#instead of going full 'manipulated and misunderstood angel who's not in her right mind or else she wouldn't have taken the moonstone'

[kingreywrites]

gonna think forever about the missed opportunity of making Eugene and Cassandra's character arcs complete parallels in the sense that Eugene is a selfish man who learns to be selfless, and Cassandra is a selfless woman who learns to be selfish. Eugene is someone who grew up in a system that was so unfair that he had no choice but to put himself first so he could survive, but when given an opportunity, he thrived in his ability to be there for other people. Cassandra is someone who grew up in a system that left her no choice but to sacrifice her worth again and again in the hope of gaining the slightest bit of respect, but when she saw that it was rigged against her, and she would never win, she took action and put herself first so she could finally thrive. THE POTENTIAL OF THIS HAUNTS ME

[lastcrystalwitch]

Feeling Guilty Taking Time for Myself

When there are many things that need to get done, sometimes it seems like I am looking at a to-do list that is never going to end. I attempt to run around the house, studious and determined, to meet the day with expectations that I will have a cleaner house vs. the mess that it was previously in. I just need to remind myself that doing a little bit every day will get me to the cleanliness level that I am so desperately searching for.

I grew up middle-upper class. My mother was a house wife, and took great pride in keeping the house clean. Even if I go over there now it is spotless.

This means I grew up with a discipline system that when you made a mess, you were criticized, punished, or scrutinized. Needless to say, it is ingrained in me that success comes from being clean, neat and tidy. When dishes aren't piled in the sink, there will be no excuse for bugs to take up residence. When I lived in Arizona in with an ex who liked to have parties and friends over who never picked up after themselves, forced me to deal with infestations of cockroaches. Much to my horror and the irreverence of my ex-husband and his roommate who left pizza boxes half way piled to the ceiling. Not only was I unappreciated, but I was busy. I worked two jobs and went to school full time, paying most of the rent and paying for my college and his. I put him through school. I wonder if he ever got off his entitled ass and put in the hard work and got his degree? I was not respected, appreciated, and my needs were never put first unless I put them first.

2012 was a horror show.

I have lived in filth, much to my dismay and been completely out of my control from people moving in animals who had fleas, and possibly parvo, and have payed over a grand fixing my mom's house infested with fleas because of other people who brought their pets over my house and infected my pets. I have been the one, time and time again, to self sacrifice myself to help others, fix others problems, clean up their messes. Now that I am older, and wiser, I am learning what it is that makes me tick. And for me its unacceptable for others not to help out.

But I have to change. I have to be able to tell others that they have to help instead of just expecting them to pick up a broom and get to work. I just don't want to sound like a nagging person. But I realize that others simply don't have the same priorities that I do. And this is a difficult pill to swallow, kind of. Never assume that someone knows how you feel. How can they? People can't read minds. You can read a room. You can read someone's body language. But unless you let them tell you what the hell is going on inside their head, you can only assume. And circular thoughts of assumptions lead to misunderstandings. Lack of communication period will break up a relationship.

I need to get better at saying what I want. What I need, and what I expect. That is what has made trouble in the past with roommates. I just have such an ungodly fear of hurting other people's feelings. A real fear that is as real for me as a natural disaster is real to the residences of that area. This debilitating fear of rejection, and fear of disappointing others can no longer be an excuse for me not to move forward with growing as an individual. And self reflection takes a lot of time. It takes a lot of work. But if we never strive to get better ... we never will.

But I've had only 25% control of the cleanliness of my house so far. With myself usually being the only person who cleans out of the 4 people who used to be there, its easy to feel out of control, hopeless, constantly stepping on wires, dirt, dust, and trash and dirt absolutely out of control. I was the only person cleaning routinely for the past 2 years basically. No one else seems to put cleanliness as a priority except for me. It simply felt like no one cared. And I thought no one cared on purpose. That they didn't care about me. I thought that since the house was never cleaned, it was all up to me.

But at what cost?

Its possible to keep a spotless home, or at the very least a tidy home, but everyone has to be on board.

Oh. And did I mention? My house has been a construction zone for the past two years with people constantly moving in and out of it. I helped purchase the house, but I have had zero control over the residents.

I grew up with a manipulative narrsacistic mother, a misunderstood dad who was never there because he was always at work, and a single brother who turned to bullying as a way to deal with what he was going through growing up. There were always feelings of I am not good enough. I am not a good enough student. I am not a good enough daughter. I was always trying to please others, and dealt with more mental abuse than you can shake a stick at. Its enough that I wrote journal after journal so I'd never forget about the unfairness exacted on me, horrific stories that would make you want to put your fist through the wall.

The bullying and constantly being told that my emotions and thoughts were wrong, and then told how I should be thinking, forced me into thoughts that self harm and mutilation is acceptable. Its really not okay to be treated that way. Because if I'm not doing something right I should be punished. I have since identified this as an irrational thought. But this was just a dip into my past reality. No one can ever scream at me and abuse me the way that I have done to myself. Because I expect it now. Before, I was okay with that. That was normal for me.

When I GTFO of my moms house in 2007, she called the cops on me because she thought, correctly, that I was running away. For me, it always takes someone else who cares about me, to tell me, no. The way that your mom treated you was wrong. My friends have told me, previous boyfriends, and even their entire families have told me what an abusive dysfunctional family I have suffered through as I was raised.

You know what makes me laugh? My mom is so caught up in herself that she cannot see how she's hurt me. She tells me that my previous boyfriends manipulated me and brainwashed me into thinking that she was the bad guy. Which wasn't true. I ran because I needed to get the hell out of toxicity at any cost or I was going to cut too deep one day and that would have been the end of it. Had I stayed in that situation. There was so much injustice that I was suffering, that when my chance came to not only get a college degree and move forward with my own life, I took it. Moving out in the middle of the night, not telling my mom where I was going. Getting married so that I could put myself through college, which I did. Taking my favorites with me and gaining guardianship of my best friend who was 16, and moving her out of a toxic situation as well. I picked everyone up that I cared about, and with the three grand that I had saved from working Monday-Friday since I was 15, I took others with me. I helped others start their life over. I helped give myself and others, that second chance that they were so desperately in need of. I saved a life. And I will never take that back or change my mind that leaving the best decision that I ever made in my life.

With one roommate out the door for new beginnings, and the second one about to venture off on great adventures, I will have only two weeks to have the house to myself for the first time since I bought it two years ago. My life partner and I will be alone in the house with just our pets, and dreams. I am greatly looking forward to it.

I plan to clean the house spotless before his family moves back in with us, two weeks after everyone has left. Honestly though I am very excited to have his family stay with us. His sister is super smart, retired Navy, and has a brilliant mind that is second to none. Her husband is a happy go lucky go getter that doesn't mind sacrificing a day to help me go run errands. He is able to keep most of the things on my list in his head, and its amazing because this means that I'm not forgetting a butt ton at the store. Their daughter is a cunning little angel. She's super smart. 4? I think?

I'd really like to take them to a park once it warms up and do some professional photos for them. They have a beautiful family! And some of the kindest coolest people I've ever met.

His sister is interesting to talk to. She has a mindset that is very different than mine, and very logical based, where I have a very intuition based mindset. She illuminates points of view, that are refreshing, feministic, and not selfish, but thinking of yourself first, which is what I am trying to work on.

My brother in law once told me I needed to stop being passive aggressive. I'm working on that.

I think his sister is a very good role model for me, and I look up to her because my brain is always flooded with how I can take care of everyone else, and while she has a kind heart and good morals, she always looks out for herself and family first. This is different than what I do, which I'd like to change. Because It is difficult for me to think of myself first at all. Except the bare minimum.

For people like me, I have heard, it can be difficult to relax. It can be easy to get overwhelmed because I flood my brain with a list of tasks half a mile long, and think of others worries more so than my own. My old way of thinking was, if I make them happy, and help solve their issues, they'll be happy and that will make me happy. But this is a flawed way of thinking I am realizing.

Don't judge me. We all learn life lessons at different times in our lives. I have had a lifetime of poor inner thought process that I finally feel like I have the tools I need for self recovery, and reprogramming my brain.

It has been a hard past year. Many, many dramatic changes, heart break, and suffering. Many many tears have been shed, bonds have been strengthened, people have been pushed to learn lessons they haven't learned yet either. Not just me. We've all changed. We've all grown. The difference between me and everyone else is, I'm ready to become a better version of myself through self reflection, not succumbing to negative self talk, but shaping my mind to be more positive instead of me just mentally putting myself down. I'm using tools like, meditation, exercise, positive self talk, gratitude, routine, spending time with myself for myself, music, writing out thoughts, and getting enough sleep, which I aim for 7 hours a night. Sometimes I make it sometimes I don't.

But these are the tools that anyone can use to help them feel better and improve themselves. I highly recommend using these tools which when you realize that if you take care of yourself and listen to your inner voice, and take control of your feelings ... it's the recipe for happiness.

[anochuu]

Greed (R18+)

⤷ Genres: fluff, very slight angst, vague smut yall naughty children go bless yourself,

⤷ WARNING: includes non-con(force seduction)⚠️

⤷ Jungkook x Reader (Oneshot)

⤷Summary: (Y/n) is totally fine sharing her man with the whole wide world; But the man himself contend otherwise.

I always believed that the love he gave me are limitless-clearly from all the attentions and acts he has given to me even in the eyes of the public does not stop him from the skinship.

Once in a while his hold screams possessiveness,aggressive that it's painful on me but at times his touch could be so gentle that he is so afraid to break the delicate me,treat me with all cautious and gentleness.

He is the young man i have come to know very well-love by many and fans are obsess with him,everything he does are perfect in their eyes. Always known as the innocent features he have,cute peculiar habits and srunches his nose whenever he laughs or grin. Typical,i must say but he really is very charming.

Dating a now famous idol is a challenge for sure and many i have to overcome but fortunately i am not a person to be fuss over things i do not find it necessary to mind about.So i am good to say.

But not with the opposite latter.

"H-hey!" I gasp when he pushes me abruptly against the wall,the walk-in wardrobe door behind us slammed close and he locks it without even looking behind.

"What was that?" He asks,voice low and his breath brushes my cheek considering the closet fits right only for two people but then again, it was suppose to be one.

"What was..what?" I gaze up at him,quizzicaly.

"I left just for a while for the fan meeting and yet,you're flirting already with one of the crews?"

The creased on my forehead deepens,What is he trying to say? Flirting? What i am just having a normal conversations with his staffs is what he called flirting?

"Jungkook,you're mistaken,he was just-"

"Oh i know," He mutters, "But you're letting your guard down too much,(y/n). You're letting all the men have their ways with you."

"And all men are wolves,do you not know that? Or clearly,i haven't shown it to you enough?"

The shivers ran down my spine when his eyes glowered,his grip tightens around me making me unable to move a muscle.

The possessiveness starts to take over him and easily i suppose;on the opposite side, He can't control his emotions well leading to a sensitive jealousy whenever i am out from his sight.

I sigh when he dips his head down to start placing hungry kisses along my neck,his cold pair of lips that sends a guilty ecstacy but love it; me who is one to be manipulated by him;bewitched.

Jungkook unbinds my hair and in no time at all,he inhales the scent of the locks deep,his skillful hands locked mine in place giving him easy access without my fight.

"Jungkook.."

"Do you have any idea how you're looking at me right now?"

"How i'm...?" I shake my head weakly and he uses that motion to glide his lips up and down of my jawline,carressing my cheekbones with his hot breath.

"You misunderstood,we didn't do anything." I manage to speak between ragged  breathing.

"Oh ,angel, i'm not mad at you." He lets out a throaty chuckle and in this dim closet,i could make out a little what expression he is wearing right now.

"I'm frustrated that you're too easy to be approach by other men.Can't you tell the difference?"

A faint commotion was heard from behind closed door and it made him stiffen for a while,the announcement has been released and we both know who it is cue for.

"I guess that's my cue." He glances over his shoulder,before slowly gazing back into my eyes.

"Wait for me back home," His voice softens, peering down into my face, before placing a deep but short enough kiss to my lips,feeling the slight of his wet muscles upon mine.

"I'll call you." He last said then left the closet,leaving me alone with a burning flared heat rise up to my face and i even need to hold myself up against the wall to prevent me from melting down.

"Wh-what the hell..Jeon Jungkook.."

That night,not having the chance to greet him by the door,exhaustion took over me and i could not help but to fall asleep and even the clock is ticking late when all he did back then,when i recalled was that just to wait for him;didn't really specify when.

That is when i felt a weight over the bed around me,the bed creaks as it sunken down and a figure hovers above me.

The gentleness of the fingers graze upon my cheek causes me to stir slowly awake,coming to my senses.

When i did open my eyes,his breathtaking feature came into view,

"Jungkook.." His name slurred from my mouth,rubbing my eyes to make sure it is really him right here.

"Did i wake you up?"

"No," I lied, positioning myself to fully facing him,

"Did you just got home?"

He hums in respond, already stirred by his needs which is,lust.Jungkook held both my arms up, pinioning them beside my head,butterfly kisses were given to my along my jawline. What makes me awake next when he sucks sharply against my skin and jolted me a surprise,his teeth nibbles on them.

"W-wait—Jungkook-ah.."

"Sorry," He apologizes, "I'm here to keep my promise."

His lips found their way back to latch against mine,each foldings sends a shivers down my spine and i had to tilt my head to the side away from him to catch my breath when he did not given me any.

I sigh when his kisses distracted me,but his skillful hands starts to shed my apparel one by one before i knew it,

"Lift your arms up." He whispers hastily and i obliged in the heat of moment;he then pulls my T-shirt up and toss them aimlessly to the other side of the bed,the cold welcoming my body.

"Are you still mad?" I ask when he lowers himself down to place chaste kisses on my chest and stomach.

"No." He reply,pulling away from me just to peel off his own shirt,revealing his muscular biceps-toned abs and abroad chest where his gymnasium results shown very clearly.

"You know how i am,(y/n)." He hovers above me again,tugging on my shorts,in one swift movement he slids down off of it from my legs.

"You are aware of my possessiveness." He leans down,buried his face onto the crook of my neck and purposely tilted my head to the side giving him full access to it.

"But yet you're still here."

At this point i am utterly confuse; Was he doing all this because of natural emotions ,or is it because of jealousy? Is it because he is the way he is right now and no one can change that? Or is it because he love me too much just by seeing another man beside me infuriates him?

The perplexity turns down my will and mood instantly,my hazy eyes and senses snaps back.

"Jungkook—"

"Turn around for me,baby." He interjected,the lust in his eyes became incisive,and whatever is say now might become pointless to his ears.

When i did not even budge, he grabs my shoulder but gently and flips me around as he wishes me to,my stomach facing the bed and my back facing him.His fingertips trace on my skin, to places i have never been but i am blindly following his joy.

"Ah!" I yelped when i felt the tip of his slender fingers flicks my folds below,my hands curling to fists the bed's mattress beneath us.

"This is—unfair," I writhe; "It's a foul mov—Nnh!" I slap a palm over my mouth,refusing to let out the sound coming out from my lips that even i myself heard it very...uncomfortable.

He inserted one digits at a time,ignoring my pleas and stiffled moans-beads of sweats form around my temples whilst his fingers starts to move in and out sending guilt yet pleasure within me.

He bends down and breathe heavily right on the side of my earlobe,

"Lift your ass up." The last cue he had for me

Through my half-lidded eyes he sent me to the abyss and i am in no strength to refuse his evil invitation. I did not realize the tip of his hot sex meets my entrance,without another word easing himself inside and my body tense instantly. Biting my tongue,i hold back the urge to moan.

"Jungkook-!" I called once more before he can move further,laid my head onto the bed and narrowed my eyes to see him above, the sweats also forms around his forehead,down to his chin.

"I don't want this.." I beg,

"Let's..let's stop this now,okay?" I panted, and finally, his movement stop so as his eyes bored to me.

It is unfair how he can keep his composure and even looks up, while i completely bet i look like a shrimp on a steam of hot water right now,wriggling jittery to get free. Now that i'm looking back, all he did was just to relief his stress on me,using my body as he pleases. The touching never stops even if we are in public despite his status and that scared me so much

Am i drunk in this love alone? With him falling half-way instead? This is too terrifying and risky.

Then i snapped out from my own daze when i feel his fingers brushes my fringe out of the way that sticks onto the side of my face,tucking them to the side,

"You hate this?" His voice hoarse,filled the now silent room.

With my remaining strength,i pull myself up and lean on both elbows, "I didn't said that, i just don't like—the situations."

"Situations?"

"Yes!" I sigh exasperatedly, "Jungkook,let's stop for today,please?"

His eyes darkens for a moment that gives me a genuine fear for once, Is it because i defy him?

"Why now of all times?" He questions quietly,sinking himself deeper instead and the fraction of pleasure sends me collapse on the bed again, a loud moan escapes my mouth this time,

"Do you hate me?" His chest bumps on my back,whispering close to the side of my face;the heat he is emitting is too much for me to handle that i am starting to lose my mind and when i do,there is no going back.

"N-no aahn—!" I writhe,squirming under him.

"Then why?"

His movement is slow,electrifying me as if he is taking his time to devour me. His both hands trails up reaching for my fingers,entertwining them all tightly.

I began to see stars and could not answer him for i am too busy not to get ahead over my own voice,giving him the satisfaction that he really is good in doing this. It takes a few moments longer until he sped up and i can not keep up anymore.The fierce heat takes a hold of me,trapping me down.

"I'm too close.." He murmurs,his teeth nibbles on my exposed shoulders,

"(Y/n)," he breathe out; "Look at me,eung?" He adopted a pleading tone and simply he knows it very well he uses that soft tactic against me who can't refuse whenever he does that.

And so i did,this time his sweat drips on the tip of his chin,his eyes seems glossy.He lowers himself and kisses me fiercely,distracting me from the fact he comes but the heat yet reaches the depth of my body

He pulls away leaving a string of saliva between us. He collapses upon me,each of us trying to catch breaths within our lungs,

"Are you disgusted?" Jungkook breaks the silence,

"What?" I manage to speak up but small.

"Are you going to leave me? Because you're disgusted by me?"

I kept quiet. And he continue,

"I am a very selfish man,i like to keep things close to me when they've become my favourites. What's yours is mine and what's mine is mine,you know that very well,don't you?"

There was another pregnant of silence,

"I broke your wings,if that is what you despise,you may wish to go." He pulls himself away and i froze,whirled around to see him fully in the face.

He stood up and putting on his pants quietly,leaving me thinking to myself. Do i want this? Although most part of my heart knows well i love him so badly that i have to deny that fact.

"I can't control my possessiveness,you're scared of that too,i can see it." He pointed out,still not looking at me

"Jungkook," Without thinking i reach out to grab his hand which caught his attention back to our hands,then to me.

"I don't hate it.." Our eyes intensely bored to one another.

"I'm just..i was just,scared that i might break easily if you hold me too tight and at the same time, i am scared i disappointed you;what if you are possessive over nothing at the end?"

Jungkook spun around, "(Y/n),listen to me.You are not nothing." He cups my face,leaning closer,

"I love you,with every ounces of my being.This side of me,is only shown to you because i am terrified with the thought you will get sick of me some day."  He places chaste kisses on each of my eyelids,

"I went overboard today,i'm sorry. Forgive me?"

His beaming gaze pleads,asking for tolerance this time and my heart skips a beat.

I nod,"Please don't do that again," I wrap my arms around his neck,pulling him down with me until my back hits the mattress once more.

A throaty chuckles slips from his mouth and he kisses me again,this time the tip of my nose,

"I was scared,your grips..." i trailed off.

"I know," He rested his forehead on mine;knowing well what i meant,

"I'm sorry ,baby. I won't do it again."

His lips glided down from my cheekbones to my lips,pulling it into a deep-locking sensation,my eyes fluttering close slowly in the process. His hands roams around my hips,his thumb drawing circles lovingly and i anticipated what's next,

"I can't hold back again if you're this cute." He murmurs,sighing against my lips,

"Then don't"

Jungkook pulls away slightly just to get a good look on my expression, a jolt of surprise in his widened eyes,

"(Y/n)?"

I giggled, "Don't stop,Jungkook." I lift myself up,hugging his neck and my turn this time to bury my nose on the valley between his shoulder

"What's yours is yours,you said that."

It took him a few seconds to digest what i had just uttered, he took my face in his hold once more,

"I love you." He repeatedly whispers between our mingling breaths,sinking back to the bed and i was eaten by his abroad back;his hands traces along my thighs before slowly spreading them open,drawing another circles with his thumbs on the inner skin as if i am his proud masterpiece.

"Something so amazing...so beautiful..all for me.”

[msmovingforward]

Proud Mama

We open with triumphant Mormon choir music to establishing shots, informing us we are back in Salt Lake City. I’m shocked and betrayed that we didn’t get anymore footage of Kimberly the Hypnotist, but c’est la vie; it’s not as if we had an extra-long episode this week. Whitney is meditating in her home. Lisa is at her office at Vida Tequila (LOVE THAT!). We see several flashbacks to Jen screaming at Whitney to shut the fuck up, and Kimberly the Hypnotist asking Lisa to take a good hard look at her friendship with Jen. Heather thinks back to Jen raising her hand when asked if anyone doesn’t trust Heather. We head back to see Belle from Beauty and the Beast still trapped in a high castle by her misunderstood captor, or I mean Mary the grandfather fucker in her 8,000 square foot home, thinking about how she warned everyone Jen would ruin this trip! SHE BLINKED SO MANY TIMES! CAN SOMEONE HELP HER?! BLINK IF YOU NEED HELP, MARY! BLINK IF YOU NEED HELP! Needless to say, this was a trip from HELL! These women may have left Vegas and checked out of the Hotel Nomad, but what happened there certainly didn’t stay there.

More choir music, and we’re at Heather’s new Beauty Lab and Laser location, complete with 15-minute Botox parking spots. So if you’re just at this strip mall to get a Diet Coke from a 7-11 on the GOOD side of the tracks, you better find parking elsewhere! Between seeing Lisa’s office and Heather’s new Beauty Lab location, we’ve now officially doubled the number of filming locations for this show! The new location looks like the set of a reboot for Xanadu. Everything is pink and white. Pink angel wings adorn the wall, symbolizing Heather’s ascent into independence from her ex husband. Heather tells us in a confessional this has to look great. She can’t just light a candle and say it’s done! I mean Sheree did this for her housewarming on Atlanta, but this is Salt Lake City, the land of integrity!

Heather addresses her team, saying that she’s had a rough weekend in Vegas, so if she’s short with people that’s why. Such great management skills! Remind your entire team that while they were probably working to make your vision a reality, you were away on a girls’ trip, filming a TV show less than a week before your grand opening! An employee tells Heather something about her stanchions, a word Heather had never heard before. Whitney shows up and remarks how pretty the stanchion ropes are. Thank God Whitney could remember her lines this week!

Heather and Whitney discuss the fact that neither of them have spoken to Jen since the trip, and Whitney informs us in her testimonial that she would uninvite Jen to the grand opening if it were her. “Is Heather addicted to toxicity?” She asks. Well, let’s see! Beyond the fact that Heather and Whitney are both ex Mormons who are on a reality show about women yelling at each other, Heather is literally opening a second location for a business that shoots toxins into middle-aged women’s foreheads and eye sockets, so they can’t express emotions or look old. Heather’s livelihood LITERALLY depends on the availability of toxicity.

In the next scene, we see Lisa touching a fabulously green handbag and heading into a bar called Lake Effect. Before we cut to commercial, it is revealed that she is there to meet up with none other than Jen Shah herself! Now I’m excited. It seems like Lisa is living up to her Lisa Housewife ancestors (Vanderpump, Rinna, Et Al.) and has sensed that Jen is weak and malleable. You need a friend, don’t you, Jen, darling? Lisa informs us that when leaving Vegas she saw Jen in tears on the elevator, and the human in her just had to ask what the real story was. She informs Jen that she’s just like her. She wants to be loyal to her friendships and her word. Hmm.. interesting because I’m pretty sure Jen was literally JUST spreading rumors about your other best friend’s marriage. Even I’m a little bit confused, falling for this classic manipulative trap. My heart really does break a little bit for Jen, who I think is truly losing her mind. I’m brought back to reality, though, when Lisa tells Jen that she can’t threaten to drown Whitney in her pond after Jen says she feels like her words are constantly taken out of context. Jen tells Lisa that she only talks like that because she felt like she constantly had to be ready to fight growing up in Salt Lake City, which is predominantly White.

We head to Meredith’s house where we are treated to a vomit-inducing scene of Meredith slicing half a banana for Seth. Seth informs her that he likes quarters instead of halves. Meredith fills Seth in on the happenings in Vegas, which Seth refers to as “Toxic city cicity.” Meredith can’t handle all the volatility in this group of friends. She repeatedly disengaged in Vegas, and obviously Vegas is really a city where you want to dis-disengage. You want to be so engaged in Vegas, and it’s unengaging when you have to disengage. It’s like the Blackjack dealer asks, “Do you want to hit or stay?” and Meredith just has to disengage. Meredith tells us that her marriage has been just so wonderful lately, and it’s all positivity. She throws shade at Jen in her confessional, saying that some of the other women are probably just jealous of how successful her marriage is, which is why they need to spread rumors about it. Right, Meredith, we’re all super jealous of the fact that your husband can sleep with his eyes open at dinner and simultaneously accuse you of cheating because you won’t let him go through your phone.

Whitney informs us that her father is 90 days sober, so she’s going to let him near her head with scissors in a room full of aspiring Mormon hairdressers. He does absolutely nothing to Whitney’s hair and makes several dad jokes, and the audience is led to believe that his audition for this hairdressing school went well. My heart breaks for a second time this episode when Whitney says, “I feel like a proud Momma,” even though she’s the daughter in this relationship.

Meredith visits Heather at Beauty Lab. Meredith informs Heather that she’s sure Jen does have shit she’s dealing with, but she’s angry because Jen has hurt her family and marriage with her lies. Heather says that she needs to be strong and not “put up and shut up” like she did for years in her marriage. If her daughters were in a friendship like this, she would advise them to stay away.

Lisa, her husband, and her kids, Jack and Henry, are at a meeting with Sydney, who is either high up at Vida Tequila or low on the totem pole and was able to be convinced to be on TV. Either way, she has to sit through fifteen year old Henry’s Fresh Wolf business proposal. Lisa continuously reminds her kids, who are almost as disengaged as Meredith, that they can have anything, including Land Rover Defenders and McClarens, if they “What?” “Work for it!” Lisa says that Henry will be the first 9 year old with a McClaren (”I love that! I love it.”) I remember visiting my mom at work and being given the money to start companies and buy luxury cars in front of assistants who probably make $15 an hour. Pretty standard reward for getting a B+ on a report card. Jack starts his business proposal. “Yeah so Fresh Wolf is a company.” Henry interrupts from the white board on which he is writing Fresh Wolf over and over again. “I came up with the name! How smart are these straws!?” Henry has a brain fart and has to start over after Lisa reminds him that it’s always important to hold up a picture of the product when you’re pitching it, especially if you’re wearing your best backwards hat and bright yellow-green hoodie. I love that. That I love. I love it. Touch the picture, Jack. Jack’s full proposal is as follows: “The ingredient you need most, Dad, is turmeric because it restores hair or stimulates hair growth or something.. so uh yeah that's Fresh Wolf.” Sidney pretends to be truly impressed. John says, “Wow,” and Lisa informs us via confessional that Fresh Wolf has really given them the opportunity to reconnect as a family  Even though Lisa has just chugged a liter of Diet Coke from the 7-11 next to Beauty Lab, she’s starving, so they all head to Taco Bell, then Burger King, then Checkers for lunch. Everyone that is, except Henry, whom they forget. It’s ok. He’ll get there if he works hard.

We head to Mary’s church, where we are shown an actual photo of Jesus with Mary’s grandmother/husband’s late wife. Mary is dressed in Beyonce at Coachella realness. It’s time for choir practice, which Mary informs us in her testimonial is not going well. They need to practice every day, but they can only practice once a week. It’s hard as a viewer to make a judgment on this though because Mary stops their singing every few seconds to ask how much they love her, criticize someone’s weight gain, (“Do me a favor. Eat healthy. Drink water!”), or tell someone they’re daydreaming. I wonder... if these people weren’t probably working two full-time jobs to afford the second mortgages they took out to be members of Mary’s church, could they have choir practice more often?

Next the audience is again reminded of what a wonderful husband Sharrieff is, as he sets up a table of chocolate-covered strawberries inside a dance studio for date night, which is a salsa dancing lesson. He informs us that Jen has always begged for him to bring her to salsa lessons. I have to say, while I imagine not having your husband around most of the year must be a struggle, it’s not as if Sharrieff doesn’t make the most of his limited time with Jen. This date is extremely thoughtful and romantic. Jen walks in, and she’s clearly very impressed and excited. She sees the trophies, and asks, “Am I going to get a trophy?” Sharrieff replies, “No, honey.” In the same tone I might use to tell a child that Grandma isn’t coming over for dinner anymore. This tiny moment made me realize again just how much people in Jen’s orbit must have to walk on eggshells. Sharrieff probably saw an opportunity for crazy Jen to come out and throw a tantrum after realizing she wasn’t going to get a trophy for her one salsa dancing lesson. God, I love this show! The couple salsa dance, and both of them are actually very good. Naturally, as Jen informs us that Sharrieff WAS in a dance group in junior high school. Jen again laments to Sharrieff about how misunderstood she is by the other women, and Sharrieff once again very patiently therapizes her. I was shocked to find out that they have been married 26 years. Can someone please tell me if that’s a record for a marriage that Bravo has ruined? That’s got to be a record! There’s no way they’ll still be married if Jen makes it to a season three...

At last the moment we’ve been waiting for all season arrives! Heather is FINALLY opening her second Mormon purification center. This one used to be a Quiznos! Meredith asks Brooks what she thinks of her outfit, a leather tuxedo with a sparkling lapel. He says it’s “Beyond,” but she decides she’s going to take off her pants entirely, and just make it a “blazer dress.” Lisa informs her husband that she’s going to wear Versace because who doesn’t love Versace. I think he’s just excited that his kids have piano lessons, so he doesn’t have to get an experimental chemical peel. The party is pink, and Heather is serving us Frenchie’s trouble in tinting class. This party has everything: buff gay bartenders with judging eyes, napkins that say messy af (Mary: “What does AF stand for? After the fact?”), wing-shaped cookies, stanchions! Meredith arrives wearing a mask that looks like it came from a very expensive piece of medical equipment, which she informs us is high fashion, and she wouldn’t expect anyone who isn’t as elegant as she to understand it. Mary looks like a cross between an Olsen twin and an extra from Gossip Girl. Lisa arrives, asking, “Does X marks the spot?” before posing in front of the step and repeat. Heather has invited her ex husband, who says he approves, calling the event “next level.” It must be pretty impressive if he got out of his hot tub for it! Heather introduces Meredith to a friend, saying Meredith is a burn victim. The friend says she should wear the mask all the time... Whitney really does a big Whitney zing on Meredith’s mask, putting on two surgical masks in her confessional. Boom! We learn that Meredith’s dress was designed in part by Brooks, which means it must be one of a kind. Mary says something about chicken turkeys as Meredith sips a straw right through her mask. Everyone at this party is basically wearing very shiny pajamas. Lisa reveals to Meredith that she and Jen met up after Vegas, to which Meredith says she can’t control whom Lisa is friends with, but she definitely needs some space from the situation. Mary joins Whitney at the oxygen bar (Mary: “I need oxygen, doxygen, estrogen, YEStrogen!”). Whitney tells Mary she was right; after Mary was out of Jen’s line of fire in Vegas, Whitney just became her next target. 

Enter Jen...

Whitney tells Jen she felt like Jen’s punching bag in Vegas. Jen offers a very sincere apology that offers no excuses, which Whitney seems to accept. It’s like Jen is wearing a wire with Sharrieff in her hear telling her exactly what to say all night. In her confessional, Jen reveals that she was just being nice at the time, and she wasn’t really sorry at all because she saw some wing-shaped cookies across the room, and she was hungry. This makes much more sense with the other things I’ve seen across this franchise. Good housewifing, Jen! Heather gives her thank you speech, which again affirms Heather as an independent woman who blah blah blah. We are shown footage of Meredith telling a closet case Mormon man that it’s always a bad idea to ignore bad energy, when Jen walks over to tell Meredith how unacceptable it is that Jen was talking about Meredith’s marriage. Meredith says, “No. It’s not,” and we are treated to a sonic boom sound effect. Meredith again says she needs to “protect her positive space”, but hopefully if Jen proves that she can be trustworthy, the two can move forward. Jen says to Meredith’s face that she respects that decision, but says in her confessional that she thinks Meredith is crazy. Heather walks over, and Meredith gives the two their own space, so she and her Tron mask can continue to protect their positive energy pod elsewhere. Jen and Heather get into a heated discussion, which upsets Lisa Barlow, Queen of Sundance, to the point where she thinks she may have to call security, and of all the parties she’s thrown, she’s never had to call security. She insinuates herself into the situation, saying “Can you guys whisper?” Jen gives her worst apology of the night, and Heather once again forgives her after Jen says the words that Heather literally has to tell her to say.

What a season! We learn that Jen has bought another friend, Heather has learned that she’s her own person, Whitney has a skincare line, Mary is reorganizing her closet, Lisa is taking a family vacation to Mexico, and Meredith and Seth are back in Couples counseling.

What a long episode!

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #97: Godhood’s End!

March 1972

Alternatively and perhaps better titled as RICK JONES CONQUERS THE UNIVERSE!

This cover is okay. Rick Jones shooting superheroes at the reader. I also notice that the A in Avengers has reigned it in a little.

So. Last time on Avengers: Ronan thwarted in Arctic; Kree/Skrull War begins again; Avengers smeared by McCarthy allegory; Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch, and Captain Mar-Vell kidnapped by Super Skrull; Avengers fight some Mandroids and thwart a Kree plot to pressgang the Inhumans; Kree kidnaps Rick Jones and he becomes Ronan’s body-slave; Supreme Intelligence throws Rick Jones into the Negative Zone.

Heck there’s so much going on by the time we hit part 9 of this 9 part story arc that Rick Jones has visions across a two-page spread of what everyone is up to just so we know where all the pieces are in play.

And that brings us to now, with Rick Jones face to face with Annihilus, a not very friendly guy.

Who happens to recognize Rick Jones as one of the people involved when he was unceremoniously booted back into the Negative Zone back in part 1 of this story.

So he’s just going to choke a Rick Jones now, okay?

But he is fended off when Rick somehow shoots a bolt of energy from his brain, sending Annihilus flying away into the depths of the Negative Zone, leaving Rick Jones floating alone and confused.

Meanwhile, on the Skrull homeworld in the Andromeda Galaxy, stuff. Stuff is happening. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are trying to fend off an army of Skrulls to give Mar-Vell time to do... something. He’s locked himself in a negative energy whosits to tinker with the omni-wave projector.

Outside, Skrull Princess Anelle again begs her father to call off the attack. Emperor Dad has about as much patience for that as usual and tells her that if she weren’t his only heir, he’d kill her.

Not a happy family.

Emperor Dad notices that the negative energy whatsits is fading and Anelle sadly hangs her head because surely Mar-Vell is as dead now.

So, it won’t come up for years and years and years and years and years and years and it was a retcon at that point but during the time Mar-Vell has been held captive by the Skrulls?

He and Anelle fall in love with each other and become secret lovers. Very star crossed. At the risk of spoiling things, during this brief time, Mar-Vell managed to knock up Anelle and she has to send the baby away after its birth to protect it from Emperor Dad who was less than thrilled with the whole thing. And that baby later becomes the king of space.

So, yeah. That’s been happening between panels.

Anyway, Mar-Vell comes out of his negative energy whatsits and reveals that he had been trying to contact Rick Jones with the omni-wave projector but instead just caused him to be hurled into the Negative Zone.

THIS OMNI-WAVE PROJECTOR DESTROY EVERYTHING IT TOUCHES, MAR-VELL SMASH.

Scarlet Witch wonders why he didn’t use it as a weapon as the Skrulls wish to but apparently the Omni-Wave Projector is only a communication tool when operated by the Kree. Because made for Kree minds or something. I dunno.

Anyway, they’re all doomed when the next wave of Skrulls attack.

Meanwhile, back in the Negative Zone. Rick Jones is drifting. And he’s drifting into a dangerous explodey patch of space because the Negative Zone is the kind of place with areas where anything solid explodes.

Rick realizes his only hope is to try to unleash that power he inadvertently used on Annihilus and concentrates... and flings himself through a portal back to the Supreme Intelligence’s chambers.

Rick is about out of patience and demands that the face of bleh tells him what’s going on. The Supreme Intelligence tells him that there’s no time because the hour is at hand where Rick will prove worthy of his cosmic heritage or perish.

What heritage though, scoffs Rick. He’s an orphan.

No, no. Not a personal birthright, says the Supreme Intelligence with a look that expresses the disdain of a misunderstood person explaining things poorly. The cosmic heritage of the human race (who sprung from apish loins, he clarifies unnecessarily).

But by this point, Ronan has discovered that the Supreme Intelligence is up to something. There is far too much power flowing in the chamber where he was locked up. Shame. He was hoping that eventually the Supreme Intelligence could be made useful but if this is how he’s going to be...

He sends a squad of Kree soldiers to kill the Supreme Intelligence and Rick Jones.

The Supreme Intelligence tells Rick to do something about it. Rick wonders what he can do but the Supreme Intelligence tells Rick that he’s a giant comic book nerd so his mind is full of all kinds of heroes.

Remember that one time that Rick was lamenting that heroes aren’t as cool as they were when he was a kid? Those heroes? The Supreme Intelligence tells Rick to focus on those heroes... really, really hard. Just think of nothing but superheroes. DO IT! FOR THE SAKE OF THE UNIVERSE! GEEK OUT REALLY HARD ABOUT GOLDEN AGE HEROES!!

And then suddenly, those heroes all pop out of thin air. Cap and Namor, of course. But also the Golden Age version of the Human Torch and the Vision. The Patriot, the Blazing Skull, the Fin, and the Angel.

And they start beating up the Kree and talking like they’re in a comic book, which they are.

But after only a little bit of that, they fade away.

The Supreme Intelligence is a thing I’m getting tired of typing out every time.

But the Supreme Intelligence tells Rick that his summoned heroes gave him a bit of a respite, time that his brain could use to consolidate its new power. BUT NOW COMES THE FATEFUL TEST!

And despite Rick’s head aching like the dickens, he concentrates on what he has to do. CONCENTRATES.

And his body shoots off a bolt of energy which travels faster than light to reach the Andromeda Galaxy in an instant. The energy bursts out of Mar-Vell’s skull and freezes the attacking Skrulls in their tracks.

This utterly baffles Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch, of course. They’re having a hell of a day.

And then from Mar-Vell the Rick Beam shoots out toward the Andromeda Swarm where the Avengers still fight. The beam fills the flagship with light and when it fades, all of the Skrulls have frozen in their tracks.

This utterly baffles the Avengers. They think at first it might be some weird Skrull trick but what kind of trick has you leave yourself totally open to attack and not fight back when someone starts flopping you around like lasagna?

A dumb trick, is what. Too dumb even for the Skrulls. But if someone did this to them, it would have to be one of the most powerful beings in the universe.

Buuuuuut, speculating without any solid information is useless. Time to get back on track. So the Avengers get in the Bogey-Baby and follow the Rick Beam back to the Skrull throneworld, passing unopposed through the frozen Andromeda armada as they go.

Meanwhile again, Rick Jones is realizing that all of the Kree that were attacking him are now frozen in place. This utterly baffles Rick.

“I see now that your comprehension has yet to overtake your power!” Savage af, Supreme Intelligence.

Anyway, there’s another thing that Rick needs to see. The Supreme Intelligence shows Rick a vision of events on Earth, events concerning H. Warren Craddock.

You remember that guy, right? Basically McCarthy except with aliens instead of communists?

Well, he’s giving a speech in New York. But while he rants about ferreting out and smashing aliens in our midst, Rick can read his real thoughts. He thinks the crowd are sheep, following him without suspecting that he’s influencing them with VERBAL HYPNOSIS.

And then the Rick Beam comes to Earth and zaps H. Warren Craddock.

And H. Warren Craddock turns into - or should I say turns back into - a Skrull.

And the very crowd that he’s been riling up with anti-alien agendas and verbal hypnosis see an alien. And they know that aliens are out to kill us all. But not if we kill them first.

And the very crowd riled up by H. Warren Cradock surges forward and mobs  the Skrull. And to his dismay, he finds that his Skrullish powers of shapeshifting are not working. He can’t defend himself, he can barely move.

And the very crowd beats the Skrull to death, somehow not realizing it was H. Warren Craddock despite seeing him standing where the politician was standing right before.

Granted, they are hypnotized and very dumb.

Anyway. Holy shit.

I guess that’s one way to tie up that little subplot. Usually considered the laziest way though. A person raising points against the heroes was the Villain All Along. Although, H. Warren Craddock never really had any good points.

Anyway, he’s dead. And in a way, Rick killed him. Ehhh, the Supreme Intelligence says. The Skrull loaded the gun, Rick just nudged it so it was pointing at the proper target. Like Wabbit Season-Duck Season except with shapeshifting aliens.

So now is the time for explanations.

Ronan weakened the Supreme Intelligence so he could not influence the upper echelon of Kree and Skrulls. That’s been mentioned before. But through a series of teeny manipulations, the Supreme Intelligence got Mar-Vell to construct and use an Omni-Wave Projector, which unleashed powers lying dormant in Rick.

And the reason is because the Kree and Skrulls are both dead ends. Even if they live another billion billion years, they’ll never advance any further up the ladder of evolution.

This is and will continue to be a big sore point for the Kree.

Stuck in this dead end, the most that the Kree and Skrulls can do is snarl at each across space hating each other but also hating the human race. Because they subconsciously sense humans to be their ultimate superiors.

Man, humans sure love writing humans as the best.

Anyway, any human could have unleashed the power Rick Jones did and all of them shall in some distant, unglimpsed future.

But for right now, Rick Jones needs to lie down. He’s not feeling so-

This utterly baffles the Supreme Intelligence. Even a being composed of countless brains all piled together into a face is too stunned to do anything for a moment. And then he rips open space-time like it was wet paper and brings all of the Avengers (save Goliath) into the chamber.

And after explaining the situation to everyone, the Supreme Intelligence tells them that Rick is dying.  All that power sorta kinda overloaded him. And only Mar-Vell can save him.

And only by merging with him as before, giving Rick his full life-force.

It would make a prisoner of Mar-Vell again. Worse than before.

And he impulsively refuses before accepting his fate.

He takes two moments to himself first. The first one, to look at the frozen Kree and realize that his mission to save Earth and the Kree from Ronan has been accomplished through Rick’s sacrifice. And the second moment he takes to think of Anelle and how she will now become the regent of the Skrulls. And his hopes that she could have become more. Which I’m reading as meaning that he wanted to go steady. I wonder if knowing he would have a son would have changed his decision to do what he’s about to do.

Because he is finally ready. And he steps into Rick Jones, merging with him as the Avengers watch, utterly baffled.

And Rick Jones lives again, his latent power put back to sleep.

And everything is back to how it was. The Skrulls and the Kree are back in a Cold War, somehow. The Supreme Intelligence is in control of the Kree again and hopes he’ll live up to his name this time around. Rick Jones and Mar-Vell are linked again. And hey get off my planet? The Avengers are teleported back to Earth again. Presumably leaving Bogey-Baby adrift in space and getting Nick Fury in a metric ton of trouble for losing it.

Oh but there is some wrap-up. For one thing, when the Avengers arrive back at their mansion, H. Warren Craddock is waiting for them.

But no, not the one that got beaten to death. A couple weeks back, a Skrull kidnapped him and took his place. Because that does make more sense. That Skrull slipped into the role of someone who already had authority and the respect of the President. He didn’t just make up a new identity and get given a bunch of power for no reason.

DELL RUSK.

Ahem. Anyway. Its also confirmed that the H. Warren Craddock Skrull was the missing fourth Skrull from Fantastic Four #2. Which is why the Avengers only had to fight the Fauxtastic Three.

And Thor suspects that the Supreme Intelligence manipulated the H. Warren Craddock Skrull to get the Avengers where they needed to be. But anyway, they don’t have to worry about any fallout from that. The real H. Warren Craddock has cleared them of all charges.

And that just leaves Goliath.

He was sent to stop Craft Beta-31 from nuking Earth. And Earth is unnuked. So he succeeded. So where is he?

Well, we’ll find out later.

So that was the Kree/Skrull War. Overall, I thought it was very good. I mean, its all a bit goofy. That’s comics. But it draws elements together from all over, including all the way back to the very beginning of the Marvel universe, to tell a story of scope, scale, and silliness.

We don’t actually see much of the war. And I think that’s fine. That works. The parts that we see are the parts that concern our heroes. The Avengers, Captain Mar-Vell, Rick Jones.

The war undoubtedly raged elsewhere but its impact on Earth was minimized thanks to the Avengers and co.

And in the course of it, the Avengers went through some dark moments. The public turned against them right after they saved the world. What they thought were the real founders, disbanding the team. The kidnapping of two Avengers and near death by cow lasers wounding of another. Goliath going through a kind of humiliation conga between being mind-controlled in the Arctic, tricked into accepting a court summons, losing the spaceship because he forgot to rejuice on the growth serum, finally leading to him to angrily give up the powers. Because he became Goliath because he felt ineffectual, useless to the team. And even with superpowers he ended up feeling.... ineffectual and useless to the team.

And some high moments. Blasting off into space and stymieing an entire armada on its way to destroy Earth. Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch holding the line against an army of Skrulls after being used as hostages. Helping to free the Inhumans from their destiny as just living weapons. 

And some weird moments. Like Vision and Scarlet Witch realizing what they feel for one another, and the realization affecting Vision’s decision-making even as he tries to reject it because he is a COLD AND LOGICAL MACHINE WITH NO EMOTIONS!!!! Some good robo-angst there. And that will play out more going forward.

There’s a lot of really good stuff in this arc. Enough to forgive the ending. Not that the ending needs to be forgiven. Not really. I just... I don’t know how to feel about it. This huge war between two star-spanning empires ends because Rick Jones shoots some beams out of his brain? The Avengers’ troubles on Earth get resolved while they’re off somewhere, not really contributing to the resolution? Humanity’s future as some great power to rival the Kree and Skrulls because we had the power within us all along to shoot reality-warping beams from our heads is sort of weird. It does feel at home in this type of sci-fi though. Its not really out of place in the magical land of contrivance and shenanigans that is the Avengers.

And the Kree/Skrull War arc was never really about the war, oddly enough. So it doesn’t really matter that it basically ends off-screen. It was mostly a vehicle to bring conflict to our heroes.

Although we do have an ending that suggests that the most powerful power of all is reading a lot of Marvel comics. And hasn’t Rick been an audience identification figure all along?

“READ OUR COMICS AND YOU TOO MAY ONE DAY STOP A STARS WAR!” - Marvel Comics.