caught up in Castiel’s hunt for the renegade angel, and then he discovers that he is chosen to help the Hindu god Kalki prevent the world from ending.

Jo Harvelle (Greek): Jo agrees to protect Hannah from the angels hunting her. She wants to be a hunter but her mother disapproves so she sees this as a chance to prove herself. But then the goddess Athena appears and tells her that the titans have escaped from Tartarus and must be put back before they cause destruction on Earth and before the kill the Olympian gods.

Eileen Leahy (Celtic): Eileen is a hunter from Ireland. When her parents and her hearing was taken from her by a banshee, she trained to become a hunter and was the sole protector of the small Irish village she lived in. She was a Celtic witch and was once part of Rowena’s coven and has come to the US to try to find Rowena. 

Crowley (Judeo-Christian): Crowley offers to aid the Winchesters, to help them track down and kill the deadly sins. Dean suspects its a trap somehow and Castiel doesn’t want anything to do with him, but apparently, Jimmy Novak and Crowley’s vessel were in the same secret society together. 

Meg (Judeo-Christian): Meg joins Jo, Hannah, and Eileen. Meg herself has been on Earth since the 14th century. When she was human, her entire Jewish village was destroyed by paranoid mercenaries who blamed the Jews for the plague. Meg made a deal with a crossroads demon to get her revenge on everyone involved, and their families. Then, when she died and became a demon, she became a vengeance demon. She traveled to Europe and the US and offered to kill people for clients.

Charlie Singer (Aztec): In this AU, Charlie is the daughter of Bobby Singer and was raised with the Winchesters as their cousin. Bobby didn’t want her to follow in his footsteps and be a hunter, and she was always sick of being left out of the Winchesters hunts, but when she meets Anna Milton she begins to realize she is a part of this puzzle too. She’s chosen to help Quetzalcoatl prevent the destruction of this fifth world. 

Anna Milton (Egyptians): Anna is a fallen angel who allies herself with Team Free Will, though she has no memory and no grace. But it’s discovered that her grace is being protected by the Egyptian goddess Bast. Apparently, Set wants to find the angel before heaven does and force her to do his bidding.

Emotions are dangerous temptations: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21049778/chapters/50071364

Characters: Castiel, Hannah, Sam, Meg, Dean

Season 10, shortly after “Soul Survivor”: Castiel brings a wounded Hannah back to the bunker. They quickly learn that she is suffering from some mysterious angel poison that is destroying her grace from within. As Castiel stays by her side, caring for her, he begins to learn about true love and his feelings for Hannah. Sam is taking care of Dean who seemed to be recovering from his time as a demon but also begins to suffer a strange illness. Castiel and Sam bond over being caretakers and Castiel soon learns he is developing feelings for Sam that he never realized were there before. Later, they are joined by an old friend, Meg, who faked her own death. Castiel realizes that he is capable of loving more than one person and that he wants to explore his love and devotion for Hannah, Sam, and Meg. But first, he must save Hannah’s life. Losing her, he realizes, would break him in a way that he’s never been broken before and he begins to realize that his life is tied to hers, to Sams and to Megs.

Pairings: Castiel/Hannah, Castiel/Sam, Castiel/Meg

Warnings/ratings: Medium smut, sick!fic, poison

Castiel: This story focuses on Castiel and his emotions and his relationship with those around him. It starts with Hannah as his feelings for her grow as he struggles to save her. Castiel’s internal struggle to try to understand the emotions he’s feeling as he watches Hannah fight for her life, as he grows closer to Sam, as he addresses his feelings of guilt at learning that Meg has been alive this whole time.

Hannah: During the altercation with Adina, Hannah is wounded and infected with a strange angel poison. Castiel is desperate to find a cure, but during the few times that she’s well enough, he introduces her to humanity and the things he’s learned here on Earth.

Sam: Sam has been through a lot lately, trying to bring Dean from being a demon. He confides in Castiel during this difficult time and the two of them bond over being caretakers to those that they love. Sam helps Castiel search for a cure for Hannah.

Meg: While on a supply run, Castiel and Sam run into Meg who apparently faked her own death and has been laying low, hiding from Crowley. She had aligned herself with Abaddon for a brief time, but Abaddon tortured her and she fled hell. Now she’s a rogue demon.

Dean: Dean is recovering from being a demon but he’s still suffering the effects of the mark of Cain. He’s overly aggressive towards everyone, but especially to Hannah and Meg. He doesn’t trust either of them. But when he comes down with a strange ailment that seems to be linked to Hannah’s condition, he is forced to let Sam and Castiel take care of him.

Where Angels Walk: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21426580/chapters/51052330

Characters: Castiel, Casstiel, Hannah, Hana, Jimmy Novak, Caroline Johnson, Virginia Moss, Kai Singh

Season 15, after 15X3 when Cas leaves the bunker, things may change as the current season evolves: Castiel is alone and lost as he leaves the bunker. He feels as though he has lost everything. No one seems to want him. Not heaven, not the Winchesters, and the only one who gave him any sort of happiness- Jack- is gone. He’s not handling Jack’s death well and he is finally realizing that his relationship with Dean has been toxic. He needs to find himself but he’s so used to feeling worthless that he has trouble realizing that he doesn’t deserve to be mistreated. Now, someone comes back into his life, a beloved friend he thought was gone: Hannah. Not long after he runs into Hannah, Castiel also meets his and Hannah’s counterparts from another one of Chuck’s worlds. Casstiel and Hana are from a world where everything happened the exact same way as they did in this world- up until season 10 where their universe began to be different. And their world is this wonderful Steampunk Victorian-era world. Casstiel has just left the Winchester sister’s bunker after she lost her own Jack and she isn’t sure how she managed to find her way into this other world, but she and Castiel soon realize that Chuck has nefarious plans for both worlds. Also, the angel’s vessels have some pasts of their own that will quickly become part of the equation.

Pairings: Castiel/Hannah, Casstiel/Hana, Casstiel/Hannah, Castiel/Hana

Warnings/ratings: implied emotional, psychological, and physical abuse, torture, domestic abuse

Castiel/Jimmy Novak: Castiel is alone, but when he runs into Hannah, he begins to explore the past of his vessel Jimmy as he helps Hannah evade Caroline’s abusive husband. Similar to “chosen” Castiel discovers that Jimmy had secrets of his own. And enemies. Jimmy was part of a secret society that has counted him as missing these past years but have recently tracked him down. 

Hannah/Caroline Johnson: Hannah doesn’t know why she has returned from the empty. She’s upset to learn about Chuck’s misdeeds. She was especially upset to discover Caroline, her former vessel being abused by a paranoid alcoholic that her husband had become. When she takes Caroline away, Joe begins to stalk them and learns about angels and he plots to kill them. In addition, Hannah learns that Caroline is the descendant of an important Dutch Jewish family and now the Thule is after her.

Casstiel/Virginia Moss: Casstiel has been the Winchester sisters angel since she rebelled to help prevent the apocalypse. She is from a victorian age steampunk world. She has been drawn into a war that began when Hana released Metatron from his prison and the scribe planned to get his revenge on the Earth and on Casstiel. It’s been five years and the Winchesters have been involved in constant warfare with Metatron and heaven is divided into factions following him, Casstiel, or Naomi. Her vessel, Virginia Moss is from a long line of angel vessels and a society of people dedicated to aiding heaven. Virginia always knew she could be chosen to be a vessel and she accepted the responsibility, as did her mother and mother before her.

Hana/Kai Singh: Hana died saving Casstiel when her borrowed grace was failing. He was so desperate to save the angel he believed the true leader of heaven that he released Metatron from the prison he was in to save Casstiel. Unfortunately, Hana was tricked and wounded fatally. Casstiel found him just in time and he gave her his grace and died. Now, he’s been resurrected somehow. Hana’s vessel, Kai, is a British man of letters.

When in Rome: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21140294/chapters/50311271

Characters: Castiel, Hannah, Dean, Jo Harvelle, Sam, Eileen, Leahy

A series of period dramas starting with Ancient Rome. Hannah, the daughter of a wealthy Roman senator, is captured by a nest of vampires masquerading as prostitutes and slave traders. Though she was never a favorite of her father, Hannah lived a life in relative luxury but now she is exposed to a world of misery and abuse. Her only chance to escape is the gladiator slave, Castiel, and his two friends, Sam and Dean, who are hunters posing as Roman soldiers.

Pairings: Castiel/Hannah, Sam/Eileen, Dean/Jo

Warnings/ratings: Medium smut, prostitution, sexual assault, abuse, slavery, dark themes, violence

Castiel: Castiel is a gladiator. As a slave, he is owned by a Roman senator, Michael and he lives in a brothel with other slaves. He barely has enough food and is being forced to fight in the arena for the entertainment of Rome’s elite.

Hannah: Hannah is the daughter of Roman senator, Raphael. Her sister, Naomi is favored between the two sisters and Hannah is a bit of a rebel. She befriends Castiel during her captivity with the vampires and begins to learn about the secret network of hunters living in rome and keeping it safe from vampires and demons.

Maine Chronicles series: 

October: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16525847/chapters/38710994 

November: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19756855/chapters/46764895

Characters: Castiel, Hannah, Sam, Dean, Eileen, Jo, Charlie, Crowley, Meg, Claire Novak, Kaia, Jack, Jesse Turner (the cambion), Gabriel

Season 14: When Team Free Will relocates to a secondary bunker in the woods of Maine, they quickly realize that their fates are tied to the little town on the edge of the forest. When Hannah, Jo, and Eileen mysteriously fall pregnant- along with most of the town- the Winchesters begin to suspect something paranormal. But Hannah’s strange visions and dreams seem to point to the possibility that she has been here before. And Meg and Crowley seem to know something about that. 

Pairings: Castiel/Hannah, Sam/Eileen/Gabriel, Dean/Jo, Jo/Charlie, Crowley/Meg, Claire/Kaia, Jack/Jesse

Warnings/ratings: Medium smut, past abuse and domestic abuse, haunting, pregnancy, Werewolf!Eileen, Vampire!Jo, hate sex, enemies to lovers, abusive toxic relationships

Castiel: Castiel is struggling with his new role as a father as Claire (AU in which Claire is a teenager) is placed in his custody and he is raising her and Jack together alongside Hannah. Things get hard with Hannah’s mysterious pregnancy, and with Lucifer trying to sue for custody of Jack.

Hannah: Hannah doesn’t know how she became pregnant, or even that it was possible for an angel to be pregnant. But she and Castiel are committed to face their challenges together. But with the strange visions she keeps having, and the ghosts that seem to be stalking her, she begins to realize she may have been in this town before. She’s also concerned when Raphael appears and warns her that the unborn child she is carrying maybe something very unnatural and evil.

Dean: Dean is happy to have Jo back in his life. He was surprised by her sudden appearance after she had been dead for so long. He suspects she may be hiding something big from him but with all the paranormal activity around this region, he and Sam are pretty busy. In addition, Dean is trying to elude Michael whom he knows is looking for him.

Jo: Jo has been alive this whole time and she doesn’t know how to tell Dean that. After being revived shortly after her death, she’s spent all these years living in seclusion in the Australian outback. But one chance encounter with a vampire has left her a monster. She sought out a Tibetan monk in China that taught her to control her urges to kill and has so far managed to control them by learning to feed on blood donations and on animal blood. But now, with her own pregnancy, she has found those urges are getting harder to control. And she hasn’t told Dean anything about this.

Sam: Sam has been helping Dean elude Michael but his demon blood is beginning to resurface and his craving for demon blood has returned as well. 

Eileen: Eileen knew there was something wrong with her the moment she was brought back from the dead. She didn’t come back quite right. She didn’t know she was a werewolf but on the full moon, she began to have urges for more than just flesh. An incurable sexual appetite fueled by primordial wolf instincts led to an encounter with Gabriel, even though it’s clear she’s Sam’s girl. Now she doesn’t know who the father of her twins is.

Charlie: Charlie moved into the bunker with the Winchesters to be, as she calls it, ‘their new bobby’ as the techie hacker wiz whose job it is to hack into newspapers and police reports looking for new cases. She decides to take in and look after Kaia and she and Jo get very close. She and Jo begin to have a secret relationship.

Claire: Claire is a troubled young girl. She blames Castiel for what happened to her family. She is hostile towards Hannah and any attempt by Castiel to be the father she lost. She starts being a little better when she meets Kaia and two troubled teens began to investigate Hannah’s ghosts together.

Jack: Jack loves living with Castiel and Hannah and he loves learning about human holidays like Halloween and Christmas. He’s a two-year-old in a teen’s body and he relies on Castiel to guide him. 

Kaia: Kaia is a teenage runaway who starts living with Charlie. She and Claire become close.

Jesse: Jesse is the antichrist cambion from season 5. A few years ago, he was picked up by Meg, who has apparently faked her own death and has been laying low with the cambion all these years. Jesse considers Meg his adopted mother.

Meg: Meg arrives with the cambion and Crowley reveals that she has something to do with the history of this town, and with Hannah’s visions. Meg is a little jealous of Castiel and Hannah’s relationship and is frustrated by the dysfunctional hate-love relationship she is forming with Crowley.

Crowley: Crowley arrives shortly after Meg, having been trapped in the apocalypse world. He is very interested in the cambion and wants to harness his powers for himself so he and Meg enter in an awkward co-parenting tug of war type of relationship with Jesse.

Gabriel: Gabriel arrives and is trying to hide out from a jealous Loki. He helps Cas and the others with their dilemmas and finds himself in a secret relationship with both Sam and Eileen.

Gathering the Arsenal (formerly, “Bunker Pack”): https://archiveofourown.org/works/14364957/chapters/33161349

Characters: Castiel, Dean, Sam, Gabriel, Annika (an OC), Jack, Apocalypse!Charlie, Apocalypse!Hannah, Apocalypse!Jo, Apocalypse!Eileen, Claire Novak

Season 13. Apocalypse world Charlie arrives from the apocalypse world to help the Winchesters prepare for Michael’s arrival into this world. She brings her most trusted resistance leaders: Jo Harvelle, Eileen Leahy, and Hannah. All four women have been through a lot and are all hardened soldiers, nothing like their counterparts in this world. Gabriel has a plan to save the angels from extinction but it involves a lot of hard to come by ingredients, as well as a trip to the other world, and some serious sacrifices.

Pairings: Castiel/Hannah, Dean/Jo, Sam/Eileen, Charlie/Claire, Jack/OC (platonic friendship)

Warnings/ratings: Medium smut, dark themes, dystopia violence, abuse, torture, PTSD

Castiel: Castiel is working alongside a traumatized Apocalypse!Hannah and trying to teach her how to trust again. He is determined to save the angels from extinction and to defeat Michael.

 Dean: Dean is angry over Mary and Jack being stranded in the apocalypse world. He’s very opposed to Claire’s involvement in their angel plan and is at odds with Charlie and Jo over it.

Sam: Sam feels guilty when he allows a nest of vampires who have a vendetta against him for misdeeds he supposedly committed against then during his soulless years to distract him from the main mission of helping to save the angels and to defeat Michael.

Gabriel: Gabriel is dealing with some trauma over his imprisonment by Asmodeus but he devises a plan to save the angels from extinction. 

Annika (an OC): Annika is Gabriel’s Nephilim daughter whom he has kept a secret all this time.

Jack: Jack is trapped in the apocalypse world but when he is reunited with Castiel and the others, he joins in the plan to save the angels.

 Apocalypse!Charlie: Charlie is the leader of a clan of human resistance members who have been fighting against Michael and his angels since the apocalypse broke out. 

Apocalypse!Hannah: Hannah defied Raphael by helping humans that the archangel was holding in a concentration camp. When she was found out, she and Apocalypse!Castiel was tortured and, at least she thought, Apocalypse!Castiel was killed. Now a shell shocked Hannah has nothing but hatred for her fellow angels and she doesn’t know how to trust anyone, she has some very strong PTSD and trauma.

Apocalypse!Jo: Jo was one of the humans living in Raphael’s concentration camps. She was helped by Hannah, and later liberated by Charlie. She’s Charlie’s right-hand woman and life on the run has hardened her.

Apocalypse!Eileen: Eileen is the more well adjusted of the four women, but that’s because her parents were already gone when the apocalypse broke out and she had already been on her own all her life. She and Charlie are the techies in group. She’s endured some torture of her own at the hands of angels and she’s gotten very good at coming up with weapons to kill them with.

Claire Novak: Claire joins the effort much to Dean and later to Castiel’s chagrin.

[ao3feed-deanandsam]

Bad Day at Black Rock: Supernatural Episode Recap by shirtlesssammy

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Bad Day at Black Rock: Supernatural Episode Recap

by shirtlesssammy

A recap of season 3 episode 3 "Bad Day at Black Rock." Ben Edlund, my beloved! Also, we meet Bela, and I learn that there's an AO3 tag for Bela Talbot's cat.

Words: 2321, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Series: Part 3 of Supernatural Season Three

Fandoms: Supernatural (TV 2005)/works)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Bela Talbot, Bobby Singer, Gordon Walker, Kubrick (Supernatural)/works)

Relationships: Dean Winchester &Sam Winchester

Additional Tags: Episode: s03e03 Bad Day at Black Rock (Supernatural)/works), spn 3x03, Bad Day at Black Rock, episode recap, Humor, Episode Review, good luck charms, Cursed Sam Winchester

submitted by /u/PrincessUnikittySPN [link] [comments] from ao3feed_deadandsam

[saotome-michi]

10 female characters I’m in love with from 10 fandoms 

Tagged by: @gwkimmy

Tagging: @aprincesswholovesinsects, @madelide, @dorotheian, @letheandlilies (Only if you have the time!! But also anyone can do this!!!) 

Lol i’m just going to use this as a chance to promote some shows I’ve been watching. In order of most recent to least. 

1. Hamasaki Yuka (Saikou no Rikon) 

I’m only three episodes in, but damn am I liking this jdrama (which means you all should try watching it!!). 

Saikou no Rikon looks at two couples and their troubled marriages. Despite the corny sounding premise, the story is surprisingly heartfelt, possibly because of the relatable characters. One of them, the cheerful, lazy, and somewhat crass Yuka, divorces her husband because even though she loves him, she can see he currently hates their married life and thus, her. She’s a character who I initially found annoying, but am quite fond of now. Maybe it’s because her aggressive and “unsophisticated” ways remind me of myself and other women in my family. Plus, I do like a woman who stands up for herself. 

2. Phryne Fisher (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries)

God I love this woman. God I love this show. If you’re not watching it you really, really should it’s on Netflix and it’s fabulous. Phryne’s fabulous. Honestly, all the female characters are quite well developed– I dare say this show could pass the Bechdel in its sleep. 

Phryne Fisher is a woman way ahead of her time, the 1920s to be exact. She’s charming, vivacious, accomplished in many different skill sets and fields of knowledge, and very against the idea that one must stick to social norms just because. So of course she becomes the first and only Lady Detective in Melbourne, Australia. Dressed immaculately (because she likes it and, as she tells her companion Dot, “A woman should dress first and foremost for her own pleasure”), she goes around stirring things up in search for the truth. (While also flustering Detective Inspector Jack Robinson, who I was not impressed with at first but now have a serious crush on. He and Phryne have the most beautiful chemistry and I want them together now.)

3. Rita Madsen (Rita) 

I started watching this show on Netflix, because I wanted to improve my Danish and I heard it was good. It is good. In fact it’s fucking great. It ended up exceeding my expectations with the first episode alone. 

Rita Madsen is a stubborn and willful schoolteacher fighting against the establishment (who or what that establishment is changes case-by-case). She says whatever’s on her mind in blunt and provocative fashion, and honestly? It’s a joy to watch. She’s also the single mother of three children, who the show also focuses upon. In order from oldest to youngest: there’s Rikko, who’s about to get married to his uptight girlfriend; Molly, who doesn’t know what she wants to do with her life; and Jeppe, who at age 15 is the only kid who’s still at school and discovers that he’s gay. They’re all very realistic and relatable characters, and it’s nice seeing them slowly grow–Rita, most of all, as she has to learn to confront her own occasional hypocrisy and struggle with parenting. 

4. Tracey Gordon (Chewing Gum) 

Chewing Gum is comedic genius and Michaela Coel should be proud - not only because of her fantastic screenwriting, but also for her marvelous performance as Tracey Gordon, the show’s protagonist. Tracey is honest, outspoken, and wonderfully cringy, and her actions lead to all sorts of hilarious outcomes. Many of the female characters on this list are “cool”; Tracey isn’t cool in the traditional sense, but she’s unabashed around who she is and that makes her the coolest person on the show. 

(Shameless plug-in: This show is on Netflix and you should really give it a go, the characters are hilarious and relatable, and I think it’s one of the few shows that really depicts sex as the awkward, messy activity it is.)

5. Amanda Rollins (Law and Order: SVU) 

After many, many years of people telling me I should watch SVU, I have finally started watching it... from Season 14, since those are the only seasons available on Netflix. (Don’t worry, I have watched around 4 episodes that were pre Season 13 and therefore do know something of Elliot Stabler and his beautiful partnership with Olivia Benson) 

But maybe it’s because I started from Season 14 that I seem to have a different opinion of Amanda Rollins than most other fans do? Correct me if I’m wrong, but after prowling around the internet, it seems that most fans dislike Rollins or at least find her tedious. I, on the other hand, really like her and her character growth... hmm guess that’s a mystery we’ll have to put aside for now. 

6. Na Kyung Shim (Strong Woman Do Bong Soon)

If you’re also a fan of the show, you might be thinking: What about Do Bong-Soon herself?? But while I love our plucky heroine, I love her plucky best friend/sidekick even more. Na Kyung Shim doesn’t get that much screen time, but in the scenes she gets she shines as a sweet and snarky girl, who just wants the best for her friend. And I just have such a weakness for those kinds of characters. 

(Also if you haven’t watched Strong Woman Do Bong Soon and you’re looking for a new rom-com kdrama to watch you should totally pick this one) 

7. Chaewoon (Love Barometer) 

I’ve talked about my foray into Korean webcomics before, but in those posts I neglected to mention Love Barometer, and that is a crime that I must correct. 

Love Barometer is one of the cutest romance manhwas that you will ever read and I stand by that statement until my inevitable demise. The thing I love about it? The lack of unneeded drama. Our heroine Chaewoon has a good head on her shoulders and that means that most problems that might, in other manhwas, drag on for entire volumes before getting resolved, don’t exceed more than two chapters here. And it’s wonderfully refreshing. (Also the romance!!! Is so cute!!! I’m going to die!!!). 

(The series is on Lezhin FYI and I think the first 30 chapters are like free to read.)

8. Road Kamelot (D. Gray-man) 

Listen: I have loved Road Kamelot since I first saw her at age 13 and I have loved her ever since. My first online blog had her photo as the header and the only D. Gray-man fic I ever tried writing was Allen/Road. I would gladly give up my life for her, which probably makes it a good thing that she’s not real. Nonetheless... I love her. 

Road’s featured here because I’ve been catching up with the new chapters of D. Gray-man and wow has that been a trip (still can’t get my head around certain plot twists). I think I might give my Allen/Road fic another try... 

(Also if you’ve never heard of D. Gray-man before, you should give it a go if exorcists are like your thing.) 

9. Ren Kougyoku (Magi) 

(Beautiful edit made by @skania) 

My love for Road Kamelot can only be rivaled by my love for Ren Kougyoku (and I just realized that both of their initials are R. K. :O what could this mean?!?) and they definitely share some similarities, starting with the fact that they will both kick your ass if you cross them. I feel like a proud mother, watching Kougyoku grow from being a princess ashamed of being “lowborn” to a proud and beloved Empress T_T 

I’ve finally read the last few chapters of Magi and honestly? It’s always sad to finish a manga that you’ve been reading for a long time, but in this case the farewell was made easier by the fact that the whole last arc of Magi was disappointing, which meant that I could say a preemptive farewell to it a year earlier. But although the ending was anti-climatic, at least I can rest assured that Kougyoku’s character arc was, for the most part, wonderfully executed, and that her friendship with Alibaba will go on for their lifetimes. ( “Alikou 4ever!” my shipper heart cries, but I shove it down and tell it to save its energy for fic writing). 

10. Renee Walker (The Foxhole Court) 

Oh Renee, love and light of my life. You are possibly the only Christian character whose moralizing I enjoy, because from you it actually makes sense and doesn’t sound patronizing. 

Renee’s one of the most beloved characters in the fandom and I don’t think my reasons for loving her are particularly unique; One of her most-quoted (aka most used in photosets and moodboards and whatnot) lines is “I am a bad person trying very hard to be a good person” and that’s the appeal–at first glance, she’s a harmless, goody-two-shoes Christian, but the truth is she has one of the darkest backstories out of anyone in the series, still carries that darkness around because it’s still needed, and that speaks to her strength. What a badass bundle of goodness she is. 

(Btw The Foxhole Court is a book series that reads like an angsty YA series and a sports manga combined, so if that in any way sounds appealing to you, you should give it a go.) 

[ramajmedia]

Best Movies On HBO Right Now (September 2019) | Screen Rant

What are the best movies to watch on HBO? Subscription streaming services are the fastest growing sector of the entertainment landscape, but before Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu came to dominate that arena, premium cable companies like HBO were offering consumers a way to watch movies and TV shows without commercials for a set monthly fee. Not content to let streaming run away with their market share, HBO also now allows people to subscribe to an entirely online version of their service called HBO Now, after fans begged for such an option for years.

Nowadays, cutting the cable cord is the preferred way to go for many, especially younger pop culture devotees. Cable packages are bloated, full of content very few people want, and contain multiple additional fees. Still, whether one subscribes to HBO through cable or via streaming, the service offers a great selection of movies with which to pass the time, even if the line-up isn't quite as robust as those of the subscription streaming big three.

Related: Ranked: Most Anticipated HBO Shows In 2019

Before the list of the best movies on HBO begins proper, there are some important notes to be made. First, the movies below are available to watch on HBO and stream on HBO Now at the time of this writing. As movies expire, the list will be updated, and new great options will be added. Also, the 15 films below, while numbered for convenience, are not ranked.

Last updated: September 6, 2019

In 1978, director John Carpenter created one of the most iconic horror villains of all time with Halloween's Michael Myers. Unfortunately, the franchise that followed wasn't exactly great, with few of the sequels doing any type of justice to the original. Thankfully, that trend changed with 2018's Halloween, directed by David Gordon Green, and now available on HBO. A direct sequel to only Carpenter's original - and with Carpenter himself onboard as producer and composer - Halloween (2018) does its best to recapture Michael's glory days, even bringing back Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode. The result isn't as good as the original, but it's pretty easily the best follow-up.

Director Paul Verhoeven has always been known for peppering his films with subversive messages, and making films that were uniquely his. That very much extended to his more commercially successful fare, such as 1987's Robocop, which proved popular enough to spawn a franchise that's still ongoing (and almost entirely available on HBO), but also overflowed with satirical attacks on consumerism and capitalism as a whole. For Omni Consumer Products, nothing comes before profit, and not even murder is too far to go to make another buck. Thankfully, Robocop ends up disagreeing with his makers.

Few monsters even approach the level of movies made about the vampire. It's not hard to see why, as vampires' ageless nature and wide-ranging powers often lead to them being seen as both cool and seductive. One of the best depictions of the sheer potential coolness involved with being a member of the undead is 1987's cult classic The Lost Boys, directed by Joel Schumacher. The film's tagline says it all: "Sleep all day. Party all night. It's fun to be a vampire." A cast full of 1980s favorites doesn't hurt things, including Jason Patric, Corey Haim, Corey Feldman, Jami Gertz, Keifer Sutherland, and Alex Winter. The Lost Boys is definitely worth biting into on HBO.

Related: 20 Crazy Details Behind The Making Of The Lost Boys

One of the most acclaimed films of 2018, BlacKkKlansman earned six Oscar nominations, including the first ever Best Director nomination for Spike Lee. While Lee didn't win, he did share in the film's Best Adapted Screenplay victory. Based on a true story, BlacKkKlansman stars John David Washington as Ron Stallworth, the first black cop in the history of Colorado Springs. Stallworth struggles to fit in at first, but quickly finds his niche investigating infamous hate group the Ku Klux Klan. Stallworth gains their trust by pretending to be white over the phone, with fellow officer Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver) posing as Stallworth for in person meetings. For those who missed it in theaters last year, BlacKkKlansman is a must-watch HBO selection.

While not quite the exalted classic its 1962 inspiration is, director Jonathan Demme's 2004 remake of political thriller The Manchurian Candidate is still an enjoyable piece of work. Denzel Washington stars as a war veteran named Ben Marco, who begins to suspect his experiences overseas might not have been what they seemed. Before long, his investigation leads to the revelation that vice presidential candidate Raymond Shaw (Liev Schreiber) might be an unwitting puppet of a dark conspiracy. Meryl Streep, Vera Farmiga, and Jon Voight also star in this prime HBO pick.

The directorial debut of acclaimed filmmaker Jason Reitman, 2005's Thank You for Smoking is a pitch black satire of just how unethical the world of high-powered corporate lobbying can really be. Aaron Eckhart as Nick Naylor, a good-looking, fast-talking, alpha male-type lobbyist for the tobacco industry. Cigarettes are of course a product that slowly kills its users, making lobbying it for a job best done without moral hangups. Katie Holmes, Maria Bello, David Koechner, William H. Macy, and more fill out the star-studded cast of this top HBO pick.

Related: Everything We Know About Ghostbusters 2020

Based on a novel by best-selling author John Grisham, 1996's A Time to Kill takes a harsh look at the often racially-biased justice system in the American south, and also asks the question of whether murder can ever be justified. Set in Mississippi, A Time to Kill's plot is put in motion by the brutal rape of a young black girl. Afraid the rapists will go free, the girl's father, powerfully played by Samuel L. Jackson, gets revenge by shooting and killing them on their way to trial. This earns him a murder trial of his own, and it's up to white lawyer Jake Brigance (Matthew McConaughey) and his defense team to try and avoid the death penalty. Sandra Bullock, Ashley Judd, Kevin Spacey, and Donald and Keifer Sutherland also star in this prime HBO pick.

One of the most beloved documentaries in recent memory, many moviegoers were outraged when director Morgan Neville's Won't You Be My Neighbor? was snubbed in the Oscars best documentary category. Despite that sad turn, the film's exploration of the life and career of Fred Rogers - host of legendary kids show Mister Rogers Neighborhood, and lifelong advocate for children - remains utterly compelling, and enough to pierce just about anyone's cynical exterior. HBO subscribers should get acquainted with it as soon as possible.

Page 2 of 2: More Great Movies On HBO Now

While Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson might be one of the biggest stars in the world today, his early acting career wasn't without its growing pains. One of Johnson's first starring roles following his departure as an active wrestler for WWE was in 2003's The Rundown, a jungle-set action film that tends to get unfairly overlooked as an early sign of just how charismatic an action lead he would become. The Rock plays a bounty hunter named Beck, tasked with retrieving Travis Walker (Seann William Scott) from Brazil. Complicating things is evil mining boss Cornelius Hatcher, played with gusto by Christopher Walken. Arnold Schwarzenegger even pops up in this thrilling action/adventure, now on HBO.

Related: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson's 10 Best Movies, According To Rotten Tomatoes

While not quite as overwhelmingly appreciated as its 2016 predecessor, 2018's Deadpool 2 is a very fun sequel in its own right, and features great supporting turns from Josh Brolin as Cable and Zazie Beetz as Domino.  Of course, the true star of the show continues to be Deadpool himself, as played by Ryan Reynolds. While the decision to kill off Vanessa (Morena Baccarin) was definitely questionable, it still led to some great gags, exciting action, and even a Juggernaut appearance. Fans now wait impatiently for news on exactly what Disney plans to do with Wade Wilson, but for the time being, they could do worse than stream Deadpool 2 on HBO.

While 1994's The Ref is far from a feel-good tale, those looking for a Christmas-themed film with a satirical edge would be wise to give it a look, as it's become a bit forgotten over the years. Denis Leary stars as Gus, a jewel thief who ends up taking a suburban couple (Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis) hostage after being left behind by his getaway driver. Gus makes his captives take him back home, and soon enough, their highly dysfunctional family begins to show up to celebrate the holidays. Also known as Hostile Hostages, The Ref is a great choice to stream on HBO.

Asian actors still really don't get that many leading roles in Hollywood films, but with director Jon M. Chu's 2018 hit Crazy Rich Asians, an entire cast of them got a chance to prove how outdated that practice is. Constance Wu stars as Rachel Chu, a Chinese-American professor who heads to Singapore in order to meet her boyfriend Nick Young's (Henry Golding) family. As the title suggests though, Nick neglected to inform Rachel that said family is shockingly rich and powerful. Unfortunately for Rachel, Nick's controlling mom (Michelle Yeoh) isn't a fan of their union. It's a fairly standard romantic comedy setup, but brought to life by a talented cast, and told from a relatively unseen point of view. A massive financial success, Crazy Rich Asians is a terrific addition to the HBO line-up.

Related: Crazy Rich Asians 2: Everything We Know About The Sequel's Story

A critically acclaimed adaptation of the popular novel by Angie Thomas, 2018's The Hate U Give makes no bones about the fact that it's politically motivated, with a story that could be easily ripped from far too many headlines. Starr (Amandla Stenberg) does her best to balance her daily life at a mostly white private school with her home and weekend existence in a predominantly black neighborhood. Starr does her best not to rock the boat, that is until her close friend Khalil (Algee Smith) is gunned down by a white cop while unarmed. This leaves Starr with the choice to maintain her anonymity, or stand up for her fallen friend. The Hate U Give is an essential HBO watch.

An award season darling, Bradley Cooper's 2018 remake of A Star is Born may have ended up mostly shut out at the Oscars - winning only for Best Original Song - but that doesn't make it any less of a terrific addition to the HBO line-up. Cooper directs and stars as Jackson Maine, a successful singer-songwriter who struggles with alcoholism and the prospect that he's losing his hearing. Lady Gaga plays Ally, an unknown singer that gets discovered by Jackson one night at a club, beginning both a whirlwind romance and Ally's rise to musical stardom. Cooper and Gaga's lead song, "Shallow" deservedly won the Oscar, and the chemistry between the two is electric.

Every generation latches on to its own favorite teen movies, and for those coming of age in the 2000s, few are as beloved as 2004's Mean Girls, now on HBO. Directed by Mark Waters, Mean Girls takes a look at the clique-heavy high school ecosystem, all while being hilarious and quotable. Lindsay Lohan stars as Cady Heron, freshly placed in a new school after spending over a decade in Africa. Cady has a hard time adjusting, that is until she's taken in by The Plastics, a group of the school's most popular girls. Leading the group is the often cruel Regina George (Rachel McAdams). Before long, Cady and Regina butt heads, and the battle for teenage supremacy is on. Lacey Chabert, Amanda Seyfried, and Tina Fey also star, with Fey herself having written the script.

More: The 25 Best Films on Netflix Right Now

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