#not my most written for member BUT it's his time to shine y'all

[koishua]

oh yes i feel my brain juices flowing

[blorbosondeck]

fic rec masterlist

canon divergent/finale fix its

Anamnesis

THIS! FIC! this fic lives in my head rent FREE it is so good and it makes so much sense in the narrative that the shitty finale concocted, as to why they wouldn't mention cas or anyone else and its just. so good and they write chuck in the most villainous way that i love!!!

"Chuck is depowered, Jack is the new god, and the world is free. Dean and Sam get into the Impala and chase down the miles on an endless highway, and their story is finally, finally their own to follow. At least, that's what Dean tells himself. But the diners and motels and painted interstate lines are blurring together and the smallest details keep catching at his brain like tiny fishhooks and he can't quite shake the feeling that not everything is exactly as it should be. Fix-it/alternate series finale. Canon-compliant through the end of 15.19."

Sunset Sound: Stairway to Heaven by @adhdeancas

GOD FUCKING CHRIST this is so good and sweet and im such a sucker for team ups and reunions!!! its 3:30 am rn and i just finished it and i love it SO much it made me laugh a lot and the last few chapters i had the stupidest grin just plastered to my face

The Closer the Star, the Greater the Parallax by @rocksalts​

repressed bastard dean submits to the mortifying ordeal of being known and receives the rewards of being loved but only after some miscommunication i LOVE this i read it last night and it’s a fast favorite. my interests have overlapped and i am INTO it

“When Dean sits down to watch some bullcrap Discovery Channel episode with Cas, he doesn’t expect to actually learn anything. Except, with Cas explaining, he makes an effort to connect the dots.”

Don't We All Deserve To Be Happy?

VERY sweet and a VERY good pick me up. all around feel good fic!!! 

"Post-canon fix-it, divergent from 15x19 where Jack stays and Dean doesn't die and Cas comes back and everyone is happy. Take a shot every time I'm salty about the finale."

Keep Your Love Alive

okay. okay okay okay this may be my favorite finale fix it just because of how well reasoned it is. like this feels what should have happened i love it SO much

"Dean gets to spend eternity sharing beers with Bobby on the Roadhouse porch and riding around in his Baby with Sam. He’s at peace… or he feels like he should be. But a few things nag at him: Where is Cas, and everybody else Dean had been hoping to see in Heaven? Why does he feel like he’s stuck in a loop, reliving the same memories over and over again? And who are the strangers wearing Sam’s and Bobby’s faces?"

The GoldenRod Revisions by @aethylas​

this is one of the most well written things ive ever read. the script format DID make it feel more real and honestly? this is better writing than this show deserves. the finale that could have been ♥️

“A rewrite of Supernatural’s final two episodes, expanded into a five episode arc - in which Chuck needs to be defeated, Castiel deserves to be saved, and the characters in this story get a very different ending.“

Ascend by @wanderingcas​ 

THEE finale fix it fic!!! written by the AMAZINGLY skilled and talented @wanderingcas !!! it’s 50k of angst and hurt/comfort and pure bliss

“Something in the world is wrong.

Demon activity is rising where mysterious black substance oozes and unusual ecological events are shaking the world. Dean, grief hanging on his shoulders, restlessly searches for answers that might lead him to the Empty… and to Cas.

But what Chuck wrote can’t be undone. The narrative thread pulls Dean along, forcing him to comply. Because once a story already has an ending, it can’t be rewritten.

Or can it?”

Things Happen (They Do, And They Do, And They Do) by THEE @sobsicles

i KNOW everyone has already recommended this and likely you’ve all already read it. but it has to go here bc REPRESSIOOOOOOOOON i LOVE this so much it is one of the most perfect things i’ve read. are you bisexual? did you have a kind of weird relationship with your best friend and not realize that how you felt about them wasn’t necessarily how other people felt about them and you were maybe a little bit in love with them but were too repressed to realize it? you’ll feel seen. maybe a little too seen

Closer (isn't close enough)

are you a sweet and sappy yet horny bastard? do you like cas exploding light bulbs? you will like this.

“the one where they finally talk about what cas said before the empty took him”

You and Your Husband

it is exTRMELY sweet!!! repression dean strikes again <3

"Five times Dean corrects someone about his relationship with Cas, and one time he realizes he doesn't need to."

Tall Grass

miscommunication and a slowburn! despite being written in 2017 and finished in 2018, it feels like a fix it. ft. plant obsessed cas <3 

Invictus

a LOVELY and short (relatively) finale fix it

“They saved the world. They're free. It's done.

Except it's not, and carrying on is the last thing any of them are thinking about.

They still have someone they need to save.”

Unchained Link

post finale- it’s a great case fic and i am compelled i want more!!!

"It's after the end of things. Life continues on while Dean is "livin it up" in heaven. But it's never that simple, is it? A freak occurrence sends Dean into another time stranded back on Earth. And he thought his hunting days were over. But, no worries. His knight in shining armor comes to the rescue. Hijinks, therefore, ensue."

fun and time unspecified

Ladies and Gentlemen, This is Love Potion No. 5

very funny and sweet! miscommunication at its finest ♥️

"Cas gets drenched with a mystery potion from the ‘love spell’ shelf and... Dean has a sneaking suspicion, angel or no— the spell may have taken effect. And Cas might be in love with Sam."

The Way We Were

Y'all. It is so good its a great mix of funny and serious- extremely fun to see dean as like a base bisexual

"Dean and Castiel pose as a couple to gain access to a gated community known as 'The Glen', a pleasant if secretive location that the boys believe might be linked to several dead bodies showing up over the years bearing signs of ritualistic sacrifice. All seems well until Dean's memory is affected from an incident during a solo exploration, leaving Dean convinced that their cover story is true. Castiel is left trying to resolve their case without taking advantage of an increasingly enthusiastic Dean"

While You Were Sleeping

this is basically just the movie but replacing sandra bullock with cas. this is my comfort movie and imo, one of the most perfect rom coms. the fic isn’t finished but i still have the tab open on my phone and i will straight up go back and re read it when i need a pick me up. 

aus/rewrites

The Harvelle Gospels: Offscript

i know everyone ever ( @jewishcharliebradbury ) has recommended this fic. and for good reason go fucking read it

“The Apocalypse is averted, the angels are in Heaven, and Jo is free from the threat of possession. Somehow it couldn't be farther from a happy ending.“

absolute riots

An Ineffably Profound Bond

i honestly would have put this in the finale fix it section! look. i know. i know you've been burned by crossover fics before. but this is Thee good omens/spn fic you want. its funny as hell and immensely satisfying. im weak for everyone working together tropes and that is this

"After Chuck sets 'The End' in motion, the remaining members of TFW make a miraculous escape. Not willing to waste any time, Castiel comes up with a plan to travel to one of the other worlds to try and get help from the angels there, but after a fight with Dean, it's the hunter who gets sent into an alternate universe,with seemingly no hope of return.

When a mysterious human with a heavenly weapon shows up in Aziraphale's shop, he and Crowley learn that their world is not the only one. Now it is up to them to decide whether or not they want to join forces with the human and help him save his world or simply find a way to send him home."

Somebody Up There Likes Me by @lafilleredige

cas is hit with a spell that turns his vessel into a woman, hijinks and sexuality crises ensue etc etc sam is a supportive and bitchy little brother and its all SO fucking funny and also. horny as hell i love it i love it i LOVE it

“’Dean doesn’t want to talk about your breasts, it’s making him uncomfortable because he hasn’t acknowledged the complex fluidity of human sexuality.’“

Stray Cat Strut

a long crack fic that IS one of the funniest things i’ve ever read and i can’t explain why. it’s so ooc but its so funny that i don’t care. if you need a laugh you gotta read this

"Sam and Cas are immediately in love with the adorable kitty they find outside the bunker door, and occupy their time planning how to convince Dean--who they believe is off sulking after a botched hunt--to let them keep their cat. Along the way, Dean learns to use a litter box and hears some confessions he maybe wasn’t supposed to hear, all while realizing just how much he loves Castiel.

Now all Dean has to do is convince Cas and Sam their new pet cat is actually him before they do something crazy--like neuter him!"

canon compliant or slight canon divergence

Give

by @doublestuffedimpala post season 7 episode 7, kind of ambiguous ending but truly a cas is happy to bleed for the winchesters fic

Punch Like Bones 

short, post 5x04 homoerotic moment that i wish we’d gotten

[teacup-of-candlelight]

hi pls tell us more about verin and your oc 🥺🥺

Oh boy I would love to! (honestly I may have to make a series out of this because I have no idea where to start)

So a little backstory on myself and Verin-

Back in the day when Verin was first announced I was on the FJ discord and we were live watching an episode when someone mentioned Verin. A friend of mine very enthusiastically then wrote the legendary typo "VERN!" which I, of course, as the resident meme lady had to run with. Eventually it came to Vern Thelyss being Essek's dad who was just Essek but with a big mustache, and also this gave birth to my undying love of Verin Thelyss. We all agreed he was hot. TGtW said he was lawful good and I was a goner (I'm a sucker for a knight in shining armor what can I say)

A YEAR AND A HALF LATER

I've become a part of a D&D group who do mini campaigns set in Exandria. The newest one-shot campaign we were doing was going to be political intrigue set in Rosohna years after the end of campaign two. So I bring back my Half-Drow Aberrant Mind Sorcerer, Xinthe, who I had played in a previous one shot. Her backstory was basically that she was taken as a child and trained to be an anti-scourger by a previous Shadowhand who was also banished for treason (lol). She had been involved in a PC love triangle last time, but the guy died (rip) and pretty much ever since then our group had been joking that someday she would just go back to the Dynasty and end up with Verin.

WEELLL... Turns out when this Rosohna campaign pops up it just so happens to be DMd by the very same friend who said "VERN!" and set off my whole obsession anyways. So she very graciously decided to sweep me off my feet with a lvl 15 Echo Knight Verin Thelyss who is now the last remaining member of his family living in the capital as their entire den has been tainted and fallen with Essek's treason. He's a himbo, yes, but he's also a Man Written By A Woman and an absolute treasure. (He cooked for her y'all. Lizard Alfredo *heart eyes*)

They met at a ball, and then fought some cultists together like the BA battle couple they are and yeah so now they're dating. We're actually wrapping this campaign up TONIGHT so yeah we'll see how things end up. Last session we had some pvp and my girl got assassinated but she got back up and used the spell bead that Verin gave her from Essek, so Hot Boi himself teleported his lil bro in to save his gf and I was vibrating.

(We also did a lot of text based RP for this game and most of the Verin x Xinthe content is in there so I'm pretty tempted to just edit it up and post some of it on like AO3 or somthin.)

[that-one-gay-girl]

The Book Store - Ch.4

Pairing: Sam x Reader

Word Count: 2080

Summary: Sam and the reader go on their date and take the next step in their relationship.

Warning: Smut, oral f receiving, p in v, angst, alcohol consumption, police corruption 18+ SMUT DON’T READ KIDDOS!

A/N: Hey y'all! I’m so excited for you to read this chapter. This chapter includes smut and it is the first time I’ve written it, Shoutout to @crashdevlin​ for giving me the support to write this! I hope you enjoy it! I’d love to hear your feedback!

Pulling your seat out for you, Sam lets you sit first before pushing the chair in slightly and sitting across from you. A small lit candle sits in the middle of the room illuminating Sam’s features, his hazel eyes sparkling in the candlelight.

“Good evening, my name is William, and I will be your waiter for tonight. Can I get you started with any drinks?” he glances between the pair.

Sam looks at you with a questioning gaze, “What do you want, Y/n?”

“I’ll have a glass of white, whatever you have open.” you tell the waiter.

“I’ll have the same.” Sam responds.

“I’ll be back with your drinks shortly.” laying down two menus, the waiter walks back into the kitchen.

Glancing up at Sam, you notice his gaze on you. Glancing back down at the menu, you open it scanning the pages, but not comprehending the words.

Sam clears his throat. “I’m happy you said yes to this date.” he tells you, keeping his gaze on you.

“Me too, I feel safe with you.” you confess to him. You felt safe with Sam, like he would protect you from anything. You wanted to tell Sam everything about your past, but this wasn’t the time or place.

William comes back with your drinks placing them down, pulling you from your thoughts. You both place your order with the waiter before diving into conversation.

Sam was always easy to talk to, since the first time you met him, he had this inviting warmth that surrounded you and drew you in.

Throughout dinner, you and Sam found a way to touch, whether it was holding his hand or your legs brushing the others, he was a magnet drawing you in, and you never wanted the pull to stop.

After dinner, Sam leads you down to the town square where a live band is playing, and couples are dancing.

“May I have this dance?” Smiling up at him, you place your hand in his outstretched one. He pulls your body flush against his. He begins to sway your bodies in time with the music, before spinning you out and pulling your body back into his.

Gasping, you look up into his eyes, his eyes shimmering in the night lights. Sam leans his head down, meeting you halfway as his lips capture yours in a kiss. It’s slow and powerful.

A new sensation runs through your body, a tingling that you haven’t felt in years, making your body warm-up.

You pull away with a smile, biting your lip as you lay your head on Sam’s chest, continuing to dance to the slow music.

As the crowd thins out, many people heading back home, you and Sam make your way to his car as he drives back to Eileen’s house.

Your hand rests in Sam’s large one the whole ride back. Getting out of the car, Sam walks you to the door. “I had a great time tonight Sam.” you turn to Sam as you finish unlocking the front door.

“Best date I’ve ever had.” he tucks a piece of hair behind your ear, glancing down at your lips before looking back up to your shining eyes.

“Would you like to come in?” you ask, biting your lip nervously, knowing what you want.

“I’d love to.” grabbing his hand, you pull him inside the house before locking the door. You can feel the heat of Sam’s body behind yours as his hand strokes your arm.

Spinning around, you step back at the proximity of your bodies. The door and Sam’s body effectively trap you in place, but you don’t mind; you want this.

You reach your hand up to cup Sam’s cheek. Every time his lips touched yours, time seemed to stand still.

Arching into the kiss, you wrap your arms around Sams’s neck, pulling lightly on the ends of his hair, earning a growl from him. He pushes you back against the door devouring your lips, swallowing your whimpers of pleasure.

“Jump,” he mumbles against your lips. Jumping up, you wrap your legs around Sams’s waist as he pulls your top off, leaving you in your pants and laced bra. “Fucking gorgeous,” he kisses down your neck, to the peak of your breast.

“Let me worship you.” he mumbles against your skin, his hands roaming up your legs, landing on your ass.

“Please,” you gasp out in pleasure as Sam continues to torture you with kisses. Walking you up to your bedroom, Sam lays you down on the bed, pulling off his shirt as your eyes roam his chiseled body.

Sam’s body looked like an artist created it, the perfect outline of his abs and muscles shining in the bedroom’s low light, only the side lamp illuminating the room. “I need you, Sam.” pulling his body back to yours, your lips mold together in a heated kiss.

“I’ve got you baby girl.” Sam pushes your body down, undoing your pants, he strips you until you are completely naked.

Stripping himself of clothes quickly, he falls on top of you, trapping your body underneath his massive frame. “Just say the word, and I’ll stop.” looking into your eyes, he sees no hesitation as you speak.

“I want this” you assure before his head dives down towards your breast, his mouth covering your nipple as his tongue sucks and bites, teasing you. “Sam!” you tug on his hair, his other hand runs down your body, caressing you in a soft touch.

Releasing your nipple, he smirks at you before moving down, spreading your legs. “You’re dripping for me.” His husky voice rumbles.

His large fingers run down your entrance teasing you, your back arches from the pleasure, the pleasure you’d never felt before. His large fingers push into your dripping pussy. Your eyes roll back as you moan loudly.

If his fingers made you feel this good, you couldn’t imagine how you’d be once he was inside you. “Gonna make you feel amazing, baby girl.” before you can respond, Sam’s mouth latches onto your center, licking and sucking your most sensitive parts.

His tongue circles your clit as two large fingers fill you. Your legs begin to close against Sam’s head, trapping him between your legs. “Fuck! Sam, I’m going to cum!” your hands grip his hair tightly as you climax.

Your legs tremble slightly as you catch your breath, releasing Sam. He lifts his head slightly, eyes blown with lust, your juices dripping down his face.

Sam grabs a condom from his wallet, tearing the foil package, rolling the silicon onto his sizeable member. Sam moves you on top of him. “Do you want to stop?” he checks, looking into your y/e/c eyes.

Instead of speaking, you lean down, pressing your lips to his in a soft, slow kiss. “I trust you.” you whisper against his plump lips. Rolling you over, you lay underneath him. He lines himself up with your entrance before slowly pushing into you.

His hands pull yours away from gripping the sheets and laces them with his. “Just look at me baby.” he whispers as his hair falls around his face. He stills as he bottoms out, before pulling back and slamming into you.

He fills you completely, stretching your walls as you moan in pleasure. His head drops to your neck, sucking the sensitive skin leaving his mark across your body. He continues to thrust into you at a brutal pace, your walls clenching around his thick length.

His pace stutters as he grips your hair slightly, pulling you into a bruising kiss. “Cum with me.” he growls, pounding into you relentlessly before stilling as he cums.

“Sam!” you scream in pleasure as you climax for a second time that night.

Slowly pulling out of you, Sam places a chaste kiss on your forehead as he goes into your bathroom, discarding the condom. He grabs a washcloth and runs it under warm water, returning to you. He cleans you up before laying down beside you.

“You ok?” he brushes the hair away from your face as your heavy lids look up at him.

“I’ve never been better,” you whisper, laying your head on his naked chest.

Placing a kiss atop your head, you both fall into a deep sleep, wrapped in each other’s warmth.

----

The feeling of hands running through your hair wakes you from your deep sleep.

“Morning beautiful.” Sams deep voice whispers

“Morning.” you smile before you realize what this means. You sit up quickly, pulling the sheets around your body.

Sam notices the change in your demeanor, sitting up worriedly. “What’s wrong?” he questions.

Taking a deep breath, you take a chance to look at Sam. “There’s something I need to tell you if you want to be together.”

Sam’s eyes scan yours, seeing hundreds of emotions pass through. “Of course, I want to be with you, Y/n, nothing could change that.”

Nodding, you stand from the bed, “we should get dressed first.” You grab a pair of running shorts and a tank top, getting dressed as Sam pulls on his clothes from the previous night. You sit back down on the bed, taking deep breaths to calm your nerves.

Sam sits at the foot of your bed, sensing how nervous you are.

“You have to promise to let me explain everything first before you say anything, ok?” you look at him solemnly.

“I promise, just tell me, baby.” he holds your hand.

“I’m married, but the man I’m married to, Sam, he’s awful ever since the day we were married he found some way to hurt me. He’s an abusive man, and the night before I came here-he-he tried to kill me.” The tears you had been holding back break the damn as they stream down your face.

“I ran away, and Eileen has been helping me, hiding me from him. He’s the sheriff where I lived, no one knew what he did to me, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I couldn’t take his controlling behavior and abuse any longer. I had to get away.” Sam’s grip on your hands tighten.

“I never expected to find this life that I’ve always wanted. I never expected to find you to find someone I care about, to find someone who treats me right. I’m so sorry, Sam.” you cry as he wraps his arms around your body, pulling you into him.

“Shhh, I’m here, baby, calm down, deep breaths.” he tells you as you struggle to calm down from panic.

It takes a few minutes for your breathing to even out, but you slowly pull away from Sam, looking down at your hands, ashamed once you do.

“Y/n, look at me.” you refuse to meet his eyes. You know what’s coming, he’s done with you now that he knows the truth.

Sam slips his fingers under your chin, lifting your head to meet his gaze.

“Y/n, what you told me, it doesn’t change anything, it doesn’t change how I feel about. I will do everything to protect you from him, and I will never, ever lay a single finger on you. You’re safe with me.” his hand cups your cheek, his thumb brushing over your lip.

“You promise I’m safe?” your voice cracks.

“I promise.” his lips brush yours tenderly.

----

Chance was going crazy without her. Bringing the bottle of whiskey to his lips, he downs the rest of it before throwing the bottle across the room, the bottle shattering into a thousand pieces.

Holding the wedding photo in his hands, he glances down at his wife in her dress. She looked perfect that day, the tight mermaid style dress. Her breast pushed up; her makeup looked stunning, her bright red lips.

He had picked every detail for her that day. It was perfect, and she would regret ever leaving him. That fucking bitch would pay, he thinks to himself.

Pulling open his work computer, he creates a new poster. He wasn’t getting anywhere with the missing person report. Time to come home, baby, smirking to himself, he types up a wanted poster. Three counts of murder, that should draw the bitch out quickly.

He sends it out to multiple stations before going to pour himself another drink. You’re mine. He glares at the wedding photo.

Chapter 5

Hazel hearts:

@hobby27​

Forever Babes:

@winchest09​ @hobby27​ @flamencodiva​

[profoundnet]

PROFOUND MEMBER POST - NOVEMBER 2018

Header by @pantydean and is available on merch from her redbubble store. You can use all those fancy emojis (and more!) on our Discord Server!

The Masterpost is open for all creations by ProfoundBond members which are posted in entirely during that month.

MEMBER CONTRIBUTIONS FOR NOVEMBER 2018!

Masterpost below the cut.

wargurl83 - @wargurl83​

Fem Cas for Jess

Summary: Art created for Jess/Jscribbles of Fem Cas

SFW

JessJessTheBest - @saywhatjessie​ - JessJessTheBest

Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner 

Summary:  “I’m Baby Del Mar and I think y'all are mighty fine. It’s time for ass-whooping. Who’s next in line?” Baby Del Mar is one of the top faces in the WWE universe. But in real life, Dean Winchester is just a guy who wants to keep his personal and professional lives separate. This turns out to be a problem for several reasons.

Tags: WWE AU, Established Relationship, WWE typical violence, discussion of past injury.

SFW

Accompanying art by @purzelndesbaeumchen 

kradarua - kradarua

The Stars, They Shine

Summary:  Engineer-in-training Dean Winchester just wants to work on cars. Astronomer Castiel Novak spends his time holed up in the school’s observatory looking at the stars and trying to piece together his dissertation. They’ve never had any reason to cross paths. Not until they get roped into participating in the college theatre group, anyway. When Lisa invites Dean to join her at the mass meeting, he can’t say no to a pretty face. But the joke is on Dean when he accidentally lands the male lead and has to come to terms with memorizing lines and trying not to make a fool of himself on stage. Moreover, despite his best attempts to stay interested in Lisa, there’s no denying the strange gravitational pull he feels around Castiel. Castiel is just here to prove to Charlie that he’s capable of doing something besides research; it should be easy, except he finds himself becoming interested in Dean in a way he really did not expect. Dean is trying to navigate being way outside his skill set; Castiel just wants to hold onto his scholarship without pissing off the religious organization that gave it to him. It’s going to be a long semester, especially if Dean keeps forgetting his goddamn lines. The show must go on!

Tags: Alternate Universe - College/University, Theatre, Homophobia, Misappropriated Christianity, Astronomer!Castiel, Accidental Actor!Dean, Gay Panic, Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, First Kiss, First Time

NSFW

canadduh - @canadduh - canadduh

Uncle Dean: Adventures in Babysitting

Summary:  Dean has always looked after his brother Sammy. So it was really easy to extend that care to his brother's kid. Dean watches his nephew while Sam spends five hours on self-care for the first time since the death of his wife almost six months ago. Dean and Cas talk about the future.

Tags: Implied/Referenced Character Death, Kid!Fic, Uncle Dean Winchester, Uncle Castiel, Dean Winchester is a good Uncle, Fluff, Parent Sam Winchester

SFW

sharkfish - @reallyelegantsharkfish - sharkfish

trustworthy for such work

Summary: Cas hugs his pillow, and he’s mostly asleep when a memory works its way in. His father watching Fox news, a fearmongering piece about ifrits in healthcare. His father’s voice, saying, Blood is how they take your wishes. Cas always assumed that meant through feeding. But —

Tags: Dragon Castiel, djinn dean, Dragons, Djinni & Genies, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Demisexual Castiel (Supernatural), Mutual Pining, Magic, Wishes, References to Addiction, References to Knotting.

NSFW

longing for grapefruit

Summary:  Dean lights up and takes the first hit, but instead of exhaling, he leans over towards Cas. It’s not a proper kiss, breathing in Dean’s air, but it’s intimate, and they take turns sharing hits in between kisses. Cas is flying. Cas can feel everything, Cas is out of his body. “Baby,” Dean says, soft in between them. “Let me make you feel good.”

Tags: Friends to Lovers, Recreational Drug Use, Marijuana, Oral Sex, Mental Health Issues, Hurt/Comfort, Shotgunning, Demisexual Castiel (Supernatural)

NSFW

dancing backwards

Summary:  Cas hears Dean Winchester come into the bathroom, but he’s too busy fiddling with equipment to acknowledge him at first, until Dean says, “So like, is there someone I can sue when I break my ankles?” Cas looks up to see the pair of pale pink stilettos hanging from his fingertips. The only thing he’s wearing is a long, dingy skirt with layers and layers of tulle like a tutu and dark, smudged eyeliner.

Tags: Actor Dean Winchester, Photographer Castiel, Dean Winchester in Heels, Fluff and Smut

NSFW

The Answer 

Summary:  “Can I ask if you’ve done this before? BDSM shit.” “Is it that obvious that I haven’t?” “We were all new once,” Dean says, giving him a smile.

Tags: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Sex Shop, BDSM, Gentle Dom Castiel, Sub Dean Winchester, Dom Castiel/Sub Dean Winchester, Paddling, Face-Fucking, soft Recreational Drug Use

NSFW

overdressed and overeducated

Summary: My brother says I’m boring, Castiel wrote. Perhaps you can make me seem a little more exciting.

Tags: Stylist Dean, Cas is sad & bad at clothes, Meet-Cute, Weddings, First Kiss, Pen Pals

SFW

mittensmorgul - @mittensmorgul - MittensWraith

 Lost Time

Summary: Dean figured Cas was only trying to let him down easy. He needed a little bit of time to figure out how to deal with it.

Tags: Fluff and Angst, Dean Winchester Uses Actual Words, Mutual Pining, Post-Canon, Newly Human Castiel, Love Confessions, First Kiss

SFW

ravenscat - @ravenscat-tumbler - ravensCAT

“They Were in the Bag!” (Panties and dildos)

Summary: The Luggage Mixup Au no one asked for. Basically pwp, almost, it was supposed to be and then feelings happened. Gross.

Tags: Top Cas/Bottom Dean, Rimming, Blowjobs, Shower sex, plane sex, Dean in panties, lawyer Cas

NSFW

deliciousirony - @delicious-irony - deliciousirony

Arctic Light

Summary: Art for Northern Sparrow's Under The Midnight Sun

Tags: No Archive Warnings Apply, Dark-Eyed Junco (Original Character), Fanart DCBB, northernsparrow, Birds, Curious Birds, Physiology Of Angels, Angel Wings, landscapes, The Arctic, Deli, SPRW

SFW

dean-bangs-cas-in-the-impala (maknatuna) - @dean-cas-in-the-impala - Dean-Bangs-Cas-In-The-Impala

October in Paris

Summary: No matter where Castiel is he always thinks about Dean. Tags: Fluff, Romance, Friendship, Friendship that is slowly turning into romance.

SFW

EllenOfOz - EllenOfOz

For A Dream’s Sake

Summary: Part of the DCBB 2018. Just four ingredients is all they need to reopen the rift. Archangel grace, the Seal of Solomon, blood of a most holy man, and a fruit from the tree of life. Castiel returns from Syria with the fruit, saying that he killed some djinn and bargained with the rest. But just what bargain did Cas make with the djinni queen? What did he experience at her hands? Heaven's great leader of armies prides himself on his self-control, his steadfast courage under pressure. But when the djinni's dream is everything he's ever hoped for...

Tags: No Archive Warnings, canon level violence, canon verse, Djinn, angst with a happy ending, angel wings, season 13

NSFW

Accompanying art by @usarechan

Bumocusal - Bumocusual

Six Degrees of Levain

Summary: Dean has a dog that won't stop vomiting, a brother with Sasquatch hair that brings all the ladies to the yard, and is developing a particular attachment to the hot guy that jogs by his house.

Tags: Police Officer Dean Winchester, Animal Lover Castiel, Meddling Sam Winchester, Fluff and Smut, Romantic Fluff, Shameless Smut, Vibrators, Anal Fingering, Anal, Kissing, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Rimming, Top Castiel, Bottom Dean Winchester

NSFW

jscribbles - jscribbles

Your Story Isn’t Over Yet

Summary: One morning, Castiel wakes up suddenly very lady-shaped, and Team Free Will discover that a nephilim grows inside him. Sam has no idea how this could have happened considering Cas was supposed to be human, and Dean seems uninterested in finding out how or why their friend is pregnant and female - but he seems goddamn excited. Castiel retreats into himself, seemingly more depressed than usual. Sam is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery, though the others seem reluctant to discover the origin of the nephilim. Could the answer be right under his nose?

Tags: Temp MCD, mpreg (but not really), Temp Genderbend, Grace Baby, Angst, Grief, Implications of losing a child, Blood, Vomit

NSFW

supernatural9917

Cogitationes Publicae 

Summary: While organising a store room in the bunker, Dean accidentally breaks a potion bottle, and the contents leave him with no internal monologue. What secrets will be revealed when all his thoughts are laid bare? Written for the Destiel Smut Bingo. Square fill: Consequence of a truth serum/spell Tags: Destiel Smut Bingo 2018, Truth Serum, Dean has no inner monologue, Cas approves of this, Consequence of a truth serum/spell

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Hot for Teacher

Summary: Castiel Novak is a young new math teacher at Lawrence High, and Dean Winchester is a popular senior in his class. Dean has a bit of a crush, and Castiel can't help but notice Dean's charms. Written for the Destiel Smut Bingo. Square fill: hot for teacher

Tags: Destiel Smut Bingo 2018, hot for teacher, Teacher Castiel, Student Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester Has a Crush on Castiel, Castiel isn't oblivious to Dean's charms (No underage or relationship while Dean is a student)

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MalMuses - @malmuses - MalMuses

Wendig-Oh-No!

Summary: Of all the things that Castiel, former Angel of the Lord, expected to become as a human, being clumsy was never one of them. When Sam catches the flu, Dean is forced to team up with Cas on a Wendigo hunt in snowy northern Minnesota. It goes terribly. Or does it? SPN Reverse Bang fic, with art by @harplesscastiel.

Tags: Fluff, Miscommunication, Bedsharing, Camping, Human Castiel, Clumsy Castiel, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sharing Body Heat, Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Wendigo, Hunter Castiel

SFW

Personal Space

Summary: Dean is an astronaut, and he definitely chose the career so that he could help move humanity forward, not just because he didn't want to sit in an office, thank-you-very-much. Becoming the first human to set foot on Mars was never part of his five-year plan, but he loved his job and couldn't say no when the opportunity arose. He had spent plenty of time thinking about what he was risking never seeing again if something went wrong; his brother, brother-in-law, and the adorable kid they were adopting, not to mention his friends, his car, and pie. What he hadn't considered was what, or who, he might find when he actually got there. SPN Reverse Bang fic with art by @thefriendlypigeon Tags: Mars Exploration AU, Astronaut Dean, Alien Castiel, Established Gabriel/Sam Winchester, Way more feelings than you would expect, Fluff, Angst with a Happy Ending, Slow Burn, Castiel Has Tentacles, Consentacles, Not as crazy as it sounds, Kid Jack Kline, So many references but actually not crack, Sam is a Good Brother, Jack is adorable, More Wholesome Than It Sounds, Tentacles, Tentacle Sex, Love Can Cross the Cosmos NSFW

The Doppelganger Effect

Summary: Dean had been having a pretty great week, all in all. There had been that case up in Dodge City where he’d worn a cowboy hat, he had made homemade burgers for dinner, and best of all? Cas was back from the Empty. Alive, unharmed, and in the bunker. Things were back to normal. Then they showed up to ruin things—Dean and Cas, Version 2.0. They're not just different, they're happy. Not to mention very... coupley. Thrown from their own world with magic unheard of since Purgatory, the doppelgangers need Team Free Will’s help—or is it Dean and Cas that need theirs? Suddenly, Dean is stuck in a minivan with two angels that hate each other, a (pretty awesome) copy of himself, and his gassy little brother. Through magic mirrors, ill-advised pacts with Eldritch gods and rather too many gas-station tacos, Dean and his angel face down the past, and decide on their future. A 2018 DCBB fic with art by EL.

Tags: Case Fic, Possession, Eldritch Gods, Car Accidents, Canon-Typical Violence, Eye Trauma, Tentacle Monsters, Horror, Canon Flashbacks, Dean Winchester is Bad at Feelings, Drinking, Pining, Slow Burn, Witches, Original Character Death(s), Mutual Masturbation, Gore, Angst with a Happy Ending, Sam Ships It, Casturbation

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exceptcas - @exceptcas​ - exceptcas

No Call

Summary:  While celebrating Sam's bachelor party in Vegas, Dean runs into Cas. --- This is based off of the song "Closer" by Halsey.

Tags: Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Past Relationship(s), Bachelor Parties

SFW

Hitori-Alouette - @hitori-alouette

Can’t do it alone

Summary: Art created for the DEANCAS CREATIONS CHALLENGE

Tags: #deancascc #destiel  #deancasedit

SFW

[soyoureviewhiphoptoo]

4 of Rap’s Most Overrated Diss Tracks

1. 2Pac and Friends Take Shots at Notorious B.I.G. and Bad Boy Ent.

2Pac Featuring The Outlawz- Hit ‘Em Up Released: June 4, 1996 Label: Death Row Records and Interscope Records

That's why I fucked yo' bitch, you fat motherfucker!

The harsh and brutal opening line of one of the most iconic diss tracks ever released. In November 1994, months before he would be sentenced for his time in prison, 2Pac was ambushed and robbed at Quad Recording Studios in New York, leaving him with multiple gunshot wounds. Notorious B.I.G. and his team were in the studio during the altercation and soon thereafter, Biggie would release the single Who Shot Ya. While Biggie would go on to claim that the track was written months before the shooting and was in no way a diss towards his West-Coast counterpart, 2Pac would take massive offence from this song, believing he was set up. Upon his eventual release from prison, 2Pac would join forces with his group The Outlawz to record his response to the Biggie track, taking aim at Biggie, Puff Daddy, Lil Kim and Junior M.A.F.I.A. of Bad Boy Entertainment.

As I mentioned earlier, Hit ‘Em Up has been regarded as one of the most iconic diss tracks ever released; Pac would send brutal shots regarding the rumoured infidelity of Biggie’s wife, Faith Evans, Biggie copying Pac’s style and flow, reminding him of his humble beginnings and insulting his label mates. The song has one of the best hooks for a diss track and the energy exuded from the slow beat and Pac’s ferocious vocals would imply this song deserves the ratings it has received.

First off, fuck yo' bitch and the clique you claim Westside when we ride, come equipped with game You claim to be a player, but I fucked your wife We bust on Bad Boys, niggas fucked for life Plus, Puffy tryna see me, weak hearts I rip Biggie Smalls and Junior M.A.F.I.A. is some mark-ass bitches

Here is the problem with this track that people often overlook; Hit ‘Em Up would have served as a fitting solo track with Pac’s verses and his monologued outro but the song has three more verses from Outlaw members E.D.I Mean, Kadafi and Hussien Fatal. While the three young rappers are able to just about come near to Pac’s energy, ultimately, the Outlawz do not actually add to the song. Listen to this track enough times and you’ll realise that Pac says everything there was to say about Bad Boy and the Outlawz are just echoing his words. Not adding any pieces of new information or saying an overly unique or hurtful diss, just sticking with anything Pac said and making the song longer than it needed to be. If this song was a reply to Who Shot Ya, a Notorious B.I.G. single with no features, why clog your response with guest verses?

More isn’t always better.

2. Drake goes Back to Back, Fans helps him defeat Meek

Drake- Back to Back Released: July 29, 2015 Label: Cash Money Records, Young Money, Republic Records & OVO Sound Radio

Following a Twitter rant that resulted in Meek Mill accusing Drake of not writing his own songs, Drake fired back with the calm-mannered yet boring diss, Charged Up. After four days without a reply from the Dreamchaser camp, the Toronto M.C. fired the next shot with the relatively better diss, Back to Back. The song gained a grand ovation, winning over the internet. The song would go on to be multi-platinum and the first ever diss track to be nominated for a Grammy.

Here’s the thing about Drake’s Back to Back, it was hardly a diss track, to begin with. Rather than follow the traditional route, Drake decided to follow the idea of “Not releasing direct diss tracks but releasing hit songs and diss you on them”. While the first song was far from exciting, Drake would take numerous shots at the credibility of Meek Mill on Charged Up. On Back to Back, however, the main diss in the long verse was:

This for y'all that think that I don't write enough They just mad ‘cause I got the Midas touch You love her, then you gotta give the world to her Is that a world tour or your girl's tour? I know that you gotta be a thug for her This ain't what she meant when she told you to open up more Yeah, trigger fingers turn to Twitter fingers Yeah, you gettin' bodied by a singin' nigga I'm not the type of nigga that'll type to niggas And shout-out to all my boss bitches wifin' niggas

Here, Drake only briefly mentions the ghostwriting allegations while deciding to turn the beef towards Meek’s then-girlfriend and Young Money labelmate, Nicki Minaj, questioning Meek’s “gangsta” and pointing out he is not as famous or successful as Nicki or himself. Aside from being perceived as a low blow to involve a man’s girlfriend to a situation that doesn’t involve her, these lines aren’t necessarily disses but quotable cheap shots that people can sing along to. You’re not necessarily hurting anyone when you say lines that are reminiscent to playground insults on a hot beat however they will bruise your pride when the song begins to get played everywhere multiple times.

Sure, this worked for Drake but there are two reasons why he was able to overcome Meek Mill.

1.      Meek released a lukewarm response. Wanna Know, released the day after Back to Back, did not match the hyped-up vibe that Drake created and Meek did not bring his usual aggressive and loud energy to the track despite sampling Quentin Miller’s reference track for Drake’s hit song Know Yourself and sending far more scathing shots at Drake (And sampling the Undertaker’s iconic theme song).

2.      The people were on Drake’s side and, most importantly, the people were against Meek. Over the course of that week, millions of memes relating to the beef were created, with Meek slander being the theme. Drake would go on to project many of these memes on a screen during his Back to Back performance at OVO Fest, which spelt the end of the beef.

If the release of Back to Back taught me anything, it is that Drake’s fanbase is can turn a mediocre “diss” song into the song of the summer and the cause of a meteoric rise.

3. Kendrick “Diss” Puts Rap on Notice

Big Sean Featuring Kendrick Lamar and Jay Electronica- Control Released: August 12, 2013 Label: UMG Recordings, Inc., G.O.O.D. Music & Def Jam Recordings

During the 2013 roll-out for his second studio album, Hall of Fame, Big Sean would release the single Control. Featuring fellow rappers Kendrick Lamar and Jay Electronica, the Sean single delivered three impressive rap verses. While the song was unable to be added to the album due to a sample not being cleared on time, the song would go on to gain critical acclaim and becoming one of the most notable songs in Big Sean’s discography. Mind you, that is not thanks to Sean by any means. It would be Kendrick’s verse that would send shockwaves throughout the rap industry.

With a guest verse that hijacked the shine of his fellow artists and a stupendous lyrical display that will leave you catching your breath, Kendrick spat, possibly, the best rap verse of his career.  What is odd about this verse is whenever it is discussed by critics and major publications, it is often referred to as a diss verse. When I first heard this verse five years ago, this sentiment confused me and it still leaves me scratching my head today. The very reason why this verse is an “overrated diss” is that it was incorrectly labelled as a diss, to begin with. In this very long rap verse, there are certain bars that grabbed the most attention and generated the most reaction.

I'm Makaveli's offspring, I'm the King of New York King of the Coast; one hand, I juggle 'em both

With these lines, Kendrick claims he is the king of both California and New York, two of the spiritual homes of hip-hop. The latter claim led to a response from many New York rappers, most notably Joel Ortiz, Joe Budden, Cassidy and a surprisingly harsh diss track from Papoose. While it makes sense that rappers will act as gatekeepers for their city against the outsider with boisterous claims, it also seems odd that certain rappers took lines, that were nothing more than Kendrick bragging and displaying his confidence, like this to heart (especially Papoose).

I'm usually homeboys with the same niggas I'm rhymin' with But this is hip-hop, and them niggas should know what time it is And that goes for Jermaine Cole, Big K.R.I.T., Wale Pusha T, Meek Millz, A$AP Rocky, Drake Big Sean, Jay Electron', Tyler, Mac Miller I got love for you all, but I'm tryna murder you niggas Tryna make sure your core fans never heard of you niggas They don't wanna hear not one more noun or verb from you niggas

This is a section of the verse I remember the most. In a fashion that would make The Game proud, Kendrick would name drop many prominent rappers and while saying he respects them all, he says he plans to outdo them all and surpass them. I remember a very specific out roar towards this particular section, with many people feeling this was a diss towards the individuals Kendrick named. This, of course, is incorrect. At this time, Kendrick had worked with all of the rappers he mentioned, with the exception of Tyler, The Creator. He even states he is friends with all of them, making it clear to me that he was playing it safe with this section by naming people that may not have a negative reaction, generate a sense of competition and most importantly, generate a big enough reaction from the fans. With the exception of Nicki Minaj, 2 Chainz, Rick Ross and the T.D.E roster, all Kendrick did was name drop all of the rappers who had the most mainstream appeal in 2013.

Kendrick might have spat an amazing verse that brought back a sense of competition to hip-hop but he set a statement, not release a diss.

4. Remy Ma hands Nicki Minaj and herself an L

Remy Ma- shETHER Released: February 25, 2017 Label: Empire Distribution

Unlike all of the feuds on this list, the tension between Remy Ma and Nicki Minaj has been well-documented for many years. Dating back to 2007, Remy Ma, who was becoming a fan of the young Nicki Minaj, perceived the opening lines of Nicki’s single “Dirty Money” as a diss towards her. Despite being a belief she maintained for a few years, Remy had a change of heart upon her 2014 release from prison. Remy and Nicki would publicly champion each other and show each other love through tweets and interviews. All of this would come to a halt when Remy would release an N.Y. State of Mind freestyle where it was speculated that she sent shots towards Nicki Minaj. Since the release of this freestyle, Nicki would send shots on featured verses on Gucci Mane’s Make Love and Jason Derulo’s Swalla. At this point, Remy was given the excuse to release a 7-minute freestyle over Nas’ iconic diss track called shETHER.

Off the bat, the very first issue Remy encounters with this song is the song she chose. To rap on the beat of one of the greatest diss tracks ever recorded immediately puts her remix under a magnifying glass. The song was destined to fall from the resulting high expectations despite Remy superb rapping ability and cypher delivery style. With seven minutes of straight bars, there are several instances of memorable bars, discrediting Nicki’s character, insulting her surgically enhanced body, her label situation, her relationship with her brother and instances where Remy just goes on spectacular lyrical runs.

And I got a few words for the moms of the young Barbz Guess who supports a child molester? Nicki Minaj You paid for your brother’s wedding? That’s hella foul How you spendin' money to support a pedophile? He a walkin' dead man, sendin' threats to him I guess that’s why they call you Barbie, you was next to Ken Talkin’ about your money long and your foreign sick Why you ain’t help your bro hide his cum from forensics?

The next issue (and possibly the biggest) was the legitimacy of the lyrics. In rap beef, it is not uncalled of that rappers tend to stretch the truth or just lie in a few bars on their diss songs (After all, the opening line of Hit ‘Em Up has since been disproved) however, there are several instances in shETHER where Remy makes claims and allegations towards Nicki. During this song, Remy accused Nicki of: sleeping around with multiple artists including Drake, Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane, Ebro Darden & Trey Songz, having punctured ass implants for three months & refusing sex with her then-boyfriend Meek Mill, being addicted to cocaine & ecstasy, having untreated gonorrhoea and signing a 360-record deal to Young Money. Mind you, all of the bars relating to these topics were shocking and added to the song when it was first released, however, since then, a lot of the claims that built up a majority of the song were apparently disproved. With many of the men, Remy named as Nicki’s past lovers, denying the allegations, Meek denying talking to Remy about Nicki’s punctured implants and learning Nicki was not signed to a 360 from a simple Google search deflated the validity of shETHER overall.

Remy would go on to an attempt to go “back to back” on Nicki by releasing the significantly weaker diss track Another One, further deflating the effect of shETHER. Nicki would release the even weaker response; the Drake and Lil Wayne assisted No Frauds. While there would be later exchanges between the two, including Nicki spitting responses on the 2Chainz’s Realize and DJ Khaled’s Can’t Even Lie, the battle was over by then and it was unanimously decided that Nicki lost. While this would be nice under regular circumstances, Remy did not necessarily walk away from this beef in complete victory. shETHER has since been banned from radio and streaming services due to Remy not gaining rights to use the Ether beat, her credibility has been brought into question due to her many allegations and Remy’s eagerness in the battle caused her to disrupt her own momentum.

Nicki Minaj might have lost this battle but Remy Ma wasn’t really a winner in the end.

[daebakinc]

Happy Fanfic Writer Appreciation Day!

Happy Fanfic Writer Appreciation Day! I’m planning on dropping notes some writers’ inboxes as well  (and you should too!), but I also wanted to help them get more love!

To all of you fanfic writers, thank you so much for blessing all of us on this site with your talent, dedication, and love for our kpop girls and boys. I know it’s hard to keep up writing with busy schedules, life events, and other chaos of the world, but you all carry on. There’s also been a lot of hate going around to the people who deserve it the least, so I’d like to tell those of you who this has happened to to ignore those ingrates and write what you love and at your own leisure. We in your writing family will support you. Anyway, before I get too carried away, thank you again and happy writing!

@an-exotic-writer Mostly BTS oneshots. Missy has to be one of the sweetest people on the planet and somehow her writing is even fluffier than she is. Her oneshots are perfect no matter the theme, intricate snapshots of complex relationships that are ultimately goals. Recommended: 50 kisses series (although her baby jeon series will make you die of fluff!!!)

@causekpop  Multifandom scenarios, including BTS, BAP, EXO, GOT7 and Monsta X. Her tags are some of the best. Seriously, read them. Of course, her scenarios and drabbles are even better! Recommended: Born Survivor

@duizhangdeluxe​  EXO scenarios, lots of AUs. Mama Duck! A sweetheart whose writing is as magic as the stars and dragons she loves. Her works are some of the most original I’ve seen here and no matter the member, I devour the story. Recommended fic: Suhobot series

@floralseokjin BTS scenarios. I’ve only been following for a few months but it’s long enough to be blown away by this blog. There are tons of details and twists that will have you yelling at your screen for various reasons. You’ll also probably fall for Jin, because her love for him really shines through. Recommended fic: A Fragment

@idol-daydreams​  Multifandom scenarios, including some gender neutral. Jay will tell you his writing style is too simple, but don’t let him fool you. He’s an excellent writer. The simplicity of his style is why I love it. He strips away unnecessary words and flourishes so you can enjoy the raw emotion in each scenario. Recommended fic: A Wrathful God

@i-would-rather-be-queen​  Multifandom reactions and oneshots. , including 2pm, BAP, CNBlue, VIXX, and many more. Kels is like a big sister to each of her followers, a very talented big sister. I very much feel like she can read people well and she’s very creative in what themes she chooses to pursue in her writing. Recommended: Tender Heart

@jeonjagiya​  Iris has to be one of the most patient and intelligent people on this site. Her scenarios and very insightful into human emotions and the human experience, but at the same time incredibly relate-able. On top of her writing, she’s always willing to give the kind of no-sugar coating advice that people truly need. Recommended fic: Transference

@keypea Multifandom scenarios and oneshots, including Monsta X and EXO. Her scenarios are gold, but it’s her drabbles that captured my attention. I seriously want every one to be a full blown scenario or series. Recommended fic: Starting Fires

@melodic-reverie Multifandom reactions. If I ever doubt I’m writing an idol true to their character, I hop over to this blog to see if they have a similar reaction. The wide range of groups and situations are all well-thought and passionate.

@modestlydreaming: Multifandom scenarios and oneshots, including Monsta X and EXO. Don’t forget to congratulate her on getting married recently! Another AU queen. It honestly doesn’t matter who she writes, I am on top of every AU because they feel very real. The fantasy related ones are particularly inventive and delightful. Recommended fic: Hunted

@ricepot-jisung  BTS scenarios, but I think she’s planning on become multifandom in the near future? Rams is a precious, insanely talented bun who needs protection. I’m really glad she decided not to delete despite assholes heckling her because her fics are ones I keep coming back to. I’m a fluffy person, but her angst is irresistible and you should be prepared to cry your eyes out because her writing makes you feel so much. Recommended: After Hours

@rosegukk   BAP scenarios and oneshots. I’ll admit, I’m only a recent follower, but I am so so glad I found her. BAP needs all the love and she gives it to them through her work in aus I never would have thought of. If you want something novel and well-written, check her out! Recommended fic: A Field of Flowers

@sexonextdoor  Multifandom NSFW rankings/imagines. I don’t know how this blog churns out so much, but it does, and the quality is all top notch. If you need to dirty your mind in the best, most delicious way, go here.

@tayegi BTS scenarios. Another lovey lady whose higher intelligence is clear in every story. Lu’s honest and has a wry sense of humor that keep every bit of her writing amusing and insightful into human nature. I hope she knows I love her stories as much as she loves cheetos. Recommended fic: Equilibrium

@thesammtimes  Multifandom scenarios, including EXO, 2pm, Monsta X, GOT7 and BTS. Let me just first say I’m really proud of Sam. She’s been very upfront about her mental health and life choice struggles, but she’s thriving! I do have a warning for you though: you will fall in love with every idol she writes about, bias or no, bias group or no. She’s that good. Recommended fic: Bounty

@versigny Multifandom scenarios. If you need a new spin on an old trope or just a fresh fic, look no further. She weaves minute details into her stories that some writers end up making tedious, but here, they develop the characters in amazing ways so each story a rich tapestry.Recommended fic: The Take-Home Test

@writingseoul Multifandom scenarios including BAP and BTS. Y'all really have no idea how happy I was when I saw this lovely came back! I go back to this blog time and time again to read fics that aren’t even for my biases. The way she writes the characters makes them more complex than some in published books I’ve read. Recommended fic: 3AM

Here are some other writers whose work I’m still getting to know but they still deserve recognition. 

Multifandom Reactions: @flowerpotfanfics BAP: @chemical–chaos BTS: @btsboyinluv, @btssmutgalore, @gukvory, @jheartseok, @kitten-dont, @mintsyubbie, @daeguilt, @stillgotmydignitae, @taecup

EXO: @i-write-storiesandsuch, @olionheartedgirlo, @soobadnoonecanstopher, @theboyswhomwelove VIXX: @onlyvixxscenarios, @vixxenarios Multifandom Scenarios: @thelilyamongstthethorns , @deliriousscenarios, @fromthe-seoul, @after-you-fall-asleep, @spcywolf, @lunarimagines, @thisisjustmywritingblog, @xhixtape, @coffee-and-kpop, @iq-biased , @awkwardturtle486, @noonachronicles, @hoenytae, @imagination-of-a-melted-bitch, @onlylovekpop, @after-you-fall-asleep , @awkwardturtle486,@craft-rose ,

[spotlightsaga]

Kevin Cage of @spotlightsaga reviews… GLOW (S01E07) Live Studio Audience Airdate: June 23, 2017 Ratings: @netflix original/Privatized Ratings Score: 9.5/10 TVTime/FB/Twitter/Tumblr/Path: @SpotlightSaga

**********SPOILERS BELOW**********

The greatest thing about pro-wrestling is that it’s literally a live show, anything can go wrong (or horribly right). Even shows like NXT, Lucha Underground, ROH, PWG specials, shows that are filmed, then edited, then sent out as a television series or a digital copy (since DVD’s & even BluRays are becoming obsolete) can go way off script. When improvisation is introduced into the wrestling show, that’s when the magic begins. Recently a troll on FB attacked one of our articles on A&E’s ‘60 Days In’. After a well pieced together article that covered what we thought were 'producer pushed situations’ vs what was occurring naturally in the series (it’s kinda hard to fake an entire REAL jail, considering they need the space), he simply skipped over everything I had written from the heart and wrote one little line, “You know this is fake, right?” He clearly didn’t read it. After my retort, he brought up pro-wrestling… Ah, he done did it now! Any tried & true fan of professional wrestling will defend their sport or 'Sports Entertainment’ (whatever you want to call it) to the death. Of course everything is planned in advance; the moves, the winners, the storylines… But it’s the pageantry, the training, the real risk of physical injury, the freedom that some wrestlers have in their promos, and an array of other variables, that make pro-wrestling so damn great and have seen it survive for well over a century.

'Live Studio Audience’ captures all of that AND MORE. As a matter of fact, we want to go ahead and nominate this very episode as one of the best of the year for a 30 Minute Comedy or Drama. We get it all… The thrill and excitement of the very first GLOW Live Show ever, the anxiety & stage fright that comes with it as we see Machu Picchu (Britney Young) run for the hills without even getting inside the 20x20, a overworked and panicked Bash (Chris Lowell) abandoning the possible financial future of the show to console Carmen in her 'emotional distress’, two women taking a chance - Cherry Bang (Sydelle Noel) & Tammé the Welfare Queen (Kia Stevens) instinctively changing the direction & storyline of their match without anyone else aware of their scheme besides the newly 'white sheet wearing’, transformed 'Beatdown Biddies’, Stacey (Kimmy Gatewood) & Dawn (Rebekka Johnson) - who’s main concern is if Bill Cosby will be mad at them… Literally changing the match from the uber-cliché, women of color beating up on the elderly to two bad ass, strong Black Queens taking on two racist KKK members, signifying the ongoing battle of racism in the United States! The latter had to be one of the best, most outrageous scenes of GLOW to date. And like Sam said, 'I guess you’re never too young to know about this country’s racial history’.

Sam (Marc Maron) was apprehensive of Cherry & Tammé’s surprise changes at first… But by the end of the match he had gained confidence in the women after hearing the crowd of 30 or so erupt into roars the likes of a full house in the broken down gym would sound like. He even hilariously referred to them as 'The Black Panthers’ in what was ironically riveting commentary. All of it accompanied by the same solemn keyboard tune for the entire show thanks to Sheila the She-Wolf (Gayle Rankin), as it was the only song she knew. Suddenly a show that was hitting every pitfall and taking every wrong turn was lighting up all the faces of the rather 'eclectic’ crowd that had turned up for GLOW’s free show. Suddenly everyone from Sam to all the women in the locker room knew that this crazy idea, one that felt like it would never work, could and WOULD come together. They could actually succeed at what they had set out to do!

By 'Main Event’ time, the crowd was literally eating out of the amateurish palm of GLOW’s outstretched hand. The electricity and excitement running through the building that connected the women with their audience was not only palpable, it can literally be seen worn on the faces and demeanor of everyone in the building. Even all of us at home could feel the tv radiating with the GLOW! Truly!!! It all came down to Liberty Belle, the 100% 'sweet as American Apple Pie’, confident and poised symbol of the 'American Way’, Miss Debbie Eagan (Betty Gilpin) vs 'Zoya The Destroya’, the 'Dirty Russian’, who wants to drain your swimming pools and fill them with Borscht, 'Accidental Homewrecker’, Ruth Wilder (Alison Brie). And yes, if any of you are wondering, I totally said that last line out loud as I wrote it in my best Russian 'Zoya The Destroya’ voice. I can’t help but ponder if Alison Brie was inspired by not only the real GLOW Girl she is portraying, Colonel Ninotchka (Lori Palmer), but also WWE’s own modern version, Lana (CJ Perry)… And that just maybe, Lana is inspired by Palmer herself! It fits, that’s for sure… Even on the heels of Rusev, The Bulgarian Brute.

The match is going well, unexpectedly well. Unbeknownst to the other women, Carmen had taken Ruth & Debbie to visit her brothers… Big Kurt (Carlos Colon Jr aka WWE’s Carlito) & Mighty Tom Jackson (George Murdoch aka WWE’s Brodus Clay, TNA’s Tyrus, and even a part-time, humorous, FOX News anchor). The two headlining women had gone to the brothers for help. They wanted to dazzle the crowd and give them more than just basic moves and the great wrestling tradition of Heel vs Babyface, Good vs Evil… They wanted a match that would elevate both GLOW as a show and themselves as performers. After some hilarious misfires, they were ready… And they ran that ring just like they had intended to, just like they had practiced so hard for. Unfortunately, just as 'the unexpected’ can elevate a wrestling program, it can also add unwanted chaos and ruin. Suddenly, Debbie’s soon to be ex-husband and Ruth’s casual, shameful partner in a secret affair, Mark (Rich Sommer) peaked his head out of the crowd and into Debbie’s field of vision. Debbie freezes and runs off into the back to allow Mark to browbeat her while she misses one of the biggest and best opportunities of her career. Obviously, there’s going to be more for Debbie, but this is going to hurt. Dump the douche already, Debbie!

In an attempt to save the main event, or at least stall until Debbie possibly made her triumphant return (which she never did), Ruth continued on in character yelling out hilarious, typical Russian stereotypes at the audience, who actually ate it up for awhile. As it was bound to happen, the audience started to turn on Ruth. They rightfully wanted a big finish to the show that had unexpectedly turned them from bored passerby’s that were sucked into the building in promise of a free show, to GLOW’s first diverse group of fans. Rhonda (Kate Nash) saw her moment to shine. She had been practicing a 'GLOW Rap’ with Sam’s stolen camera that a jealous, vindictive (yet somehow still relatable and sympathetic), Justine (Britt Baron) had stuffed in her locker in an attempt to set her up and get her fired, all for sleeping with the boss. Rhonda climbed in the ring and started to do GLOW’s now infamous pre-show rap that they were notorious for on their real life tv show. First Ruth followed suit, then the rest of the women stormed the ring and joined in… And GLOW was officially born!

I know I’ve taken a lot of your time and should probably end there, but it’s important for me to give credit where credit is due. Not only did Director Jesse Peretz (thank you so much for HBO’s 'Divorce’, Jesse, and btw 'Our Idiot Brother’ is criminally underrated), but 'new-to-the-game’ writer Rachel Shukert was flawless in her writing, dialogue, and scene transitions… You too, Emma Rathbone! Also, this episode was dedicated to the memory of Chavo Guerrero Sr, the father of Armando Guerrero, the man who trained the wrestlers of the original GLOW as well as the world famous Chavo Guerrero Jr, who trained all the actresses of the series… Except for Kia Stevens, y'all. You think WWE’s Kharma or Independent Scene & TNA Knockout Wrestler 'Awesome Kong’ needed training by the great Chavo Guerrero Jr?! Psssh, that woman is talent personified! Thank you, Liz Flahive & Carly Mensch, on behalf of Spotlight Saga and the French-born, now worldwide, burgeoning community of TVTime.com, we LOVE GLOW!

[sightsoundmusic]

EXCLUSIVE: Joshua Powell Talks Indianapolis, Stoner Jams & David Lynch

Written by Luke Jaggers

Over the past month we here at Sight & Sound have been obsessed with a singer/songwriter by the name of Joshua Powell. He sent us over his 2019 release entitled Psycho/Tropic and we’ve been enamored with it. We wanted to reach out and get an exclusive look into his life with the band and what he’s looking to accomplish in 2019. We hope you enjoy this interview and his album as much as we did.

In Jaye’s video about your album, you were compared to artists such as Bon Iver, Ben Howard and Sufjan Stevens. I personally hear some From Indian Lakes as well, but my questions are what do you think of those comparisons and also what influences you?

Joshua: I'm cool with those comparisons, especially with Vernon and Stevens because those two have indelibly influenced me. The fact that both of their careers are rooted in lyric-heavy folk tropes that were compounded upon and extrapolated across their discographies. I've followed a similar trajectory and am no stranger to their work. I've only heard a half dozen tunes from the other two artists you mentioned. I don't love 'em, but I like 'em as a friend. My art intake is real heavy and broad, so each record sort sort of has its own council of influences. The ones that have made the longest and deepest marks are Bon Iver, Kanye West, Neil Young, and David Lynch.

That’s interesting that you note David Lynch as an influence. Specifically because a lot of bands don’t look towards other mediums of art to influence their music. Especially after listening to your album I can definitely hear those influences to other pop culture. Is that something you think about deliberately when making your music?

J: Absolutely. I was drifting toward disenfranchisement with music as a medium because of its inherently bifurcated medium of consumption. With music, you make recordings, or you perform live. I was spending a lot of time with other non-musical artists who, it seemed to me, had a much more inspiring, cosmic, holistic view of art. My friend Emily talked to me over a diner breakfast about the body of a dead bat she found for like half an hour. I was enraptured. Turns out it was too small to taxidermy, but the ARTIST (vs the musician I s'pose) sees art everywhere. That's much more sustainable an MO if you ask me. So yes, I'm looking at a lot of cinematic surrealism and horror, reading a lot of classics and philosophy, going to galleries--the creative principles are super transitive if you have an open spiritual ear I think.

With a project that’s so expansive as Psycho/Tropic the production really shines all over the album. Who recorded your album and what was the recording process like for you?

J: Thanks! I think so too! Jonathan Class produced, as he always has for me with only a few exceptions. We worked at Varsity Recording Co. in Anderson, IN, where both of our music careers germinated. I worked with my brothers Jacob (drums) and Adam (guitar), my bandmates with the longest tenure. Their fingerprints are all over the arrangements. Working with Jon is always a total dream because he interprets my visions really accurately. And he becomes the extra band member in the studio. We're also all total goobers and hanging out was effortless. We took our time with it more than we ever have, and that extra care I think really translated into the end product.

Speaking of Indiana, seems like right now we’re seeing a lot of talent get picked up from here and getting noticed. Do you think Indiana is a good place for musicians to create?

J: *laughs* I know, right?! We're coming out of the woodwork! Someone from Wisconsin said the same thing to me the other day! The short answer is hell yes. I believe the Midwest is having it's meta-modern renaissance, and Indy's jockeying to be its palpitating heart, man. If you have an idea, you can make it here. Every month the culture gets weirder, richer, more diverse, more hospitable. The other day I was talking to my poet friend about the Midwest - He was so excited about what was happening in the DIY music scene here, and in the indie booksellers, the small print press and he talked about the vibration that these full rooms have been emanating--this idea that "Something good is about to happen here." And I think that's the spirit of the Midwest. We work hard and we keep hope. We know what we look like sometimes, when our potholes and grey days are held up against the shining LA lights and the happenin' ATX thrall, but we believe in our own capacity, and we trust that what's happening here is real, and big, and good. Every time I think I have a handle on the local scene here, another door opens and I realize just how much is being MADE here, by all sorts of folks. It's the most inspiring place in the world to someone with the right mix of creative pension, inner light, and grit. Shit, I'm getting evangelical over here.

What would you say to someone that's never heard your music before and they're about to listen to it for the first time?

J: If it's an older person, I say, "imagine Neil Young songs played by Pink Floyd." If it's a younger person I say, "It's stoner jams for English majors." I think one of the selling points of our band is that you can listen to it with whatever level of intentionality you bring to the table. I'm told it works as background study music. Some of our heaviest songs lyrically are built to be summery sounding anthems or uptempo rock toe-tappers. But it's also built for repeated listens, in headphones or studio monitors, lying in bed with your eyes closed, or with the lyrics in your hand and a highlighter for annotating. There are layers built into everything, from the connotative references in the lyrics to the way the production elements are panned. It's super deep if you want it to be. But it's also just rock 'n roll.

What do you hope to accomplish in the near future with your album already releasing earlier in the year? Tours planned?

J: Recently, thanks to the help of people like yourself, we're doing the most extensive press campaign we've ever done. Trying to cull fans from the internet because I'm told that's the happenin' place to be these days. But we also, just this week, acquired a new tour van by the fiscal grace of our darling fans who raised over 6k for us on GoFundMe. So starting in April, we're back to hitting the non-digital streets. We have tours planned so far this year with The Outside Voices, Sylmar, and Mister Moon, as well as a busy summer festival schedule, and more plans looming in the lessening shadows of the autumn. We want to bring the new record to as many physical people as we can afford this year, before we start the whole cycle over again. Shaping up to be a busy and beautiful year, and we're excited to keep building on this framework. We also just booked our first national television appearance on PBS that we're shooting in March that will be syndicated everywhere, along with some other great bands like Mike Mains and The Way Down Wanderers, so keep an eye out for that!

I just wanna say personally that your music was such a surprise and we’re so excited to share it with the Sight & Sound audience. Thank you for reaching out to us and sharing this absolutely incredible album with us!

J: Dude! Thank you so much! So pleased y'all connected with it, truly. Thanks for being down to help us spread the word, it makes all the difference.

Psycho/Tropic by Joshua Powell is available on all streaming platforms now.

https://www.facebook.com/joshuapowellmusic/ https://twitter.com/JoshuaPowellGTR

[youreghanamissme]

Hey There, Brown Booger

a11/14/2017

It's that time of year again-- when I'll have to filter my tears, my sweat, and every drop of water imaginable because the rain has finished. The landscape has reverted back to its tan and dusty self. I can no longer leave anything of value near the windows overnight lest I want to a nice coat of dust on it in the morning. My boogers are red-brown, and soon, my hacking cough caused by the dust will return in full force. Moto drivers have already started to wear their face masks, some of which perform double duty as a fashion statement (fuzzy cheetah print is all the rage right now, y'all). It's been a while since I've sat down and typed about myself. I wish I could say it is because I'm a very, very important person who hasn't a modicum of time to spend on my arse, detailing the contents of my crazy life to the internet. Nope, nada, nein! Idleness is three-fifths of existence in country. Henceforth, the abridged capitulation of the past few months for my five readers out there (hey peeps!)...

I.       Wake Me Up When September Ends

Half a year later, and GLOW/BRO camp still lives! One of my favorite campers had been reminding me to visit her community for a while, and I wanted to! But life happens, so instead, I invited her to mine :) She's a Gonja by tribe, so I thought it would be cool to show her a little taste of how we live it up in the heart of Dagomba land. Her stay was short but sweet. She wanted to continue living a slice of my siliminga (foreigner) lifestyle, but she couldn't bear to be apart from her mother for too long. Her siblings don't help their mother out at the market. Honest, my few days with Gifty were some of the most rewarding and intense bonding moments I've had as a mentor. Spending time with her illuminated a fact of Ghanaian life that I already knew but never fully internalized until Gifty shared with me the hardships of her life—that children in Ghana are forced to deal with the burden of adulthood far too early. We cried, we laughed, we watched a lot of movies and played a lot of checkers... Youth camps may be a finite venture in the Peace Corps realm of projects, but I say participate if you can. Or, just work with youth through volunteership or something. If not for GLOW/BRO I wouldn't have met some of the most intelligent, self-motivated, and hopeful young people in Ghana.

Casa de Deeshini was lit in September! Thankfully not literally. The end of the month marked the Fire Festival, a traditional Dagomba celebration. The story goes something like this:

A long, long time ago a Dagomba prince went missing. His father—the Chief—and the community members scoured the land for him. At the edge of the community they found him asleep in a tree. They concluded that the tree was evil for stealing their prince from them. They rescued him, and to punish the tree, they threw flaming torches at it. And every year following the prince's abduction, they would set a tree on fire with flaming torches to commemorate the return of the prince and to penalize the tree.

I wasn't able to go last year because I was at OpSmile in Tamale, so I knew I HAD to go to the one in my community this year or else I would forever regret it. And y'all... IT. WAS. LIT. ...LITERALLY!! I have never seen nor experienced so much energy in my community. Hell, I have never seen so many people out and about in my community. There was so much food and drumming and singing, and people were so, so kind. We made torches; we gave torches away; people gave us torches... I loved it. Every single minute of it. I got such a high from the cumulative energy of the whole experience. I invited a few PCV's to come and join in on the festivities where my community lit not one, but THREE trees on fire. We were conked after Tree #2 and headed back to decompress and catch some Z's, but I have never danced, screamed, yelled, sang, and ran with such intensity or felt such ecstasy as I have at Fire Fest. I truly felt beloved and accepted by my community at that moment, and I will forever hold onto those feels when PC life isn't looking so bright.

  II.    It's Scorpio Season, Bitches

October was so intense that I was barely in my community. I had a lot of workshop prep going on that took me out of site (more on that below). It was also my birthday month, the race in Accra, and Halloween (one of my Top 5 favorite holidays of all time)!

It was a little embarrassing this year. I forgot how old I was. I did the math and thought I lost a year of my life, culminating in one of the most pitiful weeks in the history of my existence (sorry, PCV friends who had to deal with my woes and existential crisis), but then I realized I did the math wrong and felt young and relieved (who needs to swim in a tub of virgin blood to retain your youth when you can just buy a calculator?)! Woo-hoo! But then it made me think... is my shitty memory due to the antimalarial pills or am I just truly deplorable in simple arithmetic? The jury is still out.

I celebrated my most recent revolution around the sun with my long-lost twin... who just happens to be from the other side of United States of America (South Carolina, holla at yer guuurl). Something was amiss when I found out that Allie and I both had an unhealthy obsession with costume/ period dramas, chiefly of the British persuasion. And then she told me she used to be a museum docent (!! One of my dream jobs!! Up there with bartender). And when I I found out we had the same birthday... OH LAWD.

It all made sense. We are basically the same person. Once our mutual love for Antiques Roadshow was uncovered, it was basically like the universe was fucking around. What else was there for us to do? Throw a joint costume birthday party, duh.

October 23rd, dudes. I made acquaintances write it on their calendar, and I'm not even ashamed.

But we celebrated the day before because, y'know, the weekend.

She dressed up as Squints from The Sandlot (ugh, a classic!). I dressed up as a deadbeat-nik. Yeah, YEEEAH. Y'all aren't the only ones who didn't think it was punny/ funny. It's fine though. I chuckled to myself. It also gave me the opportunity to finally, after a year and a half, wear that beret that I got in Accra. KG had proclaimed time and again, “Di, I don't know why you bought that fucking beret. It's a million degrees outside. YOU'LL NEVER WEAR IT.”

I whatsapped her a photo of me in the beret.

It was super fun. Friends came and dressed up, even though some of them hate costume parties, DIY costume parties even more so. I had a grand ol' time, and I thank the folks who made it out and those who wished me a HBD.

A couple days after my superspecialawesome day was the regional Tamale Spelling Bee. My homegirl Sarah is involved with the organization/ event, having volunteered last year. It seemed like such a cool opportunity that I asked and received permission to help out too. I'm not well-versed in the logistics, but the brightest of the bunch in Tamale will travel down to Accra to participate in the national spelling bee. Ghana is the only country in West Africa that participates in the International Spelling Bee held by Scripps. The winner of the national spelling bee gets to go to America to participate in the Scripps competition. They also receive a cash prize (thousands of Cedis, dude), material gifts, and a trip to South Africa or something. Their teacher gets to accompany them too, so it's not just the student benefiting. It's such a cool opportunity, and I'm sad to say that the students (Primary 6 to JHS 2 are eligible) in the north do not have as great an advantage as those in the more southern regions, especially those from Greater Accra or Tema with their ipads and better, more consistent education. But to see the Northern students try their hardest made my heart swell. These students were so bright that some stiff competition will not diminish their shine!!

There were two parts to the regional contest. A written comprehension portion and a verbal spelling portion. The combined scores determined who was going to go to Accra. At the end of the verbal spelling portion, after students had been spelling for over two hours, many remained, but only five students were supposed to be selected. The spellers were exhausted, and somehow the MC of the event asked her boss, the event organizer, if he would allow to send the remaining six spellers to Accra. In a moment of unexplained virtue, he was convinced (sucks for that seventh student that was eliminated...), and the crowd erupted into cheers and whoops and whistles. Just pure happiness, y'all.

 After the Bee, the Accra International Marathon happened. I participated. I didn't die. #praisebe #underhiseye

It was awesome to see so many expats, Ghanians, children, and students participating in the race. I even ran into (not literally, thank jah!) a colleague from an NGO in the North at the 10K starting point! Pardon my smugness, but I wasn't last! In the scheme of life, it doesn't matter as much as the fact that I finished! WOO-HOO!! It was such a thrill. And I felt overwhelmed with joy when I heard the friendly cheers calling out my name near the finish line. These voices were familiar... these voices could only come from loud PCV's who DGAF!! It was bliss to see my friends there. The best thing to come out of training and completing the race was my new found appreciation for running. I have said in the past that I hate running. I often scream it at the top of my lungs when people ask me my views on the very subject, “I. HAAATE. RUNNINGGG!!”

I hate it less now. Part of it may be my assumption that “running” meant going hard, 100% of the time. I'm more lax about it. I walk a little here and there, and I always listen to a good podcast while I'm out completing a run. Take home story: if I can be converted to the Church of Somehow-Running, you can be too. Even though it often appears so, it's not some sort of cult. It just feels nice after you finish (It's those goddamn endorphins). I even kinda feel like a lump if I skip running for too many days. I'm hoping to one day train towards a half marathon and then, maybe, a full marathon, kindasortanotreallyidunno.

Whenever I'm in Accra, which is seldom, I try to couple my visit with a medical purpose because all medical distins are taken care of there. Sucks for folks in the Northern and Upper regions. I went to the dentist for some tooth pain that had been recurring for months. The PC Medical Officer had been telling me that we should “wait and see” about the pain for the past half-year. Whelp, I got it sort of checked out. It's a cavity, underneath a filling of an older cavity... probably. They weren't 100% certain since their x-ray machine was broken and they couldn't fix it before I left for the north. Dang-diddily-nabbit. Add that to my diminishing hearing abilities (to be checked out next time I'm in the country capital as well) and frequent questionable moles (sunscreen is moot when you sweat it all off), and I tell ya what—Ghana, maybe, has a vendetta against me.

  III. I'm An Unauthorized Authority Because I Have a Degree In This

I was chosen to be a trainer for the 2017 Nutrition IST (In Service Training). YASSSS. YAAASSSSS. Started as a participant, now I'm here!

It was a lot of work and planning, and my team was fabulous. The star qualities of this IST compared to the other IST's offered in country are that a female counterpart is required, that female CP's can bring their child, and that there are translators available, so English comprehension/ a formal education is not a requirement. The latter two solutions are imperative in overcoming many of the barriers that prevent women (the primary caretakers and often the MVP when it comes to nutrition in the household) from going to Peace Corps Ghana trainings. I am so proud that the Nutrition IST was so inclusive and mindful of the mamas.  It's empowering to the women that participate, and it's encouraging as trainers and as PCV's to witness their growth and excitement.

I have to give plenty of kudos to the Moringa Man and the Health PCVLT (Peace Corps Volunteer Leader-Trainer ?? I don't know. Too many letters in this acronym) for arranging curriculum that is interactive and varied to meet the needs of our audience.

The Ghanaian diet is mostly carbs and fats because it's cheaper to, say, pound a cash crop like maize into a ball and eat it with groundnut stew, a soup made of a lot of oil (more fat means more calories AND it helps preserve the stew) and another accessible crop, than to buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Poverty already affects access to vegetables and meat. The dry season—a time when food is scarce and can be more costly to families whose plush harvest money has already been spent—makes good nutrition even harder. Knowing that food security is an issue, we did our best to come up with applicable alternatives that Ghanaians can explore, highlighting the nutritional benefits of staple crops but emphasizing the addition of others that are available in the market.

We put the men to work in the kitchen!

We did a LOT of cooking demos, often with fortified recipes for existing Ghanaian meals. We discussed the benefits of breastfeeding, certain micro-nutrients during pregnancy, the correlation between food safety/hygiene and malnutrition caused by frequent diarrhea, and so much more. Because the crops and the culture of the northern regions of Ghana are vastly different from the southern regions, we had two separate workshops.

The best surprise is hearing updates from PCV's who attended and their stories about their empowered CP's holding space to talk about nutrition in their communities. Moments like these remind me of the reasons why I'm here and why I choose to stay. I have a lot more thoughts on the Nutrition IST that I'd like to spotlight in a post apart, just because there are so many facets to it. Look forward to it soon, hopefully haha

  It's November now, so I can stop listening to Christmas music in the privacy of my own room and start singing “Santa Baby” off-key in public. More updated posts coming somehow-soon (read: as soon as I finish my session plans for future nutrition IST’s, eek!)

[visualculturethread-blog]

Final Paper

Elizabeth Ruggiero

Professor Murray

Visual Culture

May 3, 2017

Humble by Kendrick Lamar

The recently released song and video, Humble by Kendrick Lamar covers many of the key terms discussed in class this semester. The overall theme is that humanity has lost its sense of humility in modern times and Lamar brings it upon himself to make his audience realize this. The goal of the video was to show just how removed from reality society has become.

In the opening scene we see a man dressed like the Pope in a cassock, standing in a beam of light. The camera zooms in and the audience is shown that this man is none other than Kendrick Lamar. Immediately the scene jumps into the next. Lamar is shown this time, all in black and laying on a table full of money while he uses a cash cannon to shoot more into the air. This collage shows how one can go from an unassuming, innocent man of the church into a money hungry egotist. These scenes back to back let the audience know how easy it is for someone to go from their best to worst quickly. This could also be Lamar’s way of giving God and religion a shoutout. Kendrick shows off the good and the bad, as he goes from the pew to the trap. The audience has an aerial view looking down on Kenrick, while girls are sitting at the table counting money. In this scene we see the first example of the male gaze. Since it is an aerial view we cannot see any of the women’s faces only their breasts. This is a pleasing angle for the male audience members to enjoy. The over-sexualizing women is common among hip-hop culture.

The scene then switches again to a beauty salon where women are sitting at hair dryers and Lamar is between them. The women sitting all the way to the left has “HUMBLE” written on her shirt. Again we see that Lamar’s face is the only one lite up by a divine light that shines on him.

Lamar and his pose then reenact Leonardo da Vinci’s 15th-century painting, The Last Supper. He makes his own replication of the famous image. Lamar takes the spot of Jesus at the middle of the table while his disciples unappreciative gorge on wine and food. This appears to make Lamar the Christ-like figure of hip-hop. One of the men sitting next to Lamar starts acting obnoxiously and stands up. At this point Lamar looks at his friend, points and reminds him to, “sit down, be humble”. He does as Lamar instructs.

The next scene shows Kendrick riding a bicycle while an uncommon angle shows the world around him. This deformed lens makes it seem as though Kendrick is on top of the world even though he is still home riding his bike through the condo’s in Compton. This was a clever and creative shot by the directing team, as Kendrick continues the good kid, m.A.A.d. city story line and that he’s still able to reach in to the people. It also could reflect that no matter how big he gets as an entertainer, he’ll forever will be lil’ Kenny from the block.

The most direct visual in the song is when Lamar gets to the line, "I'm so f--kin' sick and tired of the Photoshop.” At this point in the video Lamar and a model are standing on either side of a split screen. The black model has her hair straighten and a full face of make-up, with much cleavage showing. When they cross sides the model changes to reveal her natural, curly hair and clean face. In the next line Lamar raps, “Show me somethin' natural like afro on Richard Pryor/ Show me somethin' natural like a-- with some stretch marks”.  At this point the camera focuses on a woman’s unedited behind, showcasing her cellulite and stretch marks which Lamar says are still attractive. By doing this alone, Kendrick challenges the media to portray women in their natural state. Comedian Richard Pryor, who Kendrick mentioned on had an afro, which is a naturally-occurring hairstyle. Due to social expectations of beauty, black people, especially women will go to great lengths to straighten their naturally curly hair. Kendrick is not only asking for natural beauty, but also affirming black beauty.

When Kendrick delivers this line in the music video, he raps at a model who crosses a split screen showing the difference between her manicured self and her natural look. When Kendrick crosses the line, his appearance doesn’t change at all, suggesting that he doesn’t fake anything for his audiences and he is as real and as truthful as he can be to his fans.

Lamar then raps, "I don't fabricate it / Most of y'all be fakin’ / I stay modest 'bout it / She elaborate it / This that Grey Poupon, that Evian, that TED Talk / Watch my soul speak / You let the meds talk”. This is a subtle jab at the cough syrup-drinking, pill-popping rappers who rhyme about their supposedly awesome lives from the bottom of a Styrofoam cup. In the video, Lamar hilariously says this while spreading mustard on a slice of bread in the back of a chauffeured convertible. Kendrick puts his own spin on the classic Grey Poupon commercial, as he exchanges mustard with his close homie from back in the day. This exchange might seem a bit pompous to the uninitiated, but to those who know, this is something we all wish to do when one goes from rags to riches, share with those close to us.

One of the most controversial scenes in the music video is when we see Lamar being targeted by unknown assailants to the viewer. Dressed all in white a dozen red sniper dots appear across his body and the window. Red and blue police lights reflect off the glass.  Kendrick has invested a lot of time in crafting images showing the threat of police bullets, and “Humble” shows him in the Establishment’s laser crosshairs. As we’re on the shooters point-of-view looking into the house, we see that Kendrick knows who is coming for him and still has enough time to basically deliver a screw you to whoever is coming to attack.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             The entire “Humble” video is an exercise in irony and is also filled with messages that could be perceived as anti-conformist. There are many scenes throughout the video where Lamar and his corn-rowed head is the only one with hair in a sea of bald, black men.This scene happens when the hook goes up. Heads are bowed in unison and in humility to the creator, Kendrick, who has been touched by the divine at the beginning of the video. Lamar stares intently at the camera while saying “Sit down, be humble”. All the while, his face invasion is ready to do the same. During the closing shot, Lamar is the only man wearing white at what's seems to be a funeral, these are both jarring images that could have deeper meanings. This also goes for the scene where Lamar is taking golf swings on the roof of an old car and the part where he’s surrounded by black-shirted peers whose heads are wrapped in kerosene-soaked rope then set ablaze while Lamar, the only one in a white hoodie, is the only one with his face revealed, while his scalp is ablaze.Tongues of fire sit upon the heads of Kendrick Lamar and four more “disciples” who stand behind him. It could also be the representation of the Holy Spirit that rests on each of them. This frame shows Kendrick executing his vision in startling and amazing fashion.

By virtue of making the song, one with a simple “Sit down/ Be humble” hook, listeners can champion the idea of Kendrick being one of the meek, who in The Bible’s Matthew 5:5 says “shall inherit the earth.” Those who follow him on social media know he’s not much of a tweeter or Instagrammer. And for every lyric he has about earning his fortune, there’s usually sure to be one about the evils that wealth  brings. This dynamic video is essentially what Lamar is as an artist, balanced with a clear message.

In this music video I believe that Kendrick Lamar wanted to make it an experience for his audience. He did not want them to simple watch a video and enjoy it as a passive audience. Instead of observing, Lamar wants an active audience to watch the music video and learn something, hopefully to be more humble and display that in their everyday lives. The audience after seeing the video should be actively involved in improving their own lives as well as teaching others ways to be humble and not take the things they have for granted.

In the music video we saw reproduction of an image and it’s authenticity. The recreation of the last supper shows Lamar’s “disciples” being selfish and indulging in all those things brought to the table by another, instead of being grateful and humble for the things they have, they begin acting selfish. This is a modern adaptation of the image as the first was created over a thousand years ago. Instead of wearing long draping tunics those at the table are wearing modern day clothes and hoodies. This gives the reproduction a different meaning, possibly that Kendrick is the savior of hip-hop who is humble enough to teach others his ways.

There are many underlying messages of representation in this video. The one I believe is the most prominent is black lives matter. Lamar simply wants to put black people in the spotlight for positive things instead of negative things that the media is often trying to portray them as. This is why he’s constantly surrounded himself by other black people, from the girls in the salon to his pose under the bridge. It’s a message that they can stand together to create anything and be successful in what they do.

Kendrick Lamar’s role of intention in the creation of the video was to open people’s minds to realize the type of life they are leading. There are many hypocrites in today’s society who believe they are doing good or have the correct opinions when in reality they’re the ones that’re wrong and have no idea, the role of this video was to bring those people some humility.

Encoding of a message is the production of a system of coded meanings which is created when the sender needs to understand how the world is comprehensible to the audience. At first glance it seems as though Lamar and his directors were able to come up with a very eye appealing video. However, upon further determination and decoding it is able to easily figure out what the song and video are truly about.

The decoding of a message is how the audience is able to understand and interpret the message. The coded information must be translated in a way they will be understood. The audience tries to reconstruct the idea by giving meanings to symbols. By putting the lyrics together with Lamar’s visual clues we can really see the meaning of selflessness he is attempting to spread to his fans.

The male gaze is used a few times throughout the video. The first is the second scene in the video when Lamar is lying on the table of money. The girls counting the money are placed there so that we do not see any part of their body except their breasts. This is a position that is beneficial to the male therefore it is part of the male gaze. There other time the male gaze is used is during the beauty salon scenes where the girls are under the hair dryers. This is the only other time we see females in the video and they’re all dressed sexualized for the pleasure of the male. To say there's been a shift in the hip-hop world regarding beauty standards would be a stretch. The male dominated genre is not only notorious for misogyny but also known to glamorize, and exploit scantily dressed women with hourglass figures, long straight hair, and an "exotic" look.

Reflexivity is also relevant in this music video. This is the self-awareness as critical viewers of media culture. Kendrick Lamar could have chosen to do a much simpler music video that would have been more widely understood. However, he chose not to do this for a reason. He wanted a video that would force the audience watching to become self-awareness of their own actions through the video and cause them to question the media culture they see every day.

Although Kendrick disses the use of photoshop in the song he does a bit of digital manipulation in his own music video. We see this done in the scene where Lamar is riding his bicycle. Digital manipulation has been done to the image to make it appear as though Kendrick is riding his bike on top of this orb. Kendrick Lamar however does take a stance against digital manipulation stating that he is, “Stick and tired of the photoshop”.

Lastly the music video has many examples of postmodern themes. Postmodern themes include, contradiction, lack of absolutes, question social norms, irony, disinterestedness, genre as mixed, judgment of culture, references the past. References to the past are made through recreations such as the last supper scene. Lamar also spends a majority of the song and video judging our current state of culture in american and specifically black culture and they ways they are treated. As mentioned earlier the video includes many points of irony as well. He also questions social norms and what our society accepts as beautiful.