#the reason you present me as below you is because of the clout. you know im nicer than you. you know i dont have to rely on being

[snekdood]

nigel would have been so fucking mad, but more than that- so fucking disappointed in you if he was still alive, jake.

[knightdale-secret]

Today I learned a haunting truth about a secret hidden right in my very neighborhood. An ugly truth that has been hidden, covered up and mostly forgotten, until now.

In Knightdale, North Carolina the prominent plantation owner, Charles Lewis Hinton, purchased and built a plantation home for his son David Hinton and his new wife Mary Boddie Carr as a wedding present on a stretch of land that would come to be known as the Midway Plantation because it was halfway between two other Hinton family properties. The beautiful, two-story Greek Revival plantation home was built in 1848 as a forced-labor farm. A slave plantation.

I’m not certain how many people were enslaved there over the years, but I do know that at least 130 of those slaves were buried on a site that would later be knowingly built on top of to create Widewaters subdivision. MY neighborhood.

Right behind the community pool and club house there is a strange white gravel path that leads up a slight hill to a black wrought iron fence gate that is always latched. There is a rickety wooden fencing surrounding a wooded area on a hill. This is in the middle of the neighborhood. There was never any explanation for it - for why, in a development, this overgrown patch of trees is fenced in and gated off, untouched, where normally there would be another few houses perhaps. I pass this area almost daily in my car or on leisurely walks. I had noticed the fence but thought maybe it was part of someone’s property. I didn’t think too much of it.

But that changed today. Today I was bored and looking up about local plantation owners in the area because history has always interested me. I learned a little about the Shoppes of Midway being built where the plantation house once stood and that the original house and its outbuildings were moved 2 miles up the road so a Target could be built and the ever expanding road wouldn’t keep encroaching on their lawn. This made way for growth in Knightdale. And grow it has. What was once a small town on the outskirts of Raleigh has become busier and more built up as available housing in the city has decreased and people leave it in search of quieter suburbs to live and raise their families. So as I was researching for no reason in particular other than personal interest, I stumbled upon an article about Midway Plantation and it stated that there was a slave cemetery that was surveyed and a neighborhood was built on top of it. It said it was across the street to the east from where the Midway Plantation house originally stood and that all that was left of the cemetery was maybe 50 graves on a hill in some trees surrounded by a black wrought iron fence. The article states that after the building of the subdivision was started, it was clear that houses were more important than the graves of the many slaves that worked the plantations. And yes, the builders did know about the cemetery. It was surveyed and it was signed off on to be built over. I think this is when the downplaying, lying and covering up started. A letter was reportedly written according to the below article when the preparations for the subdivision were being made that said that such a large slave cemetery couldn’t have existed in this area based on the shaky reference that the present owners didn’t have enough slaves to have this type of burial ground and no church could be identified on the grounds (cause cemeteries only are constructed on church grounds?) this mysterious letter writer conveniently failed to recognize that the land was originally Hinton land and they had slaves numbering in the hundreds here and could most certainly have amassed a deceased slave population of that size over the years it was in operation.

There is a saying about guilt : “A given excuse that was not asked for implies guilt.” If this letter writer submitted this without prompting from any public outcry than he was already defending a guilty mind. He was trying to persuade people away from the truth and to avoid any public outrage over the very wrong they knew they were committing by building here.

That article link is here: http://www.knightdalehistoric.com/pdf/plantations3.pdf

This was the only article or snippet of information I could find about this cemetery that very clearly under my neighborhood and whose remaining grave sites lie just mere feet away from our community swimming pool. This disturbed me greatly because to date, this site is unmarked and unrecognized. So i first decided to submit a request for a historical marker to be made for the site. I was met with an emailed response by a very helpful administrator for the NC Marker Historical Society who said that they no longer do markers for cemeteries but she would contact the National Register for Historic Places and see if the cemetery could be added to the Midway plantation that is already registered as a historical place. She has been talking with archaeologists who are working on this and she’ll be in touch. I also emailed someone in archives to see how I could find the site survey that was done but haven’t received a response yet.

Next I decided to post this information on Facebook to the local community groups and see how they felt about it, and to inform them as well as pose that a marker be made and that I would try to get that facilitated. An outpouring of support and offerings to donate to help fund its creation were given. I knew I was onto something that was important not just to me as a person living in a neighborhood with a secret of this magnitude, but to a community of people who would also want this recognized.

Now, I myself am not African American. I am pretty much as white as they come, I have the genealogy report to prove it. I struggled with the idea that I would be lambasted as trying to be some sort of “white savior” or something by trying to make this happen. I felt guilty that I was the one that found this information and had to be the one to put it out there. I felt like this belongs to the descendants of slaves. this is something that would affect their community,feelings and hearts maybe more than the white community’s in its ramifications and would of course be more important to them on a more personal level. Who am I to come in and make a big stink about something that isn’t even my history someone might say,but it is America’s history. It is the history of the land I now inhabit. And it is an issue that I hold dear to my heart because these men and women and children that lived, worked and died here were not just property or possessions, they were people and their graves should be respected just like anyone else’s. More so I think. Their graves can serve as a reminder of the great bloody sins that occurred in the building of this country. In the building of the south. The only monuments I’d like to see in the south would be to commemorate the slaves, not the enslavers and the people that tried to tear the country apart. The hero slaves that helped build this nation against their will and with great laboring and suffering due to an abhorrent institution that stains our history. They are the ones that should be remembered. Their stories told.

I have always been a sympathizing person. My first hero in elementary school was Martin Luther King, Jr. I gave an oral report on him and did papers later in junior high. I have always been the type of person that hates seeing injustice done to people and the hatred that divides communities and people over nothing more than color or ignorant biases. It never made sense to me and I never understood why people can’t be kind to one another and celebrate differences rather than fear them.

Some people made the point that many cemeteries have been likely built on over the years including white cemeteries, which I also think is awful, but in this situation PART OF THIS CEMETERY IS STILL HERE! Part of our history, this city’s history is still here in OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. We pass it every day! It is here with us and it should be recognized. It should be visited and reflected on. It should be acknowledged.

I visited the cemetery site today and saw the indentations in the ground and the old stone markers left on some of the sites where the slaves were buried. I couldn’t believe that this was just here, between houses and a pool, not in a historical site that you had to pay to see. No fanfare or brochure handouts. Just dusty old bones in the ground marked by grey stones in a patch of trees in the middle of a subdivision, silently waiting to be seen. I whispered to them before I left that I would do all I could to make sure they were not forgotten. That a marker in their honor would be made so they could be remembered. I sincerely hope I can make that happen.

Thru my posts on Facebook, I met a man named Keith Gibbs who has apparently already done a lot of work to try to have this cemetery recognized with a small group of others but they hit many roadblocks. He told me that there are cover ups and corruption surrounding the area from higher ups and people that don’t want this information out there. He was unsuccessful in his journey to get the site recognized, but he has agreed to hand over his research and findings to me in hopes I will be the one to get something done. ME, a curious girl with no real clout, lol. Yeah, ME, I’m the one. I’m the one that will make this happen where others failed. RIGHT?? Right.

Now, it should be said that I have never really been the figure head for anything in my life. I have never been the spokesperson, the leader the public person, the socialite. I am a shy person that works best from the shadows, behind the scenes. The one that does the work but doesn’t get the credit. And I have largely been okay with that role. It’s less stressful. But now people are looking to me to lead them on this issue. To call the shots and take the donations and create the marker. And that was all fine and dandy…. until CBS 17 messaged me asking if I’d like to do a story for them to help get attention and funding for the marker. I got excited and also nervous. I let her know that would likely be a good Avenue to take to get it done but I am still in the information gathering stage. I let her know of my meeting with Keith and told her I’d get back with her when I knew more. She was okay with that.

Honestly, I was relieved I had a reason to stall. I’ve never been on TV before! Cameras DO NOT love me unless its a selfie photo with a Snapchat filter that i’m taking of myself lol. I’m no public speaker. And also I still feel like it shouldn’t be me. I mean, it should since I discovered it and put it out there for the masses, but how can I be the face of this? Me, a white girl from small town Pennsylvania, be the face of a covered up slave cemetery? I feel guilty but also I do feel like there is something to white privilege and power and I hope to only use it as a force for good in this world and to help those with less privilege than I where I can. We only live once and I think a whole lot about how I want to be remembered when I am gone. When someone is building houses over my grave. I’d like to know somewhere out there I might be remembered fondly for doing something that was right in this world of wrongs.

I’m terrified to do the story, but I feel like it is my duty now and my responsibility. I am just so scared of fucking it up. What if I say something stupid or that can be taken out of context? This is such a touchy issue after all. I just want to do them justice. God help me. I just want them to be remembered.

[same-side]

I just finished DBH and Im seriously so in love with it! But when I came on Tumblr, all I could find is all this content around Gavin, and Im just so confused, because he seemed like such a jerk in the game. Why are people so into Gavin? Did I miss something?

Hi there!

First off, allow me to welcome you to the fandom!

In regards to Gavin: you literally did not miss anything; he is absolutely a one dimensional jerk in game!

Its important we make a distinction here between fanon Gavin and canon Gavin. You’ll find the fandom is incredibly divided - a lot of people adore him, a lot of people hate him. The reason for disliking him is understandable, of course - there’s a slew of incredible and well rounded characters in dbh (North, Luther, Kara…) that are swept under the rug in favour of a veritable avalanche of content for rat man reed. He has 14 minutes of screen time in which literally all he does is antagonize and threaten the player. But people have to understand, when someone says they love Gavin, they mean fanon Gavin. I don’t think theres a single person that is actually a canon Gavin stan. 

Keeping that in mind, you also have to take into account the drop off - at this point, the only people still left/creating content in the fandom are generally the ones that are balls deep and clinging to the headcanons, au’s, etc. that they’ve built with friends. This applies heavily to Gavin for reasons discussed below. Additionally, the algorithms for sites like tumblr and instagram won’t recommend old posts; old posts don’t show up in tags. Artists with a lot of clout that have since moved on from the fandom’s work have basically disappeared into the void (rebelflet, for example). So it may seem like there’s only content of Gavin / Gavin ships, but in reality there’s a ton of jericrew and Kara crew out there from when the fandom was still new / bigger - you just have to know where to look.

So… why do people like Gavin… I mean, it helps that canonically he has beefy tiddies, a cool bad boy jacket, and a pretty face at certain angles.

That being said, I think one of the biggest reasons Gavin (and RK900, by extension) are so popular is that they aren’t well rounded, fleshed out characters. Because we don’t really know anything about them and they have minimal screen time, they’re easy to project on or to add onto, and no one can tell you that you’re wrong because there’s no evidence against it. It’s almost like a universally shared OC that the fandom has developed together. Since they have no canon backstory, and in rk900’s case, no canon personality, it allows for a lot of creative freedom and the ability to explore character interactions, foils, and growth within the dbh universe. The growth aspect, I think, in conjunction with the projection aspect, is key point for the popularity. It tends to be fairly formulaic. Take the canonical asshole Gavin, stick him with an android - whether its RK900 as his partner or Connor as a coworker. Have him come to care for the RK model, and deal with his own insecurities (and usually a traumatic past, the flavor of which might depend on the creator’s own life struggles). Repent, redeem, grow. This redemption arc is the same exact vein of growth and change that makes Hank and Connor such an appealing partnership for players as well - only, in Gavin’s case, it allows for complete freedom in how to get from point a to point b. People like a character they can relate to - and when you can smack your own possible trauma (being an illegitimate child, having an abusive lover, abusive parents, abandonment fears, body insecurity, whatever it may be) on a character because they’re a blank slate, you relate to them and vent through them. Even little “silly” projections or projections that aren’t necessarily traumatic can make someone love a character even more - for example, “Gavin loves Hello Kitty,” “Gavin can’t handle spicy food,” “Gavin is Latino.” Even when the creator isn’t projecting, adding these kinds of headcanons make him a fleshed out, three dimensional character that people can relate to or empathize with, especially when giving his actions an explanation besides just fear of losing his job.

I came into the dbh fandom a little late; by the time I knew what it was, the hype had died down and reed900 was already a firmly cemented, heavily present part of the content. Given that, I’m not sure what its exact origins were, or if it seemingly popped up overnight. It could have been crack. My best guess is that people saw the positive change between Hank and Connor, and thought, “Hey, wouldn’t it be rad if we stuck the other Connor with the other dysfunctional DPD bastard?” . I admit, it makes a nice parallel, which may be part of the appeal in additional to the previous reasons. Speaking of those kinds of interpersonal relationships, there’s also a popular headcanon (that’s been mentioned/liked by d*vid c*ge himself) that Kamski and Gavin are siblings/half siblings/cousins. This stems from the fact that Kamski and Gavin are both mo-capped/voiced by the same actor. By taking this headcanon into account, it adds depth to Gavin’s hatred of androids and allows for interesting backstory exploration, growth, and reconciliation.

Another reason is the enemies-to-lovers trope. For a lot of people that trope really jimmies their neutrons, and what could be better than an android hater and an android to fit that cliche? Once again, analogous to hankcon. The angst potential is also incredible when you take convin or hankvin into account instead of reed900 - reading into Hank and Gavin’s interactions it would seem there’s a tumultuous past between them. And in Connor’s case, Gavin can actually kill him or he can KO Gavin, which allows for a good deal of enemies-to-lovers and angsty regret material. Besides, a lot of people are really into hate s*x.

That…. makes a good segway. I may as well mention the elephant in the room for Gavin’s popularity. There’s a culture of fetishizing abuse in fandoms and Gavin is a prime target for this because “”he’s asking for it.”” It’s also easy to make one character a psychopath when they don’t even have a canon personality. This shows up a lot, whether because of writers treating it as a kink in fanfic or artists using it as a gag because its “funny”. I… won’t really go into detail on this, but it is a phenomenon that adds to the slew of Gavin content. This is another reason for why a lot of people hate Gavin / hate reed900. I started out feeling this way as well. Their perception of it is coloured by the abusive stuff or the mishandled stuff that seems to be prominent. I just have to say that this blog is a safe, sane, and consensual zone.

Sorry, that was a really long breakdown but I hope that gives some insight into the Gavin phenomenon. Last point. He winks like a dumbass. How can you not love that face.

[andrcs]

hey  friends  waddup  !  i’m  jen  ,  just  turned  23  (  n  am  already  feelin  it  )  ,  from  the  gmt-2  tmz  ,  n  i  go  by  she/her  pronouns  .  i  had  about  ,  like  ,  half  an  hour  of  sleep  today n  i’m  actually  redoing  this  entire  intro  because  as   i  was  editing  the  finished  version  to  post  it  ,  i  accidentally  deleted  the  whole  thing  n  tumblr  wouldnt  let  me  have  it  back !  it’s  fine  i’m  fine   :-)  anywho  i’m  gonna  let  yall  go  n  learn a  lil  more  about  our  friend  andre !  hopefully  u  like  him  but  if  u  don’t  thats  ok  bc  sometimes i don’t  either !!

𝐈.    𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐒  :

𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞   :   andre  harris  solomon  .

𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞   :   n/a  .

𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲   :   august  fourth  ,  1991  .

𝐳𝐨𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐜 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧   :   leo  .

𝐨𝐜𝐜𝐮𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧   :  cco  of  solo  conglomerate  .

𝐈𝐈.   𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐊𝐆𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐃  :

during  the  solomon’s  dynasty  ,   the  family  had  its  fair  share  of  tumbles  and  quite  a  few  scandals  .  great  uncle  abel being  arrested  after  trying  to  steal  half  his  brother’s  fortune  was  one   was  a  big  example .  may  god  bless  the traitous  bastard’s  soul  .  also  cousin  denzel  ,  declaring   in  the  middle  of  thanksgiving  dinner  he  wanted  to  be  a  opera  singer  ,  of  all  fucking  things  ,  and  giving grandpa  harrison  an  almost  stroke  ,  could  be  counted  .  no  matter  what  ,  though  ,  nothing  prepared  the  family  to  watch  the  solomon  fortune’s  heiress  coming  home  on  her  christmas  break  during  her  freshman  year  in  college  with  a  baby  bump  and  no  father  to  claim  the  child  she  carried  . 

in  the  following  years  ,  with  the  slightly  judgemental  help  of  all  of  her  closest  relatives  ,  but  most  of  all  ,  the  never  ending  support  of  her  parents  ,  gaia  solomon  managed  not  only  to  get  her  college  diploma  ,  enter  the  family  business   and  help  solo  grow  into  the  biggest  media  conglomerate  of  the  western  hemisphere  ,  one  that  had  a  solid  hand  over  pretty  much  all  aspects  of  media  and  entertainment  .  chances  are  if  you  wanted  to  publish  or  sign  a  record  label  deal  or  be  on  a  tv  show  ,  sooner  or  later  you  would  encounter  someone  from  solo  .  but   she  had  also  manage  to  raise  with  the  utmost  love  and  care  ,  no  lack  of  sacrifices  ,  and  a  healthy  amount  of  ear-pulling  ,  a  man  she  can’t  help  to  be  most  proud  of  .

andre  solomon  never  knew  who  his  father  was  ,  or  cared  to .  and  as  far  as  his  mother  was  concerned  ,  he  didn’t  have  a  father .  as  a  child  ,  he  never  felt  like  he  was  missing  anything  in  life  ,  there  was  no  angry  void  aching  to  be  filled  ,  no  painful  moments  to  remember  his  childhood  by  .  he  had  been  happy .   no  matter  how  busy  his  mom  was  ,  she  was  always  loving  and  attentive  whenever she  was  around  ,  played  baseball and  football  and  soccer  with  him  whenever  he  asked  her  to  ,  and  grandpa  harrison  was  always  available  if  the  boy  ever  needed  a  guy  figure  in  his  life .  of  course  ,  there  were  some  bumps  and  bruises  along  the  way  ,  and  a  pinky  finger  he  never  fully  got  the  feeling  back  , but  it  was  a  beautiful  ,  fulfilling  childhood  .

as  a  teenager  ,  recently  acquainted  with  a  never  seen  before  freedom  ,  and  just  out  of  puberty  ,  andre  grew  more  acquainted  with  getting  in  trouble  .  thankfully  ,  nothing  like  cousin  gina  , who  had  to  cut  off  a  part  of  her  ear  after  piercing  it  by  herself  with  her  tenth  grade  friends  .  while  rambunctious  and  mischievous  ,  he  was  always  to  smart  to  get  caught  doing  something  that  could  get  him  in  any  kind  of  real  trouble  ,  and  by  then  ,  the  family  knew  that  they  could  trust  andre  to  not  be  too  irresponsible  ,  and  even  if  they  didn’t  ,  at  least  he  had  both  ears  intact  .

 a  full  grown  adult  ,  after  getting  his  marketing  degree in  northwestern  university  ,  andre  followed  his  mother’s  footsteps  and  worked  hard  to  climb  the  organizational   ladder  and  reach  the  cco  position ,  becoming  one  of  his  grandfather’s   valued  advisors  along  the  way  .  these  days  ,  he  works  hard  to  keep  his  image  clean  and  his  professional  life  very  well  separated  from  his  private  one  ,  being  very  succesful  at  it  thus  far  .

𝐈𝐈𝐈.   𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘  :

andre can  definitely  be  considered  a  little bit   too  cocky  in  his  confidence  .  he  knows  his  strengths  and  doesn’t  believe  in  fake  humility  ,  always  eager  to  be  praised  by  whatever  actions  .  also  very  focused  ,  he  feels  as  if  he  knows  exactly  what  he  deserves  in  all  aspects  of  his  life  ,  and  doesn’t  hesitate  to  work  for  it  until  he’s  satisfied .

he  is also  ,  however  ,  a  very  fun  loving  individual  .  andre  believes  in  the  motto  work  hard  ,  play  hard  .  and  you  can  definitely  find  him  going  on  expensive  trips  to  exotic  locations  or   some  rich  person  adventure  more  often  that  he’d  like  to  admit  .  is  constantly  surrounded  by  a-list  celebrities  or  clout  chasers  who  attach  to  him  due  to  his  connections  into  the  industry  .  and  as  being  the   center  of  attention   is  one  of  his  favorite  things  ,  he  absolutely  adores  it  .

very  ,   extremely  sarcastic  and  definitely  not  the  most  outwardly  affectionate  person  ,  it  takes  a  lot  to  get  him  to  soften  up   ,   but  andre’s  also  extremely  loyal  to  those  he  knows  are  his  real  friends ,  and  always  makes  sure  that  they  are  with  him  no  matter  where  he  goes  and  what  he  gets  .

is  known  to  be  quite  the  ladies’  man  ,  and  often  lives  up  to  the  reputation  ,  even  though  he’s  settled  down  quite  happily  a  few  times  during  his  adulthood  .  he’s  not  averse  to  relationships ,  per say  ,  but  also  doesnt  want  to  jump  in  carelessly  ,  specially  when  he’s  not  felling  the  situation  .  is  frequently  engaged  in  some  sort  of  drama  with  the  girls  in  his  life  and  even  though  he  claims  to  dislike  it  ,  he  loves  all the  attention  he  gets  from  them  ( ew , i  hate  him  ,  he’s  gross  )

𝐈𝐕.   𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒  :

childhood  best  friend  /  chicago  native  ( 1 / 2 )  :  people  who’ve  known  him  since  before  he  hit  puberty  and  became  cool  and  who  are  with  him til  this  very  day  .  they  might  not  be  best  friends  for  whatever  reason  but  still  are  closer than  most  friendships  out  there . ( pearl , )

flings /  could  be  past  or  present  :  could  also  range  from  the  silliest  to  the  most  angsty  stuff  ,  andre  definitely  has  the  repertoire  for  it .

ride  or  dies  (  2 / 6  )  :  truly  ride  or  dies  ,  his  closest  group  of  friends  ,  the  ppl  that  are with  him  no  matter where  he  is  and  the only  people  outside  his  family  he’d  do  whatever for  . ( devin , watson )

exes  /  chicago  native  (  2 /  2  )  :  i  have  some  ideas  about  them  but  lets  just  say  one  would  have  ended  in  decently  good terms  and  one  would  not . ( vera , aurora )

friend  with  interests  (  0 / 2  )  : andre  has  a  lot  of  ins  with  the  media  industry  ,  and  this  person  would  definitely  have  an  ulterior  motive  to  hang  around  him  ,  whether  he’s  realised  it  yet  or  no  .

flirtationship   (  1 / 1  )  : first  of  all  i  hate  that  word  my  GOD  but  also  ,  would  be  a  kind  of  thing  where  they’d  both  be  feeling  each  other  but  for  some  reason  things  just  wouldn’t  progress ? ( elissa )

there is a  lot  more  but  i’ve  just  written  this  thing  twice  in  a  row  n  my  brain  is  currently  just  2  neurons  barely  communicating  so  i  should  probably  quit  while  i’m  ahead  ?  but  pls  message  me  bc  if  u  want  to  know  some  more  about  andre  or  come  up w  plots  or  just  talk  about  how  hot mbj  is   n  how  unfair  it  is  that  the rpc  doesnt  gif  him nearly  enough  ?  or  we  could  also  talk  abt  something  i  might  be  delusional  rn  so  i  have  a bunch  of  interesting  topics  ok  bye  thanks  for  sticking  around i  love uuuu

[msbeccieboo]

Arrow 7x15 brain dump

Oh my gosh this episode was an absolute gift!!  Especially after the news we got last week, this fluffy beast of an episode could not have come at a better time (for me, at least)!  I’m not sure if part of the reason I enjoyed it so much was that we didn’t really see it coming?  I thought it would be sort of a filler episode that we typically get around this point in a season, that the OTA snippets we saw in the trailer would be about it, but boy was I wrong hahaha!!  I am still a mess!  There is so much to unpack here, I can’t form fully cohesive thoughts still, and this is shaping up to be another whopper, sorry 😬😬😬….

Olicity

Fresh off the pregnancy reveal to Oliver from last week, our ship is still a-sailing!! The heart eyes are back, the eye contact full-stop is back, the supportiveness (”We’re a team, too” “Always”😭😭😭) , the united front.  The little touches are getting there (we’re working up to that sex scene, I can feel it 🤞🤞🤞).  Oliver even looks better in this episode!!  Now, this could be the SCPD-issue tight t-shirt (it’s certainly not the hair), or just his more all-round peaceful demeanour that he seems to have achieved through baby/Felicity joy.

Source:plotbunnyshipper

Continued below the cut.

We got so much Olicity this week!  Multiple times! Olicity, all the time!  The first proper Olicity scene, has Oliver being all Zen-like over the SCPD set-up, meanwhile, Felicity already knows it’s gonna be a shit show.  Our girl is a genius, what more needs to be said? Turns out Oliver is so gung-ho with the SCPD because he wants to do everything he can to make their city a safe place for “our baby” (complete with little adorable smile) HCOJIDNFJKDNVJBDBV!!! This scene also has Oliver offering to make food for our starving/nauseous pregnant Felicity (squeeeee) and a DOUBLE KISS!!!!

Source: oliverxfelicity

Then we got a scene with an increasingly-frustrated Oliver (the Zen didn’t last too long) over the aforementioned inevitable SCPD shit show.  Where Felicity got to give a pep-talk resulting in this delightful exchange:

Source: oliverxfelicity

We got the eyes, the compliments, THE MINT CHIP!!  Scenes out of fanfic have arrived people!!  We see that Felicity has been busy getting the Arrow Cave back up and running, and we get some quality Green Arrow/Overwatch comms action too!!

Then, we get the absolute heart-warming/breaking scene at the end of the episode, which again the fandom could have written for us!!  Felicity is adorably checking out her non-existent bump, asking Oliver if she’s showing, to which he wisely says no 😂  Then they talk about baby names!!  Who would have thought this day would come??!?!!  Oliver is adorable in offering up the name Mia, as many predicted, in tribute to Moira.  I loved how Felicity had a far-away look in her eye, describing the name as “sweet and fiery” (well we got fiery, and a little bit of sweet haha).  Oliver just made me weep in his earnestness and sincerity here; all he wants is to make his children’s lives better than his has been. 

Source:olicitygifs

Then they lament how the children will “always have each other and they’ll always have us”.  Well if that didn’t shoot me straight in the gut!!  Because we have seen the future and 😭😭😭 *ugly sobbing ensues*.

Flash Forwards

These just keep getting better and better.  I know they’re still a bit divisive, but I’m seeing more and more people squeeing along with the likes of me at them haha!!  This week focused entirely on William and Mia (YAAAASSSS), and sees them at the Star City Bazaar doing a spot of Antique shopping, namely looking for a cassette player to play their “old tape from the 80s” 😂😂😂. Wow, way to make me feel ancient lol.  Will being the naïve cupcake that he is, bungles the transaction leaving Mia to go and beat up the vendor.  I loved seeing William hold her back, hilarious!  SO MUCH OLIVER!!  This is something Will tells her after, and it absolutely devastated me (and Mia, by the looks of her reaction) that she didn’t know the iconic “You have failed this city” line.  How is this not a thing of legend in Star City???  The answer to that hurts me too much so I will skip over for now!

Source: oliverxfelicity

Anyway, thanks to William’s techy genius (“like, literally” 😍 he is such a mini Felicity), they manage to cause a distraction, allowing Mia to knock out the vendor and for William to get the tape player.  That’s team work, guys!  Bonus lolz to Will’s saccharine “thank you” as he walks off 😂  Back at Mia’s base they eventually decide to play Felicity’s tape (“What are you waiting for?” “I dunno, what are you waiting for?” I STAN THESE SIBLINGS SO HARD)  And then here is where I died.  Firstly, Will’s nerves at hearing Felicity’s voice after 20 years 😭, Mia’s reassurance that they will listen together, and then Felicity’s message itself.  

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Felicity is alive bitches!!  After a delightful Felicity-ramble, she apologies to them both for keeping them apart, stating that “We did it because we love you” WE!!! Present tense!!!  Oliver lives too!!!  This is my happy place and I am staying here for as.long.as.I.possibly.can.  

She then directs them to give the team some coordinates then get the hell outta Star City.  I loved how there was no deliberation at all from the siblings, “So we’re ignoring her?” “Definitely”.  And they’re off to The Glades...duh duh duuuuuhhhhh!!!

OTA/Delicity

OTA is well and truly back this episode, following Dig’s apology last week.  There wasn’t masses of Diggle in this episode, and that is one thing I would have liked to have seen from this episode, but to be fair we have been so well fed that I will not complain!!

They told dig!!!!!!

Dig can tell that there is something Olicity aren’t telling him, and the kind of bashful joy on Oliver’s face is just so beautiful and heart-warming! 

Source:oliverxfelicity

Dig is so pleased for them!!  I love Uncle Dig!  And as always Uncy John has some sage advice for our OTP.  He tells them that in order to clean up the city for their family, without sending Oliver back to the Big House, that they have to find another way.  This is a motto that Arrow lives and dies by, but it felt all the more poignant here for some reason, maybe because OTA were finally coming back together?  Maybe because we’re aware now that the team as we know it is soon going to drastically change?  Maybe because the fracking show is ending soon HFDOVHUIERGBVSDVIFDVJDSHVODNVKODW!!!  Anyway, I had feelings about this whole scene (cue Beccie in floods of tears, again).  *whispers I would’ve really liked a hug here ok*

As if that beautiful OTA scene wasn’t fabulous enough, we got bonus Delicity!! I think this was so needed, given their particular distance so far this the season. Dig is still kissing arse a little bit (rightfully so), and not only offers felicity some sweets to help her morning sickness 😍 but offers her some reassurance that she’s got this.  “You were absolutely amazing out there, your tech was phenomenal”.  My Delicity heart is soaring!!  He goes on to point out just how brilliant her security system is (extra kudos for Felicity shading Curtis lol), and that it could be the basis for something much bigger….Smoak Technologies anyone??

Source:felicitysmoakgifs

Team Arrow/SCPD storyline

The training montage at the start of the episode was everything!!  Felicity’s in particular facial expressions were absolutely hilarious; the utter horror of not being able to hack, and using outdated computer systems were just delightful! Even Wild Dog got a quality quip in there about having their own uniforms.  

I really wasn’t looking forward to this aspect of the episode, as I just find the whole SCPD angle annoying and ridiculous this season.  Luckily, this episode was a means to an end, and finally addressed the problematic nature of mixing the Police with the Vigilantes in this way.

The SCPD didn’t seem to want to learn anything from Team Arrow.  Where is the sense in having these people join the force if they aren’t going to provide some unique skills and training?  And the first thing they do is strip them of their weapons and their suits (ahh, if only literally….*ahem*).  They do have a point when it comes to gathering evidence legally, not using coercive ���interview’ techniques and so on, but presumably, by some kind of TV magic, they were able to successfully convict plenty of criminals caught by Team Arrow previously…so what has changed?  

The evil little Mayor keeps popping up this season, trying to undermine the Team. Oliver never seemed to have this much clout with the SCPD when he was Mayor Handsome.  So why does Mayor Tiny spend so much time there?  Clear off!  Her interference, and the apparent loss of Dinah’s cry, leads to Dinah having a crisis of confidence, briefly picking the SCPD over the Team.  Wild Dog gets all up in her face with a sense-making motivational speech, which he seems to be doing a lot of this season…who knew he had it in him??  Anyhow, Dinah eventually comes to terms with losing her cry, and decides to continue being the Black Canary.  This plot point seemed superfluous to me.  Sara nor Laurel had a meta-cry, and they turned out alright as Canaries…..wait….never mind.  If only they had some friends with medical and meta-human expert knowledge and technology (looking at you Larry)?!?!

Anyway, I enjoyed the twist that Team Arrow had actually been working with the SCPD during the final mission scene, following Dig’s advice that they needed to become ‘something else’.  DD blackmailed dirty Mayor tiny into giving Team Arrow free-rein under the SCPD umbrella still, and repealing the anti-vigilante law.  Yay team Arrow!!  No more SCPD storyline!  All’s well that ends well!

Black Siren/Emiko

I think they took up an acceptably small portion of the episode, and it was just about enough for my liking.  This reaffirmed that I only really care about BS when she’s in scenes with Felicity, but it was nice seeing her try to do the right thing with solving Diaz’s murder.  As many predicted, Emiko killed Lizard Boy, as she is working for Dante.  Even doing this didn’t endear me to Emiko any more I’m afraid.  I just don’t care about her, sorry.  The showdown between BS and Emiko has potential to be interesting, and could lead to conflict between BS/Felicity/Oliver/Emiko in coming episodes, but my babies don’t need any more conflict, just let them be pleeeaaaase!!

The surprise that no one saw coming (I didn’t see anyone call it; well done Boss Beth!), was the appearance of baby Bronze Tiger, Connor ‘Hawke’ Turner.  Connor Hawke from the FFs is Bronze Tiger’s son, adopted by Dig and Lyla?!?!?!  Fab idea, writers!  This likely means that Ben Turner is going to die imminently, which is such a shame because he had so much potential in the prison arc!!  I loved seeing him again in this episode!

Looking ahead

THAT TRAILER GUYS!!!!!  MSDOI;’#GFHGSD;VNSD’K[GSDJVANVNFDK!!!!!!! I was not ready.  None of us were ready it seems!!!  We’re gonna see Mia’s birth this season!!!!  Oliver will be there!!  There’s a photo of Olicity and baby Mia!!!!  AAAAAAAAAGHGHAGHAGHAGHA!!!

Source:olicitygifs

The Team is back!!  But now we see this joint ‘black ops’ type scenario joining Team Arrow and the SCPD together, along with the repealing of the Anti-Vigilante law, the landscape isn’t tying in with the FFs. How do we get to the point where Vigilantes are utterly outlawed and hated by society, when they have done so much to help the city over the years?  What changes?  Is this why Oliver is ‘gone’?  Why Felicity appears to have to give birth to Mia in some abandoned farmhouse somewhere? Where Mia has to be kept hidden? Where Mia and William can’t know of each other’s existence, or be spoken of in the same sentence (seriously….the TEARS!!)?  Where Mia can’t even go by the name Queen for her own safety?  I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS!!  I think Emiko could be at the bottom of this somehow.  She’s literally doing nothing else interesting.

Either Oliver and Felicity, or Rene and Dinah must be on the outs from the Team soon, to explain the latter’s unawareness of Mia.  Could this be this why only Rene and Dinah have been set up in the FFs so far, because this is the only place we will see them next season? (Assuming they are coming back for S9).

I am so unbelievably excited for next week now.  It’s gonna be dark, I know, but I’m hoping we get a decent amount of questions answered, and see Future Felicity and Diggle!!  (I’d love to see future Oliver, but not holding out hope for that just yet).  I was looking forward to the all-future episode anyway, as I’m living for Mia and William right now, but now???  Bring.it.on!

As always, huge thanks to the amazingly talented gif-makers in our fandom. Kisses and jazzy-hugs all round 😘😘😘🤗🤗🤗

[sammydevans]

WHO: Sam & Kitty @doveportkitty​

WHEN&WHERE: January 29, evening at Kitty’s place

WHAT: A conversation to end #babygate2020

WARNINGS: mentions of sexual abuse

Sam was nervous. If he were honest, he felt that way a lot when it came to real relationship conversations with Kitty. He was used to her being slightly distant to feelings and often times more interested in the physical aspect of their relationship, and he was okay with it, truly. It was a system that worked. But when it came down to moments like this, it left him wondering how they would end. No time like the present to find out, right? With a bottle of champagne in one hand, he knocked at her front door, a soft smile on his lips when she answered. "Hey you."

Knowing the conversation that was coming, Kitty couldn’t sit down. Not one to clean usually, she actually found herself tidying up — mostly putting away the empty liquor bottles she had used to drown the thoughts of doubt in her head since the topic of children had even been brought up. Children weren’t in her future. They couldn’t be. She knew her flaws, and being a mother would be one of them. The  familiar knock breaks her “cleaning” concentration, and after quickly washing her hands she moves to the door to open it for her boyfriend. “Hey, hot shot.” She said not able to stop the soft smile from lighting her lips. “You brought champagne... Now if only you were shirtless.” She teased lightly, leaning in to press her lips against his sweetly before moving out of the way to let him in.

He chuckled at her greeting, not hiding the playful roll his eyes as he entered her house. "I keep tell you," Sam reminded. "It's too cold for shirtless deliveries. Once it's warm again." He passed off the bottle to her and shrugged off his jacket, hanging it on a hook by the door. It was easy to feel the weight of the lingering conversation, but he wanted it to feel normal, natural. "So start with champagne? I could probably use a quick recap on last week."

"I'll hold you to that." Kitty commented with a smirk, happily accepting the champagne from Sam. Moving through her apartment to the kitchen,  she pulled down two glasses from the cabinet, popping the cork and carefully pouring the alcohol into them before passing one to Sam. "Because you weren't paying attention? I swear to God, Samuel, If that's the case I'm totally going to start quizzing you on episodes the day after." She leans against the kitchen, and brings the champagne to her lips, taking a sip and immediately wants more. It felt normal now, but even Kitty knew that the weight of the impending conversation was going wear them down. "Or I can just send you my twitter feed, I guess."

He took the glass in one hand, going to take a sip before quickly pausing to protest. “No, no. Totally paid attention, day after I would have aced a quiz,” Sam insisted.  It was true enough anyway. He was obviously nowhere near as invested as she was, but she wanted him to watch with her, so he did. “It’s just been a long week. Peter wasn’t exactly the biggest thing in my mind.”

Kitty froze at the comment of the long week. The two worked at the same place, they worked in the same area even, so she knew instantly why Peter wasn’t at the forefront of Sam’s mind. And it wasn’t because of work. Still holding the champagne in her hand she reaches at Sam’s shirt with her free hand and pulls him in against her. “I’ll let it slide.” She mutters in a whisper before capturing his lips with hers, letting her lips familiarize themselves with his after the few days they’d spent apart. A few days she would allow herself to admit sucked. “Do you want to like, go to the couch?” Kitty asks gingerly. Nervously (a feeling she was not at all used to). “The umm... episode it ready to go.”

Sam slid his arm around her as he kissed her back, holding her close and knowing he didn’t want to let go. Getting lost in this seemed like a much better idea than reality tv. Better than a heavy conversation that could easily end unhappily. At her question, he nodded, pulled back and took her hand to lead the way over. Sam took his normal spot against the end of the couch, an arm open for Kitty to cuddle into his side. “So I saw something about Cleveland?” he asked, trying to keep his focus on the episode at hand. “Which... why anyone would choose that destination is beyond me.”

Kitty doesn’t hesitate to slide herself in next to Sam. She couldn’t predict how the night would end (which was infuriating because kitty liked to pride herself on knowing everything) but right now she was content with being close to him and judging trashy pageant girls on tv. “You didn’t hear? Cleveland is the new Hawaii.” She comments jokingly, reaching for the remote to press play. Attempting to relax, Kitty keeps her attention on the screen for a while, not really paying attention to the one on one date Peter was currently on... Her twitter feed would be disappointing in the morning. Sighing she paused the show and sits herself up to look into Sam’s blue eyes. “I totally can’t do this... sorry, it’s not in my blood. If we’re going to break up, watching Peter send home a few fame wannabes first isn’t going to make anything better.”

“I can show you a funny YouTube video that will disprove that in thirty seconds,” Sam defended with a chuckle. He sipped at his champagne as the details unfolded, even less interested than the past couple weeks. He’d fail if she gave him a pop quiz on this tomorrow. But did it matter? Trashy reality TV ranked about a thousand spots below their relationship. “Kitty, I don’t want to break up with you,” Sam told her sincerely, taking her hand in his. He needed to feel her with him, to hold her from running away. “This doesn’t have to be over.”

For a second, Kitty wants to pull her hand back. But it was Sam, and she’d always had a hard time letting go of him. “I don’t want to break up either.” She tells him honestly. “But if your future involves kids, like... that can’t be a future we’re in together.” Her heart felt as though it was sinking out of her stomach, and she kind of regrets even commenting on the post that day. It was only real when she made it real. “We’re adults so it’s not like we’re dating for clout, and I mean, I’m not sitting up at night practicing my post-wedding signature or anything, but isn’t it sort of crazy to be in a relationship where we both want entirely different things? I would be... the worst mother, Sammy. You have to know that.”

Sam sat up straighter in his seat, quiet as he let her speak her mind. She was right, mostly, and he hated it. But there was still a part of him that knew them breaking up was the part that wasn't. "There was also a long point in time where I thought my future involved me being a superhero," he defended, trying his best to at least bring some lightness to the conversation. It didn't work, and he knew it as soon as he'd said it. "But... plans change. Yes, I've imagined my life with kids. But that doesn't mean I can't imagine one without them. I just haven't before. I haven't had a reason to before," he explained. He took a deep breath and tapped a finger against Kitty's skin, debating if he should say more before continuing anyway. "But if the reason you don't want kids is because you think you'd be a terrible mother, you need to rethink your reason."

If it was any other conversation with, at any other time, Kitty may have laughed and teased him about wanting to be a superhero growing up. But the weight of their future felt as thought it was on top of her, and she knew herself enough to know if they didn’t talk about this now she’d keep avoiding this until it tore them apart. Sighing, she looks down at their hands, her gaze watching the small movements of her boyfriend’s fingers. “Sam, think about it for longer than a minute. There is not a person out there who sees me as mom material. C’mon I won’t even go and see Madison’s baby and I actually like her... and like, the baby’s not ugly. I mean, it's still blob like, but it's a cute blob? I don’t have it in me, babe. When Jesus blessed me he gave me a lot of things, but if I had a kid? They would end up hating me. Deep down you have to know that.”

"I don't want to sit here and convince you to have a baby someday," Sam admitted. Even if that was, maybe, exactly what he wanted, it seemed unfair to push the idea on her when she seemed so opposed. "But I have thought about it for more than a minute. It's all I've thought about for the past few days. No, you're not traditional mom material. But I know you. And I know you're not the cold-hearted person you let everyone think you are." He took a breath and chewed at his lip for a moment, then continued. "I pictured my life with kids. Little league practices, father-daughter dances, pillow forts and Disney movies, family walks, and matching pajamas on Christmas morning. All that cheesy Hallmark stuff. And in that picture I had a partner, somewhere. I mean, it's been the Black Widow more than once and also Thor one time? But mainly, faceless, nameless. And then there's life I pictured with you. It's specific and real. It's a weekend in Atlanta with a whole town to explore but spending most of it wine drunk and naked in bed. It's Christmases watching new Hallmark movies that the exact same as last year's movies. It's supporting each other through winning seasons at school, and someday maybe something bigger than high school. It's teaching you how to cook something besides waffles because we really can't live on Postmates forever. It's someday finding a place that's ours and me letting you take complete control of decorating." He let out a heavy breath and dropped her hand in favor of reaching to cup her face, thumb brushing over her cheek. "I love you, Kitty Wilde. And I know that's gonna be a lot for you, but I need you to know it. I need you to know how real this is for me. I can lose the fantasy of kids, but I can't lose the reality of you."

Kitty fell silent as she listened to him talk. It was easier than finding her own words right now, when it came to the serious moments she struggled with comprehending them at the best of times. A sharp pang hit her heart when he described the family he’d always imagined having. The little league games, and father daughter dances... If there was anyone that deserved that, it was Sam. Kitty brings her legs up, folding them underneath her in a way shed’d done since childhood. Though at this point, it was mostly to distract her body in someway while he was talking. She can’t help but smile faintly at the mention the life he has pictured with her. It wasn’t as detailed as the one she’d pictured, but she’d be lying if she said she hadn’t pictured a future with him. Maybe that’s why in a situation which normally would have sent her running, she was still here. She lifts her eyes to Sam when he brings his hand to her cheek, her face instinctively leaning into the touch. “You...” Her breath felt like it had been taken out of her, processing what he’d just said. “I...” Those words had never come naturally to her, and she cared about him, she did. A lot. But those words? She couldn’t say them. “I don’t want to lose you.” Kitty murmured simply after what felt like forever. “You make me want to be better... And like, I’m already pretty great so that’s an accomplishment.” She let out a soft sigh before leaning in and pressing her lips against his in a loving kiss. “But we really can live on postmates forever, babe.”

Sam had held his breath after his confession. It could have been a mistake to being love into the conversation. Slow had been the default speed of their emotional relationship, she'd technically only been his girlfriend for a month. He, of course, wanted to hear her say it back. But that was someday, he figured. Today he just wanted her not to pull away, not to kick him out. Voicing that she didn't want to lose him was more than enough for today. "You are pretty great," Sam agreed, barely breaking their kiss. His forehead pressed against hers and chuckled. "Okay fine, I'll cook. Shirtless, just for your entertainment."

“You should just be shirtless all the time.” Kitty muses with a small smile. For the first time in days she doesn’t feel as though there’s a pressure sitting on her heart about their future. Maybe this is why people rave about talking through their feelings all the time. Pressing a kiss to his cheek, she pulled away. Sam loved her... He was willing to give up children for her. The least she could do was be honest with him. She takes a deep breath and diverts her eyes to anywhere but Sam. “I can’t sleep at other people’s houses because I wake up and panic.” She starts to tell him quietly. “It’s been like that since the 7th grade. I was at a church sleep over and...” Kitty paused, swallowing thickly at the memory and willing herself to finally let her boyfriend all the way in. “And when I woke up in the middle of the night, the youth pastor was in my sleeping bag. I didn’t know what to do... I should have panicked, I should have said something? But I didn’t. I was scared... And I trusted him. I told my parents a lot later and I guess he left town. But when I wake in the night now... I still feel his breath, Sam. And when I’m in a place that’s not my own, I just... It’s like I’m back there. I need the television on to sleep... But Sugar has given me this ridiculous sleep sound machine and I don’t know, it kind of works. As embarrassing as it is. I’m trying. For you, I’m trying.” She tells him, glancing up at his familiar face. “I’m not telling you this because I want you to feel sorry for me. God please don’t. But for a long time I haven’t trusted anyone? Not fully. I trust you though, Sam. Like I trust you more than I’ve ever trusted anyone before. I just... I needed you to know that.”

Sam watched her carefully as she pulled away, worried for a brief moment that she'd thought better of the whole thing and was going to run after all. But as she spoke, his worried transformed from worry to him to worry for her. "Kitty, if I'd known I wouldn't have pressed about you staying," he told her, and truthfully, maybe he did feel a little sorry for her in that moment. Not sorry for her, but sorry that she had to go through it, deal with it still. He scooted closer to her then, slowly wrapping an arm around her. "You can do whatever you need to be comfortable, you know that right? I'll put a TV in my room, or we can just always be here?" he felt like he was on the verge of rambling and reeled himself in by pressing a kiss to her temple. "I just want you to feel safe with me."

Kitty could count on one hand the amount of people who knew her full past. At least this part. And honestly, she liked it that way. Having this conversation to everyone she met would have been pure torture. But oddly? She’s not unhappy to have told Sam. It was almost as though there was nothing left to hide... and considering he worked to get to this point for over a year, he deserved to be let in. Kitty shrugged her shoulders, pressing her lips together in a sad smile as his arm wraps around her. “It’s okay. It was a long time ago, and I’m mostly over it. It’s just the whole sleeping thing, I guess... But the fact you don’t have a TV in your room freaks me out in general just FYI. If you weren’t so hot it probably would have been a deal breaker.” She tried to joke to eliminate some of the heaviness of the conversation. “I feel safe when I’m with you, Sammy.” She told him honestly, glancing up meet his eyes. “I feel a lot when I’m with you. Like way too much sometimes and I hate it, but I’ve never been scared of you hurting me, or scared of anything happening to me while you’re around. I promise... I mean, not that I can’t look after myself, but... you know...”

"I wanna look after you," Sam told her sincerely. He knew she didn't need him to. No one was going to cross Kitty Wilde and live to tell the story. But he was happy to stand her corner while she did it. Sam pressed a kiss into her shoulder and then to her cheek before sitting back and encouraging her back into his arms. Just the way the things were before the conversation, the way things should be on Bachelor night. "As for the TV thing, I've literally never had one. My parents didn't want us to have them in our rooms, so it's just never been a thing, you know?" Sam reached for his glass of champagne again and took a sip. "But I really will get one. If you want."

Independence had always come naturally to Kitty. She could look after herself. But having Sam on her side didn’t feel like a bad thing at all. Her eyes fluttered shut as his lips pressed tenderly against her skin, and without over thinking it she moved back to the position in his arms. “I want it.” She replied simply, stealing the champagne glass from his hand to take a sip. “It’s time to move into the 21st century, hot shot. Now pay attention to the Bachelor or you’re going to fail tomorrow’s test.”

[booklust]

Futurelit Vol 5: Grace Byron

This time around, I had the absolute pleasure of chatting with Grace Byron, the Brooklyn-based columnist, writer and filmmaker and all-around brilliant, benevolent creative spirit whose recent book release party for NB Carrie Bradshaw (read it here via Epigraph Mag!) at Babycastles solidified my love for her and her work. 

This interview was the first time I had the opportunity to conduct a classic interview over the phone instead of over text chat, or as I like to call it for reasons I’d gladly explain to you over a glass of wine, “The Tony Hawk Method.”

This resulted in a truly gorgeous conversation that flows synaptically and always takes surprising directions (Twin Peaks, the afterlife, and a tender moment involving Coldplay that occurs towards the end---when you see it then you’ll understand!). It also brought me right back to the days at my editorial internship where I would transcribe hours of interviews, but in a good way this time. I took great pains to not only get the content and diction right, but to convey the undertones of our exchange that made it so vibrant. Which, interestingly enough, makes it take on the visual form of a text chat.

Check out our conversation at the jump, with gorgeous illustrations by Becky Ebben:

You do a column called “Trans Monogamist” for the Bushwick Daily (I binged that…it’s really dope) and your latest project is NB Carrie Bradshaw (which is out now!). So I’m curious, what sort of came first: your interest in the format of an advice columnist/relationship columnist,  or your love of Carrie Bradshaw?

Actually--I didn’t start watching Sex and the City until January 2017, which everyone is sort of super surprised by, and honestly? Me fucking too. Not that it’s a perfect show, but the aesthetic signals that it’s something that I should have seen a long time ago. It took me a long time to get to it. I had heard a lot of the negative stuff, which there is a lot of, and rightfully so. There’s this one terrible bisexual episode where Carrie’s just like, “I just don’t know….he’s bi .” And I’m just like… “Girl, so what.” The point is, the column writing came sort of naturally. I had a column a few years ago at my paper called Queer Art Vibes before I had even seen Sex and the City. And I was mostly writing about art, and capitalism, artists, and things I was finding interesting aesthetically. The last column that I wrote was after I had a break-up, and it was called “How To Date an Anarchist.”

Oh my God

And it got like, no comments. Because most of the columns that I was writing were about trans identity and stuff. I got all these comments like, “Why can’t people just make up their minds about gender?” And I’m just like, that’s completely irrelevant to what I’m talking about. So this column got no comments at all. There’s this huge anarchist population at Indiana University. It just closed down this month, but we had this huge anarchist bookstore that was this huge draw for the punk scene.

It was a column that didn’t make sense for where I was writing. But then as I was watching Sex and the City, and as I was doing a lot more dating my last year in college, I was thinking “yeah, this is really important to talk about.” And I started thinking of dating as a political and aesthetic and emotional practice. It’s more using this pop culture phenomenon to let people understand something about what it’s like to be trans and dating. It’s not like it’s me and my three friends that are all going through the same things. Or it’s not like me and my straight girlfriends talking about how our experiences are different. Or me and someone who is nonbinary even talking about how it’s different for both of us. But I do like that element of friendship in it, that element of comradery.  But I think it’s interesting now that shows act like there’s this group of 4 friends and they’re all the same. And that was never my experience? You know, there’s always a nonbinary person, a lesbian person, and...maybe a straight man.

LOL the token straight

Right. At least that’s my college experience, where I’ve never had a group of friends that were all the same. There were always at least one other gay or queer person. It’s a helpful lens to think about dating, and think about dating how much it’s changed since the early 2000s. A column is a dispatch from the front lines, like “this is what happened this month! How’s it going with you?” The book [NB Carrie Bradshaw] has a little bit of a more narrative arc to it. But in the columns, there’s no resolution. -----keep reading below------

Right, and that’s what I like about it. There’s endless thinkpieces about dating apps, queer dating, etc, and it’s so frustratingly depersonalized. It’s very strange how the discourse tries to force dystopia instead of actually having a comprehensive view of how people feel. There’s a lot more truth in the way that you present dating than how someone tries to dissect it in a thinkpiece.

Yeah, thinkpieces are weird. I love to read them, but I also don’t know how helpful they are a lot of the time. Especially when they try to draw a definitive statement. In some things, sure, that makes sense.

Like in a college thesis, where you’re forced to come to a resolution for your life, pretty much.

What was your experience working at a college newspaper?

Basically, I came to college, and I was on the media floor--and basically what I thought that meant was cross-genre. But in reality, what it meant was journalism. And then I thought, you know, okay, it’s fine. I thought it was interesting. And so I almost went to join the newspaper as a writer and interviewer, I did a few articles. But a rule was that if you were a writer for them, you couldn’t be interviewed. And that was my biggest problem with it--I knew I wanted to do art. I knew that I wanted to get press. I didn’t want to prevent that from happening.

Right after I came out my freshman year, this guy on my floor was like, “do you want to talk about being gay at IU?” And I was like uh….sure! It was weird because it was my first time being interviewed for something real, and I was talking about being gay. But I was also trying to sneak a pitch for my website while doing it, I was like...go watch it! They promptly cut that out of the interview, though.

Good effort, tho.

I didn’t love that environment. I wasn’t taken with it. I started volunteering at a local radio station where I did stories about lots of things. That was much more interesting and fulfilling than the college newspaper. And my friend was like, “do you want to be columnist--we need one.” Not because I was special or anything, because they really needed one. And I was like, “sure.” So I started writing these extremely leftist columns, like “capitalism is the devil, and here’s why : )”

And I wrote one that was like, “nudity in art isn’t porn,” which isn’t even an extreme opinion. But I started getting all of these comments like, “Counterpoint: nudity in art isn’t not porn.” I was just like wow, I can tell that you really read this column….

People just read titles a lot of times.

Yeah for sure. Our campus was filled with a lot of views of all extremes, and not just anarchists. We also had a militant white supremacist population on campus. There were a bunch of protests from that group over the course of years--it wasn’t just one year, or just this year, which was definitely the worse than the years before. I also got tons of hateful comments from white supremacist groups on my articles. So I was just one of the people on the receiving end of those comments.

But as far as my involvement in the newspaper group itself, I think I only attended one meeting. I didn’t really feel a sense of community at IU that a lot of people there felt. I think a lot of people looked down on what I did because it was so personal. It wasn’t like I was talking about music, or like I was talking about hard-hitting stories. So I wasn’t really a part of the “IU JOURNALISM COMMUNITY.” But it wasn’t like I really wanted to be. I would still sometimes get people who appreciated my work, that came up to me and said “I love this, I love what you’re doing,” but they were usually queer people.

Which is definitely the desired reaction, which is awesome. Talking about your webseries “Idle Cosmopolitan” -- what was your favorite audience, or your favorite venue that you showed it to? And what was that sort of reaction and vibe like?

I wasn’t at all of the screenings. It showed at Bloomington at Planet Nine--which is this small VHS rental/DVD rental video place that kind of reminds me of Ghost World or something. I wasn’t there, but a lot of my friends were there, since it was my home for so many years. I assume it went well. From the pictures, I saw that it went well, at least.

It showed at Sarah Lawrence, which I know very little about how that went. I wanted to be there, but I was scheduled at work. Which is a whole thing about how I’m not a full-time artist. I say that I’m a freelance artist, which means that I make MAYBE 50 bucks a month off of my art. If it’s a good month! So I can’t always go to everything that’s happening. It’s an interesting part about being an artist in this landscape. People expect you to be global, and there’s only so global you can be if you’re working class. Which I think is important to be transparent about. It’s not always fun to be transparent about that, but it’s important.

Exactly, you want to be honest about it, but you want to portray yourself as larger-than-life-to get attention, and at least the semblance of clout (whatever that fcking means). But being an artist, you’re a part of a community, and you want to treat that community well. You don’t want to stunt and act like you’re making a living off of your art when you’re not.

It’s not cool to lie one way or the other. It’s not cool to portray yourself as a poor person if you’re not, and I’m not super poor or anything, but I’m not living off of my artwork, and I make a decent living off of my work as a childcare worker. But yeah, you shouldn’t lie because you’re fooling yourself and making art seem elitist.

There’s the lie by omission, in a way. A lot of people are internet famous, or have a certain persona that makes people say “Oh, I want to be like this person, who so clearly lives off of their artwork.” When in reality, it’s probably a side hustle at best.

Or they live with their parents. Or they have rich parents.

It distorts people’s dreams and plans--it’s important to be responsible about that.

Totally. One show I was at physically was at Secret Project Robot, at this festival of poets, and my videos were showing between poets that were reading their work. So that was interesting---I was the only video artist at the show. And as many things as I have tried--I have written poems, but I’ve never called myself a “poet.” So I thought that was kind of cool to have that multimedia experience, to see my videos projected really large in front of a big crowd of 20 or 30 people. Which doesn’t seem like a lot, but it’s actually a lot. I remember thinking wow, the crowds are gonna be so big in New York. And they are! But 20 or 30 people is a lot for DIY art. Even if you’re successful, or internet famous--it’s hard to gather a crowd wherever you are.

And it was really cool because people who were actually in the video got to see it, which was cool! Chariot is in it, and he was there, so that’s cool.

There was one livestream and q&a in the UK, which was really cool. And that was my favorite, because the moderator was super smart and always asked good question about the fantasy genre, and its intersections with queerness. It was refreshing instead of questions like-- “Why are you gay? Why is this here?” It was a good convo to have beyond the surface level.

It’s awesome that I saw so many showings of your series was in Indianapolis, in Indiana. You may not see a big crowd--DIY art isn’t an Ariana Grande concert--but What you do see is how it sort of transforms the room, and creates a living space, a community. 20 people is a community. Especially in Indiana.

Right, there’s very established artists and documentarians where the only place they have more than 20 people show up is in their hometowns. Even world-renowned documentarians may struggle to get an audience. Which is awful. But I think that one thing that is happening in the real world is that there are plenty of people I look up to, who are famous, whose twitter gets pretty very few likes! And they may have a huge amount of followers! And I’m like--why am I getting more likes than world-renowned feminist scholars? I think that’s happening in real life too. These people are having talks and showings of their work and sometimes DIY work is a different experience and maybe draws more people than these professional pieces, and there’s a community of people who can see themselves in that as artists.

I agree, it definitely changes the dynamic for people are used to when it comes to art, you think there’s the artist and this huge invisible wall and then there’s the observer, and it breaks down that dynamic.

Right, it changes the power dynamic. The artist isn’t a preacher.  What we’ve seen in DIY venues is, everybody is sitting in chairs. The artist is in the front, but everyone is on the same level. There isn’t a stage to walk down from.

I think people are only starting to observe this change, and aren’t sure what to call it yet. Some people see changes like this as the death of something, like the death of some kind of empire of how art works. But especially with this project, I think I’ve not only been an optimist, but a realist in the sense that it’s for the better. So many people are screaming “death to media! Death to print!” and I’m just over here like, “You’re a Baby Boomer, please don’t talk to me.”

Ha! Right. These media aren’t dead, but they’re definitely dying. But I think they’re going to be dying for a while to come. People broadcasting the death of all of these things---like, they’re not dead yet. The Met is gonna be in trouble, but the Met is gonna be around for the next 100 years. The Met’s not just gonna crumble.

Going back to “Idle Cosmopolitan”--I love how it’s a series of very short films. And by short, I mean like, slightly longer than a Vine length. And some people may come across that and immediately compare the series to Vine culture, but my immediate thought was comparing it to poetry, with a lot of tightly-wound content being fit into a small space. So I was wondering how poetry influences your visual work, or how visual work influences your poetry, etc.

That’s interesting. I actually originally applied to go to college for poetry. I never called myself a poet, but I did think about it for a while. When I do write poetry, it’s usually about nature, and viewing nature through the lens of divinity and power dynamics. Which I think is definitely a big part of my video work. The “Queer World” in my piece is a forest. Somebody was talking to me recently, and said that “I think it’s interesting that the queer world is a forest. Do you think of urban spaces as, like, not-as-queer spaces?” I hadn’t really thought about that. But whenever I think of that sort of the afterlife, I don’t think of cities. And what’s our other option, really? Nature. An ocean would be a terrifying destination for the afterlife. I think that poetry is super important, I think when I’m writing anything, I tend towards a lyrical, poetic style. I love hard facts, but I was never super into Hemingway. I always loved the Great Gatsby. Not that I like showy, hyper-stylized stuff; I hated the Great Gatsby movie. But the suggestion of artifice, the suggestion of things like that, I think is really interesting.

There’s ton of talk about heaven and nature and sin in “Idle Cosmopolitan.” I’m sure it comes from a long line of being raised in Christianity, and having read all of the Christian classics. And as a kid, I was obsessed with the apocalypse. Once, I was between 6-9 I remember looking at clocks in restaurants and thinking, “Could this be the hour of the end?” I remember being super into Revelations, and the ghost stories that my friends and I would tell each other, and often confusing them as the same thing.

I think that’s a form of poetry true, a strange, mental form of poetry. I think the afterlife is poetic, because there’s no concrete that you can provide.

I think in terms of modality, I think I’m always writing in the form of the poetic, even if I’m not writing a poem. Even my column--it’s not a how-to column, it’s not a safari.

It’s not MTV Cribs!

Right! Definitely more reflections.

I always thought of videos sort of in musician terms, like “this is my new album---Idle Cosmopolitan.” This is the tracklist, and each has a poetic name, etc. And each year, there’s a self-image overhaul….well, there’s no image overhaul for me this year, but especially in college I was into that idea, where I wanted to amp myself up every year.

But this iteration, for me, was trying to marry these poetic ideals with my own lived experiences, to make it sort of autobiographical, but still have a flourish. I mean, I was watching Twin Peaks when I was working on it.

Yeah, I can definitely see that influence in there. Where there’s that magic-realism, but it’s so mundane. The suspension of disbelief is so well-dissolved into it.

Right as I was starting to write this, I just finished the season of Veronica Mars---I’m not sure if it directly influenced it…

But it was there

Yeah, and watching Twin Peaks: the Return. What I thought was interesting about it was its formal elements. There was this sort of suspension of disbelief present for both the characters and the audience. So then you’re just like, “Yeah, queer spirits! That makes sense!” So, it’s that magic realism that is super appealing. And also the fact that it’s episodic. One of the things about David Lynch that I’m really into is the episodic nature of his work. There’s this loose play with time and narrative, and it’s an experience.

I think what Lynch talks a lot about, especially in later seasons, is agency. But in Sex and the City, for example--Carrie isn’t a bad person, but she’s not necessarily a good person either. She has affairs, runs around doing whatever she wants, she tries to take a break from dating and has a guilt complex where she feels bad about her actions, and also places guilt on other people--it’s complex, which I think is interesting.

Like chaotic neutral, but a little more complex than that?

Yeah, definitely. I’m obsessed with people who are chaotic neutral. I don’t think I’m chaotic neutral, but I’m fascinated by that those people exists.

I’m a super-intense Virgo, Type A, Blair Waldorf type. I definitely pride myself on hard work--which could be problematic--but I have that crawl-my-way-to-the-top sort of vibe.

This character in the webseries, they’re sort of neutral. They’re a relationship writer, but it doesn’t seem like a main part of their personhood. The only thing that they seem mad about is when their boyfriend breaks up with them, which is fair. But they don’t seem to be making many choices, and there’s something very sidekick about that.

I was in this space in my life where I was having to make all these intense decisions--deciding to move to New York, having to make all of these choices about who I wanted to be as a person. The character is the exact opposite, where there’s no movement. There’s a movement in narrative, a movement in place, but it kind of happens to them.

They get a letter, a pep talk from Fate--and they’re just like, “Sure, whatever, I don’t care.” Then they enter the queer world, and they’re like “Alright.” And then the Blue Spirit is the one who was like, “No, this wasn’t actually a good choice.” And they’re like, “Okay, sure.” They never really doubt people’s motives.

There’s a sort of guilt about making choices that Type A people have. Inevitably, if you’re a type A perosn, you’re going to hurt people. Even if you’re not actually hurting them, you’re going to make choices, and choices affect people. There’s winners and losers. So what does it mean for the sort of stoner archetype, this chaotic neutral archetype, when they don’t make choices?

I’ve never been a chill person, so I gravitate towards writing characters that are like that. Because I’m always wondering….what does that feel like?

Right! I feel like it takes a lot of effort to be chill, which isn’t chill. It’s kind of a self-consuming concept. I’m not gonna say it’s the only real binary, but…

Haha, right! Ok back to influences. Actually, as far as the soundtrack goes, I’ve gotten a lot of feedback where people say it reminds them of Sex and the City, and that it’s derivative. Actually, one person said that the soundtrack reminds them of Rugrats….

Stop!!!

Right!? Well, it’s jazz, but it’s sort of this chaotic jazz.

It’s a typical theme song in a lot of ways, but it’s disarming. Which I like.

Some people said it makes them anxious.

It offsets the perceived chill in the series, which signals you to look harder.

Watching it back, I was like...something is wrong. Narratively, there’s something up. But I’m not sure if that thing ever gets hashed out or resolved, it just sort of hangs like a dark cloud.

Which is what’s so great about poetry. There’s always that lack of resolution. People always get angry at that, where they want to feel satisfied...where’s the sequel at??

Do they get the girl or not??

Yeah! It’s how we’re taught to view life. But especially with creative people, it’s paradoxical--they only thing that makes them (us) feel satisfied is poetry, that sort of form that leaves things unresolved.

Totally.

How has the internet shaped your writing?

The internet is definitely fucked up. It was created by the military, and is now owned by billionaires. That’s already strike one. But let’s assume that the internet is also provides a space that provides more access for more people. But it doesn’t provide equal access for everybody. It provides equal access for a relatively small amount of people. You have to afford a computer, internet access--and even if you go to the library, you have to afford to be there.

But let’s say it does level the playing field in that way---even still, people don’t have more of a chance of getting their art noticed because of it. It does mean more people can put their stuff out there, but it doesn’t guarantee more viewers, or more fans, or some utopia.

The internet has become this neoliberal promise of equality. This reveals itself in every aspect---who dominates media, who dominates internet celebrity, etc. This doesn’t discount the fact that there’s fantastic DIY spaces based on the internet, but there’s a lot being overlooked.

The internet as a structure is racist, sexist, homophobic, and transphobic. Even if we go back to technology like photography, for example, it was a technology developed to best depict white faces. It’s so great that the internet creates a platform for people, but that includes creating platforms for neo-nazis on 4chan, for alt-righters to doxx people. The web is pretty fucked up, and it amplifies our greatest strengths, like community. Especially the trans community, which is so important. But it also amplifies our problems, and reveals where we need to grow.

I don’t think the internet is the devil, but I think it makes it harder for people to feel like human beings. It mirrors capitalism, and degrades human beings in so many ways where we’re expected to become a brand, which is always tied to capitalism. We’re forced to reduce ourselves to something bite-sized, which is troubling me as a person and as an artist.

When did u start writing and being creative?

I was always drawing. I was super into Pokemon and all the Nintendo games. I was into anything cute and well-designed, like Zelda, and anything involving world-building. I was super into maps, and at a young age, I thought, “I wanted to do that.”

At a young age, I wanted to be a pop star. And I made the boys in the neighborhood be my band. Now I’m thinking that was sort of a strong signal of me being gay, haha. Boys---you’re gonna be in this band, and I’m gonna sing Breakout by Miley Cyrus.

I started getting really into bands. I was really into Coldplay, and I wanted to be Chris Martin.

STOP, ME TOO

I really liked “Clocks.”

ME TOO, when I first heard that, I was like, Now….that’s what I call music.

I also really liked “Lovesong” by Sara Bareilles, which is entirely different, but I was also like...that’s what I call music. Also Paramore and Deathcab, and I was like…..this is also Music. I still love all this stuff

I still listen to all this stuff pretty much on the regular, even though I laugh about it Yeah! And at the time, all of these things were coded as feminine. Even Coldplay, which was, not a boyband, but kind of more healing.

Right, like ~emotional boys~, ~soft boys~, this sort of soft masculinity before it was talked about and memed.

I went from wanting to be a popstar, to wanting to be in bands, to wanting to do comics, and then I was like...I want to be painter! I did a lot of paintings, and then I wanted to be an actor. I was fixated on stardom, on theater. I was in all the plays of my freshman year.

Then I moved schools, and this guy who didn’t even like me and stopped talking to me, but I liked him---I wrote this psycho-opera about him. It was all songs about him, and it was super awkward. I recorded an album about him. He started being nice to me, and then I was just like…...here’s an album…

I was like, that was fun, but then I started to getting into Wes Anderson. And Woody Allen, but #WORST. And then Godard, which was better. Then I started making movies. And I saw 30 Rock, and it confirmed what I wanted to do.

I love how you go from Godard to 30 Rock

I know!! I was very all over the map. Then I started watching more experimental films and wild stuff, so it’s been a journey to where I’m at now.

The wrapping up portion, something I ask at the end of every interview...this is actually the first interview I’ve done that’s over the phone, an actual physical conversation. And the form of how I’ve conducted each interview has really affected it.

How would you describe the future of literature in a tweet-length? Or a sort of verbal tweet length, also tweets are longer now so….yeah….

Smaller.

[youngandhungryent]

Cardi B Thanks Fans For AMA Win, Says She's Busy Working On New Album

Cardi B wasn't present at this past weekend's American Music Awards but it's all for good reason since she's updated fans on Instagram that she's been in the studio every day and night working on new music. The "Money" rapper won this year's Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist - the same win she pulled in last year - and since she couldn't' be there she presented her acceptance speech with a video to her feed.

Scott Legato/Getty Images

"I wanna say thank you everybody for voting for me for this AMA award, I’m so grateful that I won this AMA award," she said, as seen in the clip below. “I’m sorry to my fans that I’ve really been off the scene. I’ve been busy every f—ing night, every motherf—ing day in the studio. I haven’t been able to, you know, put a nice wig on, wax my mustache, even do my nails, my f—ing eyebrows is f—ed up, so you know, I’ve been a little bit off the scene and everything because I’ve just been a little bit off, just focusing so I can deliver some good ol’ music for y’all in 2020.”

Cardi B is up for another award at the upcoming Grammys as her and Offset's "Clout" collaboration got nominated for Best Rap Performance. 

from Young And Hungry Entertainment https://ift.tt/2XLfoUo via Young And Hungry Ent. source http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/yahblogger/~3/ivZ3lXf1js8/cardi-b-thanks-fans-for-ama-win-says.html

[goodguyjean]

Some Thoughts Jean’s Character Development (Prompted by the HS AU).

CW: Bullying and the molestation scene.

So, in keeping with the rhetorical principle of kairos (timeliness of an argument), I think the time is ripe for a (re?)consideration of Jean Kirstein’s presentation in the Attack on Titan manga. I noticed that a bit of a discussion about Jean’s character popped up in the wake of the High School AU fake preview for volume 22 (one which I’ve already participated in a few times) and since we’ve just had a massive time-skip in the series to kick off the final arc, I feel like we can examine the development of the characters from the fall of Wall Maria to their journey to the ocean as discreet units. In fact, it may be useful to look at where some of them have ended up and how they got there before launching off into the new arc, so if you like what I have to say about Jean please send me suggestions for more character analysis like this!

The reasons I want to talk about Jean are twofold. The first is obviously personal interest. I’m discussing Jean regardless of whether or not anyone else really wants to read it because I find his portrayal and development intriguing xD. But my jumping off point is a little bit more specific, to come back to the question of kairos. The High School AU, however silly or tongue-in-cheek, has raised questions in fandom about whether or not Jean is a bully in canon or would be one in an AU that I would like to address.

Although I’m taking an AU’s depiction of Jean as the starting point of my inquiry, this post is pretty much only concerned with the canon material of the manga (not the anime: I have already discussed discrepancies between the manga and the anime’s portrayals of Jean here). Even though Isayama drew the High School AU and therefore it probably has value as meta, I feel strongly that the Jean depicted therein has little in common with Jean in the manga. I’ve been attempting to follow up on an interview which was mentioned to me, where Isayama supposedly said that in any other universe Jean would be one of Armin’s bullies (I’d appreciate any help in locating it! So far I’ve only been able to find other people mentioning it in their posts but no source). I find this kind of blanket statement on Isayama’s part a little bit more troubling—how did he come to understand his character this way? I guess it doesn’t matter to a certain extent, because authorial intent or understanding is by no means the end-all be-all of interpretation—and therefore I would like to further explore the question of Jean’s canonical presentation to attempt to answer the question: is Jean Kirstein ever, at any point, a bully?

My answer, as you may be able to guess from the fact that my blog is Jean themed, is a pretty hard no. In fact, within canon I would argue that Jean is one of the more empathetic and morally astute characters, and that the development he undergoes is less of a complete ethical realignment and more of an adjustment of his goals and strategies. He doesn’t begin cruel and transform into a kinder person; he starts off as astute but self-centered and his development revolves around using his skills to protect and champion others rather than just himself.

I would say Jean actually starts off as a bit of an outsider among the 104th (a facet of his personality that the original draft of the HS AU actually preserves) and that Eren generally has more clout than him; in fact, trainee Eren would probably not be a compelling target for a bully, all things considered. Jean’s fights with him don’t seem to come from a place of maintaining dominance over someone weaker and instead take the form of pretty mutual brawling. Indeed, he may be at a bit of a disadvantage when fighting against Eren physically, as demonstrated in this scene.

Chapter 3. Jean is “punching up” here, as it were. After a battle of words, Eren and Jean hit each other simultaneously and initiate a fight in which, according to Reiner, the odds may be slightly against Jean. Mikasa also implies Eren picked this fight after she intervenes. Also I just noticed that dude giving peace signs in the far left corner lol.

All in all, Jean is never depicted as picking on someone weaker than himself to establish dominance at pretty much any point in the series, as far as I can remember (in fact, he’s the only one to stand up to bullying in some situations, as will be discussed below). Isayama shows Jean hassling Marco, teasing Sasha, and picking fights with Eren (the first of whom has some pretty naive worldviews and the latter of whom give as good as they get and even start said fights). Jean’s so irritating to Eren--at least in the manga, I know they nerf him considerably in the anime--because he’s astute and quite often actually has a point. He’s not, unlike Armin’s bullies in the series, calling Eren a heretic for even thinking of going outside; rather, he seems concerned that Eren is going to drag other people outside to killed along with him (particularly Mikasa, initially). He can be rude and he has a short fuse but he’s not seeking people out to hurt them and enjoying it. He has a sore spot about Eren, but that’s really more of a fight between equals--they make each other mutually uncomfortable because Jean reminds Eren of the stakes involved in achieveing his goals and Eren provokes action from Jean. 

In fact, I’d say Jean’s commitment to the truth aligns him a lot more with Armin than his bullies or even with the other members of the 104th. For instance, as this post points out, they both get themselves into trouble by speaking their minds as kids. 

Armin in chapter 1 and Jean in chapter 16. I still can’t get over Jean calling Eren “eloquent”; regardless of Eren’s good intentions, I think Jean is very right in pointing out how Eren’s rhetoric doesn’t sound all that different from the story the higher ups told about the cull. But I also find it super interesting that there is no bad intent in Jean’s speech here; given the “truce” they call afterwards, I think he’s serious that he doesn’t mean to attack Eren. In the anime Jean doesn’t get this line about eloquence in and the scene is much more hostile.

Which brings me to my point about his development. The way I read it in the manga, Jean’s journey is not about transforming from a cruel person into a kinder one (since he is never depicted as cruel in the first place), but from a self-centered individual into a responsible one: specifically, a person tasked with championing the weak. Jean has always seen the problems with the government--he talks about the cull of twenty-percent of the population as a suicide mission, he pokes fun at the rhetoric of calling the people who are forced to settled in outskirt towns “heroes”--but instead of attempting to do anything about it his initial impulse is to play the system so that he survives as long as possible.

Chapter 17. They stand up to start fighting simultaneously immediately after this. Eren is sweating here, implying nervousness, and his eye is twitching; Jean’s pretty calm now, but in just a few panels his jealousy over Eren’s friends will get him into trouble. 

In fact, Marco thinks Jean’s pragmatism and desire of self-preservation put him in a unique position to stand up for the weak--the opposite of picking on them.

Chapter 18. This memory comes to Jean when he’s trying to decide how best to protect his comrades from further death and devastation.

Marco’s point is that Jean has a unique combination of skills and personality traits which he can utilize to protect the weak, both from the titans and (eventually) other humans who are seeking to oppress them. Jean’s “weakness” leads him to value life, so he’s not going to take certain risks unless he has to--and he’ll be honest it about it with his soldiers, so they’ll know he has their interests at heart. He only makes sacrifices reluctantly, when he must in order to preserve a larger number of people (as seen in Trost). He’s also astute: he’s suspicious of empty rhetoric (like the government deals in--it’s so weird that Marco is the one implying some of this, given his fondness for the king; perhaps it’s just that the society views these attributes as weak, given how messed up it is) and he can take in any situation pretty quickly. He’s aware of the systems of oppression that govern the Walled World (culls and bait towns), and his development seems to center on widening the scope of how he resists those systems rather than his awakening to their existence: he needs to look out not just for himself, but others or else he is complicit in their suffering. So he joins the Survey Corps, not because he sees Eren’s vision of “freedom, no matter how high the costs” but because he wants to protect his friends.

Chapter 18. I don’t think bullies worry so much about others. There’s a sense of camaraderie that seems to include Jean expressed at other points in the manga--like, yeah he’s a bit rude sometimes, but he’s our rude guy and we like him that way. No one seems to have a serious problem with him. 

This seems to be how others understand Jean’s change of heart as well. Everyone is weirded out by how “responsible” he is now, rather than how much kinder--implying they didn’t really see him as cruel in the first place. No one comments, for instance, on Jean personally supporting Connie or Armin after some of their difficulties, but they do notice when he speaks up for helping others more generally, particularly at great risk to himself. 

Reiner in volume 6, when Jean suggests buying time for the platoon to retreat after the Female Titan devastated their forces.

Connie, Eren, and Armin commenting on how Jean’s changed in volume 13. I’m not quite sure about Armin’s comment here; was Jean ever really a “bad guy” or just a bit of an asshole sometimes in the course of disagreeing with Eren?

And I think Jean takes his newfound commitment to others seriously, which leads to some of his struggles during the Uprising arc as he tries to distinguish the most ethical course of action when the metric of “human versus titan” fails. He always attempts to voice his objections within the parameters allowed to him by the military, although not always in the most productive ways (think about that joke about stabbing incompetent commanders in the back . . .). In fact, he’s even willing to challenge the SC when he thinks they’re going too far in the name of the coup: part way through my initial read through of the series, I started looking to Jean for commentary on the morals of a coup that stems from within the military rather than from the will of populace. 

Jean voices his objections to torture, volume 14. Surely someone with a cruel streak or the impulse to bully would be able to think of some justification for torture.

Everyone is upset over Levi’s treatment of Historia, but Jean’s the only person who actually says anything, volume 14.

Jean is the first and last person to raise objections about the coup’s methods in this scene, volume 14. He feels so strongly about it he considers defying orders.

And I don’t necessarily want to get too much into the molestation scene from chapters 52 and 53, but Jean seems to object to being asked to participate in the “bait” scheme, because it makes him somewhat complicit in what happens to Armin. While presumably other members of the 104th comforted Armin after his trauma, we only see Jean doing it. In fact, he’s the only one who speaks about it apart from Mikasa, who alludes to the molestation once on the rooftop while she and Levi are setting up the trap.

Jean struggles with the tenants of the mission, which is to act as bait until they can spring a trap for the big boss of the Reeves’ company, volume 13. The implication seems to be if he were not compelled to be “Eren” at this point he could do something about what is happening to Armin.

From volume 13. Unfortunately, it also seems like Connie and Sasha are laughing here. :(

Of course, even at this stage of his maturation there’s still room for Jean to grow. For example, Jean’s response to Armin’s second “gesumin” moment, wherein he suggests fooling the masses in order to get them on the survey corps side, is to blame Armin’s unethical proposal on his recent trauma.

Volume 14.

This is not Jean’s finest moment, but I read it as him (however problematically) trying to make sense of Armin’s suggestion; a suggestion which involves manipulation and lying, two things antithetical to Jean’s own values. This ableism doesn’t belong just to Jean, but is pervasive throughout the world of Attack on Titan (many people toss around insults related to intelligence and mental health), so I read this also as a bit of a knock to their society; they could all do better. This is not to excuse Jean here, but to just acknowledge the systematic nature of the problem.

Overall, however, Jean’s the only person who’s attempting to help Armin (that we see, obviously) and I think these scenes are where we get a fuller sense of his empathy; an empathy that also leads him to try to help Eren (again, in his own blunt and awkward way) after the events of the Reiss chapel. It’s the same empathy, I think, that Marco alludes to when he says Jean understands the weak and should endeavor to help them. We can read that empathy back into his concern for his fellow soldiers, who are constantly asked to risk their lives for causes that may not even have their best interests at heart. Whereas Armin’s analytic nature leads him to discover people’s secrets and predict their movements, Jean’s empathy grants him perspective on their feelings--he can see the human in pretty much anybody, which I view as his main strength.

Over the course of the coup, Jean becomes the main voice of dissent. Although Sasha and Connie often nod along with him, he’s usually the one who either speaks first or speaks at all, and Levi realizes that he’s going to have to convince Jean eventually if he’s going to maintain order in his ranks.

From volume 14. I think it’s so interesting that we’re looking first at Jean from behind and then at him through Levi’s eyes. It’s almost like we’re meant to be identifying primarily with Jean and Levi’s looking at us--Levi has to convince us he’s right, in addition to convincing Jean. He’s also centered here, suggesting his leader status among the other recruits.

Jean’s biggest development during the coup stems from struggling with the idea that there’s no way to be ethically pure. He joined the Survey Corps in order to help others after Trost made him fully aware of the stakes but sometimes that’s a murkier process than it initially seems. Jean decides after Armin kills someone for him (sacrificing his own innocence for Jean’s life), that the best he can do in his current situation is to protect his comrades. And he takes that mentality with him after the coup, as demonstrated in this scene where he lectures Marlowe.

Chapter 72. Jean’s trying to tell Marlowe not to get swept up in the rhetoric of self-sacrifice.

Yet I like that Jean doesn’t come out his experience completely cowed by Levi (who, admittedly, does not want Jean to be cowed or even want Jean to think he’s always right, based on their discussions), as we can see in this scene where he encourages Historia to keep her promise to Boss Reeves and punch Levi in revenge for his violence towards her.

Chapter 70. Eren thinks she should let it go but Jean cheers her on.

So, in summation, Isayama can reinterpret Jean as a bully if he wants to in his AUs for comedy, but I think that’s an oversimplified and even quite inaccurate reading if we want to take it seriously, even of pre-development Jean xD. Jean starts off as an observant but self-centered person who doesn’t intimidate the weak but doesn’t champion them either; he just wants to survive. But Marco’s death makes him realize the full extent of the care he feels for his comrades and he sets out to protect them and support them, even in defiance of his commanders. He questions the rhetorical maneuvering of the powerful and seeks to live honestly. None of that sounds like a bully and certainly none of that sounds like it would develop into a bully in a different world where there were no titans or no totalitarian government. And those are my two cents xD

[allhailmikki]

Address of Lehigh County Commissioners

Topics :Commerce and Law

Dear Commissioners Lehigh County; Commerce and District Attorney J Martin

In the most recent weeks of the spring term at Lehigh Carbon Community College,

I have been witness to a novice and divisive misuse of the campus's Ombudsman service by administration. At such time as servicing case 2323, “Inquiry to the creation of hand off procedure of

advisor position for previously approved clubs” , staff Peggy Heim and Donna Williams, purposely avoided the topic and made use of the meeting to slander my person with retaliatory false assertions that I had falsified my identity to campus. Clearly Heim does not understand that a use of a Ombudsman meeting is for mutual respect and reaching positive solutions. While the campuus and I are in disagreement to the reality that upon a time a) a Cannabis Legalization Club had been approved by Student Government Association ,b) that the access to that constitution and its former advisor contact information were restricted from access on multiple requests ; 4 + for the constitution and 2x for the advisor..

Sirs and Madams , among this correspondence, the misuse and retaliation tactics of the ombudsman service must be recognized either as an angry devolution of Lehigh Carbon Community College's quality of service or that Peggy Heim has come to disfigure and smear the ombudsman venue as a guardshacking and defensive affair that undercuts the students reliability to seek it out for fair response and consideration of their values.  When “Dean of Student Success” Peggy Heim opted to cite my correspondence to the FEC with a petition inclusive of student signatures in promotion of the group reactivation, we are not debating that I have association to the re activation of that group and that my name was squarely known to be in process of reactivating the group. A trickery and pressure tactic of lying  had exploited a previous  unbothered matter as an ‘incidence’ at that March 8th meeting leads to the summary Lehigh Carbon Community College is an administration centered fixture whose dwindling student enrollment is partially its own fault of inaccessibility to be represented by the administration.

Look at the Student Government page for example. https://www.lccc.edu/student-experience/student-government-association. Theres' no images of the student government . The campus is infected by mother hen egoists who've gotten cozy with their disenfrancised average student archetype as needing a pat on a back instead of learn to be adults. Being an adult is voicing opinion and having a platform of demands by which social integrity should not fall below. LCCC's integrity , visible to the conduct of the Ombudsman service is low. At this time, lacking visible indication of an ethics code, I am requesting the Campus President Bieber adjudicate the lack of an open ethics code by administration , toward administration that bring them up to speed on the professional decorum of enabling students to address their wants without pretexts of what the administration will expect or retaliate upon them

I will briefly summarize what was used to slander me at the March 8th meeting and following correspondences. In fall term of 2016 I was a member of the film club and contacted the literary agent of Stephen King to request permission to use a character. My professional degrees and personal experience make this type of thing very commonplace. Any student has the access to do this as long as in mention of the reason of request that they don't intentfully smear the institutions name they are assoicated with.  Such negative contexts would summarize as “Der , me from Lehigh Carbon Community College. Me like your It Clown and want it for my film club pwa.. prog.. project. Something like that. Praw-ject (fonetic) is what I meant. If you want to come to campus that would be so cool , come next week. Byebye”.  

My correspondence included my request for permission, the reason I was asking ( having been a club member of LCCC) and then some matters about Gender Studies and Columbine that could generally also context my letter as arising from my LCCC email but neither being a club or enterprise related inquiry. I did invite him to campus as my personal interest . This is not uncommon but due to my 'we this and we that ' type terms am being misconstrued as presenting myself as an officer of the club rather than a team member of a film project. I did say in that letter I was new to the group. On face value I have not changed any matter of my identity and my name is on the paper.. In the latter portion of Fall term when this email was already known I had a  previous meeting with Dean Heim about a misleading on campus assurance of being hired and then not. This misleading statement and being strung along for an unreasonable time was neither apologized for or even concerned serious. The customer service on this campus, as a theme among Peggie Heim, is poor.

If my letter to the FEC was considered insulting or due repercussion , then it was not addressed earlier I in the term compared to the meeting. While the identity of my person is not in dispute and the originality of the group being approved by the Students is not in dispute, Peggie Heim and Gene Eden would contend their current policy to make clubs impermanent is the only string they have in slandering me as 'falsification' and it was the reason we were meeting. The real issue is , and I am accusing this.. they are burnt out on being two year college people. Maybe some students stay longer but in this case 'its the people that 'come and go' and they don't want to get in touch with this loss cycle with themselves. I want to be clear here the students signing the petition were not signing said petition to become members as support of group. This was a preliminary ' putting sharp teeth in the mouth of the club” so that when I do present it , that I have clout as a legit leader of the club. My ultimate determination of the campus is administration is novice at politics and they don't want their students to grow to be adults in this capacity. If the student features a disagreeable position that the state or federal government doesn't like.. its not for administration to get brow beaten about it.. Enable the student to defend their points. Thats the process of maturing and curing the mold of the individual as an education process.

I am enjoying my extended vacation since my effective address of the business department at LCCC still resulted in a campus expulsion until further notice. I presented a sign to the business dept as a presentation and demanded Peggie Heims and Donna Williams resignations. Also If the Campus would oblige their unprofessional use of the ombudsman system that I would then request President Ann Biebers resignation as well. Donna Williams , HR , has been found to be falsifying staff performance records in the level of this debate and possibly others. For Heim to believe an Ombudsman meeting is the appropriate place to retaliate is a clear indication HR is ineffective at curbing negative practices that wouldn't fly at any reputable four year school. If Heim and company are inferring LCCC is their own little drawbridge and bedroom campus to act as they please for a role of policy by proxy of indifferrence to the customer, they do require a wakeup.

In the process of placing me on probation for bringing 2323 to them and their inclusion of two correspondences to pretend opinions they disagree with are falsification.. . Compound to defamation of my record by slander and libel. My student record is libeled by their refusal to play the topic for what it is. I then took out another Ombudsman case against Heim for Slander , the number is 2341. and their Ombudsman service is MyHRPartner (Allentown). I am again requesting Peggie Heim and Donna Williams resignation formally , now publicly, and the campus to a) acknowledge the defemation of my record happened and b) that Ann Bieber assure that all students will not be intimidated, called to confidentiality with the campus to protect administration  tactics or EVER that an Ombudsman meeting will resort to  retaliatory efforts. That an ethics code will be addressed openly for the administration whether in disciplinary roles or not.

My association and intent to reactivate the Cannabis Club have never been obscured from administration ie Brian Delong. I asked him to be an advisor because of his disciplinary proximity to be in fair view.  That I was accused of asserting the intent to found a tokers lounge on campus is both an already conceded topic/idealism and not realistic for Gene Eden to bring up in the context of the meeting. The Campus Student life organization needs a new leader since divisivism is no leader quality and now I see it. The first time I simply asked to see over top of Gene Eden to inquire if anyone else was restricting the constitution access. Now I see Gene Eden herself takes a cheap line on her self protection. The Usage I am addressing Still had in first letters be divided from campus activities to its own quarters and I feel this point being glossed over is also divisive mischaracterization. The dry campus matter is already a fact. Sometimes you have to press the line hard to make sure they get the values of the otherside. We see this all the time with congress. Make a strong front line and then see what best mutual benefit arrives in the center. They just want to be sour bitches and thats not cool.

Unlike what you might hear from the security , the reason i am not on campus now is because I have motivation to demand my record be corrected from Peggie Heim’s libel. Whether my tactic of addressing the business office with unarmed demands is approved is not my concern but do know that opting non mass student channels was to avoid accusation of manufacturing a riot. My decision to demand justice against administration led defamation is acceptable at all times. I request your assistance to delist Lehigh Carbon Community College from Lehigh County as penalty for unprofessional conduct toward its student customers. I’m enjoying my extra weeks of spring break. can LCCC even muster explain what penalty I experience with more vacation? NOPE.

Thank you for your time.

Michael Bench , MEP GCERT

Exercise Physiologist

Gender Studies.  

returning student Freshmen. Stoner with Honors

[socialattractionuk]

Essential tips for online dating in lockdown (and the pandemic dating trends to watch out for)

Embrace the joy of getting to know each other from a distance (Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

Being single and actively looking for love in lockdown is strange… mostly because you can’t actually leave the house and meet anyone.

Physical intimacy isn’t a possibility (unless you smooch your housemates), but you can still date amid the coronavirus pandemic – just go to your usual online dating spots and build up the chat until you can meet IRL.

This new normal comes with its own hurdles. There are new dating trends to look out for, new challenges to overcome, and all the emotions of living in a crisis will have an impact.

We chatted to Rachael Lloyd, the relationship expert at eharmony, to get her wisdom on how to navigate these new choppy waters of dating in a pandemic.

Here are her essential tips.

Get creative

No, you can’t just go for after-work drinks or do dinner and a film.

But you can still do proper dates – just think outside the box.

‘Virtual dates don’t have to be boring,’ says Rachael. ‘Use technology to visit a virtual gallery, join a virtual book club or simply watch your favourite Netflix flick together.

‘These activities will be a good barometer for compatibility further down the line and give you the chance to show off a bit of personality ahead of meeting IRL.’

We’ve written a handy guide to a great video date, so do read that before booking in that FaceTime sesh.

Beware the pandem-ex

Rachael says: ‘One in five Brits (21%) have been contacted so far by a former love, a pandem-ex, during lockdown – but it’s best to resist temptation and see the approach for what it is.

‘There’s often a valid reason relationships break up, from a fundamental lack of compatibility to shifting priorities or betrayal.

‘So, if an ex comes virtually knocking stay true to yourself first.’

Video calls are a must (Picture: Ella Byworth for Metro.co.uk)

Embrace being able to get to know each other

Don’t think too much about what you’re missing out on (physical touch). Instead, embrace one of the benefits of dating in lockdown: you pretty much have to get to know each other on a deeper level before you get swept up in snogging each other’s faces of.

Schedule in some proper chat sessions (eharmony has a new video dating function for exactly this, but you could also use Zoom, FaceTime, HouseParty, or even the humble phone call) where you can talk for an hour or more.

Enjoy that oldschool thrill of flirty messages and talking all night. It’s kind of lovely to just talk.

‘While conversation should flow if you have chemistry, don’t be afraid to plan a few conversation topics in advance,’ Rachael recommends. ‘Not only will this help you avoid any awkward silences but allow you to find out exactly what you would like to know about a potential new match.’

Remember it’s okay to be single

If you’re not in the mood to date, don’t force it. Lockdown can be the perfect opportunity for solo time.

Rachael says: ‘Bear in mind being in a relationship isn’t the be all and end all and just because you have extra time on your hands, doesn’t mean you need to be having four virtual dates a night.

‘Instead, a bit of self-reflection may well make you realise that you have been chasing the wrong people, or could actually do with a bit of time on your own.

‘Take things at your own pace and trust your instincts.’

Ditch comparison

You know full well that comparison is the thief of joy, but the temptation to measure your experience up against others’ highlights on social media is even stronger in lockdown.

Remember that for every cutesy date night you see on Instagram, there’s an argument borne out of desperately needing some space from a significant other.

‘Don’t beat yourself up because you see friends or family in happy relationships,’ says Rachael. ‘This will only give rise to more feelings of pressure and dent your confidence.

‘The pandemic has impacted relationships too; couples who have only recently just met have had to move in together with no prior warning and many established couples are getting cabin fever.’

Dating terms and trends, defined

Blue-stalling: When two people are dating and acting like a couple, but one person in the partnership states they're unready for any sort of label or commitment (despite acting in a different manner).

Breadcrumbing: Leaving ‘breadcrumbs’ of interest – random noncommittal messages and notifications that seem to lead on forever, but don’t actually end up taking you anywhere worthwhile Breadcrumbing is all about piquing someone’s interest without the payoff of a date or a relationship.

Caspering: Being a friendly ghost - meaning yes, you ghost, but you offer an explanation beforehand. Caspering is all about being a nice human being with common decency. A novel idea.

Catfish: Someone who uses a fake identity to lure dates online.

Clearing: Clearing season happens in January. It’s when we’re so miserable thanks to Christmas being over, the cold weather, and general seasonal dreariness, that we will hook up with anyone just so we don’t feel completely unattractive. You might bang an ex, or give that creepy guy who you don’t really fancy a chance, or put up with truly awful sex just so you can feel human touch. It’s a tough time. Stay strong.

Cloutlighting: Cloutlighting is the combo of gaslighting and chasing social media clout. Someone will bait the person they’re dating on camera with the intention of getting them upset or angry, or making them look stupid, then share the video for everyone to laugh at.

Cockfishing: Also known as catcocking. When someone sending dick pics uses photo editing software or other methods to change the look of their penis, usually making it look bigger than it really is.

Cuffing season: The chilly autumn and winter months when you are struck by a desire to be coupled up, or cuffed.

Firedooring: Being firedoored is when the access is entirely on one side, so you're always waiting for them to call or text and your efforts are shot down.

Fishing: When someone will send out messages to a bunch of people to see who’d be interested in hooking up, wait to see who responds, then take their pick of who they want to get with. It’s called fishing because the fisher loads up on bait, waits for one fish to bite, then ignores all the others.

Flashpanner: Someone who’s addicted to that warm, fuzzy, and exciting start bit of a relationship, but can’t handle the hard bits that might come after – such as having to make a firm commitment, or meeting their parents, or posting an Instagram photo with them captioned as ‘this one’.

Freckling: Freckling is when someone pops into your dating life when the weather’s nice… and then vanishes once it’s a little chillier.

Gatsbying: To post a video, picture or selfie to public social media purely for a love interest to see it.

Ghosting: Cutting off all communication without explanation.

Grande-ing: Being grateful, rather than resentful, for your exes, just like Ariana Grande.

Hatfishing: When someone who looks better when wearing a hat has pics on their dating profile that exclusively show them wearing hats.

Kittenfishing: Using images that are of you, but are flattering to a point that it might be deceptive. So using really old or heavily edited photos, for example. Kittenfishes can also wildly exaggerate their height, age, interests, or accomplishments.

Lovebombing: Showering someone with attention, gifts, gestures of affection, and promises for your future relationship, only to distract them from your not-so-great bits. In extreme cases this can form the basis for an abusive relationship.

Microcheating: Cheating without physically crossing the line. So stuff like emotional cheating, sexting, confiding in someone other than your partner, that sort of thing.

Mountaineering: Reaching for people who might be out of your league, or reaching for the absolute top of the mountain.

Obligaswiping: The act of endlessly swiping on dating apps and flirt-chatting away with no legitimate intention of meeting up, so you can tell yourself you're doing *something* to put yourself out there.

Orbiting: The act of watching someone's Instagram stories or liking their tweets or generally staying in their 'orbit' after a breakup.

Paperclipping: When someone sporadically pops up to remind you of their existence, to prevent you from ever fully moving on.

Preating: Pre-cheating - laying the groundwork and putting out feelers for cheating, by sending flirty messages or getting closer to a work crush.

Prowling: Going hot and cold when it comes to expressing romantic interest.

R-bombing: Not responding to your messages but reading them all, so you see the 'delivered' and 'read' signs and feel like throwing your phone across the room.

Scroogeing: Dumping someone right before Christmas so you don't have to buy them a present.

Shadowing: Posing with a hot friend in all your dating app photos, knowing people will assume you're the attractive one and will be too polite to ask.

Shaveducking: Feeling deeply confused over whether you're really attracted to a person or if they just have great facial hair.

Sneating:When you go on dates just for a free meal.

Stashing: The act of hiding someone you're dating from your friends, family, and social media.

Submarineing: When someone ghosts, then suddenly returns and acts like nothing happened.

V-lationshipping:When someone you used to date reappears just around Valentine's Day, usually out of loneliness and desperation.

You-turning: Falling head over heels for someone, only to suddenly change your mind and dip.

Zombieing: Ghosting then returning from the dead. Different from submarineing because at least a zombie will acknowledge their distance.

  Do you have a story of love in lockdown? Get in touch to share it by emailing MetroLifestyleTeam@Metro.co.uk.

Share your views in the comments section below.

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[bharatiyamedia-blog]

A Timeline Of Cardi B's Meteoric Rise To Fame - See Every Moment From The Start!

https://bharatiyamedia.com/?p=351 Cardi B has got some serious star power! It’s been amazing to see just how much the 26-year-old entertainer has grown and evolved since she first started making headlines less than two years ago. Yep, that’s right. Can you believe that Bardi’s hit single, Bodak Yellow, dropped in 2017?! Related: Met Gala 2019: Cardi B SHUTS DOWN The Red Carpet! We know there’s so much more in store for Offset’s wife; her reign as the rap game’s most commercially successful female artist (sorry, Nicki Minaj) has truly just begun. We’ve compiled a list of the most important moments along Cardi B’s meteoric rise to fame! Ch-ch-check it out (below): 1992: A Star Is Born! October 11, 1992 – A ‘Regular, Degular, Schemgular’ Girl From The Bronx It’s only right that we start at the very beginning! Belcalis Almanzar was born in the Bronx, NY, to a Dominican father and Trinidadian mother. She picked up the nickname “Bacardi” at a young age, mirroring her sister Hennessy Carolina‘s alcohol-themed moniker. It later became simply Cardi B, and stuck like glue! Belcalis showed an interest in music pretty early on, by performing in high school talent shows and entertaining her peers whenever possible. Part of Cardi’s early years included working at a supermarket in Lower Manhattan. Upon being fired from her job, she took her old boss’ suggestion and started working at a strip club across the street. Those countless nights spent dancing for cash actually helped create the badass, outspoken woman we know today. She’s since credited her time as a dancer in multiple interviews as a means to an end, and a necessary moment for survival. She said the same of her decision to become a member of the Bloods gang, too. 2013-2017: Career Beginnings & Early Breakout Moments 2013 – Cardi B Starts Going Viral The woman sure knows how to entertain! All eyes were on Cardi after her hilarious and unfiltered videos started popping up all over Instagram and Vine. She used the social media platforms to speak her mind on taboo topics related to men, money, and her experiences as a stripper. She also made it very clear from the jump, that she is 100 percent a feminist! Oh, and the candid NSFW confessionals are still happening today, too. November 2015 – Cardi B’s Musical Debut On The Remix to Popcaan & Shaggy’s Boom Boom In 2015, Belcalis hit the studio to lay down a verse on Shaggy‘s dancehall track, Boom Boom. Although her flow wasn’t fully developed yet, she did drop a couple of icy, memorable lines like this one (below):  “You better empty your pockets, I’m talking heavy deposits/ Cardi Bartier got it, so you gon’ have to pay homage.” December 2015 – Cardi B Joins The Cast of Love & Hip Hop New York It didn’t take long for Cardi to become the break-out star and fan favorite of season 6 of VH1’s hit reality TV show Love & Hip Hop New York. The reason why is simple: the Bronx stripper kept the same sass and unfiltered commentary from her social media with her when she finally made it to the small screen. Way to always keep it real, okurrr! After two seasons on LHHNY, Cardi went on to announce that she’d be leaving the show to focus on furthering her musical career. Here we go, y’all! December 15, 2015 – Cardi’s Official Music Video Debut In The Visuals For Cheap Ass Weave Cardi made her official music video debut when she dropped the visuals to her single, Cheap Ass Weave. Long before the well-produced flare of her more recent videos, we see our girl rapping in what looks a like a make-shift nail salon in a broom closet for many scenes. Yikes! Talk about humble beginnings, ha! March 7, 2016 – Cardi Drops Her First Mixtape Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1 Just before officially exiting LHHNY, Cardi dropped her first mixtape, Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 1. The 13-track project showcased the young rapper’s growing lyrical abilities and just how serious she was about taking the leap of doing music full time. The mixtape’s most recognizable hit, Foreva (above), featured a catchy hook and beat that signaled mainstream appeal early on. Hardly a Bodak Yellow, but still pretty impressive for the time! The rapper would go on to release Gangsta Bitch Music, Vol. 2 at the top of 2017 and ink a deal with Atlantic Records months later. January 31, 2017 – Cardi B Guest Stars On BET’s Being Mary Jane Belcalis proved she can do more than spit one liners and hilarious quips on reality TV when she became a a guest star on BET‘s Being Mary Jane. The Bardi Gang was no doubt filled with joy when Cardi killed it as the loud and outspoken fictional character “Mercedes” for an episode in season four. Nice! June 2017 – Cardi B and Offset Start Dating As Her Career Takes Off! 2017 was truly the year things came together for Bardi. Months before she released the song that would go on to change her life, rumors began to swirl that Cardi and Migos rapper, Offset, were an item. Prior to that point, the duo had teamed up for a track called Lick. The pair coyly denied their relationship at first, but by May of that year, Kulture Kiari Cephus‘ parents made their MET Gala debut together, all but confirming their relationship. Offset went on to publicly propose to his love on October 27 that same year, at the Power 99 Powerhouse concert in Philadelphia. It was revealed later that they tied the knot in a secret ceremony. Their union proved to be as important to Cardi’s personal life as it was to her musical career. The duo would go on to collaborate several times more on chart-topping tracks like Motorsport, Drip, Who Want The Smoke? and Clout. Speaking on her professional and personal relationship with Offset, Cardi previously told The Fader: “It’s been a blessing, me meeting him and meeting his friends. I see how hard they work. And that motivated me to work even harder. And I see how good things are going for them and how popping it is to be number one. And I’m like, I want that. A lot of people just see they jewelry and they money, but I don’t think a lot of people see how hard they work for that shit every single day.” Their personal relationship would go on to encounter some bumps down the road — including nearly divorcing each other at one point in 2018 — but ultimately survive and thrive. On July 10, 2018, the couple welcomed their first child together, a baby girl named Kulture. We have a feeling these two aren’t done making music (and babies!) anytime soon. June 16, 2017 – The Release Of Bodak Yellow The single that did it all! Atlantic Records drops Cardi’s first commercial single, Bodak Yellow (Money Moves) and it quickly made its way to the top of the Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart just one month later. The hard-hitting, bad bitch anthem was hard not to love, and could be heard blaring from just about every speaker possible the summer it came out. When the song reached number one, it made Belcalis the first solo female rapper to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in nearly 20 years. The last woman to do it was Lauren Hill in 1998 with Doo-Wop (That Thing). But despite the single’s monumental success, many were concerned that our girl would be a one-hit wonder once the hype died down. What came next — including scoring two Grammy nominations for Best Rap Song Best Rap Performance for the single — proved that Cardi is in fact here to stay! 2018-Present: ‘Invasion Of Privacy’, A Baby, Coachella & More! January 2018 – Bruno Mars & Cardi B Team Up For Finesse (Remix) The crossover pop hit certainly helped make Cardi B a household name and showcase her mainstream appeal. Her verse on the track is fun and in your face, while Bruno Mars delivers the funk and soul. The old school ’90s beat and accompanying visuals mixed with the entertainers’ natural chemistry together made for certified Billboard success! April 6, 2018 – Invasion Of Privacy Is Released The success of Cardi’s debut studio album proved she was a commercial force to be reckoned with! Although it was more of a hip-hop album than anything else, it expertly put the rapper’s many talents (including singing!) on display while telling her come up story, straight from the heart. Invasion Of Privacy debuted at the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200 chart, and sold 255,000 equivalent album units overall in its first week. Check out more impressive records broken by the debut album: 100 million streams on Apple Music within its first week setting the record for most first-week plays for a female artist (previously held by Taylor Swift). Apple Music’s fifth most streamed album of all time. I Like It helped make Cardi the first woman to have three number one singles (including Girls Like You and Motorsport) on the Billboard chart. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Cardi currently has the most simultaneous Billboard U.S. Hot 100 entries by a woman — a record previously held by Beyoncé! April 16, 2018 – Bardi Brings Her Baby Bump To Coachella! Unlike festival headliner Beyoncé, the Bartier Cardi rapper didn’t let her pregnancy stop her from tearing up her first set ever at Coachella in 2018. The high-energy performance was full of twerking and multiple surprise guest appearances, including G-Eazy, Chance The Rapper, 21 Savage and Kehlani, from start to finish! April 19, 2018 – TIME Names Cardi B As One Of The 100 Most Influential People Just days after Cardi lit up the stage at Coachella, it was announced that she scored a spot on the 2018 TIME‘s Most Influential List. For the special issue, the publication uses another high-profile star to speak on behalf of the honoree. In this case, Empire star Taraji P. Henson shared what she thought made Cardi a breakout star, and then quickly a household name. The Golden Globe winning actress wrote: “When her mixtape came out, I thought, That’s it. She found it! She’s clear on her talent, and she’s not trying to get in anybody else’s lane. She recorded “Bodak Yellow” because it’s what she loved. Now she’s the biggest thing in music. And even with all those eyeballs watching, she’s still unapologetically herself. Cardi B’s here to stay, baby, and I’m happy to be a witness.” It’s clear that Cardi B’s transparency and authentic realness is celebrated! September 2018 – Cardi B Announces A Collaboration With Fashion Nova We know our girl loves her some Money, and her collaboration with the internet’s largest fast fashion brand brought her plenty of it! Considering how her peers like Rihanna and Beyoncé have also used their star power to venture into the fashion industry, we gotta say, this was a major move by Cardi. It paid off too, as a second collaboration between the two debuted on FN.com on May 8, 2019. January 23, 2019 – Cardi B Lands Her First Las Vegas Residency 2019 kicked off with some pretty amazing news for the Drip rapper. It was announced that she would begin a new residency at day and nightclub KAOS at the Palms Casino Resort in Vegas in April. Other exciting artists like G-Eazy, Skrillex and Kaskade also have residencies at the Sin City hot spot. February 3, 2019 – The Pepsi Super Bowl Commercial Starring Steve Carell And Cardi B! It’s hard to name a bigger televised moment than the NFL Super Bowl (and its highly-anticipated commercials). So, when Kulture‘s mother scored a primetime spot with the event’s largest, longtime sponsor Pepsi — alongside Steve Carell — it became crystal clear that Cardi’s star cache had reached new levels. Even still, the choice to participate in any part of the national football league’s biggest night was met with criticism and backlash from fans who felt Cardi should’ve known better. Especially considering her staunch, vocal support of Colin Kapernick‘s controversial open protest against racial injustice and police brutality that was challenged by the NFL. But Cardi did turn down the offer to perform alongside Maroon 5 at the halftime show for their single, Girls Like You, so shouldn’t that count for something? You tell us, Perezcious readers! February 10, 2019 – Invasion Of Privacy Earns Multiple Grammy Nods …And Wins Big! The entertainer’s debut album Invasion Of Privacy won Best Rap Album at the 61st Grammy Awards, beating out Mac Miller (Swimming), Nipsey Hussle (Victory Lap), Pusha T (Daytona) and Travis Scott (Astroworld) for the precious award! The achievement made her the first female solo artist to win a Grammy for Best Rap Album. She celebrated with a rousing performance of her singles that same night. The Recording Academy recognized Cardi with five nominations on the night, including Album Of The Year, Best Rap Performance (Be Careful), Song Of The Year (I Like It) and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for her Maroon 5 collab on Girls Like You. A major, major career milestone indeed! And we have to say, we absolutely loved the bold, vintage Mugler red carpet number (above)! What’s Next For Cardi B? March 2019 – Cardi Files A Trademark For ‘Okurrr’ It was reported that Bardi filed paperwork with the United States Patent and Trademark Office this year to trademark her signature phrase — with two different spellings — so it could be used for “clothing, namely, T-shirts, sweatshirts, hooded sweatshirts, pants, shorts, jackets, footwear, headgear, namely, hats and caps, blouses, bodysuits, dresses, jumpsuits, leggings, skirts, sweaters, undergarments.” But a source exclusively shared with us that Broadway actress Laura Bell Bundy beat her to it, and filed the same paper work months prior with the intention of giving all proceeds to charity. A judge has yet to rule in favor of either woman’s petition, but we are feeling the idea of more Cardi merch in general though! We can’t wait to see what kind of apparel our girl comes up with on her own! March 2019 – Cardi Inks A Deal To Star In Her First Feature Film Called Hustlers BIG, big news! Cardi is set to appear in a film called Hustlers, co-produced by her costar Jennifer Lopez. The project is about a crew of savvy former strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their Wall Street clients. How? By drugging and robbing them while knocked out. Yep! A powerhouse cast of strong women including Constance Wu, Riverdale‘s Lili Reinhart, Julia Stiles, and Keke Palmer will join is expected to begin production in April in New York City. We can’t wait to see her on the big screen! May 8, 2019 – A Second Collaboration With Fashion Nova And Cardi B The second FNxCardi collection did remarkably better than the first, bringing in $1 million in the first 24 hours of being on sale! Despite ordering nearly five times the amount of inventory for “Season 2” of the 107-piece spring/summer collection, the fast-fashion company struggled to meet early demand as the majority of pieces  already sold out instantly after launch. It’s clear the people want more of your unique fashionable taste, Cardi! May 2019 – Cardi Keeps Winning More Billboard Music Awards Cardi B lead all nominees at the 2019 Billboard Music Awards with a whopping 21 nominees in 18 categories, just a few nods shy of tying the record set by Drake and The Chainsmokers, who each scored 22 noms in 2017. The rapper took home six trophies, winning in the categories for Top Rap Female Artist and Top Rap Song (I Like It), while her feature on Maroon 5‘s Girls Like You snagged the Top Hot 100 Song, Top Selling Song, Top Radio Song and Top Collaboration awards. Congratulations, girl! In a recent interview with ET, Cardi B coyly hinted at plans of venturing into beauty industry (Kylie Jenner, watch out!) and other unnamed projects in the works. When asked about the future of her brand, she confidently told the outlet: “I see everything. I feel like I can accomplish anything and everything. So it’s just like… whatever I set my mind to do, I can do it. Whatever it is.” We’ll continue to keep our eyes peeled for more career updates from the desk of Cardi B! In the meantime, let’s enjoy… Some Of Cardi B’s Best Instagrams   Thoughts, Perezcious readers? What’s your favorite career moment from our list? [Image via Cardi B/Instagram/BET/YouTube/Brian To/Adriana M. Barazza/Patricia Schlein/FayesVision/Arturo Holmes/Andres Otero/Apega/Tony Forte/WENN] Source link

[mil-bearersoftheheavens-blog]

Multo ng Nakaraan // Hannah Wayne Cura

Some Filipinos considered the Marcos' family as a nightmare to our country. Even if you could see Ferdinand Marcos as a successor to the Philippines, it will never hinder the bad mark he gave to our land. Especially those who experienced martial law in his time or those who doubts him and his contribution to the Philippines up to now. I personally never became fond of his clout, since I heard enough stories from my grandparents or from the articles that I read before that made me turn my back against the Marcos Apologists or even the dictator himself. One story that terrified me the most was the Manila Film Center tragedy. The center was built in 1981 for the development of the original Filipino made films, but it was later then dubbed as the most haunted building or largest tomb in the Philippines when a scaffolding of the upper floor collapsed during its construction, killing hundreds of lives on the spot. Our teacher presented a doccumentary about it and it still gives me chills whenever I imagine the horrific scene. I first read it from a thread on Twitter a year ago and it keeps on coming out lately on other threads about horror stories in the PH. But I claimed it as a disturbing truth rather than a scary tale. Other than the lost of lives as a reason to anger from the naive Marcos', the poor workers were forced to work overnight and use cheap equipments just to quicken the work on finishing the building. It was involuntary and shows slavery. Some people say that the rumors were not true, instead of hundreds there were only a dozen of lives that were taken away during the accident. Some say that Ferdinand's wife (Imelda Marcos) gave the orders to stop the rescue mission and pour cement into the fallen parts entombling their workmen. In the end, Howie Severino (the reporter from the documentary) discovered that there were actually a total of 169 workers who died or went missing there instead of a dozen. Justifying the rumors and some apparitions of the dead workers. But some parts of the documentary made me confused because of some interviews that testify that the rumors were not true, and it's somehow convincing. But anyways, I always daydream about the first person to find the purest truth behind it to stop the gossips. Because the story almost contain a theory that the workers who were trapped below the building are now haunting the area or they survived and built tunnels to escape or even live underground. I know it sounds crazy. But I honestly don't doubt the thought that the Marcos' can make such an unhuman act like that, since they're known for being brutal. And it's not right to sacrifice a lot of innocent lives just to impress foreign countries. I like to quote the words of the 1984 UP School of Economics White Paper in saying that "we do not perceive that there should be a trade-off between human rights and economic development." Up to now, the terrifying accident still haunts our history. All we can possibly do is pray for those who were affected with the tragedy, save our current workers from slavery, trust a better president for our country and never fail our nation again. Because we cannot let history to repeat itself for the nth time around.

[theconservativebrief]

“His lies are meant to wear us down,” says the Pulitzer Prize-winning book critic Michiko Kakutani of our president. “To overwhelm and exhaust us, to make people so cynical that they cease to distinguish between fact and fiction.”

This is just one of many musings on the nature of reality Kakutani chronicles in her slim yet wide-ranging new book The Death of Truth, her first book. At its core, Kakutani seeks out to question how the notion of the truth became such a contested subject in our present moment. Kakutani concedes that the attack on objectivity is nothing new, but also maintains it has been “exponentially accelerated” in recent times by postmodernism and social media.

The former chief book critic for the New York Times, Kakutani worked for the paper for 38 years until she took a buyout last year (she still writes periodic pieces for them). During her tenure, she was arguably the most influential book critic in the US, playing a crucial role in boosting the careers of writers like Zadie Smith, David Foster Wallace, and George Saunders. Some thought she was too influential, wielding too much clout in publishing.

She was feared and loathed by writers like Norman Mailer, Gore Vidal, and Jonathan Franzen for her scathing reviews. Yet she always avoided the spotlight while at the Times, refusing to do interviews or panels, and hardly ever appearing in photographs. Given her intellectual range and output over the last several decades, it’s surprising that The Death of Truth is her first book.

I talked with Kakutani about, among other things, what the response should be to those who attack the truth, whether artists have a responsibility to be political, her thoughts on the late Philip Roth, and what books she’d recommend to Trump and Mike Pence. Our conversation, lightly edited and condensed, appears below.

Eric Allen Been

You write that some “dumbed-down corollaries” of postmodernism have seeped into the thinking of the populist right.

Michiko Kakutani

With its suspicion of grand, over-arching narratives, postmodernism emphasized the role that perspective plays in shaping our readings of texts and events. Such ideas resulted in innovative, groundbreaking art — think of the work of David Foster Wallace, Quentin Tarantino, Frank Gehry, to name but a few — and it opened the once-narrow gates of history to heretofore marginalized points of view.

But as such, ideas seeped into popular culture and merged with the narcissism of the “Me Decade” also led to a more reductive form of relativism that allowed people to insist that their opinions were just as valid as objective truths verified by scientific evidence or serious investigative reporting. Climate change deniers demanded equal time, creationists argued that intelligent design should be taught alongside “science-based” evolution, and Fox News insisted it was “fair and balanced.” All this proved fertile ground in which lies spread by Donald Trump, alt-right trolls, and Russian propagandists could take root.

Eric Allen Been

As you track in the book, Trump did not spring out of nowhere. What writers from the past can help us better understand this notion that those in power often try to define what the truth is?

Michiko Kakutani

Books by Hannah Arendt, such as the The Origins of Totalitarianism and Crises of the Republic examine the role that the despoiling of truth played in the rise of Nazism and Stalinism. Her work not only provides a look at how two of the most monstrous regimes in history came to power in the 20th century, but a more universal sort of anatomy of what Margaret Atwood has called the “danger flags” that make a people susceptible to demagoguery and propaganda, and nations easy prey for would-be autocrats.

The Austrian writer Stefan Zweig’s 1942 memoir The World of Yesterday gives readers a haunting account of how Europe tore itself apart in World War I, then lurched only decades later into the calamities of World War II, charting how easily reason and science can be dethroned by emotional appeals to fear and hatred.

Books by Richard Hofstadter — The Paranoid Style in American Politics and Anti-Intellectualism in American Life chronicle the episodic waves of a dark strain of thinking in American history animated by grievance, dispossession, and conspiratorial thinking. Earlier eruptions include the popularity of the anti-Catholic, anti-immigrant Know Nothing Party in the mid-1850s, and the spread of McCarthyism in the 1950s.

Eric Allen Been

Until last year, you of course were the chief daily book critic for the New York Times. And you’ve spent most of your career avoiding putting yourself front and center — shunning public events, interviews, photographs, etc. Why did you take that approach? And has putting yourself more out there while promoting this book been difficult?

Michiko Kakutani

Being a shy person, I have preferred to let my writing speak for itself. In fact, I probably became a writer partly because I’ve always felt more articulate on paper than in person. Writing The Death of Truth felt like a natural progression from what I was doing at the Times — a kind of amplified version of the sort of notebooks I wrote as a critic.

Eric Allen Been

Are there any notable reviews you’ve published that you’ve had a change of mind about?

Michiko Kakutani

Most readers are likely to think somewhat differently about a book, if they re-read it years later. My perspective on individual books has probably evolved — or been tweaked by reading the author’s subsequent work — but I can’t think of cases in which my view of a particular book changed in a more fundamental way.

Eric Allen Been

You’ve been called the “most feared woman in publishing.” And I’m sure you know about some of the more infamous pushbacks you received while at the Times, notably from writers like Jonathan Franzen, who called you “the stupidest person in New York City” after you panned his memoir. How did you view those personal attacks?

Michiko Kakutani

I tried to never take things personally. I tried to review every book on its own merits; what an author said about me was irrelevant to how I approached a book. As it happens, I very much admired Franzen’s last two novels and said so in my reviews.

Eric Allen Been

You were a champion of Philip Roth’s work and you quote him towards the end of The Death of Truth. Many people find Roth’s work off-putting, however, often arguing that his books are shot through with a misogynist sense of sexual entitlement. Do you think the criticism is fair?

Michiko Kakutani

Philip Roth was an author who helped define the American experience in works like The Human Stain and The Plot Against America. At the same time, much of his fiction also reflected the country’s narcissistic, inward-looking proclivities in the aftermath of the 1960s.

I regard his 1997 novel American Pastoral as one of the masterpieces of postwar fiction, and greatly admired Roth’s myriad gifts — his provocative exploration of the American embrace of the principles of rebellion and reinvention and the resulting sense of rootlessness; his tireless ability to complicate his own life on paper; his verbal inventiveness and his manic wit.

Roth did manage to create a handful of genuinely complex female characters in American Pastoral and The Human Stain, but many of the women in his books are shallowly depicted as simple objects of lust or the source of endless vexation for Roth’s heroes. I was sharply critical, for instance, of Sabbath’s Theater, which I viewed as a tiresome and willfully repellent portrait of a narcissist, who treats women with cruelty and contempt.

But Roth does not necessarily endorse the point of view of his misogynistic heroes — in fact, they often emerge as misguided, limited, and deeply flawed characters, who hurt themselves and the people around them with their selfishness and inability to love.

Eric Allen Been

Do artists today have a responsibility to address politics?

Michiko Kakutani

Artists need to have the freedom to follow the promptings of their own imaginations. That freedom is conferred by democracy; it’s only in autocratic states that artists are expected to produce one sort of art or another. And sometimes art that springs from the most personal of sources — like Franz Kafka’s novels and stories — comes to acquire great political and historical resonance.

Eric Allen Been

If you could recommend one book to Trump, and one separately for Mike Pence, what would they be?

Michiko Kakutani

For Trump, Shakespeare’s Richard III. For Pence, John Oliver Presents A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss and Marlon Bundo.

Eric Allen Been is a freelance writer who has written for the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, Vice, Playboy, the New Republic, the Los Angeles Review of Books, and the Atlantic.

Original Source -> Former Times book critic Michiko Kakutani recommends books for the Trump era

via The Conservative Brief

[thepoliticalanalyzer]

The Electoral College Must Go

By Nicholas Kinberg

The United States, like many countries, has its vestigial institutions. For the first 89 years of our history, slavery, the “Peculiar Institution,” was allowed to function freely across our many states. The Electoral College is in almost no way like slavery except in that it is also a geriatric and gratuitous institution. The bottom line is that it’s undemocratic in the world’s premier democratic country, the leader of the free world. And no, before people say that the United States “isn’t a democracy,” it is. The Oxford definition of “democracy” is this: “A system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives.” That’s one argument down, several more to go.

So let’s move onto another: the problem of some states being underrepresented, and some being overrepresented. Take the cases of Florida, Wyoming, and California. There’s a reason for why I listed those states in that order: of this list, Florida has the most voting power, and California has the least. 

“But Nick!” you exclaim. “How can Florida, with its 29 electoral votes, have more voting power than California’s 55?” Well, it’s quite simple: swing states. There’s little incentive for a Republican to invest resources in flipping a state that’s gone Democrat since 1992 (though Trump, to his credit, managed to flip three states that had gone Democrat since 1992: Wisconsin, Michigan, and Pennsylvania) and broke for a Democrat last year by thirty points, but there’s plenty of it to campaign in Florida, a state that has had swing status since 1992. To clarify, picture this: compared to California’s blue streak, since 1992, Florida has gone Democrat three times and Republican four. Each time, the winning candidate’s plurality was no more than 5.8 points. As such, candidates can devote more time to representing the needs of swing-state voters than those nationwide.

Wyoming also presents a strange case. At first, it may seem ludicrous to claim that Wyoming, with its 3 electoral votes and 600,000 people, has more voting power than California. But if you divide that population by its corresponding number of electoral votes, you get an electoral vote per every 200,000 people. If you do the same thing with California’s 38.8 million people and 55 electoral votes, this is the rate: 750,000 people. If things were fairer, Wyoming would get one electoral vote–but it receives three because electoral votes are doled out based on how many Senators and Representatives a state has. Since every state needs at least one Representative and two Senators, the baseline is three. This isn’t a problem in elections that aren’t close–and most aren’t. But in elections like 2000, (not 2016 since Trump could’ve lost Wyoming, the Dakotas, Montana, Idaho, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, and still have won) they can have results that change the policies of the entire country–and the entire world, considering the clout of the United States.

Defenders still have other arguments, like how the Electoral College supposedly protects states’ rights by giving each individual state more power in the electorate than they would otherwise have. To this, I have a couple of things to say: one, with or without the College, no sane candidate on either side will campaign in Wyoming or the greater Midwest because both are deficient in people, electoral votes, and swing. Montana and North Dakota are supposedly the swing states of the Midwest if one looks west of Missouri and east of Nevada–Montana last went blue in 1992, and North Dakota hasn’t gone blue since 1964. These hardly qualify as bellwether states. Number two: in only two of the last ten elections have the Midwestern states mentioned in the previous paragraph made a difference–and they weren’t even factored into campaigns because they went red every time. Just like it doesn’t make sense for a Democrat to campaign in California, so too does it not make sense for a Republican to campaign in Wyoming, which has gone red since 1968. Number three: I would contend that even if the Electoral College bolstered states’ rights, it would also–and does–weaken electoral minorities in many states. Take this for example: since 2000, only thirteen states have changed the way that they’ve voted. That means that in 37 other states, like Democrats in Wyoming or Republicans in California, these people might as well not vote. In these provinces, their numbers are simply too small, and as a result, they get no representation in the College. Now, a good rebuttal to this would be citing that by that logic, the losers in every presidential election might as well not have voted at all. To this, I say that the same logic could be applied to all single-member districts. The point is that proportional representation should be awarded to temper the result. This brings me to another point: the “tyranny of the majority.”

I’ve never really understood why people have continually brought this up. Democratic values stipulate that the majority should rule–and our constitutional government accepts that with the caveat of individual rights enumerated in the Constitution. As such, states’ rights and individual rights are already protected. And let’s say that the “tyranny of the majority” was as bad as proponents of the College claimed it to be–what is the alternative? In the end, the President is going to be one person, the result of a vote across what is essentially a single-member district. Who better to decide who will fill the job than the majority?

And on that note, if proponents of the Electoral College hate “tyranny of the majority” so much, why are they okay with it on the state level? Whether it’s one vote or fifty points that gives a majority in a given state all of that state’s electoral votes, the majority rules with absolutely no regulation. Some would argue that since states are more homogeneous, tyranny of the majority is less likely. This certainly isn’t the case for swing states, so why not, as a compromise, at least award electoral votes proportionally? And why should homogeneity matter? We already have state and local governments to cater to specific needs of individual populaces. Favoring certain groups over others in a national presidential election simply amounts to discrimination.

And as another point against the idea that the Electoral College somehow prevents “tyranny of the majority,” someone will need to explain to me how it doesn’t end up amplifying the majority. Again, all states award electoral votes on a winner-take-all basis, Maine and Nebraska just doing this on the level of congressional districts and the state at large rather than just the state. Also keep in mind that states award electoral votes to the top vote-getters, not the candidate who receives more than fifty percent of the vote. So, in plenty of elections, the College has ended up making, if not the majority, the plurality more powerful rather than weakening it. Here are some examples: 1996, 1992, 1968, 1960, 1948, 1916, 1912, and several from the nineteenth century. The common thread in all of these elections? Every single one had a victor that received less than fifty percent of the vote, yet still won the presidency.

This brings to mind another point: the thought that without the College, campaigning would take place only in big cities like Los Angeles and New York City. This is wrong for a couple of reasons. The first is this: the College already centralizes campaigning in swing states and arguably the large cities in those swing states. The second is this: whoever uses this argument is overestimating–by a wide margin–the amount of people who live in big cities. Yes, eighty percent of citizens live in urban areas. No, that doesn’t mean that all of those people are concentrated in Los Angeles and New York City, nor does it mean that the other twenty percent doesn’t matter. Indeed, most elections produce pluralities far below twenty percent. Since 1976, none has produced a popular-vote plurality that large. And on a side note, campaigning in a city, especially one as large as New York City, doesn’t guarantee that you’ll receive all of that city’s votes. It may increase the amount you receive, yes, but the same thing happens when a candidate travels to any city or state. And even if it did, doesn’t New York City deserve its representation? It’s not that city’s fault that it has more people than the entire state of Wyoming. So, to both points, what difference does it make?

As a further point, I would argue that abolishing the College would decentralize campaigning. We’ve already established that the College concentrates campaigning in swing states and, to an extent, the big cities in those swing states. Without the College, members of both parties would be incentivized to capture votes in places to which they wouldn’t have normally traveled. There would be a point in Democrats campaigning in Wyoming. There would be a point in Republicans campaigning in California.

Detractors would also argue, however, that the Electoral College is supposed to act as a safety valve, an institution that throws out electoral results when those electoral results would mean the presidency of someone unfit for the office. As with other arguments, there are major problems with this one: in its 289-year history, the Electoral College has never once thrown out electoral results. Individual Electors have revolted, yes, but never on the scale required to throw an election. As such, there’s no way of knowing that the Electoral College actually does this–and to an extent, why would anyone want it to do that?

If the Electoral College were to just decide that it didn’t like the person who won and chose to elect someone else, how do you think the electorate would take that? Not only would this undermine American democracy, it would also cause civil strife. And the latter element would be completely justified–the Electoral College just spat in the face of the American people! If anything, as long as the College exists with this as a possibility, it’s going to be a larger threat to democracy than the eventual person who registers as unfit.

Still, more arguments persist: another revolves around the representation of farmers. This argument is used to defend the amount of electoral votes that Midwestern states receive. There is, however, a major problem with this argument: most farmers live in populous states. In fact, the states with the most farmers are California, Wisconsin, and Illinois. So, ironically, since most farmers are Republican, the Electoral College actually diminishes their representation in the country. Their only saving grace was Wisconsin going Republican last year, after a six-election streak of going Democrat. And even if farmers didn’t live in the most populous states, why should they get more representation anyway?

One percent of the country is composed of farmers. So, they should receive one percent of the representation. Any more would be stealing representation from other groups in the country–who’ve actually earned the representation they’ve been given by being a larger group. One may use the argument that farmers are rewarded more representation because they feed people. But by that logic, with shifting industries of shifting importance, why shouldn’t the votes of CEOs or professors weigh more? In the end, this argument promotes elitism and violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s “Equal Protection” clause.

As a final point, consider third parties and the winner-take-all rule. Because whoever gets the most votes in a state receives all of that state’s electoral votes, there’s no incentive for the candidate routinely receiving third place to campaign. The runner-up does because that person has a chance of clinching that state’s votes. Since the person in third place receives no representation, that person will likely merge with one of the two major parties. As a result, the College discourages third parties and any ideological drift from the two major. For any party to survive, that organization must have hegemony in one of the major areas of the country, such as the South or Southwest. This promotes sectionalism and division, thus weakening American democracy and the United States. As an example, consider Ross Perot’s 1992 campaign. He received 19 million votes, thus capturing nineteen percent of the popular vote, taking equally from both the Democratic and Republican camps. This means that he represented nineteen percent of the nation at large instead of just a section of the country. His electoral vote total? Zero. And as another example, consider George Wallace’s 1968 campaign. He received nine million votes and fourteen percent, and with them, 46 electoral votes, because he was based in and represented the views only of the South. That isn’t right.

So, solution time: the Electoral College should be abolished and replaced with a runoff system where the top two vote-getters are the only two options on the ballot. The first round of elections should take place on the first Saturday of November, this day being made a national holiday with paid leave so that people can vote freely. The runoff should take place on the Saturday four weeks after the first. This system would incentivize voters to cast their ballots for any candidate, not just those of the major parties, more than the Electoral College would, though it would still act as a barrier because of the runoff system. In the end, however, it would still do a much better job of equalizing all voters’ ballots than the Electoral College.