#i used to PREACH about that man when i was on instagram

[mourningskvader]

Omggg i remember your straizo cosplay and how much you posted abt him pleasepleaseplease finish it :0000000 he's the guy of all time

Ahhh it’s feels like a lifetime ago. ;-; But it was really only a short while ago, wasn’t it?

I would like to get back into cosplaying and he was definitely one of my favourite cosplays.

And who knows? Maybe I’ll work on that fic. 🤭

[maxverstappendefender]

daddy issues // ln4 smau

description: cat owning!girlfriend x lando norris

summary: lando having beef with his girlfriend’s cat who also happens to have an instagram account

requests: open! i take requests for any drivers 🤍

a/n: i love thinking about lando and pets so here you go!! my besties cat is named barracuda (barry for short) so yk i had to mention her. i do not own any images used, all found on pinterest.

masterlist

liked by maxverstappen1, barracuda101, and 829,016 others

youruser: barracuda appreciation post because i love my sweet girl 🤍

tagged: barracuda101

view all comments

landonorris: cute (talking about you, never barracuda)

↳ youruser: this is why she attacks you

user1: barracuda and yn posts!!

user2: cat mums unite

maxverstappen1: jimmy and sassy play date with barracuda when?

↳ charles_leclerc: barracuda is WAY too sophisticated for your cats

↳ user3: we all know charles is lying

landonorris: you kick me out of bed so she can cuddle. i will not be liking the post.

user4: “barracuda > lando” - yn, probably

barracuda101: BEST MUMMY ON EARTH

barracuda101: #livinglife

liked by youruser, mclaren, and 1,957,463 others

landonorris: the “sweet girl” that my girlfriend loves more than me

view all comments

barracuda101: at me next time bitch

↳ user5: barracuda supremacy

↳ user6: you tell him barracuda!

barracuda101: i only bite you because you taste yummy 😁

↳ user7: now we know damn well this is yn

youruser: how dare you post these bad photos of our baby

↳ landonorris: it’s her true colours babe. the world must know

user8: not lando outing his cat child on the internet

liked by youruser, f1, and 2,915,863 others

barracuda101: cannot believe this man is my dad. alexa play ‘daddy issues’ by the neighbourhood

tagged: landonorris

view all comments

youruser: i stand with you barracuda! ✊

↳ user9: imagining yn logging into barracuda’s account just to post this has me crying

user10: she came for blood with this one

landonorris: barracuda.

↳ barracuda101: the world must know your “true colours”

↳ user11: preach barracuda

liked by mclaren, danielricciardo, and 2,467,017 others

barracuda101: beefing with my dad at the moment. no one hmu 💔😔

view all comments

user12: we stand with you barracuda

youruser: it’ll be okay baby. we’ll get through this

↳ landonorris: tf?

danielricciardo: im so sorry you are going through this at the moment. he doesn’t deserve you!

↳ user13: not danny too

↳ user14: barracuda got everyone on her side

mclaren: we will have some words with your dad barracuda.

↳ barracuda101: i would really appreciate that 😔

↳ landonorris: huhhhhhhh??????

liked by youruser, barracuda101, and 817,390 others

landonorris: she gives black cat energy… girlfriend appreciation post though!

tagged: youruser

view all comments

youruser: awww love you

barracuda101: I MADE IT TO THE PUBLIC INSTAGRAM IN A GOOD PHOTO…

↳ user15: barracuda is finally getting her well deserved justice

user16: is your girlfriend single???

user17: im no better than a man at this point

mclaren: wag of the century 🧡

liked by barracuda101, landonorris, and 925,016 others

youruser: barry (barracuda) appreciation post 🧡

tagged: barracuda101

view all comments

landonorris: wow, i post an appreciation post for you and you post barry instead

↳ barracuda101: tough luck

↳ user18: dead asf

user19: cannot believe this is the cat that THE lando norris has beef with

user20: yn and barracuda = ultimate combo

f1: one of the many pets of the paddock!

liked by landonorris, mclaren, and 924,826 others

youruser: boyfriend appreciation post too ig… 🧡

tagged: landonorris

view all comments

user21: yn is feeding the girlies

landonorris: finally!!! love you 🧡

user22: we love boyfriend lando

user23: barracuda is being real quiet about this

↳ user24: she’s fuming, ik it

↳ youruser: literally

mclaren: lando nowins who?

liked by youruser, landonorris, and 2,016,538 others

barracuda101: y’all. im heartbroken at my mother’s instagram post. i thought i was the only one in her heart. currently giving her the cold shoulder. anyone need a new cat?

view all comments

danielricciardo: my poor barry

↳ youruser: YOUR barry?!

maxverstappen1: i can take you in barracuda!

↳ landonorris: worry bout yourself

user25: you’ll get through this barry!!

user26: brighter days are ahead

user27: the way barracuda gets more likes than her parents is absolutely hilarious

liked by landonorris, barracuda101, and 825,743 others

youruser: spot the difference - level: impossible

tagged: barracuda101, landonorris

view all comments

user28: they’re the same picture

landonorris: NAHHHH DELETE THISSSSS

↳ barracuda101: i agree.

user29: yn and her sombrero wearing roommates

schecoperez: barry 🖤

↳ user30: CHECO?! YOU TOO?!

liked by barracuda101, youruser, and 924,736 others

landonorris: BREAKING NEWS‼️ barracuda and i are now like this 🤞

tagged: barracuda101

view all comments

youruser: my two babies 🖤🧡

barracuda101: he gave me some treats guys 🎀😸😎🤞🤪🥺🩷

↳ user31: we all knew there had to be some motive

user32: WAR IS OVER

danielricciardo: so does this mean i can’t adopt barracuda?

↳ maxverstappen1: my question exactly

↳ youruser: you two were never an option to be barracuda’s godfather. like never ever.

↳ charles_leclerc: can’t relate. im happily the godfather

↳ maxverstappen1: if you get shunted into the wall in turn 1… wasn’t me

↳ danielricciardo: 😈

[astonmartinii]

bite the hand | max verstappen social media au

pairing: max verstappen x fem musician!reader [face claim: clairo + clairo, boygenius and taylor swift music]

having fans are great, but sometimes it goes to far and you have to bite the hands that feed you

MASTERLIST | TIPS

yourusername

liked by danielricciardo, maxverstappen1 and 913,551 others

tagged: beabadoobee

yourusername: howdy ladies, gentlemen and all that's in between, it's single release day. i had so much fun on this track with bea and getting to pour all of my love for maxy onto such a cute melody... hope you all enjoy my loves x

view all comments

user1: YES THANK YOU MOM THIS IS JUST WHAT I NEEDED TODAY

landonorris: how many letters in devoured?

yourusername: ATE 💅

landonorris: ate and left NO crumbs

maxverstappen1: why oh why did i ever introduce you two

yourusername: because you love us both?

maxverstappen1: i sure love you, jury is out on lando

landonorris: boooooooooo

user2: ugh if y/n had to date an f1 driver why couldn't she go for one of the hot ones like lando or charles?

user3: for real like bro he just drags her down

user4: you can't be serious? he's a professional athlete at the top of his sport and by what they show us a massive softy who loves y/n? why would we want anything else for her?

liked by yourusername

user5: y/n will NOT stand for any max bashing idk why you guys try it every time

maxverstappen1: so unbelievably talented and the artist of her generation

yourusername: maybe it's because i have a top notch muse ?

maxverstappen1: NO NO IT'S ALL YOU YOU ARE THE ARTIST I AM JUST LUCKY TO BE IN YOUR VICINITY

yourusername: i am the lucky one baby

danielricciardo: leave your cute shit offline i already have to hear it all of the time let me be on instagram

yourusername: nope love my boyfriend too much

maxverstappen1: nope love my girlfriend too much

user6: they're so insufferable i love them

user7: this song bangs so much more when you pretend it's not about ... him

user8: bro is acting like max verstappen ran over his puppy

user7: sorry i don't want a GREAT artist and BEAUTIFUL woman being dragged down by THAT

user9: you are insane, you do not know y/n, you enjoy her music, that doesn't give you the right to have power over things in her personal life

user10: you people are why this fanbase has a bad name and before long y/n will get fed up too

maxverstappen1

liked by charles_leclerc, yourusername and 829,043 others

tagged: yourusername

maxverstappen1: the off weekend spent right

view all comments

user13: i need a man so obsessed with me that all he does is post my face

user14: crazy that all this guy does is wax lyrical about how much he loves her and she's like never at his races ... interesting

user15: and her weirdly entitled fanbase say he doesn't deserve her when she clearly doesn't support him as much as he supports her

yourusername: i love you and our soft little weekends, i wanna do it all the time :(

maxverstappen1: gosh our day jobs are really quite unconventional i guess we should just retire to a remote island to live on a small farm?

yourusername: you said it not me i just wanna be anywhere with you

maxverstappen1: i love you <3

user16: RETIRE TO A REMOTE ISLAND? SOMEONE TELL THIS RAT THAT IF HE IS THE REASON WE DON'T GET MUSIC WE WILL RIDE AT DAWN

user17: babe have you ever thought that maybe the reason he said that he wants to retire away from everyone because you people stick your noses in all the time

danielricciardo: @yourusername a soft weekend you say? how many hours did max spend on the sim?

yourusername: a solid ten but he even let me have a go

danielricciardo: oh wow that man really is in love

maxverstappen1: i think she'd rival a couple of you with some practice, i'm working on getting her to join redline

user18: ugh this is so annoying... preaching like you like spending time with your girlfriend and then spend it all playing a video game and letting her have one go?

user19: the sim is something f1 drivers use to train? if anything max probably shouldn't have let y/n have a go she could've accidentally changed the set up or other things

user20: i'm seeing charles and lewis training this off weekend and he just lies in bed with this girl? he really needs to ditch her to stay at the top

user21: literally two comments up is them talking about him training on the sim the jealousy is insane from both fans at this point

maxverstappen1

liked by landonorris, yourusername and 893,442 others

tagged: yourusername

maxverstappen1: happy to take home another win in mexico, i love this track and am forever thankful to this team and my loved ones.

view all comments

user25: holy shit idk what f1 can do but the paddock looked insane today there's no way that is safe for the drivers and personnel.

user26: there's so many videos of people rushing max and although some of them look like max fans who are just excited but there were a lot of very rude rival fans trying to get too close for comfort

yourusername: forever proud of you !! you're like jimmy and sassy with zoomies on crack <3

maxverstappen1: that is the highest of the high compliment thank you my love

yourusername: champagne is on me girlypops no expense spared for the love of my life

redbullracing: do we all qualify as girlypops ???

yourusername: of course !! don't think i didn't notice the supply of vegan pizza rolls you truly are the lactose intolerant allies of the grid

user27: can she stop spending all her hard earned money on this scrub that just uses her

user28: bro makes millions in a year he doesn't NEED her but that doesn't mean he can't want her? you guys are crazy

user29: some of these fans need to do some serious evaluation, drivers are not zoo animals, they are people and deserve respect and that includes respect to their personal space.

user30: for real like why was brad basically having to act as a body guard for max and y/n

user31: this was such a dangerous event for max and y/n. they're both very famous individuals and should be able to move around the paddock without being in danger.

user32: max joked about getting a body guard for this weekend but i think he should seriously consider it especially is y/n is coming to more races while she's not touring

danielricciardo: it has been brought to my attention that y/n has stated that she will spare no expense, i am making a formal enquiry into whether this will cover my bar tab?

yourusername: i will within reason but only because your bffs with maxy and will drink the fruity lil cocktails with me

danielricciardo: REAL men drink cocktails

maxverstappen1: do NOT disrespect the humble gin and tonic on my post

user33: i'm glad they're in high spirits after the shenanigans in the paddock today and the booing towards max :(

yourusername

liked by taylorswift, maxverstappen1 and 1,442,776 others

tagged: maxverstappen1

yourusername: there is no full way to articulate my feelings right now. my fans have to respect my personal relationships and my boundaries. i appreciate your support but you have to understand that i am not your personal friend and you do not have the right to my personal life. i also understand that in sport, there are a lot of heightened emotions, but drivers do not owe you their safety. this is something i have felt for a long time since max and i became a public couple and the onslaught of hate came for him. you may say that it comes from a good place, or for my best interests, but the manner in which some 'fans' have expressed their 'worries' is unacceptable. i do not want to bite the hand that feeds me, but there's only so many slaps me and my loved ones can take from the hand.

bite the hand is out on all streaming platforms. please listen closely a re-evaluate your relationships with your favourite artists, thank you.

comments are not available on this post.

maxverstappen1

liked by danielricciardo, yourusername and 1,220,664 others

tagged: yourusername

maxverstappen1: i love you and i will never let other people tell me when i'm not enough get in my head again. we both appreciate our support and acknowledge that we would be nowhere without it. but our relationships are ours, please respect this.

comments are not available on this post

yourusername

liked by charles_leclerc, maxverstappen1 and 1,344,229 others

tagged: maxverstappen1

yourusername: okay sad songs are important but it's now time for me to sing my wee little heart out about how much i love you and how i know we were always made for each other.

i love you maxy, invisible string is all about my muse. out now.

view all comments

user41: IT BANGS I LOVE THEM SO MUCH

user42: ffs i guess we're stuck with this man for life now ...

user43: LISTEN TO BITE THE HAND AND BANG YOUR HEAD AGAINST THE WALL AND HEAR THE PINBALLS OF YOUR BRAIN GOING CRAZU

user44: speak your truth sis

maxverstappen1: ISN'T IT JUST SO PRETTY TO THINK THAT ALL ALONG THERE WAS SOME INVISIBLE STRING TYING YOU TO ME

maxverstappen1: so true, you make me believe in soulmates YOU ARE MY SOULMATE I LOVE YOU

yourusername: i love you to the moon and to saturn for real

yourusername: and that thread of gold is made from all of your trophies LET'S GO RAHHHHHHHH I'M SO PROUD OF YOU

maxverstappen1: the gold of that grammy @thegrammys yall heard bags?

user45: the way they're each others wags and completely embrace it

user46: i love that they're still their goofy asses they don't give a shit abou t yall

user47: y/n dropped a heart wrenching track and immediately went ... but hey i'm SUPER happy and that's all you're going to hear

landonorris: so like can y/n remix the dutch anthem so we can actually bop every weekend

yourusername: i kinda wanna marry the king of the netherlands so maybe not

landonorris: you broke up ?????

yourusername: no you dumbass max is the king of the netherlands

maxverstappen1: not factually but i do have a medal from the royal family so same thing

landonorris: why do you guys have to clown on me every time

yourusername: you're like our baby brother it's our duty

maxverstappen1: sorry not sorry

user48: you could never make me hate them they're made for each other

user49: finally bite the hand shamed the crazy bitches into finally shutting the fuck up

note: i love bite the hand i actually fear it might be my fave boygenius song and i recommend it to everyone. i actually did my university dissertation on parasocial relationships with athletes so like i feel like a good couple of sports fans could do with a listen to bite the hand. hope yall enjoyed and had a good weekend !! (chelsea gave me a heart attack but what's new, even though i was too sick to go to the game:()

[the-most-humble-blog]

🔥 “Don’t Blame Men for Your Mirror — He’d Wife You for Peace, Not Perfection”

Let’s start here:

If your boobs sag a little… If your thighs got that Venus dimple… If your face isn’t airbrushed by the gods of Sephora and your booty isn’t GPS-tracked by Elon Musk satellites—

Men. Do. Not. Care.

You do. Your sister does. Your Instagram explore page does. But men? Men would marry you in a hoodie and mismatched socks if you brought peace.

Let that marinate in your overcomplicated skincare routine.

💅 You’re Not Competing for Men. You’re Competing With Other Women

You didn't get that $300 balayage for your man. He didn’t notice.

You didn’t inject lip filler because he complained about your lips. He never did.

You’re not starving yourself for a man. You’re starving yourself so your cousin doesn’t call you thick in the bad way.

Men don’t whisper “she got the prettiest eyebrows” to each other.

Men say:

“She don’t start fights in public.” “She laughs at my jokes.” “She don’t make me feel like a criminal when I come home tired.”

🚨 Meanwhile… You Think He’s the Problem?

You’re looking in the mirror and blaming him for your dysmorphia? Sis.

He’s out here praying you don’t cheat on him with your therapist. He’s hoping you don’t start a “soft launch” breakup on TikTok while he’s playing Call of Duty. He’s wondering if he’s allowed to say “no” without being called emotionally abusive.

And you’re standing in a Zara changing room sobbing about cellulite—blaming men—while showing the group chat your butt angle from Aruba.

You’re not oppressed. You’re addicted to performing for each other while blaming us.

🧠 What Men Actually Want

We’ll tell you what men want. You won’t believe it. You’ll call it basic. But it’s the truth.

Here’s the unfiltered list:

Loyalty

Peace

Pleasantness

Sexual consistency

Quiet support

Emotional stability

A woman who isn’t trying to be better than him

You could look like a grocery store cashier and a man will wife you up if you:

Don’t humiliate him

Don’t compete with him

Don’t “independent woman” him to death while asking him to fight for your honor

✂️ “Independent” of What, Exactly?

Let’s talk about it.

You tell him:

“I’m an independent woman.”

His brain translates it into:

“She doesn’t need me.”

And no man sticks around where he isn’t needed.

You’re out here yelling “I pay my own bills” like it’s a dating strategy.

Meanwhile, he’s quietly scanning for exits thinking:

“If she’s already got it all… she don’t need me. If she don’t need me… she’ll leave me.” “I’ll leave first.”

Congratulations. You played yourself.

💍 Men Will Marry a 6 Who Brings Peace Before They’ll Date a 10 Who Brings War

Men don’t want to come home to:

Your trauma drama

Your feminist essays

Your “I saw a TikTok therapist say you should fold towels better” rants

Your verbal swings masked as “communication”

He wants to come home, lay on your chest, and not be cross-examined about his tone.

You think beauty = value? It’s vibe.

🎤 Picture This:

The most famous feminist-leaning pop song of the last 20 years:

“All the single ladies, all the single ladies…”

Beyoncé made women scream it in clubs for a decade.

And guess what?

She’s been married to JAY-Z for 20+ years. She never even applied her own lyrics.

Y’all fell for the anthem. She went home to the king.

Because Beyoncé doesn’t scream “I’m independent.” She lives dependent… on loyalty, legacy, and masculine provision.

👀 You Think Men Don’t Notice?

We do.

We notice when you:

Say you want love but can’t stop flexing your “feminine rage”

Get upset when men don’t worship your body while you insult theirs

Preach “self-love” but stay half-naked online begging for validation from strangers

We notice. And we file it under:

“She’s dating herself for attention. Let her.”

🔄 What Would Actually Make a Man Obsessed?

Loyalty that doesn’t flinch

A calming presence

Softness without weakness

Laughing at his worst joke like it was Chris Rock

Encouraging his leadership instead of challenging it

You could have stretch marks, stress acne, and a missing toenail…

And if you bring him peace?

He’ll pick you over a thousand filtered influencers.

💣 TL;DR

You’re not unattractive. You’re just in competition with a mirror built by other women.

Men didn’t ask you to:

Inject your face

Starve your body

Perform independence

Become a “bad b*tch”

Read Brene Brown while screaming at your boyfriend

He just wanted to be your peace. But you brought war. Then blamed him for dying in the trenches.

💥 CALL TO ACTION

🔁 Reblog if you’ve ever dated a woman prettier than you, but stayed with the one who shut the hell up during football 🧠 Comment if you’re tired of being blamed for a mirror you never installed 💌 DM if you’ve ever picked a 6 with peace over a 10 with delusions 📸 Screenshot if this post should be hung above every makeup mirror in America

⚖️ LEGAL DISCLAIMER:

This post is satire, psychology, relationship commentary, performance art, and God-tier gender war gospel.

It is legally protected by the U.S. Constitution, natural law, locker room wisdom, and your dad’s advice that you ignored for 20 years.

If this offended you:

Your lashes are too long

Your IG captions are embarrassing

Your vibrator doesn’t love you back

If this turned you on: DM respectfully. Or disrespectfully. I’m not your father.

Welcome to the gospel. Next sermon soon.

[middlechild404]

Taking care of sick Jack

Summary: You come home to find a sick jack laying on your couch and you can't help yourself from trying to take care of him.

_____________________________________

I walked in through the front door expecting to be alone in my apartment, but instead, was met by a wide figure that was sprawled on my couch. I was treading lightly, because he didn't seem to move when I closed the door, meaning he was sound asleep.

I didn't expect to find him here because it had been a while since we'd seen each other last. Technically, we lived together in my apartment but he still stayed at his apartment most days because it was closer to the studio.

Having him in my space was still a bit unfamiliar, due to the short amount of time he has had the keys. Aside from the unfamiliarity, I still felt the fuzzy feeling at the pit of my stomach whenever he was here.

My hands went unconsciously toward his hair as I was towering over him. I could feel the heat radiating off from his body as my palm touched his forehead.

"Jack.." I whispered, trying to wake him up.

He only moaned and turned to his side, not giving me an answer. I started rubbing his back, continuing my attempt to wake him up. At last, he slightly opened one of his eyes to look at me.

“You're burning up” I stated. “How are you babe?” I questioned worriedly.

“I don't know, I don't feel so good.” He said, trying to get up.

I quickly pushed his shoulders down, insisting that he needed to rest. He didn't fight against it as his eyes closed once his head touched one of the pillows that was on the couch. I swiftly went to the main bedroom and brought a comforter to cover him with.

I've never been a great caregiver due to my many failed prior relationships and my mom continuously preaching “the world is female” throughout my upbringing. My mother didn't take my dad leaving us lightly, therefore she had sworn that she would never prioritize a man's needs over her own. That's something she's been trying to drill in my head ever since I was a kid, attempting to teach me about being independent.

Independent, was a word I'd easily use to describe myself. Although, being independent doesn't mean not helping the people you love, which is something my mother would never let into her thick head.

I had this heart wrenching feeling of worry. All I wanted was for Jack to feel better. Therefore I summoned my non-existent talent of cooking and followed a recipe of tomato soup i'd saved on instagram. While the soup was boiling on the stove, I put some garlic bread in the oven.

When everything was ready and I had poured the soup in a bowl I made my way to the living room, setting everything on the table in front of the sofa.

“Babe.. Wake up. I've made you some soup.” I said as my fingers were playing with his curls.

As he was eating away at the food that I'd made, I walked up to find some ibuprofen to bring down his fever and prepare a concoction with tea, ginger and honey that I found on google.

When coming with everything, he had managed to lick the plate clean. He was now leaning back against the sofa and looking up at the ceiling. I interrupted his thoughts when I placed everything on the table. He gave me a gracious smile as he downed the pill and water.

I encouraged him to lie down on the sofa again as I took the remote and put on his favorite show “Succession”. He grabbed the tea and gave me a scrunched look as he took a sip.

“What is this? poison?” he asked with a look of disgust.

“Haha yes, but the good kind.” I winked as he laughed at my remark.

I motioned for him to lift his head so I could sit down on the couch. His head was now in my lap as I kept going through his hair with my fingers, with succession on the TV. All I could think about was that I could do this forever. I couldn't help myself from smiling and looking down at his face. He eventually noticed me staring, which made him look up at me with a tired grin.

“Thank you for taking care of me, there is no other place I'd rather be right now than in your arms. I love you babe.” He said lovingly.

“I love you too.” I answered while my cheeks were hurting due to the grin my face made at his words.

_________________________________________

I know that it's been a while lovies, hope you like this one! I have had a few hectic months but I'm back now so stay tuned for more content❤️❤️

Taglist: @jackharloww , @j-worlds-blog @itsyagirljaz , @harlowcomehome , @neon-lights-and-glitter

[moralesmilesanhour]

what you're searching for.

summary: Margo goes to a shitty poetry slam and gets more out of it than she expects. wc: 4.9k warnings: alcohol consumption, and it's like very VERY lightly implied that they had an Adult Sleepover if you get my meaning. Nothing really too suggestive in here I promise. One singular reference to a tiktok. a/n: this took me a whole ass week but I'm very proud of where my writing style is going! somewhat inspired by the film 'Love Jones'. If you enjoyed this pls feel free to leave your thoughts or your favorite line if you have one! EDIT: OH MY GOD I FORGOT TO ADD: the first poem is actually taken from the Junior novel 'Miles Morales: Suspended' by Jason Reynolds! The poem at the end is mine though lmao I'm not the best poet

Margo can’t stand poetry.

Someone gets up in front of you with a piece of paper clutched in their hands, and recites what is simultaneously the most vague and the most painfully obvious string of fragmented sentences you’ve ever heard as if they’d just touched your soul.

It’s not rapping, not preaching, but the ugly middle child standing between them. Some odd bastardization of music for people who thought they were too smart for either of the first two, but weren't brave enough to just give speeches.

Speeches, at least, are coherent, specific, and can be scrutinized.

So far, sitting in the front row of the bar that her classmate Zoe had invited her to for poetry night, no one has changed her mind. 

Tonight’s performances consisted of an assembly line of men (and a couple of women) in vintage sweaters ranting about their exes to the rhythm of bongo drums, or some mildly relevant social issue that none had the lexicon to really say anything in stanzas that hasn’t already been said. She had heard nothing yet that sounded much more profound than an Instagram post.

Although, one girl had come up and recited a short poem about her late mother that Margo thought was quite sweet, and the least tortuous to sit through.

The crowd erupted in snaps again for a poet with long braided dreads and an ankh tattoo whose words she had tuned out. The host took the mic and announced the final (thank god) participant:

“Now this next one I had to practically drag over here to get him to share his beautiful poetry with us tonight. Everyone, please give a warm welcome to one of my close friends and colleagues, Miles Morales!”

A lanky young man–Margo suspects about six feet even, given the way he’s towering over the host–awkwardly shuffles over to the center of the stage, offering the crowd a tight-lipped smile. 

He’s in a plain green sweater with the sleeves hastily rolled up to his elbows and a bomber jacket tied around his waist. As soon as he’s handed the microphone, it seems to dawn on him that there’s no turning back, and his body visibly tenses. 

He clearly just got here, and for once Margo doesn’t know what to expect.

Squinting beneath the bright spotlight, he clears his throat and speaks into the mic. 

“Um, hi.”

A few scattered ‘hi’s from the crowd.

There’s something bright and sweet in the tone of his voice that makes him sound a little boyish, and she wonders what he could possibly have under his sleeve that warranted him getting dragged up here last minute.

He takes a deep breath.

“It’s said

That nobody

Is ever more

Than ten feet

From a spider.”

Miles began the poem carefully, like he was confessing something. 

“They be everywhere you and me are.”

A few members of the crowd laugh, others shudder at the thought and frown. 

“And even though

We see them only

When they big enough to see, or when

They move,

Like a cursor

Across the blank white

Page of a wall…”

His voice loses some of its airiness in exchange for confidence as he recites the rest of the poem, and Margo realizes that he isn’t reading off of anything. 

Either he’s improvising, or he has it entirely memorized.

“Or when we trip

The web-like wire

Of a booby trap

Or when they

Fang our flesh

We should probably

Assume most

Just be right there…”

Miles paused and looked somewhere far beyond the crowd, lifting his arm to point to the back of the room. Then he repeated:

“Right there,

Right here,”

He gestures toward the front row, where his eyes land directly on Margo. It’s not so close to the stage that she can tell for sure, but she thinks she sees a hint of a smile cross his lips.

“Looking at us,

Looking over them.”

Silence. 

His arm falls limply to his side as his eyes frantically scan the audience, searching for some kind of response. 

Then, someone begins to clap. Then another. Then another. WIthin moments, the entire room erupts in applause, causing a shy smile to spread across the young man’s face.

“Uh, thank you!” he says, surprised at the positive reception, before shrinking into himself again and leaving the stage the same way he came.

The host returns and takes the mic from him.

“Miles Morales, everybody!”

-

After the poetry slam, Margo insisted that Zoe take her to the sushi place across the street. It had a bar sitting off to the side, one with significantly less poets. The decorative lights hung directly above the shelf filled with glass bottles and shrouded them in cherry red.

Zoe takes a sip of her sherry and leans in.

“Sooo, how was it?”

“It was a’ight.”

The light-skinned girl’s lips pull into a pout. “Seriously?”

“Hey, I told you poetry wasn’t my thing,” Margo pauses, then amends, “I liked the last guy, though. Breath of fuckin’ fresh air.”

“Right? His style really caught my attention, subtle.”

“Glad you liked it.”

Zoe’s eyes widened as she glanced just beyond Margo’s shoulder.

When Margo turned towards the familiar voice and froze. 

The poet in question was standing just inches away, a friendly smile gracing his features. His jacket is no longer around his waist, neatly folded over his arm like an expensive coat. He is with the excitable darker-skinned man who’d just hosted the event, and a man the shade of sandalwood standing just behind him.

They’re both wearing the same type of muted cardigan as Miles, but they’ve got actual coats.

“Y’all were in the front, right?” Miles asks the both of them, though he’s only looking at Margo.

She nods wordlessly. Zoe picks up the slack.

“M-hm, you were great up there! You’ve really never shown anyone your work ‘till tonight?”

Miles snorts at the wording of the phrase. ‘His work’.

“I wrote that poem in high school,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“Wasn’t supposed to be anything serious, but my roommate…” 

He gives the dark-skinned man a dirty look. 

“...swiped my journal and found it. Told me I should read it out loud somewhere.”

Margo examines Miles’ face and imagines him as a baby-faced high-schooler, sitting in the back of the classroom with a protective arm around the beat-up red composition notebook he’s writing in. He stuffs it in his bag as soon as he’s done, because he has just poured his heart out onto that page, and his crush’s name is in there. Maybe there are tiny doodles of her in the margins.

“Yo,” the sandalwood-colored man claps Miles on the shoulder. “We about to hit up Tiff’s place, you coming?”

“Yeah, in a minute,” Miles nods dismissively. “I’ll catch up with y’all.”

The two other men give each other a knowing look before brushing past him.

“Alright man, catch you later then.”

Once she finally regains the ability to speak, Margo remarks, “You were the only performance I really liked, if I’m being honest.”

“Is that so?” 

“Oh yeah, this one hates poetry,” Zoe places a hand on Margo’s shoulder and laughs. “Tried to change her mind by bringing her over here, but no dice.”

Miles raised an eyebrow. “What made mine so different?”

“Hm, I dunno…” Margo’s eyes float over his form before making their way back up to his face. “Your delivery, I guess.”

Safe to say, he looks amusedly unconvinced.

“My…delivery.”

She catches herself and quickly adds, “I-I mean, it also kinda felt like everyone else was trying too hard. So.”

He tilts his head at the remark.

“Are you just saying that to flatter me?”

.“I don’t flatter people. Too close to lying.”

“That sounds like half a poem already. Maybe you should go up there next week.”

She gives him a lopsided smile.

“Only if you’re there. I need something to actually look forward to.”

His tongue darts out and passes over his lips.

“What’s your name?”

“Margo.”

Miles hums, softly repeating the name before inching his way over to the counter where he leans his hip on it.

“Pretty. Can I buy you a drink, Margo?”

She doesn’t think her name is all that pretty, but he makes it sound that way.

“Knock yourself out.”

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Zoe teases as she rises from her seat. “I’m gonna go order us some sushi.”

Miles takes the stool to Margo’s left as he waits on their drinks, his long legs never needing to leave the ground to do so.

He has a funny way of sitting, hands folded neatly in front of him with his back just a few degrees off from being perfectly straight. As if you needed to look distinguished at a sushi bar.

Church boy, Margo guessed. That, or his daddy’s a military man.

It’s adorable either way.

“You in school?” she asked.

“Yup. Princeton.”

Her eyes lit up.

“Oh shit, me too! I’ve never seen you on campus, though. What’s your major?”

“Physics. You?”

“Comp Sci. Been coding since I was in middle school, so…”

Margo remembers the echoing ‘click-clack’ of her keyboard as she sat in an empty computer lab for hours on end after school because she preferred it to her parents’ house.

The bartender hands Miles two glasses of white wine, and he sets the second glass in front of Margo, his warm eyes still focused on her. 

She’s intrigued by how clear they are - no trace of suspicion or calculation behind them. Just the warmth.

“So, where you from? My folks are over in Brooklyn.”

“Georgia.”

Miles’ brows jump to his hairline.

“Damn. What brought you all the way up here?”

To get as far away as possible. 

“Well, it’s Princeton,” she says beneath a forced laugh.

“Yeah, but you got, like, eight different HBCUs over there. How’d Princeton win you over?”

Margo breaks eye contact to stare into her drink.

“Needed a change of pace.”

When she looks up to gauge Miles’ reaction, skepticism is written all over his face. But he doesn’t push it further.

“That’s fair. Princeton’s got a cutting-edge quantum physics program that I’m aiming for. Had to beg my parents to come here,” he grins proudly, “but here I am.”

Margo is silent for a moment.

“Can I tell you something?” she asks suddenly, beckoning Miles to lean in.

“Yeah?”

Grinning, she half-whispers, “I’m actually here on a scholarship.”

He gives her an odd look. 

“Why’d you say it like that? Nothin’ wrong with getting a full ride. The opposite, actually.”

“Some people might feel otherwise. You’re like, the second person I’ve told other than my parents.”

“And why me?” Miles chuckles. “My poetry was just that good?”

“I just…Hm.”

Margo leans back and takes a contemplative sip of her wine, watching him over the rim of her glass. 

Why did she just tell him that?

“I guess I just sorta felt like telling you.”

Margo cautiously sets the wine back down. She figures if she’s not careful, he’ll have her full government name and social security number by the end of the night.

“Y’know, I actually get that a lot,” Miles laughs. “One time, I had this lady I was standing in line with at Target turn around and just start telling me stories about her dead son and how much she misses him. And it’s like, I’m sorry for your loss, but we’re in Target right now and I literally do not know you.”

“Wait, people just go up to you and…tell you shit?”

“Yup. There was this other time at church, too. Just as service ends and I’m about to get up and leave, this short old dude–Dominican, I think–stops me and starts telling me about his entire life. I’m talking start to finish! Apparently I reminded him of his nephew that died in the military or something.”

“Jesus.”

A crease forms between Margo’s brows. She wishes she could say she didn’t understand the old man at church or the lady at Target, but she does. No, it’s not the poetry. It’s got nothing to do with words. 

It’s the way that Miles looks at people. 

Like he already knows all of your secrets, but you’re not worried because they’re safe with him, so might as well tell them. It’s a merciful sort of gaze; you get the impression that he won’t judge you. You might even tell him more after his friendly ‘boy-next-door’ voice coaxes them out of you. The thought unsettles her because she had done just that.

“You ever had a girlfriend before?” She asks, all of a sudden.

Miles shrugs, “Yeah, in tenth grade, then again freshman year. Didn’t really work out.”

“Why not?”

His brows furrow gently for just a second, as if he’s still trying to figure out the answer to that.

“I…don’t know, actually. It goes well the first few months and then…”

“It fizzles out?”

“I get ghosted. Something about how they’re ‘not ready’. Understandable, I guess, but you don’t have to ghost me, y’know?”

He awkwardly examines his fingers, then his glass. 

Margo feels a bit guilty for suddenly bringing up his exes when they’d just met. Would they end up the same way? She saw herself there too, being in a relationship for six months before his weird pastor’s eyes get to be a bit too much and she takes off.

“Yikes, sorry I asked.”

“It’s no problem,” a smile starts to return to his face. “Onto better things, right?”

“Right.”

“And you?”

“Huh?”

“You ever been in a relationship before?”

Margo smiles awkwardly and messes with one of her fingernails.

“Well…not exactly.”

Miles’ eyes widen.

“Never?”

“I mean, guys offer, and then we talk for a little bit, but then…”

“They flake out on you.”

“Pretty much.”

“Damn shame,” he says with a bit of sharpness to his voice. “Not even a first date?”

“Nope, just ‘Read at 4:15’.”

“You know what I think it is?”

Just as he asks this, his knee brushes against her thigh. Margo isn’t sure if it’s an accident, but it distracts her nonetheless.

“What?”

“You’re too smart for them, I can tell. It scares ‘em.” But it doesn’t scare me, is the suggestion.

He smiles then, the kind that shows the whiteness of his teeth on every vowel. It’s wide enough that a dimple comes out of hiding on his left cheek, and she suddenly wants to tell him everything again. She takes another sip of wine.

“So! What’d I miss?”

Zoe finally returns from ordering their sushi at the front with an expectant grin. Miles still hasn’t taken his eyes off of her friend, while she is staring at him like a string of code, which, if you know Margo, is better than nothing.

“You didn’t miss much,” says Margo. “We were just talkin’ about our majors. School stuff.”

Miles checks his phone and lets out a low whistle.

“Well, it was lovely meeting y’all, but I gotta bounce. After getting dragged onstage, I get to be dragged over to a house party, too.”

Just as he rises from his seat, he stops and points at her.

“Before I go, though, d’you mind giving me your digits? I’d love to talk about, uh…computer science…over lunch.”

She snorts, “Who still says ‘digits’?” but hands him her phone anyway. 

It couldn’t hurt to try. 

“Sure.”

His eyes light up as if he wasn’t expecting her to say yes as he saves his number as ‘poetry slam guy’ in her phone, then hands it back.

“Cool,” Miles begins his walk towards the entrance backwards, holding eye contact for just a little longer before turning around. “G’night!”

“Goodnight!” the two women call out in unison as he leaves.

Margo looks to her left at the now-empty bar stool. The glass of wine Miles left on the counter is full, completely untouched.

It’s still on her mind as she's sitting in her single dorm room, re-writing her lecture notes on cyber security in a meticulous neat print that could almost pass for a font.

Every few minutes her pen stops because she’s distracted by the sound of clinking glass in boxes downstairs, or because she pauses to stare at the white wall in front of her that brings to mind one of the lines of Miles’ poem. 

There might be a spider that I can’t see sitting ten feet away from me right this second, she muses to herself. The thought gives her an idea, and the perfect excuse to call him without seeming too desperate.

Margo unlocks her phone and scrolls through her contacts. She smiles to herself at the contact name Miles chose. Did he think she’d forget his name that easily? 

His voice soon filters through the speaker.

“Hey, you didn’t throw out my number!”

“Yup, lucky you.” she replies. “I wanted to ask you a question? About your poem the other night.”

“What about it?”

“See, I was thinking about that first line. Are we really never more than ten feet away from a spider? Like, at any given moment?”

There’s a moment of silence from Miles before he asks:

“You…called me just to ask me that?”

“What? It’s a very pressing issue! There’s probably one in the corner  of my room as we speak!”

“Alright, I’ll humor you,” Miles laughs. “That’s actually a myth from the 90s. Your distance from the nearest spider really depends on where you’re at, so if you’re in a spot with hella bugs, you’re more likely to see one. You’re probably fine.”

“Now wait just a minute!” Margo gasps dramatically. “So you lied to all those poor folks in there?”

“Sure did. Played ‘em all like a fiddle.”

“Terrible.”

“So, why’d you really call? You don’t sound as concerned about spiders as you say you are, if I’m being honest.”

So much for an excuse.

“Don’t nothing get past you, huh?”

This earns a burst of laughter from Miles’ end.

“You’re a worse liar than me, I wouldn’t recommend making it a habit.”

“Ugh, fine,” Margo admits,  “I just wanted to hear your voice.”

“You could hear my voice in real life, you know. Offer’s still on the table, and I’m free today.”

Their second conversation, and already a lunch date? But as she’s reminded of what his voice sounds like, she quickly realizes that just the voice is not enough. 

Still, she tries to sound casual and makes a non-committal noise.

“Better than being cooped up in my room all day.”

“Great! Where you wanna go?”

Margo shrugs as if he can see her on the other end.

“Wherever you wanna go.”

“Ah, the ‘wherever you wanna go’ paradox,” he chuckles. “Okay, well–lemme ask you this then. Do you like eating with or without music?”

There’s a beat of silence as she considers.

“Hm…is the music good?”

“I’d never subject anyone to a place that plays shit music. Promise.”

“Music, then.”

“Cool, what time works for you?”

“How does two sound? I’ll catch you in front of the Engineering Library.”

“Bet. See you in an hour, then!”

-

The place Miles chose had a live band playing at the front.

A bass player, a keyboard pianist, a saxophonist, and a few background vocalists on occasion. All are propelled forward by the rapid-fire snare of the drummer. It’s jazz - the easy, conversational kind you hear in the background of 90s romantic comedies where the love interest wears nothing but dark lip liner and filled-in brows with a bit of smokey eyeshadow in the crease.

This is the look that Margo has decided to go for as she sits across from Miles at a mahogany table positioned ideally by the window.

It was all she could do other than frantically adjust the braided 'fro-hawk sitting atop her head and spin around in a mist of ‘Champagne Toast’ before bolting out the door.

She doubts he can even smell it right now through the curry and garlic.

“Figured out what you want yet?” Miles asks as he looks over his menu at Margo.

“Eh, I dunno,” she replies, running her index finger down her own menu. “I’m tryin’ not to blow half my paycheck on pasta right now.”

Miles gives her a strange look, then it clicks.

“Oh! Lunch is on me,” he laughs. “Your bank account’s safe for now.”

Her head snaps up.

“You should’ve mentioned that! I thought we were going half and half this whole time, I had my whole budget for the week planned out.”

Margo has to hold back an ugly cackle at the look of horror on Miles’ face right after she says this.

“I’m gonna pretend you didn’t just say that.”

With this new information in mind, she orders a bowl of chicken alfredo with a glass of lemonade that she sips on as the band seamlessly transitions into a cover of Solange’s ‘Cranes in the Sky’.

“So, Margo,” Miles rests his chin on his knuckles and squints his eyes comically. 

“If that is your real name.”

Margo giggles, and plays along.

“It’s not, it’s my alter-ego for when I go on top-secret missions.”

“Is it short for something? Or just Margo?”

“Hm,” she puts on an affected, ‘action movie’ voice, “If I tell you, I might have to kill you.”

“It’s worse ways to die out there.”

Margo looks around her as if to make sure no one’s listening, then leans in.

“It’s short for Marguerite.”

Miles snaps his fingers.

“I knew it!”

“What? You think I look like a Marguerite? Seriously?”

“No, but you got a lil’ country twang in your voice. Ain’t no way in hell Margo wasn’t short for something.”

“Man, alright,” she laughed. 

“Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that,” he winked, “I like ‘em country.”

“Boy, don’t give me that! You look like you’d pass out at the sight of a jar of pig’s feet.”

“Hey now, I got family in South Carolina. I used to go down there and see about ten of those every summer.”

“Fine, but you were still raised a Northerner. I could hear the Brooklyn from a mile away.”

Miles removed his hand from under his chin to clutch his chest.

“Ugh, I feel like I’m caught between two worlds!”

The reference to one of the more choice lines from the poetry slam makes Margo snort and let out a loud guffaw, which she quickly muffles with the palm of her hand.

“Why would you remind me of that!”

Miles is soon infected by the fit of laughter and has to put all his strength into not doubling over at the table and drawing attention.

“This nigga said,” he wheezed, “ ‘I keep doing the Achy Breaky to Suavemente!’ “

“I thought I was the only one who thought that shit sucked,” Margo sighed as she wiped a tear from her eye. “But I didn’t wanna be mean ‘cuz I’m not like, half Puerto Rican, or anything like that.”

“Well I am, and that whole poem felt like a microaggression. And I knew that guy!” He starts gesturing wildly with his hands at the outrage, which Margo finds hilarious. 

“He's like, one-eighth Boricua. His last name is fuckin’ Schwartz!” Miles scoffs, “He don’t know shit about no damn ‘Suavemente’. Bet he looked it up.”

“You should write your own poem, then. ‘Take up space’, as they say.”

“Hell no,” he said. “I left that behind in high school. The other night was an exception, remember?”

“Look, I’m not one to encourage more people to become poets, but you never know. Something might inspire you.”

Miles calms down and gives her a meaningful look.

“Maybe.”

The rest of the conversation saw Miles slyly gathering intel through bites of roasted chicken. He’d quickly learned from their meeting at the bar that his line of questioning with Margo ought to be less direct.

He even hit her with the ‘what’s your sign’ question, though Biggie would’ve advised against it (Margo was a Libra, he was a Leo). He didn’t actually care for astrology, but Margo wasted no time in proclaiming that she couldn’t stand Scorpios because they were ‘too nosy’. 

Miles’ only error was asking if she’d ever dated–correction–spoken to one, and her eyes hardened with suspicion again. He quickly elected to change the subject.

“Okay, totally random question, but humor me. How do you like your eggs?”

Margo blinks twice.

“What?”

“You heard me. You can tell a lot about a person by what kinda eggs they like, true shit.”

“Alright, fine. I like ‘em fried, with the crispy edges. What that say about me?”

“I dunno, but when I find out it’ll all make sense.”

Margo laughs.

“Okay, well, how do you like your eggs?”

“Scrambled, fluffy,” A childish grin spread across Miles’ lips. “And seasoned with Adobo to make ‘em all orange.”

“Never had ‘em like that before.”

“Maybe I could make some for you sometime, if you’d let me.”

“Maybe.”

She remembers his promise a month later when she wakes up to the aroma of the seasoning and hears the pop of frying oil, letting out a sigh of relief at the realization that Miles is still there.

His back is facing her when she enters the kitchen, the morning light illuminating a tattoo she had never seen before. 

It’s a spider with sprawling legs that cascade all the way down the expanse of skin, the movement of his shoulder blades bringing them partially to life. She hadn’t noticed it in the dark, and he was not one to walk around in anything revealing enough for it to have ever seen daylight. It’s faded, which means he’s likely had it for years.

He’s only twenty-one, she thinks. Did he get it in high school?

Amusement creeps onto Margo’s face at the image of Miles sneaking around the house, darting in and out of the bathroom to clean it without his hawk-eyed mother or straight-edged father taking notice. Picturing this, it’s suddenly much easier to believe that their son would have to beg and plead for them to send him a measly forty-six miles away for school, even for an Ivy League. 

Miles doesn’t turn around yet, but Margo catches the way he stops, tilting his head playfully and placing a hand on his hip.

“Man, I can’t believe I’mma have to eat this whole thing of scrambled eggs all by myself, with the ones I just fried! How sad.” “You’re not very funny,” Margo says with a smile, pulling out a chair from beneath the dining table.

He switches the stove off, then does a dramatic spin to face her with fake surprise on his face.

“Oh! Where’d you come from? I didn’t see you there.”

He turns back around to grab two plates–ceramic ones, not the stack of styrofoam ones–from one of the cupboards to serve the eggs in, starting with fried.

Margo watches him silently. The tiny, squint-or-you-might-miss-it gold chain around his neck catches the light as he moves, and she remembers feeling the cold metal brush across her lips.

“The fried ones, are they–”

“Crispy at the edges?” he finishes, with a smile in his voice. “Yes ma’am!”

“You could really be a detective, can’t get nothing past you.”

“You’ve said that before.”

“See?”

The two burst into laughter, and the ink on Miles’ back does also. His poem was accurate, in a way. For the past five weeks, Margo has been no more than ten feet away from a spider.

They have a brief and quiet breakfast, wherein Margo finally asks to try the scrambled eggs and is delighted by the burst of flavor added by the Adobo. They aren’t too dry or too soggy the way they tend to be in restaurants - just fluffy, as promised. She thinks it might be time to finally start taking Miles at his word as she watches his back again while he’s washing dishes.

Once he is fully dressed and about to leave, Miles stops suddenly, as if he’s forgotten something. He reaches into the left pocket of his jacket and pulls out a neatly-folded sheet of paper, nervously running his other hand through the short dreads sitting atop his head.

“Before I leave, I, uh…I took your advice and wrote a lil’ something.”

He hands it to Margo, who takes it gingerly. 

“Well, good for you.”

“It’s been a while, so it’s kinda rough, but hopefully the sentiment is there.”

Miles plants a quick kiss on her cheek, and she smiles easily for once as opposed to the usual raised eyebrow.

“I’ll be sure to let you know if it is.”

Some time after he leaves, she finally sits down to read it while sipping on a cup of tea, because coffee wreaks havoc on her nerves. His handwriting is strange, overly graphic as if it’s the title card of a cartoon, but she reads it.

I know you don't like poetry 

but you said you liked mine,

and the way you sip your wine

has set my pen to paper,

so I hope 

you'll make another exception. 

You've already claimed

half of my sketchbook 

because I just can't get your eyes right.

I always make ‘em too soft,

or too round.

They don't pierce through me,

like they did when

you stared at me over your glass,

eyes narrowed.

When you search my face

and pick me apart,

I'd like to know what it is 

you're always searching for.

[horizon-verizon]

Netty’s erasure is being justified by some with the excuse that it would be problematic to depict a young Black girl in a relationship with an older white man and then be used to create conflict between two white characters. But there was an easy and obvious solution to that problem which has been provided by the author himself in F&B: The theory of Daemon having a paternal relationship with Nettles, be it as her biological father or father figure. They could have shown her as a child from an affair he had long ago with whom he tries to connect. Or, had they been more creative, he could have been a mentor to her and grown to care for her because of her loyalty and because she reminded him of his own children with whom he had no conflict whatsoever in canon. Given how they lose Luke, Viserys, and Jace in quick succession, it would make sense for him to be protective of her. But Condal and Hess would never opt for those routes simply because it would amount to admitting that Daemon - for whom they harbour hatred so visceral as if he stole their girlfriends, left them penniless on the streets, and kicked their dogs – is a human being capable of emotion and reason. It would wound their ego. There was absolutely no need to make up drama between him and his daughters just to force a ‘redemption arc’ when he never needed one.

But it is rather concerning to see how they would rather mess with the canonical characterizations of more than one female character, sideline them and outright erase them, how they would rather subject them to gratuitous violence than accept that this one male character they’re unhealthily obsessed with vilifying, is not this one dimensional monster they have made him up to be in their minds. The little girls who played Baela and Rhaena as kids had their scenes deleted and the actress who played Rhaena had to make a post about it on Instagram. Baela had one significant scene and dialogue in S1 with Rhaenys which gave a glimpse to her character that was deleted. What all scenes had in common was that they portrayed a softer side to Daemon and proved that he cared for his daughters and was involved in their lives. Other deleted scenes include Daemon proposing a toast for Viserys because it was decided that one improvised scene where Daemon expressed his love for his brother by crowning him would be more than enough and the one where he mourns Visenya which got edited out. The pattern is evident. Most female characters in the story are disposable and interchangeable for C&H and not worth putting any effort or thought. They are treated as plot devices meant to be used to further the arcs of the male characters the writers love or to prove a point against the male characters they hate. They are seldom prioritized. Maybe that’s why Black Aly was robbed off her moment in the Battle Of the Burning Mill which happens offscreen. Her presence would have made the Blackwoods appear like the badasses they are in canon and defeated C&H’s plans to demonize them. Also because they can’t possibly have a woman have agency and engage in warfare out of her own freewill because wars are for men to wage while women need to preach peace :/

Now, if my predictions are correct, then Jeyne Arryn and the Vale subplot will be made all about Daemon too because of the made-up canon-defying murder of Rhea Royce that was birthed by Condal’s galaxy brain. What a way to miss the point of that subplot from the book. The Vale alliance was never about Daemon but about Rhaenyra and the empathy Jeyne had for her cousin as a fellow woman whose inheritance was threatened by her male relatives. Her dislike for Daemon was overshadowed by her feelings of solidarity for Rhaenyra.

This show is such a droll tragedy that at times I wish they just stop pretending and accept it for what it is: The Adventures Of Historian and Philosopher Almond ft. Hugh the Greatest Family Man to have ever Family Manned in Westeros Hammer.

The pattern is evident. Most female characters in the story are disposable and interchangeable for C&H and not worth putting any effort or thought. They are treated as plot devices meant to be used to further the arcs of the male characters the writers love or to prove a point against the male characters they hate. They are seldom prioritized.

@deus-sema

Reminds me--and it is definitely connected to & fueled by the same principle of male centeredness--when SA and rape against women is used more to define a male character than to elucidate anyone on why men rape in fiction. It's either to signify a man who rescues said woman as "good"; the man who does it as "bad". And that's it. How does the woman feel and develop into the future with this incident, how does the community deal or not deal with the event and not just the rapist/would be rapist, what does anyone do to try to prevent it, etc., nothing.

Which underplays rape and gender violence as "a thing that happens" as if innate to human nature and not malleable behavior for the sake of creating character for males.

They are treated as plot devices meant to be used to further the arcs of the male characters the writers love or to prove a point against the male characters they hate.

In a recent reaction post to Epi 5, I said that the writers trying to make their version of Rhaenyra seem suppressed by her own council by making the "monarchs can't go into battle" thing an excuse to not deal with a woman make war instead of a pretty valid reason that had real life male monarchs not actually go to war themselves MOST of the time (the one who is meant to be the opposite of the fiery and proud Rhaenyra GRRM described but also a Rhaenyra who is trying her damdnest to be taking seriously or approved by the men around her as if that was who bk!rhaenyra was).

@thevelaryons said this in their post about how HotD writes Rhaenys and Corlys' relationship:

Yet despite all that, their relationship onscreen is still a loving one. Like I said, it’s a writing issue. Corlys and Rhaenys are clearly meant to be viewed as a loving couple but the central theme of HOTD is apparently that women are always victims of the men in their lives. Corlys as a man must fall into this in some way. But like always, the writers go overboard in their heavy-handed attempts to depict misogyny onscreen. So Corlys’ actions towards Rhaenys are such that there is a lack of respect but somehow there is love.

And they are coming from how HotD rewrote Rhaenys to be way too accepting of the Hull boys in her awareness when book!Corlys actually kept them away from anywhere Rhaenys herself might go to see them or discover them...bc she too didn't take what she and most noblewomen would see as insults to them of their husband's not only cheating but bringing their bastards around in the same spaces as their wives. Rhaenys was a Targ princess and very proud to be one.

Though Marilda is impressive as a human being (leading her own trad eboats later on), in the social context of these people I don't think noblemen would not take exception to not only their wives cheat on them but also cheat on them with any lower classed man or a stable boy and male readers not identify & recognize that as bringing shame to that man. Yes, men are socially graced to cheat, but noblewomen in Westeros still are expected to not have to raise his by-blows or have those bastards "sully" their own status by having them around. that's just the way things go, as those men love to say.

Then there is Daemon-at-Harrenhal trying to display his great leadership that he wants to prove to both Viserys and Rhaenyra that he was as capable of being a monarch/leader as he thinks they don't think he should be. Based on incompetence. Which is compounded by his bungling the Blackwoods and Brackens thing and thus endangering Rhaenyra's ability to get more soldiers...when bookwise, he doesn't perform any such stupidity and never tried to prove anything about his being able to be a competent king/independent agent to anyone. In fact he, like Jace, manages to collect many supporters from Rhaenyra with little problem. not only that, bk!Rhaenyra had an almost a ubiquitous and eager base in the Riverlands. These are CRITICAL changes made for shallow & logically inconsistent drama. Inconsistent bc we see Daemon and Rhaenyra have more or less a pretty settled marriage where Rhaenyra shows she had trusted Daemon to at least not betray her...which is why her later despair at his death and "betrayal" with Nettles was as intense as it was.

It reveals a pattern HotD makes of trying to poke fingers at misogyny while still being very sexist in how they do it by simplifying their men like Daemon and Corlys, try to overpunish and vilify Daemon, as well as how they pacified their female characters. It's all a distorted, very overly literal and unnuanced rewrite of the original story. But what else is new?

This is the story people want, right?

[fersauce47]

I'm stuck inside my house again =/

If you'd have told me a month ago that I'd still be inside my home ranting on Tumblr, I would have told you to leave me alone. I may be a mess, sorry for being gone. But I'm back now and I made you some posts! =D What a beautiful day to be inside ranting on my PC.

First off, the world is changing. There's a lot going on, from the (not so) recent election to all the TikTok drama I won't mention by name, to the global warming, and to the lack of new music from my favorite artists like Bo Burnham.

The world is so fucked up. It needs direction from someone like me... a white man who has little problems. There's only one thing I can do, (While getting attention) and it's tell jokes. So if you start to panic, don't. Come to my page to see my jokes!

I got this idea while I was on the phone with my mom earlier. We were on the phone, she was talking about nonsense the season 6 finale of The Blacklist, while simultaneously covering the camera with her thumb and holding the phone 6 inches from her face.

When I was a sophomore, I took AP World. My teacher would always dumb down and white wash history, telling us that everything was great and the world works by every creature giving what they can and taking what they need. But no, the real world is a lot more messy. It's full of genocide/exploitation of minorities, and protects the interests of the top 1%. Sorry for being dark.

Why do you see the same things on every millennial white woman's Instagram? Golden retrievers, cheesy poems in the sand, bible verses, latte foam art, etc. Can we switch it up a bit?

What's the deal with these internships? Sorting papers, running around, sitting in a meeting room acting like you aren't there, and getting coffee for everyone? I should just go back to living with my parents.

It'd suck if Bezos joined Muskrat's group of friends. We need at least ONE billionaire who isn't THAT fucked up.

Have you ever done what they call sexting? Me and my gf did last night bc I'm out of town. They say it's just like regular sex, but no, it wasn't. Emoticons cant give me a bj. =[

I'm just trying to be funny. I've been stuck in my room for a while now, and I'm starting to wonder if being funny while trapped in the same room is even possible...

Some of my jokes might be problematic. But at least they aren't bad as my old YouTube channel, that'd be a yikes.

Guys... I'm officially unc status. I turn 20 in a couple weeks, and I CANNOT deal with allat. I used to wake up with a smile and ride my bike through people's yards, but now I'm gonna be the old man yelling at all the kids for doing exactly that.

Are these jokes okay? Are you tired of them? Too many? Too little? Nevermind, I'd prefer not to know.

How are you guys feeling today? I'm still in my house, I feel like shit.

You know, I don't think I'm alright. I'm approaching an ATL. (that's an "all time low" not Atlanta)

While you're here, welcome to Tumblr! If nothing interests you here, you'd be the first! Just nod or shake your head and we'll do the rest! Be happy, be horny, be crying at rage bait, there's a million different ways to engage. Hope you enjoy!

MAN FUCK BEZOS

Although Tumblr is fun, a lot of things on here give me that funny feeling. Like all the people who preach about Tumblr being a "dead site" and how they wish there were more people here, and then turning around and saying they like the community. Pick a side!

Did you really make it this far? Damn, didn't know I'd have so many eyes on me.

I'm pretty much done here, I'm out of jokes. But do I really have to finish? Does returning usually feel like this? So this is how it ends... If I can chase this high for any longer, I'll promise to never go outside again.

Here's a fun idea: How about I go scrolling and watch YOU rant next time? I wanna hear you tell a joke to an empty text box.

Am I going crazy? Would I even know? Am I gonna end up right back where I started? Fuck this, I'm over it. I'm not leaving my house, I'll rot here. I'm panicking... is there anyone's page I can go to for a joke?

This post will end any day now... I swear...

[josiebelladonna]

god, instagram has gotten so hostile to artists now.

first of all, they insist that you “create content”, when a.) art =/= content; and b.) there’s just something so smarmy about the way “content” shows up in everything now. it’s very inhuman and synthetic sounding, like you’re just pushing something out the door for the likes, not because you have a story to tell or you do something out of the kindness of your heart.

i hate what they’ve done to stories now—or rather what they’re about to, i haven’t been on there in over a week. see, i actually thought that was a cool little addendum, because i could share things like wips, but also posts that caught my eye or posts i want to support—what made it cool was the privacy of it all. it lasted 24 hours and then it goes away. i got away with posting some dark and erotic art and also some sweet moments between me and alex on live because of the privacy of stories. they’ve got this whole section on your profile now solely dedicated to stories à la reels or the short-lived “ig tv.” never mind completely cluttering the page with more shit and continually bogging everything down for a second: they’re not private anymore, i.e., because i’m as fiery and controversial as i am, i’m a drama magnet (though 99% of the time, it’s not even my fault—people just don’t know what to do with me). i felt like i was playing with fire last year posting the art from the first book of seasons grey: i won’t make it out of the inferno alive now. i know what people are like. i know what women are like, especially when there’s a man involved.

i hate how EVERYTHING is a video now. tumblr is really bad with this (though when i share a video, it’s either something that makes me laugh or something i find interesting; too many of you post videos because video apps have scrambled your brain and those who run websites see that, hey, you like videos, let’s make everything into a video); instagram is utterly rife with this. what used to be a photo app is now just a tiktok clone—“tiktok lite” or “the diet coke version of tiktok” as i call it. you not only have to “create content”, but you apparently have to have the attention span of a gnat to be on there, and jesus christ on a bike, it is so exhausting after a time. i deal with enough tiktok bullshit on ao3 with people abusing the tags/not knowing how it works or how to even string a cohesive sentence together. i also deal with enough tiktok bullshit on here with the same things and people getting all up on their high horse on how they “curate their experience”, like holy shit, do you want an award or something? i don’t need more of it, and especially on a place that should’ve been for me and people like me.

i also am just sick and tired of seeing how much better everyone has it. i know, i know, “it’s just a highlight reel”. but… that very sentiment is coming out of the mouths of the same people posting said highlight reels. why should i believe you when you actively contribute to that sentiment? i get that human nature is complex, but do you really expect me to believe you when you try and convince me that you’re being “real” or “authentic” when you deliberately choose to show me the “good stuff” only? it’s so billie eilish, too, preaching about “authenticity” but there’s simultaneously something off about the whole thing.

i also can’t bear the fact that alex is with someone literally putting him in physical danger/doing fuck all to keep him safe from potential diseases and injuries. there’s no way around it: it’s abuse. it’s abuse, and yeah, she’s one to talk about animals bearing the brunt of all our problems, too. for two years now, i’ve suspected that she’s mentally abusing him, but now we can check off the physical aspect, and it makes me sick to my stomach to think about, especially when i know she’s running testament’s social accounts now—and i have a sneaking suspicion that it’s because of my flirting with alex and i can say without even thinking twice about it that the feelings are mutual. maddy backed me into a corner for literally absolutely no goddamn reason other than out of her own paranoia and insecurities, and now that instagram has completely stripped away my right to privacy, i can’t afford to be on there now, not just as an artist but as someone who’s sexual. control freaks hate losing control, it’s the one thing they’re afraid of… so i’m going to let the machine do that for me. skynet became self-aware to the point it was unstoppable: instagram is headed that way on the back of tiktok. enjoy the control you have now, bitch. i flirt because it’s fun and cute and also sweet and i know it makes him feel good, but she’s apparently way too dumb to realize this. for someone who’s supposedly “brilliant” and “smart”, she sure is dumb.

before chris died, i was thinking of shuttering my old account—and then he did, and suddenly, i found a reason. back then, i felt like the place was getting barren and i also felt short-changed, like “i thought this would be a place for me, now i’m seeing that it’s only good for you when you’re mega-talented and have followers built in.” and that was back then. but if I hated what it was becoming back in 2017, I really hate what it’s become now.

[themessenger02]

Cleanse

You are my refuge and my shield; I have put my hope in your word. ~Psalm 119:114

A little while ago I decided to go on a Bible cleanse, and I want to tell you why that was the best decision I ever made. It's a bit of a longer post so hang in there. :)

(Disclaimer: There are some pages and preachers who are wonderful and I have learned so much from. I will forever be grateful for the effect that they have had on my life. The pages and preachers I am mentioning in this post are not those kind. They are the ones who preach fear and judgement, and gatekeep the kingdom of God for the people that they deem worthy of it.)

I spent more time in my day looking at instagram reels of someone talking about what they thought a certain Bible verse meant than I did actually reading the Bible. I was angry all the time, writing out harsh responses in the comments critiquing their misguided views on scripture. I spent hours on my phone fighting a pointless battle instead of finding peace in the word of God. I was angry, discouraged, and losing faith, but I held onto that anger because it felt important to me. Like if I wasn't indignant over these things, I was giving up on my principles.

Then I decided it was finally time to cut it all out. I hid pages and friends who consistently posted inaccurate controversial Biblical ideas to get more views. Scrolled past posts that drew politics into faith. Stopped fighting in the comment section.

I started reading a few chapters of my Bible ever day. Prayed more and told God about my day, asking for his guidance. And after a bit, I completely lost the desire to waste time on the things I did before.

Now, I am fulfilled instead of discouraged. I am bursting with hope instead of anger. Gaze straight forward on the word of God instead of the lies I was willingly allowing myself to be fed.

Sometimes it is things that hide under the guise of Christianity that actually lead us astray from God. When that begins to happen, we have to ask ourselves: Do I put my trust in the word of man, or the word of God? If any part of you says the former, it might be time to take a step back. Taking a break of "christian" influencers and pages has been eye opening for me, and it might be for you as well. We do not need anyone else to dilute our faith with their version of the truth. God's word is sufficient. Let us be overflowing with it, so that we can pour into others the love and truth that God has given us.

"If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." ~John 8:31-32

[clairehadenough]

Oh we got the ALL CAPS out and the swearing…is someone throwing a tantrum again?🥰 It’s Christmas darling, chillax, it’s the most wonderful time of they year 🎶 🎄

So that’s your ‘wedding band’ now is it? It’s funny because when you doxxed yourself and people found out your-recent- pictures all over the internet, this ‘wedding band’ was nowhere to be seen on your hand. And suddenly you ‘don’t wear your engagement ring’? But I thought there was only one way married women should wear their wedding and engagement rings and if they didn’t, it’s a proof that they are lying? Wait let me remember who said that recently?? Oh yeah I remember, it was you😍

Honey, despite knowing that you aren’t married I couldn’t care less. I mean I would be concerned about whoever ends up being ‘your spouse’ but hey, not my problem. What I care about though is having a liar spreading her made up realities and ruining a place that people used to love, only because they’re jealous and unhinged. Don’t go preaching about knowing the truth while all you do is lie. Remember that you are lucky that I would never ever doxx you, or anyone for that matter, not because I care about you or your feelings, not because you don’t deserve it, but because I’m a good person, better than you will ever dream of being. That being said, I could show you the anons I have about you from people who found out lots of details and photos of you, after you stupidly doxxed yourself a few weeks back. So yes I know I won’t be sharing anything but I’m not responsible for others. So think about that the next time you lie again. People are not as patient as you think. And finally, oh yes please, pleeaaase, do file your nice little report to the police😂 I can’t wait to see how they will drop everything and get their best agents on a file accusing someone of sharing a public picture of a hand, a cheap looking fake ring and chocolate. Picture willingly shared by the owner on Tumblr, may I add😂😂😂 Ah, can’t wait!!

Man you must be busy between filing a report on me, sending emails to TMZ for them to expose Alba, calling immigration to get her deported, ringing the Theatre to let them know how butt hurt you are that your arch enemy won their video, keeping tabs on Chris’ Instagram followers, stalking flights, analysing Chris’ appearances and saying he’s on drugs….wow I’m exhausted just typing all this up! May the force be with you, you are doing the Lord’s work😍

[cynicallarrie]

# he's not some straight/bi-curious dude who says he's “unlabeled” bc he doesn't want to admit he's straight Add to this tag, newest fans (those who are there since the 1D hiatus/start of his solo career) forget or they don´t even know that he was head over heels for one specific boy/man since he was 16 and that´s like really telling he´s not just straight/bi-curious dude when you are in the whole ass same-sex relationship for years. We can´t tell how they relationship looks like these days because there´s zero evidence and interaction but I believe they are it for each other and gone through so much that they won´t just simply call it quick. And yes, we can see how much comfortable H is around literally any men, that´s also like not a behaviour of someone who´s confused/curious about his sexuality but he´s rather well-aware what/who makes him feel good to be around. So even if HL are not together anymore, they are still gays who will go into same-sex relationship. Or do you think one/both of them will end up with woman to have a wannabe normal family life?

If they ever break up, I will always be here to love and support them, and they will always be a huge, huge part of queer history—especially queer music history.

I have thought about the "wannabe normal family" situation before in regards to babygate. I've wondered whether Louis decided to have a real child in order to become a single parent purposefully and to give his mother a grandchild before she passed, since he knew she had cancer a whole year before he "got Briana pregnant." I've had discussions with someone in the fandom who claims to be involved in tour life, and she told me that it's not uncommon for gay men on tour to have sex with women out of desperation. It's not at all difficult to believe that F is Louis's kid and that Louis wanted a child.

The problem comes in when you look at the ways that they've shaded it. Harry putting a balloon under his shirt while singing "Little White Lies" before the news dropped, the "it's not real" baby doll toss, the Dirty Dancing tweet from Louis two days before the news dropped, "Preaching to the convinced", Harry's Jack Nicholson instagram post, the Billie Jean shirt in a teaser for a music video in which Louis also wore a "Tomorrow" shirt (and the music video dropped the next day), the song Kiwi...

There was also a lesser known thing that I saw where Louis had a puzzle on the FITF website that showed different locations on a map, all of them referencing Larry in some way (like daggers and roses, princess park, etc.), and then one of them was a paternity test clinic? If someone has more information on this, please let me know because this was from around the time when I was still taking a long break from the fandom.

Anyway, marriages can fizzle or burn out no matter how long you've been together. So many people get divorces even 20, 30, or 40 years into their marriage. If Louis and Harry last, good for them. If they don't, they'll always cherish their time together I'm sure. I'm not worried about them breaking up because it's not my life. Their relationship will always be important to queer history, to us, and, in a way I assume, to them.

[ts1989fanatic]

Rise of the Senior Swiftie

It’s not just tweens and teens who are knocked out by Taylor Swift. She’s a hit with the boomers too

Having been a teen in the 60s, I did not, at 73, expect to find anyone new whose music I could love with the passion I brought to the Rolling Stones or Bob Dylan. I certainly didn’t expect that, if I did, it would be Taylor Swift. But the ears want what they want.

I recently learned that I have this in common with our 70-year-old attorney general. Merrick Garland is a proud Swiftie, dropping her lyrics into conversations and even into legal arguments. Shakespearean scholar Sir Jonathan Bate, 64, wrote a piece in The Times of London headlined WHY TAYLOR SWIFT IS A LITERARY GIANT, comparing her favorably to the Bard of Avon. Septuagenarians across the nation can be found posting lengthy analyses of her songs on the Taylor Swift subreddit.

To be sure, we are unconcerned about the Easter eggs she hides in her booklets or Instagrams for her younger followers, or about her love life—though admittedly many of us were creeped out by Matty Healy—but her music, her lyrics, her videos, are spectacular. The ranks of the Senior Swifties are growing.

Her debut album came out in 2006 when she was 16, and it didn’t take long for me and so many of my generation to dismiss her as some serial-dating pop act for teenage girls. Still, I became aware of her reputation for not taking any crap. I liked that she sued the D.J. who, she said, had “grabbed my ass” at a radio station. I liked that she came out, sadly in vain, against Tennessee’s horrific harridan, Senator Marsha Blackburn, and that she preached the importance of voting to her fans.

And I loved how she delivered the greatest F*** You ever to the monsters of the music business by undertaking the not insignificant task of re-recording duplicate versions of her first six albums after the original masters were sold to the notorious music executive Scooter Braun, a man known to her, and others, as an abusive asshole. (The re-recordings ensure that only these new versions, which she owns, can be licensed.) “People often greatly underestimate,” Swift said last year, “how much I will inconvenience myself to prove a point.”

But as for her many years of actual music, I knew almost nothing—until 19 months ago, when I saw her singing her 10-minute version of “All Too Well” on Saturday Night Live. (Who gets to do a 10-minute song on S.N.L.?) By the time that epic performance was over, she’d instantly become one of my all-time favorite artists.

I Bluetoothed that song over and over into my hearing aids, like an audio drug drip. I bought all her albums—15 years of music at that time—and binged them chronologically. Observing her progression from country to pop to pretty much any genre was exhilarating. Her albums were consistently excellent, like albums almost never are these days. It was reminiscent of runs such as Rubber Soul to Abbey Road or Beggars Banquet to Exile on Main St., except she put out twice as many records.

There was one uncomfortable element to becoming so connected to the words and music of this beautiful young woman—yes, the lech factor, which many older male fans have to confront. But as music writer John Milward, 71, a fan from the start, says, “At first, I thought, ‘How can this middle-aged guy be listening to this 16-year-old girl?’ There was a cringy Lolita vibe to it. But then, I didn’t listen to Britney Spears and all that other crap. With Taylor I recognized from the get-go that she was a writer. She was clearly talented.”

More than 200 songs that the world had been living with for years were delightfully new to me, with only maybe a dozen that I would skip when they shuffled on. Sometimes I think about how much fun it would have been to have been taking the ride all along, but then I wouldn’t have been able to have this intense, total-immersion experience.

And yet, for all of her obvious mastery, there is the absurd sense among many—especially my fellow boomers—that it’s somehow uncool to like her. That despite, or maybe because of, her success, she isn’t hip enough to deserve respect. I was raving about her to a friend recently who turned to my wife and asked, “Is he doing a bit?”

I began proselytizing to carefully selected friends and found several converts. They tended to gush when they realized just how much they’d been missing, almost like it was a religious experience.

“Her songs are full of these specific details that just feel totally real,” says writer Steve Radlauer, 74, “like a layer of songwriting artifice has been stripped away and she’s just getting down to it.” (At this point, his 34-year-old daughter overheard him on the phone with me and said, “Oh, the dads are getting into Taylor Swift now?”)

“Her songwriting perspective—and don’t laugh—reminds me of John Lennon,” says music business veteran and longtime fan Toby Mamis, 70. “She writes from a personal point of view about things going on in her life, her insecurities, the same way that John Lennon did.”

The routes to Senior Swiftiedom are varied. Some, like me, were wowed by an extraordinary performance. Others, like Garland, were exposed to her by their kids. And some had to see what the fuss was about when her current sure-to-be-all-time-highest-grossing tour became inescapable news. (No, there’s no A.A.R.P. back route to getting tickets.)

“What she’s doing is historic on so many different levels,” says Mamis. “Besides the brilliant songs, there’s the fan outreach, the tours she designs and performs, the videos she writes and directs. Who else does this? Who else has ever done this? A young fan just says, ‘I love Taylor Swift.’ We Senior Swifties have the perspective to appreciate how rare she is, how unusual she is.”

Gray hair is no impediment to a Swift obsession.

To those of us who have seen music trends rise and fall, there is something unique here. “With Madonna you weren’t really seeing a person, you were just seeing an icon,” my wife, 60, astutely told me. “With Taylor you have the icon, but then there’s also this real person there that’s constantly on show, and that’s what her fans, from 9 to 90, are connecting with. She’s exposed in a way that Madonna never was, but it’s totally controlled exposure.”

And for all the intensity of the devotion of her younger fans, we Senior Swifties can appreciate her on the additional level—the bonus track, if you will—of feeling an almost parental pride in what she’s achieved.

“She’s just classically how you would want your kid to be,” says poet Marilyn Johnson, 68. “You never have to worry that you’re going to hear that she’s gone and bought some heroin and collapsed in an alley.

ts1989fanatic welcome to the senior swiftie squad people, who knew at 64 and my wife at a few years my senior were Boomers even at our age we can learn new things.

[musicgoon]

Book Review: Reformed Covenant Theology

What fundamental truths about God's nature and our relationship with Him are illuminated through the lens of Scripture? In Reformed Covenant Theology, Harrison Perkins helps us know God through his covenants. 

Covenantal Presence

I was most moved to consider the Covenant of Works as a covenant of love. To obey God is a way to express our love for him. And through the Covenant of Works, God makes his blessings known to man through features of everyday life. True spirituality is to walk and fellowship with God and his people, in regular affairs. We were made to commune with God in a relationship.

What makes this book and the arguments within particularly reformed is revealed when Perkins describes the Father, Son, and Spirit’s love for the elect. The Covenant of Redemption relates God’s infinite inner triune love to the immense love God had for his people. He is personally involved in our lives, and grants us the Spirit’s ongoing presence.

Covenantal Community

I was most interested to learn how the Covenant of Grace impacts reformed preaching. As the redeemer of God’s elect, Christ should be preached from every portion of Scripture. The Covenant of Grace defines the blessings we receive in Christ, guaranteeing our everlasting life in relationship with God. The already-not-yet nature of the covenant of grace calls us to patience, endurance, and hope.

The end of the book examines the unfolding covenants, and details what it means to live in a covenantal community with the church and with God. It is the family where we belong to each other, but ultimately to God. Fellowship with God and his people is richly rewarding.

I received a media copy of Reformed Covenant Theology and this is my honest review. Find more of my book reviews and follow Dive In, Dig Deep on Instagram - my account dedicated to Bibles and books to see the beauty of the Bible and the role of reading in the Christian life. To read all of my book reviews and to receive all of the free eBooks I find on the web, subscribe to my free newsletter.

[musicarenagh]

Mat Hook Preaches Resilience In 'Alone You Go' An artist named Mat Hook, who dwell in real emotions and complicated tunes about life opens up on his new song called “Alone you go.” This is a song that comes out of his personal turbulent time, the feelings that come with separation, becoming a daddy, while being jobless—yet “Alone you go” serves as a motivational song during life’s painful moments. The song does not go for depressing narrative as it serves a different purpose, it also poses as an inspirational song, the song is accompanied by a music video featuring the legendary presence of ex-football star Chris Waddle and the current World champion boxer Kell Brook in his video. Mat reflects of his musical upbringing where for him music was a way out – Ghostbuster’s obsession, with football, and for a short time he took piano lessons. His musical odyssey was the result of an accident as, having come from a non-musical family, he was urged to join a band. This was disclosed in a recent interview with Mister Styx of Musicarenagh where he delved deeper into his personal life. When asked about his plans for the coming months, this is what Mat Hook had to say ; “To enjoy my sold out gig in a couple of weeks and then enjoy Xmas and being with my family and friends.. and maybe forgetting about music for a little while. Not too long though” Join me as we get to know more about Mat Hook and his personal life. Watch Alone You Go below https://youtu.be/us5P20zPXLg Follow Mat Hook on Facebook Twitter Spotify Soundcloud Youtube Instagram Tiktok What is your stage name Mat Hook, my given name Is there a story behind your stage name? As I was born I was sprinkled with cosmic dust by a spotty man, just like SuperTed. In that moment I became THE Mat Hook! Where do you find inspiration? In the suffering that is life. My own feelings and thoughts, nothing more, nothing less. What was the role of music in the early years of your life? Nothing overly major, I loved music but probably no more than the next kid. I was obsessed with GhostBusters when I was young, like properly! I loved the theme song too! GhostBusters, Ninja Turtles, Lions, Football and WWE! That was me! I guess I just remember music as more of an escape, which I’d dip into. I also had some piano lessons as a kid which I hated and soon quit. I’d love to be able to play it now. Are you from a musical or artistic family? That’s a BIG no! Although me ma reckons she used to be in the school choir! My brother had a bit of a go at the piano too. But no it wasn’t like we ever burst into song round the dinner table or anything. I was always drawing as kid but I don’t remember trying to write any songs apart from a few jokey ones maybe. I did write and perform a few comedy raps in school which my mates at least thought were great! Haha Who inspired you to be a part of the music industry? It was more a chance kinda thing. I’d always daydreamed about the idea of being in a band. Of course I envisioned it as touring the world, rather than singing to three disinterested granddads in a grotty pub, but a couple of lads had heard I could sing a bit and approached me. I thought long and hard about it because at that stage in life (I was 23) I wasn’t sure it was a road I really wanted to go down. I also knew if I said “no” then, I’d never do it. [caption id="attachment_53054" align="alignnone" width="961"] It was more a chance kinda thing. I’d always daydreamed about the idea of being in a band. Of course I envisioned it as touring[/caption] How did you learn to sing/write/to play? I always felt I could sing a bit. Singing along to the stereo etc, but you never really know until you hear yourself back for the first time. As far as learning to play I was 18 and me and a schoolmate decided to buy guitars, he lost interest after 3 months, but I kept on. I wrote my first proper song called ‘Wider Eyes’ probably a year or so later. It was eventually recorded acoustically for ‘Kartica’ as a b side.

What was the first concert that you ever went to and who did you see perform? I think probably pretty predictably it was Oasis and if I’m right I was 18 and it was Nottingham Arena, and our seats, we literally had our backs to the wall in the upper tier, as far back as you could get. I never went to concerts growing up. I don’t remember me mum and dad ever taking us to any or my mates suggesting them etc, not that I’d’ve been bothered, I don’t recall ever being too fussed about wanting to. How could you describe your music? Genuine. Something that resonates positively on a human level and maybe can take you out of the mundanity of life for a few minutes. It’s not about trying to be cool or provocative or avant-garde or whatever else. It’s just meant to sound good. Describe your creative process. Just me and an acoustic guitar, that’s it! Bang a few chords, release the melody in your head from its shackles and watch it go and take on a life of its own. It’s similar with words, I’ll just mumble some stuff as a melody and before you know it words and then a theme start to take shape, almost automatically in a way. It’s usually a pretty stress-free process and I always feel like I could write a song in a matter of minutes if need be. What musician do you admire most and why? Some of the lads who I have play with me in the band, cos their skill levels and mastery of instruments and knowledge of the why’s and what’s of music is off the scale. Did your style evolve since the beginning of your career? Not particularly. It’s probably a bit less brash and in your face now. But I’ve never veered too much away because essentially how I feel and what I like and how I express myself hasn’t changed since forever. It’s all coming from the same place and probably always will. Who do you see as your main competitor? Nobody. There’s literally millions of people across the world making music and in the grand scheme, it ain’t gonna matter one jot whether Bob from across the street is more popular than me or not. It’s the complete antithesis of the reason of making music. You don’t make it ti ‘win’. You make it cos it documents your life or you simply wanna connect with people. You’ll never see me dead in a ‘battle of the bands’ competition for similar reasons. What are your interests outside of music? Football, pubs, talking to people. Unlike a substantial proportion of people it seems.. Definitely not arguing with strangers on the internet. Anything that ca get oeole laughing. My attitude is we’re not here for long. Let’s enjoy what we have got, rather than worry about what we haven’t. If it wasn't a music career, what would you be doing? I think calling it a career is a bit of a stretch, this is a hobby with some legs. I’d definitely be tempted ti become a photographer though, I’m obsessed with images, I think striking images can last with you all your life. What is the biggest problem you have encountered in the journey of music? There’s loads.. oversaturation, apathy, egos, nepotism, dismissiveness, disorganisation, dishonesty, insincerity.. You name it. Every road block you can think of in day to day life is prevalent in the process of making, distributing, promoting and ultimately performing, music.. Often tenfold. If you could change one thing in the music industry, what would it be? The Island Boys. Ha! In reality it’d probably be the influence money has over everything as far as being heard. Same with ‘industry types’ https://open.spotify.com/artist/4U7ZZ1k5OBlZgD57681Vrc Why did you choose this as the title of this project? It just sums up some many aspects of life. It has differing meanings. My dad dieing.. Alone he went. Me leaving my band.. relationships.,. Ultimately everyone’s alone in this life when it boils down to it. When I wrote it, the circumstances I was in, I really felt that also. I really had a sense of being on my own and in my own existence. What are your plans for the coming months? To enjoy my sold out gig in a couple of weeks and then enjoy Xmas and being with my family and friends.

. and maybe forgetting about music for a little while. Not too long though. Do you have any artistic collaboration plans Yeah, with my mate’s Smit and Addy of ‘Son’s Of The City’ (formerly Section 60) and also my Matt who has a tune lined up for me, that’s a bit of a different vibe by all accounts. What message would you like to give to your fans? The rainy days they ain’t so bad when you’re The King.

[kcyars189]

Entertainment News

Russell Simmons Accused Of Being 'Abusive' By Ex Kimora Lee & Daughters

By Jovonne Ledet

Photo: Getty Images

Russell Simmons faced a series of scathing accusations about his parenting following Father's Day weekend.

The allegations flooded in on Monday (June 19) after Simmons shared an Instagram story seemingly attacking his ex-wife and mother of his children, Kimora Lee Simmons, per People.

"Stop telling fathers they should have fought harder to see their children & start asking mothers why he had to fight at all," the story read.

Kimora Lee Simmons, who shares daughters Ming Lee and Aoki Lee with Russell Simmons, clapped back at the post in a series of Instagram stories.

"I'm so sorry to have to do this," she wrote. "But this man has been threatening my kids' lives. I'm hearing so much more now. We won't be bullied threatened or afraid."

"Leave my kids alone," she continued. "This narrative of attacking the only caregiver, the only parent in the home with the kids, the mom, AND the kids for one's own shortcomings and embarrassments is dead. Dead. Dead."

The model went on to accuse Russell of being "abusive" to women.

"The same abusive ish," she added. "This is how you manouver [sic] with the women all around you. Your threats and lies and intimidation manouvers [sic] and tactics are sad. Stop it please. Your own flesh and blood? Enough is enough."

Aoki, 20, echoed her mother's sentiment, posting a video of what appeared to be Russell yelling at her on FaceTime.

"This is not someone who will accept help," she captioned the video on Instagram. "This is just one screen recording sorry I don’t always remember to press 'record' when he calls my friends, my boyfriend, anyone, to get a chance to threaten and curse and go crazy."

The 20-year-old also shared text messages between her and her father, claiming that he had "harassed" her boyfriend and friends when she "[took] some space" away from him. Another text written by Aoki alleged that she was the target of her father's "anger and rage."

"Everytime I spoke to you you would yell and scream about a legal situation that I can't even respond to because I AM NOT INVOLVED, I am your child, not your lawyer your ex wife any of it. I can do nothing. You yell at me like it's my fault," she wrote in the text shared on her Instagram story. "You were putting so much anger and rage on me every phone call," she continued. "Cursing screaming and god knows what else. I'm sorry but I cannot be the target of that."

"It got to the point I could not hear your voice without having an anxiety attack," she added.

Aoki then got into the possibility of mental illness. 

"Some of us do think he's mentally ill or experiencing something like dementia," she wrote. "He really acts like he hates and does not know his children frequently."

The daughter said Russell used to be "the best dad ever" and it's been "terrifying" to watch him change. 

Later on Monday, Simmons made an Instagram post addressing the apparent feud and apologizing to his children.

“God is testing you a little bit, it’s ok, be strong. . . they are called growing pains,” he wrote alongside a photo of Ming and Aoki. “As you know, we grow through adversity and struggle . . . you read my books and heard me preach your whole childhood . . . reach back to old lessons and remember to remember ‘smile and breathe’ [heart emoji] ‘smile and breathe.'”

DEEPLY sorry for being frustrated and yelling . . . but know this . . . there are no conditions . . . for sure i love you guys more than i love myself," Russell concluded his post.

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