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amusedunderclock · 10 months ago

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Backlog: Talking About Movies - TSS (2021)

Originally I posted this somewhere else May 2023, but I'm trying to consolidate right now. Furthermore, when I originally posted to Tumblr, it's system didn't realize I'm talking about a MOVIE and not about anything personal. Because I don't need 4 private messages about mental health, I'm just posting the title screen and calling it "TSS". Moving on.

So I watched TSS 2021. That is the sequel to the 2016 movie, for clarity. I wasn’t motivated to watch it because of GotG 3’s release. I forgot that the Guardians movie was close to coming out when watching this one.

Preamble:

After Batman V. Superman, didn’t care much to see anything DC Comics movies outside of some online summaries. But after Endgame, there were a handful of movies from that brand coming out that seemed decent so I would eventually check them out. Such as TSS 2021.

“You can’t use summaries as a substitute for watching-” I don’t care.

Some think the 2016 movie’s whatever, but the only person I directly knew going to bat for that movie, was a major asshole. To me, the sequel stands or falls on it’s own merits.

When I heard James Gunn was making this, I was interested. Ultimately though, I guess it worked out for him since he now runs DC Comics media from this point forward. I didn’t see that coming. Don't expect much in terms of how I feel he's doing in that role. I don't feel the need to judge until about 2-3 movies into his reboot.

But where do I start with TSS? Overall, entertaining movie. Would rewatch.

Now…back in May, I said this:

"You want a point in DC Comics’ favor when it comes to movies? Well when it comes to their CGI, from what I’ve seen, it’s been consistently great. TSS is no exception. Everything blends together with the real world stuff very well. They did a good job there."

And while I stand by TSS having great CGI…The Flash has now come out. I have seen clips of that. That doesn't erase what good the DCEU has done in the past concerning CGI. But damn, being worried about future CGI from them is not unwarranted.

Obviously comparing TSS to Marvel stuff would make sense. TSS feels like it has a different tone. Maybe that’s just because of one company being more hands off, but idk how WB really operates. Kinda felt fresh to just have more varying and modern music playing in one of these superhero things.

What set it apart from the MCU was the R rating which…yeah it took advantage of that. TSS 2021 is violent, detailed, uncensored. Offset by it’s comedy. Frankly, it’s a funny movie. A lot of the comedy is the villains oblivious to common courtesies, or just uncaring in general. It works.

Think I saw some complaints about comic book accuracy. A complaint with all these superhero type movies. Look to be frank, most of the comics people are referencing for accuracy aren’t exactly Nobel Prize winning literature here. Even when they are notably well written, movies are only 2-3 hours while a comic story can span multiple issues.

That's what I wrote in May. Since then, all of twitter is nothing BUT complaining that these products not being comic accurate means that they're inherently bastardized, worthless, a crime against humanity, and will lead to their downfall. This line of thinking is just begging for someone to make a 110% comic accurate superhero movie that ultimately flops because people deem it too fuckin goofy, nonsensical, or just not that interesting as the hype suggested. I'm not saying all of comic history is bad or the comics didn't do some things better. And I'm not ignoring the MCU's storytelling flaws. But damn, The Spider-Verse movies aren't 1 to 1 accurate with the Spider-Verse comics and no one is complaining about that because they are well written. The Guardians trilogy took SEVERAL liberties, but is called peak despite them.

Comic accurate does not automatically equal well writen and never will. Hell, one of the most popular comic youtubers, Comics Explained, is a person who goes on for hours about entire comic arcs. And he outright criticized "X-Men: Days of Future Past". Saying something like "Yeah people like Days of Future Past , but that's just because they copy/pasted the story from the comics" and was hoping for something more original in future movies. And I don't agree with all of his takes, but if someone who dedicates this much time to comics is saying these things, I feel it's more valid than people on twitter who I can't confirm if they read the comics they're praising.

Back to what I said in May, TSS is good without being exactly like the comic. I don’t understand how Starro being mustache-twirly evil would improve the film short of nerds checking off a list of comic accuracy. And him being Death Battle fuckin "He can blink the universe out of existence" powerful is outright nonsensical. Starro was good for what it was.

Interpretation needs to happen sometimes. That said, actors.

This is the first time I’ve seen Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn. It’s not entirely like TV versions, but she made it her own and it works. She was in the role for 6 years, it’s probably expected she knows what she’s doing.

Idris Elba, he’s always been a cool actor. Not entirely something I've publicly talked much about on the internet short of him playing Knuckles and I think Heimdall, but he has good performances. Him being the main character was a good choice. Replacing Will Smith? Yeah, but unlike Smith, Elba is more willing to add more grit to his villain character and it's greatly appreciated.

Cena Peacemaker works here. You really do forget he’s a wrestler and for once in about 20 years, he plays a decent heel. Apparently this is a controversial statement, but I guess I've just not seen Cena all that much in the past decade to really focus on his past during the movie…..

…which is what I said last year.

In 2024, after seeing his lacking comments on Vince McMahon, I don't feel much need to praise him or focus on him in the future. Someone put it aptly.

How his Peacemaker solo series went, I have no idea and now I don't care. If he comes back in the reboot, I can at least see why but I still don't care. Harley and Waller tho? They should be priority to return. Especially those two. They're just THAT great.

The rest of the team are convincing enough as villains.

Although…Ratcatcher 2.

Don’t get me wrong. She is a good actor. It makes sense that she’s in jail for her crimes. But like, remove the rat communicator and isn’t she just a person? Can someone else use the communicator?

I don’t think that’s explained. My attempts to google didn’t answer that. If there’s some TSS interview explaining that the Ratcatcher family can only use the communicator, cool. Otherwise, I question how she’s on the Squad to begin with unless they're (likely) short on villains.

To anyone who may take this out of context, Ratcatcher 2 is a good character, good for stealth, & the payoff in the end is great. Just seems like she wasn’t exactly a nemesis of Green Arrow or something. I feel in another context, the communicator, more than the person, would've been Waller's priority.

Like I said, Amanda Waller is solid. Davis really read that character description and said “Easy”. Her character should show up more in future movies beyond TSS.

Rest of the cast is good. Even if they’re still fucked up for betting on lives, I liked Waller’s people turning on her in order to save a city.

Think only thing left to say is that the story for what it is, comes together nicely. These people are not the Avengers/Justice League, they’re forced to work together and are convicted criminals. The interactions they have feel unique as a result, and not everything works out.

Even some of the dead characters in this movie do have development. They do advance/achieve as characters even if it does cost them their lives. Plus it's a cool movie when it has people both cheering that a monster is defeated, and then has you feeling bad for said monster.

I said this movie should stand on it's own merits and it does. TSS 2021 is a great standalone movie. Usually I would sit here and talk about broader lore, but it's unnecessary. Aside from maybe the Captain Boomerang thing, you can just go into this movie and enjoy.

#dceu #movie #comics

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leiawritesstories · 3 years ago

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A Defense of Gwyn’s Characterization

DISCLAIMER: THIS IS NOT IN ANY WAY INTENDED TO BE A SHIP POST, PLEASE DO NOT READ IT AS SUCH! THIS IS A DEFENSE OF GWYN’S CHARACTERIZATION, NOT A DEFENSE OF A SHIP OF HERS OR ANYONE ELSE’S!

TW for mentions of SA and other abuse and death

There’s a lot of flack surrounding Gwyneth Berdara being written the way she is; she’s been interpreted as extremely childish in comparison to her Valkyrie sisters. To be perfectly candid, she might not technically be the youngest Valkyrie--that would be Nesta--but she is often read as younger/less mature given that she’s “the giggly one,” the one who braids friendship bracelets for her two sisters-in-all-but-blood right before they go into the Blood Rite. Now I study English, and for that I analyze characters all the time, and therefore I couldn’t help but read Gwyn analytically, to form my own judgment of her youth and how that plays into her character. Here’s my analysis in a nutshell, so you can keep scrolling and not deal with the ramblings of a nerdy English major: Gwyn’s younger, less worldly characterization provides Nesta and Emerie with a space where they can just be three girls bonding, and it might very well hint at the role she could play in a book where Azriel is the leading male. Oh, and also, I’m given to think that part of her unworldliness in comparison to Emerie and Nesta is due to her years in seclusion in the Library, which was her decision and, considering her history, the decision she believed was best for her.

Firstly, each Valkyrie seems to reflect a character type or archetype. Emerie is the worldly one, the one who knows all there is to know about the maltreatment of females and yet she does what she can to push against the misogynistic structures of her people. Her wings are clipped, and in ACOWAR (I think, correct me if I’m wrong), we were told that her father frequently abused her and tried to marry her off, and even after his death, her male relatives continued to pressure her to marry. She is the heroine who broke out of her tower, whose typical support system (her family) is her nemesis; she’s fought for everything she has. Nesta (all my thoughts regarding whether she should have had a warrior arc will be disregarded as irrelevant to this argument) is the resentful one, the one whose previous experiences turned her to drinking and sex as coping mechanisms. Like Emerie, she’s alienated from her family, both by their doing and her own. She wants to fight her own battles, to write her own story, but through her friendship with Emerie and Gwyn, as well as her relationship with Cassian, she is able to recognize the power of having companions on that journey. She reflects the classic phoenix-rising character who starts her novel at rock bottom or close to it, fallen, and journeys upwards. Gwyn, in contrast to both Nesta and Emerie, has spent at least the last couple of years in seclusion from the world. She’s an SA survivor--hmm, it seems that all three of them share the commonality of having been abused in some way, more on that in a little bit--and I, for one, do not blame her for choosing to remain in the solitude of the Library. Making that choice shows that Gwyn knows herself well enough to choose her own health and safety over trying to force “normalcy,” something we see too often in fiction and reality. When presented in context with the other two, Gwyn reflects girlishness, the blushing damsel character, still unsure of her own readiness to step into the light but willing to try with the support of her friends.

Since we’ve mentioned abuse tying the three Valkyries together, let us expand just a little bit on that point. Please skip over this paragraph if uncensored use of the term “abuse” and all related descriptors is a trigger! *ahem* As mentioned above, Emerie was physically abused by her father, which undoubtedly left emotional as well as physical scars, and her extended family failed to protect her from this molestation--indeed, they condoned it by omission. Nesta, as we knew from prior books, was attacked by Tomas Mandray when she refused to sleep with him and was forced into the Cauldron to be Made against her will, and we learned in ACOSF that her grandmother beat her hands with a ruler or a stick when she was less than perfect and that her mother expected her to grow up to marry for status. She likely also witnessed her mother dying of illness, as she would have been old enough to remember it. She retreated inwards, choosing to bottle up her reactions and emotions rather than share them. Gwyn was SA’d in the attack on Sangravah and was forced to watch her family die. Perhaps the fact that all three are survivors of abuse led to the formation of their bond, before or after they knew of each other’s abuses. This is the kind of trauma that people, even women in fantasy, form bonds over, the kind that leads to pledges to never again allow one’s sisters to suffer such abuse.

Back from that aside. Now. Gwyn was secluded for the last few years before she met Nesta, an event that set her Valkyrie arc properly in motion. She has a lot less worldly knowledge than Nesta and Emerie do, having literally not been anywhere but the Library since she arrived in Velaris. Therefore, she can be read as more girlish in comparison, not having the same amount of worldly knowledge as Emerie or the same amount of sexual knowledge as Nesta. Though to be fair, they all get hooked on Helion Sellyn Drake’s smutty books, which are the kind of trope-y romance novels that most readers would consider girlish reading material. However, this girlishness is not an inherently bad piece of her characterization. If all three Valkyries were singleminded and focused solely on their training and winning the Blood Rite, they would likely have been flatter as a trio. Instead, because they are shown not only as warriors-in-training, but as people who get together and have sleepovers and laugh at stupid shit, like all humans do, they appear more rounded-out, their ability to unwind and just be three girls hanging out together visible. Because frankly, that’s something they all need--the ability to be three girls hanging out together. It is often said that the best battle units or emergency response units or any other teams that work together in small, close units are the ones who spend time together outside of training and become like family. That is what we get with the Valkyrie Three, both the unrelenting determination of their training and the stupidly girlish things they do during off hours. That is part of the strength of their bond. “Do it for the miniature Pegasus,” at least in the eyes of this nerd, then is more than just a stupid joke intended to lighten spirits before combat, it is a reminder of a shared memory and something for the three of them to strive for--the chance to once again gather together late at night in the House of Wind and make stupidly girlish requests that they will find stupidly, girlishly hilarious. Which they need to balance out the pressure of becoming the first Valkyries since those legions disappeared. We might forget that all three are relatively young--yes, Emerie’s age is unknown, but she’s probably at least a century or two younger than the bat boys, if not younger--because they are presented as greater than their ages for becoming Valkyries, for stepping out of their comfort zones and finding each other, for heroically winning the Blood Rite at whatever cost it took, but they are young and they need and deserve time to be girlish when nobody else is watching. Gwyn’s more childish characterization allows Nesta and Emerie to be more comfortable with their own girlishness.

So how could this girlishness factor into Gwyn’s role moving forward? Well, it could go in really any direction, given whatever the hell SJM decides to do with the next ACOTAR book. One of the directions I can see the girliness with which she can be interpreted is, yes, good old flirtatious love interest. Without naming names, I can see SJM writing a Dorian-Chaol-Celaena type of plot like that of Throne of Glass (the book, not the series) in ACOTAR5. Now, that might not work very well for these characters, but does she really know or care? Sadly, probably not. Though it may not be entirely fair to her character, I can imagine Gwyn becoming the initial, “ideal” girly-girl love interest that appears so often in YA/NA/adult fantasy and, as the plot progresses, falls out of the love interest role because she does not complement the male love interest as well as either of them deserve. Or, the girly-girl love interest that turns out to have dark motives or be a villain, but I highly doubt SJM would be able to pull that off without completely disregarding everything she’s ever written. Whatever happens, I would like to see Gwyn have more development, if she continues to appear in the ACOTAR books, because really, she’s a little bit two-dimensional. If she continues to feature as a Valkyrie, she needs to have more canonical depth of character, not just a traumatic past and a sisterhood with Nesta and Emerie. While her past certainly provides a good deal of depth for a newly introduced SJM character, we readers deserve to see her processing her life, to witness her doing more than just serving as Nesta’s sidekick.

Gwyn Berdara can be interpreted as a girly girl, and that is perfectly fine. She does have more traits than just girlishness, though. Gwyn’s girliness allows Nesta and Emerie the comfort and reassurance they need to just be three girls who hang around the House of Wind in tubs of bubbles making outrageous requests of the House and giggling more and more helplessly at each new one. Okay, maybe the bubble tubs were a little too OOC. Still. The sleepover scene gave us another facet of the Valkyries, the cliché feminine side to contrast with their fierce warrior side and show that they are indeed whole people with whole ranges of emotions. Gwyn can be interpreted as young, giddy, and girlish, and that is not a failing of her character. However, if that side becomes all that she is known for, then her character will have failed.

Thank you for reading my Ted Talk.

Once again, the TL;DR: Gwyn’s younger, less worldly characterization provides Nesta and Emerie with a space where they can just be three girls bonding, and it might very well hint at the role she could play in a book where Azriel is the leading male.

#gwyn #gwyneth berdara #character defense #tw: mentions of abuse #tw: sa #tw: death #long post #really it's an essay #god i should be writing an actual paper right now #for class

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shemakesmusic-uk · 4 years ago

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Simpson is a Richmond-based singer and rapper who you may also know as Babe Simpson, one-fourth of the Tumblr-born rap collective Barf Troop. They dazed the internet back in the early 2010s with their uncensored, forward-thinking rhymes and aesthetics, and even got the attention of Drake. Though the collective has gone silent in recent years, Simpson has since cultivated her own steady following around her soft, and ruminative tunes. Her latest is 'Cherry Ice Cream Sundae,' a song about "treating ourselves with as much tenderness as we treat everyone else," she says, and is backed by a lush landscape of jazzy guitars and drums — a sound that could be considered a close sibling to the rap lullabies of Noname. Simpson's now sharing the song's peculiar video, which features a charming but eerie cast of marionette puppets. Over email, Simpson explains that she wrote the song after experiencing "a feeling that I’ve always been trying to put into words but I don’t think I was mature enough to be able to sing. I reached my breaking point where I was like, f*ck it, whatever happens, happens, and I’m gonna look on the bright side everywhere I can. I’m going to 'smile because I can.' I actually changed the original opening lyrics from 'The world is in the shitter' to 'Life is kind to who’s kind to it back.' The world has always been in the shitter, but that hasn’t made it any less special or sweet. I think that’s made me much more of a realist. I recorded it tipsy, upside down, hanging off my bed as a freestyle, and it felt so natural saying and listening to it back made me feel so proud." [via NYLON]

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Earlier this week, Lana Del Rey revealed the artwork and tracklist for her new album Chemtrails Over The Country Club. Back in October, Del Rey shared the album’s lead single 'Let Me Love You Like A Woman.' It was the first song she shared from the album after postponing its planned September release. Now, she’s sharing the album’s second single and title track. She’s also announced that Chemtrails Over The Country Club will be out March 19. In a lengthy interview with BBC Radio 1 — during which she talked about the Trump insurrection and her album cover controversy — she mentioned that Jack Antonoff produced much of the album, minus 'Yosemite,' which was produced with Rick Nowels. Watch a music video for the album’s title track, directed by BRTHR, above. In a different kind of statement, prior to the release of the 'Chemtrails Over The Country Club' music video, Del Rey explained why she is wearing a cast in it: "When you see my second video for this album, don’t think that the fact I’m wearing a cast is symbolic for anything other than thinking I was still a pro figure skater. I wiped out on my beautiful skates before the video even began after a long day of figure eights and jumps in the twilight of the dezert. Anyways my fracture isn’t that bad kind of goes with my new bucket hat. Thanks to my beautiful family for my gifts." [via Stereogum]

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Joining forces for the new uplifting track, G Flip and mxmtoon are sharing new empowerment anthem ‘Queen’, produced by Rostam Batmanglij. "'Queen' was written about the strong women around me, the queens that raised me and the queens I’ve met through my years,” G Flip explains. “My idea of a queen is not necessarily linked to gender; queens come in all forms and walks of life. To me a queen embodies power and strength; they embrace all they are fiercely yet gracefully. The song was written one sunny day in LA, I was chillin on Rostam’s lovely white couch and he turned around to me and said ‘how about we write a song about Queens’ and I replied with ‘F@!K yeah!’. I’m also super stoked to have mxmtoon on the track with me, she is an absolute queen. I first was introduced to her when I was trying to find ukulele chords to a Khalid song and found her cover on YouTube years ago. She makes awesome music and her voice has such a cruisy timbre to it so I was thrilled to have her jump on 'Queen' with me. She is also an avid croc lover and part of the LGBTQIA+ community, so obviously it just made sense!” mxmtoon adds, “So happy to be a part of ‘Queen’ with G! she and Rostam were such a joy to work with and so so much fun to collaborate with on creative as well. I’m so glad that it’s still possible to make art and music with someone even when they’re on the other side of the world, and I’m lucky that I got the opportunity to feature on G’s song. ‘Queen’ is a power anthem for any person, and I’m so excited for people to love it as much as we do!” [via DIY]

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With her hotly-anticipated new album Magic Mirror out now, Pearl Charles gave us our latest teaser of what to expect earlier this week, sharing new glitzy bop ‘Only For Tonight’. “‘Only for Tonight’ tells the story of a currently bygone era of wild nights out on the town - the highs and lows of one night stands and the crashes of the morning after,” she explains. “The music video, directed by Bobbi Rich, leans into those excesses, paying a sparkly homage to the late-night musical television shows of the 70’s, from Soul Train to The Midnight Special, as well as the gauzy, Vaseline’d lens of ABBA’s music videos. With an added sprinkling of VHS special effects, you’re likely to feel like you’re watching a home-taped recording of a lost episode of Top of the Pops.” [via DIY]

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Alt-pop trailblazer dodie has shared her new single 'Hate Myself' in full. Everything the songwriter touches seems to turn into melodic gold, with her debut album Build A Problem landing this Spring. Out on March 5, it's led by new single 'Hate Myself', which made its bow as Annie Mac's Hottest Record In The World. It's an apt title, with this instantly-viral moment offering an "inner monologue" that touches on some of dodie's inner-most feelings. The song depicts "someone who seems to find themselves in relationships of any kind with people who deal with their feelings internally - unfortunately resulting in assuming the issue is with them." dodie co-directed the video alongside Sammy Paul, shooting at the Cornish seaside village Polperro. The pair "excitedly landed on the silly idea of the training leading up to becoming a post-lady, and thoroughly enjoyed planning the many bizarre exercises she would have to perfect. Our excellent Art Director, Louis Grant, worked on bringing her home and training station to life. Though jogging on cliff tops in the rain, carrying a large sack and slipping in the mud was certainly cold and exhausting, I think I preferred it to slowly feeling sicker, licking stamps on a swaying boat by the Excel." [via Clash]

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Berlin-based indie five-piece People Club are back with new single and video 'Francine', following on from their last release 'Lay Down Your Weapons', which focused on police brutality. The new single 'Francine' tackles the topics of addiction and lovelessness. In the words of the band: "The song speaks from the voice of a lamenting partner whose lover (Francine) is helplessly addicted to drugs. Francine lost interest in her relationship with the narrator a long time ago. It's a song about commitment and how love can fade away leaving only wickedness behind." Regarding the visuals, the band said "The 'Francine' video is a play on the old idiom of 'being your own worst enemy'. A phrase which quite beautifully captures the inner critic which we know so well, especially during the course of the pandemic - we've had to learn to each give ourselves a break. The video was shot in the depth of the harsh Berlin winter, in the depth of the pandemic." Director Felix Spitta added "I love the band and I love the different personalities. It is always heaps of fun working on creative output together. Riding through Berlin only with bikes and all the film equipment in the freezing cold almost felt like a masochistic idea from Saxon. It's inspiring to be surrounded by so many creative minds.”

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Pale Waves are back with 'Easy', the third single to be shared from their highly-anticipated second album Who Am I?. Lead vocalist Heather Baron-Gracie describes the new track as "a song about how love can change your whole entire perspective on life itself. It’s saying ‘being in love with you is so easy, you finally make sense in my life because nothing did before'." The new single is accompanied by a James Slater-directed video that shows Baron-Gracie performing at a Tim Burton/medieval-style wedding in an abandoned church. Baron-Gracie adds, "I wore a wedding dress throughout and we shot the video in an old abandoned church. I’m really inspired by the gothic medieval aesthetic and at the time I was thinking of the video I was watching a lot of Tim Burton films whose creativity really inspires me." Pale Waves' second album will follow their 2018 debut LP My Mind Makes Noises. Baron-Gracie says of their upcoming album, "For me, music and art is for people not to feel so alone and isolated. I want to be that person my fans look up to and find comfort in." [via the Line Of Best Fit]

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The official video for Zoe Wees�� new single, 'Girls Like Us,' is online now. Like the song, the clip sends a message of togetherness and solidarity to girls around the world who are feeling the pressures of society. Zoe Wees says, “It’s not always good to think about how you look to the rest of the world. It’s much more important to think about how you feel inside. It is not easy to call yourself beautiful but being confident helps you to accept and love yourself.” The 18-year-old Hamburg, Germany-based artist adds, “We’re walking through a world with blinded eyes. At the end of the day, we all go to bed without make-up with the ugliest clothes and wake up with the messiest hair on earth.”

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Julien Baker has shared a new taste of her forthcoming album Little Oblivions by way of a new single ‘Hardline’. Julien says, “A few years ago I started collecting travel ephemera again with a loose idea of making a piece of art with it. I had been touring pretty consistently since 2015 and had been traveling so much that items like plane tickets and hotel keycards didn't have much novelty anymore. So I saved all my travel stuff and made a little collage of a house and a van out of it. I wanted to incorporate it into the record and when we were brainstorming ideas for videos we came across Joe Baughman and really liked his work so we reached out with the idea of making a stop-motion video that had similar aesthetic qualities as the house I built did. I don't know why I have the impulse to write songs or make tiny sculptures out of plane tickets. But here it is anyway: a bunch of things I've collected and carried with me that I've re-organized into a new shape.” The video for ‘Hardline’ was directed by Joe Baughman, who notes: “Man, even after having spent 600 hours immersed in ‘Hardline’ and having listened to it thousands of times, I am still moved by it. It was a fun and ambitious challenge creating something that could accompany such a compelling song. The style of the set design, inspired by a sculpture that Julien created, was especially fun to work in. I loved sifting through magazines, maps, and newspapers from the 60s and 70s and finding the right colors, shapes, and quotes to cover almost every surface in the video.”

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Teenage Joans are staying true to their world and unveiling 'Something About Being Sixteen', a new single that's sure to cement their 2021 as victorious. It's the perfect successor to 'Three Leaf Clover' and a track that makes it two-for-two for Teenage Joans, further capturing the excitement and energy within Cahli and Tahlia as they trade catchy riffs and thriving choruses with the combo of light-heartedness and intimateness that seems to define Teenage Joans' work, and how they're able to look in at themselves (and out at the world around them) through a lens that keeps it fun and digestable. "'Something About Being Sixteen' is undoubtedly Teenage Joans' great take on the classic coming of age rock tune, generally closing our live sets with audiences singing along every time without fail," the duo say on the single. [via Pilerats]

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Kate Hollowell took a risk going by the moniker Number One Popstar when she released her debut single 'Psycho.' However, Hollowell didn’t mind if that choice set her up for failure or not. She goes with the flow. Luckily, that mentality has advanced her even farther. Now, Number One Popstar releases her second single, 'I Hate Running.' New Year’s resolutions are, most of the times, created for the wrong reasons. It’s also no surprise that majority of people’s goals center around exercising and weight loss. 'I Hate Running', however, challenges that mindset, satirizing the toxic nature of exercise industry and diet culture. Hollowell said herself, “The song explores facing the hard, emotional work instead of the physical. I really don’t enjoy running, and I wanted to troll the exercise industry and write an anti-motivational song.” In terms of sound, 'I Hate Running' shares similar vibes to her first single with its classic 80s pop of saturated synths. But, this time, there’s a hint of disco with the zealous psychedelic guitar and electric drums and keys. The interludes consist of a symbolic, robotic, and almost sinister snippet from a workout instructor. It all complements well with Hollowell’s escapist lyrics. Even though the lyrics say otherwise, the track’s sound might just spark that motivation to workout or dance, doing mindful movement that makes us feel good. Exercise should never feel like a punishment, and Number One Popstar is here to remind us. She makes us want to stick it to the exercise industry, proving to it that we will only work out for the right reasons. [via Earmilk]

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Alt-pop riser Chloe Rodgers has shared her new video 'The Algea' in full. The Nottingham based talent sparkled in 2020 in spite of the pervasive gloom, releasing two startling singles. Her third release could be her best yet, with 'The Algea' hitting streaming services just before Christmas. The video captures those mid-winter chills, while providing a platform for Chloe to express herself. Constructed alongside creative director Kate Lomas, it was shot at Newstead Abbey in Nottingham. Chloe comments... "I wanted to use a music box in the video to represent being objectified and getting stuck in the same cycles, as that’s largely what the song is about. I wrote the song when I was 18, but didn’t add the verse at the end about claiming my power back until a couple of years later when I felt a bit stronger. We tried to reflect this in the video too with the Chloe in white sort of protecting the other Chloe of the past." Kate Lomas adds: "This was such a joy to watch come together, the video concept is based around the idea that Chloe is the character in a music box, she’s the performer that’s spinning round on an endless cycle for other people’s entertainment. The video tells the tale of Chloe definitely breaking this cycle and no longer playing this role." [via Clash]

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Jaguar Jonze has announced her ANTIHERO EP will be released on April 16 via Nettwerk Records. With the EP announcement, Deena shares the official music video for her latest single, 'ASTRONAUT,' the follow-up to two previously released videos for 'DEADALIVE' and 'MURDER'. Each of the five music videos for the forthcoming ANTIHERO EP will come together through bold-palette videos that transform into an antihero character “in a cyberpunk, anime, futuristic, graphic, almost sci-fi world,” says Deena. Deena adds, “as ‘ASTRONAUT’ delves into my anxiety, I wanted the film to reflect that in a simple way that helped portray how my anxiety can sometimes manifest - a contradiction between feeling lost in vast spaces and trapped in claustrophobic spaces. I had a specific idea in mind, which meant that I had to undergo stunt training with professionals and learn how to maneuver in a wire harness. Most of the video had to be shot in a single take because of the stunts' nature in safety preparation, time consumption, and impact on the body. I'm still recovering from the bruises, but it was all worth it, and the team was amazing in pulling it all together. I'm proud of this one as it is 3 minutes of my rawest vulnerability, visually interpreted. I'm also finally ready to share it.” 'ASTRONAUT' is the sound of Deena liberating herself from a lifelong battle with anxiety. “It is a human trait. It’s how we survive in the wild,” she says. “We’re all wired as humans to be quite anxious. As females more so, because we’re more susceptible to danger.”

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Rising star Mulay shares the smoking visuals for her new single, ‘Antracyte’. It’s the culminating release in a three-part video series from the Berlin-based alternative R&B singer-songwriter/producer/artist, ahead of her highly anticipated EP, which comes out at the end of the month via Groenland Records. Mulay explains about the single, “'ANTRACYTE' is the intro and title track to my debut EP. It’s the soundtrack to the birth of a villain and captures the moment of complete honesty to yourself about the awareness of doing wrong by the ones you love while feeling the inability to turn around. It’s about the desire to taste forbidden fruits, to cross and explore what lies beyond the line and the self-empowering feeling of playing by your own rules defeating the fear of consequences and the power of moral concepts. 'ANTRACYTE' tells a story of contradicting emotions, a story of love, lust, pain and a longing for more. It’s about facing your own darkness and sins, about self-revelation, emancipation and about paying its price, resigning to your fate.”

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Only a band like shallow pools could make a blast of 'ice water' sound refreshing and necessary in the dead of New England winter. But the Massachusetts indie-pop group is usually pushing against the current of what we’d normally expect, and now the quartet hits us with a dose of cold reality through their new single and video. 'ice water' is a vivid new single that confronts the mental health struggles brought on by quarantine and isolation, and even the shallow pools aesthetic has reflected this by shifting from bright glowing neons to a more subdued color palette of beiges and browns. Call it a sign of the times, and call 'ice water' the sound of now; upbeat and jovial on the surface, a comet of pop smarts and hooks, but with the darker shine that resides in our lives when we’re positioned away from the screens and digital scenes. As Glynnis Brennan sings “Every day’s the same and / There’s no breaking out / Like I’m stuck here / Going through the motions now” well, we feel that. shallow pools describe “ice water” as “a departure from the music we’ve made in the past, but it’s the perfect bridge between our old and new sound.” That is certainly the case, and 'ice water' continues to showcase the group as one of New England’s sharpest, following a string of 2020 singles that included pop standouts like 'Haunted' and 'Afterlight'. “We wrote the song with our friend and producer, Chris Curran, and learned a lot about the type of music we want to be making in the process,” the band adds. “The song is about the impact that the state of the world has had on our mental health, specifically in the last year. We’re excited to share it and hope that anyone who has had similar experiences will find some comfort in knowing that there are others who can relate.” [via Vanyaland]

#videos of the week #simpson #lana del rey #g flip #mxmtoon #pearl charles #dodie #people club #pale waves #zoe wees #julien baker #teenage joans #number one popstar #chloe rodgers #mulay #jaguar jonze #shallow pools

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cometcrystal · 5 years ago

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okay so i finished daybreak! heres my thots (spoilers)

under a cut because idk how to shut up

the bad (rep stuff first, story stuff second since those are two diff kinds of bad)

the black girl is aggressive and violent

the latina woman turns into a “crazy” gross witch after the apocalypse

anti-asian racism in a line or two

every line is eli’s dialogue is just aave but he’s not even black

the high schoolers have a weird amount of sex (it’s not shown on-screen aside from a couple shots of them making out, but yeah)

the r slur is used in one scene

one nameless bg character is said to identify their gender as a seahorse, which just sounds like annoying attack helicopter jokes

now for the story stuff. josh is a huge fucking dick. i don’t know why he’s the protagonist. the only aspect of his character i liked was his backstory with his father, but everything else was just him being a judgey hypocrite asshole

also, eli SUCKS. i took a quick look in the tag for this show, and he seems to be the fan favorite, and i have NO idea why because every word out of his mouth made me wanna strangle him. and then in the episode where he died, it started playing clips of him with sad piano music, as if every single clip they used wasn’t just him being insufferable. it made his death hilarious instead of tragic bc its like. wow they really expected me to care about this guy huh? when all he’s done is make lowkey bigoted remarks and call stuff gucci?

episode 8 sucked so bad. there wasn’t any apocalypse at all, it was just a 45 minute movie about josh treating sam like his manic pixie dream girl and her having sex with him anyway and then he calls her a slut

the grossout humor didn’t get to me too bad, even tho i usually hate grossout humor. but the uncensored shot of the mutant pug shitting in the first episode was way too much like come the fuck on

the good

most of the characters are really likable and well-written!! i loved almost all of the main ensemble, and the supporting characters were really great too. and the villain was fucking great, it was nice to just see a plain old cartoon villain, and a found family of kiddos + their weird aunt rising up to defeat him

actual gay couple! no gaybaiting here, for real this time! and it’s interracial too which is awesome. AND IT’S WELL-WRITTEN AND REALISTIC.

the concept/setting is GREAT. an apocalypse where only people under 18 survived, and the teens have all split off into tribes based on their cliques in high school?? that’s really cool and funny. i might read the graphic novel after this to see more of it bc i love an apocalypse and i love a high school movie and this is both of those

josh is the protagonist, but it doesn’t put all the focus on him: it gives the backstories of the other main charas and some of the ensemble, too, and shows what everyone was doing in the couple days that lead up to the apocalypse. it makes for some awesome character-building, and you feel like you know these characters very well in the span of only 10 episodes

a LOT of this show’s humor is built on jokes that are like “millennials are woke now”. ex. instead of homecoming king or queen, they have gender-neutral homecoming royalty. this is in the “good” folder because, instead of boomer political comics, these kinds of jokes in this show, most of the time (not every single time, but most of the time), don’t feel mean-spirited. like i said before, it feels like a young person doing a parody of those jokes made by boomers, and it’s mostly done with love for millennials/gen Z. it feels more like an inside joke than mocking.

speaking of the humor, when the jokes hit, they HIT

the sets were fucking amazing. it really did feel like post-apocalyptic california

none of the cliques/groups are demonized in the end? the jocks are the “villain” group for a bit, but in the end, they’re on good terms with the heroes.

going off the last point, the cheermazons don’t allow boys into their group, and they have a distaste for men, but there’s not that EXTREME unrealistic man-hate that makes them come across as a negative stereotype of feminists. and they help the heroes, too. i hate men, don’t get me wrong, but i roll my eyes when i see a group like the amazons from percy jackson that like have men as their slaves and shit like that. like sorry you hate feminism so much. anyway the only complaint i have is that, afaik, there aren’t any trans women in the cheermazons, and they should have shown some so that radfems dont get any fuckin ideas identifying w them. there aren’t any trans characters at all, besides the seahorse person mentioned earlier, so that’s a problem that needs fixed in general, but esp. in the cheermazons where there’s potential for a radfem to see them and be like :)

there was a deaf side character that used asl! there were also girls seen with hijabs, one of whom is a leader of the cheermazons along with the deaf girl

angelica is great i love this lil bitch. making weed slime.

mrs crumble has a lot of depth and i love her

im tired of typing now. all in all i give it maybe a 7.5/10. it’s a lot of fun but it does have its problems. give it a shot if you like apocalypse stories or found family, and you can stomach a few cringe-ass insensitive things in what claims to be a woke show

#daybreak #netflix daybreak #daybreak netflix

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some-cookie-crumbz · 6 years ago

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Eye for Detail

Eye for Detail - Kidge Month Day 22 Prompt Fill Fandom: Voltron: Legendary Defender Pairing: Kidge Summary: She stepped out, opening her mouth and froze at what she spotted. There, beside the fort Keith had built for them, was a watchtower of sorts, constructed entirely out of snow. It had a cylinder-esque shape, with small, slim etching in the snow to give off the illusion of artist liberties being taken. There was a single window, from which Newt was poking his head out of with a pair of binoculars, and it even had a triangular shaped top. Well, it was more like a mushroom, since the snow wouldn’t stick quite how they had wanted, but the point still got across. It was… stunning, really. “Uh, boys?” she rasped out shakily, walking to the very edge of the patio to see it better. Standard Disclaimer: If you read and enjoy this, please give it a like/ reblog so I know if I should write more.

“‘m bored!” Newt whined loudly, dangling over the side of the couch. Kaden huffed and give his butt a little nudge, trying to send him spiraling over the other end of the couch. Instead, his younger brother gripped the cushions tighter to keep himself upright, glaring at him over his shoulder. “Hey!”

“Stop whining,” he grumbled back, slumping against the cushions himself and staring at the television screen. “Mom and Dad have to finish getting the spare room put together for Nana Olia’s visit. Until they’re done, we can’t really go outside.”

“Why not? I could watch you guys,” another voice chimed in as they wandered in from the kitchen. The two boys perked up and blinked slowly.

Newt let out a little snort of laughter. “Are those bows in your hair?”

The other blinked before reaching up and tapping one of the lacy, glittery accessories clipped into his dark blue curls. “I had to look my best for the tea party. Lady Angelique Marionette is a very hard one to impress, you know,” he said with a shrug.

“You don’t need to humor her all the time, Noah,” Newt said bluntly.

“I’m not humoring her; I like playing with her,” he said genuinely. He may not be the biggest fan of tea parties, but he didn’t like to disappoint Ari when she invited him to one. He wanted to be a good big brother, after all. “Anyway, I can go ask Mom and Dad if we can play in the backyard. I mean, as long as I’m here to watch you guys, I don’t think they’ll mind.”

“Really?” Kaden asked in surprise.

“Do it! Do it!” Newt encouraged, bouncing on the couch cushions.

“Do what?” Ari asked as walked over, carrying her little purple and white tea pot. She was most likely preparing to refill it with juice for another round.

“I was gonna see if Mom and Dad will let us all play outside so long as I watch you guys. Sound like fun to you?” he asked curiously.

Ari’s jade eyes shifted from him to the huge, snowy mounds developing in their backyard, before shaking her head. “Uh, no. I’ll just stay inside,” she said, heading to the fridge and pulling out the carton of juice.

“Your loss, then,” Newt laughed as he scrambled off the couch, heading towards his room. “I’m gonna go get my coat and boots on!”

“He hasn’t gotten a yes, yet!” Kaden called after him.

Noah chuckled a bit and shook his head. “It’s fine. I’m sure it’ll be fine,” he said before heading up the stairs. The door to the spare bedroom was propped open to make it easier for his parents to bring things in and out. He poked his head around the door frame and smiled when he saw both of them inside. “Hey, Mom, Dad?” he asked as he walked in.

Keith perked up from where he was putting together the frame for the spare bed. “Oh, hey there, bud. What’s up?”

“Can me and Kaden and Newt play in the snow out back?”

Pidge perked up from where she was dusting off the shelves of the desk in the room, frowning slightly. “Only you three?”

“I asked Ari if she wanted to play outside but she said no. She’s in the middle of a tea party, and there’s been a lot of trouble brewing. Sounds like she might need to mediate stuff between Snuggles and Cuddles again,” he said.

“As long as you three stay in the backyard, I don’t think it’ll be a problem,” Keith said, chuckling and shaking his head a bit. Sometimes the kids came up with the most ridiculous scenarios to put their toys in.

“Just let Ari know to leave her bedroom door open, so that if she needs anything we can hear her, okay?” Pidge added. After a moment she paused again and held one finger up. “Also, please make sure you all wear your mittens and scarves. Newt’s had a problem with remembering to wear those and I don’t want him getting his fingers frost-bitten.”

He smiled and nodded. “Mkay! Thank you,” he said eagerly. He headed out, stopped by Aria’s room to let her know about leaving her door open, and then headed off to his own room. Once he himself was bundled up, he helped Kaden and Newt get themselves put together as well. Newt threw a fit about having to find his mittens, since he hadn’t kept them with the rest of their things, but once they were located and shoved on his hands, the three were outside.

Newt was bouncing on his feet as he charged through a small pile of snow, kicking it all around with uncensored delight. “What should we do? What should we play?” he asked excitedly, wheeling around to look at his older brothers.

“Hmm… We could build a snowman,” Kaden suggested, reaching down to scoop up a handful of snow.

“Lame! That’s super easy and expected!” Newt complained. “We gotta build something better! Something impressive!”

Kaden smirked and tossed the snowball at his brother, hitting him square in the face. “Not much of an idea guy, are you?” he teased.

Newt scowled before scooping up two arms worth of snow and charging towards him. While his brothers dragged each other through the snow, Noah walked a little further out and looked around. He looked from the large tree in the corner, over to their little wooden play fort. He closed one eye and lifted one hand, clenched in a fist with just his thumb sticking up, as he swept his gaze over the large pile. His eyes lit up as a thought of what to do with all the extra snow came to him. “Hey, I have an idea!” He said excitedly, motioning the two of them over eagerly.

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“You didn’t have to go through all this trouble for us,” Krolia giggled as she shrugged out of her coat, Kolivan shutting the door behind them.

“It’s no trouble at all; you’re family,” Pidge said warmly, taking the coat from her and hanging it in the closet. She took Kolivan’s next, unsurprised when he was immediately distracted by Ari darting over to greet them excitedly.

“Hello, sweetheart,” Krolia crooned, kneeling down to scoop her youngest grandchild up.

“Hi, Nana, hi, Papa! I missed you both!” she said, eagerly embracing the woman and then reaching for Kolivan.

Keith chuckled as he reached the end of the stairs himself. “They’ve all been really excited for your visit,” he agreed, pausing to look around. “Are your brothers still outside?” he asked in slight surprise. He had to a double-check of the clock to verify that, yes, it had been at least two hours since they’d gone outside.

“Probably,” Ari said with a small shrug as she embraced Kolivan. “They like all the snow. Weirdos.”

Krolia laughed. “I’m not too terribly fond of it myself, either,” she hummed.

“Hold on, I’ll go get the boys,” Pidge said, grabbing her coat and shoving her sleeves through as she walked to the door. She had socks on and wasn’t planning to go any further than the patio, so she figured she’d be safe without her boots.

She stepped out, opening her mouth and froze at what she spotted. There, beside the fort Keith had built for them, was a watchtower of sorts, constructed entirely out of snow. It had a cylinder-esque shape, with small, slim etching in the snow to give off the illusion of artist liberties being taken. There was a single window, from which Newt was poking his head out of with a pair of binoculars, and it even had a triangular shaped top. Well, it was more like a mushroom, since the snow wouldn’t stick quite how they had wanted, but the point still got across. It was… stunning, really. “Uh, boys?” she rasped out shakily, walking to the very edge of the patio to see it better.

“Oh, Mom!” Moah said excitedly from his perch at the base of the tower, where he seemed to be reinforcing it some. “What do you think?”

“I… Uh… You guys made that? In two hours?” she asked slowly, raising one hand to point at it curiously.

“Well, yeah. I mean, it wasn’t easy,” he said, growing a little bit anxious at her words, “and, honestly, I wish I had more time to get things just the way that I wanted. This is kinda, like, a really, really shaky prototype of what I would have liked. Kinda a mesh of the ideas I had that were possible with how much time I had, but it deviated a lot so I just kinda had to make it work. I probably could have made a little snowcase inside the tower because right now it’s just kind of a big pile. I mean, obviously the part where Newt’s out has been hollowed out, but, well, you have to climb inside from one of the fort windows, which is just a little impractical. But Newt was whining that I was taking too long, and him and Kaden wanted to play Battlefield, so… yeah.” His ears had drooped slightly and he kept looking from her to the ground, scuffing some snow around with the toe of his boot.

She reached out to gently set a hand on his head, ruffling his hair under the confines of his hat. “Noah, baby, this is amazing! You did all that in just two hours? That’s so incredible!”

“Really?” he asked in surprise, eyes lighting up and ears perking up.

“Absolutely! You’re being too hard on yourself, Noah! This is phenomenal!” she hummed, reaching down to embrace him.

He let out a little giggle and hugged her back. “Well, I like it when I can make Kaden and Newt and Ari happy. And I really like getting to make stuff,” he mumbled shyly.

She smiled and gave him a quick peck to the forehead, looking at the tower again. She made a note to see about maybe getting him into pottery classes or something of that ilk. He might enjoy that quite a bit. She then rose and waved her hand at the others still inside. “Guys! Come out here and look at what Noah made!” she hollered, excited to give her son the chance to show off a little. He was a humble and modest boy, so she always wanted to make sure he got all the attention and encouragement possible when he did something he was really proud of.

#Voltron legendary defender #Keidge #Kidge #Peith #Kidgemas #MonthofKidge #MonthofKidge2019 #KidgeaPalooza #KidgeaPalooza2019 #Pidge Gunderson #Keith Kogane #my fics

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goodfortune-au · 4 years ago

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Good Fortune (Soulmate AU) Chapter 5: Falling Into Place

Angel continued her routine as usual, and the calendar days of September fluttered off into the breeze of time at a steady pace until October followed shortly behind. In the time that had followed the concert, life had cantered to the same general beats as before, and she was pleased to find that the presence of her so-called guardian angel was becoming consistent. The gifts had continued well into the month, various little intricacies ranging from old jewelry to colorful beads and paper clips; stones in interesting shapes and textures and buttons from shirts and dresses that she kept finding in little crevices around town. Her favorite so far had been three pearl buttons in the shape of hearts she’d found one afternoon by a sewer grate at Jackson Street and Witcham; she fashioned two of them into earrings and had begun wearing the third one as a pendant about her neck. Though she’d always felt a general sense of unease growing up in Derry, the thought of something looking out for her wellbeing made her feel a sense of comfort she couldn’t deny. Though she wasn’t foolish enough to challenge that sense of comfort, she could at the very least enjoy the boost in confidence it brought her. It made things just a little easier.

Work was a well-oiled machine by this point. Having worked at the library for almost two full months, Angel had by this point settled into the rhythm with even more ease than before; she’d gotten to know the shelves and the ins and outs of the library intimately and could now assist in the needs of the patrons with much more competence than before. She’d even found her fear of the archives assuaged, knowing now that all that lay below the stairway was a bunch of musty old records of the town and nothing more, not a monster or a crazed killer lurking in the darkness to take her for their next victim. Speaking of town records, Angel found herself compelled to finally start reading through that book she’d checked out earlier in the month following the continuing pattern of disappearances, taking time in the evenings at home to carefully read it at her leisure, usually with a cup of tea of some kind to warm her bones and keep her company while she followed the lurid tales contained within. The History of Old Derry was an interesting read indeed, and confirmed to Angel a truth she had known for a while, that being that her hometown was not without skeletons in its closet. Yes, Derry’s history was… Decidedly dark, not that she was at all surprised. A list of grisly happenstances seemed to marr the annals of its past, and as she scans through the various articles of documentation she comes to the conclusion that Derry was most certainly haunted by something, though the specifics of that something were still largely unknown to her as she was sure they were equally as unknown to just about anyone else.

To tell the truth, even if there was a ghost or a monster of some kind lurking about in the shadows, there was the vague likelihood that this force of nature simply had nothing to do with the disappearances at all. Hell, they could be two entirely separate anomalies just as the apparent existence of her protector, and maybe she was simply reading too much into it. Angel was all too tempted to believe the latter, knowing very well her track record in doing just such a thing. She was rather a paranoid girl, always on the muted assumption that people were rife with ulterior motives, that they were out to get her somehow. Yes, she could mostly suppress it, but that didn’t change the fact that those thoughts plagued her consciousness all the same, sometimes even to the point of her own detriment. She couldn’t help it, nor could she shake it anymore than she could shake the feeling that something in Derry simply wasn’t right. Trouble was, even if there was something bigger at play here, what chance did she or anyone else have at stopping it?

As she continues reading, something else curious makes itself apparent to her. Each string of disappearances, stretching back into the 1800s, was separated by something of a three decade gap. Twenty-seven years to be exact, or very nearly. Come to think of it, she remembered seeing that pattern at a glance when she’d returned those census records too, though she hadn’t realized it at the time. She tries to do the math in her head for clarity before giving up and scratching it down on a piece of leftover mail sitting on her coffee table. As she looks at the dates she realizes her math is in fact correct and she frowns. That was… Peculiar to say the least.

In that moment she gets interrupted by a melodramatic meow and she puts down her book.

“Mayor Jello? What’s up?” She says, getting up from the couch. Mayor Jello stalks around her legs in a circle before sitting down. He meows again.

“Hungry?”

His eyes dart into the air and he hisses.

“Okay, okay, jeez. ” She says, making her way over to a kitchen cabinet.

Pennywise hovers over her shoulder, quiet and observant. He follows her pace around the kitchen, keeping his eyes rooted… Somewhere a little lower than her back and watches her as she pulls a bag of cat food from a shelf. He had come back to watch her in the following evenings, finding himself compelled and so allured by her growing reception to his gifts that he simply couldn’t help himself. Even if he couldn’t be with her now, he still wanted to see her. He wanted to see her live and breathe, walk and talk and be her beautifully uncensored self around him. He wanted to know her more in a way that his ingrained knowledge of her simply couldn’t offer. He wanted to experience her in the flesh, uninhibited and authentic. And nothing, not those children or her family or the damn cat or the entire town of Derry could keep him from her, from taking what was rightfully his in all eventuality. He would move in on her when the time was ripe and no one could hope to stop him. But for now, he was content to simply watch, to observe, to learn. To formulate his plan and pull the strings until it all unfolded in his favor.

And all the while, as he spent those blissful moments in her presence, he had begun snooping around her home in his own leisurely way, taking little glances at things here and there, letting a smile creep on his face at all her little trinkets and baubles and curiosities. She was such an odd girl. There was a bookcase full of vinyl records and a cabinet in the kitchen full of mismatched plates, bowls, and cups. There were posters of various movies adorning the walls of the living room, titles like The Breakfast Club, Nightmare on Elm Street, A Clockwork Orange and something called The Shining. Magazines and books from assorted authors were scattered around the tables, mostly grisly horror novels and the odd Edward Gorey title, one of which was opened up to a random page on the dining room table accompanied by ink drawings right beside it. He deduced that she must have been trying to mimic the art style. It was a haven of pop culture, and a very colorful representation of who she was as a person that charmed him to no end. In the time that he had been spending with her, as he learned more and more about who she was, getting to know her so intimately without her knowledge, he had started to formulate his plan with a little more detail. It had already been set in motion with the gifts he’d been leaving, and he would only continue his manipulations as time went on.

He remembered how delighted he’d been, one evening when he’d come to visit, when he’d truly seen the path of what he must do to win her. He had come late in the day, had walked in on her asleep in bed, taking a long nap after a hard shift at work and as he spent so many minutes just studying her sleeping face, one curious eye of his began to wander about the room. It starts by trailing lasciviously over her figure and then it finds its way over to the far side of her room. Her bedroom is even more eclectic than the living room; its covered wall to wall with keepsakes from various memories like a painted banner of her school’s mascot for a competition of some sort, a letterman patch for four years participation in the marching band, several concert ticket stubs, different pieces of ghoulishly macabre art she’d done and photo booth strips of her and her friends from years past. Even a few with her and those brat kids, he notes with displeasure. But his chagrin had slowly melted into elation when that eye finally stumbled upon her closet. There, in the shade of the cupboard, is something wonderful, something that assures him of what he has known for so long, that she was meant for him in so many ways that she wasn’t even aware of. Ways that he would take such unmitigated delight in exploiting. Yes, with seeds planted, watered and nurtured, he would see the fruits of his labor bloom with time, and he knew exactly how he might do it as he looked upon the dedicated shrine of little clown figurines with fascination and glee.

Ever since that wondrous revelation, Pennywise could not help but let a devilish smirk creep across his face whenever he found her again. Regardless of however much she might hide herself, her true self, from the outside world, there was one thing, one force on this miserable planet she could never hope to hide from, and that was him. Oh yes, Pennywise would get to know her more intimately than he would ever get to know anyone else, more than any poor victim of his manipulations for the sake of feeding or cheap entertainment, and she would return the favor. She would spend her days so sick with fascination for him, a luring poisonous potion she will be powerless to resist, and she will not want anything else for herself. It makes him giddy, the thought of it, and as he looms about the living room, looking on various items of interest that delighted smile sours at the discovery of the book on the coffee table. Hadn’t noticed that before. With deliberate intent he strides over to the cat, busy eating at his bowl, and runs a devious, silken palm down his back. The cat yowls with a jump and bolts from his touch with another hiss, hiding behind a nearby chair leg. Angel scrambles up from the couch again to regard him with exasperation.

“Jello, what is your problem tonight?! Jesus!! ”

In the following commotion he sneers smugly at the reprimanded animal, slipping past Angel on nimble feet and whisking the book out of sight. Then, his aura fades from the house.

I’ll be back, my love. Sooner than you think…

The hairs on her neck stand on end and she shivers, looking down at Mayor Jello as she rubs her arms pensively.

“...Shit man… Think maybe there really is a ghost? I just got a draft that felt like the goddamn north pole.”

Mayor Jello meows. She didn’t know whether he was agreeing or not, but she finds herself overcome with exhaustion now. She yawns.

“Bedtime, Mr. Mayor? I feel like I can barely keep my eyes open.” Jello rubs against her leg and quickly runs toward the bedroom in silent approval. She chuckles. “Okay then.”

She turns off the TV and sets the remote down, and then her eyes fall on the book sitting innocuously on the table. She picks it up and studies the cover. A History of Old Derry . She sighs and places it back on the coffee table. Maybe she’ll come back to it tomorrow; there’s only so much murder and mayhem she can take in one day. When she goes to bed, leaving the book behind her, it mysteriously sets alight with infernal smoke, a sight unseen just as a fallen tree in an abandoned forest. It slowly burns until the color dissolves from green into red, and the cover now reads “Intermediate’s Guide to Bird-Watching” once more.

~~~~

When Angel drags herself to work the next day, she doesn’t notice the absence of the book on her coffee table. She’d woken up fairly groggy and disoriented, and had frankly forced herself not to call out. She supposed today was just one of those days, one of those days where things were just harder to cope with. And, try as she might, she couldn’t ignore the sense that her life was beginning to decline. She knew the patterns. The urge to spend the hours of the day in bed were getting increasingly more tempting; She put off doing laundry, she neglected her personal hygiene, even took on a foul mood at the slightest of provocations. She found herself making stops at the pharmacy after work for unnecessary additions to her growing horde of junk food too, which she’d eat secretly and shamefully in the darkness of her TV-lit living room at night. She knew how much of a slippery slope this was, and still she couldn’t stop herself from succumbing to it, finding herself too overwhelmed with that all-too-familiar depressive malaise that never really subsided, and in fact thrived in times such as these. The loss of Georgie was still fresh in her mind, and the continuing slew of disappearances didn’t help to assuage her unease on the matter. It only exacerbated her unconscious predilection toward despondency, and it was getting harder to hide with each passing day.

Admittedly, there were some good days as well as bad, days when she could function a little more reliably. Hell, the past couple months had been notable in that regard, but she couldn’t deny that her energy was starting to slow, and that much dreaded stagnation was starting to settle in. Luckily, however, the good days happened to most coincide with her visits from the Losers, and if they didn’t… Well, in a pinch, Angel was rather good at putting on a happy face. After all, she’d been practicing all her life. She could sit and keep bemoaning the fact that this gig was slowly but surely turning out like the last, but the truth of it was she was simply too tired most of the time. She didn’t have the mental energy to mope, and had the good sense to at least acknowledge her blessings. She was good at her job; it was easy work, if a bit dull, and it was better than the constant harassment and verbal abuse she endured at her previous place of work. Though the routine seemed a tad punishing at times, with a consistent rhythm of work, eat, sleep, rinse and repeat nipping at her tired heels, she knew things could surely be a lot worse.

Pennywise could sense all of this as he watched over her. He spent a lot of time doing that nowadays. When he wasn’t feeding or terrorizing the town with his little games, Pennywise passed the hours simply looking on her from afar, choosing to hold off on continuing to be with her in person just so she wouldn’t be so continuously offput by otherworldly energy she didn’t yet understand. It wasn’t just because he was enamored with her, he did it for the sake of her own safety and wellbeing too. He knew how dangerous this town could be, partly out of his own meddling (mostly, if he were truly honest), and he wanted to make sure she wouldn’t get caught in the crossfire. She was the only thing, the only human being in this godforsaken town, even on this planet and this tiny speck of a universe whose welfare he gave a shit about other than his own. She might as well have been an extension of him, and he would see to it that nothing touch her or harm a single hair on her head. She was for him, and him only, and he would see her protected no matter the cost.

He staggered his meals too, making sure that each disappearance wasn’t too close to the last. He knew she was a smart girl; she already had an inkling of what was going on, of what role he played in the town’s history, and although she hadn’t put all the pieces together yet she was sure she would in time. If he wasn’t careful, if he didn’t conduct himself mindfully and introduce himself slowly, he would risk scaring her off, and he couldn’t do such a thing. Wouldn’t do such a thing. Though he held no reservations in whisking her away with him regardless of her acceptance, he didn’t want that. He wanted better for her, and for himself most of all. He had waited an eternity for her, and he’d be damned if something got in the way of his long-deserved satisfaction.

So for the moment, he bided his time. Gave her the space for her to let her guard down and let the doldrums from work slowly take over her psyche. It would mean less questions, less resistance in the long run. She might even welcome him into her life with open arms, because she knew how she craved changes in routine, the chance to improve her stakes in life through the freedom of a new transition. And most of all… He knew how lonely she was. Oh, she was a lonely girl; she always had been, the poor thing. Spent her entire life ostracized, making few friends here and there that would almost assuredly fall out of her life at some eventual fork in the road of their relationship. Always treated as the weirdo, the freak, and never truly accepted for who she was. And that was to say nothing of how starved she was for love, from anyone or anything that would give her the time of day. Little did she know that her loneliness was all for a reason, and good fortune was about to find her. She just didn’t know it yet.

No, it wouldn’t happen overnight. It would take some time for him to break the ice, to work his magic and set things in motion, but he already knew what he was going to do. All the pieces were falling into place. Oh yes, in no time at all he would have her wrapped around his silken finger, he would see to it. He would be the answer to all her woes; he would turn out to be all she was ever looking for. And it would all start with a dream…

#pennywise #daddywise #chapter five #falling into place #it 2017 #it chapter one #pennywise x oc #pennywise x angel #tenpence

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placesinmymind · 8 years ago

Audio

Eminem and Columbine

I am an Eminem Fan for years now and when I started to get more and more into True Crime I was surprised to find a lot of his Lyrics mentioning Columbine which I never really realised before. Of course he also mentioned other murderers or events, like Ted Bundy and the Aurora theater shooting but I wanted to start with the Columbine lyrics because there’s a lot of material. So let’s start:

The Way I Am, 2000 0:00-0:16 When a dude’s getting bullied and shoots up his school And they blame it on Marilyn and the heroin Where were the parents at? And look where it’s at! Middle America, now it’s a tragedy Now it’s so sad to see, an upper-class city Havin’ this happening Marshall states that he thinks that he thinks that not music is the reason for the shooting but bullying and the parents. But as we all know Marilyn Manson was partly blamed for Columbine by the media. Em is also making fun of the fact that Columbine was the first shooting that people cared this much about although there have been a lot of shootings but now it happened at a “nice” school. There is an alternative version of this song featuring Marilyn Manson (x) He performed it live with Manson (x and x) Manson also appeared in the official video (x)

Remember me, 2000 0:17-0:30 Came home and somebody musta broke in the back window And stole two loaded machine guns and both of my trenchcoats Sick, sick dreams of picnic scenes Two kids, sixteen, with M-16’s and ten clips each And them shits reach through six kids each

Em is making fun of the idea that musicians like him are a bad influence because he is not the one who gives these kids their weapons.

And as we all know, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold both wore a Trenchcoat when the attack started, that’s why „both of my Trenchcoats“ were stolen. And so he thinks that they were stolen to start another Columbine. And when you have these „two kids“ with guns that, when you shoot them, „reach through six kids each“ you have 12 dead kids. And as we all know, during the Columbine massacre died 12 kids (and one adult). By the way, Eminem needed two months to write his whole verse on this song while Sticky Fingaz wrote his verse in one day.

I’m Back, 2000 0:30-0:41 I take seven [kids] from [Columbine] Stand ‘em all in line, add an AK-47, a revolver, a 9 A MAC-11 and it oughta solve the problem of mine And that’s a whole school of bullies shot up all at one time

This is probably the most well known Columbine reference made by Eminem. This album came out one year after the massacre so it was still an sensitive subject. Therefore his label censored these two words (Kids and Columbine), even on the explicit version of the album. I don’t think I have to explain what exactly this lyric means, it’s pretty clear. In his book he states this:

“ I was getting shit about the Columbine reference on “I’m Back” and the label was telling me that I wasn’t gonna be able to say it. My whole thing was, what is the big fucking deal? That shit happens all the time. Why is that topic so touchy as opposed to, say a four-year-old kid drowning? Why isn’t that considered a huge tragedy? People die in the city all the time. People get shot, people get stabbed, raped, mugged, killed and all kinds of shit. What the fuck is the big deal with Columbine that makes it separate from any other tragedy in America?”

In 2015 a 15 year-old boy was arrested. He posted these lyrics on Instagram and added “Cause I’m just like shady and just as crazy as the world was over that whole Y2K thing” The origiginal lyrics are “ ‘Cause (I'mmmm) Shady, they call me as crazy As the world was over this whole Y2K thing”

When authorities searched the boy’s home they found weaponry and eventually arrested him. He denied any knowledge of the weapons and said he didn’t post this text on Instagram.

White America, 2002 0:42-0:48 White America, I could be one of your kids White America, little Eric looks just like this

In this song it’s not only about the Lyrics but also about the music video. With “little Eric” he mentioned Eric Harris but it was also meant as an example for a typical white kid. He is from middle america because his name is in the middle of amERICa. The interesting part is, as I said, the video. Where you can see news of an school shooting during “I could be one of your kids” And during “little Eric looks just like this” you can see one of those typical yearbook pictures and the house of the school shooter. The house looks a bit like the one the Harrises had.

When these lines get repeated you can see a boy full of (probably) blood stepping out of the map of america. On his shirt is written “I am Eric”.

Rap God, 2013 0:49-0:54 I’ll take seven kids from Columbine Put ‘em all in a line, add an AK-47, a revolver and a 9

This was the first time we could hear the Columbine Line uncensored. Eminem didn’t rap all of the “I’m back” lines because he just wanted to “See if I get away with it now that I ain’t as big as I was” As you can hear, he got away with it.

Eminem is one of the few people who openly give their sympathy for the two shooters. He admitted to be interested in serial killers in this statement: “I did find myself watching a lot of documentaries on serial killers, I mean, I always had a thing for them. I’ve always been intrigued by them and I found that watching movies about killers sparked something in me.The way a serial killer’s mind works, just the psychology of them is pretty fucking crazy. I was definitely inspired by that, but most of the album’s imagery came from my own mind.”

But Marshall Mathers seems to have an very personal realationship with the whole Columbine Issue. He himself was bullied on a daily basis during his childhood, often for his race and for always being the new kid. When he was nine years old he got beaten up so bad he was in an coma for several days. I think he is one of the people who is trying to understand what Harris and Klebold were going through. But I think it is important to mention, that he is the living proof that even when your life is is shitty right now because of some people who have nothing in their life but to terrorize you, that you can still have a better life. And you beat them best when you keep on living.

“That Columbine shit is so fucking touchy. As much sympathy as we give the Columbine shootings, nobody ever looked at it from the fuckin’ point of view of the kids who were bullied—I mean, they took their own fucking life! And it was because they were pushed so far to the fucking edge that they were fucking so mad. I’ve been that mad.”

-Marshall Mathers

#columbine #music #eminem #eric harris #dylan klebold #tcc #true crime community #harris #klebold #my post #school #school shooting #shooting #hip hop #rap #tcoriginal

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artificialqueens · 8 years ago

Text

Lipstick on coffee cups {chapter 2} (Trixya) ~ Evelyn°c

AN: THANK YOU FOR THE LOVELY COMMENTS I LIVE!! Looking back on the first chapter i spotted a couple of mistakes, alot of repition of words and all that, so my apologies. This chapter is out pretty close to the first one cuz im in the middle of exams. I wanted to develop the story at least a bit more before i die of maths revision and cant write for a while.

Also “chugging at their piping hot bean water” is probably the best thing ill ever write. Thats the best you’re gonna get. Enjoy! ( ˊ̱˂˃ˋ̱ )

Trixie had tried to forget about last nights encounter. She really had. Part of her was wondering if Katya was even real (she did look pale enough to be a ghost.)

Alas, after replaying the scene an unnecessary amount of times in her head she landed on the conclusion it was real. An odd Russian woman had come in before closing time, drank her cappuccino, winked at her, then floated away into the night.

The next day Trixie rolled into work particularly early, wondering if Katya would keep to her words and return. Just for the coffee of course. And maybe a chat if Trixie was lucky.

She scanned the room, noticing a few customers huddled in the cramped booths, shivering and chugging at their piping hot bean water, ignoring the pang of pain that came with it. The weather was less than friendly, pelting anyone who dared step outside with buckets of rainfall.

If the decor looked bad at night, it looked hideous in the day. The carpets were something right out of an 80’s film, and the walls were plastered with a damp wallpaper. It had once been a neon red, now it was rendered this sort of blood orange after years of bombardment from latte steam.

Day shifts were nice. Theres just enough customers to avoid going insane from lack of human contact. Plus she had Kim, who was fun enough to talk to. They had attended art school and shared a dorm together for a good number of years.

“Kim?” Trixie murmured, leaning on her hands gently to avoid smudging her makeup.

“What is it Trix” Kim responded from the stockroom behind the counter, a clear lisp softening her tone. Her head peeked out from the door as she hoisted a fresh bag of coffee grounds to the machine.

“I think I’m going insane” Trixie responded in a distressed voice, flopping her head to the counter with a small clunk, her wavy hair splayed out around her.

“Im aware” Kim giggled, loading the machine with the bitter grounds, pausing momentarily to flip thick strands of black hair out of her face.

Whilst Kim was a morning person, Trixie certainly wasn’t. Then again, she wasn’t a night person either. Sometimes she’d consider what type of person she was at all. Trash person?

“Is this about that weird German lady you felt the need to text me about at 11:00pm”

“Russian” Trixie corrected, propping herself up on the counter, shooting a look at Kim as she did so.

“Do you get the hots for all the customers with accents?” Kim joked, slapping Trixies arm with a perfectly pedicured hand. How Kim managed to do so much manual labour whilst maintaining her perfect appearance was baffling to Trixie.

“Ok firstly, rude. Secondly, she was funny! I just want to talk.” Trixie protested, she had managed to convince herself that Katya was just intriguing. ‘I may of just murdered a man’ kind of intriguing.

If she dug deep down however, part of her would say Katya looked downright stunning. A jawline that could cut steel, two smoky eyes, wide and crazed, and calves crafted from stone by the gods themselves. But she wouldn’t admit that to Kim.

“Anyway” Trixie continued, glancing over to Kim who had an equally bored expression at this point. “You’re in no position to talk, how about the way you act around Naomi?”

“Miss smalls happens to be a very good friend with ideas for this branch” Kim said matter-of-factly whilst poorly concealing the creeping red around her cheeks. “Whatever, i have to go do a stock check. For the love of god, DON’T BREAK ANYTHING”

“When’s the last time i broke something?”

“You smashed 2 mugs and a plate just yesterday”

Trixie gave a brief wave of her hand, eyes half closed. “Noted” she grunted before turning back around to the counter. Once she’d heard the clip clop of Kim’s heels fade into the background noise of working machinery and boiling water, she fixated her stare on the counter, tracing circles on the table with her nail.

To be honest, Trixie wasn’t sure what to think. She certainly wasn’t infatuated with Katya by any means. She’d never been prone to having crushes, why start now? Trixie tried to mimic Katya’s enthusiastic laugh in her head. It was manic and uncensored. Her whole face would probably scrunch up into a big toothy grin.

Maybe Trixie wanted answers. Why come into a coffee shop so late on a monday night? Did you move here from Russia? How old are you? Whats with that last name? It almost sounds fake…Are you real? Have you been sent here from Russia to assassinate me under a false identity?! Unbeknownst to Trixie, somewhere between the second and third question, a customer had walked up to the counter. They gave a small cough to try and grab the blondes attention whilst she gawked at the counter, lost in thought.

“Can i like, order something?” The voice piped up, startling Trixie to the extent where she jumped a bit.

Breathing a sigh, she looked to the person ahead of her. She was a taller girl, blonde hair curved elegantly around the frame of her face, sporting a golden nose ring that glistened as she shifted.

“Y-yeah what can i get you?” Trixie mumbled, not quite in it completely.

“Just something strong” the tall girl spoke, almost disinterestedly. She seemed pre-occupied staring into the corner of the café at another customer.

“Well, how about the-”

“Yeah yeah sounds fine.”

Trixie huffed, pursing her lips. “One ’yeah yeah sounds fine’ coming up.”

The customer rolled her eyes at Trixie’s comment, yet she was still utterly fixated at the other girl in the corner. Trixie was almost intrigued enough to ask who she was looking at, but her social anxiety would never allow this.

A few minutes later and she produced a steaming cup of caffeine, warm to the touch. “Want your name on the side?” Customers always loved that feature. Looks good on social media posts, and that never hurts publicity.

“Pearl” She spat back, finally focusing on the matter at hand as she produced the correct amount of change from her pocket. Trixie began to scrawl against the side of the paper cup.

“Actually, there was something else i was meant to do” Pearl drawled on, picking up the cup and bringing it to her lips. She rustled into her pocket and grasped a small slip of paper. She slid it along the table over to Trixie who just gawked.

“Your number?” Trixie inquired, examining the slip further.

“Excuse you, I’m taken!” Pearl spoke, mustering the most disgust she could in her voice. Though by anyone’s standards it was still monotone. Pearl looked over to the corner and waved at the girl, who was presumably her girlfriend. That made sense.

“So then who’s?” Trixie said holding it up to her eyes now, squinting slightly.

“My colleague over at the fashion agency, Katya zamoblamowhammo or whatever” Pearl recounted. She almost threw the money against the table before beginning to walk away.

Trixie had to do a double take.

“Wait wait wait pearl did she…give you an explanation?”

Pearl looked like Trixie as if she was the biggest inconvenience she had ever experienced. She paused for a moment, rubbing her forehead before letting out a drawn sigh. “Yeaah something about being ‘sorry she couldn’t make it today. She wants to talk’…other gay stufff….”

Trixie was no doubt bright red by now. “Thanks pearl” She quipped half sarcastically. A small bit of her was grateful, thanks to pearl she had Katya’s number.

She had katya’s number. That felt good to say. Was this first base? Maybe she was overthinking it. Lots of friends meet by showing interest in each-other then exchanging numbers, nothing special.

Of corse Pearl was sat down with her girlfriend by now, giggling away, taking contented sips at her drink. Trixie hoped the caffeine would wake her up at least a bit.

“Everything alright back there?” Kim yelled from the back room.

“Fine” Trixie squeaked.

Well, not really. She was freaking out.

The rain hammered down on Ru’s coffee place. It made the noise of pindrops falling on a sheet of metal, covering the noise of Trixies heart pounding out of her chest.

#trixya #trixie mattel #katya zamolodchikova #coffee shop au #lesbian au #slow burn #angst #Evelyn°c #rpdr fanfiction #submission #lipstick on coffee cups

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kusunogatari-a · 8 years ago

Text

[ Close ] [ @masterofwar ] [ Uchiha Madara, Uchiha Izuna, Suigin Ryū ] [ Death mention ] [ Verse: At the Beginning ]

Months of worry and waiting come to a tipping point late one morning.

There are few capable medics among the Uchiha – yet another sliver of the reason they're here in the first place. Instead, Ryū is accompanied by civilians from the village when her water breaks. Midwives...but not medics.

For his own sanity, Madara keeps his distance. Something about the impending consequences push him away. He's not afraid. He's never afraid. But this is beyond his doing, and he's glad when the women at her side none-too-gently advise him to leave, lest his palpable, agitated aura disrupt the proceedings.

So, instead, he leaves the manor behind. Izuna, jogging to meet him, is barely able to catch a punch. “What -?”

“Spar. Now.”

Surprise tempers into understanding, and the younger acquiesces. The crowds gathered in curiosity of the protector of the valley's cries then turn to the brothers.

No weapons, no jutsu – just plain old fisticuffs, the dull thumps of traded blows not nearly loud enough to stopper the cacophony coming from the second story behind them. And each second that passes seems to fan the flames of Madara's desperate strikes. More than once, Izuna is clipped without apology.

And those seconds soon blur to minutes...to hours. Already a beast of stamina, there's no sign of the clan head slowing.

Not until things go quiet.

He staggers to a stop, out of breath but far from exhausted, turning to the manor with an expression unguarded.

Something's not right.

Ignoring the whispers and his brother's calls, Madara abandons the spar to go inside, no time taken to remove his shoes or follow any other decorum.

Her room – their room – is above him. And still, an eerie silence seems to blanket them, everything muted as though holding its breath. Stairs fall to his feet, and he passes gaunt-faced midwives. His stomach drops, and the door nearly shatters at his touch.

A tinge of relief finds him as he sees her upright, bent forward over a bundle cradled in one arm. The other presses a hand among the crook of her chest, and he recognizes the soft glow of her chakra.

All relief is lost to a haunting knowing.

Ryū doesn't look up as he approaches. In fact, she seems completely oblivious to his presence, form rocking ever so slightly as she works.

The babe doesn't cry. Doesn't stir.

Her breath shakes, weary with fatigue, but as Madara kneels at her bedside, he can see the eyes of her sage state, deep shadows beneath them. Something jolts in his chest – another knowing at the scarcity of her levels.

“...Ryū...”

“I just...need a little more time.”

“Ryū.”

“I-I can do this.”

“...I will not lose you both.”

No reply – still rocking, still working.

“Ryū, I -”

Her head shakes. “...no. No, I won't -” Stopping mid-sentence, she brings up her knees, furthering her natural cradle. “...I can't...”

“How bad is it?”

She hesitates. “...not...not bad. I just need a little more time...!”

A deep sigh escapes him, and Madara bows his head. “...give me your other hand.”

“...what?”

“Give it to me. We'll do this together.”

Finally, she moves her gaze to look at him. Desperation, bordering on delusion, is tinged with hesitation and utter exhaustion. Muscles are so drawn with tension, she shakes. “But...?”

“Your levels are low. Too low. I want you to draw from mine. Can you do both?”

“I...y-yes.” Rearranging the swaddling, she spares her hold to instead take his own. Smooth fingers meet his callouses, and his grip is warm, firm, certain.

“Keep going.”

Ryū manages a shaking nod of her head, energy passing through the bridge of their hands. No moment is spared, chakra shimmering over the infant's form. Minutes pass in total silence, uncounted, before she stills.

“...I have to find them.”

Having seen the technique before, Madara releases her hand, instead gripping her shoulder as her own shaking limbs move through the sigils and the bloodshed. Then, like a string-cut puppet, she goes limp.

Madara shifts his grip, arm around her shoulders as the other reaches across her shins, holding the three of them in place, utterly encompassed in his grasp. Every second that passes sees her chakra dwindle further, draining rapidly in the vacuum of the void she's searching.

But just before he goes to interrupt it ahead of her slipping, Ryū stirs. Too weakened to tremble, she opens her palms to reveal the second soul the Uchiha has ever seen.

With agonizing slowness, she moves it to the babe's chest, watching it sink back into place. But her chakra does little more than spark, too spent to alight.

But Madara's palm quickly lays atop her own, and the dual energies bleed through skin to the heart beneath and give it a jolt.

A grunt. A gurgle. Coughing, and then...a cry.

With a wilt, Ryū goes utterly limp, expression quickly crashing into uncensored tears of relief and the release of withheld tension. Shaking, gasping and sobbing, she lets Madara draw them both to his chest, invading the futon to grip them tightly as she falls apart.

Though not aloud, he offers a wordless wish of thanks to whatever or whoever happens to be listening.

The sounds soon draw the midwives, too intimidated to breach the doorway. But Izuna brushes past them, taking several steps into the room and looking awed.

Brow to Ryū's temple, Madara manages to look up, giving no words. But the look in his eyes is more than enough for his brother to comprehend.

Relief tempers Izuna's expression, settling to his knees against the floor with a single, breathless laugh.

Reverting his position, the clan head refuses to move, drowning in the sounds of the cries – a reminder they live, immediate relief – of both his wife and his child. His child. A new life, equal parts their own.

The realization seems to fill his chest to bursting. All at once, he understands the oft-told tale of what it means to finally feel the pride of parenthood – the sudden maelstrom of the need to protect. To face the very world itself if necessary.

Ryū is quick to go quiet – not for lack of feeling, but of energy. Still worried, Madara looms over her, watching as one of the midwives dares to approach.

“We...we need to clean and dress them, Uchiha-sama. And Ryū-sama needs her rest.”

“I will not be moved.”

“N-no! You...you can stay. But we need to attend the babe while she recovers.”

“It's fine, dearest...” Barely a whisper, Ryū finally speaks, head tilting to try and catch his eye. “Let them do their work.”

Still struggling with himself and the newborn ferocity he feels, Madara lets the woman take the child and flee the room. Without a word, he lifts and repositions himself at Ryū's back. Drawing her to his chest and practically enveloping her, they mesh in a tangle of limbs, struggling to feel every part of her he can to affirm she still lives.

“...I don't think I've ever felt you this agitated...” she murmurs, utterly lax against him.

“...tell me you're going to be all right.”

“I just need rest...” A pause. “...I'm not going to die, Madara.” She gives him a clear-cut answer, knowing it's what he needs. “I'm just...exhausted.”

“I thought I was going to lose you both. You shouldn't have pushed yourself so hard after so much strain. You could have...!”

A single puff of laughter manages to crawl up her throat. “You know...I'm far too stubborn for that...”

“I'm not jesting, Ryū. I was -” The word catches in his throat. “...I was afraid.”

Silence as she takes in his tone. “...we're all right. You saw to that.”

“And if I'd not?”

“...don't bury yourself in what-ifs. Stay here, in this moment, with me.”

He gives no reply, buried in the crook of her neck.

It's not long before the midwife returns, hesitantly handing back the infant. “Right as rain now, thanks to you both. And still crying, bless their soul. Likely eager to be fed.”

“I'm sure,” Ryū laughs lightly.

“I'll, ah...I'll go,” Izuna offers. “And...let everyone know it's done.”

A hint of amusement manages to flicker across Madara's face. “...that would be good.”

Finally, the room empties save for the three of them, the door tugged back into place...just barely.

“Are you sure you're able to...?”

“I'll be fine,” Ryū cuts in, looking amused. Already she cradles them to her chest, cries silenced with their mouth finally full.

Peering around her, Madara watches, eyes already crimson to hold the view. A hand gingerly lays atop her own, holding them in place.

“...do you want to know what happened...?”

A tick of silence. “Yes.”

“...the umbilical cord had found their throat. I had to...repair what the lack of oxygen had taken.”

“Will they be -?”

“They're fine. Of that I'm certain. It hadn't been too long, just...long enough to...” Ryū's voices trails to silence.

“...I see.”

“Once they've finished...they'll need to be burped. Then they'll likely sleep...would you handle that for me...?”

He hesitates.

“...you'll do fine.”

“...they're...so small.”

“As you too were, once. I'll show you how...I just don't have the energy...” Her lips lift knowingly. “You won't harm them.”

Giving a small grunt of understanding, Madara remains in silence until she shifts, following her guidance.

“Just like that. If there's any air in their stomach, they'll -”

A soft sound escapes them, and Madara freezes.

“...they'll...do that,” Ryū laughs. “Just hold them awhile. I'll...try not to sleep too long.”

Staring at the bundle in his arms, Madara looks to her, seeing the uncensored contentment as she watches them. Despite her exhaustion, her emotions remain as clear as ever. “...if they cry...?”

“The others will know what to do. You'll be fine.”

Left with little choice, the Uchiha keeps his hold as Ryū seems to simply pass out. For a time, he sits and monitors her levels, not wanting her to fall any further. But the anxiety slowly passes as she stays steady, and his attentions turn fully to his arms.

Still once more, he can see their chest rise and fall, lips parted with breath. Minutes pass uncounted as he simply watches them, wondering if the rhythm will ever stop again.

Before he can stop them, low, soft words escape him. “...you gave me quite the fright, you know. Not an easy thing to do...” A pause. “...it would appear you already promise to be a handful, hm...? I suppose an Uchiha is never meant to be anything but bold...”

It feels odd, like he's just speaking to himself. They neither hear him nor comprehend. But he feels almost compelled to speak.

“...you owe your mother an apology. Though I'm sure this won't be the last time you run her ragged.” Another pause. “...and here I thought that was my role. You'll be filling in for the both of us, I'm sure.”

Sick of standing, Madara carefully slips to Ryū's side, nowhere near able to wake her in her exhaustion. One arm cradling the child, the other pulls her beside him. It's odd how...content he feels. It seems such a simple thing, and yet...now that the risks have passed, a strange stillness seems to settle over him.

Lowering to Ryū's level, he manages to tuck the babe between them, drawing them both in a sturdy hold. Something about it still feels...dreamlike. Not yet fully sunk in. But for now, he settles with the closeness in the quiet.

I keep getting random ideas for this verse. I needed a dose of honey nut feelios. Make it stooop xD This, uh...wasn’t going to end so pretty at first. But before I got the chance to sit and write, Madara just kinda...shoved in there like “This is not going down that way if I have anything to say about it” and of course I wasn’t going to stop him - so yeah, you can thank him for this not being...quite so angsty. You don’t tell Uchiha Madara no, after all x3 Pretty sure this is my new OTP. I still adore ItaRyū of COURSE, but just...guhhh these two are killing me. In ALL the verses. Gave no specifics about the wee one because...reasons lol - still no idea how or even if that would all go down. But this scene wouldn’t leave me alone, so...I compromised and left it vague! ...anyway, that’s all I got for now. Mads might be a bit ooc, but that’s just...how it ended up. As someone who’s never “munned” Madara, I can’t be sure if I ever write him correctly. He just kinda does what he does - someone who knows better should tell me better if not xD Especially since this is such a, like...sensitive subject. I think maybe at least at first he’d just kinda cave to all the feelings. But not for long x3

#masterofwar #uchiha madara #uchiha izuna #suigin ryū #death mention #at the beginning [ canon verse ]

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christianworldf · 6 years ago

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New Post has been published on Nehemiah Reset

New Post has been published on https://nehemiahreset.org/christian-worldview-issues/lgbt/how-the-breakfast-club-home-to-brash-hosts-and-irate-rappers-became-a-one-of-a-kind-campaign-stop/

How ‘The Breakfast Club,’ home to brash hosts and irate rappers, became a one-of-a-kind campaign stop

Charlamagne tha God, Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.), Angela Yee and DJ Envy at Power 105.1’s office in New York. Harris has been on the radio show three times. (Nick Ciofalo and Daniel Greene/The Breakfast Club)

NEW YORK — “You want to start off talking about weed and Tupac or you want to get to that later?”

It wasn’t your typical opening question for a presidential candidate, but on this July morning, Sen. Kamala D. Harris (D-Calif.) is appearing on “The Breakfast Club,” — Power 105.1’s popular nationally syndicated radio show hosted by Charlamagne Tha God, Angela Yee and DJ Envy — and she knows what to expect. It’s her third time here.

The question (from Charlamagne) jokingly refers to a much-debated exchange from Harris’s previous interview on the show, in February, when the former prosecutor admitted she smoked marijuana in college, and talked about her fondness for music by Tupac and Snoop Dogg. Some listeners conflated her responses to separate questions, leading critics to pounce on the chronologically impossible suggestion that Harris, who graduated from Howard University in 1986, had listened to the rappers, both of whom debuted in the early ’90s, while smoking marijuana in college.

Amid questions about whether Harris — a California native whose father was born in Jamaica and whose mother was born in India — can truly speak to issues concerning African American voters, she was accused of pandering for their support. “That was misconstrued,” Charlamagne tells Harris. “Of course it was,” she agrees. “But it had a little shelf life of its own.”

“The Breakfast Club,” which debuted in 2010 and went into national syndication three years later, has been known to generate viral, long-tailed moments — mostly in interviews with hip-hop heavyweights and other pop-culture figures. But amid a crucial, and crowded, presidential primary race, the show has increasingly hosted politicians, becoming a valued stop for Democratic candidates, including South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Cory Booker (N.J.), who want to connect with black voters — and seem undeterred by the show’s freewheeling format and brash hosts.

Envy, born Raashaun Casey, likens the show’s atmosphere to the barbershop, where black Americans have long held frank, uncensored discussions. It’s a large barbershop — the show averaged more than 750,500 weekly listeners in the previous three months, according to Nielsen Audio data. Of those listeners, 62 percent are black; 79 percent are under the age of 50.The show, which airs on 80 stations nationwide, also courts a sizable YouTube following, with more than 3.8 million subscribers. The hosts say their approach is the same regardless of whether they are interviewing a popular rapper or a presidential candidate — no questions are off the table.

“If you want to come by here, there are no rules and regulations,” Envy says in an interview after Harris’s taping. “We’re going to have real conversation.”

“Plus, they’re politicians” Yee adds. “They should know how to answer and evade questions.”

Envy, Yee and Charlamagne, born Lenard Larry McKelvey, are all in their early 40s, with ample social media followings and backgrounds in hip-hop radio. Yee, a graduate of Wesleyan University, cut her teeth at Shade 45, Eminem’s SiriusXM Radio channel. Envy is an alumnus of the storied New York hip-hop station, Hot 97, and — as he frequently reminds Harris — her alma mater’s (friendly) rival, Hampton University. Charlamagne, the show’s most recognizable personality, got his start in South Carolina and later became a protege of shock jock Wendy Williams.

In his 2017 book “Black Privilege: Opportunity Comes to Those Who Create It,” Charlamagne is forthright about his wayward adolescence, which included periods of drug-dealing and several jail stints. He traces his controversial candor to a brutal beating he received at 16 — after trash-talking a neighbor. “If I survived that, there was no way I was censoring myself at all,” he wrote. A line from Notorious B.I.G.’s 1994 song “Unbelievable,” became his mantra: “If I said it, I meant it / bite my tongue for no one.”

Incidentally, those who refuse to appear on “The Breakfast Club” usually cite Charlamagne. “I don’t do the Breakfast Club ‘cause Charlamagne is shameless / That’s the only one I leave out when I run my bases,” Logic raps on “Clickbait,” a track released earlier this year.

The pushback against Charlamagne turned more serious last year when an online petition called for his firing after a rape accusation from 17 years earlier resurfaced. Charlamagne who denied the sexual assault allegation in a 2013 interview and in “Black Privilege,” was arrested in 2001 and pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He cast the incident as a turning point in his book.

Despite the petition, the controversies haven’t stopped listeners from tuning in or 2020 candidates from dropping by.

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The Breakfast Club

“The Breakfast Club” is recorded in a small studio nestled in the corner of an office inside the iHeartMedia building (the company owns Power 105.1) in Tribeca. The day starts early for the show’s hosts and the small team of producers — who are mostly in their 20s. It’s particularly cramped on the day of Harris’s visit, which has attracted reporters from various media outlets. The studio features a well-stocked bar, artwork (one painting depicts the hosts in superhero costumes, with Yee as Wonder Woman, Envy as Superman and Charlamagne as the Caped Crusader) and a gold-plated YouTube button marking the show’s more than 1 million subscribers.

The show has aired on Revolt TV, Diddy’s cable network, since 2014, which means listeners can also watch the most bonkers moments unfold. On YouTube, the most popular “Breakfast Club” video is a two-minute clip of Birdman (also known as Baby) confronting the hosts, in 2016, over how they mocked him on past shows, prompting the rapper to demand, indelibly, that they “put some respeck” on his name.

The hosts are quick to point out that pop culture and politics are not mutually exclusive. (“We’ve got the executive producer of ‘The Celebrity Apprentice’ as president,” Charlamagne says). After Soulja Boy ranted about “Draaaake” in a “Breakfast Club” interview, “Saturday Night Live” parodied it into a “Weekend Update” segment about “Truuuuump.”

And political culture and pop culture converged in an unexpected way last week when Harris entered the Power 105 space only to find out she knew the guest who had just come out of the studio: actor and former MTV veejay Bill Bellamy. “Are you kidding me?!” he said, as the two hugged. He told Harris she had been on her “A-game.” (A spokeswoman for Harris said in an email that they have been “friends for a while.”)

The hosts have a knack for getting their guests to divulge unexpected details. “The Breakfast Club” is where you might learn that rapper Wiz Khalifa likes to eat apple slices or that Hillary Clinton keeps hot sauce in her bag.

But as the Harris weed controversy showed, this can be a double-edged sword for presidential hopefuls, whose previously unexplored enthusiasm for rap (or hot sauce, in Clinton’s case three years ago) might be viewed as inauthentic.

Charlamagne says he has found the candidates to be genuine, with the caveat that he doesn’t know them personally. He cites Buttigieg as an example. “I don’t think Mayor Pete can make up the fact that ‘yo, I really do like Eminem,’ he says. “Just because you’re talking about rap on a hip-hop station doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s pandering.”

Charlamagne recalls Clinton’s capsaicin confession: “People said that was pandering.” “But,” Envy interjects, “it’s been known that she carries hot sauce.”

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The Breakfast Club

These viral moments occur in wide-ranging interviews that often clock in at 30 minutes or longer, but they have a tendency to overshadow the hosts’ more shrewd political questions. In her most recent appearance, Harris talked about the heated exchange she had with former vice president Joe Biden over civil rights era busing and discussed her $100 billion plan to close the racial gap in homeownership. One aspect of that plan would add rent payments and cellphone and utility payments to credit ratings, which Harris has touted as a way for people without access to credit cards or other assets to establish good credit standing.

“Some people might feel that’s not beneficial,” Yee said. “What about people who may have some issues [or] miss some rent payments and not want that on there?”

“That’s a good point,” Harris said, before further explaining her plan.

Charlamagne hopes Buttigieg returns to the show so they can delve into the policy framework the mayor — who has faced increasing criticism from black South Bend residents — unveiled recently. “The Douglass Plan is a specific black agenda, named after Frederick Douglass, tackling systemic racism to boost the lives of black Americans,” Charlamagne says. “I would love to have that conversation with him right now.”

Elizabeth Warren spent a great deal of her May interview discussing her policy plans. But the most talked-about moment happened while Charlamagne was questioning her about the controversy surrounding her heritage. “You’re kind of like the original Rachel Dolezal,” he told her. He was praised for frankly confronting Warren on her controversial claim to Native American ancestry. But Charlamagne’s critics were quick to point out that he had once defended Dolezal, a white woman who falsely portrayed herself as black, and that he had clumsily compared Dolezal to Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner, a transgender woman. (The show’s coverage of transgender issues has made for particularly uneasy listening over the years.)

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) records his March interview with the hosts of “The Breakfast Club.” (Nick Ciofalo and Daniel Greene/The Breakfast Club)

Most mornings, the show’s topics are less controversial and they’ve also developed a reputation as cultural arbiters. That’s part of the reason they’ve risen as media gatekeepers in this campaign cycle.

“ ‘The Breakfast Club’ is like ‘Morning Joe’ for the hip-hop era,” said Joshua DuBois, a political commentator who served as an adviser, on race and faith, to President Barack Obama. “It is the place that people in the know, in the culture, go to find out what’s relevant — from what people are listening to and watching to what issues are on the minds of African American young people.”

That’s invaluable in a crowded primary field — where name recognition is key, Dubois said. “Even when you have a challenging viral moment, I don’t think it’s trite to say at least people are talking about you, they’re engaging with you, they’re weighing in with their perspective.”

The campaigns seem to recognize that — the hosts say the candidates are the ones reaching out to “The Breakfast Club” and not the other way around. And the hosts have upped their political engagement in other ways — bringing on Democratic National Committee President Tom Perez and Democratic activists and commentators, such as Angela Rye and Tamika Mallory.

Yee is slated to broadcast from Power 105.1’s sister station in Detroit during the Democratic debates later this month. And a producer for the show said they are in talks with other candidates about stopping by, including Biden.

Harris, for her part, seems at ease in the studio — pushing her policy points and playfully sparring with Charlamagne as he teased about her heritage.

“I’m traveling our country,” she says in response to a question about the economy. “Yes, people are working. They’re working two and three jobs. And in our America, people should only have to work one job to have a roof over their head and be able to put food on the table.”

“You know why that’s big when you say that,” Charlamagne says. “Because you’re Jamaican. For a Jamaican person to say that people should only have one job, that’s pretty big.”

Harris laughs and gives a nod to her own pop-culture knowledge. “He’s just living ‘In Living Color,” she says. “Bless his heart.”

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airoasis · 6 years ago

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I got 99 problems... palsy is just one | Maysoon Zayid

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/i-got-99-problems-palsy-is-just-one-maysoon-zayid-3/

I got 99 problems... palsy is just one | Maysoon Zayid

Hiya, TEDWomen, what’s up. (Cheering) no longer just right ample. Hello, TEDWomen, what’s up? (Loud cheering) My title is Maysoon Zayid, and i’m not drunk, but the health care provider who delivered me used to be. He reduce my mother six exceptional times in six distinct directions, suffocating bad little me in the method. For this reason, i’ve cerebral palsy, which means I shake at all times. Seem. It is laborious. I am like Shakira, Shakira meets Muhammad Ali. (Laughter) CP is just not genetic. It is no longer a start defect. You can’t trap it. No one put a curse on my mother’s uterus, and that i didn’t get it considering the fact that my mum and dad are first cousins, which they are. (Laughter) It only occurs from accidents, like what occurred to me on my delivery day. Now, I need to warn you, i am no longer inspirational. (Laughter) and that i don’t want someone on this room to believe bad for me, considering the fact that at some point for your life, you may have dreamt of being disabled. Come on a experience with me. It’s Christmas Eve, you are at the mall, you’re using round in circles looking for parking, and what do you see? Sixteen empty handicapped areas. (Laughter) And you’re like, "God, are not able to I just be a bit disabled?" (Laughter) additionally, I’ve acquired to tell you, I’ve bought ninety nine issues, and palsy is only one.(Laughter) If there was an Oppression Olympics, i might win the gold medal. I’m Palestinian, Muslim, i’m feminine, i’m disabled, and that i reside in New Jersey. (Laughter) (Applause) in the event you don’t consider better about your self, probably you will have to. (Laughter) Cliffside Park, New Jersey is my place of birth. I’ve always loved the fact that my hood and my agony share the same initials. I also love the truth that if I desired to walk from my apartment to NY city, I would. Plenty of folks with CP don’t walk, however my father and mother failed to consider in "cannot." My father’s mantra was once, "you can do it, yes which you can can." (Laughter) So, if my three older sisters have been mopping, I used to be mopping.If my three older sisters went to public university, my mum and dad would sue the college process and assurance that I went too, and if we didn’t all get A’s, all of us received my mom’s slipper. (Laughter) My father taught me walk once I used to be five years old through placing my heels on his toes and just running. Yet another tactic that he used is he would dangle a dollar invoice in front of me and have me chase it.(Laughter) My interior stripper used to be very robust. (Laughter) Yeah. No, via the first day of kindergarten, I used to be strolling like a champ who had been punched one too oftentimes. (Laughter) developing up, there have been most effective six Arabs in my city, they usually have been all my loved ones. (Laughter) Now there are 20 Arabs in town, and they’re still all my loved ones.(Laughter) i do not think anybody even seen we weren’t Italian. (Laughter) (Applause) This was earlier than 9-11 and before politicians thought it was once appropriate to make use of "I hate Muslims" as a crusade slogan. The people that I grew up with had no challenge with my religion. They did, nevertheless, look very concerned that i’d starve to demise for the duration of Ramadan. I would give an explanation for to them that i have adequate fats to live off of for three entire months, so fasting from dawn to sunset is a section of cake. (Laughter) i’ve tap-danced on Broadway. Yeah, on Broadway. It can be loopy. (Applause) My mother and father couldn’t afford bodily healing, so that they sent me to dancing tuition. I learned tips on how to dance in heels, which means that i can walk in heels.And i am from Jersey, and we’re really worried with being elegant, so if my associates wore heels, so did I. And when my associates went and spent their summer season vacations on the Jersey Shore, i didn’t. I spent my summers in a conflict zone, when you consider that my mothers and fathers were afraid that if we failed to go back to Palestine each single summer time, we’d develop as much as be Madonna. (Laughter) summer holidays customarily consisted of my father trying to heal me, so I drank deer’s milk, I had scorching cups on my again, I was once dunked in the dead Sea, and i bear in mind the water burning my eyes and thinking, "it’s working! It is working!" (Laughter) however one miracle treatment we did find was once yoga. I ought to inform you, it’s very boring, but before I did yoga, I was a stand-up comedian who can’t rise up. And now i will stand on my head. My mum and dad reinforced this notion that I would do some thing, that no dream used to be unimaginable, and my dream was to be on the sunlight hours soap opera "normal sanatorium." (Laughter) I went to institution during affirmative action and got a sweet scholarship to ASU, Arizona State school, since I match each single quota.(Laughter) I was like the pet lemur of the theater department. Every body adored me. I did all of the much less-than-clever kids’ homework, I obtained A’s in all of my courses, A’s in all of their lessons. (Laughter) at any time when I did a scene from "The Glass Menagerie," my professors would weep. However I on no account got forged. Eventually, my senior 12 months, ASU decided to do a exhibit known as "They Dance real gradual in Jackson." it can be a play about a girl with CP. I was once a girl with CP. So I shouting from the rooftops, "i am sooner or later going to get a component! I have cerebral palsy! Free at last! Free at last! Thank God almighty, i’m free at last!" I did not get the section. (Laughter) Sherry Brown obtained the section. I went racing to the top of the theater division crying hysterically, like someone shot my cat, to ask her why, and she stated it was on the grounds that they didn’t believe I might do the stunts. I said, "Excuse me, if I cannot do the stunts, neither can the personality." (Laughter) (Applause) This was once a part that I used to be actually born to play they gave it to a non-palsy actress.College was once imitating life. Hollywood has a sordid historical past of casting ready-bodied actors to play disabled onscreen. Upon graduating, I moved again home, and my first acting gig was once as yet another on a daylight soap opera. My dream was once coming genuine. And that i knew that i might be promoted from "Diner Diner" to "Wacky satisfactory friend" in no time. (Laughter) however as a substitute, I remained a glorified piece of furnishings that you simply would only recognize from the again of my head, and it grew to become clear to me that casting administrators did not hire fluffy, ethnic, disabled actors. They simply hired excellent persons. However there have been exceptions to the rule of thumb. I grew up looking at Whoopi Goldberg, Roseanne Barr, Ellen, and all of these women had one thing in original: they were comedians.So I grew to be a comedian. (Laughter) (Applause) My first gig was once using noted comics from NY city to indicates in New Jersey, and i’ll in no way disregard the face of the first comic I ever drove when he realized that he used to be speeding down the brand new Jersey Turnpike with a chick with CP using him. (Laughter) I’ve performed in clubs in all places the united states, and i have also carried out in Arabic in the center East, uncensored and uncovered. (Laughter) Some humans say i am the first stand-up comic within the Arab world. I under no circumstances like to assert first, but I do recognize that they under no circumstances heard that nasty little rumor that ladies don’t seem to be humorous, and so they find us hysterical.(Laughter) In 2003, my brother from a different mothers and fathers Dean Obeidallah and that i began the brand new York Arab-American Comedy festival, now in its tenth year. Our purpose used to be to change the bad photo of Arab-american citizens in media, at the same time additionally reminding casting directors that South Asian and Arab will not be synonymous. (Laughter) Mainstreaming Arabs used to be much, so much less complicated than conquering the venture towards the stigma against disability. My gigantic wreck got here in 2010. I was once invited to be a visitor on the cable information exhibit "Countdown with Keith Olbermann." I walked in looking like I was going to the promenade, and so they shuffle me into a studio and seat me on a spinning, rolling chair. (Laughter) So I appeared on the stage manager and i am like, "Excuse me, can i have another chair?" and she checked out me and he or she went, "five, four, three, two …" And we were reside, correct? So I needed to grip onto the anchor’s desk so that i wouldn’t roll off the display during the segment, and when the interview was over, I used to be livid.I had finally gotten my threat and that i blew it, and that i knew i would by no means get invited again. But no longer only did Mr. Olbermann invite me again, he made me a full-time contributor, and he taped down my chair. (Laughter) (Applause) One enjoyable truth I discovered even as on the air with Keith Olbermann was once that humans on the web are scumbags. (Laughter) people say youngsters are merciless, however I was never made fun of as a youngster or an adult. Abruptly, my disability on the world extensive net is fair game. I might seem at clips online and notice comments like, "Yo, why’s she tweakin’?" "Yo, is she retarded?" And my favorite, "poor Gumby-mouth terrorist. What does she suffer from? We must fairly pray for her." One commenter even recommended that I add my incapacity to my credits: screenwriter, comedian, palsy.Incapacity is as visual as race. If a wheelchair consumer are not able to play Beyonc, then Beyonc cannot play a wheelchair user. The disabled are the biggest Yeah, clap for that, man. Come on. (Applause) individuals with disabilities are the most important minority on this planet, and we’re probably the most underrepresented in amusement. The doctors said that i wouldn’t walk, however i’m here in entrance of you. Nevertheless, if I grew up with social media, i don’t feel i would be. I am hoping that together, we are able to create extra optimistic snap shots of incapacity within the media and in day-to-day life. Might be if there have been more constructive pics, it would foster much less hate on the net. Or possibly not. Maybe it still takes a village to instruct our kids good. My crooked ride has taken me to some very striking places. I got to walk the crimson carpet flanked through cleaning soap diva Susan Lucci and the long-lasting Loreen Arbus. I received to behave in a movie with Adam Sandler and work with my idol, the mighty Dave Matthews. I toured the world as a headliner on Arabs long gone Wild.I was once a delegate representing the satisfactory state of new Jersey on the 2008 DNC. And i established Maysoon’s youngsters, a charity that hopes to give Palestinian refugee kids a sliver of the hazard my mother and father gave me. However the one second that stands out essentially the most was once after I received — earlier than this moment — (Laughter) (Applause) but the one second that stands out the most was once I acquired to participate in for the man who floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee, has Parkinson’s and shakes just like me, Muhammad Ali. (Applause) (Applause ends) It was once the one time that my father ever noticed me participate in live, and that i devote this speak to his memory.(Arabic) Allah yerhamak yaba. (English) My identify is Maysoon Zayid, and if i will can, you could can. (Cheering) (Applause) .

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batterymonster2021 · 6 years ago

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I got 99 problems... palsy is just one | Maysoon Zayid

New Post has been published on https://hititem.kr/i-got-99-problems-palsy-is-just-one-maysoon-zayid-3/

I got 99 problems... palsy is just one | Maysoon Zayid

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torentialtribute · 6 years ago

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Ajax 1-1 Juventus: Neres cancels out Cristiano Ronaldo diving header

Ajax 1-1 Juventus: David Neres cancels Cristiano Ronaldo's diving base at the crucial goal of the Old Lady Gain after a stalemate in Amsterdam

Published: 21:51 BST, April 10, 2019 |

Undoubtedly the feel-good story of this season, brave Ajax is not nearly finished yet. That poor night in the Bernabeu may not be the highlight.

Juventus endured a fright in Amsterdam, muffled by Dutch liveliness on an evening that this exciting young team was not satisfied with registering the first quarter. final in 16 years.

Ajax is heading to Turin next week with something to hold and that represents a much more manageable task than against Real Madrid in the previous round. We all know what happened there.

<img id = "i-c0241ca65730ba3a" src = "https://dailym.ai/2P1JzCq image-a-19_1554927999833.jpg "height =" 619 "width =" 962 "alt =" Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was left to classify thin air as David Neres curled Ajax level early in the second half "

<img id = "i-c0241ca65730ba3a" src = "https://dailym.ai/2uV9pyT" height = "619" width = "962" alt = "<img id =" i-c0241ca65730ba3a "src =" https://dailym.ai/2P0YSeF -a-19_1554927999833.jpg "height =" 619 "width =" 962 "alt =" Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was left behind in the second half of the match, left thin air of David Neres curled Ajax level in the beginning of the second half

<img id = "i-cb9d1e3a0c6236db" src = "https://dailym.ai/2KqyKeH 21/1211 5354-6908961-image-a-24_1554928011967.jpg "height =" 722 "width =" 962 "alt =" the 22-year-old Brazilian made the Johan Cruyff burst out with noise after leveling the scorpion in Amsterdam "

<img id = "i-cb9d1e3a0c6236db" src = "https://dailym.ai/2uV9oej" height = "722" width = "962" alt = "The 22-year-old Brazilian erupted the Johan Cruyff with sound after leveling the line in Amsterdam" class = "blkBorder img-

The 22-year-old Brazilian made the Johan Cruyf f turk with sound after leveling the scoreline in Amsterdam

<img id = "i-36241ae128752963" src = "https://dailym.ai/2WPmxkZ /2019/04/10/21/12115390-6908961-image-a-22_1554928005770.jpg "height =" 654 "width =" 962 "alt =" The home supporters were in rapture the Neres stood before them after scoring Ajax & Matching goal "class =" blkBorder img

Ajax & # 39; s similar goal

Winger Douglas

AJAX:

AJAX: Onana, Veltman, De Ligt, Blind, Tagliafico, F. de Jong, Schone (Ekkelenkamp 75 & # 39;), Ziyech, Van de Beek, Neres, Tadic

Subs unused: Kristensen, Sinkgraves, Huntelaar, Magallan, Dolberg, Semedo Varela,

Purpose: Neres 46 & [399003]

Booked: S chone, Ekkelenkamp, De Jong, Tagliafico

JUVENTUS: Szczesny, Alex Sandro, Bonucci, Rugani, Joao Cancelo, Pjanic Matuidi (Dybala 75 & # 39;), Bentancur, Bernardeschi (Khedira 90 + 3), Mandzukic Ronaldo

[Uncensored] [Uncensored] [Uncensored] [Uncensored] Booked: Pjanic

That's right, financial gap.

This team will fall apart in the summer, with Frenkie De Jong to Barcelona and the domineering 19-year-old captain Matthijs De Ligt is also likely to leave.

Erik ten Hag & Eredivisie leaders are

Cristiano Ronaldo had barely touched the ball before he rolled one to Joao Cancelo and galloped to the box

A perfectly weighted clip

Juventus was moving, Ajax's midfield was turning, seconds before halftime, Cancelo questioned its surroundings to find it, the Ronaldo flying header trademark and Juventus were somehow ahead of the break .

His numbers are terrifying, this is the goal of the 125th Champions League attacker and his 41st in the quarterfinals alone.

Ajax was beautiful before and afterwards. They are chaotic, a blur in the future, and they had imprisoned Juventus for so long.

Donny van de Beek walked wide away when stretching, Hakim Ziyech forced Wojciech Szczesny to a smart coded point.

<img id = "i-ec2c1fe1744614a4" src = "https://dailym.ai/2P1mD6q -25_1554928021839.jpg "height =" 641 "width =" 962 "alt =" Previously Juve talisman Cristiano Ronaldo had a perfect run to arrive in the area and make contact with the cross of Joao Cancelo

<img id = "i-ec2c1fe1744614a4" src = "https://dailym.ai/2uVYCnR" height = "641" width = "962" alt = "Previously Juve talisman Cristiano Ronaldo had made a perfect run to arrive in the area and connect to the cross of Joao Cancelo, Juve talisman Cristiano Ronaldo had made a perfect run to to arrive in the area and make contact with the cross of Joao Cancelo

<img id = "i-6f28178c4aaddd18" src = "https://dailym.ai/2WPmxkZ /2019/04/10/21/12115368-6908961-image-a-28_1554928030113.jpg "height =" 648 "width =" 962 "alt =" Ronaldo stumbled in the air at the six-yard line to make expert contact with the in-swinging delivery "

<img id =" i-6f28178c4aaddd18 "src =" https://dailym.ai/2uS4u1n /1s/2019/04/10/21/12115368-6908961-image-a-28_1554928030113.jpg "height =" 648 "width =" 962 "alt =" Ronaldo stumbled through the air at the six-yard line to expertly making contact with the in-swinging

Ronaldo stumbled through the air at the six yard line to make expert contact with the in-swinging delivery

The Portuguese superstar kept his eyes on the ball as he braced himself for landing on the peat "

<img id =" i-19981d8d35c8f7ff "src =" https://dailym.ai/2G1UBof 04/10/21 / 12115316-6908961-image-a-36_1554928049894.jpg "height =" 641 "width =" 962 "alt =" <img id = "i-19981d8d35c8f7ff" src = "https: //i.dailymail .co.uk / 1s / 2019/04/10/21 / 12115316-6908961-image-a-36_1554928049894.jpg "height =" 641 "width =" 9 62 "alt =" The Portuguese superstar kept his eyes on the ball as he braced himself for landing on the turf "class =" blkBorder img-share "/

The Portuguese superstar kept his eyes on the ball as he braced himself for landing on the grass Ronaldo hit his back when he hit the ball and hit the ball and the ball hit the ball back corner hit. "

<img id =" i-94fe195615ce5f48 "src =" https://dailym.ai/2uWFvu3 .jpg "height =" 471 "width =" 962 "alt =" the ball hit the goalkeeper and snuggled into the bottom corner "

Rona The former Real Madrid star rolled in time to

The former Real Madrid star rolled up time to see his effort wrinkling the back of the next Juventus on the front

<img id = "i-f83d1ae0f06a1589" s rc = "https://dailym.ai/2P1mEHw" height = "588" width = "962" alt = " Ronaldo rushed to the corner before jumping into the air in a distinctive style and performing his iconic celebration "class =" blkBorder img-

<img id = "i-f83d1ae0f06a1589" src = "https: // i .dailymail.co.uk / 1s / 2019/04/10/21 / 12115374-6908961-image-a-32_1554928036982.jpg "height =" 588 "width =" 962 "alt =" Ronaldo rushed to the corner before he sky in leap in style of brands and appearance his iconic celebration "

Ronaldo rushed to the corner before leaping into the sky in trademark style and performing his iconic celebration

The strike marked the goal of the 125th Champions League for the 34-year-old superstar who seems to get better with age "<img id =" i-e5a71b3b86a2333d "src =" https://dailym.ai/2uZFjKq /12115324-6908961-image-a-33_1554928044866.jpg "height =" 641 "width =" 962 "alt =" <img id = "i-e5a71b3b86a2333d" src = "https://dailym.ai/2uS4u1n 1s / 2019/04/10/21 / 12115324-6908961-image-a-33_1554928044866.jpg "height =" 641 "width =" 962 "alt =" The strike marked the goal of the 125th Champions League for the 34-year-old superstar who seems to get better with age "125th Champions League goal for the 34-year-old superstar who seems to get better with age

<img id =" i- 3e60caf292ef094e "src =" https://dailym.ai/2OZo3yj "height =" 641 "width =" 962 "alt = "Ajax & # 39; s Dusan Tadic clashed with Juventus & # 39; Daniele Rugani while the pair fought for the high-threshold ball"

<img id = "i-3e60caf292ef094e" src = "https: / /i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2019/04/10/21/12116518-6908961-image-a-48_1554929923121.jpg "height =" 641 "width =" 962 "alt =" Dusan Tadic from Ajax clashed with in the Daniele Rugani of Juventus as the couple fought for the ball with feelings high "

Ajax & # 39; s Dusan Tadic clashed with Juventus & Daniele Rugani while the couple fought for the ball with emotions high

Ajax made a lot

Referee Carlos del Cerro Grande had to intervene several times to get out of hand on the field their own chances, with Hakim Ziyech in the neighborhood while they occupied the front occupancy dominated

<img i d = "i-75affb28cb438c45" src = "https://dailym.ai/2uZj33v" height = "641" width = "962" alt = "Ajax has created many of its own opportunities, with Hakim Ziyech close while dominating the property front"

Ajax has created many of its own opportunities, with Hakim Ziyech close while they dominated

It's that kind of conviction and ingenuity that caused a stunning equalizer just 30 seconds after the break and right from the kick-off.

Juventus & # 39; some touch came to the Cancelo misleadingly and David Neres made him pay, turn and turn before he bent into the upper corner.

Ajax earned the least – and it could have been better, but teenager Jurgen Ekkelenkamp thwarts up late for Szczesny. Douglas Costa, also bumped to post the Juventus, almost erroneously silenced the Johann Cryuff Arena during the break.

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theprattleronline-blog · 7 years ago

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Homeshake

Pamela Wang

Prior to creating music under the moniker Homeshake, Peter Sagar was in a number of local bands, including Mac Demarco’s live band. In February, Homeshake made their way to Brooklyn and played four sold out shows at the Market Hotel. Their show on February 13th was the first night of the four shows, and despite minor technical hiccups, the venue was stuffed with fans ready to have a great time.

The Market Hotel was a fitting space for Homeshake’s set. Sagar’s lo-fi, homemade aesthetic meshed with the underground vibe of the site. Upon entering the building, people were ushered upstairs to an open room with a small stage located in the corner. The stage itself was equipped with clip lamps that had various colored bulbs, adding to the DIY feel. Solo project Greatest Champion Alive opened that night, and though I had not previously heard any of their music, the performance was very enjoyable. Their music contained hypnotizing synth rhythms, but the backbone bass and drums are what sold me on their overall sound. It was nice to see the crowd interact with the band as well. It was a show of friends supporting friends, and full of love.

Homeshake’s performance was calm and sensual. The first couple of songs were soft and slow, and set a relaxed, dreamy mood. Then the band seemed more comfortable and started to settle into a groove. The crowd reciprocated with dancing and singing. Sagar kept it light and fun with the occasional banter in a high pitched chipmunk voice filter. “Thank you all for coming! It’s really nice of you, you’re all really kind,” Sagar said between songs. He seemed genuinely grateful for the crowd’s support, and the Market Hotel was packed to the point that people were standing on the couches and benches on the sides of the room. Bodies were pressed against one another, and everyone was crowded around the stage.

The overall nature of Homeshake’s show was quite different compared to some of the other shows I have attended this past month. What I found most enjoyable was the laid back quality of the environment—nothing felt forced or fake. The band wasn’t hiding behind any façade, elaborate stage set up, or crazy lights. It was refreshing to get the stripped down version, the uncensored and unsaturated. All that was on display was the band’s sheer talent; it was truly about the music and the music alone. The show last Wednesday turned a hectic hump day into a stress free night. No negativity.

Homeshake is a solo project from Montreal, Canada, and has appearances lined up in early March and mid-May. For more information, visit http://www.sinderlyn.com/homeshake.

Photos by Pamela Wang

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usnewsaggregator-blog · 7 years ago

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Why A New Yorker Short Story About Bad Sex Went Viral

New Post has been published on https://usnewsaggregator.com/arts-culture/why-a-new-yorker-short-story-about-bad-sex-went-viral/

Why A New Yorker Short Story About Bad Sex Went Viral

We’ve developed a pretty clear idea, by the Year of Our Lord 2017, of what should go viral on social media. Body-positive clapbacks. Video clips of hamsters eating tiny burritos. Bizarre optical illusions. Searing takedowns of Donald Trump (bonus points if published by unexpected outlets like Teen Vogue or Outdoor Magazine). Invitingly tone-deaf first-person essays.

Fiction? No, fiction isn’t on the list of things to go viral. At least until this weekend, when The New Yorker dropped “Cat Person” by Kristen Roupenian on the internet and sauntered away like an action star silhouetted in front of an explosion. What happened? Why did “Cat Person” catch fire while so many other great New Yorker stories have, comparatively, fizzled?

In scouting the story, before reading it, I’ll admit I thought that all the kerfuffle was because The New Yorker had published a daring genre romance about a shape-shifting cat/person and a human. (I blame the creepily ambiguous image of a kiss attached to the story.) It turns out “Cat Person” fascinated people for something else: the uncomfortable, unflinching realness with which it depicts a murky, troubling sexual encounter between a young woman and a man she recently began dating.

Roupenian’s story, if you haven’t read it, is about a college student named Margot who starts texting with Robert, a man who frequents the artsy movie theater where she works. Eventually the two go on a date; it goes rather poorly, but she still ends up back at his place. Once there, her sexual desire for him starts to fade, but she decides she’d rather have sex with him than face an awkward and involved conversation about why she doesn’t want to anymore. She has the sex she doesn’t want to have, she leaves and she stops texting with Robert ― who, spoiler alert, does not handle the rejection gracefully.

The story hit at just the right moment ― amid the #MeToo reckoning, as our society has been consumed by questions of sexual discomfort, misconduct and the toxic state of our scripts around male-female interactions.

“This particular story doesn’t concern sexual abuse or harassment, it doesn’t concern workplace abuse or rape, but it does take a look at people’s inability to read each other, inability to read each other sexually,” New Yorker fiction editor Deborah Treisman told HuffPost in a phone conversation on Monday.

The fortunate timing, by the way, was no accident. “We had [the story] in hand for a few weeks, and yes, the subject is topical,” Treisman said, “so we felt it would be a good time. We didn’t want to hold on to it for months.”

To people who frequent certain neighborhoods of Twitter (Book Twitter, but also Feminism Twitter and Media Twitter), the story seemed to be everywhere, along with that unsettling image. Nor was its ubiquity an illusion. “Of all the fiction we published this year, ‘Cat Person’ was by far the most-read online,” Natalie Raabe, the magazine’s director of communications, told HuffPost. “It’s also one of our most-read pieces overall for the year.”

So it was timely ― but there have been timely short stories before. What is the special appeal of “Cat Person”?

For one thing, it reads quite similarly to another viral-friendly form: the first-person confessional essay, as propagated by outlets like xoJane and Jezebel. Plenty of Twitter readers, rather tellingly, referred to it as an article or an essay, rather than a short story. “Cat Person” unfolds in a sort of transparent prose that’s not demonstratively artful; it’s easy to lose oneself in, and to get wrapped up in Margot’s neuroses and imagined realities, much as one focuses on the psychological revelations in a New York Times Modern Love column rather than the structure or the use of adjectives. Roupenian’s story is the fiction version of “It Happened to Me: I Had Bad Sex Because It Felt Awkward to Say No.”

The ubiquity of these essays, in a slightly earlier Internet Age, owed a great deal to the economic considerations of web media, as they require no reporting or expertise and yet tap into the reptilian click-and-share node of our brains. Though The New Yorker’s Jia Tolentino bid farewell to the form earlier this year, it will never entirely leave us. We will always be interested in how other people find love, break up, find balls of cat hair in their vaginas. (Sorry, that happened.)

In fact, “Cat Person” specifically tapped into a need that those xoJane personal essays also fulfilled: honest, vulnerable narration of women’s real-life experience. So much about women’s lives and bodies is framed as shameful, embarrassing. We’re taught to hide our periods, fake orgasms and say yes to a date so as not to hurt a guy’s feelings. How liberating it can be to share what we’re hiding with each other and find out that other women aren’t clean, kind, gentle paragons ― they’re complicated, shallow, misguided and sometimes gross, just like us.

I don’t really know how to do justice to the conversation that is happening around my story but I am grateful for it. I need to go take a walk in the snow and hug my dog, but if you have messaged me directly, thank you, and in the meantime: https://t.co/IjVFkzWGi6

— Kristen Roupenian (@KRoupenian) December 9, 2017

That “Cat Person” dove deep into a young woman’s consciousness, narrating the female side of a messy, disappointing sexual encounter between a man and a woman, struck many readers as refreshing. (That the young woman was a college student, and her experience a familiar one to the predominantly white, well-educated, financially well-off women who likely make up much of The New Yorker’s readership, could only have helped the story strike a nerve among the target audience.) There’s a wealth of short fiction by men, about men’s desultory sexual doings. Then again, there’s also plenty of great short fiction by women, about women having sex and relationships ― Lorrie Moore and Mary Gaitskill are just a couple of classic examples.

But unlike so many other excellent short stories about dating, sex and female interiority, Roupenian’s story ― her first for The New Yorker ― hit at a moment when we were all primed and ready to talk about it. The specific timeliness of the #MeToo moment combined with the other appeals of “Cat Person” to create an alchemical appeal.

“I’m sure [the response] does have something to do with the nature of our discourse right now, about sex, about consent,” said Treisman. “Those kinds of issues are so much in the news and in the air right now that this was a way to look at them, somewhat away from the political sphere, and the sphere of Hollywood producers and so on.”

Though, as she points out, women having these experiences is not new, it can’t be denied that we’re talking about all of those experiences, past and present, with particular avidity now. It’s as if we all signed up for a seminar on women’s bad sexual experiences with men and we’re halfway through the semester; the early foundational reading has been completed, and now we’re all on the same page. That doesn’t mean we all agree ― on the contrary, “Cat Person” Twitter was pretty divided on even questions so basic as whether Robert or Margot deserved more sympathy ― but we all recognize this story as a clear opportunity to talk about consent, communication and women’s sexual pleasure. If the same story came out six months ago, it would have been the same story, but there wouldn’t have been the same shared understanding of its resonance.

Sad as it might be to admit, a big part of the viral success of “Cat Person” might be, simply, that a work of short fiction has never really gone viral on social media before. Early on, the online conversation surrounding it was a meta-conversation: Isn’t it cool that a short story is getting read? Why is this short story getting read? Is everyone so excited because they’ve never read a short story before and don’t realize how great they can be? How can we get more short stories to go viral in the future? No post-”Cat Person” story will enjoy quite the same novelty.

Treisman, for her part, seemed as surprised as anyone by the story’s burst of popularity ― and she couldn’t put her finger on how to replicate it with future works of fiction. “In terms of the way that word spreads through social media,” she said, “that’s still something of a novelty to me at least. I’m not sure how to game it.”

But we’ve been here before and had these same conversations ― about poetry. When Patricia Lockwood’s “Rape Joke” blew up in the summer of 2013 (tellingly, it also drew in readers with its vivid, uncensored representation of a woman’s interior experience of an interaction with a man), many were flabbergasted that a poem could go viral. The Guardian credited the poem with having “casually reawakened a generation’s interest in poetry.” In the years since, poetry has only continued to strengthen its new readership, particularly online. Nowadays, a poem going viral isn’t all that noteworthy ― it happens often enough. Poetry has become a staple in how we respond to and process events on the Internet, providing a different angle on the world we live in than can a think piece or a breaking news item.

Why can’t short fiction be like that? There are artistic purists who leap to defend the sanctity of literature from such crass things as “messages” or “political relevance.” Any discussion of which character was in the right, or who behaved selfishly or whether the story fat-shamed Robert is framed as improperly treating fiction as nonfiction. “It’s inevitable that some readers view ‘Cat Person’ as weighing in on a timely issue and offering up lessons, the way personal essays are so often inclined to do,” sighed Laura Miller in Slate. “It’s easy to get into the habit of thinking that every imaginative literary work must be made to carry an unambiguous moral.”

But there’s a reason people read the story that way: It’s offering a very realistic narrative of a communication breakdown between two real-seeming people, teasing out the ways in which things went wrong. Of course we’ll want to take lessons from that, if we can. “Cat Person,” though written well before the #MeToo moment and worth reading outside of it, does offer particular relief and insight to readers in the grip of this cultural moment, just as an essay might. Roupenian and Treisman, who both emphasized the story’s ability to speak to our current consternation over dysfunctional male-female communication, seem to be embracing the political relevance of the work.

In an interview with Treisman for The New Yorker, Roupenian explained that Margot’s resignation to sex she no longer wanted “speaks to the way that many women, especially young women, move through the world: not making people angry, taking responsibility for other people’s emotions, working extremely hard to keep everyone around them happy.” In an interview with The New York Times this week, she elaborated on the loneliness women who date men might feel, having a partner, at this moment in time, who doesn’t understand their feelings of sexual vulnerability. “That’s a pain a lot of women I know have felt acutely, especially in this past year, when all of these terrible shared experiences are becoming part of the public conversation,” Roupenian said. “Women try to talk about these experiences with their partners, and they find themselves failing. It’s an isolating feeling for both people involved.”

And while we should certainly remember the story is fiction (no, Margot and Roupenian are not the same person) and can analyze the story as a carefully crafted imaginative work, it’s hard to see what’s wrong with also discussing it as a window into a real-world problem, as Roupenian does in these interviews. That’s exactly what makes it so appealing, and what has long been one of fiction’s strengths ― especially psychological realism.

That’s not to say that fiction should trade in simplistic moral archetypes. As Miller points out, “Cat Person” resists easy judgments of its characters and instead shows two complex, flawed people. That makes it all the more valuable of a teaching tool. Real life, too, is messy and peopled by complex, flawed humans, but real life is where we have to live.

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