#my mom really ought to realize that the more she pushes me to engage the less i want to and the more i feel like

[singwhenyoucantspeak]

im in such a salty mood tonight if anyone could tell

[lizacstuff]

Can’t wait to read you thoughts on this episode. Eda and Serkan are getting engaged! ngl seeing the rings did something to me, I haven’t recovered yet.

I KNOW!!!!! I missed the rings so much. When folks were upset during the filming of 20 when it became apparent he wasn't wearing the ring anymore, I remember saying that they have to take them off so they can put them back on for real, and it will be oh so sweet when they do. Flashforward six weeks and YES!!!! Just seeing those rings again is sweet we're going to die when they actually slip them on during the next episode. I'm not attached to any of my own jewelry the way I'm attached to their rings, lmao.

As a whole this episode was very enjoyable for me.  The new writers clearly realized they needed a mood change after episode 25, and I was thrilled to see the show return to its roots. The tone felt more like the first batch of episodes than any in recent memory. What a relief. Also I've said prior to this that I suspected that where we would feel Ayse's absence was in the humor and lack of sparkle.  Well I thought this episode had plenty of both, so I stand corrected. The first Edser scene with Serkan gliding by Eda without saying a word and then having his trusty sidekick Leyla keep an eye on what they were doing outside set the light comedic tone and put everything on the right footing from the get go. 

More later on Edser, let's start with all the nonsense they use to fill the rest of the 2+ hours. 

(continue under the read more)

What in the frack is Babaanne's endgame?  Does she have one?  Is it to take revenge on Serkan? To get Eda back in her orbit? Or just to cause chaos? Or is she testing them? Not sure. 

I enjoyed the scene between mom and son, Aydan and Serkan's relationship has really become one of the best on the show, certainly better than recent Eda/Ayfer.  Which is interesting, because in the pilot they established that while Serkan may be rich with material things, he was lacking in love and emotional familial support, while Eda was poor in regards to material things, but was surrounded by love in the form of her family/friends. Though perhaps one of the greatest gifts Eda's given Serkan is an improved relationship with his mother, and the impetus to distance himself from his unloving father. While Serkan has inspired her growing independence from her aunt. 

Speaking of them, let's move on to Aydan and Ayfer. PLEASE MADE THIS CHEF NONSENSE END! Good grief. I really don't enjoy watching these two ladies making total asses of themselves over this douche. Both of them trying to catch him on his jog and then going along with his aikido nonsense. It feels like he's just playing with them for his own amusement. Both deserve better and I don't even like Ayfer. Also if my boss gave me a single red rose for being employee of the month, I'd find that both creepy and hella disappointing (crash prizes please.) 

Meanwhile Ayfer is still testing my last nerve. When Aydan and Seyfi show up and inform her that they've found out that Serkan and Eda broke up and she responds with, "Were they even together to break up?" I wanted to slap her upside the head. Whatever official relationship status Eda and Serkan have, they have been connected and in a romantic relationship this entire time. The bit of time jump at the start of 15 before she goes back to work for Efe, is really the only section of time since they've met where they weren't in a relationship. And while Eda isn't all that forthcoming with Ayfer when it comes to Serkan, she hasn't really hidden it well. It was at Ayfer's birthday when they were on the ice together being very romantic, Ayfer was at Aydan's 70s party and could very well see Eda and Serkan attached at the hip all night and wound around one another intimately slow dancing, Ayfer knows Eda spent the night at Serkan's when she left because of Babaanne, Ayfer was at the NY party and saw them together there. Not to mention Ayfer knows Serkan saved her business and why, she knows Serkan was still wearing his ring, and she knows Eda looked completely shattered over leaving Serkan as Ayfer heartlessly reacted with glee in the last episode. 

So asking "were they even together" just completely diminishes what Eda is currently going through, as if parting with him is no big deal because there was nothing there to begin with, when she knows better. When she's seen it with her own two eyes. Seriously.. fuck her. Every other character who is a friend of Eda and Serkan all know that they're a unit. I don't even feel bad that she came to ArtLife to beg for Eda's company, but Eda ended up blowing her off. Surprising Serkan with a proposal was a much better use of her time.

Engin and Piril, yeeesh, I feel for Piril, trying to put off this meeting. I'm sure she's thinking it's for Engin's own good, but her flipping into total bitch mode when they're newlyweds... not great. Not an auspicious start to the marriage. Even if she wants to keep Engin away from her father, she ought to confide in Engin and tell him why she's freaked. I'm assuming we'll get more of that in the next episode since Engin is looking rough in those promo stills. 

My favorite side plot was probably Grandog's henchman's (what is his name?) crush on Melo. Melo deserves to be crushed on, and I love that she is so uninterested that she doesn't see it.  Much more fun to have him chasing her, and her being oblivious. Poor Leyla, trying in vain to get his attention when he only has eyes for Melo. Enjoyed that Melo and Leyla made the agreement that Melo would help Leyla get the dude and Leyla would help get rid of Erdem. I'm looking forward to see where this goes. 

Ceren and Ferit... were there too. 

Now onto the A story (and let's be real the only one that matters) Eda and Serkan. Obviously 25 left us off in a very sad, heartbroken place. I'm not sure what decisions were made, when or why, but at some point TPTB decided they needed to get back to their roots and thank goodness. Episode 25 was just so dark, Eda was miserable the entire episode, as was Serkan, and that's not fun to watch for 2 hours. The way they handled them here is much better. 

I know some feel the tone shift was too much. To that I would say, it was so dark in ep 25, I'm happy to do a 180, no matter the reason, to get back to a place where watching is fun, and also I think of the breakup as Eda throwing the breaks on a runaway train and once she did, and she was sure the train was stopped at least for the time being, then she could take a moment, reassess the situation and potentially decide it wasn’t as dire as she thought. In the last episode, every moment Eda delayed giving that old bitty what she wanted, something catastrophic befell Serkan, his business, or his family. The pressure mounted, the stakes were high and in the end she had to do whatever was necessary to stop Babaanne's assault on Serkan. 

This episode we saw her catch her breath and then formulate a plan. I think a tone shift fits with that. Of course she feels lighter knowing that even though she hurt Serkan, he's protected for the moment. Now that that's taken care of, she's ready for next steps. So it works that the next morning we see her telling Melo and Ceren that she's not going to give up Serkan, and outlining her plan around getting close to Babaanne in order to get something on her. Good girl!  

As I said above, I just adored that first scene outside ArtLife. The girls gathered around, trying to warn Eda that Serkan was coming, and then his walk by where he KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HE WAS DOING when he got right up in Eda's business without even looking at her.  He knows what makes her weak in the knees. And I love that Serkan decided to play it like this. HE KNOWS. He knows she loves him, he knows there's more to the breakup, and he knows how to deal with it. Drive her crazy until she cracks and tells him everything. OR drive her crazy until they end in a passionate, possessive sex explosion. One or the other.  

Quick poll, who didn't love watching Serkan take back the reigns of his company? This gal did. YAAAAAAAAAAASSSSS. Alpha Serkan is back. Kick the old bag's throne to the curb. Kick the old bag's creepy client to the curb. Now we just have to kick the old bag and her deranged, obsessed sidekick to the curb as well.  But for now, I loved seeing him at the end of the table, making decisions, not brooking opposition. The team squabbling over his decision, but he just sits back, unbothered. Total power move. I appreciate Ferit questioning the decision, questioning it is the right thing to do in his position, but he may have gotten a little too pissy about it. Dude, this entire company IS Serkan. The success of the company is due to his talent, his vision, his business acumen. I get they're all worried he's making a decision because of Eda, but he's got a proven track record of, you know, being right, so there's no reason to get shirty. If Serkan doesn't want to work with someone, his instinct is probably on target.

Eda getting Babaanne to stand down warmed me from the inside out. I find it interesting that she used the argument that they were pushing him too hard and he didn't deserve it, and Babaanne bought it. For one I think Eda was worried Serkan was going to snap and do something that might start Babs' Bolat revenge cycle again. For two, she just wants the love of her life to win and be calm. However, if anyone in that room didn't catch onto what happened there, that Eda and BigB leave and then come back a minute later and BigB has done a 180, I question their competence. *cough* Ferit *cough* He's just not the sharpest tool in the shed. However, obviously, Serkan knew. 

On another note, they've gotten pretty murky with the line between ArtLife and the holding.  Babaanne has 45% of the Holding, not ArtLife. Ferit has 5% of the holding, not ArtLife. So which company was working with the Prince?  Since it was a project to design a house, seems like that should be ArtLife? But Babs and Ferit seemed to think they had a vote which they shouldn't if it's ArtLife.  Who knows... whatever. 

Have you ever seen anything cuter than Eda in her coat and boots and protective helmet, leaning over, clutching her chest, exhausted after climbing all those stairs?  I mean she's an adorable bean just bent over and huffing and puffing, but the fact that she just climbed up goodness knows how many flights of stairs (judging by that view, an impossible number, but we'll allow it) just to see Serkan?  We giggle at her excuse that she did that because he gave her too much work. Eda, he's not going to buy that, luckily none of us want him to buy it. These two, they can't stay away from each other. Ever. She was also probably worried after the foreman told her he'd been up there for hours. Again, I think she's concerned that she's pushed him too far. So now she's in Serkan's shoes after the first breakup. Navigating that push pull of wanting to be with him, but sticking to the decision to end it for his sake. 

It's nice to see that her claustrophobia was not "cured" after going up in the elevator with Serkan one-time. On her own, she's still not able to face it. I'm sure she could do it again with him, but there's more work to be done before she can face it without him. 

Serkan was surprisingly vulnerable in both his conversation with Engin and with Eda on the top of that skyscraper. Even just telling Engin he was too out of sorts to join him for lunch, tells us that while he knows what he's doing, he knows there's more to the story, but he's still hurting and unsettled after the breakup. Then, "I create to make people happy, but I myself can't be happy. It's strange." Oh Serkan. I think you ripped my heart out with that... Eda's too. 

Eda was so discombobulated by Serkan's attitude. Whatever she expected from him, his acceptance of the break up, wasn't it. His proposal that they be "friends" threw her and she looked so distressed when he said, "Everyone will live their own life." Alarm bells started going off for her, much as they did for him at the top of ep 19 when Eda said she was going to start living her life. She did NOT like the idea of Serkan Bolat out there living a life that didn't include her, lmao. 

It's crazy to me that Eda has a friend like Fifi, who probably breaks and enters for a living, and yet she chooses Melo for a clandestine operation. Come on, Eda, you got to choose the right person for the job, lmao. I also question Eda's choice of cat burglar wardrobe. Seemed a bit... restricting and flashy. Though her skin-tight, snakeskin breaking-and-entering dress and fashionable trespassing boots did make it easier to transition to fine dining and driving your man towards rambunctious breakup/makeup/jealousy sex.  Not much to say about the restaurant scenes. The prince is creepy af, and was that the most awkward dance.... ever? The looks back and forth between Edser were excellent, so much tension and longing and jealousy. But boy is it hard to watch a scene with Balca in it, ugh she makes my skin crawl and I don’t even like looking at her. Also the deliberate way the actress has chosen to speak is irritating. Anyway, we now know Balca is pretty much capable of anything, if she’s capable of essentially poisoning the man she thinks she loves. Yikes. Did Nana realize that Balca poisoned him? I have to believe she did, because him being sick seemed part of the plan. THEY'RE ALL FULL EVIL!!! .

One thing I don't believe is that Eda Yildiz would ever walk out of that restaurant with Serkan looking that bad. No way she leaves him to Balca's care, or anyone else's for that matter. Nope, regardless of who was watching she would have insisted on taking him to the doctor herself.  But I get they were setting up the plot, so they sacrificed that bit. 

These villains are really bad at driving a wedge between two people who love each other. AngryGran is all like, "I know a foolproof plan, let's put them in the same room and get 'em all riled up with jealousy, then make Serkan sick so Eda's worried, then I'll convince her to go check on him and let's see what happens!" LMAO. Cheers to you, dumbasses, you brought us a whole heaping plate full of S.E.X. They were really banking that Eda was going to fly off the handle and think that Serkan went from an allergic reaction to sexing up the new obsessed employee very quickly. It's great that they all underestimate Eda and Serkan's relationship and connection, that should continue to help Edser as long as these fools continue to meddle. 

Eda was, wait for it, LEGENDARY, in her smackdown of Balca. QUEEEEEEEN. I'll never be over the, "You can only be with a statue of Serkan, darling." BWAHAHAHAHA. Yes! Throw her creepy, inappropriate present back in her face. And Balca's gall asking Eda to leave and then continually lecture Eda that they'd broken up. That takes either big cajones or huge helpings of delusion, because Balca has very little information when it comes to their relationship, yet she's playing her hand like she knows it all and like she doesn't care what gets back to Serkan. However, got to hand it to Balca for keeping her composure once Eda saw through her little staged production, because her story was painfully weak. Let's say for real that you're at your boss's house, the boss is sick so you're hanging around downstairs by yourself just to make sure everything is okay. What's the problem with just... you know... wearing your outfit with a coffee stain?  Unless you had a massive big gulp sized coffee and poured it over your head, why even change? Don't you just... live with the stain? It's not like you're making a presentation to the board of directors in 5 minutes.  For the love of god you're sitting there and no one else is around. Weak alibi.  

Poor Serkan, he's just there trying to sleep off having his allergies maliciously triggered, and he completely misses out on the love of his life fighting for him downstairs. Oh how he would have loved to see that. But oh what a way to wake up, with Eda Yildiz standing over him, looking magnificent, and rousing him with a scolding tone. I've already talked about how HOT the jealousy and possessiveness was here, so I'll focus on the scene itself. 

Let’s talk about the fragman first. Due to the short production timeline of this show, when they create a trailer they're doing it from the dailies, not from the show itself. That part of the show usually hasn't even been edited yet so the fragman exists before the episode. That means often there are scenes or angles that appear in the fragman, but not in the episode. It happened bigtime with the shower scene in 19, it happened randomly with the fragman for 20, they showed that really great shot of heartbroken Serkan in red, but didn't show the full thing in the episode, (when giffing it I had to use the fragman) and here, several of the best shots of Eda and Serkan ripping each other's clothes off were in the fragman and didn't make the episode. We can live with it for a lonely Serkan shot, but it's quite a bait and switch in this instance. Especially when pretty much every member of the cast (except Hande, Kerem didn't post anything either, but he did appear in that IGlive where the cast mercilessly teased him about it) promoted the scene. Not cool. I realize that they're dealing with sensors and may have had to cut things in order to avoid fines and such, but then they probably should have found a way to release the uncut scene on the internet as I've read other Turkish shows have done and like they did with episode 13. If you're gonna put something like this in the fragman to entice viewers, and have the cast promote it, you need to be willing to deliver. Badly done on the part of both Fox and MF Yapim.

That being said, one of the great things about the tighter restrictions this show has to adhere to, is they really show the intimacy instead. On an American show, these characters would have started eating each other's faces off and then tumbled into bed. There is something very hot, though, about them just invading each other's space, breathing each other's scent, nose to nose, nose to neck, nose to cheek... without breaching. Plus we got to see him carry her to the bed... even if they darkened it to the point you can barely see. I saw enough. HOT. The scene was short, but more tantalizing than lots of love scenes I've seen.

I was sad she left while he still slept in the morning. For him not to feel her get out of bed, she must have worn him out! It really would have been nice to see them wake up together, but I'm sure that will come. Plus it gave us the tension filled scene in the office. The knocked over lamp in the background was a delicious detail. Things got rambunctious! I'm glad Eda got to return the sentiment that only she can touch him, if only Serkan had heard it! Another thing that would have made him so happy if only he knew about it.

Melo is all of us upon learning about their night of passion. She's a whole cheerleader for them, and I love it. 

The post-sex scenes at the office were amazing. For several seconds I thought that he really did think it was a dream. Panic started to set in until she admitted she'd had it too. Phew. No hiding for Eda. I'm glad he flirted, instead of getting offended, and that she was at least honest about there being something she needed to do before they could really be together. Eda also handled the office conversation with Balca well. Love that she didn't show any reaction to her claim about Paris, just wished her a good trip. I felt that deep breath she took before going into his office. Yes, girl, calm down before you march in and accuse him of something, good thing he immediately invited her. I just about melted at, "I don't want to argue... you're precious to me." Serkan is gradually learning how to head off her fits of pique. 

The proposal... I... just... okay... my heart... I need a minute... still not over it. 

It was perfect. She made a surprise for him!!!!  After he asked her for a surprise a few episodes ago she did it and surpassed even his wildest dreams. It was quite a surprise for us too! Thank you for not spoiling it, show!  Serkan has told Eda he loves her about 3 dozen different ways, he's made it clear how he feels and what he wants ("Eda Bolat, sounds nice."). There is no doubt that he was ready to propose the moment he felt she'd be receptive, so it was wonderful that she threw caution to the wind and did it. Both Serkan and the audience needed to see exactly how much she loves him, and this was a wonderful way to do that. It's pretty much the biggest thing she could have done.  Also for those of us in other parts of the world (I'm in the US) it might not be too out of the ordinary for a woman to propose, but from what I understand it's rare and possibly non-existent on Turkish shows. That's pretty cool.

Did you see his face!?!? He was so happy at first when he registered that she was actually standing in front of him and then just totally gobsmacked when he saw the rings and realized what was happening. As for Eda, she was just glowing. GLOWING. And don't even get me started on the plane. That trip on the day after they met is such an important part of their love story and the call back here is wonderful. The first time around he thought she was there for him, this time he can't believe that she's there for him.  

Can't wait to see the way the full conversation/proposal plays out, do ya'll think he'll say yes? (hee)

[bananaofswifts]

Your guide to the singer-songwriter’s surprise follow-up to Folklore.

By

CARL WILSON

When everything’s clicking for Taylor Swift, the risk is that she’s going to push it too far and overtax the public appetite. On “Mirrorball” from Folklore, she sings, with admirable self-knowledge, “I’ve never been a natural/ All I do is try, try, try.” So when I woke up yesterday to the news that at midnight she was going to repeat the trick she pulled off with Folklore in July—surprise-releasing an album of moody pop-folk songs remote-recorded in quarantine with Aaron Dessner of the National as well as her longtime producer Jack Antonoff—I was apprehensive. Would she trip back into the pattern of overexposure and backlash that happened between 1989 and Reputation?

Listening to the new Evermore, though, that doesn’t feel like such a threat. A better parallel might be to the “Side B” albums that Carly Rae Jepsen put out after both Emotion and Dedicated, springing simply out of the artist’s and her fans’ mutual enthusiasm. Or, closer to Swift’s own impulses here, publishing an author’s book of short stories soon after a successful novel. Lockdown has been a huge challenge for musicians in general, but it liberated Swift from the near-perpetual touring and publicity grind she’s been on since she was a teen, and from her sense of obligation to turn out music that revs up stadium crowds and radio programmers. Swift has always seemed most herself as the precociously talented songwriter; the pop-star side is where her try-hard, A-student awkwardness surfaces most. Quarantine came as a stretch of time to focus mainly on her maturing craft (she turns 31 on Sunday), to workshop and to woodshed. When Evermore was announced, she said that she and her collaborators—clearly mostly Dessner, who co-writes and/or co-produces all but one of these 15 songs—simply didn’t want to stop writing after Folklore.

This record further emphasizes her leap away from autobiography into songs that are either pure fictions or else lyrically symbolic in ways that don’t act as romans à clef. On Folklore, that came with the thrill of a breakthrough. Here, she fine-tunes the approach, with the result that Evermore feels like an anthology, with less of an integrated emotional throughline. But that it doesn’t feel as significant as Folklore is also its virtue. Lowered stakes offer permission to play around, to joke, to give fewer fucks—and this album definitely has the best swearing in Swift’s entire oeuvre.

Because it’s nearly all Dessner overseeing production and arrangements, there isn’t the stylistic variety that Antonoff’s greater presence brought to Folklore. However, Swift and Dessner seem to have realized that the maximalist-minimalism that dominated Folklore, with layers upon layers of restrained instrumental lines for the sake of atmosphere, was too much of a good thing. There are more breaks in the ambience on Evermore, the way there was with Folklore’s “Betty,” the countryish song that was among many listener’s favorites. But there are still moments that hazard misty lugubriousness, and perhaps with reduced reward.

Overall, people who loved Folklore will at least like Evermore too, and the minority of Swift appreciators who disapproved may even warm up to more of the sounds here. I considered doing a track-by-track comparison between the two albums, but that seemed a smidgen pathological. Instead, here is a blatantly premature Day 1 rundown of the new songs as I hear them.

A pleasant yet forgettable starting place, “Willow” has mild “tropical house” accents that recall Ed Sheeran songs of yesteryear, as well as the prolix mixed metaphors Swift can be prone to when she’s not telling a linear story. But not too severely. I like the invitation to a prospective lover to “wreck my plans.” I’m less sure why “I come back stronger than a ’90s trend” belongs in this particular song, though it’s witty. “Willow” is more fun as a video (a direct sequel to Folklore’s “Cardigan” video) than as a lead track, but I’m not mad at it here either.

Written with “William Bowery”—the pseudonym of Swift’s boyfriend Joe Alwyn, as she’s recently confirmed—this is the first of the full story songs on Evermore, in this case a woman describing having walked away from her partner on the night he planned to propose. The music is a little floaty and non-propulsive, but the tale is well painted, with Swift’s protagonist willingly taking the blame for her beau’s heartbreak and shrugging off the fury of his family and friends—“she would have made such a lovely bride/ too bad she’s fucked in the head.” Swift sticks to her most habitual vocal cadences, but not much here goes to waste. Except, that is, for the title phrase, which doesn’t feel like it adds anything substantial. (Unless the protagonist was drunk?) I do love the little throwaway piano filigree Dessner plays as a tag on the end.

This is the sole track Antonoff co-wrote and produced, and it’s where a subdued take on the spirit of 1989-style pop resurges with necessary energy. Swift is singing about having a crush on someone who’s too attractive, too in-demand, and relishing the fantasy but also enjoying passing it up. It includes some prime Swiftian details, like, “With my Eagles t-shirt hanging from your door,” or, “At dinner parties I call you out on your contrarian shit.” The line about this thirst trap’s “hair falling into place like dominos” I find much harder to picture.

This is where I really snapped to attention. After a few earlier attempts, Swift has finally written her great Christmas song, one to stand alongside “New Year’s Day” in her holiday canon. And it’s especially a great one for 2020, full of things none of us ought to do this year—go home to visit our parents, hook up with an ex, spend the weekend in their bedroom and their truck, then break their hearts again when we leave. But it’s done with sincere yuletide affection to “the only soul who can tell which smiles I’m faking,” and “the warmest bed I’ve ever known.” All the better, we get to revisit these characters later on the album.

On first listen, I found this one of the draggiest Dressner compositions on the record. Swift locates a specific emotional state recognizably and poignantly in this song about a woman trapped (or, she wonders, maybe not trapped?) in a relationship with an emotionally withholding, unappreciative man. But the static keyboard chord patterns and the wandering melody that might be meant to evoke a sense of disappointment and numbness risk yielding numbing and disappointing music. Still, it’s growing on me.

Featuring two members of Haim—and featuring a character named after one of them, Este—“No Body, No Crime” is a straight-up contemporary country song, specifically a twist on and tribute to the wronged-woman vengeance songs that were so popular more than a decade ago, and even more specifically “Before He Cheats,” the 2006 smash by Carrie Underwood, of which it’s a near musical clone, just downshifted a few gears. Swift’s intricate variation on the model is that the singer of the song isn’t wreaking revenge on her own husband, but on her best friend’s husband, and framing the husband’s mistress for the murder. It’s delicious, except that Swift commits the capital offence of underusing the Haim sisters purely as background singers, aside from one spoken interjection from Danielle.

This one has some of the same issues as “Tolerate It,” in that it lags too much for too long, but I did find more to focus on musically here. Lyrically and vocally, it gets the mixed emotions of a relatively amicable divorce awfully damned right, if I may speak from painfully direct experience.

This is the song sung from the POV of the small-town lover that the ambitious L.A. actress from “Tis the Damn Season”—Dorothea, it turns out—has left behind in, it turns out, Tupelo. Probably some years past that Xmas tryst, when the old flame finally has made it. “A tiny screen’s the only place I see you now,” he sings, but adds that she’s welcome back anytime: “If you’re ever tired of being known/ For who you know/ You know that you’ll always know me.” It’s produced and arranged with a welcome lack of fuss. Swift hauls out her old high-school-romance-songs vocal tone to reminisce about “skipping the prom/ just to piss off your mom,” very much in the vein of Folklore’s teen-love-triangle trilogy.

A duet with Dessner’s baritone-voiced bandmate in the National, Matt Berninger, “Coney Island” suffers from the most convoluted lyrics on Evermore (which, I wonder unkindly, might be what brought Berninger to mind?). The refrain “I’m on a beach on Coney Island, wondering where did my baby go” is a terrific tribute to classic pop, but then Swift rhymes it with “the bright lights, the merry go,” as if that’s a serviceable shorthand for merry-go-round, and says “sorry for not making you my centerfold,” as if that’s somehow a desirable relationship outcome. The comparison of the bygone affair to “the mall before the internet/ It was the one place to be” is clever but not exactly moving, and Berninger’s lines are worse. Dessner’s droning arrangement does not come to the rescue.

This song is also overrun with metaphors but mostly in an enticing, thematically fitting way, full of good Swiftian dark-fairytale grist. It’s fun to puzzle out gradually the secret that all the images are concealing—an engaged woman being drawn into a clandestine affair. And there are several very good “goddamns.”

The lyrical conceit here is great, about two gold-digging con artists whose lives of scamming are undone by their falling in love. It reminded me of the 1931 pre-Code rom-com Blonde Crazy, in which James Cagney and Joan Blondell act out a very similar storyline. And I mostly like the song, but I can’t help thinking it would come alive more if the music sounded anything like what these self-declared “cowboys” and “villains” might sing. It’s massively melancholy for the story, and Swift needs a far more winningly roguish duet partner than the snoozy Marcus Mumford. It does draw a charge from a couple of fine guitar solos, which I think are played by Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver, who will return shortly).

The drum machine comes as a refreshing novelty at this point. And while this song is mostly standard Taylor Swift torrents of romantic-conflict wordplay (full of golden gates and pedestals and dropping her swords and breaking her high heel, etc.), the pleasure comes in hearing her look back at all that and shrugging, “Long story short, it was a bad ti-i-ime,” “long story short, it was the wrong guy-uy-uy,” and finally, “long story short, I survived.” She passes along some counsel I’m sure she wishes she’d had back in the days of Reputation: “I wanna tell you not to get lost in these petty things/ Your nemeses will defeat themselves.” It’s a fairly slight song but an earned valedictory address.

Swift fan lore has it that she always sequences the real emotional bombshell as Track 5, but here it is at 13, her lucky number. It’s sung to her grandmother, Marjorie Finlay, who died when Swift was in her early teens, and it manages to be utterly personal—down to the sample of Marjorie singing opera on the outro—and simultaneously utterly evocative to anyone who’s been through such grief. The bridge, full of vivid memories and fierce regrets, is the clincher.

This electroacoustic kiss-off song, loaded up with at least a fistful of gecs if not a full 100 by Dessner and co-producers BJ Burton and James McAlister, seems to be, lyrically, one of Swift’s somewhat tedious public airings of some music-industry grudge (on which, in case you don’t get it, she does not want “closure”), but, sonically, it’s a real ear-cleaner at this point on Evermore. Why she seems to shift into a quasi-British accent for fragments of it is anyone’s guess. But I’m tickled by the line, “I’m fine with my spite and my tears and my beers and my candles.”

I’m torn about the vague imagery and vague music of the first few verses of the album’s final, title track. But when Vernon, in full multitracked upper-register Bon Iver mode, kicks in for the duet in the middle, there’s a jolt of urgency that lands the redemptive ending—whether it’s about a crisis in love or the collective crisis of the pandemic or perhaps a bit of both—and satisfyingly rounds off the album.

[veganbobabeech]

“A Todoroki Thanksgiving” (Shouto Todoroki x Reader) (My Hero Academia Fanfiction)

By: VeganBobaBeech

Description: With your Thanksgiving plans called off, your new boyfriend Shouto Todoroki offers to have you spend the holiday with him and his siblings. The event seems to be going well, but things get complicated when Pro-Hero Endeavor (also Shouto’s father) shows up unexpectedly.

Note: I’ve been writing fanfiction for a while, but this is the first one that I have ever posted. I hope you enjoy it!

“I can’t believe I’m finally getting to see your house!” You remark to your new boyfriend Shouto as the two of you approach the front door. “It was really nice of your family to put this together.”

Shouto gives you a lopsided smile. “I know how important this is to you.” He replies. “I’m sorry you aren’t able to spend this Thanksgiving with your own family. I’m sure you must miss them”

You link your arm around his and smile up at him. “I’m just glad that I’ll get to spend it with you.” You say brightly.

It is true. Although you were initially a little disappointed to not be able to spend the holiday with your family, you were thrilled when Shouto invited you over to his house. This would be the first time you were meeting Shouto’s family; his brother and sister at least, as his father is away on a business trip and wasn’t expected to return until the weekend. A part of you wonders if the absence of his father contributed to Shouto’s willingness to have you over. Historically, Shouto always seemed extremely hesitant whenever you brought up the idea of wanting to meet his family; particularly his father. You have known for a while that Shouto and his dad don’t have the greatest relationship. Though, it seems to be a subject that Shouto doesn’t like talking about, so you try not to bring it up too much. Despite what you do know about the nature of their relationship, a part of you can’t help but worry that Shouto may feel embarrassed of you, or worried that his family wouldn’t like you. You do your best to push the thought out of your mind. After all, you are meeting his siblings today, so you want to be positive; plus, you want to make a good impression on them.

You take a deep breath and smile up at Shouto. He lowers his arm slightly to take your hand in his as he ushers you inside the house. The interior of the house is beautifully decorated and well kept, with a traditional style to match the exterior. You imagined the house would be nice, given that Shouto’s dad was one of the top heroes in the entire country; though despite the beauty, you can’t help but feel that there is a heavy, almost sad atmosphere about the place. However, before you can make a remark, a warm and savory scent fills your nose. You have no doubt that someone has been slaving in the kitchen for a long time.

“Mmm… Shouto, can you smell that?” You ask him. “It smells amazing.”

“Yeah,” He replies, nonchalantly, “My sister can be quite the cook.” He takes your hand and leads you through the house to the kitchen. The wonderful smell becomes more potent and you don’t hesitate to indulge your nostrils with a few audible sniffs. When you arrive at the kitchen, you see a girl with white and red hair, hyper focused on what seems like a dozen pots and pans. There is a young man with white hair standing in the corner helping her; though, noticeably less engaged.

The man is the first to notice you, and offers a friendly wave. “Hey, Shouto!” He calls from across the room.

This causes the girl to whip around, immediately. She smiles kindly and approaches you. “Hello!” She says warmly. “I’m Shouto’s sister, Fuyumi. It’s so nice to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.” You reply. “The food smells wonderful.”

“Thank you so much!” She says. “I really hope you’ll enjoy it.” Just then a timer goes off. “Oh shoot, it’s ready!” She remarks, running back to the stove.

The white haired man chuckles slightly and approaches you. “This is my brother Natsuo.” Shouto says, introducing him

“Hello!” You say. “It’s so nice to finally meet you.”

Natsuo nods, “It’s nice to finally be meeting you too.”

“Okay, everyone!” Fuyumi announces, proudly. “Dinner is just about ready!” She turns to the boys. “Shouto, would you and Natsuo mind setting the table?”

Natsuo places his hand on Shouto’s shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze. “Sure, we’d be glad to, Sis.” He smiles.

“I can help too!” You say enthusiastically. “Just tell me what to do.”

“Don’t be silly!” Fuyumi smiles. “You’re the guest, and I’m sure the boys can handle it. Besides, I wouldn’t mind some company in the kitchen.”

“Oh, okay, then.” You reply. “If that’s what would be best.”

“Are you sure you’ll be alright?” Shouto asks, taking your hand.

“I’ll be fine!” You smile up at him.

“Don’t worry, Shouto” Fuyumi adds. “I promise I’ll take good care of her.”

“Alright, then.” Shouto says, hesitantly. “Just call to me if you need anything.”

“I will.” You say, squeezing his hand reassuringly. “I promise.”

He nods, slowly letting go and proceeds to follow Natsuo out of the kitchen.

“I’m so glad Shouto found you.” Fuyumi says, once he is out of sight. “He seems to be a lot happier since meeting you.” You blush a bit. “How did you two meet again?” She asks, while lightly stirring some savory-smelling substance in a saucepan.

“We met at school.” You say.

“Oh, are you studying to become a hero as well?” Fuyumi asks. “To be honest, I don’t think I recall ever seeing you at any of the events.”

You shake your head. “Oh no, I’m just a general studies student.” You say. “Honestly, I think I may be one of the few who isn’t actively trying to get into the hero program.” You pause. “Though, I do really admire the hero students and I like going to the events. That’s actually how I first met Shouto; at the UA sports festival.” You smile a bit to yourself, recalling the memory. “It was during the lunch break, and I saw Shouto standing alone in the hallway. I wanted to go up to him and tell them that he had been doing a good job, but when I approached him, I realized that he seemed sad.” You pause again, wondering if you should really be sharing what you know about your boyfriend’s private feelings with someone else; even if Fuyumi was his sister.

“That’s not surprising.” Fuyumi says, sounding a bit sad herself. “Our father has always put so much pressure on Shouto when it comes to his hero training, and I’m sure that festival was no exception.”

“That’s what I thought!” You say, almost excitedly. “I told him that I was sure that he must be under a lot of pressure from other people; especially after I learned that his dad was one of the top pro heroes. I told him that I was sure he would make a great hero, because I could see that his heart was in it, and I said not to let anyone else’s expectations discourage him.” You smile again bittersweetly, thinking about how many times you’ve said those words to Shouto since then. “I honestly didn’t speak to him again for a while after that, but since then I…”

Just then, you are cut off by the sound of commotion coming from the other room.

“Shouto it’s fine.” You hear Natsuo say.

“It’s not fine! It has to be perfect for her!”

Fuyumi chuckles a bit to herself. “He really cares about you, you know.” She says. “Shouto has always been quite distant, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t express it to you much… but believe me, from a sister’s perspective, I can see how much he loves you.”

You blush, feeling a bit embarrassed since Shouto had never actually used those words with you. You had been wanting to tell him that you loved him, but you were worried that you might make him feel uncomfortable if he wasn’t ready to say it back.

Suddenly, Natsuo rushes into the kitchen, with Shouto following closely behind him.

“Table’s all ready, Sis!” Natsuo announces, proudly.

Fuyumi smiles. “Alright then, let’s eat everyone!”

The dinner begins relatively casually. Fuyumi and Natsuo make friendly small talk with you; you imagine they are trying their best not to embarrass Shouto. The food was turning out to be just as decadent as it had smelled when you first came into the house.

“I can’t eat another bite if I want to save room for dessert!” You announce. “Though it is delicious. Thank you so much for cooking, Fuyumi.”

She smiles “It was my pleasure! I suppose I ought to break out the desserts then.” She turns to Natsuo, giving him a look. “Natsuo… You wanna help me.”

“Sure.” He smiles, getting up rather quickly. For a second you wonder if you should help, but get the feeling that Fuyumi only wanted Natsuo to come. You weren’t sure if this was intended so the two of them could discuss what they thought of you or if they wanted to give you and Shouto a moment alone together, but either way you decide it’s best to stay put.

“You really liked the food okay?” Shouto slides his chair closer to yours and rests his hand comfortingly on your knee.

You nod. “Yeah, it was really good.” You say happily. “Fuyumi and Natsuo seem to be really kind. Do you usually get along with them?”

Shouto nods. “Yes, I get along with them. Though, we unfortunately never spent much time together when I was younger. My father was so obsessed with training me to be a powerful hero, that I wasn’t even allowed to play with them much.”

You shake your head. “That’s awful. He was really that strict? That must have been so difficult for you, especially as a child.”

Shouto sighs “It was.” He pauses for a second. “I never told you this, but… He’s the reason my mom ended up in the hospital.” He lifts his hand over the scar on his left eye. “It’s entirely his fault that my mom cracked the way she did.” You notice his voice beginning to break a bit, almost as if he’s about to start crying. He takes a deep breath calming himself, staring intently downward at nothing in particular. “I blame him for every bit of hurt that this family has gone through.” He then shifts his gaze to your eyes. “I’m sorry if this is a lot to put on you all at once. I know you’ve been wondering about these things, and I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner.” He takes your hand in his. “The truth is… You are so pure and precious to me, and… My father has a way of taking away things that make me happy. As hard as it is, I can handle the fact that he took away my happiness as a child. I can even handle the fact that he took my mother away from me, but…” He raises his hands to cup your face in them. “I… I could never handle it if he tried to take you away from me.”

You feel tears welling in your eyes, both from sadness on Shouto’s behalf and for having just heard how much you mean to him.

“Shouto, I…” You lean forward. You know Fuyumi and Natsuo could walk back in at any second, but you don’t care. You need to kiss him; to feel his lips on yours and let him know how much you care about him too.

“What the hell is this!?” Your lips have barely brushed against Shouto’s when you hear the booming voice. It is so loud that it makes you jump a bit. You turn to see a tall, robust, yet intimidating man staring down at you. From the flames emulating from his body, as well as the unmistakably recognizable hero suit, you know instantly that this man is the hero Endeavor… Shouto’s father. His arms are crossed, making his muscles appear even larger, as he scowls at the two of you with a look of pure rage in his eyes. Immediately Shouto stands up, putting a barrier between you and his father. You don’t try to stop him; in fact you cower a bit behind him at the sight of the terrifying man staring down at you. “Shouto.” Endeavor shifts his gaze to look at him. “Who is this girl?”

Shouto moves back even closer to you, shielding you even further. You clutch the back of his shirt. “That’s none of your damn business.” Shouto says coldly back to his father.

Endeavor scoffs. “You're being foolish. Frankly, I expected more from you.” He shakes his head. “You know you can’t have distractions like this, and I will do whatever I have to to keep you on the right path, if you refuse to obey my orders.”

Is he threatening you? The anxiety makes your heart race, and you clutch onto the back of Shouto’s shirt even harder, suddenly feeling Shouto’s body grow icey cold underneath the cloth. “Don’t you lay a finger on her, you bastard!”

“Dad!?” You hear Fuyumi enter the kitchen behind you. You turn to see that she is carrying what looks like a pie, with Natsuo closely behind her. “What’s going on here?”

“How long have you two known about this!?” Endeavor demands. You meet Fuyumi’s eyes for a split second, you are sure she can tell how frightened you are.

“Look Dad, we were just about to start dessert. Why don’t you sit down and have some too?” You can tell that Fuyumi is doing her best to diffuse the situation. “We weren’t expecting you back so soon, but we’d be happy to have you join us.” She sets the pie down on the table. “I can go get an extra plate for you if you like, and you can tell us about your trip.” She smiles nervously.

Endeavor slams his fist down on the table, making the dishes clatter loudly. You bury your face into Shouto’s shoulder. You feel tears welling in your eyes, but you try your absolute hardest to keep them down.

“Dad please!” Fuyumi pleads. “You’re scaring her. Please just sit down with us, and we can talk this out.”

“You should have known better than to encourage this.” Endeavor says, directing his attention mostly towards Fuyumi and Natsuo. “You know that Shouto can’t be having distractions, especially at such a pivotal point in his training. Don’t you want your brother to succeed?”

“Shouto deserves to be happy!” Natsuo chimes in. “You’ve said yourself that he’s been doing well, and if anything, she encourages him. Just leave them alone!”

“Natsuo--” Fuyumi interjects, seemingly still trying to calm everyone down.

“No, he needs to know that he can’t push it.” Natsuo continues, getting more heated. “Remember what happened to mom? You pushed too hard Dad, you can’t keep doing that!”

“You’re mother was--” Endeavor begins, but Natsuo quickly cuts him off again.

“What about him, then? Huh?” You can see that Natsuo nearly has tears in his eyes. “What’s your excuse for what happened to Touya!?”

Immediately, the atmosphere of the room shifts. Fuyumi gasps, and you can feel Shouto tense up a bit. Even Endeavor seems to be shaken at the mention of this “Touya” person.

“I’m going out for a bit.” Endeavor says. His voice is still quite booming, yet it seems to have softened a little. You can sense that he is attempting to hide a feeling of shame. “I expect this mess to be cleaned up by the time I return.” You can’t tell if he is referring to the dinner table or the situation; you in particular. You try not to think about it too much. “Shouto and I will talk when I get back.”

As soon as you hear the front door to the house close, you let out a big breath, and your emotions pour out with it. You feel relief that he is gone, yet you can’t seem to stop the tears from flowing out of your eyes. “I’m sorry.” You say feeling embarrassed. “I didn’t mean to cause all that.”

You feel Shouto’s warm arms wrap around your body, any trace of ice that you felt in his body a minute ago was now long gone. “It’s not your fault.” He said softly.

“Yeah” Fuyumi agrees. “Please don’t feel as if anything that just happened is your fault… Our dad is just…” She trails off a bit, seemingly searching for the right words. “He’s just like that sometimes.”

“All the time.” Natsuo says under his breath.

Fuyumi shoots him a look. “Anyway I hope he didn’t scare you too much. I know he can be quite intimidating.”

“I’m okay…” You say, attempting to crack a smile.

“Natsuo and I can clean up if you guys want to step away for a bit.” Fuyumi says. “He shouldn’t be back for at least a couple of hours if not more.”

Your heartbeats quickens just a bit at the thought of Endeavor returning. After all, you had been told that he wouldn’t even be there today… But logically, you know Fuyumi is probably right. Besides, you’re sure that it would probably be comforting to have a moment or two alone with Shouto before you leave. You nod a bit vigorously.

Shouto gently takes your hand, and you stand up. “My room is this way.” He says, pointing down the hall.

You follow Shouto down the dark hallway leading to his room. The room is very traditional, matching the rest of the house, and it is very clean and organized. There is a slightly sweet, musky aroma in the room. It is the same scent you smell when Shouto gets very close to you; it’s very comforting. You take in a few deep breaths of the sweet smell, attempting to slow your still racing heart.

Shouto slides the door closed, and abruptly throws his arms around you, pulling you into a tight hug. You wrap your arms around him and breath him in. “I’m so sorry.” He whispers softly in your ear. “I should never have brought you here.”

“No.” You say back to him. “Don’t be sorry… I’m glad that you brought me here.” You pull back just slightly to meet his eyes. “I’m so happy that I’m getting to learn more about the person that I…” You shift your gaze downwards, slightly embarrassed.

Shouto searches your face for a brief moment, before pulling you back into him. He gently puts a hand on the back of your head, stroking your hair slightly. “I love you too” He whispers. You try to hide it, but you can’t help but let out a slight gasp of surprise and slight awe. “Don’t worry about my father.” Shouto continues. “I promise I won’t ever let him touch you, or take you away from me.”

You pull back to look up at him again. “Shouto…” You are at a loss for words. Your heart feels like it is absolutely bursting with joy.

“Shh…” He breaths, tilting your chin slightly upwards. “Don’t speak, just…” He leans forward, pressing his lips to yours.

You wrap your arms around his neck, feeling as though you never want to let go. You know his words were spoken with utter truth. He loves you, and you love him back. Despite Shouto’s father or any other challenges the two of you might face, in that moment you know that nothing could tear the two of you apart. You pull Shouto even tighter into you, knowing beyond any shadow of doubt that the two of you are meant to be together.

[postedbygaslight]

The Problem With (Forced) Happy Endings, or, Why I Hate The Phantom of the Opera

Yesterday, I was messing around on here and suggested that I hated the way The Phantom of the Opera ended. Then, I got the following ask:

I thought I’d respond briefly, but then things got out of hand. So, @lushkitten1989, as promised, here’s way more than you bargained for.

There are many, many reasons to dislike Andrew Lloyd Webber’s monolithic Broadway musical, The Phantom of the Opera. So, I’ll dispose of some of the lower hanging fruit:

The story is dependent upon Christine being so naive that she doesn’t realize she’s getting music lessons from a guy behind a two-way mirror.

The phantom is a one-trick pony, defined almost entirely by his obsession with Christine. It’s never actually clear what he seeks to achieve by gaining de facto control of the day-to-day operations of the theater (other than merely being able to exercise that control— which may be the point).

Raoul is as interesting as a pet rock. He is unbuttered toast. He is Mom Jeans.

The music is intermittently great, but just as often annoying as hell (to me, for example, the “Angel of Music” motif is grating and uninspired).

Those are fundamental, but relatively minor complaints. Phantom has a lot of strengths. The chemistry between the Phantom and Christine is very pronounced, and, at times, shockingly blatant in its sexual themes. Some of the songs are timeless classics (“Phantom of the Opera,” “Music of the Night,” “All I Ask of You”), and some of the sequences, like the chandelier crashing down on the stage, and the ensemble pieces, like “Masquerade,” are very accomplished.

But where Phantom really shines is building a very genuine feeling tension between what propriety and social mores tell Christine Daae what she should desire, and what she actually desires. Phantom dabbles with Bride of the Monstrous themes, but never goes all in on them, and the result is a muddled, confused mess of a story— one that could have been very, very good, but wasn’t courageous or forward-thinking enough to capitalize on its opportunities.

See, the problem starts with Raoul.

Yes, wonderful, handsome, unthreatening, rich, devoted, patient, loving, convenient Raoul. The honorable Vicomte de Chagny, no less. He is our erstwhile Socially Acceptable Love Interest™️. From the moment he’s introduced, it’s clear Raoul is meant to be Christine’s white knight, swooping in to rescue her from obscurity. The plot contrives to have him coincidentally happen upon Christine, his childhood sweetheart, now a chorus girl at the opera house he favors with his parents’ fortune.

Now, I know what the Phantom fans might say: Raoul is here to allow for a juxtaposition of dynamics, placing him as an anchor point to which Christine can return, reminding her that she is more than the Phantom’s pet (or pupil, or lover, or what have you). But I’d counter that he’s really here to act as a stand-in for society’s expectations for how a well-behaved woman should conduct herself. Raoul is young, conventionally attractive, affluent, and, most importantly, chaste.

Christine’s connections with Raoul are explicitly drawn as being rooted in childish notions of affection. To wit, Raoul First greets Christine with a modified nursery rhyme she was read during their brief time together as children. He visits her in the soft-focus glow of her dressing room, showers her with praise, and proceeds to not listen to her when she insists she can’t go celebrate with him. More than that, he dismisses her objections with little more than a hand wave. The point is, he sees her as a child, and treats her as a child.

Look at what happens the moment he leaves her alone. She looks into the mirror, and runs toward the dark reflection behind her own image (heavy symbolism of Jungian animus here). From their very first physical encounter, the Phantom engages Christine as a sexual creature, and the difference in her reaction is, well:

Once alone with the Phantom, Christine is no longer the child so idealized by Raoul. She’s a young woman seeking instruction of a different kind from a strange reflection of herself whose instructions have suddenly changed from anodyne singing lessons to exhortations to “feel the music of the night.”

The next time Christine is with Raoul is when they share their duet, the excellent, “All I Ask of You.” I say excellent because, like other tentpole numbers featured in Webber musicals, the song itself is brilliant, but, in the context of the play, it’s less inspiring. This is rather like “Memory” existing in a pop culture space entirely divorced from its origin in Cats, and I’m certain there are a fair number of people who simply identify the song as a soaring Barbra Streisand number, rather than the mournful plea of a neglected alley cat.

“All I Ask of You” is preceded by Christine trying to tell Raoul about her fear of the Phantom, and her growing unease at the magnetic pull he seems wield against her. Raoul’s immediate and repeated reaction? Something to the effect of: “There is no Phantom of the Opera. You’re imagining things. Don’t be silly.” The song then drives this home:

No more talk of darkness—Forget these wild-eyed fears—I’m here, nothing can harm you—My words will warm and calm you.

The call and response Christine and Raoul have here is staged as a sweet love song. And it is. But it’s also a proposal from a young man to a young woman, where the man suggests she abandon her desires to exist as a sexual being, and come be with him, where he’ll act as her protector against such base instincts.

And this tactic works. Christine is not so frightened of the Phantom himself— she pays lip service to being horrified at his murderous tendencies, but seems aware he would never harm her personally— as she is frightened of her seeming inability to resist her attraction to him.

Raoul positions himself as a shield Christine can hide behind so she never has to grow up. He prefers her as the girl who enchanted him when they were both children, and he’ll go to great lengths to keep her innocent and doe-eyed. Is it any wonder that Christine doesn’t want their engagement to be public? (Yes, I get that Christine doesn’t want to risk the Phantom’s wrath should he discover their impending marriage, but the whole thing looks more like Christine being very unsure as to what she really wants).

Raoul, who seems to be the only person in the play who continues to explicitly deny the existence of the Phantom into the second act, is, oddly, the first to run for a weapon when the Phantom shows himself. He’s the one who pushes Christine to acknowledge (falsely, I think) that her attraction to the Phantom is nothing more than a side-effect of Daddy issues. He insistently pushes forward with a plan to permanently rid both the Opera Populaire and Christine of the Phantom despite Christine’s warnings that Raoul doesn’t really understand what he’s fighting against. More than that, Raoul insists that Christine offer herself up as bait, and to do so publicly, an overt expression of control, of making her choose her loyalties in front of everyone.

Let’s pause a moment here before we get to the inflection point of the play. What I’m referencing is, of course, the aptly titled “Point of No Return,” wherein the true nature of Christine’s relationship with the Phantom is made public. I want to talk about the Phantom.

Throughout the entire play, the Phantom is presented as a sympathetic figure coded to represent misfit and outcast elements of society. He refers to himself as a “loathesome gargoyle” and confesses to Christine that he lashes out at the world and makes others fear him because he feels it’s his only choice for survival. But he also confesses to her that he secretly dreams of love and acceptance, and being able to live as he is, free from the condemnation of the wider world.

Yes, the Phantom expresses his displeasure with being defied in very unhealthy ways, but here we are again at the Death and the Maiden trope, wherein our heroine is the only person who is able to see beyond the darkness that both conceals and protects the man behind the mask. Here, Christine should be acting as the Phantom’s succor, a balm to his constant pain, and, in playing that part, she is meant to end his curse, or blunt its effects sufficiently enough for him to find peace. And, in return, the Phantom ought to provide Christine with growth beyond her childhood, and, in this version of events, usher in her sexual awakening and facilitate her passage into womanhood.

And it’s all set up to do that, for those themes to be realized, by the time the finale is cued up. Then, everything just goes to shit.

The Problem

If you’re unfamiliar with the way The Phantom of the Opera ends, you may want to stop reading.

After Christine stops Raoul from killing the Phantom in the graveyard, Raoul and the other peripheral characters contrive a plan to lure the Phantom into the open and kill or arrest him once and for all. The plan is simple enough. The Phantom has written an opera (aptly titled Don Juan Triumphant), and has ordered it be performed with Christine as the lead. Everyone assumes the Phantom will strike during the performance, most likely to claim Christine as his bride (or something like that).

Now, I posted a little joke earlier about what happens before the plan goes into effect. Raoul goes to Christine to comfort her and prepare her for her role in the trap, but Christine is very nervous about it. She tries to convey to Raoul why she’s apprehensive about the whole plan, but, again, Raoul doesn’t get it, and insists that Christine is getting worked up for nothing.

Of course, what ends up happening is “The Point of No Return,” the high point of the whole play, where the Phantom sheds all pretense and makes an overtly sexual appeal to Christine. And Christine, who’s supposed to be playing the role of Don Juan’s paramour, reciprocates the Phantom’s ardor, resulting in a very, very sexy sequence between the two of them. All while Raoul watches from the Phantom’s favored balcony (Box Five), and something like this happens:

The Phantom speaks directly to Christine, saying:

I have brought you— so our passions may fuse and merge— in your mind, you’ve already succumbed to me— dropped all defenses, completely succumbed to me— now I am here with you— no second thoughts— you’ve decided—

To which Christine responds:

I have come here— hardly knowing the reason why— in my mind I’ve already imagined— our bodies entwining, defenseless and silent— now I am here with you— no second thoughts— I’ve decided—

This whole time, while the call and response between Christine and the Phantom reaches its fever pitch, Raoul watches, and understands the depth of his miscalculation. More than that, he’s horrified and repulsed by this display of lust from his innocent Christine. The mere suggestion that she might be complicit in the Phantom’s passions is something that, it can be observed above, threatens to break his world apart.

Thematically, this mirrors Raoul and Christine’s mutual declaration of chaste love in “All I Ask of You.” Which is important, because once the Phantom and Christine have crossed the metaphorical and literal bridge that separates them, and are embraced for all the world to see, the Phantom expands his entreaty, shifting from the blood-racing heat of “Point of No Return” to a soft, pleading reprise of “All I Ask of You.” He wants Christine to know he doesn’t just want her body, that he doesn’t just view her as a possession. That he loves her, just as much or more than Raoul.

And here is where Phantom could have become something great. Christine breaks free of the intoxicant of lust for the Phantom and turns to face him. He is emboldened, and reaches a more confident crescendo, saying

Anywhere you go, let me go, too— Christine, that’s all I ask of—

But the Phantom never finishes his sentence. Christine makes her choice, for sure. She does this. In front of the whole world. When the Phantom is most sincere and vulnerable.

Now, I might have been prepared to forgive Christine this mistake if not for the scene earlier, when she and the Phantom were alone, and she tried to remove his mask. He lashed out at her then, and proceeded to explain his sensitivity to being exposed. He opened up to her and revealed his vulnerability. And, above, when the Phantom has finally allowed himself to hope that Christine’s affections are sincere and reciprocated, she betrays him.

It horrifies me.

For the rest of the play, all the sympathy the audience has been conditioned to direct toward the Phantom is inverted. Christine shows affection to him only to trap him. She even kisses him, leading him on again, for no reason but to quell his rage toward Raoul. Even after his beastly rage has subsided, Christine can only chide him for being monstrous in body and spirit.

This haunted face holds no horror for me now— it’s in your soul that the true distortion lies—

The arc presented for the audience— to sympathize with the Phantom, and to experience with Christine the fear and wonder that can attend the awakening of sexual consciousness, is utterly squandered.

But why?

Happily Ever After

The answer is as simple as it is disheartening: because Christine is supposed to end up with Raoul. Raoul is her destined love interest because the plot demands it, and no other reason. The two of them don’t grow as a couple during the course of the play. Their dynamic as they leave the Phantom’s lair is unchanged from the dynamic they presented when Raoul came to see her in her dressing room at the beginning of the play. Even after being forced to acknowledge Christine as a complicated and sexual being, Raoul elects to ignore that, and champions only freeing her from the Phantom’s corrupting influence.

To come to this point, Christine’s character actually regresses, choosing to retreat behind Raoul’s promise of perpetual innocence and naïveté. The narrative turns from one of growth and sexual agency to one that urges the rejection of what is unpleasant to acknowledge. Christine essentially chooses to marry the nice guy with the trust fund, stays at home to raise the kids and play the doting wife, and occasionally allows herself moments of indulgence to fantasize about the tall, dark, mysterious man she always wanted to fuck back in college.

To make matters even worse, the Phantom is abandoned to misery and solitude. His suffering is rewarded with more suffering. Christine leaves him without hope or promise, and the Phantom remains shrouded in the dark, pining for Christine for the rest of his life. Through trusting and hoping for acceptance and love, the Phantom is shown only the futility of seeking either. The way this plays out is deeply disconcerting, going so far as to set up a prologue and epilogue set fifty years later, after Christine’s death, with a grieving, crippled Raoul learning that the Phantom is still alive. This represents a casual erasure of Christine’s presence from the narrative, and, worse, diminishes her role to that of the object of the struggle between two men over a young woman’s emotional and sexual destiny.

This is an ugly, sad, wretched story. It’s not a story of yearning or forbidden love. It’s a story about rejection and denial of desire. It’s a story about choosing what society deems acceptable over the needs of the self. Moreover, it’s a story about being afraid and remaining afraid.

There is nothing affirming or beautiful about this story. And I fucking hate it.

[searchingwardrobes]

Christmas in Storybrooke: 7/11

Another chapter that justifies the M rating, and it's Henry, so . . . be prepared. This is also where the angst begins, so buckle your seatbelts. You may have noticed that each of the chapter titles is a Christmas song. This one is probably a little obscure. It's a song by Matt Wertz. I don't even know who he is, honestly, but they play this song on the radio station my kids and I listen to. It's super cheesy, even my kids think so, and its peppy fluffiness clashes with the angst of this chapter. However, the title and even the lyrics fit the idea of Henry's crazy life. You'll understand I think after you read the chapter.

Summary: My Hallmark Christmas movie fic in which flights get cancelled and Henry’s “best friend’ gets snowed in with him in his quirky hometown for Christmas. Only with magic and fairy tale characters.

Rating: M for suggestive scenes and adult situations, not smut

Trigger warnings: Henry is an adult. Read that again: Henry is an adult. Look at the picset: that’s Andrew J. West. If Henry actually behaving like an adult makes you feel icky, the don’t read this.

Can also be read on Ao3

Tagging @snowbellewells @kmomof4 @kday426 @bethacaciakay @snidgetsafan @teamhook @whimsicallyenchantedrose @delirious-latenight-laughs @jennjenn615 @winterbaby89 @yohoyohoafandomlifeforme @distant-rose @let-it-raines

Chapter Seven: Snow Globe

Henry slept better than he had the entire time he’d been back home. Partly because the guest bed was far more comfortable than his old futon and partly because his activities with Evie left him thoroughly spent in the best way. He had fallen asleep with her in his arms, and he was pretty sure the loss of her soft curves pressed against him was what had awakened him now. The bed was also creaking with her movement, and he rolled over to see her swinging her legs over the side of the bed. Her hair, beautifully tousled and wavy, fell over one shoulder, leaving her back bare. He slid over to slip his arm around her waist and press kisses to her shoulder blade. The sun was just peeking through the window, so he knew it was early.

“Where are you going?” he whispered against her skin. He ran his hand down her spine. “Waking up to this sight makes me realize how many freckles I missed. I didn’t explore your back.”

“Henry,” she sighed with a hint of irritation. Yet she leaned back into him anyway and came willingly as he pulled her back down and into the circle of his arms. She shuddered as he trailed kisses down her back, his fingers tracing her freckles.

“You know this can’t go anywhere,” she said, turning in his arms with her eyes shut tight.

Henry felt as if he’d gotten emotional whiplash. Had he been misreading her all this time?

“Look at me,” he whispered as he traced her cheek with his fingertips. Reluctantly, she did as he asked, and he felt his heart stutter at those beautiful, mysterious eyes of hers. “If you think this was some friends with benefits fling, you’re wrong. That's not me.’

She gave him a tremulous smile. “I know that.”

He let out a relieved breath. “Good.” He swallowed down the nerves that came before he spoke again. It was risky, but she had to know. “And to be completely clear – I love you, Evangeline.”

Her face crumpled, her eyes suddenly welling up with tears. She looked as if he’d just given her horrible news. “You think you do – now.”

His brow furrowed. “My feelings may have crept up on me, but I’m one hundred percent sure of them now. So sure, that I’ll say it again. I love you.”

Henry pressed a kiss to her lips just to emphasize his point, and for a moment, she kissed him back, even wrapping her arms tighter around his neck as he rolled her onto her back. But then she pulled away, somewhat reluctantly, panting. Her gaze was sad as she cupped his face.

“Remember when we met?”

He smiled and turned his face to kiss her palm. “Of course I do. To be honest, I was attracted to you from the start, but you were engaged at the time.”

She gave him a smile as she ran a hand through his hair. “And you had just broken up with Grace. When Josh left, you were there for me. I remember you said you had been in a similar situation.”

Henry nodded, unsure where she was going with this. “That’s right. Grace hated New York City. We wanted different things, and she left.”

Evie searched his eyes intently, nodding as if he ought to be putting things together by now. “She wanted to come back home, you said. You grew up together. Now I know what that means. Who is she, Henry?”

“An old friend,” Henry repeated, “you know that.”

She sighed in frustration and gave his chest a slight push. “But who is she, really? She’s a fairy tale character, right? Or related to one?”

Henry rubbed his face wearily and rolled onto his back. Talking about their exes wasn’t exactly how he imagined their morning after going. “Her dad is the Mad Hatter, okay? He went back to the Enchanted Forest, and she wanted to go back there too. So we broke up. Met some guy there and is engaged now from what I heard. What’s your point?”

Evie propped herself up on her elbow. “The Mad Hatter? As in Wonderland?”

“Yeah.”

“And your first girlfriend, Violet, who was she?”

“What is this?” Henry groaned. “Why are you grilling me about my exes? You want to know how many women I’ve been with before we get serious, is that it? Cause let me assure you, I’m a pretty dull guy. One committed monogamous relationship after another. A complete relationship nerd.”

Evie rolled her eyes and shifted closer, propping herself up on his chest. The feel of her breasts sliding against his skin made him want to do anything but talk.

“Just humor me, please,” she begged him, “I have a point, I swear.”

He sighed, fiddling with her hair. “I just don’t understand why you’re asking about Violet. I was just a kid; it was completely innocent, puppy love.”

“She was your first kiss, though. So where did you meet her?”

He realized he had fudged the real story when he told it to Evie before. Of course, he hadn’t been completely lying. His memories had been erased, so in a way he really did meet Violet by the jukebox at Granny’s.

“At a ball in Camelot.”

Evie rolled her eyes, then flopped onto her back. He was still really distracted by her breasts.

“Oh, just at a ball in Camelot,” she repeated wryly.

Henry rolled over to nibble at her neck and cup one of her breasts. She held him close for a moment, sighing at his touch, but then she pushed him away again.

“Focus, please,” she reprimanded.

He relented, settling down with his head resting on her stomach. She began to thread her fingers through his hair. She hadn’t told him yet how she felt, but her response to his touch, and her affections despite her third degree spoke volumes. She had feelings for him beyond the physical, he could tell, but she was also afraid. He just couldn’t figure out why.

“How long did you date Violet?”

He sighed, but answered honestly anyway. “Until I was fifteen. And like I told you, we were young and innocent. And before you ask, her father was the Connecticut Yankee.”

“In King Arthur’s Court? Twain’s stuff is real too?” She chuckled. “Did you also graduate with Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn?”

He laughed as well. “Haven’t met them . . . yet.”

“And after Violet?”

No wonder she was so good at her job. When she wanted answers, she was unrelenting.

“I dated one other girl in high school. She was my date to the prom my junior year, but my senior year we broke up. Mom didn’t like her. I don’t think my other mom and Killian were all that crazy about the relationship either, but they were nice to Ava. They had a similar upbringing to hers, so they understood her better than Regina did. She was also a year older than me, and when you’re sixteen, that can freak your parents out I guess.”

“And who was she? Was Ava her real name?”

Henry sat up and rubbed his eyes. “You promise not to laugh?”

Evie’s mouth quirked up in the corner. She gathered the sheets to her chest and slid up to lean back against the headboard. She lifted one hand.

“Girl Scout’s honor. I won’t laugh.”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “I don’t think that’s a thing in the Girl Scouts.”

“Hey, I was a Brownie, for your information, and we have honor too.”

He couldn’t help smiling, relieved to see she still had her sense of humor at least. ‘Okay, fine. She was . . . . Gretel.”

Evie’s eyes widened. Then she coughed and quickly clapped her hand over her mouth. Then she removed it, cleared her throat, and asked, “As in Hansel and Gretel?”

He saw the sparkle in her eyes. “You swore you wouldn’t laugh!” he exclaimed.

She schooled her features, though her lips kept quirking upward. “Do I look like I’m laughing?”

“Maybe not on the outside.”

She cleared her throat and made a big production of smoothing down the bedsheets. “Okay, so you lost your virginity to the chick that shoved a witch into an oven. Got it.”

“How did you know that I . . . “

She narrowed her eyes at him. “Your parents didn’t approve? She was older than you? Come on now, Henry, I can put two and two together.”

He rolled his eyes, then reached out to gather her in his arms. Evie frowned, almost looked like she might cry, but she let him hold her close. He kissed her hair and rubbed her shoulders.

“What is all this about?”

She turned her face into his neck, and he ran his fingers through her hair.

“Have you dated anyone who wasn’t from . . . there?”

He pulled her away from him slightly so he could look into her face. He rubbed his thumb across her cheek.

“Why do you -”

“Just answer the damn question.”

He sighed. “If you’re asking if I’ve ever dated anyone truly from the Land Without Magic . . . no, I haven’t.”

“See?” she asked, her lip trembling. “You say you love me, but what happens when you go on some adventure and meet Cinderella or something?”

“Ella runs the day care center and is married with two kids.”

She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean. You’re the grandson of Prince Charming, for heaven’s sake! You’re from a world of destined soul mates and true love’s kisses. There’s probably some princess out there under a curse that you’re supposed to go rescue or something. I’m a nobody, Henry. Just an ordinary girl who grew up in an ordinary suburb of Atlanta. Trust me, my dad’s into genealogies. I’m nothing magical or special.”

Tears were tracing down Evie’s cheeks now. He tried to pull her to him again, to kiss her and tell her she was wrong, but she fled from the bed, from him. She grabbed her clothes and went to the bathroom, almost slamming the door behind her. He heard the click of the lock, and a sound that he thought might be a sob. He followed, knocking at the door, and begging her to open it.

“Go away Henry.”

He pressed his forehead to the door, and spoke in a voice loud enough for her to hear, but gentle enough to convey his feelings. “I will, for now, but I love you Evangeline Crawford, and I’ll keep telling you that until you believe it. Until you believe how special you really are.”

**************************************************

Henry hadn’t expected Evie to be able to ignore him so thoroughly when they were staying in the same house and sharing a room, but she seemed to be just as tenacious in this as she was with anything else. Even here, at Granny’s annual Christmas Eve party, she had skillfully avoided him. It got to the point that Henry started to feel like a pathetic puppy in his attempts to follow her around. So now he sat in a booth at the back of the diner, nursing a beer as he watched another cluster of Storybrooke residents surround Evie. She was a bit of a celebrity at the moment, as word had gotten around that Henry had told her the truth about everything. She was the first outsider since Tamara and Greg, which definitely increased the aura of mystery surrounding her. At least he hoped it was mystery. He knew his hometown well enough to know that it could still be fear and suspicion too.

He watched Evie’s expression over the rim of his mug. He hated that she looked a little overwhelmed. As he lowered the beverage with a sigh, his stepdad slid into the booth across from him.

“So, my boy, care to explain what’s going on with you and your fair lass?”

“She’s not my anything,” Henry grumbled, taking another swig of his beer.

Killian arched a brow at him. “Seems to me you’ve been emphasizing this entire time that she’s just MY friend. If I were a betting man, I would say that something has happened to change that label?”

Henry narrowed his eyes. “You are a betting man.”

“Were,” Killian corrected, pointing a finger in Henry’s face, “and don’t change the subject. I’m quite perceptive, you know.”

He tilted his head, and Henry squirmed. A slow smile spread across Killian’s face as he leaned back in his booth. Henry tried to cover his sudden blush with another swallow of beer.

“Just as I thought.”

“I’m glad my angst is so amusing to you,” Henry snapped.

Killian’s gaze went from teasing to sincere. “Listen to me, lad, in my experience, when a lady runs it means her feelings run deep.”

Henry deflated. “How did you do it, Killian? How did you get past Mom’s walls?”

“With patience,” he answered softly. “I was in it for the long haul, and I knew I had to earn your mother’s trust by letting her set the pace.”

“But what if she thinks a future is impossible? That we’re just too different.”

They both knew he wasn’t talking about his mother anymore.

“And you think Emma was any different? Who could be more different than a villain and the savior? A pirate and a princess? Captain Hook and the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming?” He leaned over and grasped Henry’s shoulder. “I told your grandpa once that your mother and I were no fated love story. We had to fight for our love. We fought, and we won. When your mother saw I would never give up on us, she knew she could trust me with her future, no matter what it brought.”

Henry nodded firmly, encouraged by his stepdad’s words, but then he frowned. “But how do I convince her when she won’t even look at me?”

Killian winked. “When a woman cares for you, and you truly honor and respect her, she’ll seek you out. Just be sure you make yourself available; that your right there when she needs you.”

Henry nodded. He still wasn’t completely sure how he could strike that balance, but he could sure as hell try.

“Henry,” Emma’s voice interrupted their conversation. Killian tensed, his eyes wide with concern.

“Emma, love, why aren’t you still in the booth with your parents?” He rose and helped his wife settle in next to him.

“Sorry,” Emma said with a sigh, reaching over and squeezing her husband’s hook. Then she turned to Henry, “I just saw Evie kind of getting surrounded over there, and I was wondering why you weren’t coming to her rescue.”

“Um . . . “ he was now squirming under his mother’s gaze.

“Oh,” Emma suddenly said, exchanging a knowing glance with Killian, “I see.”

“Seriously, Mom, you too?”

“Henry,” his mother said gently, taking his hand, “whatever is happening between you too, you can‘t let her keep you at arm’s length right now. The dwarves, Granny, and Belle are all over there trying to convince her she’s actually a fairy tale character.”

“What?”

Emma nodded. “They’re giving her the third degree, and she looks a little lost. She may need you, despite whatever fight you’ve had.”

“We didn’t have a fight,” Henry countered.

Emma seemed to be fighting a grin as she glanced at Killian again. “Hmm, so it’s like that then.”

“She probably told him it was a one-time thing,” Killian quipped.

“Silly girl,” Emma giggled. “I should warn her that those are famous last words.”

Killian bent and kissed her then, and Henry groaned as he quickly exited the booth. “You two are nauseating.”

His parents just continued to laugh (and kiss) as he stood. But before he could reach the crowd that had Evie surrounded, she turned and practically fled out the door. He felt the curve of Killian’s hook nudge his back.

“Go to her lad.”

At his stepdad’s words, he looked back down at the booth. His mother was nodding her encouragement. Henry squared his shoulders and strode towards the door. The bell above it jingled as he opened it and stepped out into the frigid air. Evie stood standing in the gently falling snow, her arms wrapped around herself, her face tilted slightly upwards. Her auburn hair fell in soft waves down her back, one side pulled off her neck with a silver and gold clip. Her black dress was cinched at the waist with a gold belt, and the skirt flared out, its black tulle outer lining embroidered with sparkling gold thread. Several gold bangle bracelets tinkled at her wrists, and she wore gold ballet flats on her feet. The dress hit her at the knees, but her toned calves were still enough to make his thoughts go in a heated direction, especially remembering them tangled up with his in the early hours of dawn. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

She shivered, and he realized that the gold shawl draped over her bare shoulders was doing little to shelter her from the cold. He stepped up behind her, shedding his sports jacket, and draped it over her creamy shoulders. He stepped closer, his chest brushing against her back, his lips ghosting across the top of her head, but he refrained from doing anything more intimate. He gave her arms one quick rub with his palms, then stepped back to give her space once again.

“What are you doing?” she asked, turning to him. Her dress brought out the gold flecks in her eyes, and he couldn’t stop staring.

“Giving you my jacket. You’re cold.”

She tore her gaze away, then nodded over his shoulder. “Look behind you.”

He turned and saw a small crowd gathered at the window of Granny’s, among them the proprietress herself and half the dwarves. They scrambled off in a way that wasn’t remotely subtle when they glimpsed Henry looking their way. He sighed.

“Kind of like being in a fish bowl, isn’t it?”

Evie pulled his jacket tighter as she gazed up at the sky once again. “A snow globe’s more like it.”

“Mhm,” he agreed stepping close again and brushing snow from her hair, “I apologize. After the curse broke, and everyone realized my real mother was the savior, well . . . let’s just say they suddenly all believed themselves personally invested in my life. It’s been unfair, and honestly way too much to live up to.”

“Is that why they were all so intent on discovering my supposed true fairy tale background? To see if I’m worthy of you?”

He sighed, his hand still playing with her hair, “Ignore them. I love you just the way you are, and I don’t care where you came from.”

She said nothing for a moment, but turned away from him. He thought she might walk away completely, but she stopped at the patio awning. She leaned her head against it as she gazed up at the stars.

“It’s a beautiful night tonight,” Henry said softly as he came to stand by her side. “The moon is full.”

“Not quite,” Evie commented, “but I noticed it was the other night. It was beautiful, and so incredibly close.”

Well, that explained the wolf Killian had mentioned to Evie when he went to dig out the snow plow. Ruby must have been out that night in wolf form and getting into mischief. He didn’t mention that to Evie, though. She had enough to process without the news that Little Red Riding Hood was actually a werewolf.

“Evangeline was the star that Tiana wished on in the movie The Princess and the Frog.” Evie turned her gaze on Henry. “That’s one theory on who I am. A star that was cursed to be born a human in the Land Without Magic.”

Her voice was laced with sarcasm. He drew closer to her. “Evie, I’m so sorry. Just ignore them -”

“But that wasn’t the only possibility. According to Belle, there’s a Longfellow poem that could be about me. Of course, it’s based on a Cajun legend, so Granny thought they might both be me. A star, and a legend. Now talk about lot to live up to . . . “

“Evie,” he said softly, going to stand in front of her and placing both hands gently on her shoulders, “I don’t need you to be a star or some kind of legendary character. All I need is you.” He pulled her close, and he counted it as a small victory when she relaxed in his embrace. “Besides, I was an English major at NYU, remember? I read that poem, and believe me, I don’t want it to be you. That Evangeline wanders in search of her lover, and doesn’t find him until they’re both old. Then he dies in her arms.”

Evie pulled back, and he smiled to see a teasing grin on her face. “Hello, Henry, spoiler alert? What if I was planning on reading that?”

He chuckled, and then bent to kiss her. She stopped him, however, with a finger to his lips. He opened his eyes, which had fluttered closed, to give her a confused look.

“Snow globe,” she told him simply, cutting her eyes to the side.

He groaned when he saw his Grandma Snow and Belle peering at them through the window. His grandmother made a big show of scrambling away, yanking Belle with her. He turned back to Evie, but the moment was lost. She stepped away from the awning and onto the sidewalk. She shrugged out of his jacket and held it out to him.

“I - um, saw that there was a flight in the morning out of Portland direct to Atlanta. I was thinking I’d take it.”

“Evie -”

“The only reason you brought me here was because I couldn’t get a flight out. Now I can.” She shrugged as if it was nothing, but the tears glistening in her eyes said otherwise. “I think it’s for the best.”

“Don’t,” Henry said, unable to keep the edge out of his voice, “don’t push me away. I don’t want the damn jacket back, and I don’t want you to leave.”

She hugged the jacket to her chest, wrapping herself protectively. “I also had a pretty interesting conversation with your Grandfather Rumple. Or a lecture was more like it. He said his son threw his life away by choosing the Land Without Magic, and he hated to see you do the same. Said you were running from your destiny.” She tilted her head to the side. “Seems you left out one little detail about your fairy tale life, Henry Mills.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

She marched towards him again. “You led me to believe you were just descended from storybook characters. But me, you said, I’m just a regular guy, you said.” The green in her eyes over took the gold now, deep and stormy. She poked him in the chest with one finger. “You’re the author, and while I don’t fully understand what all that means, the Blue Fairy and Rumple very snootily informed me that it had something to do with you being chosen. Something about a magic pen and the consequences of not wielding it right?”

“Evie, I can explain -”

She lifted a hand to cut him off. “I know you aren’t trying to toy with my feelings. We probably didn’t set proper boundaries in our friendship. We had both just gotten our hearts broken, and we shouldn’t have found comfort with each other.” She pressed her palm to his chest. “You deserve so much more than me, Henry.”

Then she gave him a tiny shove and hurried away down the snowy sidewalk.

[shirlleycoyle]

The Teamsters Announce Coordinated Nationwide Project to Unionize Amazon

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters, one of the country's largest and most powerful unions, has said in an official resolution obtained by Motherboard that unionizing and building worker power at Amazon is the top priority moving forward. The announcement comes on Prime Day, one of Amazon's busiest days of the year.

"The Teamsters will build the types of worker and community power necessary to take on one of the most powerful corporations in the world and win," said Randy Korgan, the Teamster's National Amazon Director, in a 26-minute video on "the Amazon Project" obtained by Motherboard, that will be played at the Teamsters convention on Thursday. 

At their virtual convention on Thursdaywe, Teamster delegates from roughly 500 local Teamsters unions will also receive a copy of the resolution, which will receive a vote on Thursday, and is expected to pass resoundingly.

The resolution states the Teamsters plan to create a special Amazon Division, specifically to aid Amazon workers in unionizing and defending standards in the logistics industry—and will fully fund the project. 

If implemented, the project will be the most ambitious and focused endeavor so far in the United States to organize the fiercely anti-union retail behemoth. Since its founding in 1994, Amazon has kept unions out of its workforce and is on track to become the country's largest employer within the next year or two. The Teamsters have 1.4 million members in the United States and Canada.

"We've been working on this for quite some time—well before Bessemer broke out," Randy Korgan, Teamsters National Director for Amazon, told Motherboard, referring to the unionization drive in Bessemer, Alabama that Amazon thwarted earlier this year. 

Randy Korgan, National Amazon Director at the Teamsters, who was appointed in 2020, speaks at a picket at the site of a future Amazon fulfillment center in Oxnard, California in February. (Teamsters)

Since 2016, various departments within the Teamsters have been tracking Amazon's growth and impact and speaking to thousands of workers to develop the best strategies for organizing Amazon workers, according to the resolution. At the convention, the Teamsters will declare a sharper, unified approach across the Teamsters International, 500 local unions and dozens of joint councils. 

Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The Teamsters—which represents workers across the logistics industry, including warehousing, package delivery, freight, airline, and food distribution—sees itself as a natural fit for organizing Amazon. "We have an intrinsic knowledge in the industry," Korgan said. "We understand transportation and logistics companies that are only motivated by profit will make changes that always end in workers losing. There’s been one unified organization for those workers and that’s been Teamsters members and the Teamsters union as a whole." 

Do you have a tip to share with us about Amazon? We’d love to hear from you. Please get in touch with Lauren, the reporter, via email Lauren.gurley@vice.com or securely on Signal (201)-897-2109.

Earlier this year, following an intense union-busting campaign led by Amazon management and hired consultants, Amazon warehouse workers in Bessemer, Alabama voted against unionizing in a landslide defeat for the Retail Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), which ignited a wave of interest among Amazon workers from New York City to Iowa City in forming unions and having a say in their wages, workplace safety protections, productivity requirements, and rest time. 

With the Amazon Project, the Teamsters are taking a different approach that doesn't rely on the traditional National Labor Review Board election process that allows employers to run sophisticated anti-union campaigns and involves the task of running elections warehouse by warehouse. 

Instead the Teamsters plan to focus on a series of pressure campaigns involving work stoppages, petitions, and other collective action to push Amazon to recognize a union and bargain over working conditions. This tactic mirrors how the Teamsters organized its first members, horse drivers, grave haulers, and beer wagon drivers, who did not have union rights in the early twentieth century, using shop floor strikes, city-wide strikes, and other mass collective action in the streets.  

"We could have been the first Bessemer, but we chose not to go down the path of an NLRB election for the reasons that were validated in the Bessemer union election," Korgan said. "At the same time, the Bessemer workers' message was heard by millions of workers in their position who realized, 'Oh there's something I can do about this.’ The list is very long in how workers can seek justice on the job. The NLRB is not the only way." 

The Teamsters hold a convention every five years where delegates across the United States and Canada vote to set a new agenda for the union. This year's convention will focus on the Amazon Project. The project has five main components, according to the convention video obtained by Motherboard—educating and engaging its current union members, organizing Amazon workers, engaging the public, antitrust enforcement, industry pressure, and global solidarity. 

The Teamsters would not go into detail about the funding or timeline for the Amazon Project, but said Teamster International, local unions, and dozens of regional joint councils have "committed tremendous resources to this." Around the country, members are already participating in volunteer organizing training and education sessions related to the Amazon Project, and will continue to do so in the coming years. These trainings focus on how Amazon degrades pay and working conditions across the logistics industry, the history of worker struggles that led to the formation of Teamsters, and how Teamsters members can organize and engage Amazon workers. 

This volunteer organizing program, which was developed by Korgan in Southern California and is the model for the Amazon Project's worker education program, is based on the premise that Amazon workers often belong to the same communities, families, and neighborhoods as Teamsters union members—and should leverage those connections to organize Amazon. 

A Teamsters member picketing at a work stoppage in Oxnard, California in February targeting an Amazon warehouse development. (Teamsters)

"I have a son who worked at Amazon and a cousin who works at Amazon. I really see Amazon how they're in a position where your hands are tied and you have management not treating you fairly and you’re not getting your fair share of the pie," said Donnell Jefferson, a forklift operator at TForce Logistics in Memphis, Tennessee and a Teamsters union member. 

Jefferson helped unionize his worksite in 2008 and got a $4 raise. He now makes $29.08 an hour and says his treatment from managers improved with a union contract. He joined the volunteer program to help other workers organize.

"My young cousin [who works at Amazon] always calls me asking for a loan," he said. "I don't mind but she shouldn’t be in a position where she has to live with her mom and borrow money. They ought to be able to get better wages and healthcare and take care of their family. I struggled before I unionized but it's changed my life." 

"I do volunteer organizing because I feel Amazon workers should have what I have," said Robert Martinez, a UPS driver and member of Teamsters Local 22 in Ontario, California who participates in the volunteer organizing program. Martinez, who is 42 years old, earns $39.23 an hour as a yard shifter, and receives a pension and healthcare benefits. 

"I’m here to educate workers on their right to organize to stand up to employers," he continued. "I have talked to Amazon drivers when I run into them. They're overworked and are not employees of Amazon. One day when I'm out there on a street I hope I am able to greet an Amazon driver and know he’s in a union and he’s getting paid like he should be." 

As a point of comparison, Amazon delivery drivers in Southern California earn $15 or $16 an hour. As Motherboard has previously reported, Amazon frequently touts its $15 an hour minimum wage, while positioning itself against Walmart and other retail jobs, where workers are typically paid much less.  But in reality, Amazon is driving down wages in the warehouse and delivery industries. 

Even with the benefits and protections of a union, Teamsters members, particularly at UPS and other logistics companies, say they've seen their working conditions deteriorate as Amazon has expanded its reach in the parcel delivery sector. 

They cite higher delivery quotas, more weekend and holiday shifts, unpredictable schedules, and a greater reliance on temps and contractors. Motivated by improving these worsening conditions, UPS and other unionized logistics workers are joining the effort to organize Amazon workers. 

"Quotas are going up. Astronomical figures. We've seen a massive increase in Amazon packages," Anthony Rosario, a UPS driver in Brooklyn and a shop steward at Teamsters Local 804 who has been in the union for 27 years, told Motherboard. "Industry standards are being diminished that we fought for for decades. They're forcing people to work holidays and weekends. [UPS] is bending to Amazon's competition."

Activists with San Bernardino Airport Communities, a community group with ties to the Teamsters, stops Amazon traffic at action in the Inland Empire, California. (San Bernardino Airport CommunitiesAnthony Victoria)

Unlike the Bessemer union drive, which went public a few months into the campaign, the Teamsters are keeping much of their internal strategy under wraps in order to avoid Amazon's union busting campaigns. 

Still, the Teamsters has been publicly engaging in a community pressure campaign in California's Inland Empire, where Amazon is the largest private employer and has at least 14 Amazon fulfillment centers, to implement a community benefits agreement that would mandate that a new Amazon Air Regional AirHub pay prevailing wages and agree to a zero-emissions plan. Earlier this year, USA Today reported that the union has been organizing hundreds of delivery drivers at two warehouses in Iowa. 

"Every region must understand the systems that are at play," said Korgan in the video that will be shown at the convention on Thursday. "If [Amazon] workers are organizing independently, the Teamsters will help. If workers are not organizing, Teamsters will get it started. Our union has been the leading expert on how to create good career jobs and it's time Amazon workers know this." 

The Teamsters Announce Coordinated Nationwide Project to Unionize Amazon syndicated from https://triviaqaweb.wordpress.com/feed/

[sadwritingtrash]

Mistake

summary: Veronica makes a mistake, which leads to something she never wanted.

Warnings: like a couple swears? Veronica cheating? 

word count:1313

Y/n L/n and Veronica Lodge were relationship goals. They loved one another very much, and everyone knew that they would never do anything to hurt one another. Of course, nothing can ever be perfect in the real world, nothing can have a happy ending. Their relationship ended in the worst way possible, and it was the night of Jughead’s birthday party.

“I should’ve known,” you mumbled pushing past her to get out of her bedroom, “you know, my mom warned me about you. She told me how you’d play me, and i can’t believe that I fell for it. I mean why would Veronica Lodge be interested in a no one like Y/n L/n?” you bitterly laugh and fight the tears that are trying to escape from your eyes.

“I’m sorry!” she yells, “you had already left the party, and you know how I felt because of my parents! You weren’t there for me when i needed you!” she yells tears streaming down her face.  “Just like you haven’t been there for me for the past few weeks.” she finishes and starts sobbing.

A pang of guilt hits you, but you ignore it. “My mother is fucking dead Veronica! I’ve been with her at the hospital, she died last night!” You tell her.

Walking towards her door, you turn back and look at her, “You told me at the beginning of our relationship, that you were different. You were a liar, you still are a liar.” you end quietly, before walking out of her room.

Veronica sat frozen at the news of your mom, how had she not know? The more she thought about the past, the more she realized that she had never really payed attention to you, and had ignored you or interrupted you when you tried saying something to her.

You sit at a booth in Pop’s, mindlessly playing with the straw of your milk shake when your thoughts are interrupted by the door opening. You glance at the door and see Cheryl walkin, which is unusual as she rarely goes to Pop’s.

“Hey Y/n/n. You okay?” she asks and sits across from you, Cheryl had been one of your closest friends since you were younger. You lived near her do to your parents having wealth, and you two became friends quickly.

“Cher , my mom died.” You whisper softly unable to grasp the fact that the women who loved you and raised you, protected you, your mom , was dead.

Cheryl's eyes widened, “Oh my god! Mama L/n, oh my god , Y/n ! I knew she was sick but I didn't know!” She says quickly.

“Yeah, she died last night.” You mumble wiping a stray tear from your face.

“Something else is wrong. What was it?” She asks staring at you with her brows furrowed. “Wait, was it your girlfriend? because if she hurt my lovely little Y/n I will hurt her.” She says in a threatening voice.

“She cheated on me. She slept with Archie last night at the party.” You say and start sobbing putting your hands in front of your face.

“She what?!” Cheryl screeches. “Not only did she accuse me of twincest but this too?!” She stands up quickly muttering under her breath, a dark expression on her face. The bell rings signaling a new arrival and she glances at the door. Cheryl walks towards the door and walks out, before you have the chance to notice who it was.

Outside Cheryl stood grasping Veronica’s arm tightly and glared at her.

“ I can't fucking believe you.” She starts. “You probably lost the only good thing in your life. Y/n deserves so much better than you, and you fucking know it! She would have been so much better off with me , and we all know it.” Veronica struggles to take Cheryl's hand off her arm and glares at Cheryl.

“I can end your life here and now Lodge. Tell everyone how you cheated on her.” Cheryl whispers threateningly. “So just leave her alone.” She finishes and walks back inside to retrieve you, and take you to her house.

At Cheryl’s house, she had grabbed all of the movies that you loved and decided to have a movie marathon with you so you could forget things for at least a little while.

“Cher, why did she do that…? I thought she cared for me, but apparently not. Am in not good enough? Am i not worth it? Was something wrong with me? Why?” you ask her quietly, wondering why your girlfriend cheated on you, as you lay your head on Cheryl’s shoulder

Cheryl stops running her fingers through your hair, and contemplates something.

“Hey Y/n, if i do this can you promise not to be mad…?” She asks and waits for you to nod. Once she gets confirmation, she kisses you.

She kisses you timidly at first, and once you kiss her back she deepens the kiss, and somewhere along the line it ended up turning into a full on makeout session.

Once you guys pull away for air, you’re slightly in shock, because you had just ended a relationship which was mostly one sided towards the end. You think back to when you’ve hung out with Cheryl, and realize that it wasn't just her being herself, it was your best friend flirting with you, you oblivious self hadn’t realized it. But boy were you glad you did.

“Look! I know you just got out o a relationship, but … i’m willing to wait for you, no matter how long it takes you.” she says and kisses your cheek softly and you hug her tightly and lightly kiss her neck.

5 years down the line. Somewhere in New York,

“Woah! So sorry” she starts, and tightens her grip on her coffee she almost spilt onto the person she crashed into. She lifts her head from the floor and realizes who she crashed into, gasping lightly she just stares at her, Y/n L/n.

“Hey Y/n, it’s been a while,” she says smiling, hoping that perhaps after you disappeared from Riverdale, and now she found you again she could have another chance with you.

“Veronica,” you say smiling faintly.

“I never would have imagined you would have fled Riverdale and come here.” she says, and takes a sip of her coffee.

“Yeah, i just had to get away, and father allowed me to move in with my grandparents after my mother died, and i’ve been living here ever since plus all that drama that happened also caused me to move,” you add.

Veronica nods, understanding your reasoning. “Well I think that we should maybe go ou-”

“Y/n! Love!” Veronica freezes as she hears that voice she had hated. “Baby c’mon! We have to go meet with the wedding planner, and go cake tasting!” Cheryl says smiling brightly and grabs your left hand. Veronica glances at your hand and is slightly shocked to see the engagement ring on your finger.

“Oh! Veronica i didn’t see you! But i have to thank you honestly.”

“What did i do? Why are you thanking me?” Veronica asks confused.

“Well, if you hadn;t cheated on Y/n i would’ve never confessed to her! I mean it’s still terrible but thanks to your fuck up, I’m marrying this beautiful lady.” Cheryl says and kisses your cheek.

“Sorry Veronica, but we really ought to get going. Weddings don’t get planned by themselves.” you say.

Veronica would always regret her mistake, but she specially regretted it when she saw you getting walked down the aisle towards Cheryl, and she imagined herself in Cheryl’s place.

The endgame had never been Veronica Lodge and Y/n L/n, it had been the two best friends who loved one another, Y/n L/n and Cheryl Blossom.

[smartgirlsaremean]

Stiltskin Family Bonding - Chapter 4 - Gideon

Fandom: OUAT

Relationships: Papafire, Henry & Baelfire, Henry & Rumplestiltskin

Rating: N/R    

Summary: The Stiltskin boys bond in a variety of ways. Sometimes it goes well, other times...not so much.

AO3

Chapter 4: Gideon

@notcoalbutgolden prompted: These are lovely. I adore these three bonding! As for prompts ... perhaps Henry and Neal meeting Gideon, the newest Stiltskin boy...?

Henry eyed his grandfather with concern. Rumplestiltskin sat stock-still in the plastic chair, his face etched with lines of worry, his fingers white-knuckled where they gripped his cane. Some stupid news channel was playing on the TV in the corner, and there weren’t even any good magazines sitting around, or Henry could have distracted himself. As it was, he had to watch the most powerful wizard in the world fret himself into a panic over his pregnant wife.

If there were some kind of world record for “most twisted family tree,” Henry knew he’d win hands down. His grandparents and his mom were the same age. His adopted mother was also his step-great-grandmother, and she had kind of a thing for his mom, who happened to be her step-granddaughter. (She tried not to let him know, but he was twelve, not stupid. Besides, he was pretty sure his mom was still hung up on his dad.) Things on his father’s side weren’t quite as tangled, but just as weird. His grandfather was a centuries-old sorcerer and the son of Peter Pan. Rumpletstiltskin’s wife was at least two hundred and fifty years younger than her husband and had no magic at all but somehow managed to boss him around just fine. Just a few months ago he’d gotten a baby uncle and in a minute - or an hour - or a couple of hours - he was going to have another baby uncle.

Grandpa Charming was right. Thanksgiving dinners were about to get really awkward.

“I’m sure everything’s fine,” Henry said eventually when he couldn’t stand the sound of the yapping people on the TV for one more second.

Rumplestiltskin met his eyes. “Hm?”

“Grandma Belle. She’s strong and brave, y’know? She’ll be okay.”

Chuckling, Rumplestiltskin shook his head. “I don’t know if she wants to be called Grandma. Just Belle ought to be fine.”

Henry nodded. “So...did you guys pick out a name?”

“We have a few options. Belle wants to meet him before she decides on his name.” Rumplestiltskin glanced at the big swinging doors Belle had disappeared through.

“I’m serious about her being okay,” Henry said. “Things are different here, y’know? Doctors and medicine and...even if something went wrong...and I’m not saying it will, cause it won’t...but even if it did, she’ll be okay. You don’t have to worry so much.”

“Old habits, I suppose,” his grandfather sighed, turning his cane in his hands.

“Like carrying that cane around even though you can walk just fine without it?”

“Yeah, exactly.” He tapped the cane against the floor. “It’s a reminder of who I was. Who I never want to be again.”

“I dunno,” Henry frowned. “I mean, sure, you shouldn’t go around cursing people or turning them into snails, but the old you wasn’t all bad. And it’s not like you were a terrible person when you were a spinner, either.”

Rumplestiltskin raised his eyebrows. “How would you know that?”

“Dad tells me things.”

“Does he?”

“Yeah. From when he was a kid.” Henry leaned back in his chair. “It wasn’t your fault people were so mean to you. You took care of him and helped him grow up when his mom left. That’s not something a bad person would do, is it?”

When his grandfather didn’t answer, Henry looked up and then down again very quickly. Rumplestiltskin’s eyes were kind of shiny, and he didn’t know what to do. Man, someone should have warned him about how sappy the Stiltskin men were. His dad was like that too, sometimes. His moms didn’t cry nearly as much.

“Here, Papa. Tea.” Neal appeared with two steaming styrofoam cups, and Rumplestiltskin took one with a nod of thanks. “You guys doing okay?”

“Yeah,” Henry said. “Grandpa was telling me about the names he and Belle picked out.”

Neal looked at his father, whose eyes were still slightly misty. “Uh-huh. So what are they?”

The big swinging doors opened and Dr. Whale looked out. “Um, excuse me, Mr. - uh - Rumple - uh…” He huffed and waved a hand. “If you wanted to be in the room for the birth, we need to get you suited up.”

Rumplestiltskin went white.

“Your big moment, Pops,” Neal said softly, taking the tea out of his father’s hand and helping him stand. “You can do this. Belle’s waiting.”

“Right,” Rumplestiltskin muttered. “Right. Belle’s waiting.”

Neal winked at Henry behind Rumplestiltskin’s back as, with an expression equal parts awe and terror, the father-to-be followed the doctor to the delivery room.

Dr. Whale wished he were allowed to take pictures in the delivery room, because a photo of the feared Dark One pale as a ghost, trussed up in scrubs, and clutching his panting wife’s hand like a lifeline would probably have made him a fortune. Belle had been screaming a moment before, but she was almost finished, and when it was time for the final push, she looked up into her husband’s eyes and seemed to draw fresh strength.

The squall of a newborn ripped through the air, and Belle collapsed against the back of the chair, her smile blindingly bright. Tears coursed down Rumplestiltskin’s cheeks as he watched his son being gently wiped down, swaddled in a blanket, and then placed in his wife’s arms. Belle stroked one finger over the baby’s cheek and Rumplestiltskin bent to place a kiss to the crown of his son’s head. Embarrassed, Dr. Whale turned away with an inexplicable lump in his throat. Dark One or not, he’d never seen a man look so completely conquered at the sight of his child.

Maybe Belle's love and faith in the old warlock wasn't as strange as everyone thought.

“When will we get to see him?” Henry asked for what was probably the millionth time. At least, it felt that way to Neal.

“When Dr. Whale says we can,” Neal said patiently for at least the hundred thousandth time.

“But what’s taking so long?”

“You heard the doctor, Henry. The baby has to have a bath, and Belle probably wants to at least comb her hair or something, and she has to be moved into a new room. There’s a lot for them to do. Besides...they probably want a little alone time, at least at first. He’s their new baby, y’know?”

“I guess,” Henry sighed, flopping back into his chair.

A tornado of blond hair and red leather whipped through the waiting room just then and skidded to a stop in front of Neal. “Hey! I got here as soon as I could. Everything okay?”

Neal smiled at Emma. “Yeah, the doc said everything went great. Healthy baby boy. Twenty-one inches, seven pounds twelve ounces.”

“Twenty-one inches? Holy crap, he’s a string bean,” Emma said. “How in the world did your dad and step-mom make a baby that long?”

“Uh. The usual way. I guess.” Not that that was something he really wanted to think about.

“Have you been in to see him yet?”

“No,” Henry groaned, stretching the word out for several syllables. Emma grinned and ruffled his hair.

“Impatient to meet your new uncle?”

“That’ll be fun to explain when he gets older,” Neal said.

“Yeah, he and Uncle Graham are probably gonna have a lot of questions when they get older.”

As always, Emma’s eyes softened when her baby brother was mentioned. Graham Nolan had been named for the huntsman who’d spared Snow’s life and freed Charming from Regina’s dungeon. He’d also been one of Emma’s first friends in Storybrooke, and Neal knew from Henry that she’d been devastated when he died. How he died was still something of a mystery, though Neal had his suspicions, which he’d never voice out loud unless forced.

They waited a while longer, the two of them telling stories to distract Henry, and then Dr. Whale appeared again and invited them to follow him back to Belle’s room.

“Why didn’t Papa come get us?” Neal asked.

Whale smirked. “He’s engaged in a bit of a...uh...disagreement, at the moment.”

“Disagreement?”

They were just outside the room, and they could all hear Belle, and though her words were stern, she sounded as if she was holding back laughter. “Rumple, you’ve held him for an hour. I really think it’s my turn now.”

“He’s just gone to sleep, sweetheart. I don’t want to disturb him. What if he wakes?”

“He’ll live, and besides you need to eat something.”

“I ate at lunch.”

“Which was six hours ago. Darling, please…”

There were a few seconds of silence, and then Rumplestiltskin sighed. “Fine. Very judicious use of the face, by the way.”

“Thank you. And you know the rules. You used your face already today, so you’re not allowed to use it again until tomorrow.”

“Tyrant,” the sorcerer muttered, but when Neal felt composed enough to walk in the room, his father’s face was suffused with so much love and tenderness that he might have imagined that last bit. Rumplestiltskin looked up from watching his new son sleeping and smiled. “Neal.”

“Hey, Papa. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

Neal walked to Belle’s side to get a better look at his baby brother.

Baby brother. Wow, that would take some getting used to.

“Hey, little guy,” he said softly. The baby snuffled in his sleep and pressed one fist to his cheek.

“What’s his name?” Henry asked softly from Belle’s other side.

“Gideon,” Rumplestiltskin replied.

“Gideon Gold,” Henry said. “That sounds awesome. Where’d you get it?”

“Where else? From your grandmother’s favorite book.”

“Step-grandmother, thank you,” Belle said with a smile. She looked up and caught Neal’s gaze, and he realized he had tears in his eyes. “Would you like to hold him, Neal?”

“Oh, uh...I don’t...I’ve never…”

“Sit here, son,” his father said, rising from his chair. “I’ll hand him to you.”

Before he knew what was happening, Neal was sitting in the chair next to Belle’s bed while baby Gideon was placed gently in the crook of his arm. He weighed next to nothing, but Neal sat like a statue, terrified of doing something wrong. After a minute Gideon gave a tiny grunt and opened his eyes, dark blue meeting startled brown, and Neal smiled.

“Hey, there, little bro,” he said softly. “How do you like being on the outside so far?”

The baby hiccuped.

“Yeah, it’s not so bad. A little crazy sometimes. But you’ve got me and your mom and your dad and your nephew, and we’ll make sure you get through it alright, okay?”

Sighing, Gideon closed his eyes again, and Neal looked up to see that everyone was staring at him, and all of them, except for Henry, had tears in their eyes.

“Hey, Henry?” Emma said, standing. “Let’s go see if we can rustle up some food for everybody, okay?”

“But I wanna hold Uncle Gideon!”

Rumplestiltskin made a sound that sounded suspiciously like a cross between a laugh and a sob.

“You can hold him when we get back. Let’s go.”

She herded her son out the door, pausing to look back at Neal and give him an encouraging smile. He smiled back, trying to let her know that she didn’t need to worry about him. He was with his family, and everything was fine.

[kartiavelino]

‘Native Son’ Explores Varied Shades Of Blackness

Written by Jerry L. Barrow Déjà vu comes normal when you’re watching the second movie adaptation of a celebrated work of fiction like Native Son. Nonetheless, seeing Ashton Sanders’ Greater Thomas stroll right into a Chicago report store searching for a replica of Dangerous Brains vinyl felt like an Earth 2 reimagining of Larenz Tate’s love-bitten scribe, Darius Lovehall from Love Jones, getting his fingers dusty attempting to impress Nia Lengthy. Whereas the comparisons between the 2 movies cease at locale, director Rashid Johnson—a Chicago native—finds my parallel intriguing. “I liked the film Love Jones. You’re speaking about when Larenz Tate goes into the report store? That’s a very fascinating remark. It wasn’t one thing I considered consciously however I undoubtedly liked that film as a teenager and it nonetheless sticks with me.” The current-day Windy Metropolis is as a lot a personality as a setting on this new movie based mostly on the 1939 novel a few younger Black man named Greater Thomas, who squanders a possibility to flee the trimmings of poverty by committing a heinous crime. In contrast to the primary adaptation from 1986 starring Victor Love and Oprah Winfrey, this new model takes place in current day Chicago with some key tweaks to the story. “I positioned the movie in an surprising manner in Chicago,” says Johnson, a celebrated visible artist who partnered with veteran playwright Susan-Lori Parks on the script. “We modified the course of the movie from being hosted within the guide within the South Aspect to being on the North Aspect, which works together with the exploration of the variety of the communities that you just’re typically uncovered to. Most of the time we affiliate the Black expertise in Chicago with the South Aspect or West Aspect. However I’m a brother from the North aspect so…” An avatar for that variety, Greater Thomas in 2019 has inexperienced hair and black painted fingernails that clutch a leather-based jacket emblazoned with the phrases “freaking out” throughout the again. The aesthetic may be very Afro-Punk, and it’s simply one of many very deliberate ways in which Johnson and Parks push the envelope on this retelling. Greater is in love with Bessie, performed with a seductive cool by Kiki Layne, who shrugs off the demure naivete of Tish, her character in If Beale Avenue May Speak. The 2 actors are longtime mates who attended DePauw College collectively as undergrads and had a quick reunion within the sci-fi thriller Captive State, however set a match to the display screen with plain chemistry in Native Son. “I knew they knew one another going into the undertaking and hoped I’d be capable to use a few of their familiarity as a software,” says Johnson. “However I used to be blown away by how sturdy their chemistry was and the way real their bond is as individuals. It comes throughout in such an sincere manner within the movie.” BET.com went in-depth on the recreation of Richard Wright’s polarizing novel with Rashid Johnson, Ashton Sanders, Kiki Layne and Sanaa Lathan, who performs Greater’s mom, Trudy. Ashton Sanders and Kiki Layne as Greater and Bessie in “Native Son” BET: In your opinion, what does it imply to be a local son or daughter? Rashid: The primary time I heard the phrases it was related to Richard Wright, and I’ve by no means been capable of take it away from him. I’ve Googled the phrases and also you see information tales, and it’s often somebody who’s deeply embraced by a spot. And it’s often one thing somebody will use to explain another person. It’s not often one thing individuals use to explain themselves. They don’t often say, “I’m a local son.” The neighborhood claims this character as a collective. It’s fairly difficult for me to make use of it myself. Kiki: You’re born being Black in America and continually strolling round feeling such as you’re NOT one of many nation’s native sons or native daughters. That’s what stands out to me about that. The wrestle of NOT feeling that native connection. Ashton: Possibly the time period native son is type of sarcastic. That is dwelling, but it surely isn’t dwelling. I ought to really feel like I belong right here, however I don’t. And if we’re stepping into that course, that stems nicely with the themes of our movie. Greater being born into this place that he ought to know, like Chicago, for instance, that he ought to know and really feel comfy in. Or being born in America and nonetheless carrying round these anxieties and all of those fears, all of this strain of being a Black man in his native dwelling. Speak to me about how this movie challenges the notion of Blackness. Greater is in a report retailer looking for Dangerous Manufacturers, not Biggie Smalls, and has inexperienced hair, amongst different issues, and is challenged on his Blackness by his friends. Kiki: There are Chicagoans who costume like that and take heed to that kind of music, however particularly in media, you don’t see it. If we’re speaking about Black individuals in Chicago, there’s a very particular manner that we’re portrayed, and I believe that is likely one of the lovely issues about this movie. It’s unlucky that folks will discover this type of unusual, however there are Black individuals dwelling like that. I really feel like that may assist some individuals be extra comfy in the event that they don’t fairly match into the strains of what media has stated we must be listening to or dressing like. Ashton: I completely agree. Each Bessie and Greater are radical Black characters, a radical retelling of this story. We’ve got these Afro-Punks in society, like Kiki was saying, [but] we solely see the Black man performing like this, similar with the Black lady. This narrative was essential in that regard to point out different sorts of Blackness on the planet. And I believe that is the primary time we see an Afro-Punk type of aesthetic in cinema because the main man. Particularly with a undertaking that’s alleged to be so straight edged. I believe we’re rebelling in that title, however we did it in the correct manner the place individuals are nonetheless going to have the ability to see themselves in Greater, though they don’t see themselves. Kiki: I believe it’s highly effective, too, seeing this wrestle he has in not becoming into anyone’s norms. He’s not becoming into white areas and also you’re not becoming into Black areas and what THAT does to you. Since you discuss that anxiousness and worry that then stems from that, and also you’re attempting to be truthful to your self, however when the homies get within the automobile you’re taking part in Blue Face… Ashton: Realizing deep down you f*ck with Paramore… which is completely superb. I really feel like there’s these themes of social masks that I do in my movies. Like Moonlight, strolling round with a social masks. There have been lots of people in Greater’s life doing that round him. So, I believe that’s actually fascinating how worry drives us to placed on this protecting armor. Like rattling, I can’t actually be myself. Though I really feel like I’m myself with ya’ll, I don’t actually really feel like myself with y’all. Rashid: I used to be interested by Greater dealing with a number of completely different sorts of obstacles. And a type of obstacles was one thing that a number of Black people face all through adolescence, this expectation of what one’s Blackness is and may be. And people obstacles can come from any variety of completely different instructions. Whether or not its white of us saying, ‘Oh, you’re completely different from different Black individuals I do know.’ Or Black people questioning the authenticity of your Blackness throughout sure engagements. Or whether or not it’s used as a software to query your masculinity, which is a part of Greater’s engagement with Jack in our telling of it. Blackness once more, and it’s unusual that we proceed to have to debate it this fashion, just isn’t monolithic. There are a number of other ways of being a Black particular person. And Greater simply occurs to be invested in numerous type of cultural ideas and concepts and issues that don’t in any manner take away from the standard of his Blackness, in my view. Sanaa: I liked the truth that you guys took him out of the archetype model of Greater. That was thrilling to me. That claims a lot about who we’re as Black individuals. There isn’t any one Blackness. We seem like so many various issues and now we have so many various factors of view, however but we’re nonetheless Black in America. And systematic oppression and racism performs in right here… Rashid: On a loop… Sanaa: Sure, it’s there. And I assumed that was lovely visually to see that he was such a person and never an archetype of what we’ve seen in movie, and but it nearly type of highlights the ability of that systematic oppression. Sanaa Lathan as Trudy Thomas in “Native Son” How acquainted had been you with the guide, and the way do you are feeling in regards to the modifications made? Kiki: I had learn it for the primary time again in highschool, and it went over my head. I ain’t know what Richard Wright was speaking about on a deeper degree, what’s he actually saying to me about Black expertise. So, coming again to it in preparation for the movie I used to be like, “I get it.” And I bought why some individuals didn’t actually prefer it. However I like what we did with this adaption. Susan-Lori and Rashid crammed out these characters’ humanity in a manner that I don’t suppose Wright did within the guide. Simply actually creating these full human beings and getting a clearer sense of what they had been going by means of. Rashid: My mom gave me the guide after I was about 15 years previous. She gave it to me with the caveat that this was a very difficult story. It blew me away.  Like so many individuals earlier than and after me, it modified one thing in me after I learn it. And it caught with me ever since. Fascinated by that character has all the time been on my thoughts and thought he’d be fascinating to see in up to date phrases. That is Rashid’s first time directing a function, what was he prefer to work with? Ashton: He was very collaborative, and he trusted us with the characters. That’s essential as actors to have that freedom. It was like a dance, an ensemble efficiency. We had been all simply filling within the areas and respecting one another and what we had been creating. Sanaa: In a manner, he wasn’t a first-time director. Possibly on this specific format, however he was such an achieved visionary and had such a standpoint and clearly so clever and considerate, I knew there was a purpose why he bought Susan-Lori to put in writing it, I’ve finished her performs again within the day. As soon as I bought on set I used to be actually impressed by how delicate he was and allow us to play. The very best factor a director can provide you on a set is that type of belief. In the event that they’re assured you are feeling assured, and he actually created a fantastic environment. We shot all of my scenes in a single week on this condo with the three children, so it felt like our personal little film. It was nice as a result of we bought to bond and it felt pure. That is undoubtedly a part of his future. Why do you are feeling this story continues to be so related? Rashid: That’s the problem. That’s the factor that’s actually urgent. It’s each enlightening however irritating and unhappy. You possibly can take a narrative from 1939 that ends as tragically because it does for its protagonist, you may inform it at the moment and never really feel such as you’re skipping a beat. The dichotomy between the 1939 telling and the story being informed at the moment, that house in between is the house that I’m most invested in exploring. The issues which might be completely different; that Greater does have extra company, does have extra alternative, does have a distinct sense of probability and issues haven’t modified. He finds himself able the place he thinks that due to the situation of his Blackness that he has no alternative however to make the selections that he makes. Although he’s such a person, but his individuality is erased by the systemic, overarching issues that he has when he finds himself within the place he’s in. Kiki: I believe this story, particularly with our adaption, leans into the worry and anxiousness Black individuals continually carry with us once we really feel like we don’t fairly slot in wherever. You’re by no means fairly in a spot that you just’re alleged to be. I believe that’s an actual factor it doesn’t matter what 12 months it’s. Combating that in a society that makes you query your worth and makes you are feeling like you’re a menace whereas on the similar time you might be continually feeling threatened. Ashton: Whether or not it’s the 1930s or 2019 or the 1800s, we’ve been dealt a sure kind of dwelling scenario for the reason that starting. All of that evokes anxiousness and worry. We’re nonetheless coping with the identical emotional trauma that may very well be PTSD from our ancestors. It runs deep. Sadly, it’s unhappy that America hasn’t modified. Race relations haven’t modified in that manner. And this movie is a slap within the face to that. It’s like a wonderful tragedy. And I believe that’s an actual driving drive to why the power on set was the best way it was and why all of us signed on to this movie. This shit is de facto essential. Native Son airs on HBO Saturday, April 6. [embedded content] Photograph Credit score: Matthew Libatique/Courtesy of HBO Get the newest from BET in your inbox! Join now for the newest in movie star, sports activities, information and magnificence from BET. By clicking submit, I consent to receiving BET Newsletters and different advertising emails. BET Newsletters are topic to our Privateness Coverage and Phrases of Use. Customers can unsubscribe at anytime. BET Newsletters are despatched by BET Networks, 1540 Broadway, New York, NY 10036. www.wager.com OR JOIN US ON http://feeds.bet.com/~r/Betcom-Celebrities/~3/fGGK6xkB1zU/native-son-cast-interview.html The post ‘Native Son’ Explores Varied Shades Of Blackness appeared first on My style by Kartia. https://kartiavelino.com/2019/04/native-son-explores-varied-shades-of-blackness.html

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Your Child Isn`t Eating at Meals? We`ve Got 10 Ideas as to Why

There's absolutely nothing fairly like investing time prepping, cooking, and also serving a meal, only to have your child turn his nose up to it as well as press his plate away. Ugh, I have actually existed so several times as well as recognize how irritating it really feels. Just what I have actually found out though, is not to take it directly (which is hard) and that there are several usual reasons this happens.

Here are the most common reasons your youngster is choosing not to consume at meals, as well as exactly what to do about it:

1. She feels pressured:

If a kid really feels any type of amount of pressure to eat or detects that you as the moms and dad are anxious at nourishments, she will likely withdraw as well as not consume. Toddlers and also young youngsters pick up stress, also if it's not as straight as 'eat your peas!' If you focus way too much on what and exactly how much she's consuming during a dish, rather of allowing her to merely be another eater at the table (while you concentrate on your very own meal), she will certainly back right off. Maybe you push food closer to her, see her every move, hover over her, consistently take uneaten food off of her tray and change it with new food, speak about her absence of consuming, or try to spoon-feed her-these are all forms of indirect pressure.

How to fix this: Let your young child self-feed as well as eat at her very own rate at dishes, supply great deals of food range at dishes in convenient quantities, and also let her supervise of whether as well as just how much she eats.Try your ideal not to float over your kid. I know-it's hard not to when she's barely touching her food. Kick back and also engage in discussions with the whole family members, including your child. If you could consider nourishment moreso as family members bonding time compared to 'get my child to consume time', your child won't feel as pressured and also will certainly be a lot more open to trying new or formerly denied foods.

2. He feels like he has no say:

We recognize from research that youngsters eat better when they have a hand in aiding with buying, preparing, cooking or serving their meal. That's why it's essential to consist of kids in dish prep-even obtaining them to mix with each other active ingredients or establish the table could assist. Or even though moms and dads must ultimately be in fee of the 'what's' of feeding, children may feel as though they have no control over just what they're fed if moms and dads don't include them in selecting foods every now and then. They could expand burnt out of exactly what you offer them, or probably they don't such as the means that their foods are positioned on their plate.

Here's how to fix it: We know it's essential to establish healthy borders and also fulfill your responsibility of 'just what, when as well as where' yet it's also okay to allow your kids be a component of this, especially when it concerns the 'what's'. There are a couple of means to include your children in the meal procedure. As well as they all have something alike: you're offering your youngsters structured choice. Structured selection is essential when it concerns feeding children. It gives them some say and also makes them feel as though they have a little bit of control, but it enables you to still ultimately remain in control.

Some of these methods will certainly work much better for younger kids and some with older kids.

Shopping: Bring them shopping and ask just what they intend to attempt from each section. Provide them 2-3 selections in each section of the grocery shop. You could say some- point like 'do you intend to attempt kiwis, cutie oranges or blackberries this week?'. Or if you're going shopping for cereal, you could state 'do you intend to try cheerios, shreddies or oat meal squares today?'

Meal or snack planning: Let your kid aid with strategy- ning out the week's meals and even simply what they'll have for a snack that afternoon. If dish planning, you might say 'on Wednesday, we're going to have salmon. Just what would you want to have with it? Rice, quinoa or pasta? And also exactly what about veggies ... we can have baked asparagus, caesar salad or raw veggies and also dip. Which ones would certainly you such as?'

If it's snack time, you could ask your youngster 'would you such as yogurt with a pear or a banana muffin and also cheese?' and allow them decide.

Preparing: You can state 'it's time to assist me make hubbub- ner now' as well as ask your child if they want to wash fruits and also veggies, mix components in a bowl or establish the table. Allow them make a decision which would certainly be most fun (or they can do greater than one!).

I realize that involving your child in meal preparing, preparing and food preparation can make the procedure much longer and also perhaps a bit much more discouraging. However the advantages are big and it deserves it. Patience is key.

3. He's bored:

I'm like any kind of moms and dad and also get stuck in 'food ruts' where I offer the same thing over and over once more. Translation: significant youngster monotony. Right here's an example: after my third child was born last Autumn, I really felt as though I remained in survival mode for a couple of months (I still do sometimes) and launched my child to school with the same snack quite much every day. A healthy granola bar, cheese or yogurt as well as a piece of fruit. Yep, the exact same point over and over again. I was essentially rest strolling in the morning when I was getting my 2 older kids prepared for the day, so I seemed like it was a win that I was even remembering to load my child's snack! Anyways, he started getting home with many of his treat uneaten not simply once, but virtually every day. In my sleep-deprived state, I didn't understand that he could be wearying of his snack, despite the fact that he used to like it.

How I fixed it: I asked him why he wasn't consuming his snack as well as he said 'I have no idea, I just do not like it anymore'. I after that asked him if he was burnt out of it and he responded 'yes I'm tired of it'. We after that thought of a couple of brand-new and different treat alternative for him together as well as I attempt to revolve through 3 or 4 of them to ensure that he doesn't obtain tired. We obtain burnt out of particular foods as well as so do our children. This is typically an easy difficulty to overcome.

4. She's simply not hungry:

We now understand that young children' and also youngsters' hungers could be unpredictable as well as erratic at the very best of times. After the age of two, growth slows down and stabilizes which indicates that young children aren't as hungry as they made use of to be. We've discussed youngsters having 'hungry days' and 'complete days' and that could indicate that one day, your kid out-eats everyone at the table, and also one more day he does not consume a lot at all at his dinner. As long as you're maintaining your feeding duties and staying consistent with nourishment borders, your kid ought to supervise of whether and also exactly how much he eats. It is feasible that your youngster is just not literally hungry when a meal is offered (for whatever factor) which's ok.

How to fix it: Try to accept 'I'm simply not hungry' as an appropriate answer, as well as remind your youngster that the cooking area will certainly be closed after mealtime.

5. She's distracted:

Allowing your kids to enjoy TELEVISION, watch an iPad, or play with playthings at the table is a dish for interruption. Screen interruptions can function in two means (both of which are adverse in my mind). When a youngster is seeing a show or playing an online game on an iPad while eating, he is focusing most, if not ALL, of his interest on the program he's watch- ing or online game he's playing. There is no attention left for consuming his dish, allow alone listening to his tummy. With a display before them, children will certainly could quickly under or over-eat because they're just not focusing. Young children have a hard adequate time concentrating on their dish with very little diversions allow alone a largest glossy relocating display before them. The same goes with toys and playing with brother or sisters at the table.

How to fix it: Set healthy and balanced boundaries by not enabling displays or toys at the table while consuming. Seat children strategically to make sure that they can't touch each various other. Placed a footstool under your youngster's chair so that they really feel as though their feet are stable and secure (this could poten- tially be another disturbance).

6. Portions are too big:

Some children are turned off of a dish simply because the section that they've been served is also big as well as over- whelming. This was never ever an issue with my earliest child, yet is most definitely a problem with my little girl. I made use of to serve her the very same amount that I offered my boy (this was a mindless behavior that I entered), yet then after lots of dish beings rejected, understood that I was offering her also a lot. We were squandering food as well as my little girl was bewildered with the parts that I was offering.

How I fixed it: When I cut her sections down (by greater than one fifty percent!), she began eating her meals once again as well as often even requested even more. I offered her less of everything, yet still seen to it that she was obtaining a great well balanced meal. I understood that I am like his too-if I'm served also large of a part of any food, I quickly end up being shut off as well as don't eat as much.

7. He's not feeling well:

If your youngster isn't really feeling well, it's not likely that she or he will certainly eat well at a meal. This is often the very first indicator that an illness is beginning. In this situation, ensure that you keep your kid moisturized, and offer easy-to-digest foods such as white rice, banana, white bread, soda biscuits, popsicles, soup as well as apple sauce up until his/her appetite returns.

How to handle it: Offer foods usually when your youngster is ill yet do not push them-fluids are most essential. If you're seeing that your child isn't really interested in eating as well as is acting a bit 'off', uncommonly weary or inactive, this could be the case.

Your child can likewise be having digestion problems (such as bowel irregularity or acid reflux) which can make it unpleasant to consume. If you presume that this is the issue, concentrate much more on higher fiber whole grains, fruits as well as veggies and also great deals of fluids (constipation) as well as avoid from high acid foods such as tomatoes and also citrus fruits, and also spicy foods (heartburn). If these problems linger, chat to your kid's physician or a paediatric dietitian for more assistance.

8. Too much milk (or juice):

Between-meal-milk-drinking could have a satiating effect. Milk has fat as well as protein-two nutrients that make children feel full.

How to fix it: Kids as well as kids ought to be provided no more than 500mL (two mugs) of milk per day. Attempt offering half a mug at each dish (or right after), which leaves area for one more half mug before bedtime if that belongs to your routine. Water needs to be the only fluid provided in between dishes for hydration.

Juice consists of excess calories as well as sugar that kids do not require - it loads them up with little dietary worth. Did you know that a 250 mL (1 mug) juice box includes 6 tsps of sugar? If your kids consume alcohol juice, limitation it to no greater than 125 mL (1/2 cup) per day and also water it down (and also deal at meals with food).

9. There are too many snacks:

Kids that 'graze' in between dishes typically, or snack arbitrarily throughout the day could concern the table sensation also complete to consume. their meal. This is why it is so essential to establish structure around snack times.

How to fix it: There must be an assigned treat time where a couple of foods of the moms and dad's picking (such as yogurt and also fruit or cheese and also crackers) are supplied, instead of snacking being a ran- dom free-for-all between meals. Toddlers and young kids should be given the chance to create a cravings for meals, or else, they won't consume much and also it will be harder for them to find out self-regulation. This not just disrupts family members nourishments, however could also impact a child's dietary intake and also overall connection with food over time.

10. He's too tired:

It is extremely possible that your young child or young kid is just as well exhausted to eat. After a lengthy day of having fun, daycare, preschool, preschool etc. some kids just don't have the power to bring fork to mouth. If you're finding that your kid is picky, simple to sob, rubbing his/her eyes, or otherwise showing indications of 'striking a wall', that's probably what's happening.

How to fix it: Encourage him/her to load their bellies prior to bed as most ideal as they can, as well as remind them that there disappears food till morning. If they do not consume a lot, know that they'll balance it at some time the following day or throughout that week, so there's not excessive to fret about.

If you're finding that your youngster is exhausted routinely at dinner however, it could mean that they need an afternoon snooze (or morning nap-my child does better with this). You may likewise want to consider having an earlier supper. We entered the bad habit of consuming dinner at 6:30 pm or later and saw that dinnertime was a catastrophe every evening. We chose to relocate it to 5pm as well as it made a globe of difference.

If this was helpful, check out my Facebook page, where I publish everyday ideas, recommendations as well as dishes for youngsters and also moms and dads!