#i feel like you can see the moment she decides to put rhett's feelings above her own

[cerealbishh]

"I can't leave, Maria."

"... I understand."

[apparentlynotreallyfinnish]

Think of Her

Here’s some un-edited, un-betaed college!rhink that just appeared on my Word document when I tried to write a completely different thing. Maybe you’ll like it.

---

Rhett is sitting on his bed and pouting when Link steps into their dorm room. He is buzzing with excited energy, babbling on and on about a particular class he likes and a professor he is obviously in love with. He bounces around the room, throwing his things here and there, discarding his t-shirt on the floor, going to his drawer, picking out a new shirt, pulling it on and apparently, deciding he’s made a grave error. His nose scrunches up and he sniffs his armpit. That t-shirt ends up on the floor as well but Link doesn’t bother to get another one. Instead he marches to their cupboard and takes out a box of cereal. All the while he’s gushing about the professor and the class. Rhett is irritated beyond belief.

“What have you been up to today?” Link asks as he sinks on the couch and pours himself a huge bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Rhett just crosses his arms across his chest and growls. Link’s gaze immediately snaps to him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Rhett mutters and feels stupid as the word slips out. Obviously Link can see something is bothering him.  So, he continues: “Everything.”

“Tell me,” Link orders mouth full of Crunch. Rhett closes his eyes and tries to drone out the sounds that seem to penetrate his soul.

“Just…I don’t know. It’s all stupid stuff. Practice sucked today and I managed to fall on my face in the cafeteria. And I got a C on that paper. I worked so hard on it but apparently it was uninspired and redundant.”

“Aww, man, I’m sorry. Sounds like one of those days. Tomorrow will be better. Besides, everyone knows Professor Miller is a hard-ass. C from him is basically an A.”

Rhett huffs, annoyed, because he knows Link is right. But he had been so proud of what he’d written and certain he’d get at least a B.

“Also, Claire cancelled our date. She claimed she wanted to concentrate on her studies. And I mean fine, that’s okay. But then  I saw her kissing a guy on the courtyard so…she’s either studying dentistry now and was doing some intense homework or she was just lying to my face,” Rhett mumbles.

Honestly, the Claire thing stings way more than any of the other stuff. He’d gotten a bit ahead of himself with Claire, imagining all kinds of futures together after their first few dates. Seeing her with the guy had been like a gut punch.

“Shit, that sucks,” Link says sympathetically. He’s straightened his back and abandoned the rest of his cereal to slowly soften. He is looking at Rhett with an expression Rhett can’t read. His eyes are lit up - he almost looks excited - but he’s gnawing on his bottom lip and wiggling his leg anxiously.

“What?” Rhett asks with too much sharpness in his voice. He feels bad; it isn’t Link’s fault he’s having a bad day. But Link doesn’t seem to either mind or notice. He gets up and creeps to Rhett’s desk next to their bunk bed. Link’s eyes wander over the desk and he picks up a pencil, twirls it between his fingers a bit before putting it down and picking up a text book. Rhett frowns as he looks at Link twiddling with his things. Just as he is about to ask what Link is doing, Link mutters, without looking at Rhett.

“I could help you.”

“With what?” Rhett asks confused. The paper is already done and it isn’t like Link can help him with practice. Sometimes you just have bad days, it’s normal. And Link definitely can’t help with Claire. After watching her play tonsil tennis with a guy with a ponytail Rhett doesn’t even want her back anymore.

“I could help you feel better…help you relax,” Link whispers, still staring at the text book. A faint blush has crept on his cheeks. Rhett’s own cheeks immediately heat up and suddenly, he feels parched.

“You mean…?” Rhett asks with a hoarse voice.

“Yeah.”

Rhett feels a bit faint. A memory after memory resurfaces in his mind and he feels like hiding his crotch under a pillow. But that would be too obvious. He tries to appear nonchalant as he says:

“We decided not to do that anymore.”

“You decided. I… Anyway. What does it matter?”

“We shouldn’t.”

“Why?” Link presses on. He’s looking straight at Rhett now and Rhett feels like squirming under his intense gaze. God, have his eyes always been that piercing blue? They seem almost otherworldly.

“Because,” is all Rhett manages to answer. As his dick hardens, his resolve crumbles.

“Because why?”

“Because it’s gay,” Rhett says the word under his breath, barely audible. Link snorts.

“It’s not gay if we’re not gay,” he says, like it means something. Rhett frowns.

“That doesn’t make sense.”

“Neither does saying no to something you clearly want. And need.”

“I don’t need it!” Rhett says aghast. That’s a bit much.

It’s not like I know how long it has been since the last time. (Two months and four days.)

It’s not like I think about Link when I go to bed every night. (He touches himself after he is sure Link is asleep.)

It’s not like I actually want him in any way. (He still hasn’t touched Link and it’s slowly killing him.)

 “No?” Link asks putting the text book down and taking a step so that he’s right at the edge of Rhett’s bottom bunk.

“No,” Rhett replies with a shaky voice. He watches with wide eyes as Link sinks on his knees in front of the bed. The simmering heat inside Rhett’s stomach ignites into a blazing roar. His cock is straining against his boxer briefs, its outline clearly visible through the thin basketball shorts. Link’s hand settles on Rhett’s bare knee and starts to inch up. Rhett’s skin is buzzing with the sensation.

“I know this always makes you feel better. Helps you relax. Helps you sleep. Let me make it better, Rhett,” Link is coaxing him with a silky voice as his hand slips inside the loose pant leg of Rhett’s shorts.

We shouldn’t. (Link’s hand is so soft.)

We’re good Southern boys. (Link’s voice is soft too.)

Think of all the people we’d disappoint. (Link’s mouth is going to be even softer.)

 Rhett’s shorts have been pulled mid-thigh and his cock has been drawn out of his boxer. It’s leaking precum and twitching in Link’s hands. Link is licking the head as his eyes are flitting between Rhett’s cock and Rhett’s face. Rhett’s hands are on Link’s shoulders; he’s not sure if he’s about to push him away or pull him closer.

“Fuck,” Rhett mutters voice strained and gravelly. Link looks up at him again and says: “It’s okay. You don’t have to look. Just close your eyes and think of her.”

Rhett’s eyes flutter close as Link’s soft, wet heat envelops Rhett’s cock. He bucks into his best friend’s mouth and gasps for air. He can feel Link hollow his cheeks, he can feel the pressure build, and he can feel Link hum against his overexcited skin.

It’s too much this time. It’s been too long. The waiting has been torture and now he’s in heaven. Link moves around his cock slowly, methodically, pumping Rhett with his spit-slicked fist as his mouth is fast making a ruin out of Rhett’s mind and soul.

Rhett feels the tears on his cheeks before he even realizes he’s crying.

Link stops. The warm softness of him is replaced by the sharp chill of the room and Rhett whines.

“Don’t stop,” he whimpers, not daring to open his eyes. It’s like he’s afraid that all of this has been a dream again.

“Rhett,” Link whispers, voice weirdly wet and saturated; Rhett’s cock is a ghost on his lips making his lisp more pronounced. Shiver runs through Rhett and he opens his eyes. He pats his eyelids, tries to focus his swimming vision to see the boy between his legs.

“Why are you crying? Do you want me to stop?” Link asks. He sounds worried.

Rhett sniffs pathetically, embarrassed over the fact that all of a sudden his soul has been laid barer than his cock that’s still throbbing between his legs, uncaring of the emotional turmoil going on above it.

“C’mere,” Rhett beckons voice thick with emotion. Link’s eyes widen and he awkwardly climbs into Rhett’s lap, crushing Rhett’s dick between them and making Rhett moan and push against him.

“What’s wrong?” Link whispers. He looks at Rhett like he’s afraid he’ll break at any moment. Rhett thinks he might be onto something. He’s never felt this fragile before.

Rhett lifts his hands. They tremble as he cups Link’s face. Link responds without much prompting and closes the distance between them. Rhett tastes himself on Link’s lips. He doesn’t care. They fall onto the bed; shaky breaths and whispered words. Link is everywhere. He’s tugging Rhett closer. His hands are making Rhett bolder. His words are making Rhett stronger.

This can’t be wrong. (It feels like fate.)

It took me too long to let myself love him. (It was inevitable.)

They’ll learn to love us like this. (How could anyone hate something so pure?)

Link’s hands find Rhett’s impatient cock again.

“Don’t think of her,” Link pleads against Rhett’s neck.

“I won’t,” Rhett breaths.

“Think of me,” Link continues as his hands move with familiar pressure.

“Always have,” Rhett confesses with a whimper.

Link groans as Rhett’s hand palms the bulge in his jeans. They move away from each other, just enough to release Link from the confines of his pants. A wide smile spreads across Rhett’s face as his hands wrap around Link’s length.

“I’ve dreamt of this. Dreamt of touching you. Dreamt of making you cum. Dreamt of making you mine,” Rhett whispers making Link whine and thrust his hips against Rhett’s eager hands.

“Tell me your mine,” Link orders voice rough and breathless.

“Yours. Only yours!” Rhett cries out and finds Link’s lips again with his own. They breathe into each other’s mouths, barely kissing but needing to be as close as they can.

Rhett comes first, calling out Link’s name in the peak of his passion. It still echoes off the walls as Link follows him over the edge.

Their breaths slow down. Their hands still. Their eyes open.

They look at each other and smile.

[svtfoefan1976-blog]

TomStar scalated quickly? I thought it was slow... Run, Star, run!

Again, images without origin mentioned were extracted from Star vs the Forces of Evil Wikia.

Time to drive my empathy to Star. Poor thing.

Gone with Marco or done with Marco?

From here

When Marco leaved, what she had from him: a hoodie and memories.

What she thought: she would rarely see Marco from that moment on. Life would not be as it was in the last months. Never ever. And even the scent that would make her remember their good memories was lost.

From here

With no chances of fulfilling her love, she decides to give up from Marco. And keep only his memories. Like Scarlet O’Hara in Gone with the Wind:

Star: (...)  As me as my witness, I'll never go bored again! And anything else I'm supposed to say to make this official! Whoo-hoo!

NOT THIS ONE! The other from the end of the movie when Rhett Butler leaves her:

From here

And this way, Star starts her saga rushing and engaging herself in ways to get over Marco and into a new phase of her life: time to accept her future as queen, be a more responsible princess and give herself a purpose. But, first...

TomStar and my own experience

When I saw that TomStar was coming in this post, I wrote something about my own experience, which I will quote here:

(...) never get back with an ex. I did this and learned my lesson. It didn’t work before, it will not work later.

Let’s get in detail on this. Before, if by chance you have found your soulmate with an ex, congratulations. Either you are extremely lucky and managed to work what wasn’t before or you are Elizabeth Taylor. As she is now dead, I’m envious of how lucky you are! But that surely did not work for me.

I was in my late teens when we first broke up. In fact, she take the initiative, just like Star did with Tom. She told me that I wasn’t in the same phase as hers, that she could not stand the relationship that way.

I cried. But I let that go.

A bunch of months later she asked me if we could meet again. No bad feelings at that moment. So, OK.

At that night she asked me if we could date again, as she missed me. Do you know how much did it take for me to make a decision?

One second and one kiss.

And I made one of the worst decision of my life, as when I needed her most, while I tried to defend her, she just dropped helping me.

Some people may say “never say never”, but in this case, “as God is my witness”, I’ll never get back with an ex again! Period.

Now that the quote is placed right, and you have a time comparison let’s get into Star’s motivations and understand if their come back was really too fast. Giving my time comparison I would risk saying no for that. But not for the rest of her actions.

First of all, we don’t have a perfect time span after when their interactions in Club Snubbed, when she clearly says.

Star: Okay, first of all, me and Marco, not a thing.

(Nice. Keep yourself in denial, Star.) Anyway, by saying that, she is trying to make a conscious effort to forget Marco as a romantic interest. A thought decision. And from this stage, when she still didn’t want to date Tom:

Up to this stage, when they were laughing together:

From here

It took a couple of minutes. On screen.

I took a second for me, remember. Of course, at that time I didn’t have anything like Star had with Tom. And up to this:

From here

It took a night at least. But as the show does not precise the time when this happened after the Silver Ball, let’s say the truth: we don’t know.

So, even I don’t like TomStar, because it delays Starco nearer to the end of the series - if it will happen, I must now admit, breaking or changing (like Elsa and Anna, in Frozen) the Disney standard of “in the end they lived happily ever after” - and I think it would be good to see Star and Marco’s interaction as a teen couple before the end of the series, I must admit that TomStar wasn’t out of nowhere, maybe just rushed, but I disagree, based on personal experience. What I believe it’s not what’s happening with Kellyco. This was really rushed.

Anyway, she was slower than I was. So, if you want you may call me or her stupid or idiot for that decision, but please don’t call her a bitch. She’s trying to counsciously forget a crush that only made her sad when she thought about it.

But can’t say that every decision, but that, was taken in a way that could be called as rushed and ...

Quixotic

adjective; Extremely idealistic; unrealistic and impractical. ‘a vast and perhaps quixotic project’ 

I didn’t find a word to define better what I will call now “Starrush” as this - quixotic -, taking the actual stage of the story.

Yes, quixotic comes from Don Quixote de La Mancha, the noble who went out to revive Middle Age chivalry, becoming an errant knight to undo the wrongs and bring justice to the world. Together with him, he had his horse Rocinante and a squire named Sancho Panza. 

In Part 1 of the book, Don Quixote is delusional about what happens around him and it is Sancho Panza task to bring him back into reality. To which Don Quixote only gets after everything happens, By experiencing failure and pain. Much more of the latter.

In Part 2, people use Don Quixote and Sancho Panza for their own fun in several adventures, while nearing the end, Don Quixote gets sane but sick and is defeated by the Knight of the White Moon. After this, he and Sancho retire back to their hometown, where Don Quixote dies.

Let’s keep in mind from now on some points, together with the word quixotic, from Don Quixote itself:

A knight who fights to undo the wrongs and bring justice to the world

A squire

A horse

Failure

End by the Knight of the White Moon

So, I was trying to tell how rushed and quixotic was her acts were. We could start from TomStar, which I disagree, but if you want to include this on your list, I don’t bother, I’ll just list mine.

Let’s start for Star’s will on Eclipsa having a fair trial instead of being just cristalized again on Stranger Danger.

Not without a bit of problems for her...

From here

In an effort to help herself and keep Marco orbiting around, Star names him her squire on Lint Catcher.

From here

Uncounciously, Star might be doing with Marco what she thought he would have done because of Jackie’s break up, putting him as backup, again rushing to a conclusion. Anyway, like Sancho Panza by Don Quixote, Marco is trusted by Star even more than her actual boyfriend or her parents, as we can see in Sweet Dreams.

From here

Marco: But then what? Shouldn't we tell somebody about this? I mean... I mean, what if— Star: Marco? Shall I remind you you are my squire? So I order you to sit there and watch me sleep. Marco: Okay. Star: Good. [turns off lamp and goes to bed] Oh, and don't tell Tom about this, either. Marco: Oh, heck no.

Showing her trust not only once, but twice in the same episode.

Marco: So... this'll keep you from morphing into... Butterfly Star? Star: Yep! Don't worry, Marco, I got this. Marco: But even your mom seemed concerned. Star: My parents cannot know about this! You heard what Dad said! Locked away forever! Marco: I think he was exaggerating a little. Star: Marco. My squire. You are the only person I can trust with this. Promise me you won't doze off again. Marco: Don't worry, not gonna happen. And even if it does, this chain will alert me any time you move, and I'll wake up, too. Star: Thanks, Marco. [sighs] Good night. [goes to sleep]

But always keeping the hierarchy knight / squire, in this case. Likewise Don Quixote / Sancho Panza.

Star had a meeting with her baby unicorn on Deep Dive by reaching the realm of magic, which she (re)built on Toffee.

From here

She went on a path to a path on seeking justice for Monsters too, to give them equal rights to Mewmans, starting from the root: what makes someone a Monster in Starfari. And showing that Monsters and Mewmen - technically, Mewwomen, as no Mewman was there - can collaborate for a common goal. This may be important in the series next episodes.

From here

... making every effort she could to make this Petition official in Death Peck, trying to get support from the Pidgeons, taking all risks for it.

From here

... and tried to seal that peace with a party on Monster Bash.

... to end all in failure, after the first problem faced.

All this time she always had her faithful squire Marco for her when and wherever she needed. Either supporting her political efforts on Death Peck and Monster Bash or protecting her from others, watching her sleep on Sweet Dreams...

From here

... and hiding her actions from Heckapoo on Night Life.

From here

... or on Deep Dive.

Marco was there for her. And now we are sure that he is there for even more reasons. Reasons which are only some of the things Star doesn’t know.

Before getting to Star’s being clueless about the consequences of her acts, let’s go back to the points listed above that link her main goal until Monster Bash - peace between Mewmen and Monsters - with Don Quixote’s story, reinforcing how unrealistic it was, at that speed.

A knight who fights to undo the wrongs and bring justice to the world - Star herself

A squire - Marco

A horse - Grown up baby unicorn

Failure - Lots of. And pain. All throughout the process

End by the Knight of the White Moon - Wrong color... Better say blood, “hypnotic, ruby brodum” moonlight

From here

It’s the Knight of the White Moon the task of taking Don Quixote from his chivalry delusion and bringing him home at last by defeating him in a duel. In Deep Dive, we’ve seen that in a similar way. On this episode, Marco brings Star back from call of a paradisiac delusion of living as a Goddess without facing any problems, which could be compared to Don Quixote’s delusion and Marco - with Janna’s help - as the knight who brought Star home. 

But wishing to live in paradise was not her single delusion.

Monster Bash brings her back from the political delusion that would be easy to accomplish her task, with no opposition. She will find it in several fronts.

Rests only the personal delusion that Tom made her forget about Marco. Or that Tom would be a better companion than Marco is for her. Or our delusion that there will be Starco. Anyway, one will fall.

And, this time, this was Star’s reality check when brought back to Mewni. The only difference is that Marco had greatest part of his reality check thrown in a single episode, Lint Catcher. Looks like Star is having a more paced one.

But for all that steps to recover and develop after this reality check, she needs to be concious about the consequences of her acts and feelings. For that she will need knowledge on her family, on Monster’s stories and about herself, not rushing to achieve that goal. As maybe what is fair now was done by unfair ways in the past.

“All knowledge is good knowledge”

Ignorance is a blessing. Sometimes.

In Don Quixote, it is the (mis)knowledge on medieval romances, thinking as their feats were real, not stories or legends is what brings him into all these adventures.

It is funny that this is the exact opposite of what Eclipsa says during Sweet Dreams, when she says “All knowledge is good knowledge”.

From here

Including a way to escape from Dragon Chains at will and go to a magically built room...

Star’s path into knowledge is being mentored by Eclipsa, now that Glossaryck is in this “globgorn” state - by his own will or not. And, by now, we have as consequence her full Butterfly form is now achieved whenever she wants on Deep Dive. 

Eclipsa, besides having power and conditions to escape any moment she wants, chooses not to do so. Why she’s doing that?

In fact, by now, we have little to no knowledge on the whole situation. Only pieces of a puzzle that is slowly revealed to us. Like it is being done with Star. The knowledge path worked just in the opposite way Star did her political one: in a slow way.

So either for Star as for us viewers, every piece of knowledge will be important to solve this puzzle. And what we have are a few loose pieces fit together. For her, worse even.

About the new knowledge she’s grabing or will grab, how Star will deal with this kind of information? If Heinous / Meteora should be the legitimate ruler of the kingdom, how would she react? And the consequences of bringing this up to light? Or the consequences of having Heinous / Meteora as a ruler? 

And Eclipsa? Eclipsa’s reaction on seeing her daughter alive, what would be? And if Eclipsa knew what Heinous / Meteora did all this time, would she be disappointed or proud?

It’s a huge grey area. Thousands of shades of grey. We will be kept inside this area for some time. Too many questions. Better tackle them in other moment. Because there is clearly another side of the conflict: Mina Loveberry.

The scenario goes for a X-Men one, of which I should write together with other thoughts another time.

Without rush.

[melanie-writes-supernatural]

MASTERLIST

PROMPTS IN BOLD ARE SMUT/NSFW

~~~~~~~~~

Series (Dean/Sam)

Dean Prompts Mini-Masterlist

1-120– Prompts for these are listed on another post, and the titles of each completed part contain the links to that part. I’m nowhere near done with these, but I have about 25 up currently.

Christmas Drabbles Mini-Masterlist

1-25--Prompts for these are tagged in another post, and the titles of each completed part have the links to those parts.

The Stand-In [Dean Winchester]:

Series Masterlist– Firefighter!Dean finds the Reader after being stood up on a blind date, and a blossoming relationship forms. She hated blind dates, but little did she know, this would be her last one.

Professor Winchester [Sam Winchester]:

Series Masterlist--Professor!Sam is a new teacher fresh out of his degree, and Reader is one of his students. Will a forbidden relationship form between the two of them? It takes a semester, but the answer might just be yes.

Professor Winchester [Dean Winchester]:

Series Masterlist--Professor!Dean hires a new TA for the year, and Reader gets a chance to see a side of him that most people don’t. Can he help her to learn how to have fun in the nightmare that is her college career? We’ll see. 

Dean Stories:

It Wasn’t Hard– It isn’t hard to fall in love, especially with Dean Winchester. This is a short drabble showing that.

Just Like Daddy– Daddy!Dean talks with one of his daughters about always being there for her younger sister. Somewhere along the way, gardening gets put aside and some dragons are turned into princesses.

Nicknames–Dean finally finds the perfect nickname for his girlfriend… After a lot of trial and error. Sam is partially scarred by what he sees.

It’ll Be Okay, Babe--Reader is pregnant with her first child and is worried about what type of parents her and Dean will be. Dean reassures her that they’ll be great and cleans the baby’s room...Again.

I Know a Secret--Reader finds a little somethin’ somethin’ on Sam’s laptop after drinking some and has a nice chat with Dean about it.

Why Didn’t I?--This is pure angst based on the song “Marry Me” by Thomas Rhett. 

His Rut (A/B/O)--Alpha!Dean is going through his rut, and his Omega decides to help him through it. It’s 6000 words of filthy smut for all you A/B/O lovers out there.

The Harsh Reality--This one’s a slightly angsty drabble about how you can’t always get what you want in life, and sometimes you have to move on with it anyways.

Working On It--Dean can be a little insensitive sometimes, but he’s working on it.

Sam Stories:

If I Were There– Sam calls the reader and some phone smut describing what he would do ensues, prompting the title, “If I Were There.”

It has to be Perfect (A/B/O)– Nesting and scenting are present in this fic, including Alpha!Sam and an Omega!Reader preparing their room for a baby.

The Nightly Routine– Getting a routine down for a second child isn’t hard, but waking up in the middle of the night to care for a screaming infant is. Daddy!Sam and reader take care of their children in this one.

Yes, Goddamn It– Thoughts of unrequited love are present for a moment here. Sam is hurt and the Reader takes it upon herself to care for him, and in doing so, some questions arise about if there really is something between them.

This Moment– A brief drabble cataloging just a short but meaningful moment in the reader’s life with Sam.

You Should Wear Those More Often– Reader has a Glasses!Kink and Sam wearing glasses doesn’t help. This is just over 4000 words of smut, though there is some semblance of a plot line. In the end, Sam finds that maybe he himself might just have a Glasses!Kink.

Watching the Time Go By-- This was an entry for impala-dreamer’s OP4A challenge. The prompt was, “I promise, I won’t let go.” If you know me, you know I’m a sucker for Daddy!Sam and Mama!Reader so here you go.

My Love--Sculptor!Sam is entering an art expo and Reader is his muse. It’s a lot of fluff and first time feelings in this one.

A Little Less Wise--Another little drabble about having some wisdom teeth get pulled out, inspired by my own wisdom teeth removal.

Cas Stories:

I’m Impressed– Cas and the Reader are about to get down when something turns the moment from sweet and loving to wary and cautious. Don’t worry, I’m a sucker for happy endings so it gets resolved pretty quickly. There’s no actual smut in this one, though.

It’s Valentine’s Day (Part 1)-- I entered a Valentine’s Day thing with Chelsea and Beka. This is part 1 of the Cas fic I wrote for my Valentine.

It’s Valentine’s Day (Part 2)--Part 2 of the above fic.

Requests/Other:

The Call of the Wild Burrito (Jared and Jensen)– Reader is part of the cast with Jensen and Jared, and together they journey to hunt an invisible demon. Wait, was that sulfur or just Jared’s ass?

Blue-Eyed Jensen Ackles, Anyone?--This is just a lovely pic I edited a little when discussing a blue-eyed Jensen Ackles with my friend.

The Spell--Dean and Cas get hit by a spell that turns them into three year olds. Sam is left to take care of them and figure out the witch situation, and he realizes that toddlers are a force to be reckoned with.

UPDATED 8/8/18

[movietvtechgeeks]

Latest story from https://movietvtechgeeks.com/can-nra-keep-country-music-stars-muzzled-las-vegas-shooting/

Can NRA keep country music stars muzzled after Las Vegas shooting?

The country music industry and the National Rifle Association (NRA) has had a very close interconnected relationship for the past decade with stars such as Blake Shelton, Lee Brice, and Florida Georgia Line. The NRA Country director stated in 2015 that it's no surprise about the connection as "most of their members love country music." When singer Meghan Linsey first started her country duo Steel Magnolia, a partnership with the National Rifle Association was suggested as a way to grow their audience. The proposal, which she refused, was a commonplace example of how intertwined gun ownership is with country music. The mass shooting on the final day of Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas has emboldened some country musicians to call for gun control, even as many others declined to weigh in. Plenty of artists avoid the issue because there’s a real risk of backlash as gun lobbyists have bolstered a connection between the patriotic themes found in country music to gun ownership in recent years. “I just feel like you’re so censored as a country artist,” said Linsey, an independent musician who took a knee after singing the national anthem at an NFL football game. “I feel like the labels like to keep you that way. They don’t want you to speak out. They don’t want you to say things that would upset country music listeners.” She added: “People worry about being Dixie Chick-ed.” The Dixie Chicks still loom large as a lesson in country music politics. The hugely popular group was boycotted after lead singer Natalie Maines criticized then-President George W. Bush on the eve of the Iraq War in 2003. The National Rifle Association has further strengthened the relationship between guns and country music with its lifestyle and music brand called NRA Country. NRA Country has sought to tie the music to gun-linked activities like hunting or outdoor sports, but without mention of political issues. Since about 2010, the NRA Country brand has been placed on country music tours and concerts, merchandise, an album called “This Is NRA Country,” a music video and more. It features performers such as Hank Williams Jr. and Trace Adkins. It’s unclear how much the NRA has spent on the brand, and representatives of the group did not respond to requests for information from The Associated Press. Country duo Big & Rich, who have performed at NRA-sponsored events, were at the festival just hours before Stephen Paddock began firing from his room at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. They said it wasn’t the weapons that were the problem, but the man using them. “I think if a man has ill will in his heart, then there’s weapons everywhere,” Big Kenny said. “I mean he can pick up a -- anything -- make a bomb, put it in his shoe. We have somebody trying to blow up stuff on trains constantly.” The shooting changed the mind of Caleb Keeter, a guitarist for the Josh Abbott Band, who was among those at the festival during the attack. He wrote in a widely shared tweet that he had been a lifelong Second Amendment supporter: “I cannot express how wrong I was.” Keeter said that a single man laid waste to a city because of “access to an insane amount of firepower.” Paddock had 23 guns in his room, some of which had attachments that allow a semi-automatic rifle to mimic a fully automatic weapon. Others, including Jennifer Nettles of the band Sugarland and Sheryl Crow, have joined the call for gun control. But there are risks. When country artists have in the past tried to wade into gun politics, it can turn into a no-win situation. Tim McGraw had to defend his participation in a benefit concert for victims of a mass shooting at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut after criticism from gun rights advocates. His opening act, Billy Currington, pulled out of the performance over the controversy. “As a gun owner, I support gun ownership; I also believe that with gun ownership comes the responsibility of education and safety — most certainly when it relates to what we value most, our children,” McGraw said in a statement in 2015. “I can’t imagine anyone who disagrees with that.” Many artists expressed grief over the Las Vegas killings without wading into politics. Alongside her husband Vince Gill, Amy Grant led a prayer at a vigil in Nashville on Monday, a day after the shooting, while Maren Morris released a song called “Dear Hate,” in which she but declares “love conquers all.” Eric Church angrily said “no amount of bullets” was going to take away his memories of those fans killed, before debuting a song written in memory of the victims called “Why Not Me.” John Osborne of the duo Brothers Osborne was in tears on national radio talking about the deaths of fans who they considered family. Keith Urban struggled to talk about the shooting to his 9-year-old daughter. Jason Aldean, who was on stage at the festival when the shooter opened fire, said, “This world is becoming the kind of place I am afraid to raise my children in.” Many others have donated to funds set up to help the victims and countless other selfless acts have brought the community even closer to support one another. Singer Rosanne Cash, a longtime gun control advocate, called on the country music community to do more in an op-ed in the New York Times. “It is no longer enough to separate yourself quietly,” Cash wrote. “The laws the N.R.A. would pass are a threat to you, your fans, and to the concerts and festivals we enjoy.” Now, less than a week after the deadliest shooting in modern American history took place at a country music festival – 58 people were killed and more than 500 were wounded at Las Vegas’ Route 91 Harvest fest by an attacker firing from 32 floors above – country artists seem, at least for the moment, less willing to openly embrace the NRA. Media outlets attempted to contact 37 of the artists featured on the web site of NRA Country, the organization's music-affiliated offshoot. Three of those acts – Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, and Luke Combs – clarified that they have no ongoing partnership with the organization. Representatives for several artists, such as Blackberry Smoke and Sunny Sweeney, declined to comment; reps for more than two-dozen artists – including Justin Moore, Hank Williams Jr., and Jon Pardi – did not respond. After more than 24 hours, only one group, the Nashville duo Love & Theft, would confirm they remain partnered with the organization. "What you're seeing with the country music community right now is that everybody is just laying low," says Don Cusic, professor of music industry history at Belmont University in Nashville. "They are stalling for time." Over the past week, several of the organization's most successful artists have decided to clarify that they are not presently affiliated with NRA Country, including Florida Georgia Line, the platinum-selling bro-country duo behind hits like "Cruise," and Thomas Rhett, the fast-rising country superstar whose song "Die a Happy Man" was one of the single biggest hit country songs of 2016. Both artists partnered with NRA Country in 2013 as the organization's featured Artist of the Month, participating in a variety of promotional campaigns, including ticket giveaways, videos, and lyric contests. As one of the genre's most prominent stars, Blake Shelton has long been one of NRA Country's flagship artists, hosting shooting events in 2011 and 2012. "This is about a right that I want to support and that I believe in," he said of a skeet shoot event in 2012, "and if I can have fun while doing that, that's even better." NRA Country has continued to promote their partnership with Shelton in recent years, even though last year Shelton's representative declined to clarify his relationship to the organization (He was removed from NRA Country's website not long after the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting). But this week, the representative finally did clarify: "Blake does not have a partnership with the NRA." The NRA and NRA Country did not respond to a request for comment. NRA Country has fostered close commercial ties with many of country music's biggest stars in recent years and has been seen as a valuable platform for up-and-coming country acts. Its biggest promotional tool is the organization's Featured Artist of the Month campaign; the sponsorship encourages country artists to have their name associated with the NRA in exchange for the advertising of an artist's new album amongst the promotional channels of the NRA, which boasts millions of dues-paying members. Its platforms include NRATV, the organization's digital television network, and American Rifleman, the NRA's flagship publication. The Featured Artist Campaign has brought about successful partnerships in recent years with up-and-coming artists like Chase Rice and Lee Brice. Those artists were among those who did not respond when asked if they are still involved with the NRA. The apparent hesitance comes after Rosanne Cash urged artists to disavow the organization in a New York Times op-ed Tuesday morning. "I encourage more artists in country and American roots music to end your silence," she said. "The laws the N.R.A. would pass are a threat to you, your fans, and to the concerts and festivals we enjoy." Caleb Keeter, guitarist for the Josh Abbott band, a group who performed in Las Vegas this past weekend, spoke out the day after the shooting on Twitter. "Until the events of last night, I cannot express how wrong I was," said Keeter, a self-described second-amendment supporter. Most haven't gone that far, instead offering ambiguous expressions of frustration with the status quo of gun violence. "It is beyond time for our country, and the world, to unite and do whatever we can to stop all this madness," Kid Rock tweeted on Monday. The last time NRA Country faced any degree of scrutiny came after 2012's Sandy Hook elementary-school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Within several months of Newtown, the names of the organization's two most popular partnered artists – Luke Bryan and Shelton – were removed from NRA Country's website. In recent years, however, NRA Country has experienced some degree of success at making continual inroads with the mainstream country music industry. NRA Country has found new ways to access some of country's biggest names via indirect channels like its recent online TV show, "On Location." The show, hosted by an NRA-supported up-and-coming country singer named Morgan Mills, has succeeded in expanding the NRA's visibility and exaggerating NRA Country's mainstream viability in Nashville by scoring red-carpet interviews and face-time with artists – including Tanya Tucker, Lauren Alaina, and Cole Swindell – who are otherwise not associated with the organization. Although many of NRA Country's artists remain unproven niche genre artists with little national visibility, over the last two years the organization has fostered early promotional partnerships with upstarts Jon Pardi and Luke Combs, partnerships that have paid off for the organization as the singers have become two of the industry's biggest breakout stars. When young artists like Pardi and Combs go on to become major names in country music long after partnering with NRA Country, the organization enjoys the credibility-boosting stamp of approval that comes with listing those artist’s names as "Featured Artists" on its website. This week a representative for Combs confirmed that the singer is "not an officially partnered artist with NRA Country." Rather, his affiliation with the group, like the other featured artists, is only for a set period of time. In Combs' case, it was November 2015. In the coming months, Cusic speculates that the decision to partner with NRA Country for new artists may become that much more difficult. "I don't think anybody is going to be making that decision in the short term," he says. "In the beginning stages of a career, it's an advantage to have an organization like the NRA behind you. The problem is, when something this controversial comes along, then it flips." On Monday morning, NRA Country's website listed 39 artists who have partnered with the organization over the years. As of press time, the number of NRA Country partnered artists on the site had shrunk to 37. The names of Thomas Rhett and Florida Georgia Line were nowhere to be found.

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