#so what if they're a devil rick?

[drowningmoon]

No honey they're a murderer to YOU, but to ME they're just a traumatized girl who was feeling silly

[my-thoughts-and-junk]

anyway i think claw and hoarder could have been really good if they had rick literally fuck the dragon

[1shirt2shirtredshirtdeadshirt]

Sexism in TOS: Worst Offender, or Progressive in Retrospect in Comparison?

I see a lot of folks claim that TOS was the most sexist of the Star Trek shows by a landslide -- and while I agree that it definitely suffered from the sexism of the times, I also have other perspectives to share to give some food for thought.

I am of course not insinuating that TOS isn't sexist -- it is, but I have to ask folks to consider the breadth and depth of Berman's sexism in his run and ask yourself: Was Gene Roddenberry genuinely more sexist in his storytelling and delivery than Rick Berman?

I'm not telling you to feel one way or the other, but all I ask is that you hear me out and consider some perspectives and make your own balanced assessments. Nobody is obligated to share my opinion, but it means a lot just to have folks hear it and see their thoughts on the subject. So here is what I was originally responding to:

Someone's response to this photo:

"Devil's advocate. This was a part of the popular form of cardio during the production time of TNG. Yes, it was heavily sexualised by men, but so is literally every other way women work out. Men have been caught taking pictures of women while trying to do dead lifts, running on tracks and working on sled machines. They post them online to share too. The fact is, there is no way a woman can be shown working out without it going there. And yeah,t hat includes the combat forms of workout they do in Star Trek. Just look at how Dax dresses when she spars with Worf. Yes, they're dating, but still, same goes when 7 does and any other female.

Aerobics routines like this were made dirty and cringy. This was what women wore then by and large. This is how the workout was done. We make it cringy."

My response to them:

"I respect your take, but I disagree on a few fronts.

The miniskirt was chosen by the TOS female cast, not the male cast, specifically requested by Grace LW and affirmed by Nichelle and Majel who would go on to vehemently defend the miniskirt over the years as comfortable and embraced by them.

Grace said it was comfortable and seen as a symbol of female sexual empowerment during the 60s and thought it would be a progressive garment (and turns out that it was, as it was later adapted and worn by male crew as a skant on TNG) -- FYI those were designed by a gay man and Gene approved them.

This was also supposed to be Spock's TMP outfit:

Literally lingerie.

We saw both Uhura (who saves Kirk in from Marlena Mirror Mirror) and Yeoman Landon (the first to initiate combat with a classic Kirk-esque kick to help the Captain being attacked in The Apple) carry out their combat training in their Starfleet uniforms without ever being made to change into any ridiculous workout gear.

In fact, I'd argue Jim Kirk was sexualized even more than the ladies of the week on the show and I saw his naked body more than anyone else's on a fairly regular basis. He wore red yoga tights while topless in Charlie X while the women wore full length gymnastic suits that covered their entire body. If anything, it went out of its way to avoid sexualizing women practicing fitness in those scenes and instead focused on Kirk.

Gene confessed that he asked to have Shatner filmed in suggestive/provocative ways to "give something to the ladies", so he -- as he said -- liked to "film him walking away" or have him conveniently busting out of his shirts in just about every episode as it were, because Shatner apparently had great assets. LOL

Gene made an effort to at least sexualize both if he was going to sexualize one, and he carried that attitude forward in wanting the m/m and f/f scenes in the background on Risa for TNG. He also insisted that the men and women wear skimpy outfits on THAT TNG planet. You know the one. LOL I mean the dudes even had on less than the women:

Gene also gave permission to K/S shippers to have their conventions back in the 70s when he was asked for permission. Gene and Nimoy felt with all the skimpy outfits they had the ladies wear, why not let the ladies and gay men have their fun, too? It's how we ended up with moments like this:

Yes, those are two people dressed up as Kirk and Spock's penises doing interpretive dance. Gene didn't give two damns. LOL

In my eyes, that was a very progressive take on Gene's part for the 60s. It was actually PARAMOUNT STUDIOS who had the big problem with K/S stories and vehemently tried to shut them down. Gene literally hired slash authors on his payroll and even had several slash stories/writers published in his official Star Trek books (The New Voyages & The New Voyages II).

I feel I saw Uhura and women in TOS engaged in more physical combat/altercations defending themselves that Troi or Bev were shown holding their own.

In fact, Kirk used to get furious when someone would "dress up" his female crew members without their consent (Trelane episode, Shore Leave episode) because like his male crew members, he wanted them to be treated professionally and to also have his male crew act professionally.

Berman brought some of his own personal biases into Star Trek that in some ways regressed it. While TOS had blatant sexism and was called on it time and again, that show was made in the 60s -- a solid 21 years before TNG. We as a modern audience understood why some of it was cringe/sexist due to the time period -- look at any other media coming out in the 60s and Star Trek was miles ahead of what other shows were doing.

Compare that to Berman who was churning sexist stuff out when women like Starbuck and Scully were simultaneously on screen on other programs airing, and we had already had Sigourney Weaver and other strong women in Holywood playing respectful roles.

In my eyes, there was no need of the sexism seen in TNG but especially VOY and ENT. There was no excuse for it when other shows were writing women far better and a number of those weren't even set in the future like Trek was, making it age even faster due to having those dated perspectives frequently highlighted.

In the Center Seat documentary as well as "The Fifty Year Mission" book you will find cast members, writers and other studio alumni who attest to this. Some discussions from "The Fifty Year Mission":

"First, Berman was supposed to have been a real sleaze ball . . . According to Terry Farrel, he would go on constantly about how her breasts weren't big enough, how she should do something about it, and how his secretary was a good example to follow as she had huge breasts. She even had to have fittings to get larger bras, and that was all done at his behest.

Later Berman and Braga developed a name for Jeri Ryan's character prior Seven of Nine. They originally called the character "perineum" which if you look it up it is the area between the anus and the scrotum. Later they floated the name "6 of 9". I mean, what does it tell you about where these two were coming from in the development of this character if they had names like that put forward in all seriousness for her?"

Gene Roddenberry also had some of his own more progressive ideas for TNG cut or watered down by Berman. Roddenberry agreed TNG should have homosexual relationships and representation at a con in the 80s and insisted on it in a meeting with his writers -- something Berman later would not honor. Gene wanted the AIDS episode, showing m/m and f/f in the Riza scenes -- these were some of Roddenberry's requests to include in TNG that Berman later stonewalled.

Berman's era was sadly dated by his own misogynist bias, IMO, to the point that it can somewhat hurt the shows he worked on through his cringe egoism and blatant disrespect toward his female cast.

There is a reason why Gene could keep female actresses working with him and Berman had a revolving door of women that he couldn't seem to keep working for him -- he was abhorrent to women, on and off set. Gene wasn't perfect at all, he had a lot of issues himself -- but Berman was a whole other level. Just look at what he did to poor Jolene Blalock, Marina Sirtis and his toxic commenting on her body weight which exacerbated her struggles with eating disorders, or how he treated and talked to Terry Farrell.

Anyway, just some food for thought. I'm not saying anyone is wrong regarding a take like that, but there are a variety of ways to look at this. Gene Roddenberry isn't a saint by any means, but it definitely bothers me how folks will tote the Berman era as if it were the lesser of two evils or the more progressive depiction of women when I felt there were far more concerning portrayals of women in his era with far less justification.

(P.S: I don't event want to go near the sheer amount of "creepy old dude/villain preys on innocent/naïve/scared young woman or little girl" stories there were in Berman's era, either. But that's a whole other can of worms I can write about in a part 2.)

[somethingcounterfeit]

one of the critiques I saw about the PJO show was that we lost Annabeth in the first two episodes. She was supposed to show Percy around, explain the camp and how claiming/parentage works, and just build up their friendship. But I'm here to play devils advocate for a minute and say that I'm glad they switched it to luke. In fact, I understand exactly why Rick chose to do it.

We're getting what, 8-9 episodes per season? Maybe 10-11 if we're lucky? (I haven't actually seen what they were contracted for so) There's a looooot of content to fit in to those episodes, and one of the bigger things we need to experience very quickly, is Luke and Percy's dynamic. We need to see how Luke sees the gods and camp. We need to see how both of them carry an anger at their father, and why they do. We need to see how Luke was at the end of the day, just a boy abandoned by someone who was supposed to love and protect him. And we need to see how Percy can see both sides of him because of their similarities and overwhelming differences. Accounting for pacing & what needs to be shown in the first 1.5 hours of the show, it makes much more sense for Percy to spend this time with Luke.

We're going to have the entire rest of the show to watch Annabeth, Percy, and Grover connect and bond. We're not going to have much time to see and understand Luke, who we NEED to understand for the ending of the series to make sense (and even the ending of the season). So, any moment they can take to deepen that understanding, they're going to.

I think it was a good choice by Rick, and with how hard he's fought for the public to accept and love Leah as Annabeth, I highly doubt he's diminishing her space in the story. I think he's solely picking and choosing small parts to change to make sure the plot has the biggest impact it can.

[punkeropercyjackson]

The depunkification of Percy by normie Pjo fans they call 'Punk Percy' is wildddddd

'Percy's a devil may care rebel without a cause😏'He's a rebel because he grew up getting bullied by his classmates for being audhd with no idea how to mask and poor and abused by authority figures and his stepdad so he learned how be tough and run his mouth as self-defense and he's been a bully beater his whole life because he cares about other mentally disabled people and minorities in general

'He's secretly LOADED thanks to Poseidon and he's besties with a bunch of gods!'He refuses to ask Poseidon for shit since he hates rich people and he hates the idea of having power even more and personally hates Ares,Hades,Apollo and Hermes as people for various justified reasons + Punk is inherently anti-authoritarian and anti-establishment so that and God/Titan/Primordial!Percy can't co-exist

'His type is blondes and he's upset with Nico saying he's not his because that's his too!'His CANON type is princess-y girls,that's how he described Annabeth's hair and what Rachel acts like,his name is Perseus so of course that's gonna be the kinda girl he has a thing for,Andromeda was the princess of an african country(Ethopia)and there's Leahbeth and the high posibility that Rachel's gonna be black too,Nico explicitly called Percy still physically attractive to him but not personality wise and that was a trans Percy moment if it was queer Percy.Also Nico is basically Percy's son,y'all fucking weird

'He's such a guy'See above and even if Percy's a cis man,that dosen't change the fact that she was written to defy traditional manhood and femme men exist and we're an important part of punk culture since it relies on and requires heavy noncomformity and Percy's also a canon misandrist who worships women and thinks they're way better than men which is another layer of transfem coding and it ain't my girl's fault you want her to worship men instead as if they've ever done anything for her

'Grunge skater bo-'She dresses like a boymoder in canon and if Rick put his whole pussy into his writing she'd be crustpunk and solarpunk with pastel punk bits since she's femme and hates 'true maturity',she canonically gave up skateboarding to join the swim team and was never heavily invested in it anyway,Piper saying 'he looked like a skater' was her having internalized cisheteronormativity and i know for a fact when y'all say being a skater and being a punk are the same thing you don't mean Ska Punk but that overrated ass song that's done irreperable damage to our society

'He HAS to be white to be punk'Look at my url.D'you think i made the word Punkero up.'He's a Switfie and would like Hp/The Marauders and Mcu'Yeah alright,you officially know literally nothing about punk

AND y'all's designs aren't even aesthetically accurate

[pain-is-too-tired]

I wished pjo had focused in on modernization of the mythology. Not just "if this thing from the original myths are now this" but make new myths.

Think the reason we notice when certain things aren't right to the original myths is that Rick tries so hard to only give the feeling that the mythical world has adapted, not changed.

Sure, the gods mention how they're precieved and worship can change them. But that's only presented to us in terms of Roman sides of them. How messed up some of the gods interpretations are could feel a lot less sour if we got more confirmation that "Yeah, they're like that because of how the world now sees them and what they represent has corrupted who they were originally."

You can't tell me that thousands of years have gone by and there's not a single new monster. That a god didn't get mad once and made mothman or something.

There are a lot of modern mythologies without an actual tie to another religion.

Give me Loch Ness being a mortal who slighted Poseidon or a water god in the area it's now in.

Big Foot,Jersey Devil,The Tennessee Terror,Sea Serpants of the Gulf, the wolf woman of mobile etc

Heck,even other more recent ones like Slenderman and the Rake

I much rather have that then have gods and demigods be heavily involved or the cause of wars with very sensitive causes(what the fuck were you thinking with WW2 and Civil War Rick. Wtf)

But yeah. Honestly think seeing modern legends be used would be cool. And I must reiterate specifically those not already tied to another religion or culture. Legends that aren't sensitive to brouch on. Feel very important to mention when talking about crypids(especially as majority are in America) cause if you just look them up lot of them might add legends from native culture to the roster and they're already tied to something.

Anyway. Just thoughts on my brain I wanted to share. Think modern beings in pjo could've been so cool. Like America is full of folklore that was made post colonization,it wouldn't be shocking if the gods created part of that.

[iwannascreameurekaa]

I don't understand how any of the seven get so much hate. They all have amazing characteristics, designs, personalities, backgrounds, etc. 

so I'm gonna explain why they're all amazing

Yay

Percy

Percy is the main character to the first five books so he has the most information shown about him than the seven since we read from his point of view in pjo and the Olympians. His whole thing of loyalty is incredible and the things he risked to save people he barely knew made him an amazing protagonist. 

Annabeth

Hello??? I know she's smart but that's not her only characteristic. She's blinded by her own powers and doesn't know how to handle things thrown at her when she can only rely on her emotions which is amazing cause ME TOO GIRLY she's a badass who also went through so much during HOO 

Leo

Built a whole ass ship, was manipulated and controlled into KILLING HIS OWN MOTHER OMGS MY HEART, was always singled out and felt like he didn't belong, SACRIFICED HIMSELF FOR HIS FRIENDS, and so much more!!!

Jason

This is where ima start defending for my life bc people who say Jason is boring don't understand his story. He was taken from his home, raised by wolves until he was around 2/3, raised the rest of his life until his was 16 in a camp where he was trained to be an actual child soldier, kidnapped and had his memory erased, watched his best friend DIE, and died for his other best friend !!! WHAT MORE DO YOU PEOPLE WANT????? OFC HES GOING TO BE BORING HE DIDNT KNOW WHO HE WAS OR WHAT HE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE

Piper

I will hold you by the shoulders and stare directly into your soul until you give me a good reason to hate Piper bc she did nothing wrong. She just wanted her father's love and she never got it so what happened? She was sent or a wilderness camp where she was also manipulated into believing a random boy was her bf which entirely messed her up and it took her MONTHS ALMOST A YEAR to realize that she didn't have the feelings she was lead to believe. THEN SHE SAW HER EX HER BSF DIE IN FRONT OF HER????? I WOULD BE RUINED AFTER THAT OMGS 

Hazel

Excuse me, didn't she DIE in the 1940s to prevent the world from ending, came back, only to have to save the world AGAIN??? Not to mention that fact that she was bullied and harassed all her life before and after her death. Before her death she was always treated like the devil bc of her curse, even by her own mother. Her mom even neglected Hazel which is something NO ONE SEEMS TO TALK ABOUT. Then she has an unknown brother save her from the underworld and have to completely rebuild her life from scratch. At new rome she still wasn't treated right and was left out and made out to be a weird girl just like her old life. Tbh if that was me I wouldn't be shaking crying every time I saw someone. Also she learned how to control the mist which is pretty fricking cool okay I love her 

Frank

Let's just point out the obvious first. The reason Frank is not one of the most loved characters is because he is/was chubby. I'll say it, that is the reason. If he was skinny/fit more people would love him. That's probably why Rick did the transformation thingy thing where Frank got all buff. Which sucks because Frank is incredible and having one of the only character that's not skinny or muscly or as conventionally attractive have to change to those things just to be slightly more popular is STUPID!!!! I'm not hating on Rick I'm honestly hating on the fans who didn't love Frank because of the fact that he was chubby, whether they knew that was the reason they didn't like him as much as the other seven or not. His story is incredible. His mom going to war and her dying made my heart break while reading. his entire life force being attached to a piece of wood, so easy to be burned to nothingness, is SO GOOD. His awkwardness is so refreshing to see when characters are often portrayed as nonchalant and cool when in reality we're all losers 😭 

Really, there's no real reasons to hate any of the seven. You can have favorites, I have my favorites of course, but putting the other seven down doesn't do anything. You're just an asshole. 

[yummycrummy]

p1 hcs becuz I am normal abt characters 

-his real name is Rick but he prefers to go by Dude (I like to think that p2's name is Rick too but we aren't talking abt him rn) 

-in his 20s (like...26 or 28???) he looks older to some people though, if he even goes out

-has severe generalised anxiety disorder, PTSD, hypochondria, schizophrenia, social anxiety, and OCD 

- has Anthropophobia, Ataxophobia, Catagelophobia, Claustrophobia, Daemonophobia, and probably way more

-started to take medication at some point but eventually stopped because he thought they wouldn't work and make him more paranoid 

-he owns guns (A LOT of them) probably like, 25. he keeps them perfectly clean and safe, stocked up on his wall or in his panic room. (we'll get to that part soon) he'd probably have a collection of other weapons too, like a bunch of knives and axes (he also keeps them very clean, obsessively) 

-owns a little radio so he can listen to MTV, music that he's into, like Nickelback, KMFDM, Judas Priest, Oingo Boingo and Black Sabbath. helps him relax when he feels like he's really losing it. (he also tries to listen in on the feds, like if they're spying on him. he's that paranoid.)

-cuddles with champ often. especially when hes in bed. he loves that puppy as much as life itself (he'd kill for him) 

-gets sunspots when hes out in the sun for awhile 🌤

-smokes pot frequently. his house probably reeks of it, and so does he lets be real

-smoking too much of the pot can fuck him up, yet he doesn't stop. he doesn't know what else to do, and he doesn't trust doctors.

-fidgets alot. holds onto his cross when hes scared or in need of comfort. bites his nails too.

-has acne scars

-sensitive to bright lights (why he wears sunglasses all the time)

-gets sick really often. all the time. almost died during a few probably

-has shit posture 🦐

-breaks things when hes overwhelmed or angry

-has a bunker/panic room in his basement. keeps way more weapons down there, including MRE's and dog food as well. he thinks about the world coming to an end and so that's basically why he built it. 

-hardly ever leaves his house. feels like the government is going to come for him, so whenever he sees a black vehicle outside, like a van, he freaks the hell out. If he was going to go out and get the mail that day you can forget it. 

-cant hold down a job for long. Idk how this man even has a house (government probably gives him money) that is until he eventually gets evicted (hope this makes sense enough im sleepy)

-can't drive even though he took his learners as a teen. he just can't. makes him more nervous and unable to focus on a lot of things at once, so he either walks or takes the bus. 

-kids would often call him a demon or pull his hair. they thought he was a freak since he never liked to be around any of the other kids, he was always off in some corner or inside at recess, so he was sadly the target of their taunts. 

-his parents weren't redheads like him (recessive genes) so when he was born his mother thought he was the spawn of the devil. she never wanted anything to do with him, as did his dad, so P1 desperately tried everything to get their attention/approval, but nothing ever worked. he eventually left home when he turned 17. 

k thats mostly it ty for reading if u did eee

[multifandomslxt]

BLACK ROSES Pt. 2

Pairing: Mafia!Lee Jeno x Florist!Reader

Trope: Grumpy x sunshine

Genre: Dark Mafia Romance

Word Count: 2K (i think)

Synopsis:

Lee Jeno is a dangerous man. From going on k!lling sprees for fun to torturing and k!lling his own father. He does it all. In short Lee Jeno is the devil.

Y/N is a florist. She's as pure as they come. Nothing exciting ever happens in her life and she’s okay with that. In short Y/N is an angel.

He was bad and she was good. They were complete opposites.

…Or so they thought

Get your tissues for this one. It's gonna be one hell of a ride

Warnings for this chapter: Mentions of drugs, g*n violence, illegal dealings.

*(((((A/N: you guys enjoyed the first chapter so I shall continue this. Enjoyyyy<3333))))*

Flower of the day (Pay attention to these...they're a clue): The Echinacea is a flower that is very beautiful. Echinacea flowers are often associated with health and healing. 

                                                                           

'Dry hump him'  my conscience screamed at me

'Absolutely not.' I screamed back.

 I had no idea what to do in this situation,

He was still staring at me

I was still staring at him

Just back up and pretend as if nothing happened, I thought.

Okay, back up on three

One

Two

Thr-

Suddenly he stood up straight and flicked his wrist and checked his watch

"Peonies. I came here for peonies, where are they?" he asked

My mind was still in shambles but thankfully I managed to answer

"They aren't here right now. The delivery guy should be here soon so if you'd like to wait then I-"

"I don't have time to wait I'm a busy man and you're wasting my time" he interrupted

'I'm a busy man blah blah blah' I mentally mocked him

"Well then leave." I rushed out

" Leave? Nobody speaks to me like that. I need the peonies. Where are the fucking peonies?"

Damn, his attitude changed real quick.

"This is a shitty establishment you have here" he grunted

I gasped "shitty?"

Did he just call Izzy's 16-year-old business...shitty?

"Sir, first of all, you said that you were a busy man so I simply suggested for you to leave. Secondly, I explained to you the reason why we don't have your peonies, and thirdly if this is what you call a shitty establishment then it is clear as day to me that common sense is not your virtue now take your arrogant, self-centered, ill-mannered self out of this 'shitty establishment." I finished

"You cle-"

He was interrupted by the chiming doorbell- Ricky and Izzy walked in

Thank God

Wait...

Izzy?

"Good mornin' Y/N, how's it goin'?" Ricky called out

Thank you Rick ,I was beginning to run out of comebacks

"I'm good Ricky T, how's the wife?" I asked

"Still as stubborn and wild as the day we met" he laughed while placing the boxes of flowers on the floor.

"Goodbye m'ladies" he tilted his hat and left

"Bye Rick"

"So what, you just forgot I was standing next to him?" Izzy interjected

I rolled my eyes playfully " Izzy you're not supposed to be here, what did the doctor say?"

She smiled halfheartedly "don't worry about what the doctor said love, it's nothing serious"

Knowing her, it wassomething to worry about

"M'kay" I answered shortly.

"The peonies, I need the peonies" A voice spoke from my left

Damn, I forgot he was here

I got up and made my way toward the boxes Rick had previously put down.

"Peonies" I mumbled while looking through the stack of boxes

"Ah ha" I said when I found them

I took out two dozen and made my way to the backroom to fix it up

Two minutes later I was behind the computer confirming hi- I mean Mrs. Lee's order with the flowers in hand.

"Here you go" I said as I handed him the bouquet

He grabbed it from my hand, placed a hundred-dollar bill on the counter and walked out bumping shoulders with Izzy in the process.

"Who was that?" Izzy asked as soon as he left.

"That's Mrs.Lee's son, I thought you knew that" I said

She gasped in disbelief "You mean that was little Nono?"

Nono?

"Jeno" I corrected

"Oh my goodness. He's changed, he didn't even recognize me" Izzy rushed out

"He's rude and arrogant" I tattled on him hoping to darken the good light Izzy happened to see him in.

Should I tell her he called the shop a shitty establishment?

"He's always like that with new people dear, don't take it to heart" she said while handing me a box of orange mocks

A pretty flower with an ugly meaning. 

Deceit.

"He's exactly like it y'know" I stated

"Like what?" she asked

"The flower, the orange mock. He's handsome and all dressed up on the outside but his attitude, personality and meaning behind his words are ugly." I said as I placed the box on the bottom shelf

"Maybe that's what he wants people to think, orange mocks can also mean gentleness." she uttered.

After Jeno left we continued our day as we normally would

Uneventful and void of extremely suspicious handsome men.

"Alright Izzy I'm heading out now" I shouted out

"Alright love see you tomorrow. OH, before I forget here's some lasagna I made last night" she said forcing the bag into my hands.

"Thanks Izzy" with that I made my way through the door.

The first thing I realized after stepping through the door was that it was fricking cold.

"Shit I should've brought a jacket" I muttered while rubbing myself down in an attempt to get warm.

With a sniffle and a sigh, I made my way down the lonely street.

Some time along the walk, I started humming randomly while swinging the plastic bag with the container of lasagna.

I continued to hum enjoying the quietness of the area.

I loved quietness...I had time to think then.

Of course, the first thought that came up was one of Jeno.

That brat.

It had been three days since Jeno (Nono) had come and caused a ruckus in the shop.

Three days since I wanted to dry hump a human being within the first five minutes of meeting them.

"I hope Mrs. Lee got her flowers in good shape" I suddenly spoke aloud

For some reason, Jenno looked like the type of person who couldn't care less about flowers.

I wonder if he's married...no I didn't see a ring on his finger

Maybe a girlfr-

BANG 

BANG

Two loud gunshots made me stop in my tracks.

What the fudge?

Did someone just get shot?

This was New York it's not uncommon to hear gunshots at night. Because of where I lived I heard them regularly, but.....from a distance (two blocks down).

But these...these sounded like it was right around the corner.

I shut my eyes tightly while mentally screaming at my legs to turn around and run.

they didn't

I couldn't

 I was scared

'Can you please work? I don't want to die' I mentally screamed at my legs

"Cain answer the fucking question where the fuck is the Pearl" An unfamiliar voice spoke in a hushed tone

"Fuck" I cried quietly.

I was right, it was around the corner.

"L-listen I did what you asked me to. I left it at the docks I swear. When I went back to check on it.... I-it was g-g-gone" The man who I assume to be 'Cain' cried

"so you lost it" another voice from the previous two spoke.

"I- I didn't mean to" Cain bawled

"The fuck do you mean you didn't mean to? that was 10 million dollars worth of c*caine"

C*caine?!

OH HELL NO

I need to run

I need to run right now

'You've been saying that for a while now' my conscience snapped

"당신은 쓸모없는 똥입니다."

"W-wait just give me another chance I'll get it back" Cain begged 

one of the bad men chuckled "And how do you expect to get 10 million dollars in 24 hours 암캐."

This time Cain didn't answer

It was silent for about two minutes before one of the bad men said something

"그를 죽여." 

Then I heard a gun cock

"Please, I have two daughters...I'm the only thing they've got left. Don't do thi-"

BANG

BANG

BANG

Three shots.

"마약을 잃기 전에 생각했어야지"

I screamed and covered my ears

"Help " my voice shook.

My head hurt

My ears felt like they were bleeding

My knees buckled

And my chest felt like it was going to explode

"Who's there?" a voice called from the corner

I held my breath trying to stay quiet... but it was way too late

Suddenly quick footsteps slapped the pavement

They were running towards me and for the first time that night, my legs listened to me and turned around.

I made it three steps before I ran into a chest

I gripped onto the stranger's clothes not caring to lookup

"Please... please help...I'm scared" I sniffled

"I don't want to die." I finished still gripping the stranger's shirt

Suddenly cold fingers gripped my chin and made me look up...

"Help me please" I whispered suddenly tired

The unknown person sucked in a breath

"씨발"

The last thing I heard before I passed out.

....................

"Madam please wake up" 

"Madam?" the unfamiliar voice continued 

"Ughh... five more minutes " I begged 

"Madam your breakfast is going to get cold" the voice reasoned 

"For fuck sake can you stop calling me madam and let me sleep" I responded annoyed.

these damn roommates of mine are gonna be the death of me.

Wait.

Roommates? 

Since when do I have roommates?!

I don't have roommates...I live alone!!

My body immediately shot up and my eyes were now open wide as I stared at the woman in front of me.

"Finally you're awake madam" she smiled

"WHO THE HECK ARE YOU!?"

[avaetin]

My internal conversation with Alabaster:

Me: I've decided I will write about you.

Al: No.

Me: What? Why not?

Al: No.

Me: You have to give me a longer answer than that.

Al: Nooooooooo.

Me: ... You know what? I'll make you suffer. How about that?

Al: This! This is why I said no.

Me: Huh?

Al: You make the characters you like suffer!

Me: It’s perfectly normal! Besides, I don't always make them suffer.

Percy: (coughs) (just had his soul almost torn to shreds in the recent chapter)

Jason: ...

Me: Canonically, you're dead.

Jason: If you're going to continue making me suffer, maybe I should stay that way.

Me: Don't tempt me, Superman.

Al: See? They're proof of your 'love'! Don't get me started on Nico-

Me: Oh, please! Uncle Rick did the damage before everyone else-

Al: You could stop it in your stories.

Me: But suffering is a small part of character growth!

Al: Yeah. Ok. No. Don't write about me. I don't want to be 'loved' by you.

Me: You want to be loved by Nico though.

Al: ...

Percy: ...

Jason: ...

Me: Heh.

Me: Didn't Percy hug Nico in the recent one?

Percy: Well... 👀

Me: And Jason, didn't Nico hug you that one time?

Jason: Well... 👀

Percy: What? Since when?

Me: It's not yet written, but he knows it's in the drafts.

Al: Those are just morsels. I'm no beggar. Besides, you're biased towards that primordial.

Me: Well, he is my pairing with Nico-

Al: So why should I suffer?

Me: (sighs) Fine. I guess you don't want to share a special bond with Nico then.

Al: ...

Me: And you don't want to occasionally hold his hand.

Al: ...

Me: And you can forget about embracing him-

Percy: If he doesn't want it, I volunteer as tribute! How much suffering are we talking about in exchange?

Jason: Hey, you had your turn! Queue up again!

Me: One at a time, boys. You'll get your Nico times.

Al: ...

Me: (smiles innocently)

Al: ... Fine, you devil woman-!

Me: (cries) You will be my best masterpiece yet, my empty canvas!

[11queensupreme11]

Your favorite and least favorite things about ror and pjo?

PJO

favorite things:

pretty much the entirety of the first series!

i love how rick was able to perfectly (imo) entertwine the ancient greek world with the modern world

i especially love how most of percy's journey was similar to the ancient greek heroes' journeys in the myths

THE FACT THAT PERCY REJECTED GODHOOD TO TRY AND GIVE DEMIGODS AND MINOR GODS A BETTER LIFE HE'S SO SWEET I LOVE HIM OMG

no seriously, i LOVE how instead of being selfish and becoming a god, he tried to actually fix the root of the problem so no other child would ever go through the same things his generation of demigods went through THATS HOW YOU END AN OPPRESSIVE REGIME, I'M PROUD OF YOU PERCY

everything about the last olympian. he writes war and battle SO well, my heart was literally pounding throughout the whole book!!!

the character deaths.... they gutted me, but they were executed so well

least favorite things:

the gods weren't very similar to the mythical counterpart.... like how pjo!poseidon was a chill, mostly nice guy whereas in the myths he was a rapist psycho.... and how pjo!ares was implied to be abusive towards clarisse whereas in the myths ares respects women and killed his daughter's rapist (tho i get why he couldn't do that since this is a kid's book)

the entirety of heroes of olympus 💀

no seriously, i didn't like any of it

the lost hero and the son of neptune were okay, but after that things started getting messy. probably because of how many main characters he had to write about

the plot was very very.... weird??? especially around the part where they were looking for the physician's cure. a side quest took up a major chunk of the book

BLOOD OF OLYMPUS WAS SHITTY OMG

the final battle against gaea was so lame!!!! the seven weren't even fighting here, only a few of them were!!! the fact that piper was able to put her to sleep too even though rick literally wrote a list of ways charmspeak would fail AND GAEA CHECKED EVERY ONE OF THEM???? yet piper succeeded anyway???

no seriously, i was expecting the last olympian kinda shit in blood of olympus, but i got NOTHING

rick's shitty view of 'feminism' wasn't feminism at all, it was more misandry (the hunt) and piper ESPECIALLY had some glaring internalized misogyny

i get he was trying to make her a feminist icon, but he really failed with piper. piper clearly hated femininity and looked down feminine girls AND SHE WAS PROVEN RIGHT because 99% of her enemies (major or minor) were girls that were comfortable with their femininity and rick had her triumph over them every time

rick's favoritism over piper. her charmspeak worked on opponents that it shouldn't have worked on (gaea and khione), every other female character suddenly gets downgraded whenever she's around (drew, aphrodite, annabeth, the entire fucking aphrodite cabin, etc), none of her actual flaws were called out (this is mostly because rick never intended for her internalized misogyny and obsessiveness to be her flaws, they were created by accident and noticed by the readers).... and you get the point

ROR

favorite things:

the character designs are sooooo 🤤

99% of the characters have 8 pack abs OR MORE

THE GORE!!!! WOOHOO I LOVE THE VIOLENCE (in the manga at least.... the anime censored it smh 🤦‍♀️)

there isn't really much worldbuilding yet but i love what we've been given so far!!!!

the fact that the mangaka was able to create a universe where ALL the gods of ALL the pantheons are in it and it doesn't look like a hot mess??? much respect!

THE FACT THAT FAMOUS HUMANS ARE FIGHTING TOO!!!

THE MATCHUPS ARE AMAZING LIKE IMAGINE BEING TOLD NIKOLA TESLA WAS FIGHTING THE DEVIL

the death scenes!!! yes they're tragic, but they're so well done!!!! the way lu bu's men rallied up to join him in niflhel, the way every human grieved when adam, their father, died, how tesla's last words were to give hope to humanity, I LOVED IT ALL 😭😭😭

least favorite things:

i really need them to explain wtf a demigod is cuz i get how humans are considered demigods (they're humans with the strength of a god) BUT I REALLY NEED AN EXPLANATION ON HOW THE VALKYRIES ARE CONSIDERED DEMIGODS 💀

the gods were.... kinda underwhelming. they seemed more like superhumans than actual gods. poseidon didn't use his water powers? hades didn't summon the dead? no lightning from zeus? most of the gods were fighting physically and not using their actual powers which was kinda...... meh

the list of fighters for both humans and gods.... the gods literally have 5 greeks and 3 norse gods whereas the humans have 4 japanese fighters 🫤 i'd like a lil more diversity

the way the fight scenes are animated in the anime..... they are so bad..... like SO bad 😭😭 my jaw dropped when i watched them

the censoring of the violence and gore in the anime 😔

[dailyrickastley]

RICK ASTLEY: The singer believes in the power of rocks, drinks cocktails, and would rather you didn't play his hits in the pub

Who would you be if you could swap places for a day? Alex Ferguson, the Manchester United manager. It would be good to get in there and sort things out.

Who was your childhood hero? Spartacus. I know it's a bit strange, but that's probably my favourite film of all time. I've watched it ... well, I don't know how many times. I love old movies, and would quite happily spend a whole Sunday afternoon watching them.

What's the first thing you do in the morning? Moan. I'm not fantastic at getting out of bed - I always want a few more minutes - but I have a 13-year-old daughter, Emilie, so most mornings we get up at ten to seven to get her ready for school.

What's the last thing you think about at night? Sex, usually. I also think about all the things I need to do the next day.

How often do you brush your teeth? At least twice a day - sometimes three or four if I've been at home drinking coffee all day.

Would you ever have cosmetic surgery? No, definitely not. I like the idea of growing old gracefully.

Which designer labels do you own? A few. I have some things by Prada but I don't like the fact that you can instantly see what it is because of the label. I wouldn't tend to wear designer clothes from head to toe: I'd perhaps wear a Prada jacket with Gap jeans.

Who are your favourite writers? My favourite is Martin Amis. He's got a very distinct view on life: he's really funny but in a cynical, dark way. I find myself laughing out loud quite often while reading his books.

What is your favourite building? The Louvre in Paris and the Colosseum in Rome. I couldn't pick just one.

Who did you last text? My wife, Lene. But it didn't say anything. I accidentally hit "send" and sent a blank message instead. It should have been about the lights we're getting fitted in our house. I always put kisses at the end of my texts to my wife, no matter what they're about.

City or country? Country. I live on the edge of London, so it's good to be able to get out into the countryside. I have a little boat, which I keep moored on the Thames, and I enjoy pottering about on that.

Skinhead or mullet? Mullet. I think a skinhead can look quite aggressive.

Pyjamas or au naturel? Au naturel, definitely.

Love is... Everything.

What do you believe in? Love. I'm not religious, but I also believe in an energy between humans and other elements of nature. I believe - a bit like the Native Americans - that there is an energy in everything, even rocks, but we as humans have ignored it for hundreds of year now. We've lost the ability to understand it.

What colour are your pants? White.

What have you loved and lost? My daughter's innocence. It's hard watching a child grow up and become cynical and wary.

What makes you blush? My own music. It's not that I'm embarrassed by my eighties stuff, but it's a little awkward when I'm in a bar with friends and some clown decides to put Never Gonna Give You Up on the jukebox.

What would be the soundtrack of your life? Burt Bacharach, Frank Sinatra, Nat "King" Cole, Al Green and Bill Withers.

What brings out the devil in you? Alcohol, especially vodka martinis and cosmopolitans.

Sum yourself up in five words. Oh, I'm not really sure. Rick Astley plays the Carling Academy, Glasgow, on Wednesday. His album Portrait is out now on Sony. SUSAN SWARBRICK

[a-reader-and-a-writer]

Sending you a made up fic title if you want to play along!

Bullet With My Name On It.

I love this game so I'd love to play along!!! 😊 Thanks, Ivy! 💗

And actually, I wrote a Rick Flag x Reader fic years ago that is perfect for this title HERE.

But I'll also do a fresh idea because it's such a great title! So here is a little wild west!reader x Hangman...

It's been a long time since I was scared of anythin'. My daddy made sure of that when I was growin' up. Ain't nothin' gonna scare you once you've lived through what I have. But it made me strong. It made me smart. And, most of all, it taught me how men think. Which is how I learned how to take 'em for all that they're worth and then some.

For years, the Wild West was my playground, and there weren't no one who could get in my way.

But then I got sloppy. I let myself fall for my own grift, all because of a pair of mischievous green eyes and a smile that rivaled the devil's. By the time I came to my senses and made my move, it was too late. He saw me for what I really was.

You don't take a shot at a notorious outlaw like Jake "the Hangman" Seresin and miss unless you want to end up swingin' from his noose...or worse.

So now there's nothin' I can do but run...run far and fast and never stop. Because the Hangman's coming, and he has a bullet with my name on it.

send me a made-up fic title and i'll tell you what i would write to go with it

[jamesjohneye]

hi james! i dont know if youve ever answered this, but with the new fic i think it's time for a new ask if you have! could you explain how you came up with each story name? founding fathers, little prince, wild flowers, in his bones. what has been your thought process picking them over the years?

Hi!

It has kind of changed over the years, I'm not much of a planner or over-thinker, but the first two were meant as a kind of mini-summary of the story. Founding fathers; the story literally is about the guys who take Dare under their wing; Will, Shane, Glenn, Rick, Merle, they're foundational to the man he's becoming, so that was kind of easy to come up with.

Little prince; it's the nickname he hates but grows into. The story is about coming to terms with what happened and deciding how to move forward. He's starting to accept the title and the leadership position it implies, and trying to find ways to make it his own, which is different than Negan, Rick or Maggie's approach.

Wild flowers (I wanted to keep the two-word thing going): I wasn't really sure how this story would go because I hadn't watched those seasons when I started writing it, and the influence of the original characters would be bigger in this one... but whenever I start a story, I know two things: the first scene and how it'll end. I knew it would end with them looking out over the fields and breaking up, so I thought that would be a nice title. I also thought it was a nice juxtaposition; the story is about him turning into the "devil" who's watching over this family, which he deems to be necessary in this world, and the flowers is a sweet thing he just loves so much.

In his bones (I completely forgot about the two-word thing I had going on LMAO): it's a reference to something Glenn had said pretty early on in Founding Fathers, and it'll be important in the last scene. The whole story is about; how do you know something to be true, or good, or terrible? And will he ever be able to trust that feeling?

Thank you! <3

[forthegothicheroine]

I've have the fortune of never having to read a Beatrice Sparks book, but I still very much appreciate getting a reminder of how awful she is. (The book you mentioned is going on my to-read pile). I wonder if gen Z kids have any awareness of her whole deal, or if Go Ask Alice has been consigned to history.

That's a really good question! I read Go Ask Alice when I was around 12 or so and had been given lots of Barnes & Nobel gift cards for my bat mitzvah. I'd heard it was about a girl who did drugs and died, and that there was controversy over whether it was true or not. I read it, and it didn't make a huge impression on me other than "Well, that was sad." I was pretty clueless about drugs, not being cool enough to get invited to any interesting parties, so it seemed plausible enough.

I don't know if Barnes & Nobel still sells Go Ask Alice, but I doubt they have the balls to sell Jay's Journal.

For those, Gen Z or otherwise, who don't know, Go Ask Alice was supposedly the true diary of a girl who, well, did drugs and died. Jay's Journal was supposedly the true diary of a boy who got into the occult and then died. Both, and other such books, were in fact written by Beatrice Sparks, a freelance writer and certified liar. (Also a Mormon, which I mention only because I've heard ex-Mormons say you can tell it from the language used in Go Ask Alice.) Alice was bullshit written at the height of panic about weed and LSD (for the record, both can be bad for you if you already have mental illnesses, but don't cause them on their own,) and it was pitched to a celebrity whose daughter's suicide may or may not have occurred under the influence.

That's bad and exploitative enough, but Jay's Journal was an act of monstrous cruelty. Sparks took the diary of a real kid who committed suicide, which was sparse but detailed depression, drugs, religious oppression, heartbreak, and intervention by parents that we would today call abuse. Based on him being vaguely into hippie mysticism and having once used a ouija board, she slandered him as an animal-sacrificing satanist who had been possessed by a devil, and his girlfriend as the same. This was a journal that had been sent to him by the boy's mother, who believed in Go Ask Alice and thought that getting the word out about teen depression was important.

A lot of lies get spread around today about teens in danger, often by other teens on places like TikTok, but in the age of google, it is at least a lot easier to look things up if they sound implausible (whether or not people actually do so.) I have no idea what they're teaching kids these days about drugs, especially in states where weed is legal; I was taught that all drugs were super addictive, until I reached my senior year and a health teacher admitted not all of them were. I imagine it varies wildly. I don't know if any conservative schools out there use Go Ask Alice as required reading, but it's possible.

(Hilariously, Go Ask Alice is also one of the most banned and challenged books in high school libraries because there's lots of implausible sex in it.)

So, to kids and parents and teachers, I guess the lesson here is to verify things where you can. If you see a viral post that sounds outlandish, check for it on Snopes. If people are scared that teens are levitating pencils with their minds due to the powers of the devil, ask why those kids haven't gotten a million dollars from James Randi. Google an author's name if something feels off. Because sometimes outlandish stuff turns out to be true, but sometimes people have a lot to gain by lying.

(And read Unmask Alice by Rick Emerson.)

I'll let Paul F. Thompkins and Danny Lavery have the final words:

The Stages of Accepting That Go Ask Alice Wasn’t Real

Lines From Go Ask Alice That, In Hindsight, Should Have Tipped Me Off That This Was Not A True Story

[spinelli-gemelli]

A Degrassi Essay About Rick Murray

(Part 1)

"Rick, why did you come back here?"

I like seeing a shift in tone amongst Degrassi fans, specifically to the reaction of Rick Murray's eight episode arc spanning seasons 3 and 4 of DTNG. From what I've gathered, the overall fanbase has shifted from having sympathy for the character, which I can understand, to demanding to know why Rick didn't just pack up and go to another school after the incident he caused. In this essay series, I will cover popular fan discussions regarding the arc of Rick Murray, such as the inquiry upon his return, other characters' interactions and reactions towards him, and Principal Raditch's failure to act as his students expressed concerns about Rick.

Unfortunately, a lot went on after the coma incident and before Rick’s return off-screen, but it is some of the most important information that would answer a lot of questions. Did Mr. McGregor press charges against the Murrays? Was there a settlement? How extensive was Rick’s therapy, and for how long did he attend? Could they not prove that Rick was guilty of aggravated assault? Was there no physical evidence that could pin him to his crimes? Considering that Rick was able to continue his education, we can accurately guess the answers to a lot of these questions.

Most fans think tragedy could have been avoided if Rick had simply started over at a different school. I mean, it’s Toronto. Surely they aren't short on the number of schools in the city. I guess for Rick, it was either the devil he knew or the devil he didn't know. There are a few who do think it was better (at least before tragedy struck) for him to reset at Degrassi, though more for the sake of the students' safety rather than for Rick’s comfort. If Rick went to another school, it would benefit him greatly. No one would know about the abuse he inflicted on Terri, that is, assuming no one in this other school is affiliated with Terri. The only way anyone could receive any kind of information about Rick's history would be to ask the kid himself. Even after this inquiry, Rick would still have the ability to downplay his abuse or flat out deny that it even happened since his peers would have no proof that he did anything wrong, so there would be nothing anyone could do about it. Diving deeper into this hypothetical scenario, Rick, attending this non-Degrassi school, would have the opportunity to slip back into old habits since no one would hold him accountable or punish him for what he did to Terri. He would be more of a danger to women, assuming he would begin dating again at this other school, which is extremely likely. His problems aside--and they would be set aside in this scenario--Rick is portrayed as the shy, charming, yet eccentric, hopeless romantic. He would easily attract women, especially if they're unaware of how he treated his ex. At another school, Rick's abuse problem wouldn't go away: some other poor girl would simply fall victim to him.

Alas Rick made the decision to return to Degrassi. In his mind, he's hoping for his pupils to forgive and embrace him. Whether he is determined or delusional, it does take some strength of character to go back to a place where potentially an entire class of students will detest you. Rick chose redemption over comfort, the path of most resistance. Whether or not someone would return to a school under these circumstances is up for debate. Would you really want to go back to a community where you nearly killed a well-known and well liked person, or would you be eager to get as far away from it as possible? Nonetheless, Rick's presence at Degrassi makes for good drama, and that's what this franchise is all about.

I believe that Rick realized he could have failed in his quest for forgiveness, and that if he did, he could at least avoid Marco, Paige, Spinner, and Jimmy, and instead center his social life around his new peers: the class of '07. Repeating a year has its benefits: if Paige and pals rejected his apology, he could at least make nice with the grade ten students, right?

That's where Emma comes in and throws a wrench in things...