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bygosscarmine · 4 years ago

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W: Worlds Apart - Volume 4: Worlds Estranged

Kang Chul X Oh Yeon Joo - Fix-It Fic (T)

Read from beginning or find previous chapters here: Stories

All that’s left to write together is an epilogue.

Chapter 131 - Oh Yeon Joo and Kang Chul Have A Future (1560 words)

On Monday morning, Seok Bum stuck his head into the office and said, "Oh, hey Yeon Joo. Been a bit since I saw you here."

He sat at his desk, and started to write an e-mail, then stopped and peered at her.

"Are you...humming? Did something good happen?"

And Yeon Joo knew she was blushing, but she wasn't ashamed to say, "Yes. My beautiful friend from out of town that you didn't like hanging around Soo Bong is here now.

"Oh, congratulations!" He went back to typing for a minute.

After sending his e-mail though, he rolled his chair over to her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Really, I'm so relieved to see you happy. We should all go get dinner sometime. I don't resent him anymore, I promise." After a pause he said, "Wait, how did you know I disliked him hanging around Soo Bong?"

"Soo Bong thought it was really funny, at the time."

Seok Bum made a disgusted noise, and wheeled himself back to his own computer. Soon after this, their productivity was again cut short by the appearance of Mad Park.

"Oh Yeon Joo, I saw a file today that made me think of your father. It's another six months before he comes in for his check-in, so I thought I'd see if you were here. How's he doing?"

"He's doing well. Did you see the release about the animated adaptation?" she added with a false air of innocence.

"That studio has produced nothing but saccharine love story comics! Absolutely not!"

"You know the rights have been picked up before, you only have to worry if it goes into production."

"No, no, no. What we need is a gritty drama, a procedural, and scrap the last volume or two. Maybe starring Won Bin!"

"Speaking of the last volume or two, Oh Yeon Joo's boyfriend who looks like Kang Chul is back," said Seok Bum, forever sowing the seeds of chaos. "That's why she's looking so well today."

Unexpectedly, Supervisor Park gave her a close look, and said, "Well, I'm glad to hear that. You've had a tough time. What's his name?"

"Kang Chul."

"Funny," said Mad Park. "Just as well."

"Why is it just as well?" Seok Bum asked. "Was there someone else you had in mind? That guy I saw MK yelling at the other day?"

"I don't want to talk about that," said Mad Park. "My spirit is broken. And I blame you as much as your father, Oh Yeon Joo!"

He walked away.

"What were you saying about MK?"

"Oh, one of Barking Mad's friends was here, but he was having an argument with MK. I think you got set up with him once. Tall guy, handsome-ish. Apparently up to MK's weight in a fight, which is really something."

Yeon Joo wasn't sure how to think about that. Clearly she needed to catch up with MK soon. She made a mental note to text her--later.

Mad Park stuck his head back in to say, "And that epilogue did not cut it by half! The script has to be by someone who will get it on track. I did like the twist with So Hee, but I hope your father read my comments about the final love-line."

"I assure you he did not," said Yeon Joo waving him away.

They were laying skin-to-skin, not ready to fall asleep when Chul summoned the courage to ask, "When did you first think that this might really work? Not closing W's narrative--us together."

He felt her take a breath to speak, ribs pressing a little deeper against his.

"That's a kind of complicated answer. But when you came here and were so appreciative of Soo Bong letting you stay with him, though it was not a great apartment or situation? I was relieved, because you seemed to be able to deal with real world inconveniences with grace."

"But that was nothing," he protested.

"The fact that you thought so meant a lot to me," she said, fingers gently brushing his collarbone. "I didn't know how much your privilege in W would form you."

"Ah, I see. My memories of my childhood are of a very normal home, though."

"What about you? You must be asking because you've been considering it."

"It was a process for me, too. But I have to say when you asked me firmly to let you finish eating, after sneaking into So Hee's apartment, I had this sense that I was experiencing something new and important."

She chuckled. "Yes, someone who wasn't an actual side character."

"Not just that. Even here, people look at me a certain way because of how I look. Or the expertise I have, or whatever. But you looked past that. You can see me, under the all-caps KANG CHUL of my origin."

"I'd already had a chance to become a little resistant to your face," she said, still amused.

"When we met again, after I'd gone into hiding, I understood why you were so devastated every time you met me. But you had still risked your life to help me, and you continued to do your best for me. Even being gentle when I fell in love with you, though it was such a hard thing for you to deal with."

"Was I kind?" she mused.

"Yes," he said firmly. "Because you didn't run away. You were honest with me."

"Looks like it all paid off on my end."

He accepted that she was not going to see herself as a hero in any way, and didn't protest again. It was enough that he'd let her know.

"In case you're tempted to cast yourself in the light of the sole beneficiary," she said after a moment, "what we went through together, all this time, gave me a fresh start. When I saved your life I was on hiatus from medicine and not sure I'd ever go back to it. I didn't remember creating a character that then became so popular, and I didn't know what I was capable of in hard circumstances. This story saved me, too."

"Then it's worth it, and I'm glad," Chul said.

His love in his arms, he listened to the erratic pulse of cars and city life, real and alive.

End Notes, from Park Soo Bong:

When I first set out to write the story of Kang Chul and Oh Yeon Joo, I planned to set the record straight. I realized eventually that even with first-hand accounts and raw material to draw from, I was creating yet another version of the truth. It was a little bit more story than real in some parts, because it made a great narrative. I hope you enjoyed the story you read, and it answers a few questions you might have had.

And now, since it is a story, just like W the comic I'll leave you with the fitting conclusion:

EPILOGUE

Understandably, all those involved in creating W felt wary of continuing work in manhwa after this and moved into different fields.

Park Soo Bong worked as a consultant on new comics under Editor Kim until he sold his first novel. Acclaimed as psychological horror with vivid settings and relatable characters, it sold well, and he is known a prolific writer with a knack for subverting expectations, sometimes with surrealist twists.

Oh Seung Moo's retirement from comics was considered dubious by the general public after the several false ends of his webtoon, but he never released any more material. He created a blog where he reviewed comics which enjoys a modest readership. His die-hard fans loved it while his detractors noted he seemed more focused on aesthetics than substantive writing. Nevertheless, his words of appreciation have encouraged many a new creator in a tough business.

Kang Chul got the job at the publishing house that sold his manhwa using an assumed name. He did well in management and eventually started his own division specializing in true crime and cold case books. He did particularly well interfacing with television companies, and a contract with his imprint was considered a foot in the door for adaptation. After getting more established, he also founded a prize in literature for investigative writing, with a clear mission to vindicate the falsely accused or expose those who escaped justice.

Oh Yeon Joo continued to work in diagnostics and post-surgery support rather than operations at Myung Se until Barking Mad Park recommended her to a colleague at the university who was doing a paper on traumatic impact of emergency surgery on hospital workers. Discovering this field of inquiry was a light-bulb moment. She studied counseling, became licensed, and specializes in medical trauma for both patients and medical personnel.

A year after registering their marriage, Oh Yeon Joo and Kang Chul had a small wedding at which both her parents, Mad Park, MK, Park Soo Bong and Kang Seok Bum were present. There were no arguments or gunshots or even tears, barring Yeon Joo's mother's slight emotional moment saying goodbye to the couple on their way back home. (She tentatively likes Kang Chul, mainly because Yeon Joo is happier now, and partly because her daughter isn't getting any younger.)

And while they still live today, in our world, they are all very happy to have made it to The End.

#W Two Worlds #fanfiction #W Worlds Apart #Oh Yeon Joo x Kang Chul #Oh Yeon Joo #Kang Chul

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mipadremadara · 4 years ago

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if you don't mind me asking a lot about the fic thing, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and 9 (LMAO. all the list😂😂😂) for "Summer Nights"?? I REALLY NEED TO CAUGHT UP!!!! (You obviously can answer telling things about chapters I haven't read, btw, it's okay, haha). And if it's too much, you can answer just a few, hahaha. I'm just really curious because I reallyyyyy love the fic. ILY💖💖

Ahh thank you so much for this ask!!! Every time I get an ask from you my face immediately lights up ahaha. I'm so glad you like the fic??? Ahhhh! Ily too!! I hope you're having a nice day/night! I’ll only do Chapter 1 and 2 for now as to not spoil much! (I’m not sure which chapter you finished on haha.)

1: What inspired you to write the fic this way?

I really really really like stories that just flow. That literally drift. I have no idea how to describe it, but I also love poetry and I thought by kind of incorporating that and a sort of movie vibe to it it'd capture people's hearts the way it haunts mine at night hahaha.

2: What scene did you first put down?

It must be the scene where Naruto is sitting outside the porch and looking at the night sky. The title is Summer Nights, after all! It's supposed to hint at the fact that Naruto and Sasuke share the most tender moments at night.

3: What’s your favorite line of narration?

There's so many that I like tbh!! But here are some of my favorite ones without spoiling too much!!

Chapter 1:

The man knew Sasuke would get rid of every photographic memory of his past and there would be no remaining snapshots of his lifetime left. Behind the everyday smiles and poking around the playgrounds, fairgrounds, Sasuke never dwelled on the topics that resurfaced even the slightest of human, perhaps weak emotions. And so was the shameless irony, pouring out, like vomit.

I wanted to capture the sense of lingering trauma that still haunts Sasuke everyday. No matter how life seemed to come to a halt, or how things seemed to finally settle down, the pain will always prevail. And in a way, Naruto is the same, even if he masks it well. I feel like this was never truly explained so I wanted to show that they are still hurting; the wounds that were meant to heal only left bitter scars in the end.

Writing from Sasuke’s POV is always very emotion-centered. I’d imagine Sasuke, as shown in the fic, is a little more open, especially around Naruto. He let his walls down, although not by choice. He had to prove to Konoha he changed, but around Naruto, he can truly be himself.

The Uchiha was all tall, strong arms and long fingers. He fondled them for a passing minute, pressing the raven’s palms against his own. After the War, they grew quite intimate, and really, everyone talked about it. He always looked forward to touching Sasuke, even if it was small, feathery nudges - like holding hands or giving each other small hugs. It reminded him how truly privileged he was to be around him. He savoured those bosom jiffies, and that night was no different.

I really like the fact that their relationship isn’t driven by lust, but more so an understanding. There’s a mutual connection here; two boys going through absolute Hell and finally close to settling down after a rough battle against the odds. No one knows Sasuke the way Naruto does and vice versa, I think it’s quite beautiful actually! Sasuke allowing himself to become intimate again by taking these baby steps, such as touching hands and small hugs, it’s very healing for the both of them!

They stood still in that bleached moment. The love, the joy; it was burning passionately, bringing nothing but bloom to the cheek; showing no reruns. The smile, he considered a gift.

I just really love this bit. Reading it always makes me so soft haha. I think it sums up their whole relationship perfectly.

Chapter 2:

Sakura made him feel like an utter imbecile. Like a love-struck damsel in distress.

Here, what Sakura really sees isn’t Naruto, but herself. She knows what it’s like to chase after Sasuke, and as much as she loves the two of them, she doesn’t want Naruto to get hurt. I just think this line was really cool haha.

People often told Sasuke how he blended into the background while Naruto stood out from the crowd when they were together. Maybe that was why everyone deemed him worthy of being the next in line. They were polar opposites; like warm and cold. Fire and water. They just didn't fit. Supposed everyone told them similar scenarios, but they did not care much about the public and its predetermined ideas of what was right and what wasn't. It was arguably, the most bizarre finger-pointing he had the displeasure of witnessing. But he guessed Naruto loved the attention.

I really like this line, and not just because of the imagery used here, but because it shows how others see Naruto and Sasuke’s relationship. And also, that short dismissive ending paragraph I found to be super effective.

The other girl, Hinata, made an attempt to lean forward to catch Naruto’s gaze. It was what made everyone lean towards her, too, no less in a charming way that she perhaps knowingly radiated. It caused Ino to take a step back, and Sasuke must’ve stood there for a few moments, listening to the soft mumbling of her lips. They began to ask Naruto questions in low, hushed, thrilling voices as if not to let Sasuke know any of it. He knew the girl had lost her brother during the War (at which he had expressed his deepest sympathy), but he couldn’t shake off the feeling that maybe Naruto was being deceived by her shy persona.

I loved describing Hinata, but not for the reasons you might think. No one aside from Naruto has been described in such detail, but Hinata. It’s to show that Sasuke, since it’s from his POV, considers her to be a competition. He knows she knows that she can easily woo people to do her bidding, and considering her status, Naruto would certainly be charmed.

Hinata’s own voice held a timid passion behind it; a pleasant, mellow tenor that was very subtle, especially in the way her every uttered word suggested something greater than her face might have unveiled. Her face - on the other hand - was lovely. Caring eyes and a caring mouth conveying nothing but a feeling of fresh honey and lavender. Her hands looked smooth to the touch when she grazed them against Naruto’s rather tacky ones; as if she had never worked a day in her life. He could tell Naruto enjoyed looking at her.

Again, Sasuke knows this persona that Hinata created was quite deceiving and had Naruto wrapped around her finger. That is what he thinks, and as usual, assumes things because Naruto and Hinata are close. I also really like her description here, it radiates such soft vibes haha.

He marveled in the way his laugh carried throughout the day, forcing even the biggest assholes in the universe to crack a smile.

I really like this line because Sasuke is talking about himself here; that Naruto is always successful at making him smile.

The attachment to the outside world and the growth of his dubious mind was what made Sasuke overthink certain situations. The way it tangled, twisted, and knotted. He wanted to fondle Naruto's hands, listen to his heartbeat as his eyes grew heavy.

Agape; the sign of unconditional love. For his one and only.

I mean? These lines absolutely slap I think haha.

4: What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

I didn’t want to add too many so I just included a couple!

Chapter 1:

“You know, if you continue to frown like that, you’ll have lots of wrinkles in the future.”

I just love Sasuke’s attempt at comforting Naruto haha.

Chapter 2:

“Don’t piss in my ear and tell me it’s raining, Sasuke.”

I just,, love this line so much. It always cracks me up hahaha. And of course, it’s Kakashi’s line.

5: What part was hardest to write?

Honestly? Probably the scene where they spar in the third chapter, as well as Gaara and Naruto's reunion! I loved writing it, but having to balance so much dialogue and narration was challenging.

6: What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics?

What makes it special, well, it's my first fanfic! I tried writing one for so long, about 4 years! And being able to finally write something and share it with others feels amazing and so relieving after so long.

7: Where did the title come from?

The title came from this song called Summer Nights by Siames! I think it suits Naruto and Sasuke perfectly! It's such a nice song, it always makes me cry when I listen to it haha.

8: Did any real people or events inspire any part of it?

Many, if not all interactions are based on me and my girlfriend's conversations! There are so many and she always points it out to me after reading the newest chapter.

9: Were there any alternate versions of this fic?

There was, actually! At first I wanted to write an AU canonverse version of the Akatsuki, where Naruto is exiled from the village and reunites with Sasuke. Because in this house we love evil Naruto and Kurama. But then I wanted to write something soft, something tender yknow?

Again, thank you so much for asking!!! <3

#my fanfic #sns fandom #sns fanfiction

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artemissarrows · 5 years ago

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SOTUS The Series: Patriarchy & Queerness As Redemption

Okay, it’s been a little bit! But I have certainly been consuming a lot of queer content I need to discuss. First up is SOTUS The Series! It’s a Thai boy love (BL) show about an engineeing college that has a super-intense hazing culture. One of the freshman (Kongpob/Kong for short) stands up to the hazers who make them do endless squats and such….and ends up falling in love with the head hazer (Arthrit). It’s a romcom so you probably know where this is going.

I *hope* this goes without saying, but HAZING IS NOT OK and should not be lifted up as a normal part of a university experience. It is abuse, full-stop. One of the yuckiest things about the show for me is how the administration is totally and completely fine with it. People who are invested in the hazing culture (and, frankly, the showrunners) try to make the case that it teaches teamwork and problem-solving and stuff like that. Not really! More importantly, it’s incredibly damaging to participants and there are a lot less harmful ways to teach those lessons, if they’re really so important.

We could just leave it there--on a surface level, it’s honestly pretty enjoyable. The two leads have pretty solid chemistry and are quite believable (at least until the very end, when they’re equally as awkard three years on. But as my partner Mx. Arrows pointed out, they are painfully awkward engineer nerds on top of everything else, so maybe that’s actually realistic. Anyway.) It’s funny. It’s heartwarming. It’s gayyyyy. The supporting friend characters are also kind of fun and I like them.

But there are some other noteworthy things going on here that I’m interested in teasing apart, and which I’m not entirely sure the show intended. Let’s do that! Lots of spoilers after the cut (but again, it’s a romcom, there’s only so many things that can be spoiled). Note that I have only watched Season 1, I know there’s another season.

It’s about the patriarchy.

The more I thought about it, the more it seems reasonable to see the SOTUS (hazing) system as a useful dramatization of the patriarchy. When I say “the patriarchy,” I mean a system of dominance that gives men power over women; SOTUS also privileges older people over younger, straight people over queer people, etc.etc.. Here are some of the ways that we can see this system of dominance playing out in the structure of the hazing system:

The SOTUS system is run by men, exclusively. There are 6 or 7 head hazers, and they are all men

They belittle, berate, and punish their younger charges for doing things like looking the wrong way, singing slightly out of tune, or questioning their authority to mete out dubious punishments for nothing at all

It’s quasi-military, with uniforms for both the hazers and the freshman, and endless drills and the blind loyalty and authority that comes with military order

Women who are not freshman are present in the second tier of hazers, beyond the men. They are ancillary to the men, and their helpers. In particular they are the medics: they ensure that the hazers can assign their punishments etc. while also ensuring that it doesn’t get too out of hand and that no one gets hurt too badly. Without their assistance, the men could not do what they do, and could not enforce this system.

The head hazer, Arthrit, also uses sexism and homophobia as weapons to enforce control and order. Of course, he’s aware that the structure of SOTUS is headed by men. But he also taunts the freshmen in these ways too. At the beginning of the year, the hazers demand that the freshmen fill books with upperclass students’ signatures. In exchange for his signature, Arthrit demands that May, a female student who asks him, give him her number and take her picture. She’s clearly uncomfortable with the interaction; it happens in the lunchroom and she’s one woman who’s the object of the male gaze of 6 or 7 seniors. In that same scene, Arthrit also harasses Kong in a homophobic way. Again to get his siguature, he forces Kong to shout “I like guys!” three times loudly, and then to ask something like 10 male students if they’ll be his boyfriend. (He then doesn’t give his signature.) Mind you, this is something like day 2 or 3 of school in the show.

Arthrit is one repressed dude. More on that later.

It’s Also About Cycles Of Abuse

We’ve established that the SOTUS is all about dominance and control based on gender and other heirarchies--but that’s just the system in one particular point. What happens to this system over time? That’s where we get into cycles of abuse, and how SOTUS harms not just the freshmen who are on the receiving end of the abuse, but also harms the hazers themselves. Let’s look at Arthrit, the head hazer/one-half of the lead couple.

He’s an extremely homophobic and self-hating gay, at least to start with. Per above, he actively promulgates homophobia. He’s also deeply uncomfortable with expressing affection toward men, and Kongpob in partiuclar--though apparently fine with grabbing Kongpob’s shirt when Kongpob stands up to him during a hazing session. When they share their first kiss after Arthrit finally confesses his feelings, Kong tries to hold his arm and hand and he keeps shoving him off. Then they go on another date, where they meet a fellow student at the movies and Arthrit lies and says it’s not a date. (This is not the first not-not date they’ve been on together...this is not at all relatable. Not at all ^_^) Anyway, it takes him and painful time to do that.

He is a seriously repressed and emotionally stunted person, and being the head hazer is a major part of why. As head hazer, he berates the freshman, he enforces order, he snaps at them, he plays games where he makes them humiliate themselves for his attention and benefit. He is comfortable ordering people around. But when it comes to being in touch with his own feelings, he’s hopeless. It takes him forever to realize he has feelings for Kong. He’s deeply confused about it, up to the very second he kisses him. His friend Knott literally has to tell him to talk through difficulties with Kong and not let them stew. He spends most of the show running away from Kong, hiding from Kong, or otherwise finding ways to not open up to him. It would be funny, if it weren’t deeply sad.

Friends, this is classic toxic masculinity. At least his friend Knott has his head on straight and gives some decent advice.

I honestly get the sense that Arthrit is a quiet, introverted, and smart guy, who felt like he was forced by duty to become the head hazer, the one everyone looks up to. Even when he’s with his hazing friends, he seems aloof, apart, and alone. But guess what: he made that choice himself! When he’s sick--because he ran 54 LAPS IN A DAY for a hazing challenge--we see that he’s into comic books, and action figures. We learn that he also gets good grades, so is obviously smart. And even when he talks to his friend--the former head hazer who recruited him--about his feelings for Kong, his friend tells him, “be tough.” (His friend also implies that he hasn’t dated much...no surprise there.) Sigh.

Are we meant to envy Arthrit, feel sorry for him, or both? He’s at the top of the social structure of the school, but he doesn’t seems particularly contented, and in fact seems disconnected. He’s the person who seems to have it all, but has nothing. I’m somewhat curious if others share this reading of him as a discontented bully who longs for human connection.

We can also think about the succession of the head hazers, and how the head hazer before Arthrit chose him, and how Arthrit chose Kong. The one before Arthrit chose him because when he punished Arthrit for speaking out by telling him to greet a banyan tree for three whole hours, Arthrit did it. Then Arthrit chooses Kong because he speaks out and heckles Arthrit. It’s super interesting to me, but I think the thing is to identify people who have strong enough feelings about the system--and care enough--that speak out and therefore demonstrate leadership skills. They then turn those feelings of rebellion back into the system and coopt them. Toward the end of the show Kong starts to feel more invested in the hazing system and I was hoping that he would try to reform it; he doesn’t seem to that much. Kong says that he likes the teamwork and problem-solving aspects of hazing; he could do those things as head hazer and take the abuse out, but he doesn’t. Cooptation.

It’s Also About The Redemptive Power Of Queerness And Queer Love

This says it all.

They’re at a party, and someone asks Arthrit if he and Kong are dating. He says, “so what?” and throws his arm around Kong’s shoulder--and Kong seems pleasantly surprised that he’s able to do this publicly. This is just ugh, so beautiful, and Krist/Arthrit acts it so incredibly well. It’s truly the first time we see Arthrit truly, hugely, bashfully smile, in the whole show. It’s always been a sardonic smile, or a joke at someone else’s expense. But here, he’s just experiencing happiness and joy, even if he’s still quite shy about it and can’t look people in the eye while he hangs his arm over Kong’s shoulder. Queerness as redemption is a trope I wish would become a thing!!

PS, here are some screenshots of Arthrit making fun of Kong’s food habits. Enjoy the fluff <3

#sotus #sotus the series #krist #singto #krist x singto #lgbtq #gay #queer #kongpob #kongpob x arthrit #arthrit

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thisweekingundamwing · 7 years ago

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This Week in Gundam Wing: October 22nd - 28th

Happy Sunday Gundam Wing Fandom!

We have tons of super awesome things for you to check out this week! Many many thanks to those who submitted and tagged us in content - it makes our job so much easier! The fandom is growing, and being part of that is a privilege and job to watch, but it does sometimes make it hard to keep up! If you’ve created something we missed, please feel free to let us know so we can feature you too!

Remember, if you find something you love, please please make sure you let the creator know how much you enjoyed it! Every little comment/like/reblog goes a long way towards fueling their desire to do more!

Thank you for all that you do, and keep submitting your great content to us!

This update was delayed by the Great Tumblr Crash of 2017, please accept our apologies!

-Mod CB

Below the cut!

Fanfiction:

(please take note of any warnings within the fics themselves, do not rely on this list as exhaustive)

@amberlyinviolet, @yourbloodlikewine

In This Light, Chapter 3: Eli

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12386715/chapters/28402484

Duo x OC, Trowa x OC, Solo x OC. AU, child abuse mention, Sexual Assault Mention, homophobic parents, Re-Written Characters, Drug Use, Violence, off screen murder

Duo spent the last semester working in his older brother's coffee shop. He's resigned himself to a boring spring when a stranger appears, shaking up his entire life.Eli left home last fall, choosing to spend the last six months living out of his van on his travels from the Midwest to the East Coast. By the time he arrives at Ink's, the novelty of traveling alone has started to wear off. Still, the last thing he's expecting is to meet someone who's going to change all that for him

@anaranesindanarie

Never Forget to Breathe

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12462762/chapters/28362603

2+5, 3x4, 1xR.

Accident, motorcycle, Drunk Driver, Injury, Recovery, Physical Therapy, Pain, Depression, Anger, Self-Hatred

An accident leaves him with a new outlook on life. After a long recovery period, he decides to travel the world, eventually settling down in a small college town to peruse a degree or three. There he runs into an old friend who he hasn't seen in years.

@chronicwhimsy

Saudade, Chapter 12: Fővárosi Nagycirkusz

http://archiveofourown.org/works/11352189/chapters/28440536

Eventual 3x4, 2+3 bromance throughout

Everyone is fed up of Trowa being useless so they take matters into their own hands. Trowa doesn’t handle it well.

@claraxbarton

This Feeling, Chapter 1

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12520764

2x6, eventual 2x3x6, slow burn, post canon, angst

A dozen years after the wars, Trowa is still trying to find a place for himself. A glimpse into the lives of Duo Maxwell and Zechs Merquise makes him wish for things he had never before considered.

@cosmostar

Desire Told In Colors, Chapter 16: Navy (Now Complete)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/11227302/chapters/28488556

Zechs x Noin. AU, from sex to love, canon het relationship, heterosexual sex, unplanned pregnancy, violence, torture

"There were kisses printed all over his shirt, some playfully smeared, some carefully stamped, some surpassing touching his collarbone, too many for not being remembered. With a swift movement, he pulled off the shirt and found a message written on the back, the lipstick so red it made him think of blood: 'Call me.'" A 2017 Summer of Zechs submission. Color prompts.

@cynfinnegan

Omnibus, Chapter 5

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7373635/chapters/28558204

3x4

Another piece of Shatter Me inspired by a writing prompt.

Note that this fic is a collection of smaller bits, so please note individual chapter pairings and warnings.

@fadedsepia

SPF

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12532780

2x3x5, beach, one shot, innuendo, nudist!Wufei

Wufei, Trowa, and Duo discuss sunburn and beachwear.

Kaiser Chris

Fall of the Lightning Count

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12692159/1/Fall-of-the-Lightning-Count

Zechs Merquise the Lightning Count, a legendary MS Ace and hero of OZ. In July of AC 195, Zechs chose to commit treason against OZ, defying the Romefeller Foundation for honor in order to duel a Gundam. What Zechs did not predict that others would find fault with his actions, and strike him down for consorting with the Gundams. A mistake that cost him his life. (AU miniseries)

@kangofu-cb

Belonging

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12473872

1x2x5. Kinktober entry. PWP. Double penetration. Threesome

Heero and Duo help Wufei relax after a rough day at work.

Reflection

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12527160

2x?, Kinktober entry, mirrors, lingerie, mild kink, pwp, rimming

Duo comes home to a much-appreciated surprise.

LittleMouse

Warcraft, Chapter 2: Waking to Us

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12429339/chapters/28489976

AU, fantasy

Alternate Fantasy World - A world where people have ‘Talents’ that allow them to control certain elements. Different Talents can ‘Join’ to become a specific entity - some can heal, some can repair damage to land and buildings, some are weapons. The Talents you ‘Join’ with are called your Others. The perfect Joining is of five separate Talents. One lonely Fire Talent far to the North has given up waiting for his Others - good thing they haven’t stopped looking for him.

Lord Raa

Heero Sandwhich

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12594063/1/Heero-Sandwich

Nobody asked for this, especially not Heero Yuy, but here we are all the same. Prepare for a "comedy" with some adult content. If the chapters feel truncated, then you might want to look for a certain Fanfiction Forum on the (dot) net for a more complete experience.

Luvsanime02

Engage, Chapter 1

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12458772/chapters/28352415

Post-Series, Politics, Friendship, Canon-Typical Violence, Minor Character Death, Government Upheaval, Language

The time has come for all of their plans to finally start being put into motion. This is the eighth story in Navigation, a fem!Heero series.

The Fullness of One’s Life

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12442440

Sally x Une. Kinktober entry. Fluff. Bathtub sex.

Une takes a bath after a long, difficult day, and Sally joins her.

Back Against The Wall

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12483552

2x3. Explicit. Kinktober entry. Exhibitionism.

“We’re just bros being bros and doing something 100% platonic, but somehow we’re turning each other on because of not-so-buried feelings for each other, and we can’t make it stop” sex. Trowa's tired of painting all day, but at least he has a nice distraction in the form of Duo Maxwell.

Tequila Toasts

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12483604

1x2. Kinktober entry. 69. Explicit sexual content. AU.

Duo's having some bad luck lately, but he'll feel better after hanging out with his ex, Heero Yuy.

With Words and Deeds

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12498892

Une x Treize. Kinktober entry. Mild kink. Mild sexual content. Boot fetish.

Une is a young woman, and when she puts on the uniform, she's a soldier. To Treize, she is both.

MaryDBlack

Life & Death, Chapter 4

http://archiveofourown.org/works/11788950/chapters/28386924

Duo x Harry, Harry x Tom Riddle, Harry x Voldemort. Dubious Consent, Dubious Morality, Soulmates, non graphic sex, Rape/Non-con Elements, Reincarnation, Harry is Solo

We see a little of who Solo/Harry is/was. Mentions of child abuse.

Maldoror_Chant

Flayed Horses

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12458172

1x5. Angst. PTSD. Trauma. Depression. Suicidal thoughts.

Wufei found Heero a few months after the war had ended and spent over a year helping him find that end of the war for himself. It was...a lot of work. There were still no go zones and things they could not do together as a couple, but a museum should be safe enough-Wufei found Heero a few months after the war had ended.The war had ended. Ended. Ended.never ends never ends never ends never ends never ends never ends

The Arrangement, Chapter 39: The Distance Between Need and Want, Part II

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12131427/chapters/28523116

1x5. Veeery long fic ahoy, Not a romance per se, sex and violence, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Angst and Humor, Preventer missions, war-time missions, mature themes, mentions of torture, background threesome, communication and emotions are for pansies as far as the main character is concerned

Wufei, struggling with his demons, agrees to a wartime fling with Heero, no affection needed or wanted. But the 'arrangement' lasts and grows as they join the preventers. It could become a source of strength for both. If they let it.

The Source of all Things, Chapter 8: Intersection, Part I

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12121344/chapters/28556848

3x4, eventual 2x5, eventual 1x2x5. Science Fiction, Fantasy, Plot Twists, fairly graphic depiction of sex, Mild description of self-harm, Mathematical Magic, weird science, crones - Freeform, Magic and Technology brawling and eventually screwing, Eventual Threesome, Kinda, Insanity of arcane origin, The universe is a pile of marbles and other dubious allegories

Center, a planet where magic and technology blend. Or more accurately, fight tooth and nail. A planet of Sources, holes in our boring dimension letting through arcane power, chaos and pseudo-deities. In this hot-house of myths and very real dangers, Trowa and Quatre find a mysterious man at the end of a shamanic voyage. Portents suggest this Heero Yuy is crucial to Center’s survival. He’s important enough to have some interesting enemies after him, at any rate: a devious killer and thief called ‘Shinigami’, and a very irate Dragon. Beyond them looms an even greater threat. Indeed, the greatest of them all.

Megumi_L1

Mission Accepted: A Gundam Wing Fanfic, Chapter 7

http://archiveofourown.org/works/7682083/chapters/28450684

1xR. Love's Calling, Dangerous Deeds, Mild Language, Non-Explicit Sex,Low Violence

One year had gone by since the last time they had seen each other face to face, since the people of Earth and of the colonies had made a true peace with each other.Things had changed. It was safe to walk on the streets again. It was all right to voice one's opinions in public again. It was perfectly okay to live.But Heero had always been suspicious of this new existence. It was too peaceful. Those suspicions had led him to a new path, a new adventure, and the young woman next to him, wanting a break from her predictable new life, had decided to join him on that path....

Murshmallow

Mountebank

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12453362/1/Mountebank

AC 205- 25 year old Heero Yuy has been living comfortably in space for the past 5 years as an engineer named Dr. Odin Lowe Jr., heading the life support effort for the Mars Terraformation Project. When he is arrested for the disappearance of Foreign Minister Relena Darlian, he must prove his innocence, while tracking down the person responsible, from behind bars.

NEW *M* RATING

Dossier

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12449464/1/Dossier

Heero Yuy had spent time soul searching. He had spent time trying to be human. When his birth certificate is handed to him on a harddrive, he may have to do it all again. [1xR]

Mythical Rose

Andromeda, Chapter 1

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12482704/chapters/28413824

1x2, 3x4, 5x6.

Five years ago Heero Yuy and Duo Maxwell met, fell in love and married. Three years of happiness was thrown away when Duo thought Heero had cheated on him. Now two years later, they meet again on the Battlestar Andromeda where Duo is Commander. Sent on a mission together, will they find their love is still there or will saving Earth finally tear them apart.

nagi_schwarz

Unknown Roads Lead Away from Home

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12528300

Stargate and Supernatural crossover. Part 23 of the Good Hunting series. Dark, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction

Rodney and the team's progress toward opening the gates of Atlantis is sidetracked by a child asking for food.

Nemesis13

The Trials and Tribulations of a High Society Shinigami

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12690364/1/The-Trials-and-Tribulations-of-a-High-Society-Shinigami

Duo was a very caring woman, an open book so to speak, always there to help those that needed it with a smile on hand. The problem was she was surrounded by insane men who needed to be watched over like kids and her fellow women left her to it. Resigning herself to being the team mom Duo did her best, but she hadn't planned on Heero admitting he loved her. Things are weird now…

@noelleian

Leather and Cream, Chapter 1

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12488244/chapters/28427404

3x4, 1x2x3x4x5. Fivesome - M/M/M/M/M, Smut, BDSM, Fluff and Smut, Sex Toys, Spanking, Rough Sex, Restraints, Pet Names, Aftercare, Rimming, Crack Treated Seriously, Dom/sub Play

In a strangely Freudian fashion, the purpose of such an experience was to know your own mortality. To knock the human ego down a few pegs and remind yourself that no, you are not infallible. To feel the terror of losing control while hidden safely behind a fortress built from steel and mortar. It was like staring Death straight in the eyes and knowing that it wasn't your time. Your body, your life, your soul, placed in the hands of those who would lay down their own to protect them.It was, to put it bluntly, the best of both worlds.

Relena For President

Civil Wars

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12500874/1/Civil-Wars

A.C. 210. Four years after the end of his marriage, Heero Yuy finds himself on a familiar, destructive path. Will it lead to redemption, or pure revenge? [1xR/broken pairing]

Red Moon Rise

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12593127/1/Red-Moon-Rise

A.C. 213. Heero and Relena are reunited after months apart and, at long last, planning a future together. But, as all too often with this fated pair, complications never fail to arise... Sequel to "Red Moon Glow."

@renmaxwell, @shinigami-of-excellence

We Don’t Belong, Chapter 3

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12353439/chapters/28336371

Alliance won AU, gundam pilots lost, oz lost, white fang lost, just everyone lost except the alliance, Sexual Slavery, Pedophilia, because let's be real these pilots are still 15, Forced Prostitution, Forced Sex, yes i'll tag them when they happen, Quatre isn't a sissy, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, romefeller is a huge player here, angst for YEARS, just so much angst, Dark, Execution, Alternate Universe - Dark

A look into Wufei's new life, with a terrible surprise. The one who would long to be his savior is now just like him and forced into despicable actions. When the would-be savior fails to even do that, torturous punishments follow.

This chapter contains graphic descriptions of rape

Relena’s Glam Squad

The Edge of Oblivion

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10163755/1/The-Edge-of-Oblivion

Heero Yuy returns after a 10-year absence, and much has changed. Meanwhile, the abandonment of large scale weapons didn't end all wars. All it did was lead to the rise of new weapons. Biochemical ones. When that happens, even the best kept secrets can have deadly consequences. [Rating has been changed for violence and adult themes]

Shadow-Hawk2

Imperial Guard

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/12559874/1/Imperial-Guard

Duo Maxwell is trapped in another part of the galazy far from all that he knows and the woman he loves. He must learn to survive among primitive violent people and accept that he may never be able to return to Earth.

Shini02

Connect the Space Between, Chapter 2: Salvage

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12462054/chapters/28361337

AU, Crossover with Transformers

One man's trash is another's treasure.

Strawberrywaltz

The Forgotten, Chapter 13 (Now Complete)

http://archiveofourown.org/works/11686344/chapters/28344810

1x4, past 3x4, implied rape/non-con, amnesia, abuse

The entire universe thinks that Quatre Winner is dead, but when Heero starts having strange black-outs he begins to realize the rumors of Quatre's death might not be true.

Sylvieforaday

They Say it was a Concussion, Chapter 10

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12347688/chapters/28382840

2x6. AU. Surgeon Zechs. Dancer Duo.

Duo takes a spill and Zechs is just what the doctor ordered.

Moving On

http://archiveofourown.org/works/12529256/chapters/28531688

2x5. Angst, Hurt/Comfort, eventual smut, mention of past sexual abuse, past character death

Duo is trying to find his place in his own world without his crutch - Heero Yuy.

Synthesis

Soldier of OZ: Walker’s Account

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/7977074/1/Soldier-of-OZ-Walker-s-Account

In AC 195, five Gundams come to Earth in Operation 'M', testing the strength, virtue and intelligence of officers and soldiers of the world's armed forces. After failing his first encounter, one ex-engineer has a chance at a better outcome, and takes it. An effort to reconcile 'Gundam Wing' with 'The Glory of Losers', from the perspective of those in OZ.

TheManwell

May Demons Rest, Chapter 29: The Contract, and Chapter 30: Cleansing

http://archiveofourown.org/works/10944786/chapters/28475736

2x3, post-canon, bad language, underage drinking, suicidal thoughts

A re-write of my 2004 fanfic "Shinigami Sleeps" - To find and free Duo from his demons, Trowa leaves his uneventful life at the circus for the mean streets of an obscure colony in L2.

Snippets

@amberlyinviolet

https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/amberlyinviolet/166746291404

@claraxbarton

http://claraxbarton.tumblr.com/post/166786678750/wip-wednesday-from-an-angsty-hopefully-smutty

@kangofu-cb

https://kangofu-cb.tumblr.com/post/166802586037/wip-wednesday

https://kangofu-cb.tumblr.com/post/166856627484/happy-hour-so-claraxbarton-suggested-cocktail

https://kangofu-cb.tumblr.com/post/166764577257/youve-been-fic-tagged-share-a-few-lines-from-a

@lifeaftermeteor :

https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/166894505417/an-these-next-few-take-place-over-the-course-of

https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/166749934674/spoilers-lam-next-gen-pt1

https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/166749950869/spoilers-lam-next-gen-pt2

https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/166749982359/spoilers-lam-next-gen-pt3

https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/166654396842/winner-family-compound-outskirts-of-douz-tunisia

@maevemauvaise

http://maevemauvaise.tumblr.com/post/166895175271/youve-been-fic-tagged-share-a-few-lines-from-a

@vegalume

http://vegalume.tumblr.com/post/166797758640/wip-wednesday

Fanart

@alpha2nd2006

http://alpha2nd2006.tumblr.com/post/166498596662/inktober-day-17 Inktober Pilots Mashup - Clothing Swap

@drkstars-art

https://drkstars-art.tumblr.com/post/151774942317/inktober2016-number-13-ive-been-wanting-to-draw Grown Up Cathy

@gundamwing-ellesmith

http://gundamwing-ellesmith.tumblr.com/post/166872401739/voyeurism-dx1-theres-a-story-behind-this-which-i DX1 NSFW 'Storyboard' art

@jamyuyu

http://jamyuyu.tumblr.com/post/166774279087/get-u-a-girl-who-can-do-both-inktober2016-with Inktober Relena

@landoftherisingspark

https://landoftherisingspark.tumblr.com/post/166586179885/day-322-theres-nothing-deeper-to-choosing Gundam Wing inspired military garb

@lighteningavenger

http://lighteningavenger.tumblr.com/post/166722654853 OC drawing for @gwoc-october

@looklingart

http://looklingart.tumblr.com/post/166612238149/request-im-always-here-for-anything-duo-duo-x Duo and Quatre

@noromax

https://lbro009.tumblr.com/post/166874263965/cynfinnegan-noromax-gwepisode50-noromax fanart of unnamed canon character “Hamilton”

@outofworkshinigami

http://outofworkshinigami.tumblr.com/post/166672006472/i-needed-a-full-ref-of-my-treize-so-here-you-go Treize reference

@pawedprints

http://pawedprints.tumblr.com/post/166690000118/inktober-day-22 Inktober Relena

@vegalume

http://vegalume.tumblr.com/post/166871514440/finally-got-off-of-my-procrastinating-posterior Painting of Sally on cardboard

Meta/Headcanons

Duo and dogs: https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/166862137342/additional-thoughts-below-the-cutmore-ive

Pilots’ scars https://gw-ficrecfriday.tumblr.com/post/166544768116/scars

Dr. Jay Null http://the-indomitable-bhg.tumblr.com/post/166698167092

Heero being alone https://lifeaftermeteor.tumblr.com/post/166620174301

Dorothy http://simulacraryn.tumblr.com/post/166896646418/so-yesi-have-a-head-canon-ya-all-know-about

Sweepers https://the-indomitable-bhg.tumblr.com/post/166838833457/the-sweeper-group-and-a-brief-history-of-space

Duo’s memory https://the-indomitable-bhg.tumblr.com/post/166763174897/its-one-of-the-reasons-he-fills-silence-with

Silly Trieze headcanon http://outofworkshinigami.tumblr.com/post/166783624947/this-is-just-a-silly-thought-but-does-anyone-else

Calendar Events

Unnatural November by @gwblockparty

Begins Wednesday, November 1st, and runs the entire month!

A fanworks celebration of all things weird and supernatural.

Participation information here!

AO3 collection here!

Eve War Event by @gw-evewar

Posting December 23rd - December 24th.

A fanworks Science Fiction event.

Participation information here!

OC October by @gwoc-october

Ends Tuesday, October 31st - don’t forget to get your submissions in!

A fanworks celebration of Original Characters.

Participation information here!

#This week in Gundam Wing #thisweekingundamwing #october 20th - 28th #mod cb

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thesassybooskter · 5 years ago

Text

GOOD GIRLS LIE by J. T. Ellison: Excerpt & Spotlight

AVAILABLE DECEMBER 31ST 2019/ MIRA

Goode girls don’t lie…

Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia, The Goode School is a prestigious prep school known as a Silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, it accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond. But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned poisonous.

In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder. But when a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide.

But look closely…because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.

J.T. Ellison’s pulse-pounding new novel examines the tenuous bonds of friendship, the power of lies and the desperate lengths people will go to to protect their secrets.

Buy Online: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple Books

Add to Goodreads

Excerpt

THE WARNING

The room next to ours looks exactly the same, like it’s out of a sleek, modern hotel. The “something” Piper offers is a black satin sheath with a black lace overlay. Simple. Elegant. An Audrey Hepburn movie costume. She hands it over, the price tag still dangling from the collar. Rents can be paid with such a sum.

“You can keep it. I have another almost identical,” Piper says.

I demur and hand it back. “Thanks. I’ll take my chances with the dean.”

Piper shrugs and hangs the dress back up in the wooden wardrobe. “Suit yourself. If you keep your robe tight, maybe she won’t notice. It’ll be in your wardrobe with your uniform skirts—standard issue, everyone gets them. The seniors’ stoles are black with a white stripe, we lowly sophomores are blue. Freshmen are red—they stand out, trust me, I felt like I had a target on my back all last year—and juniors are dark green. Graduation stoles are different, multicolored based on your area of study, just like a college. I’m ready for the black-and-white stoles, they’re so much easier to match. Our blue—” she pulls the stole out of her gown; it is a sickly pewter blue and doesn’t work with her coloring at all “—is a pain, I look terrible in it. Though you can imagine how I clashed with the red last year. You will need to get some dressy clothes, though, we have a lot of formal events.”

She closes the wardrobe and faces me, looking me up and down with cool, inscrutable blue eyes. She would look severe if it weren’t for the freckles. They ruin the seriousness of her demeanor. She will always look like a girl, not a woman, even when she’s fifty.

“You might as well stick to black. It goes with everything, looks good under the robes, and your coloring is perfect for it.”

“Black. Right.” The color of mourning. I’ve been in black a lot recently.

“I’ll take you shopping if you want. There’s a nice little boutique around the corner. Next to the laundry, which is part of the restaurant where we eat on the weekend, Jacob’s Ladder. It has a pool table, too. It’s not exactly couture, but they’ll have a skirt or two that will work. What else do you need to know? Oh, stay away from the handyman. He’s a creeper. And remember not to walk alone along the back path through Selden Arboretum if you take the shortcut.” Her voice has taken on the warning edge I’ve already heard several times this afternoon.

“Not another ‘I won’t graduate’ legend?”

“Oh, no. The arboretum is haunted.”

“Haunted. A path? Ludicrous.”

“Seriously. It cuts through the woods, and a girl was murdered there.”

“How horrible. When?”

“Ten years ago. That’s when Dean Westhaven—the current Dean Westhaven, I mean—took over from her mother. It’s why she’s so young. She was only twenty-five when it happened. The board sent Westhaven the elder packing over the bad PR. The student, Ellie Robertson, she was the heir to some massive New England fortune, I don’t remember whose. Her dad has serious pull and, after the whole incident, got the dean removed.”

“The incident? That’s a mild word for a murder.”

“The school’s verbiage. They’re always in publicity mode. Ellie had been complaining to anyone who would listen, the dean, school security, teachers, about a townie who was stalking her and the dean didn’t do anything about it. One night, late, the guy followed her home from the laundry and killed her behind the dorms. Raped her, too. There are varying stories about the damage he did to her face, but supposedly, he carved out her eyes and took them home with him. They found them on his mantel. Really freaky shit.”

An intense shiver goes down my spine. “I’ll say.”

“So seriously, you never walk the arboretum path alone. Even if it’s not haunted, it’s creepy and not safe. It’s outside the walls.” This last is said with such earnestness I simply nod.

“Outside the walls equals not safe alone. Got it.” “And stay out of the attics. They’re totally haunted. Supposedly, one of the secret societies found several sets of infants’ bones up there a few years ago, in between the ceiling and the wall. I don’t know what they were doing there.”

“The society?”

“The bones. They were probably the children of some of the girls who lived here, stillborns and the like. You’d think they’d bury them, the graveyard is actually pretty cool.”

“Brilliant. Haunted attics with infant bones in the walls. This sounds like a stellar place.”

“Well, Goode is old, and when you get old, you get weird. Oh, I almost forgot, be careful in the tunnels.”

“The tunnels?”

“There was an Underground Railroad through here. You know what that is, right?”

“Vaguely. To do with slavery, yes?”

“We were a safe haven from the plantations down South to the free North. Pretty cool. The grounds are littered with tunnels and old cottages, but they’re totally off-limits. They’re dangerous, and most of them have collapsed in on themselves.”

“Where would I find one?”

“I don’t know, actually. I’ve only been told to stay away.”

The deep, resonating peal of a very old bell shudders through the building, making me jump nearly out of my skin.

Piper intones, “For whom the bell tolls… Don’t worry, Ash. You’ll get used to it. Even when the hauntings happen, the bells toll and chase away the ghosts. They don’t like the noise.”

She smiles, and I feel a spark of hope. She might be a friend, eventually.

“I can’t imagine why not. It’s unbelievably loud.”

“It’s really not to chase away ghosts. It’s so we never try to use not hearing the bell as an excuse for being late.”

“Right. Brilliant.”

Camille sticks her head in the door. “Are you two coming? You heard the bells, we’re going to be late. Ash, why haven’t you changed yet? Hurry! I don’t want JPs on my first day!”

“JPs?”

“Judicial points. It’s like demerits. Get five and you’re stuck in Saturday school. Hurry!”

Mum’s voice rings in my head. Pride goeth before the fall…

“Hey, Piper? Thanks for the warning, and the offer of the dress. I would appreciate borrowing it. But just for today, until I get some of my own.”

“Sure thing,” Piper says, handing it over. I run back to the room, strip, and throw the dress over my head, careful to make sure the price tag is tucked into the collar. I fully intend to hand it back after dinner, though I should probably have it cleaned. The trainers I’m wearing will not do. I have a pair of black flats tucked away in my bag, shoved into the shafts of my beat-up Dr. Martens. I dig through the bag; the boots are at the bottom. The second dong of the bell shakes the building, and by the third, I’m out in the hall, fully clothed, gowned, and shod, and we are racing down the stairs with the rest of the stragglers, out the back of Main Hall toward the chapel.

About J. T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison began her career as a presidential appointee in the White House, where a nuclear physicist taught her how to obsess over travel itineraries and make a seriously good pot of Earl Grey, spawning both her love of loose leaf and a desire for control of her own destiny. Jaded by the political climate in D.C., she made her way back to her first love, creative writing. More than 20 novels later, she is an award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with thrillers published in 27 countries and 15 languages. She is also the EMMY-award winning cohost of A WORD ON WORDS, a literary interview TV show. She lives in Nashville with her husband and two small gray minions, known as cats in some cultures. She thinks they’re furry aliens.

Website | Twitter | Facebook

GOOD GIRLS LIE by J. T. Ellison: Excerpt & Spotlight was originally published on The Sassy Bookster

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the-desolated-quill · 7 years ago

Text

Captain Britain Joining The MCU. Give Me Fucking Strength - Quill’s Scribbles

You know there are some points in my life where a person or a movie studio does something so stupid and moronic that my only response is... what the fuck are you doing?

DC, what the fuck are you doing?

Marvel, what the fuck are you doing?

Kevin Feige... what the fuck are you doing?!

Yes, apparently Marvel Studios are considering putting Captain Britain into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Something I’m sure every comic book fan in the land has been crying out for. Now I’m sure you’re wondering what I, a British person, may think of this. Do I feel patriotic? Proud that such a ‘beloved’ British icon is going to be part of the MCU?

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Yeah, I can’t say I’m excited about the prospect and the reason is because... um... how do I put this?... Captain Britain is quite possibly the dumbest thing to ever come out of Marvel (and I’m including Howard The Duck).

Captain Britain was created by Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe to be the British equivalent of Captain America. But whereas Captain America took off and became a relatively integral part of the American comics industry, Captain Britain never had quite the same impact with us Brits. In fact in contrast with Captain America, he’s actually a very obscure character. While he does have his fans (very few fans), most people have either never heard of him or, like me, can’t stand the fucking sight of him, finding the character to be more patronising than patriotic.

There’s a number of reasons why Captain Britain never took off, but first let’s quickly sum up his backstory. Brian Braddock (smirk) was born into an aristocratic family in Essex and educated at Fettes College In Edinburgh. Because his family were no longer rich enough to fraternise with their academic peers, Brian was a quiet and lonely child because he was too proud to fraternise with the lower classes (and I’m sure we in the lower classes were eternally grateful for that, you stuck up git). After his parents, Sir James and Lady Elizabeth (oh I do beg your pardon) die in a laboratory accident, Brian gets a job at a nuclear facility at Darkmoor. When this facility is attacked by a terrorist, Brian gets on his motorcycle (a motorcycle? Oh come now! Surely that’s far too lower class for him. Shouldn’t he be riding a horse and cart? Pip, pip! Tally ho chaps! We’ll give the ruffians what for!) and goes looking for help only to then crash and get seriously injured (you had one job! That’s you off the Queen’s Christmas card list). He is then saved by Merlyn (yes, that Merlin) and is offered the chance to become Captain Britain. He’s asked to choose between the Amulet of Right (pffft) and the Sword of Might (tee hee). Brian chooses the amulet and he transforms into the champion of Great Britain, fighting for Queen and country and all that is pre-shrunk and cottony... Oh no, wait. That’s from Captain Underpants. Have you ever read Captain Underpants? It’s a brilliant series of books. Very funny. Did you know that DreamWorks are doing a movie adaptation? I’m very excited! :D

Now you may have noticed that I wasn’t really taking this seriously. And really, how could I? It sounds more like a parody of Captain America. But no. Apparently we’re supposed to be taking this very seriously. So come on. Let’s be serious about this for a moment. No! Stop sniggering! Control yourselves, please! This could very well be the next big thing in the MCU.

As I said, there are many reasons why Captain Britain never really took off. The most glaring example being how stereotypical it is. He comes from an aristocratic family. He went to a boarding school. It’s incredibly painful. He’s one step away from spending Sunday afternoons playing croquet in the grounds and sipping tea in the gazebo before retiring to his four poster bedroom where his butler will give him a glass of port as a nightcap and remind him to get up early in the morning so he won’t be late for a spot of fox hunting with the chaps from Grantham House. I mean Jesus Christ!

Another big reason why Captain Britain doesn’t work is because we don’t really have the same relationship to our flag and our country as the Americans do. Oh sure we can be patriotic on occasion, such as on remembrance days or royal events, but America takes it to a whole other level. Americans love their country. They love their flag. They’re proud to be Americans. To the point where they even have laws dictating how you should take care of your flag. You can actually get punished for not cleaning your flag properly. In some states it’s illegal to wash your flag in a washing machine because it’s disrespectful. That’s insane! Like... it’s just a piece of cloth! Calm down! Brits, generally speaking, don’t have that kind of relationship. In fact kind of the opposite. We often mock our country and view it with a certain amount of disdain. The only people who feel truly patriotic about Britain are the royalists and other such nutters. People who passionately believe that Britain is the best country in the world, who love the Royal family and harken back to the UK’s glorious yesteryears (which never actually existed). While both Captain America and Captain Britain are both equally dumb ideas, I can see why Americans would be drawn to Captain America. An American patriot who stands for American ideals and wears the American flag across his chest with pride. Captain Britain on the other hand, with his Union Jack and his Amulet of Right, is more likely to produce snorts of laughter from us Brits.

But I’ll say one thing for Captain America. It may be a stupid idea and he may talk as though he has the Declaration of Independence shoved firmly up his arse, but at least he doesn’t act all high and mighty or try to lord it over everyone else. No. He fights for the common man and that’s largely because he was a common man himself. A wimpy kid off the streets of Brooklyn determined to become a soldier and fight the Nazis, wanting to protect his country from injustice. His inner strength, good will and patriotism is what made him a prime candidate for the Vita-Ray experiment and he represents an aspirational figure that kids can look up to. Captain Britain is precisely not that. In fact he represents what the majority of Brits actually hate. An overly privileged, upper class prick who has great power bestowed onto him despite the fact that he’s done very little to actually deserve it.

And that’s by far the biggest problem with Captain Britain. As a character, he just doesn’t appeal to us Brits. He’s above us and he sees himself as above us. We don’t want to see that. If we wanted to see that, we’d just watch BBC Parliament. Let me give you an idea of the kind of characters we in the UK love:

Derek Trotter, more commonly known as Del Boy, was the main protagonist of the hugely successful sitcom Only Fools & Horses and is arguably one of the most beloved characters in British culture today. A market trader and con man who sells hooky gear on the streets of Peckham and often gets into trouble due to his get rich quick schemes.

Dave Lister, a vending machine repair man from the sci-fi sitcom Red Dwarf. This lager drinking, curry loving slob ends up becoming the last surviving member of the human race and a Godlike figure to a new race of people that evolved from his pet cat. As the series progressed, he helped his robot Kryten break his programming and become fully independent, and it’s this that helps him to grow and mature to become the space hero he is now in the current series.

Victor Meldrew, from the sitcom One Foot In The Grave. A middle aged man forced into early retirement and having to find ways to pass the time, be it through peculiar hobbies or shouting at the weird events happening around him, much to the dismay of his wife Margaret.

Basil Fawlty, from the beloved sitcom Fawlty Towers, has become one of the most iconic characters in British culture. A traditionalist, right wing hotelier desperately seeking to raise his social status and to become successful, but is forced to work with people he absolutely despises, including his incompetent Spanish waiter Manuel.

Hyacinth Bucket (pronounced Bouquet) is the main character of the sitcom Keeping Up Appearances. Housewife to her eternally suffering husband Richard, she’s a pompous snob desperately seeking to maintain the illusion that she’s wealthier and more socially important than she actually is. However her attempts to climb the social ladder are often ruined by her working class sisters or her senile father.

And finally, just to bring this back into the realm of comic books there’s:

John Constantine. The chain smoking, working class magician from Liverpool who fights dark supernatural forces on a regular basis and frequently has to make morally dubious choices, often resulting in the deaths of his friends and loved ones.

Now what do all of these characters have in common? They’re all underdogs. Working class. Losers. Idiots. Failures. Those are the types of characters we’re drawn to as a culture. The reason why I included so many sitcom characters is because I feel they perfectly demonstrate the difference between British and American culture. America is brimming with idealism and aspiration. The idea that anyone can become greater than their humble origins, and this is reflected in their culture. In most American movies and TV shows and comic books, the main character is often smarter, wittier, tougher and/or funnier than the audience, representing someone they can aspire to be like. Here in Britain, where our rigid class system is permanently ingrained into us at an early age, we mostly accept the fact we’re likely going to stay where we’re at for the rest of our lives and so our media reflects that by giving us characters that are in similar situations to us. The reason we identify with the likes of Constantine and Lister and Del Boy is because they operate on our level and share our problems and worries. They’re one of us. When Basil Fawlty and Hyacinth Bucket arrogantly disregard their working class roots and try to raise their social status, it’s funny when they fail because serve them right for looking down on us. But when Del Boy eventually becomes a millionaire at the end, we’re legitimately happy for him because we like the character, we want to see him succeed and we’re glad he managed to succeed without compromising who he is. And that’s why Captain Britain will never be accepted by us. He is above us and has power over us and we don’t like that. People with power and authority are to be mocked and shamed, not to be celebrated or aspired to be like.

The idea that Kevin Feige is even considering putting Captain Britain into the MCU for me proves what I’ve been saying about Marvel all along. That they don’t care about creating a coherent or entertaining universe, that they’re adding characters and storylines just for the sake of adding characters and storylines, and that Kevin Feige clearly doesn’t have the slightest fucking idea of what he’s doing. If he did, he honestly wouldn’t think Captain Britain would be a profitable or worthwhile project to pursue. I also feel extremely annoyed by all of this. Remember when Feige said we were definitely going to see an LGBT+ superhero appear in the MCU at some point in the next ten years? Or just recently when he said we were totes going to see Miles Morales’ Spider-Man show up in the MCU at some point in the future? All of these vague half-promises constantly pushed back to make way for more ‘important’ projects like an Ant-Man sequel, an Inhumans TV series or Captain fucking Britain.

Regardless of what your thoughts are on the state of the MCU right now, I think we can all agree that when you get to the stage when you’re seriously considering Captain Britain as a legitimately good idea... maybe it’s time to take a break and reevaluate just what the fuck it is you’re actually doing.

#captain britain #marvel cinematic universe #quill's scribbles

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circular-time · 7 years ago

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Spare Parts Liveblog 6 - Disc 2

Dinner break! Okay, the Doctor and Nyssa leave after the ep 1 cliffhanger, and they never get into any trouble at all. JUST KIDDING.....

Track 2.1 “Necessary Force”

Part Two opens with something that’s a stock scene in new Who, but rare in classic Who, especially with Nyssa of all people: the companion and Doctor in a shouting match. I remember when Tegan was dissed by many fans because bossy/outspoken women were not popular. Then again, she did it all the time; Nyssa saves it for special occasions.

“And if you won’t get involved, then I must stay behind and do it by myself” —Nyssa

Every time I hear this bit, I cheer and wince all at once.

Never forget that Nyssa. Has. GUTS. The moment she realizes it’s the homeworld of the Cybermen, after she’s seen just how miserable and horrible and hopeless life is there, and knows she’ll probably die of starvation or consumption or be carved up for spare parts— that is where she, child of privilege who grew up in an idyllic paradise, decides to end her days. To help. Which is the sort of thing she does: she did it on Terminus. Big Finish keeps hammering home this basic aspect of her character.

While fighting, she and the Doctor run smack dab into the recurring dilemma of Doctor Who: you want to help, and you have a time machine, but you can’t alter history. Nyssa: I want to give these people some hope! I want to stop the Cybermen from coming into existence! Doctor: Yes, very laudable, but you can’t do it on your own! You’re not an army! You can’t turn the whole of history around on a sixpence! Nyssa: I’ve seen you do it!

(Again, Nyssa has guts, and also, long before Clara was doing it, Nyssa had a very dangerous habit of trying to be Just Like the Doctor).

The whole scene is so well-acted by Peter and Sarah. Chills down spine.

Also we get a chance to hear them face their pain about Adric’s death at the hands of the Cybermen, something Earthshock and Time-Flight really didn’t address.

[Doctor talks about running after disasters with a stretcher.]

“A pity that didn’t occur to you before when it came to sacrificing Adric!” Ouch, Nyssa. Ouch. [she’s still mad they didn’t run after Adric with a stretcher.]

Which gives her an additional motive for wanting to stop the Cybermen from coming into existence: it will save Adric’s life. Oh, Nyssa.

Doctor, after she finally lashes out: “So much that never gets said. Bound to boil over sooner or later.” Yeah, with scriptwriters who actually think about the story’s impact on the characters.

However, they are very dear friends and rational people, and by the time Nyssa’s collected her belongings to leave, they’ve both cooled down; Nyssa apologises for that barb.

And the Doctor honors her wishes and lets her go.

Or would have done, if she hadn’t mentioned bringing a cybermat into the TARDIS. At which point he goes all angry-squeaky-Five:

YOU BROUGHT A CYBERMAT INTO MY TARDIS!!!!!!

oops.

Track 2.2 “The Thousand Natural Shocks”

Oh FINALLY. I had a huge crush on this badass lady when she played a space pirate and crack pilot on Blake’s 7:

(hooray for farrah fawcett hair)

So I’m stoked that Sally Knyvette playing Doctorman Allan, the morally-grey-area scientist developing the Cybermen.

She’s cynical. She defies the Committee and laughs when she hears about the Doctor’s troublemaking— she’s about the only person with enough privilege/power to risk thinking for herself. She’s alcoholic (because Mondas is too horrible to deal with sober— and so is her conscience). She really is trying to save her people, but she’s got a brutal way of doing it: turning the weak and sick into a cyber-workforce to serve the strong. Eugenics ahoy. And she’s too damn proud of her creations, a standard Ethically Challenged Scientist trope.

She teases Sisterman Constant at every opportunity, making fun of her hypocrisy, (e.g. calling the Hartleys her “patients” when they’re just terrorized citizens). Sisterman Constant is a religious type, but actually she’s just another version of the secret police.

So anyway, we get Allan’s first scene treating “crewmen” from the surface and arguing with the Sisterman.

When I first listened, I had trouble with of “-man” used as a suffix to denote profession. A Sisterman is a nun (Constant prays to the “sky above” at one point, their heaven), a Doctorman is a doctor, an Electriman is an electrician, and so on. Sounds odd, but then so does the universal “he.”

I also appreciate how many female characters are major players in this story, typical of Big Finish especially when Gary Russell was director. They don’t fall into stereotypical villain/victim female roles. (While Yvonne is a victim, she has a rather atypical part to play too.)

Got to meet Sally Knyvette a few years ago at a signing in Barking, but alas I took the worst picture AND stuck my foot right down my throat. Ah well. Good thing is that actors meet so many fans they’ll forget your foolishness.

(still with the great hair, damn her)

Track 2.3 “Onto the Carpet”

Back in the TARDIS, testy!Doctor is frantic about the cyber-pest loose in his TARDIS. Just as bitterness about Adric’s death made Nyssa lash out at the Doctor, Nyssa endangering his TARDIS makes him lash out at her.

And go all squeaky. Of course.

He blows up at her, but once the Cybermat shorts out and she’s apologized again, he apologizes as well. Typical deflection: he rather awkwardly asks her to see what she can do to fix the damage: “Please, take a look. You’re good at this sort of thing. I’m going out for some fresh air.”

Exactly as he used to do when Tegan got under his skin and he needed to calm down. Have I mentioned how good Platt is at capturing the nuances my favorite TARDIS team?

Except this is the moment when the Doctor makes a FATAL mistake: HE GETS INVOLVED and leaves Nyssa, who is not going to stay safely put for very long. (And I note that it is partly Nyssa’s fault he gets involved, and/or her compassion makes things more difficult. See also: Creatures of Beauty, Emerald Tiger, trying to rescue the Doctor in Masquerade and screwing up the interface, etc.)

Scene jump to Doctorman Allan arguing with the ominously robotic voice of the Committee. She wants to slow down their Cybermen program and try to improve the process to save lives. The Committee, ignoring her pleas, decide the city is consuming too many resources and must be shut down. Why look after the interests of the people you represent when you could just eliminate them?

A parable of Tories shutting down UK social services over the past 20 odd years? Not sure, but the GOP is voting on Trumpcare in the US this week.

Allan: “What could possibly be more important than saving people?!” Committee: “We. must. survive.”

Every time i hear a new Who Cyberman say “delete” or “upgrade,” I shake my head. They just don’t have the Scary Motto down like their predecessors.

Outside the TARDIS, the Doctor finds a Cyberman, Allan’s drone. I think it was Platt’s idea to make them used for surveillance.

Frank shows up at the TARDIS to inform Nyssa that Dad Hartley is all sad; his daughter’s been called up for the work crews. Again, tying into Nyssa’s backstory; she knows what it’s like to lose a family member (and she guesses Yvonne’s being cyber-converted). Whereas Frank’s oblivious and angry he didn’t get what he thinks is a glamorous, well-paying job.

He’s been pretty angry and self-centered through the story so far. Then again he lost his mom pretty recently, so he’s suppressing grief.

Track 2.4 - “Bones to Pick”

Act II means taking action, although not necessarily effective. The Doctor is upset that the riot he started last night seems to have died off.

He wants to stir up the resistance some more. (Not realizing the cost they’ll pay, or else knowing the cost will be 100% fatal if they don’t do something soon.) This time he’s trying to draw attention to the graverobbing by hijacking a lorry and scattering its shipment of bones all over the street. I love his pre-smart-device kettle and ball of string approach to grave danger, although it doesn’t always work.

Meanwhile the Committee’s decided to cyber-convert the remaining population. Or at least that’s what Allan guesses. She’s drinking to keep from thinking. Sisterman Constant, selfish git, says the Selectors (the nuns) should be exempt; they’re the ones who choose “recruits” to be processed, making them elite. Whereas Allan can read the writing on the wall.

Track 2.5 - “Processing Credit”

Poor Yvonne. Constant blesses her while sending her to the slaughter. The victims being taken for Cyber-processing have their clothes stripped, exactly like prisoners in Nazi interment camps. Deny them their humanity before taking it away, whee.

Scene switches to the Committee (one thing I don’t like about BF -- too many modulated weird voices I have trouble understanding). Moment of doom (if it wasn’t before): They’re recalling Commander Jeng from the surface to take over. Military coup in progress.

But bringing Jeng down endangers the project on the surface, which has hit a critical juncture: radiation’s really high; laborers die off quickly, They’re caught on the horns of an impossible dilemma, and unfortunately a soulless Committee with no compassion is in charge of choosing. Sound familiar?

At LAST. Back to Dodd, disreputable rogue, being mean to Mr. Hartley who’s signing away his own organs just so he can feed his son.. Mondas is so horrible.

Mr. hartley passes the Doctor on the way out. Tells him Nyssa will make a good doctor, considering how she helped him.

“Oh, really?” the Doctor says, a bit dubious. But she will, in both senses: as a doctor on Terminus and, once she’s older, she starts behaving more and more like him. (Jupiter Conjunction, Mistfall, Entropy Plague to name a few examples.)

But that’s to come. Now the Doctor is pestering Dodd again.

Track 2.6 - “Taking Stock” (the track names on this audio are great)

The Doctor wants Dodd to help him break into the Committee’s central HQ. Dodd has other ideas, involving locking him in a freezer with the other spare parts.

Meanwhile Nyssa handily beats off a swarm of Cybermats with her nerdy smarts, electrocuting them.

Frank: It worked! Amazing! Nyssa: Not really. But worryingly satisfying.

She’s a gentle soul. Usually.

Sure enough, the Doctor’s been gone too long, so Nyssa grabs some food to go help Mr. Hartley.

Doom. Doom. Doom. JUST STAY IN THE TARDIS.

___________

Poor Yvonne. We get to hear her final moments as a human, begging for her Dad. Heartbreaking. Ugh: sound of a dentist’s drill just to trip all the horror nerves.

“You will join us. We are the future.”

Again, the Cybermen in this story are so much scarier than shiny robots saying “delete” and “upgrade.”

Because they are like the Borg— long before the Borg— people being assimilated into walking corpses. No wonder Death in Heaven tried to bring back this aspect of them, remind us what’s inside the armor.

____________

Doctor escapes Dodd and a random Cyber-policeman, and promptly tries to steal the guy’s horse. Using his Tristan credentials, the Doctor tries talk to the beastie.

Shades of Black Beauty in this bit, I think, although I haven’t read it in so long I’m not sure. “the whips are hard, the feed stale....”

Alas he doesn’t succeed in escaping; Allan rescues him from being executed, but requisitions him.

Track 2.7 “A Cracking Holiday”

Poor Mr. Hartley is in shock after losing Yvonne a second time, watching her last shreds erased before his eyes.

I love the way Big Finish often uses the sound of a teakettle going off as a sort of shorthand alarm: it’s warning of imminent danger, but the heroes are being too British and Keeping Calm and Carrying on

And now everything goes to hell. The power cuts out, the Cyber recruits escape in the confusion, the roof cracks, the lights go out, the cyber-police are trying to herd everyone into the Committee Palace for processing, and rioting breaks out— it’s apocalyptic.

Amazing how an audio with just a few voices and sound effects can suggest the death throes of an entire world... this hollow, terrifying world, the claustrophobic city in a cavern. It’s epic.

Because our imaginations are still a damnsight scarier than CGI.

DOO WEE OO.

#spare parts liveblog #long post is long

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collymore · 7 years ago

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The Harry Windsor and Meghan Markle Phenomenon!

By Stanley Collymore

I won’t ever dream of nor will I at any stage or given moment in time either unprofessionally or even more so ludicrously, damagingly and quite evidently too idiotically permit myself to be coercively, self-servingly, egotistically or falsely drawn into what, in my candid opinion, is a perceptibly feral amalgamation of what in itself and by any accurately espoused and truly balanced explanation constitute a feral combination plus a wholly and sickeningly grotesque exposition of what is both essentially and furthermore quite undoubtedly a totally bizarre but, even so, a fully expected by some, and a rather hubristically and unchallenging subscription to the callous, spiteful, racist, glaringly apparent and the concertedly hurled at will repulsive insults and the mass of unpardonable humiliation spuriously but, all the same, malevolently directed at Meghan Markle: the African-American fiancée and bride to be of Harry Windsor, her forthcoming husband and currently fifth in line hereditarily to the British throne.

And I’m most emphatic regarding all this that I absolutely will not, even remotely so, confer even a scintilla of recognition to these manifestly sick, attention-seeking, headline-grabbing, obsessively in search of, in tune with their deep-seatedly ingrained, infamous and recurrently as well transient exposure to, dubious “fame” purveyors of racial bigotry, concentrated Black hatred and their calculated disinformation, quite common of such intellectually impoverished, lowlife, redneck retards and the plethora of other similarly hardened, white Caucasian cretins looking to garner support for their endeavour, while fervently deriving enormous satisfaction from their perversely conceived, actively and rabidly proselytized and, obviously, demented, sociopathic undertakings.

Since, as I envision it, falling in love mutually with that special one whom you’ve always dreamt of meeting, doing so eventually and happily discovering that they similarly share a reciprocal interest as well as a deep-seated ambition for the two of you to jointly share the rest of your earthly lives together in mutual happiness and blessed matrimony is a realization which, by any descriptive terminology and authoritatively speaking, is literally second to no other hoped for experience.

And you Meghan Markle: a buoyant exposition of discernible intellect, accomplished poise, polished culture, impeccable self-confidence; a markedly perfected awareness of the positive contribution you’re capable of coupled with the unsurpassable determination on your part that you’ve already faultlessly shown to those who’re very much aware of what you’ve diligently been doing to make a general and crucially a truthfully meaningful difference socially and societally in this world which we live in, and most particularly so for those forced through absolutely detestable circumstances, and invariably through no fault at all of their own, to cruelly find themselves inexcusably and customarily inescapably in the process entrenched in. Counteractions by you Meghan which represent a consummate summation of Black, and as it additionally happens in your case Meghan Markle African-American, Beauty and most reassuringly inspirational progress at its peerless best!

Meanwhile, you Harry Windsor a prince of the British realm and privileged by any criterion that one can rationally employ in the circumstances you find yourself in, have impressively matured over the years from the rather rebellious royal tearaway that you seemingly gloried in, and figuratively with nobs on at the time, to become nowadays a remarkably outstanding, matured in mind, conscionable and as well an astonishingly, exceptionally hardworking man. One whom your late mother Princess Diana, by me and naturally countless millions of others not only within Britain but globally too was intensely loved and adored, would, I’m entirely sure, immeasurably and thoroughly ongoing be tremendously and deservingly so be proud of you Harry. And not only of your many and rising achievements but also the personal love of your life and a most commendable choice as your preferred wife: A Unique Diamond; Black unmistakably and with her own distinctive sparkle – Meghan Markle!

Frankly, if Meghan Markle was a relative of mine or even one of my former university students I would unhesitatingly advise her to call the whole fucking thing off; for apart from her allegedly tainting this so-called Royal family by her mere presence among it and that she’s getting herself into, she’s instead realistically and effectively making a much needed positive contribution to it and in so doing transforming these ridiculous robots into passable human beings.

And I would further advise her that if Harry, who is evidently in love with her, still wants to marry her to insist for her part that as a condition of this that he doesn’t get in the way of her continuing to work and independently support herself as she’s always done by doing what she loves and consequently fuck all these, to me, meaningless and pathetic so-called royal duties. For Meghan clearly has the intellectual acumen - not all that noticeable among many of those who comprise the Royal Family and from the very top of this rather corrupt and decadent tree – demonstrable ability and commitment to be her own woman and doesn’t need a bunch of transparently dysfunctional prats of a family on Harry side to bestow on her any street-cred economically or as a human being that she already has in abundance.

And let’s face facts! The House of Windsor is one of the most dysfunctional families not only in Britain but globally, collectively as well as in terms of the vast majority of its constituent members. And if it wasn’t at the top of this irrational layer of so-called superiority throughout Britain no one would bother to give it a second thought and would accordingly treat it as it jolly well deserves. But as is the nature of Britain’s deeply ingrained class system and cap-doffing by its idiotic Plebeians and social climbers we have a thoroughly ass over head situation entrenched in Britain.

For Elizabeth Windsor, aka the Queen, and Philip Mountbatten her consort who it’s being ridiculously trumpeted by all these Cap-doffing nerds that for 70 years he’s been the epitome of faithfulness to Elizabeth and vice-versa she with him – give me a fucking break will you as I live in the real world – Yes! And using that fantasy rational Santa Claus and his reindeer REALLY exist, if you also asininely think so.

To be blunt both Elizabeth and Philip were and have always been lousy, non-tactile and uncommunicative parents to their children, allowing her demented, social climbing and inured racist mother Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon to get firm and unhealthily sick grip on her grandchildren, and most particularly so Charles, shaping him irreversibly into the weird character that he subsequently became.

There’s a very popular soap opera in the UK called Doc Martin and in one brilliant episode Martin’s parents, and particularly so his mother, quite graphically and most cold-bloodedly outlined to him how that even legitimately having conceived him nevertheless from their own sick perspective his arrival in the world actually fucked up their social climbing and selfish lives for which he was never forgiven and they wished they’d never had him, and was the genesis undoubtedly for why their son Martin turned out to someone wholly incapable of responding naturally, warmly or affectionately to anyone and obviously lacked all normal human skills of social activity with other people he encountered on a daily basis, and that included the woman whom he rather bizarrely married. Someone that he was evidently in love with, as she also was with him but noticeably unable to communicate that love in any openly meaningful or unmistakeably non-confrontational way.

Elizabeth and Philip, whatever disingenuous, sycophantic or lying crap that the bootlickers to hereditarianism might otherwise tell you, are a classic example of Doc Martin’s parents. They had kids because the hereditary firm to which they belong and relish in belonging to dictated that they have them, but in terms of these kids of theirs – either publicly known about or else kept secret – these two have as much empathy with their known offspring as having a dose of Epson’s Salts effectively does on the user taking it to relieve a bout of serious constipation or a persistently irritable bowel.

Margaret who I liked was the only one that showed any natural sparkle of what she could’ve become and was really like inside and only did this when she was away from Britain and in the Caribbean that she adored, and accounts for why she spent so much time there when she could break away from the stifling and stultifying atmosphere characteristic of the Windsor, Mountbatten and Bowes-Lyon families. And Charles is a figure, who desperately all of his life, has sought to do the same; but thoroughly and unnaturally hemmed in as he always was by the vile machinations of a his obviously manipulative, thankfully gone and good riddance I say, maternal grandmother came out the loser. Poor sod!

For there’s absolutely no doubt in my mind whatsoever, and that opinion has never changed, that Charles and Camilla have always, as they still are, deeply in love with each other. And if he’d been left to his own devices they would happily have married as they currently are. But just as this social-climbing old cow did it in for Edward the VIII and Mrs Wallace primarily because she wanted to be Queen, he was next in line but Edward clearly seeing her for what she was preferred Mrs Wallace to her, and who could blame him, was instrumental in putting the boot in. After all she was now married to his brother George and that obsessive ambition of hers to be Queen of England could now be realized. And it was! In Charles case however, she knew he was reciprocally in love with Camilla but the fucking nonsense that stated any non-birth Queen of England must be a VIRGIN ruled Camilla out, so Diana who definitely was, and most insultingly too, was subjected to those battery of virginity tests, would in the mind of this sick matriarch Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon be Charles’ brood mare to produce the Royal Heir and Spare, while this old cow would behind the scenes encouraged his ongoing relationship with Camilla. And which is what happened, and tragically so for Diana. Double standards or what?

Diana produced two beautiful and well-balanced children in the praiseworthy image of their adorable mother, and Harry in my honest opinion is the epitome of what his beloved mother and a most normal human being, and not some Windsor robot, is and she herself would have wanted him to be. A very tactile Mum who knew how to relate to and spontaneously shower her children with love and natural affection, and something that’s factually millions of light years away from anything that’s remotely conceivable which Elizabeth and Philip could ever comprehend let alone administer. And I earnestly hope that Harry continues to follow in the footsteps of his adorable and adoring mother and that Meghan Markle who is not unlike in many ways from her late and would-be mother-in-law stands her ground and also refuse to become a Windsor clone.

It was always going to be a case of racist-hunting season once Harry and Meghan seriously got involved with each other. All sensible persons knew that. But when one has discernibly purblind cunts like WILLIAM HANSON – a so called etiquette expert – scraping the barrel and openly suggesting that Meghan Markle lacks class, my advice to this social climbing oik and the plethora of others out there like him is to check the Augean Stable that the House of Windsor/Mountbatten and all the other so-called aristocratic ones that both infest and infect the entire United Kingdom.

And how pathetic can one be when we see a headline of Meghan as being partial to having a weddin cake made of BANANAS! We Blacks all know what the subliminal, feral and rather idiotic message that’s being promoted and proselytized in this insult. Bananas being allegedly the favourite meal of apes, monkeys and other primates; and a distinctly biologically inferior species to which Meghan Markle a Black Woman naturally, it’s being suggested, manifestly belongs. The same bananas which were customarily and in some instances still nowadays are thrown at Black football players on the soccer pitch. And especially so when British football managers and others were routinely and openly saying and doing so in the most virulent and racist terms that Black footballers didn’t have what it essentially took to make the grade let alone become top-notch football players. Really? Well they fucking well absolutely got that wrong didn’t they? Now there’s not a single football team of note or hoping to be that does not have Black footballers in it. There are still no Black managers though! Go work that one out for yourselves why that’s the case!

Also much is being exaggeratedly made about Meghan’s biological family members. On her mother’s side we’re told that she’s descended from enslaved Black cotton pickers. Well now we know. So slavery was their fault I guess, just as it was the fault of my Barbadian enslaved ancestors. Meanwhile, that on her white father’s side of her family there was rampant racism and all the rest of it. Any Black person who isn’t cognizant of this sort of thing has either got to be a House Nigger or living in a world far removed from reality. For genuine Blacks know all about Slavery, Colonialism and all the rest of it; just as we’re well aware of your ingrained racism towards Meghan Markle. And anything to disparage this remarkable young, Black lady. Yes, you read that correctly – Lady!

A term that’s often undeservedly handed out to white women among the Windsor lot – but I wonder what the direct response of these cap-doffing Plebeians and social climbers would be if Meghan Markle prior to or after her marriage to Harry and despite all the security provided to her were to publicly claim or have it done on her behalf that she woke up in the middle of the night to find a supposed stranger who moreover was evidently not a member of her staff and therefore someone that was totally unfamiliar to her as well as the layout of her private residence not only in her bedroom but in her bed of all places?

In Meghan Markel’s case the automatic public response and virulent condemnatory reaction and remarks would be along the lines of: “Pull the other one! She obviously and bloody well invited this man to be there!” With the British media chiming in with: “We told you all along that this woman was a tart!” And: “Harry has only himself to blame, as he should never have married her. You know what these nigger sluts are like!” With other suggestions that one can take the pig out of the sty but not the sty out of the pig.

Yet this is precisely what was alleged to have happened to Elizabeth Windsor-Mountbatten in Buckingham Palace of all places with its superfluity of massive security at every conceivable level, and not a solitary suspicion of disbelief or any act of condemnation of this woman from what’s basically a gullible, effortlessly manipulated, conspicuously brain-dead, and an utterly inured white racist, cap-doffing collective of significantly intellectually impoverished British retards was ever voiced or would have been countenanced. Well here’s me explicitly saying what I always considered and still believe was the case, and a state of affairs wholly removed from what to anyone with a functioning brain in their head, not remotely interested in useless gongs, and prepared to use that aforementioned brain to think for themselves.

Similarly, the current Archbishop of Canterbury who with the bunch of cretinously induced nerds and head of the Christian Church of which I’ve been a practising member along with my family all my life recently, about a couple of years ago or so, inadvertently discovered well into his maturity and also in his current position as Archbishop of Canterbury that his biological mother was a knowing and scheming trollop who had no scruples whatsoever of putting it about sexually and most decidedly so with an avowed “aristocratic” English cad and accordingly opportunely and most cynically got some dupe, whom she hurriedly got to marry her with all the bogus declarations of love for him after she discovered that she was pregnant by her despicable cad lover and therefore urgently needed a father for her bastard child. A situation that ended up with this gullible dupe unknowingly convinced and actually believing that the child this slut was carrying was sired from his loins and was therefore his when in actuality it wasn’t, he was never told the truth nor, come to that, was the child that this unprincipled tart conceived ever informed of his rightful origins by his mother or knew about them until his accidental discovery of who he really was.

But I do distinctly recall the British media and the usual suspects being very sympathetic and also understanding towards the Archbishop of Canterbury, and I was too as it wasn’t his fault. However, when they appallingly adopted the identical stance towards his trollop mother who showed no remorse for what she’d done and passed it off as one of those things that resulted from her having had too much to drink, another bloody lie on her part, that was a red line too far for me to conscionably want to cross. And as you can tell from my response here I didn’t. But predictably no Plebeian condemnation of her. But just imagine what the furore would be if Meghan Markle were to do something like that to Prince Harry and afterwards had her slut-like behaviour not only discovered but also widely disseminated across the British and other media. And with all the dishonest, lying, disingenuous shenanigans and police “investigative” crap surrounding Madeleine McCann when anyone with even a half functioning brain knows that this girl is dead and who was responsible for killing her, just what her real “pedigree” or that of her manipulative mother is!

So my advice to Meghan Markle is simply this. Be true to yourself at all times and similarly constantly remind yourself that you’re an educated, independent woman who’s capable, as you’ve always excellently demonstrated, of doing a worthwhile job that you’re not only very good at but have also enjoyed doing. And in the process have both economically supported and positively sustained yourself and furthermore can carry on doing so. So you don’t need the fucking Windsors nor the superfluity of cap-doffing assholes and social-climbing media cunts like William Hanson who contemptibly proliferate and infest Britain or elsewhere for that matter. Verminous scum that can only rely on their delusional notion of white Caucasian superiority and nothing of substance to support their asinine concept that they’re inherently and therefore automatically “superior” to all Blacks.

Well, let them carry on with their rank stupidity and studiously ignore them every time. And if Harry and you after all this shit still reciprocally love each other why should you care what these cunts think? And while you both politely won’t say it publicly I’ll do it for you. Tell these mother-fuckers to go fuck themselves and mean it!

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diiaspora-blog1 · 7 years ago

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FULL NAME Alessandra Marcus NICKNAME(S) Sandy OCCUPATION Model, Adventurer AGE 18-24 DATE OF BIRTH 2 / 14 NATIONALITY French ORIENTATION Gay GENDER & PRONOUNS Male, HE/HIM RACE DEMIGOD

PHYSICAL INFORMATION

FACE CLAIM Daisuke Mamoru HEIGHT 6'1 EYE COLOUR Red HAIR COLOUR + STYLE Honey Blond DISTINGUISHING FEATURES A heart-shaped mole. ACCENT + INTENSITY French, noticable accent. TATTOO(S) None SCAR(S) None PIERCING(S) None GLASSES None

PERSONALITY INFORMATION

JUNG TYPE ENFJ SUBTYPE EFNJ ENNEATYPE 4 / 2 / 1 MORAL ALIGNMENT Neutral Good ANGER Lukewarm. He doesn't anger easily, but before he gets truly angry, he'll become haughty and annoyed. APPROACHABILITY aggressive / amiable / reserved / guarded / friendly

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

HOMETOWN Paris, France CURRENT RESIDENCE Mass, America LANGUAGE(S) English, French, Greek SOCIAL CLASS High Class BASIC EDUCATION if your muse has completed their basic education (if so, where) COLLEGE EDUCATION if your muse has completed a college education (if so, where) DEGREE(S) the degree(s) your muse holds, and the subjects they're in PARENT #1 Aphrodite PARENT #2 Thomas Marcus SHIP None / he has ships with @warheir & @gladioldid SIBLING(S) Various Aphrodite Children CHILD(REN) N / a PET(S) White Norwegian Forest, Osiris

VICES + HABITS

SMOKES? Sometimes DRINKS? Yes. Closer to Wine DRUGS? Socially. But only Weed VIOLENT? He is not violent ADDICTION(S)? does your muse have any addictions to speak of? (can include adrenaline, escapism, etc, not just drug-related) SELF-DESTRUCTIVE? is your muse self-destructive? (doesn't just have to be physically, can also be sexually or mentally) HOBBIES Painting LIKES Cats, Cooking, Sweets, Flowers, Ballet & Dance, Acting, Pop Music, Books, B-horror movies and Zombie-centric games, vegan food DISLIKES Spicy Foods, most insects, Heavy-sounding music, athletics

MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION

HOUSE Ravenclaw ARCHETYPE Tastemaker ZODIAC Aquarius VICE Pride VIRTUE your muse's heavenly virtue ELEMENT the element that represents your muse MYTHOLOGICAL CREATURE Unicorn ANIMAL Cat

Background

APHRODITE'S children are more attractive and have subtle powers compared to other demigods. With their mother being the goddess of beauty and love, they are natural experts in fashion and matchmaking with control over jewelry and makeup as well as skill in love magic. They also seem to have a greater clarity and sharper focus than most demigods. They have the same affinity for French, the language of love, as all demigods do for Greek or Latin. Some are also more interested in watching battles from the sidelines, rather than actually fighting. Some are even able to influence others with the strength of their voices using Charmspeak.

PERSONALITY:Sandy is usually quiet, but haughty. He's rude and blunt and gets irritated very easily. He never smiles, and never likes to let people know what he's thinking. Very few things will get to him ; family life, death of pets, but he will never let you know you've gotten to him. His expressions are usually hard as a rock, unwavering and aloof as if he's a robot with human skin. The last time he actually cried was at the age of seven, when he lost his first cat.

Through the months of his inception, he's grown to LOVE and SMILE and ENJOY life. He loves to the death and wants to genuinely help others. He's truly grown far beyond what I could have ever imagined. About:

As a son of Aphrodite; one of the most powerful gods in existence, Sandy's natural charms get him a lot in life, more than he really needs. He's grown in a privileged place all his life, with a very nice house and little troubles. He doesn't care for it too much, and he's better with using his words to win arguments and avoid confrontations. He's a lover, not a fighter.

His tone usually comes off as 'condescending', though he means well. He holds most introductions to a very high standard. He's straightforward and honest with what he wants and isn't afraid to do whatever necessary to get it. This by no means is an indication that he would hurt anyone. His voice is deep and airy, like a day dreamer, or a person who spends his time laying around without a care in the world.

He's a 'Theater Kid' and can be a big over dramatic baby - chalk it up to his 'ask and you shall receive' upbringing, though, charmspeak had nothing to do with it. He does a lot to keep a good reputation with his classmates and teachers, as his father is an esteemed professor of Law at Harvard University and very much cares what others see in his family. He's smart and owns and expects the best of the best. Most of his students call him a 'Silver Fox' Perhaps this is what attracted Aphrodite to him? His father is also strict, and demands perfection from everything his child, and his step-children, do. Sandy's stepsiblings, Jean and Wylder, could be less than reputable kids. Twins, at 14, do some of the worst things imaginable for children their age - Sandy is always surprised that he's the one who's the half blood.

Sandy rarely smiles because he is rarely happy. There are 'fake' smiles you can see from time to time, but only his genuine smiles reign when he's spent time with animals or flowers. it's slight, and you can only see it if you look hard enough. Sandy uses a 'it's not fashionable' excuse when people ask why he doesn't smile.

Sandy isn't as desperate for love as his other siblings. He finds what they usually do somewhat entertaining, he takes after his Mother when it comes to drama like that, though he won't admit it at times. He likes to be clean and handsome, taking pride on his appearance and where it can take him, though this doesn't mean he isn't smart in his own right. ( His grades must be kept to perfection, you see ). When he was younger, he always experimented with his charmspeak, (though at the time he had no idea this was 'charmspeak'), to see just how much he could get away with. Spoiler Alert: it was a lot. This lead to him turning to the phases of manipulation, forcing others to do things for him against their will for his own entertainment, dubious consent, substance experimentation, basically buying his friends - he got a little carried away, and did nothing he was proud of. It was when his Father prayed to Aphrodite for her guidance that she showed herself to her son, and told him he was a halfblood. ( For my PJO verse - A few days later, a saytr arrived at their large home in Cambridge to take him to Camp for the summer at the age of 15. He's been to Camp for the past two years.)

During those years, he burnt out of using his abilities for evil deeds, but will still use it from time to time. It takes a bit of hard concentration and clear thinking to pull it off now.

#💖 A piece of the GODDESS ; LOVERBOY

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londontheatre · 8 years ago

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Foreign Goods Last Forever 2 – Photo by Mariana Feijó

A lot has happened in the world at large since the first time Foreign Goods Last Forever played a packed out Theatre503, so there was plenty of material for the writers and directors to draw from. Certain people who appear obsessed with the Trump Administration and the United Kingdom’s proposed exit from the European Union will, no doubt, will want to express annoyance that this latest batch of short plays doesn’t place its sole concentration on those particular topics. More fool them, to misquote Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Variety is the spice of life, after all.

Dreams of England by Amal Chatterjee sees a schoolgirl (Shuang Teng) ask her father (Brian Law) a barrage of questions about England. The girl and her family live in southeast Asia; the only concrete giveaway clue to the play’s setting is her astonishment that bamboo is not grown in England. It’s a genuine attempt to comprehend the concept of border controls. The analogy of the schoolgirl’s grandfather’s compound is used as an analogy; not just anyone can enter, as they must ask permission.

But the relentless questioning began to get rather weary, particularly as it became clear that the same conversation, with the same questions in the same order, was to take place with the schoolgirl’s mother (Eugenia Low). At least Mother expressed considerable frustration. This is the sort of exercise usually reserved for drama school classrooms, where the same dialogue is repeated with different people so as to gain different perspectives when the same words are said with even slightly varied inflections and tones of voice. For the most part, it worked here, in front of a paying public. That is highly commendable.

I Live in a Vertical Village by Lucy Sheen was a highly descriptive, if pithy, play, emotionally strong whilst managing to be both simultaneously straightforward and complex. On one level, a woman with “horizontal eyes” (Julie Cheung-Inhin), is merely talking about her observations of daily life as she stands, “watching the world through double glazing”. But the descriptions provided are far from the borderline utopian pleasantness in Louis Armstrong’s ‘What A Wonderful World’; this world, the real world, is brutal and unforgiving.

The Stone / No One Disaster Is Total by Amber Hsu includes an intriguing concept of stage directions forming part of the script itself, though there’s one that’s repeated so often (“A shutter clicks. Lights flash. Pause.”) that any atmosphere, photographic or otherwise, it may have generated in the first few iterations had completely disappeared by the end of the play. Windson Liong, Yung Nguyen, Eugenia Low and Velda Hassan display subtle humour in their reactions to unflattering (or otherwise merely implausible) descriptions of miscellaneous characters they must play between them. I couldn’t quite fully comprehend why so much power was ascribed to an inanimate object – the said stone of the play’s title. It’s quite a physical play, and rather absurdist at times as well.

Confessions by Cathy Lam had the audience in stitches. There’s usually one play in compilation evenings of this nature that brings the house down, and this was the one. Charlotte Chiew plays a young Asian lady who likes to date older, rich white men. She gets some stick from her peers for doing so, but in her view, the benefits considerably outweigh the drawbacks. She doesn’t like her own culture, whatever ‘her own culture’ is, preferring Western lifestyles and behaviours. Not much is left to the imagination when she describes herself as a “woman who feasts on Western sausage”, which implies exactly what it suggests it implies. Her white lovers come in for some lampooning too, however, only adding to the hilarity.

The Dressing Loom by Julie Cheung-Inhin stars the writer as the token non-white performer in a pantomime cast. If political correctness was thrown to the wind in the previous play, this one builds on that foundation, leaving even this unassuming south-of- the-river London audience openly gasping.

Foreign Goods Last Forever 2 – Photo by Mariana Feijó

Another actress, played by Kate Llewellyn, secures the part of Christmas Eve in a regional production of the Broadway musical Avenue Q, so she tries to perfect her Chinese accent. Of course, Eve is a Japanese character (and so the joke is really on the white actress). The supporting roles in this play are performed with aplomb by Danny Steele and Chris Keyna. On a more serious note, it would not surprise me if comments expressed regarding a production at the start of 2017 at The Print Room in Notting Hill were verbatim. To summarise, In The Depths of Dead Love was at the centre of a ‘yellowface’ controversy, casting white actors as characters with Asian names in a play set in ancient China. It seems that there are still some very out of date and out of touch viewpoints in the entertainment industry that continue to be upheld by too many people with influence.

Suzie Wong: Fitting in and F*cking Up by Kathryn Golding is heavy with descriptions of childhood. The writer stars in her own monologue, which is extremely up to date, including details of a recent news story about a United Airlines passenger who fell victim to an overbooking problem. You will recall that he was assaulted and beaten before being physically forced off a scheduled flight he had legitimately purchased a ticket for. The other stand-out examples came from the writings of Confucius, dismissed as “lamented but impotent”. A call to arms asserts that East Asians should take their cue from Martin Luther King, Jr and Nelson Mandela: “Our silence is our consent. We’re not gonna take it anymore.” Much food for thought there.

Your Only Right is to Obey by Jingan Young sees Chloe Ewert and Michael Phong Le immediately trade insults and putdowns as though their characters were still in a relationship. I had a little difficulty fully interpreting the background story: as I understand it, an auction was going on. The lot was a person who was to be sold to the highest bidder. Quite what the person was to be expected to do as the property of someone else, and why certain people were to be paid for in this way in the first place, I can only assume is clearer in a longer version of the play. What is clear is that the pair, amongst others, are “selling crumbling perceptions of British culture”, and the play seemed to me a consideration of whether it is right to continue to do what is morally dubious even if there is still a demand for it, whatever ‘it’ may be.

Jamaica Boy by Stephen Hoo sees a gardener (Waylon Ma) in conversation with a friend played by Gilbert Kyem Jnr. The latter character gives us slightly stereotyped Multicultural London English (MLE), (the playwright’s fault, not the performer’s) which draws criticism from the gardener for use of double-negatives and other grammatical constructs that differ from BBC English. Forms of speech are not, however, the salient point. I liked, insofar as I could ‘like’ such a thing, the revelatory example given about how black people need not have stolen anything to be on the receiving end of a theft conviction, simply because it has been assumed by others that they would be the sort of person to commit such a crime. There are parts of London society that remain remarkably behind the times.

Foreign Goods Last Forever 2 – Photo by Mariana Feijó

Trying to Find Chinatown by David Henry Hwang is, I was pleased to later discover, only the title play in a larger collection of works. Benjamin (Matthew Houston) meets Ronnie (Max Percy). The latter is an Asian street musician. The former, despite a Caucasian appearance, claims an Asian heritage, by way of adoption. Ronnie jumps to conclusions and launches into a tirade after Benjamin asked for a location of an address which happens to be in New York City’s Chinatown. But Benjamin wants to go there to see the house his late father grew up in. The play strongly and cleverly asserts that Asians can wrongly judge books by covers as much as Caucasians, and there’s something refreshing about this country hillbilly with a university education putting forward articulate and intelligent viewpoints.

Put simply, I was impressed. This wasn’t a case of establishment bashing and whining about white privilege. It’s difficult to argue against the general premise that people, whatever their background, need to make their voices heard. Martin Niemöller had it right in his ‘First they came…’ poem. Far from navel-gazing, this is theatre as its most thoughtful and outward-looking. Perhaps inevitably, some of the short plays will resonate with different people in the audience more than others. But as a whole, this was a remarkably inspiring evening.

Review by Chris Comaweng

After a sell out show at Theatre503 in 2016, Foreign Goods returns with Visions of England, featuring fully-formed short plays by Chinese and South East Asian playwrights Amal Chatterjee, Kathryn Golding, Stephen Hoo, Amber Hsu, Julie Cheung-Inhin, Cathy Lam, and Jingan Young. The night will include the UK premiere of Trying to Find Chinatown by Tony award-winner David Henry Hwang (Chinglish, M. Butterfly).

Please note, the performance schedule will be the same on both nights.

Tuesday’s performances will be followed by a panel discussion on ‘Englishness’ and visibility of East Asian/Chinese artists in the UK. Speakers include Lucy Sheen, Naomi Sumner, Amanda Rogers and Helena Zhang; hosted by Theatre503 Producer Jessica Campbell.

Founded in January of 2013 by Hong Kong born, award-winning dramatist Jingan Young, POKFULAM RD PRODUCTIONS 薄扶林道 is a non-profit London-based theatre company dedicated to pioneering new writing.

Praise for Foreign Goods (2016) at Theatre503

‘There was something for everyone in this eclectic mix of new plays from female playwrights… great acting… an intriguing event.’ ★★★★ LondonTheatre1

‘Dreams of England’ by Amal Chatterjee Directed by Mingyu Lin Cast Shuang Teng, Eugenia Low, Brian Law

‘Confessions’ by Cathy Lam Directed by Beth Kapila Cast Charlotte Chiew

‘The Stone / No One Disaster is Total‘ by Amber Hsu Directed by Mingyu Lin Cast Windson Liong, Yung Nguyen Eugenia Low, Velda Hassan

‘The Dressing Loom’ by Julie Cheung-Inhin Directed by Alice Kornitzer Cast Julie Cheung-Inhin, Danny Steele Chris Keyna, Kate Llewellyn

‘Your Only Right is to Obey’ by Jingan Young Directed by Max Lindsay Cast Chloe Ewert, Michael Phong Le

‘Suzie Wong: Fitting in and Fucking up’ by Kathryn Golding Directed by Grace Joseph Cast Kathryn Golding

‘Jamaica Boy’ by Stephen Hoo Directed by Mingyu Lin Cast Gilbert Kyem Jnr, Waylon Ma

‘I live in a Vertical Village’ by Lucy Sheen Directed by Alice Kornitzer Cast Julie Cheung-Inhin

‘Trying to Find Chinatown’ (UK Premiere) by David Henry Hwang Directed by Mingyu Lin Cast Max Percy, Matthew Houston

Theatre503 and Pokfulam Rd Productions present Foreign Goods Last Forever 2: Visions Of England Monday 24th and Tuesday 25th April, 7.45pm

http://ift.tt/2oH08Vy LondonTheatre1.com

#IFTTT #LondonTheatre1.com

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