#hola sociology major

[cherry-pop-elf]

Fr fr like I understand fandom will do fandom things but the issue is it’s dealing with such serious topics

We are now forced to see the worse of people come to light, and how people normalize things

How normalized it is for Curly to be treated a certain way for being disabled

Like I have fibromyalgia. Some days I literally AM bed bound and unable to get up

I HAVE BEEN Curly

Not to mention a AFAB person who’s been through assault

I can’t help but sit there and wonder

“Do people see me like that to?”

It’s a mental tax fr fr

Like there’s a difference between making jokes and meaning what you say

Ugh sorry getting venty but the point still stands

Stop 👏 normalizing 👏 ableism 👏

i think the main reason why theres so much controversy and misunderstandings in the mw fandom already, like people defending jimmy, demonizing curly, and the insane amount of ableism and misogyny, might be because of the amount of second hand media consumption. were talking things like watching playthroughs or reading wiki pages instead of playing the game for yourself. dont get me wrong, i used to always watch playthroughs before playing a game. but i have noticed some insane stark contrasts between people who played the game vs those who havent.

dont know exactly why this could be causing it, but i have heard the same idea be given by other fans who played the game.

[sarita-daniele]

Hi, angel! Hope you're doing alright 💓 (hola ángel! También hablo español :) ) I was wondering if you could give some advices in starting out in an arts career?

Hola amigx, ¡perdón que nunca vi tu mensajito! I’m not on my Tumblr very often and definitely forget to check my messages. Luckily my favorite causita @luthienne told me you’d messaged me! 

I don’t know what arts discipline you’re in, so feel free to let me know if the advice I have doesn’t apply to you (and ignore it!). There are so many ways to build an arts career, but I’m happy to share some things I’ve learned through trial and error along the way. 

(Outrageously long post below break!)

Educate yourself in arts technique, but also study widely. 

Techniques are important in art, but only as important as the concepts behind them. When I was younger, I wowed people by drawing near-photographic portraits, but that technical talent and skill alone couldn’t make me a professional artist. Memorable artwork has not just a how, but a why. It isn’t just the object but the story behind the object, and the meaning of the object in the world. Art is about what interests you, what makes you think, what you most value and want to change in this world. So as you build an arts career, learn the techniques behind drawing, woodworking, casting, writing, music-making, whatever your discipline is, but take time, if you can, to also study history, sociology, anthropology, ecology, linguistics, politics, or whatever else you’re drawn to conceptually. Study as widely as you can. 

The studio art program I went through (a public university in the US) was very technique-forward; we signed up for classes according to technique, like printmaking or small metals, learned those techniques, completed technique-based assignments. Then I did a one-term exchange at arts university in the UK that was very concept-forward. We had no technical courses, just exhibition deadlines, and what mattered in critique was the concept. Both of these schools had their strengths and flaws, but what I learned was that, to be a practicing artist, I needed both technique and concepts that I genuinely cared about and could stand behind. If I could go back and change anything, I would probably take fewer studio courses (after graduating, I couldn’t afford access to a wood shop, metal shop, or expensive casting materials, and lost many of those skills) and more courses in sociology, Latin American studies, linguistics, ecology, anthropology, etc., because my artwork today centers on social justice, racial justice, Latinx stories and histories, educational access and justice, the politics of language, and community ethics. 

And please know that whenever I talk about seeking an education, I’m not talking solely about institutional spaces. College career tracks in the arts (BFA, MFA, etc., much less high-cost conservatory programs) are not accessible to everyone and aren’t the only way to establish an arts career. You can study technique and learn about the world using any educational space accessible to you: nonprofits that offer programming in your community, online resources, Continuing Education programs. And of course, self-education: read as much as you possibly can!

Know the value of your story. 

I come from a Cuban/Peruvian family and grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. My father’s family fled political violence surrounding the Cuban Revolution and came to the U.S. when he was a teenager. My mother was born in Brooklyn to Peruvian parents on work visas and moved back to Lima in her childhood. I grew up with these two cultures present and deeply embedded in our household, in our language, our food, our sense of humor, our sense of history. And yet, some residual assimilation trauma still affected me. I drifted towards the most American things, the whitest things, English authors and Irish music, in part because I enjoyed them but also because those were the things I saw valued in society. I wanted to fit in, wanted to be unique but not different, wanted to prove that I could navigate all spaces. The reality of marginalized identities in America is that our country tells us our identities are only valuable when they can be seen as exotic, while still kept inferior to the dominant, white American narrative (note that this “us” is a general statement, not meant to make assumptions about how you identify or what country you live in). 

But as an artist, all I have is my story, and who I am. I wasn’t willing to look at it directly. For years, I avoided doing so. It turns out, though, that I couldn’t actually begin my career until I reckoned with myself and learned to value everything about myself. To fully acknowledge my story, my history, my cultural reality, my sense of language, and my privileges. So I encourage young artists to look always inward, to ask questions about themselves, their families, and what made them who they are. 

The reason for doing this is to understand the source from which you make art.  Sometimes, however, for marginalized artists, the world warps this introspection into a trap, pigeonholing us into making art only “about” our identities, because that work is capital-I-Important to white audiences who want to tokenize our traumas. This is the white lens, and if anything, I try to understand myself as deeply as I can so that I can make art consciously for my community, not for that assumed white audience. 

Know that your career doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s, or like anything you’ve envisioned up to this point. 

As a high schooler I imagined that a life in the arts meant me in a studio, drawing and making, selling my work, getting exhibitions near and far, and gaining recognition. It was a solitary vision, one with a long history in the arts, rooted in the idea of individual genius. My career ended up completely different. Today, my arts projects involve teaching, collaborating, collecting interviews and oral histories, and creating public installations, rarely in traditional galleries or museums. 

As you work towards an arts career, figure out what does and doesn’t work for you: the kind of art you like and don’t like, the kinds of spaces that feel comfortable and those that don’t. I always thought I wanted to be part of traditional galleries, so I got a job working in a high-end art gallery in Boston during my grad program. Once in that space, however— even though I found the space calming and the work beautiful— I realized that there was something that I deeply disliked about the commodified art world. I didn’t like that we were selling art for over $10,000, that our exhibitions were geared exclusively towards collectors and wealthy art-buyers. The work was often technically masterful, but didn’t move or connect with me on a deeper level, and I realized that was because it wasn’t creating any change in the world. I liked work that shifted the needle, that made the world more inclusive and equitable, that centered marginalized stories (that gallery represented 90% white artists). I liked artwork that people made together, which drew me to collaborative art. I liked artwork that was accessible to everyone, not just the wealthy, which drew me to public art. I liked art exhibited in non-institutional spaces, which led me to community spaces. Since I was in an MFA for Creative Writing, I liked interdisciplinary art that engaged performance, technology, text, that was participatory and not just a 2D or 3D object. Figuring out all of these things led me to apply to my first major arts job: as a teaching artist in a community nonprofit that made art for social change in collaboration with local youth, in a predominantly Latinx neighborhood. 

My career path didn’t look like anything I expected, but I love it. The bulk of my income comes from teaching creative writing and art classes for nonprofits, working as a core member of a public arts nonprofit, and freelance consulting for book manuscripts. I love being an educator and consider it part of my creative practice. I love that I’m constantly collaborating with and talking to other artists. I love working with books and public art every day. I publish poetry, fiction, and literary translations, and exhibit artwork I’ve created in the studio and through funded opportunities. 

Fellow artists tell me often that I’m lucky, that my “day jobs” are all within the arts. But there are downsides to the way I’ve chosen to structure my career. I’m constantly balancing many projects, and my income is unstable. It’s difficult to save and plan towards the future,. I get by, but financial instability isn’t an option for many artists with families and dependents, with debts, medical expenses, and just isn’t the preferred lifestyle for a lot of people. I know artists who worked office jobs for years to support their practice and gain financial stability. I know artists who had entire careers as lawyers or accountants before becoming artists full time. I know artists who teach in public schools or work as substitute teachers. I know artists who are business owners and artists who work in policy and politics. I know artists who work in framing stores and shipping warehouses while being represented by galleries. These are all arts careers, and I admire every one of them. So as you build your career, don’t feel like it has to look like anyone’s else’s, like there’s anything you “should” be doing. Focus on the kind of artwork you want to make and what kind of work-life balance is best for you, then structure your career around that as best you can. 

Any job you use to support yourself can connect to an arts career!  

I get asked often by young people looking for jobs what kinds of jobs will best propel them towards an arts career. I believe that any kind of job can connect to and support an arts career, and I know that some suggestions out there in the arts world (like “get an unpaid internship at an art gallery!” or “become a studio apprentice to a well-known artist!”) assume a certain amount of privilege. So I want to break down how different kinds of jobs can connect to your art career: 

1) Jobs that allow for the flexibility and mental capacity to create. My friends who work restaurant jobs while going to auditions fall into this category. Who work as bartenders in evening so that they can be in the studio by day. Who dog-walk or babysit or nanny because the timing and flexibility allows for arts opportunities. My friends who are Lyft drivers or work in deliveries. These are often jobs outside of a creative field, but they can be beneficial because they don’t drain your creative batteries, so to speak. You still have your creative brain fully charged, and some jobs (like dog-walking) even allow for good mental processing (you can think through creative problems). As long as the job doesn’t drain you to the point where you have no energy at all, these kinds of jobs can be great because they allow time and space for your creative work. 

2) Jobs that place you in arts spaces, arts adjacent spaces, or spaces where you can learn about material/technique. My sculptor friends who work in hardware stores, quarries, foundries, or in construction. My printmaker friend who interned with graphic designers. My writer friends who work in bookstores and libraries, artists who work in art supply stores. My friend who worked with her dad’s painting company and got to improve her precision as a painter, which she then took back to the canvas. My teen students who get paid to work on murals or get stipend payments for making art at the nonprofit I work for. My filmmaker friends who worked on film crews. Friends who worked as theater ushers, in ticket sales, or as janitorial staff at museums. All of these jobs kept these artists adjacent to their artwork, whether through access to tools, materials, supplies, or books, through networking and conversations with other artists, or through skillsets that could enhance their art. 

3) Jobs that deeply engage another interest of yours, that bring you joy or can influence your work in other ways. If there’s a job that has nothing to do with your art but that you would love, do it! First, because I believe that the things we’re passionate about get integrated into our art, and second, because any job that gives you peace of mind and joy creates a positive base from which you can create. My friend who worked at a stable because she got to be around horses. My friends who worked at gyms or coaching sports because it kept them active. My friend who worked in a bike repair shop because he was obsessed with biking. An artist I knew who worked at the children’s science museum because she loved being around kids and planetariums. An artist who worked at a mineral store because rocks made her happy. If you have the opportunity, work doing things you like without worrying about whether it directly feeds your arts career.

Because believe it or not, all jobs you work can intersect in some way with your art. You’re creative— you find those connections! A Nobel-Prize winning poet helped his dad on the potato farm and wrote his best-known poem about it. Successful novelists have written about their time working in hair salons and convenience stores. A great printmaker I know who worked in a flower shop began weaving botanical forms and plant knowledge into her designs. The key in an arts career is to see all your experiences as valuable, to find ways that they can influence your art, and to be constantly thinking about and observing the world around you. 

As for me, I worked as a tennis instructor, a tennis court site supervisor, an academic advisor, an art gallery intern, and a coffee shop barista before and during my work in the arts!

Let go of objective measures of what it means to be good. 

I was always an academic overachiever. Top of my class, merit scholarships, science fair awards, AP credit overload, the whole thing. On the one hand, I grew up in a house where education was valued and celebrated, and my parents emphasized the importance of doing my best in school— not getting good grades, but working hard, doing my personal best, and reading and learning all I could. I loved school. I loved academics. And I’m not saying this to brag, but to lay the groundwork for something I struggled with in the arts.

It is jarring to be an academic overachiever and enter an arts career. I thrived off of objective value systems: study, work hard, get an A. If I worked hard and learned what I was supposed to learn, I earned recognition, validation, and opportunity. 

And then I entered the arts. The arts are entirely subjective. We hear it over and over— great artists get rejected hundreds of times, certain art forms require cutthroat competition, etc. —but it’s hard to understand the subjectivity of the art world (and the entrenched discrimination and commercial interests that affect who gets opportunities and who doesn’t) until you’re trying to live as an artist. That you can work hard on something, give all of your time and physical effort and mental and emotional energy to it, only to have it rejected. That what you think is good isn’t what another person thinks is good. That there is a magical alchemy in the act of creation that can’t be taught, or learned, but must be felt, and that you can be working to find that light while actively others try to extinguish it. That you can be good and work hard, yet still not get chosen for the awards, the exhibitions, the publications. If you chased being “the best” your whole life, you’re now in a world where there is no “best”, where greatness is subjective, where the idea of competitive greatness is actually detrimental to artists supporting each other, and where work that sells or connects to white, cishetero traditions is still the most valued. 

After struggling with this for a long time, I came to the conclusion that the most important thing to me now is making the art I want to make, the art only I can make, whether or not it fits what arts industries are looking for or what’s going to win awards. If I make art I believe in from a healthy mental and emotional place, doors will open, even if they aren’t the doors I expected. So try to let go of any sense that worth comes from external validation. Learn to accept critical feedback when it is given kindly, thoughtfully, and constructively. Surround yourself with friends and artists who who can talk to about your work, who build up your work and help you think through it rather than cutting you down. Don’t believe anyone in the arts world who thinks they get to be the arbiters of what’s “good” and who has “what it takes”. People have probably said things like that to the artists you most admire, and if they’d listened, you wouldn’t have experienced art that changed your life. 

Work to gain skills in basic business, marketing, and finances for artists. 

Many artists (at least where I am in the U.S.) go through an entire arts education without receiving resources or training in the financial side of the arts world. Your arts career will likely involve some degree of self-promotion and marketing, creating project budgets and grant proposals, artist statements and bios, sorting out taxes, and other economic elements. I can’t speak to other countries, but for artists in the U.S., taxes can be extremely complex. If you’re awarded a stipend, grant, fellowship, or employed for gigs or one-time projects, you’ll likely be taxed as an independent contractor and have to deduct your own taxes. Through residencies and exhibitions, you may pull income in multiple states and countries, which can also affect taxation. If you’re an artist who doesn’t have access to resources about finance and taxation in your arts program or who doesn’t independently have expertise in those fields, I recommend finding ways to educate yourself early: online resources, low cost courses, or even just taking your financially-savvy friends out for a coffee!

ANYWAY SORRY FOR THE LONG POST I HOPE SOMETHING IN THIS DIATRIBE WAS HELPFUL I HOPE THERE WEREN’T TOO MANY TYPOS AND I hope you have the most wonderful, fulfilling arts career! <3 

[katiefaylangblr]

Hi! ¡Hola! Bonjour!

Welcome to my langblr.

I’m Katie and I started this blog to help motivate me to work on my language learning.

About me

I am a 21 year-old college graduate from the U.S. I majored in Communication, minored in Sociology, and have a certificate in criminology. After a few semesters, Spanish became one of my best subjects which is why I tried adding Russian and then French to my arsenal.

Language history

5 years of Spanish in middle school and high school (ended classes 5 years ago, very rusty)

1 semester of Russian (3 years ago, lost most of it)

1 semester of French (Just took)

Since French is the most recent (and fresh in my mind) I want to get to a conversational level with that. Then, I want to refresh my Spanish and eventually continue with Russian.

My main account is @katieblank02​. There I don’t post any original content but feel free to follow me there too.

I hope you’ll follow along!

[womensvoices-blog1]

Hola Humanos! 

I am Sarita Alejandra Balbuena! I am a proud 22 year old  Mexicana-Americana (Chicana)! Currently, I am a Senior at Middle Tennessee State University Majoring in Psychology and Double Minoring in Health and Women’s and Gender Studies. I plan on earning my Masters in Sociology and Women’s and Gender Studies Certification at Middle Tennessee State University. 

People, especially women, have always fascinated me. From a young age I was extremely observant and inquisitive about the world around me. I noticed that women were not treated as equal. In addition, my experience has been that my Mexican and Latin people have not been treated equal either. 

Combo: Woman + Mexican = Target for Sexism and Racism

Women’s Voices is an outlet for women to freely speak about their shared or unaddressed concerns and experiences with esta vida. 

I will start a conversation with some questions that fellow women have answered already on womensvoices.tumblr.com

How would you describe your love life or relationship status?

The 26th of May, Jesus and I will celebrate one year of marriage. 

I have NEVER EVER felt SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH inner HAPPINESS and JOY in my heart! 

Jesus and I are two independent, intelligent, charismatic, and confident humans. We both are so similar, but never get bored with each other. 

I have found my equilibrium. 

Some days this equilibrium may be thrown off kilter because I am overly sensitive and he is being goofy when I am in a serious mood. However, the little triangle in the middle is the love and silly moments we have together. 

He is my biggest supporter and I am his. We go places and he talks about me as if I was the person to cure cancer. Jesus supports me in every endeavor I currently am doing or want to do. 

I suffered for so damn long, it LITERALLY feels as if I am dreaming.

I finally found someone who believes in me as much as I believe in myself! 

I love him un chingo de madre!

 Do you feel pressured by society, family/friends to be in a relationship or actively dating?

My family always wanted me to avoid dating growing up. This being said, if I did  date someone, they were never demeaning or upset about it. I had crushes and boyfriends since I was in second grade. I thoroughly enjoyed hugs, sweet pecks, playing, and emotional intimacy from my boyfriends at that age. 

Pressure to be in a relationship erupted when I could not stand living in a toxic home environment any longer. I found an outlet in one of my friends and ended up dating him for close to 5 years. His family literally adopted me from their goodness of their heart. I felt pressure to stay in this relationship because of the love, support, and stability I found with being in their family. I had never experienced this in my life before. 

Eventually, this boyfriend and I realized we were not meant for each romantically and no longer had any romantic feelings for each other. I will forever cherish this family’s friendship and loving sanctuary towards me. 

How do you think your relationship status has changed you as a person, and how do you view yourself as a woman?

I do not believe being in a relationship has changed me at the core. At my core I am an optimistic, energetic, intelligent, outgoing, beautiful, empathetic, and confident woman. `

However, I will say behaviors in me have changed. One prominent example, I definitely do not party Wednesday - Sunday anymore and go to work and school with less than 4 hours of sleep. 

I have definitely been my own muse for a long time. I have believed in myself, because others sure as hell didn't or did not have the time to believe in me. Being in a relationship has helped me grow emotionally and mentally as a person in a healthy manner. I am not accustomed to having affirmation that I am a rockstar. Being in a relationship has allowed me to trust in someone.

[deadpan-dan-blog]

💕

Peer into my muse’s memories

💕- A memory about their significant other

Dan: [10:19pm] hey doe

Dan: [10:19pm]long week at work

Dan: [10:19pm]would love to hang out

Dan: [10:21pm]miss you

Dan: [10:43pm] I guess youre asleep or smth

Dan: [10:45pm] txt you again in the morning then

Dan: [10:45pm]goodnite

Dan: [9:34am] morning! hope you slept well

Simone: [9:50am] DAaan yes lets hang out

Simone: [9:50am] come to my house att 11

Simone: [9:51am] bring the car

Dan pulled up to the side of the road outside his girlfriend’s house. He took a shower, made sure he smelled good, wore his best casual clothes and made sure his fur was neat as can be. Dan smiled as Simone came out of her house, her white fur and blue eyes as beautiful as ever. His smile faded as he saw Simone’s two friends, a female bear and a male goat, carrying homemade picket signs. Oh so that’s what this is… Dan looked straight ahead not acknowledging them as they got in the car.

“Hey baby!” Simone gave Dan a quick kiss on the cheek, getting him to smile briefly but his sour disposition soon returned. “Katie, Julian; this is Dan Dan the driver man!” She said happily, as if that’s something he should be proud of.

“Yup, that’s my name. And what I am currently doing.” Dan said coldly.

“Yo Dan.”

“Hola.”

“Okay driver man, take us to Durkillesburg.”

“So what are we doing exactly?” Dan asked

“We are going to protest up at the college because our fascist president just signed an executive order that targets marginalized people for deportation.” Simone said indignantly.

“Fascist? Really?” Dan doubted

*scoff* “Dan I know you don’t like, follow what’s going on at all, but believe me. He’s doing exactly what the fascists did, we have to resist him and protect undocumented students!” Simone explained.

“If you say so- Wait, ‘undocumented’? So these are like, illegal immigrants? Seriously??” Dan questioned.

“Excuse me?” Julian asked, offended.

“No person is illegal!” Katie declared.

“Hahah uhh Dan can be ignorant on some issues but he means well.” Simone said leaning into the back seat to address her friends. “Dan there are systems of oppression that keep them from immigrating legally. It’s complex.”

“Um, right…” Dan conceded deciding to let it go rather than push further, though the exchange soured his attitude at the situation further. Simone and her friends continued talking after that but Dan zoned out, entirely uninterested in intersectional politics or whatever, though he did hear something along the lines of ‘ignorance is just as bad.’ from Katie. He focused on the road and the pop music, which he played for Simone’s sake, instead.

“So how’s work, Dan the man?” Simone asked 30 minutes into the drive, after finishing a topic with her friends.

“What? Oh, uh, it’s fine.” Dan answered, returning to a neutral disposition.

“Just fine?” Simone pressed.

“I mean, it’s work. It pays. Not much but…”

“Where do you work?” Katie asked, in a tone that said she didn’t really care.

“Food Donkey?” Dan answered, slightly puzzled.

“Aha.” Katie let out a contemptuous laugh.

Dan narrowed his eyes. “And where do you work?”

“Ha I’m going to college soon so?”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah, so I don’t need a dead-end job.” Katie snarked.

“Yeah? What are you majoring in? Political Science?” Dan shot back.

“Sociology.”

“Wooow. Even better.” Dan said impressed

“Dan stop it!” Simone raised her voice. Dan gave her a hurt look for a moment, then went back to driving quietly. Thanks for backing me up, babe.

“… I do roof and siding stuff with my dad.” Julian said after a moment. no one responded immediately.

“Uh yeah, that’s cool dude.” Dan responded “My brother’s an electrician. So he also works with like, houses, I guess…”

“That’s cool…” Julian trailed off, looking out his window. Simone sat looking out her window. Dan didn’t care to see what Katie was doing. He focused on the road until they reached Durkillesburg and Simone gave him directions to where they were going. Simone’s friends exited the car but she stopped when she saw Dan was making no effort to leave the car. Her friends stopped and looked back a few yards away.

“Aren’t you coming, Dan-Dan?” Simone asked, feigning obliviousness, or so Dan assumed.

“Can I talk to you for a minute?” Dan said without really asking, looking straight ahead.

“I’ll meet you guys in a minute!” Simone yelled back to her friends, who proceeded to walk on without her. She got back in the front seat of the car and closed the door. “What is it, Lynx?”

Don’t call me that right now. I won’t let you derail me this time. “It would have been nice for you to tell me what this was gonna be, Doe. You know I hate this crap.”

“It’s not crap. It’s important! Besides it’s fun, give it a try.” Simone suggested.

“Fun?!”

“Why are you being such a sourpuss, Daniel? Picking fights with my friends–”

“I’m picking fights!?! Katie was clearly talking shit at me and you did nothing! You took her side!” Dan yelled, uncharacteristic of the quiet, mild mannered boy.

“Why can’t you just be chill? You said you wanted to hang out so we’re hanging out.”

“I WANTED TO HANG OUT WITH YOU!” Dan’s eyes were watering but he suppressed that. Dan spoke quietly, just above a whisper. “I work all goddamn week at fucking Food Donkey- For you. Saving money for us to get a place up here while you go to college. Everything I do is for you and you don’t even message me back half the time. You never come see me at work, never surprise me. I missed you and I just wanted to spend the weekend with you. And you make me into your fu- into your ‘effing chauffeur just so you and your friends can come down here and pretend to be little revolutionaries. ‘Dan Dan the driver man’ God I’m pathetic.” A single sob escaped Dan’s throat and a sniffle but he again suppressed it.

“This stuff is important to me. Why can’t you support me?” Simone asked

“I do support you, everyday. And you make me drive your friends up to Durkillesburg.” Dan rebuffed.

“You said ‘hang out’ not ‘date’ so I thought this would be fine.”

“I said ‘hang out’ because I didn’t feel like spending all my money at Pastabilities or where ever. I don’t want to go out all the time. I’m tired okay? I go to school for 7 hours then go to work for six hours, then I still have any homework I can’t do in study hall. I do all this for you, because I love you. I just wanted to be with you... I quit wrestling for you. What do you do for me?”

“I know what you do, Dan. I do stuff too. I love you. I wanted to hang out with you, Lynxie. Why are you making us do this? Why are you making a big deal out of this?” Simone asked pretending to be confused, or so Dan assumed.

“Hah! You can’t even say sorry. Everything’s my fault, always. Isn’t it? I’m just…” *sigh* Dan laid his head down on the steering wheel in despair.

“…Lynx--”

“God, I don’t even want to hear you talk right now.. When do I need to come pick you up?” Dan asked, without lifting his head.

“… Four.”

“I’m going to a coffee bar or something. Later.” Dan lifted his head and looked straight ahead, trying not to break down even more in front of Simone. She waited a moment, Dan didn’t move, she got out of the car and shut the door without a word. Dan watched her walk away out of the corner of his eye. Once she was out of sight he covered his face with his hands and cried softly to himself.

What am I doing?

[cntcrtainmcnt-blog]

And here’s my new bunch of kids! There’s a lot of possible connections with them so yes, please bring those.

AMBER JACKSON is a 27 years old CISFEMALE who looks just like EMILY BROWNING. She has been described as LOYAL yet MYSTERIOUS.

Amber was raised in a quite wealthy family, but not exactly spoiled. Her parents weren’t born rich, and they wanted their daughter to work for what she wanted, just like they had to.

She still went to some posh school, where she met her five best friends(WCS RIGHT HERE!!!). They were literally inseparable, doing everything together, whether it was good or bad.

Kinda more reserved, she’d been taking self-defense and archery classes since she was a kid, and would go to the shooting range with her dad many times. But they never knew about her “special” skills, they just thought she was a sweet, fragile girl they had to protect. They still think that.

And then one day, one of their fathers started getting threatened by some man. They didn’t know who at first, but seeing as the dad in question wasn’t sure he could keep his CEO spot, they started digging who and why.

Turns out the man’s wife was cheating on him with the father. As simple as that. So they tried bribing the man to stop, but it wouldn’t work. In fact, it just made things worse. Then one of them suggested it: murder.

They did it. Hidding the body and covering all the evidence. Except for one. His wife knew it was them, although she never liked her husband, she couldn’t let them go on with their lives. So she gave them a choice: either she turned them in, or they left town now and never came back, no warning their families or friends or anything.

And so they left. Made sure to get as much money in their bank as they could, of course, but warned no one about their escape. They made it to Kola and rented a house. 

To make sure they wouldn’t run out of money, most got a job, Amber working as a barista.

BRADLEY HINES is a 30 years old CISMALE who looks just like ZANE HOLTZ. He has been described as ADAPTABLE yet DECEPTIVE.

If you've seen The Blacklist, he is basically Tom Keen.

Doesn’t remember his birth parents, but he just knows the ones that ended up raising him were not his biological parents. He never asked them though, not wanting to anger them.

He was a smart kid in school, but even smarter in the streets. It got the attention of some members of a gang, who decided to take him under his wing and train him. Being a still kinda impressionable teenager with next to no friends, he just went with it.

So he ended up getting trained very fast, being a quick learner, and by the time he was 21, was already researched in more than one state. 

This caused him to cut ties with the organization he worked with, and he became more of an assassin/spy to hire, getting contracts left and right from different organizations.

Currently in Kola for a job. He was sent there under the name of Bradley Hines(his real name is Patrick Langford) to get to someone. He is currently posing as an elementary school teacher, trying to get the target to marry him, so he could have access to nearly everything. In The Blacklist timeline, this is based before Tom and Liz married, so before the show even started. Also this is a wanted connection, so if you have someone who could be valuable or a possible target to an crime organization, for whatever reason, please hola at me.

EBONY NASSRY is a 23 years old CISFEMALE who looks just like JADE THIRLWALL. She has been described as EXTROVERTED yet HISTRIONIC.

Ebony was raised by a single mother in Boston. She had a brother, two years younger, that she loved more than everything.

She realized soon during school that people mostly loved her for her looks more than anything, and since she had no actual skills, or wouldn’t even be able to get good grades at school, she thought maybe her looks could help.

She tried to sign up to become a model, but was told she wasn’t tall enough. She tried becoming an actress, but was told she wasn’t talented enough. She was growing depressed because of all those rejections, until someone came to her with an idea. She wasn’t sure at first, but the girl made her try out with her first.

She was 18, barely fresh out of high school, when Ebony made her first appearance in a camgirl live video. And surprisingly, she enjoyed it. The next day, her “friend” helped her sign up to become one and quickly, her viewers grew, and she was becoming quite popular.

She didn’t know how it happened though, but about two years and a half later, her brother’s friends came upon her videos, and it soon destroyed her relationship with her family. It got spread around so much, even her life was getting harder, with people recognizing her.

She decided to move out, making it to Kola when she was 21. She ended her previous account, and started a new one under the name of Candice, or Candy as she was called by her devoted viewers. She hasn’t been in contact with her family since, and is trying to do a better job at keeping it secret.

Still unaware her “friend”, the one that got her into it, was the one to send a link of her videos to her brother’s friends.

EMMA VELAZQUEZ is a 26 years old CISFEMALE who looks just like LINDSEY MORGAN. She has been described as INDEPENDENT yet BAD-TEMPERED.

Emma was the pride and joy of not only her parents, but also her whole small town. She started soccer when she was about 3, and it was quickly noticed she had a natural talent. She was the best female player they’d seen in years, decades even.

When she grew up, she was forced to play with the boys, because she was too good for the female league. This, of course, got attention form the medias, and when it was time to start high school, she was scouted by some good, private school. Her parents would’ve never been able to pay for that school had it been from a scholarship she was given. So she moved to that boarding school in New York.

She would focus a lot more on soccer than classes, but would keep her grades high enough so she could keep playing. Came college time, she again got a scholarship, going into a sociology major in Florida. So far, everything was good.

But then, the unthinkable happened. She was getting scouted by a professional team, she was 21, but on the way there, in her parents’ car(they’d drove all the way down just for that), they got an accident. Her mother died instantly, and her father passed a few hours later in the hospital. As for her, she survived. But an injury to her knee that never perfectly healed forced her to quit soccer.

She was devastated, and lost. She didn’t have anything anymore, but she knew she couldn’t stay in a town that recognized her anywhere she’d go.

She ended up moving to Kola, with considerably less people knowing her, and opened a small sports shop, specialized in soccer, but with gears for other sports as well.

LIONEL RUBIO is a 38 years old CISMALE who looks just like OSCAR ISAAC. He has been described as PASSIONATE yet DISTANT.

More or less Max de Winter from Rebecca, aka loml.

His father owned a very big company, so he was really, really rich. He has a sister, a little younger, which he loves more than he says.

He went to the best private schools, although he never quite enjoyed being that spoiled, so he’d never give his everything in classes. Really he just wanted to be a normal boy.

But when his father passed away, he was given the reins of the company, at only 22. He got quite the media coverage for that, his name most likely still being recognized by some people.

Now owning the company, it forced Lionel to become a lot more serious, real quick. He didn’t have a social life until his sister started hosting parties and bringing people he thought would be good for him.

That’s how he met his previous wife, Catherine. They married when he was 34, although he never quite loved her. Thinking back, he doesn’t even remember why he married her. But he does know the truth about what happened to her.

It was about a year ago, when he discovered she only married him for his money, and was actually seeing someone else in secret. He was taken over by rage and anger, and next thing he knows, Catherine was dead. He pushed her, and she tripped back, hitting her head just a little too hard. He called a trustable friend, who helped him make it look like it was a suicide. And he got away with it.

He’s now mostly recovered from it, although people still believe he’s in greeving over his ex wife. He’s even started seeing someone, quite considerably younger, but even though he knows what he feels is real, people do not appreciate her as much as they did Catherine.

TIMOTHY WATTS is a 25 years old CISMALE who looks just like LANDON LIBOIRON. He has been described as GOOD-NATURED yet RESTRAINED.

Sweetheart boy who mingled with the wrong people. Timothy was always a good kid, generous and kind. He was appreciated for that, both in school and outside of it.

Until high school happened. He started hanging out with the wrong crowd, and although he wouldn’t participate in most of the petty crimes they would, he still got their reputation.

Quickly, people started to look at him like he was a disgrace, unwanted everywhere. It got even worse after most of his friends were arrested and sent to jail, the rest fleeing town. And him? He was cleared from all charges since there were no evidence, because he did nothing.

But even with them gone, and despite trying to make them understand it wasn’t them, he wasn’t able to clear his name.

He decided to stay in Kola despite the reputation he had, getting a job as a mechanics.