#weird but sweet but also harsh when she wants to be but overall a baby

[achespink]

the vibes nayeli brings to the function : m.isty day, l.ottie, southern belle aesthetic, princess d.aisy/peach, and ro.setta

[licncourt]

ok I NEED more of your human AU headcanons. What are the deets of their family life raising Claudia? Favorite family activities? Holidays? What clubs does Claudia join in school? Is Lestat an insane theater dad? I must know.

I have so many ideas!!

Lestat remembers how restricted he was in his childhood when it came to learning, so he makes sure that not only is Claudia enrolled in the absolute best schools but also every extracurricular she expresses even a passing interest in. He hopes she'll love theater like he did, but it's piano and ballet that she falls in love with. It's still performance art though and he's a TOTAL stage dad. He gets in all sorts of embarrassing fights with the instructors over his precious little angel needing a better piano piece or a longer solo feature in the recital. He's also Regina George's mom with the video camera doing all the little moves while taping. His daughter is beautiful and talented and better than everyone else's snot-nosed ankle biter

Christmas is a controversial time in the Lioncourt/Pointe du Lac household. Louis still suffers from trad Catholic brain rot and tries to keep the season solemn and scriptural (Midnight Mass, traditional hymns, tasteful vintage angel and Nativity decorations etc) but he lives with two 21st century materialistic monsters who want to blast Mariah Carey and bathe in kistchy consumerism. They do strike a balance though and Louis allows novelty lights and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation as long as he can rake a brush through Claudia's hair and wrestle Lestat into an understated suit for a Christmas church service

Group walks are big tradition in their family, and every Sunday evening they wander the French Quarter with Claudia between them, holding their hands. Louis insists that they all talk about their week like a proper family, but he also humors Lestat and Claudia as they window shop in all the stores (he's talked into a new doll by Claudia embarrassingly often) and every week Lestat makes them stop at the florist's booth so Claudia can smell the flowers and he can buy a bouquet for Louis (each weekly bouquet has a place of honor on his desk)

Both of Claudia's dads take great pleasure in teaching her what they know and bonding with her in their own ways. Lestat teaches her Shakespeare by acting out scenes with her (Louis gets roped in too sometimes), does fun science experiments in the kitchen, and when she's older he takes over as her piano teacher. Louis makes sure she knows her theology, philosophy and history (they debate it endlessly) and reads her stories and poetry every night (fairytales when she's young, but the tradition continues as she gets older until a teenage Claudia is taking turns with him reading from the classics)

Initially they have some trouble with discipline because Louis is a pushover for his baby girl and Lestat has either no rules at all or is way too harsh, but they figure it out. Louis stops worrying so much about whether Claudia will hate him forever if he puts her in time out and Lestat really tries hard to regulate his emotional responses (he learns to be her dad, not her best friend or an authoritarian tyrant)

Louis and Lestat don't have a ton of friends and family, but they certainly have their own little village. Claudia's Uncle Daniel is around quite bit (Louis met him in AA a few years ago and Daniel wrote some weird human interest piece on him) as is his boyfriend who just happens to be Louis' hot but creepy ex rebound (Lestat isn't thrilled, but the rivalry keeps things interesting). Gabrielle is usually off on her archaeology/anthropology adventures, but she's secretly very smitten with her granddaughter (she gives Claudia a hunting knife for her Sweet 16 as the ultimate token of affection)

Louis is the go-to when there are boy problems and friend drama, but Lestat is the one Claudia calls when she gets drunk at a party and needs a bail out and a Tylenol. Louis never has to know.

Overall, Claudia is excellent for Louis and Lestat's relationship. Her presence keeps them accountable and they make sure not to slip into old habits and patterns for her sake. Like I mentioned before, there's a rough patch when Claudia hits puberty because the new defiance brings out the worst in Lestat (which strains their marriage in turn too), but they make it through

Ugh I love them and I'm sure I could go on, but that's what was bouncing around in my head!

(Also I'm just going to make a tag for the human AU because I have a lot of questions about it!)

[angstywhoure]

I’ve finished Crier’s War By Nina Varela and OH MY GOD?! I’ve never been so frustrated and enraptured with two characters as much as I am now. It reminds me of JWQS in a manner due to similar setups and just… where are these characters like this?! They make things so much harder for each other 😩😩😩😩

Okay so before I start Iron Heart I must say a few things.

Crier: my baby. My darling. A fool but I’m dealing because she’s adjusting much faster to the tides of war. I just want her happy and accepting of the fact that she gotta let go of Hesod. Time and again that man has made it clear she is daughter only in words. I also look forward to her going after Ayla. Her falling on sight was adorable cause of course she’d fall for her once locking eyes. Omg.. whenever I think Crier is close to putting pieces together she somehow managed to do it incorrectly the first time around and then end up either having aid or someone else guide her to the correct answers.

Ayla: oooooooh! My other baby. My child I want to protect. But also my stubborn and prideful and idiotic human. GIRL. If you don’t admit you love Crier and accept that. But also how dare you react that way to your brother?! I get it, but like it was a little too much. And she’s always somehow making things a tiny bit harder on herself and she not realising it either. I need her to accept that some things aren’t how she’s known with a bit more ease. This is war after all. Those you thought close to you can be the ones plotting while those you thought your enemy will be your greatest ally.

Kinok: oh. I’ve wanted this man dead the moment we were introduced. When he threatened Crier in that subtle way? Yeah he was sus from the start and I’ve wanted him dead since. I really hope crier kills him cause that just feels satisfying but it doesn’t matter ultimately as long as it’s violent. I really can’t stand his character. Not a redeemable quality in sight.

Queen Junn: So, when she was mentioned with all these harsh titles. Something felt weird. It felt more like school yard gossip and name calling than actual fact. People referred to her as that a bit too freely for someone who should be feared and monstrous. Idk. I just knew I’d like her when we met her and that she’d totally change either Crier or Ayla in a character development kinda way and we didn’t get much but I’m satisfied for the little we did get in this book.

Overall the read was fun. I didn’t expect to get sucked into it so easily considering I went into this story actually blind af. I didn’t read the summary or anything just the title and went with it and I don’t regret it at all. The characters are all so well written and the pacing is frustrating but in such a good way. The slow burn has never been so tortuous nor sweet as I read about Crier and Ayla. Oh I can’t wait to complete the reads.

[rice-pudding-slaps]

A WILD thought just crossed my head but a Cats High School Teachers AU? It would be ✨glorious✨

Just imagine!!

Jennyanydots would totally be a language teacher That's how we call it in my country lmao language and communications. It's basically grammar and literature ANYWAY that is also kind of a mother for kids who need help. She would totally and absolutely be that Miss Honey kinda Vibes™ teacher that always has a kind word for you and if she sees you crying, she will protect you with her life (And also maybe she has this huge bag filled with napkins and sweets). She's strict tho. But not in a mean way. She doesn't just gift grades, she makes you work for it. You can turn up your paper again, but it will have 300 corrections. But she will praise your efforts and help you overcome your difficulties.

Skimble gives me such Math Teacher That Always Has a Story and Rarely Actually Teaches The Class kinda vibes. His class is always on the most absolute of silence and no one ever DREAMS of pranking him. The kids knoooow that they can say "Hey, mr Skimbles I heard you were on a train once" and boom he will tell you all these stories about his time being in charge of the Northern Mail. He has told the story sooooo many times that the children once put on a play with one of the stories for Teachers Day or smtn. He was moved to tears

Demeter would absolutely be an art teacher and be the most understanding teacher ever. She's patient and kind and she will give you a day more to bring in your work if you need it. She also always has a way to find hurt kids. Coming from an abusive background herself, she's quick to act whenever she feels a child migh need any type of help. She ended up being That Teacher That Every LGBTQ+ Kid Befriends and she is proud to be helpful and provide love to those who need it. She's very close to Munk and is always helping with the props for the plays.

Bomba is a science teacher because I said so. And because she has a similar vibe to most of my science teachers when I was in school lmao. She's funny and charismatic and pretty laid back. And you never know what to expect from her. The kids love her bc she might spend some class talking all about formulas and next class is "Hey kids wanna learn how to make EXPLOSIONS??" they never actually blow up something, but she makes the lab classes the best thing.

Munkustrap is an absolute history teacher. No questions asked. The man knows how to narrate every historical moment like you were there. He has a silver tounge (pun intended). And he always tries to teach the most he can, because history is just so broad and there is so much to talk about. And he definetely would answer all the questions, even the more weird ones. He's called by kids the Protector because even when he's easly the most strict teacher ever, he would never let anyone bad mouth his students. No matter how chaotic the class was, he will always tell them that as long as they learned something, they won. He also works in the theatre departement, so the theatre kids are in love with the guy. They tried to set him up with Demeter in a play, but gave up after a half hour speech on how they shouldn't be involved in their teachers personal lifes.

Tugger is obviously a music teacher. He is that laid back, friendly and overall awesome teacher that everyone just loves. He plays any instrument you can think of and will teach you if you ask. As a joke, a whole class asked to learn the bagpipes and when next class this rockstar of a teacher appeared with a fucking bagpipe and a whole lot for the kids they fucking LOST IT. He will help you with practice and if you want to get into serious music, then he will absolutely root for you. He has a song composed for every teacher and absolutely everyone hates him for this. He's also with the theatre kids and always helps with plays maybe to mess with Munk, maybe he likes the attention. He's also in charge of music and dance presentations and he abuses his powers greatly. And everytime a class graduates he says that he doesn't really cares that much (is the circle of life, baby) but will shed silent tears everytime bc he's gonna miss the kiddies.

Misto's obviously a dance teacher. Duh. He might be an ex student for the same school. He's fresh out of college and he sometimes doesn't know what to do, but he tries really hard. And he's harsh as fuck for the same reason. He always wears a tuxedo to class and a bowtie bc he tought it was a formal thing and now it's kind of like "his thing". He's kind of cold at first and doesn't talk really that much, the kids first tought he hated them, but later found out that he just goes non verbal sometimes and designed a whole system to communicate instructions and corrections. Misto was so happy. And that's why there is a board on the classroom they use to dance. He's also one of the teachers that every LGBTQ+ kid loves, and he tries his best to support each one. And yes, every day they ask "DO THE CONJURING TURNS MR. MISTOFFELEES" and he gladly does. There was this rumor that he was magic bc once a kid saw him in a presentation out of school and they swear he sparkled out of the blue. He knows, and sometimes he would do little tricks for the kiddos for funs, and other teachers just to mess with them. He also goes to the teathre departement and it's constantly working with Tugger so the music and dance kids do presentations together. The kids ship it so hard

Mungojerrie and Rumpleteazer are the best gym teachers ever. They also are very new to this, but they make class the most fun thing ever. They teach sports and gymnastics with ease. And they have no mercy on dodge ball. No. Mercy. They once were playing on the field with the kids and hit Tugger on the head. The legend says that they ran across the school for all night. The truth is that they outrun Tugger, but not Munk.

Jellylorum is the school's nurse. She always has a tecito de hierbas for you. And she will always hear you and try to get you to be better. She has infinite patience for eveyone. And she always carries pads and tampons for the kids who may need it. And if you ever need a shoulder to cry on? She's there too. She and Jenny have their officed flood on Mother's day because they are the second mothers of so many kids. She also catches up with ex-students and remember every name.

Gus is the official Theatre teacher. He is this old man who is so wise and strict, but just because he loves his craft so so much. Every year there is some kind of rumor that he might retire, but it never seemed to happen. He has a little office with so many photos and diplomas and it's just filled with memories. He is very harsh on the kids. Very. But they love him because he also can spend hours talking about his greatest performances on theatre. When he actually had to retire because he was starting to have very fragile health, everyone cried. They held a big play and he played Growltiger. No one had a dry eye that night. And he still visits the school from time to time. He goes to every play.

You might say that Old Deuteronomy is the principal and you would be very right. But this man was a teacher in his day. He taught philosophy and history and english and literature. He has more degreed that a high school teacher had to have, but he loved dearly the art of teaching. And he remembers every kid. Every morning he sits at the entrance and says to every one of them by name. He plays with the kids when his health let's him. He has a framed photo of him and Gus on their first years as teachers just along side a photo of the year Tugger joined Munkustrap on the school staff. And everyone is very sure that he might let Munkustrap take the position one day. He's also a kind soul. And will let kids tug on his beard. There was this christmas when he dressed up as santa and it was the sweetest thing ever.

Tantomille and Coricopat are philosophy teachers. They take turns doing classes and you will never know wich one taught you last class because they are in perfect sync. Their test are the most outlandish thing ever, and give points for "originality" wich is mostly just wich kid said the most weird but true thing. The kids are kinda scared of them. Just enough to not to mess up their classes.

I am not completely sure, but Alonzo being a spanish teacher just brings me so much joy. He's always teaching them songs and little games to learn spanish and the kids take total advantage of that just to mess with him. He never gets truly mad if they play a prank on him. And he's the Protector number 2 to the kids, bc he would absolutely turn up to a teachers reunion wet from head to toe and instead of tattle on the kids, he would just say it was an accident. Munk knows and always ends up catching the culprit, not always with Alonzo's help.

The Rumpus Cat is the school mascot.

[jinterlude]

Grow a Pear

—Requested by @shadowsremedy: Seokjin + Kuroko’s Basketball + School Gym as part of @bangtan-headquarters​ Bangtan Anime Club Drabble Event!

—Pairing: Seokjin x Reader (Female OC) [feat. Seungcheol from SVT]

—Genre(s): Humor, Slight-Angst, & Slight-Fluff

—AUs/Tropes: Anime-verse, Kuroko’s Basketball!AU, High School!AU, Basketball Player!Seokjin, Basketball Club Manager!Reader, Opposites Attract Trope

—Warning(s) & Rating: Swearing, Reader threatening bodily harm onto Seokjin, Shameless flirting, & Jealousy from an old middle school rival / PG-15

—Word Count: 1.6K

—Summary: In which news of playing against a certain team sparks a rather interesting memory...

—A/N: This drabble is based on episodes 52 & 53 of KnB, but you do not have to watch the series to understand this story’s overall premise! It is also inspired by Kesha’s song “Grow a Pear” (hence the title LOL) because I immediately think of Kise’s character. Since Seokjin reminds me of that 2D pretty boy, I decided to write a fun story! 

“Hey, ___!” 

A faint hum exits your lips as your eyes remain fixated on your player statistics book. You flip between a few pages with the gears in your brain working in overdrive, almost forgetting for a split moment that Kaijo’s basketball captain asked for your attention. 

“Yes, Sungwon?” You reply, closing the book and tucking it underneath your arm. 

Pursing his lips, Sungwon strides over to you, leaning against the stage inside the gym. Don’t you love playing inside an auditorium? 

“So…” He begins but grows silent. How on Earth is he supposed to ask you to be the sacrificial lamb? How will he tell you that you’ve been chosen to say the team’s resident narcissist yet talented prodigy that Kaijo will play against Fukuda Sugo? Specifically, they’re playing against a certain someone with a rather colorful history with yourself and said prodigy. 

Tiny creases form on your forehead as your brows knit together. You know that carefree look anywhere. More often than not, you become chosen to do a specific task that no other teammate wants to do—talking to Kim Seokjin. 

“Now, before you say no—”

“Nope.”  

“You didn’t even hear what I have to say.” 

“Doesn’t matter. My answer is still the same. No.” 

With that, you turn on your heel, and not even a few steps in, you bump into the one person you don’t want to see. 

“Princess!”

And to think…

You were having such a fantastic day…

“What do you want, Seokjin?” You question, grabbing the statistics book from your underarm and flipping it open to some random page. You already have the data mesmerized like the back of your hand. You just want to appear busy in front of the arrogant pretty boy. 

“Well, besides you finally acknowledging that you’re my girlfriend? A little bird told me that we’re playing against his team in the Quarterfinals,” Seokjin replies, his tone dropping near the end. This serious expression slowly takes over his handsome features, almost sending shivers down your spine. 

If looks can kill, then Seokjin is guilty of murder in the first degree...

Thank God he chose to attend a different school. Who knows what will happen if two people who absolutely despise each other play on the same team. 

“Remind me to thank Namjoon for that…” You mutter, slightly shaking your head as you slowly draw in your breath. Then, a force, light chuckle escapes your lips, personally finding it rather humorous of the current situation. 

“Anyway, so how are you feeling about playing against the dude who has a thing for your sloppy seconds?” You tease, attempting to lighten up the situation. 

Seokjin’s brow perks up, “Sloppy seconds?” he repeats, a tiny grin form on his handsome face. 

You nod, “Well yeah...I mean, he did steal your ex-girlfriend from you.” 

In response, the arrogant basketball player hums. However, this exciting gleam enters the corners of his eyes. 

What is he thinking now? 

Suddenly, he turns to you, his gaze piercing into yours with this unexplainable emotion glazing over his eyes. 

“Oh? I mean, he did come close to stealing you away from me that one day.” He states as this bright smile dances across his gorgeous face. 

For a split second, your cheeks become hot. Your heart practically drums against your chest. Shit. Even your palms clam up, sticking to the cover of the player statistics book. 

What is this feeling? 

Then, it dawns on you. This nervousness is the same emotion you felt when you comforted Seokjin that fateful day—well, supported him in your own unique way…

Tapping your pencil against your chin, a soft growl emits from your lips as you try to figure out the best course of action. The Captain, Kim Namjoon, previously asked you to develop a plan to preserve the Generation of Miracle’s stamina, specifically when using their rather unique talents. At first, you thought Namjoon was flat out insane for asking such a request. Like, you’d have to take into account their height and weight difference. Oh! You couldn’t forget that you also keep in mind their current talent levels. All while these calculations occur during an official game with another team.

Yeah...

Namjoon might as well tell you to put on a fucking jersey while he’s at it. 

Rubbing the sides of your forehead, you can’t help but let out a long, harsh breath as this throbbing sensation enters the left side of your head. 

“Hey, manager ___.” You hear a familiar voice, interrupting your rather irritating calculations. You look up from the tiny pile of scattered papers containing player statistics. However, you don’t bother spouting words towards the overly cocky player. Instead, you merely hum in response, unknowingly irking the basketball player. 

Plastering on a smug grin, the person leans against the stage, quickly glancing at what you’re doing. 

“So, is that the special project Namjoon asked you to do for him?” The arrogant male student asks. 

“Yep, and shouldn’t you be practicing Seungcheol?” You question back, raising a brow. 

Seungcheol scoffs lightly, “Why? I mean, I already earned a permanent spot on the regular team, so…” He trails on, chuckling to himself. He finds the mere thought of his spot being taken away quite humorous. 

You mentally roll your eyes. God, you don’t know who’s the bigger arrogant fool. Him or—

“Yo, Seokjin!” shouts Jungkook, running up to the new recruit. 

Ah, Kim Seokjin. He recently joined the basketball club just a few months ago. He’s already showing promise despite being a second-year student. Shit. Seokjin’s talents have rapidly progressed to the point that Namjoon took notice of him and was promoted to first-string just last week. 

Yet, you can’t quite put your finger on it, but something is holding Seokjin back. 

But what? 

Before you become entirely lost in your thoughts, you hear Seungcheol’s arrogant voice taunt Seokjin. 

Oh, great…

You swiftly stand up from your seat and rush over to the argumentative duo. But as you draw near to the quarrelsome pair, you instantly halt. What is this intense atmosphere lingering in the air? 

And why do you suddenly feel something other than agitation towards Seokjin? 

“W-what did you say?” 

“You heard me, Kim Seokjin. Whoever wins our 1v1 match earns the right to call ___ his girlfriend.” 

“Hold on. You can’t just call dibs on ___!” shouts Jungkook in complete and utter shock. 

Instantly slapping yourself back, in reality, you snatch a basketball from an innocent player and roughly throw it at Seungcheol, anger visible all over your face. 

Sadly for you, the annoying prick catches it with ease, smirking at you. 

“What’s the matter, babe? You don’t believe that I can put Seokjin in his place?” He coos, further taunting Seokjin. What sets the handsome prodigy over the edge is when Seungcheol abruptly pulls you against his chest, dropping the basketball in the process. His cheek brushes against yours, making you want to gag. 

Just as you’re about to violently elbow him in the stomach, Seokjin shoves Seungcheol away before forcefully throwing the discarded ball at him. 

“You start.” 

“This should be fun.” 

But it was just the opposite... 

It was a complete slaughter with Seokjin on his hands and knees, panting and sweating profusely. His eyes widened from the shock of his defeat. 

Not only has he lost horribly against Seungcheol, but he also lost you—or so he believes. 

“So, how about that date, baby girl? After all, you’re now my girlfriend.” Seungcheol asks, making sure that Seokjin can hear him. 

“Yeah, I don’t date dudes who have a thing for other fellas’ sloppy seconds.” You bluntly state, turning towards Yoongi and Jungkook, “I mean, first it was Yerin, right? The one that was going around the entire fucking school saying that she was Seokjin’s girlfriend. Oh, I feel sorry for her since it was just last week, you were chasing after her, and now you’re after me.” You say, clicking your tongue in fake disappointment. 

Seungcheol’s arrogant smile vanishes and is now replaced with a scowl. 

“Let me ask you this, why are you obsessed with Seokjin’s sloppy seconds? Like there are a million girls in this damn school who, oddly enough, would love to be your arm candy. Yet you go after the ones that either show interest in Seokjin or who Seokjin’s interested in. Like, dude. Stop. It’s honestly creepy to the point that I firmly believe you have a weird obsession with him.” You finish as you walk over to Seokjin, offering him a helping hand. 

Seokjin faintly smiles, grabbing your hand, as he pulls himself up. Soon, his smile becomes bright. His sweet smile almost blinds you—and makes your heart skip a beat. 

“I knew you had a soft spot for me, ___.” 

“Don’t push it, Jinnie boy.” 

Softly shaking your head, you playfully shove Seokjin, snapping him out of his thoughts. You then jump down from the stage, having popped yourself up there moments earlier. 

“Well, all I have to say is that Seungcheol better watch out. He hasn’t seen your ‘Perfect Copy’ in action yet.” You warmly smile as you make your way towards the exit but soon halt. You glance over your shoulder, maintaining that sweet smile, and say,

“Besides, he’s no match for you with your girlfriend cheering you on from the bench.”

“Right…” He mumbles, totally ignoring your words. Then, it hits him as if someone doused him with cold water. 

“Wait! Did you just call yourself my girlfriend?!!” Seokjin hollers, chasing after you. 

“I don’t know. Win tomorrow’s match, and I’ll let you know.”

“Oh, that’s cruel, princess…”

Grow a Pear is copyright 2021 by jinterlude, all rights reserved.

[neeterloveschenford]

Thoughts on RNM 3x09

Ok y’all, here we go. Finally we are an official couple! Malex for the win!! (Other things happened, but ya know. Priorities.) I was very happy overall with the progress our boys have made. And as much as I’ve enjoyed this season, I’m glad we’ve had a bit of a time jump. Even if I think it’s only been a few days. I was pretty sure that Kyle and Max would already be up and about. It would have taken too much of an episode to deal with bringing Max out of the pod and Kyle waking up from his coma. Do I feel a little short changed? Yeah. But I get it. There’s only 13 episodes and there is a lot that we have to get to before the finale. So on that note, I’m gonna dive right in. Care to join me?

You go Nora with your badass self killing all those clones. (I mean harsh, but hopefully they were just vessels and had no consciousness to speak of.) And Jones being his crazy dictator self killing that scientist was super harsh. And can we for the love of God get Lucky away from him!?!?!?! He is the goodest boi! He deserves better.

Go on science Liz. I don’t understand half of what she said, but I believe it. And I love how badass she is when she sciences. And there we get our first glimpse of Malex goodness, “Me and Alex are working on the Lockhart machine.” Because of course they are. Because their brilliance only intensifies when they work together. Loved Isobel’s gross face when Liz talks about Noah’s spores. And here’s where we get the Heath story taking off. Max is not gonna like this one!

Ok, Deep Sky doctor lady. I really dig your hair, but do you know who you’re talking to here? Kyle is the premiere alien doctor on this planet. He probably knows more about weird biology than you’ll ever learn. Listen to my boy! And Kyle honey, you are completely justified in your righteous indignation. And you are correct in that no one is more qualified in top-secret ET shenanigans than you baby. (I really need to figure out how to use that line in real life. It’s like the best thing he’s ever said.) I still don’t know whether or not to trust Eduardo. I want to, but I’m still not sure what he’s all about.

I love how dedicated Isobel is. She’s downright obsessed and I love this side of her. And her cockblocking Delmanes was so funny all episode. I also really love that Greg is fully involved now. The Pod Squad needs all the allies they can get at this point.

That phone call almost made me cry. They look so incredibly happy to just be together. I knew as soon as Alex said he wouldn’t forget their date that it wouldn’t happen, but still. Just the fact that they are both ready for that step is amazing. They have both grown so much. I’m just so happy to see them so happy. It was truly amazing. And I agree with Michael. Alex needs to talk codey more often!

It was totally cute that Max had a get Liz playlist, but does he know what the song The Way is about? It’s not exactly romantic.

Heath, you’re in trouble now!

Delmanes are so cute! Isobel is so adorable when she is flustered by a pretty girl!. I will admit though, that I really wish Anatsa hadn’t slept with Max. I mean these guys tend to be a little too close sometimes. But, you know, that seems to be the way this show is going to roll. Blame it on Carina’s lingering messes from the last two seasons and move on.

Of course Alex would manifest Nora. Despite his growth, he still has a lot of guilt over her death and his father’s role in it. I love that Michael is his focus. Alex’s love for Michael will always be the guiding factor in everything he does. He wants more than anything to make sure that Michael has a good life. And I think he’s finally learned that his presence in Michael’s life is what makes it good. I love these two dumbos! (said lovingly) They make me so happy!!

Come on Max. Tell Liz how you not only kept her tapes, but you would listen to them in the desert while crying and missing her! These two are the real dumbos in this show. (said not so lovingly)

I love how powerful Isobel’s become. And that was way cool the way she pulled that pod out of the lake. I’ve really loved her journey this season. And Maria was right, that camp was really beautiful.

I just don’t know if we can trust Eduardo yet! He says all the right things, but he just seems too good to be true! I hope my misgivings are wrong. I really want Kyle and Alex both to have someone who will be a good father figure. They both deserve it.

You know what would have been an awesome twist? If Jesse had shown up when Alex saw the project shepherd tech in Nora’s machine.

I love how Michael just wants to take care of Alex. Lovingly breaking into his boyfriend’s house. What a romantic.

You know what Maria? Get it girl! I think Delmanes is both sexy and adorable. I am ok with them being together!

I love that Kyle is so determined to do the right thing. He has really grown to care about all the aliens. He just wants to do the right thing and I love him for it. He is proving every day that he is the best member of the Valenti family. I’m so proud of my baby boy!

And now we’re getting down to business with Echo. They both have made mistakes and they both have admitted as such, but it still surprises me that Liz cannot see why Max is so scared of his secrets getting out. (Am I really taking Max’s side in something? What is wrong with this picture?) Also, she is so determined to believe the best of Heath that she doesn’t want to see what’s glaringly obvious. I saw this coming like five episodes ago. Just saying.

If Vlamis doesn’t make that shirt part of his next merch drop, I will scream. I would wear the heck out of that shirt! And Eduardo’s face when Michael is standing in his office was the best! And bragging about how smart his boo is! Michael just adores his brilliant hacker boyfriend!

Admittedly, yoda Maria is getting a little old. But I am glad that Maria and Isobel are friends now. They really compliment each other so well. And I loved how Isobel took drinks out of Greg’s hand all ep.

My sweet Alex! I love him so much. Pushing himself so hard to try to help Michael. It’s all about Michael. His capacity to love is so huge. And then Michaell comes to the rescue. He’s always got him. That’s the kind of grand declaration that we need in our lives. The way that Alex grabbed onto Michael’s shirt was everything. They just bring so much joy to my soul.

Isobel and Anaste are cute, but my Kybel heart still beats strong. Also, I still think she’s an alien or something. I have decided to just not trust anyone new.

Michael listening to Alex, comforting him, and admitting he’s had the same fears was beautiful. I love how strong he is now. He’s really putting himself out there to be there for the people that matter the most. And that Sander’s story was so sweet. Of course that would be the perfect date for these two. And the fact that they worked together perfectly to take out the evil PS part and put the machine back together the way it was meant to be was such a great metaphor for their relationship. I can’t believe we are getting so much goodness right now. We are truly blessed.

Still making me take Max’s side Liz. You really are letting me down. Oh wait, helping Michael be less Michael. Yep, Max made me remember why I hate him. Never mind.

So Dallas is an alien. (At least somebody new is!) Not who I thought it would be though. And since we saw him in one of the s4 bts pics, then we know he’s probably sticking around. I am intrigued. And now we know what Heath’s been up to. I guess he’s supposed to be a not so bad guy since he’s trying to help his best friend. But you hurt my Kyle dude. There’s really no coming back from that.

I am still pleased with 99% of this season. We’re coming down to the wire now. I just hope for more and more goodness with every episode. Even if we have to have another episode without Alex, I am expecting there to be some mentions of him by Michael. This season has made me so so happy. I can’t believe we are living in a time when Malex is together and building a beautiful relationship that will stand the test of time. We are a blessed people. And I cannot wait for more! Till next time guys!!

[winedownwithcoffee]

DWTS Season 27 Trash Thoughts

Guys. I know you missed me. It’s been while since I did this. Little info, I watch it live, then I rewatch it when I avoid work on Tuesdays and type up my thoughts while watching. I am gonna say straight off the bat this is a weird season. There was no CLEAR CUT winner. And I think that leaves the playing field wide open. Which is good for some of the contestants. OKAY onwards to the ramblings!

Opening Number: Chaotic. Like that is my main thought. Pretty but chaotic. The costumes we pretty though. The ending was cute though. And I love the partnerships this season so much.

MLR & Sasha: I didn’t grow up with her, so I don’t really care one way or the other for her and when you pair her with Sasha she was doomed for me. The dance was cute. She was super excited and overly bouncy and got off time a few times and missed some spots BUT Sasha did great choreography I will say.  She seemed like she was trying to pose a lot also. Gah Sasha annoys me. Just his face. Anyway. They were giving her some good feedback overall. Does she have a lisp? Not that anything is wrong with that, I am just genuinely curious. Scores 6-7-6. My Unwanted and Unwarranted 4th Judge Vote: 6

Milo & Wit: So I had no idea who he was until the GMA reveal, then my kid came home one day and said he wanted to watch Z-O-M-B-I-E-S and now we have watched it 64 times. He’s cute and sweet and I like him. I didn’t like their package because it was ALL about Wit’s zombie questions. He has a natural charisma and stage presence. He was really good tonight. And it wasn’t awkward or anything like some teen boys get. It was real good! Good critiques imo. He’s so articulate for a 17 year old boy. 7-6-7. 4th Judge me: 7.5

Evanna & Keo: I’m going to start before I watch saying Len is on crack. Okay on to the package. She’s cute, but unfortunately they gave her a shit spot in the lineup and she has a bit of a forgettable quality to her. I called my Memaw after the show and she asked if Keo danced tonight. So…. The dance was pretty. The solo parts at the beginning were really good then they got in hold and Keo just seems so rushy and like he’s throwing her around. But her lines were beautiful and their outfits look like James and Sharna. Shitty score from Len. 7-5-6. 4th judge me: 7

Danelle & Artem: Preparing myself to cry now. I was SO ANXIOUS for this but MY MAN DELIVERED!! I loved him teaching her. He was SO patient and kind and loving and gah I love him so much more now. She learns by touching. You can see in the beginning how anxious she was until Artem gets her down those stairs and the smile just illuminates and GAH ALL THE TEARS. And his choreography was beautiful and perfect for her. The trust already and the tears and omg I am sobbing again. And her amazing puppy!!! GAH I love this partnership so much. LMAO Bruno showing her the muscle like she can see it. When I first watched this, I was utterly speechless. I had NO WORDS. Carrie Ann is me. 6-6-6 4th Judge me 7

Bobby & Sharna: WHEW Bobby. Okay let’s do this buddy. I always die at these “meet your partner” things that happen 2 weeks after they have met. OMG I loved the package. OKAY the dance. He needs to shut his mouth but he didn’t get off time for most of the dance. His kicks were in time but he needs to shut his mouth my GOD. Then he just got so damn EXCITED. OMG he is so excited. WOW. Woah. I am having secondhand embarrassment for that ending. But god his enthusiasm. The critiques were good though. He went FULL FREAKING BRUNO. Wow, he was just so excited. I am just like woah. He is the most memorable part of this entire opening and I think that was an actually good play right then and if Sharna wasn’t SO surprised I would think they planned it. 7-6-7 4th Judge Me: 7 until the end LOL

JP & Cheryl: gotta bring in Jodie and Cameron of course lol. I am expecting a TON from him. They have the chemistry. But like he really only danced half the time. I was just really let down from this one. But he will make it through because he’s hot af. And I 100% agree with the judges for this one. 7-7-8 4th Judge Me: 7

Nikki & Gleb: No truer statement has been made than “you look like you should be constantly emerging from a pool in slow motion that is how hot you are”. I heard no lies there Nikki. Unfortunately, doing a Salsa after JP was her downfall. Also she doesn’t move those hips that much.  But yeah she’s going home tonight. She was excited though. 6-5-6 4th Judge Me: 5

Alexis & Alan: I’ll be honest, I chose not to watch them last night. I had other shit to do. I love Alan though. I really do. He did not make it easy on her. And they are cute af. She missed some hand grabs but overall a very cute little routine. They cute though. I ship em. Why not, I ship everyone else. Critiques were good. Look at those intertwined fingers man. They’d have pretty babies. 7-7-7 4th judge me: 7

John & Emma: He was not nearly as bad as I anticipated. Cute little intro. That southern accent though, that was a choice. His Frame needs work but it was a stellar effort and the man can kick higher than me. Good critiques and scores. I was just meh about it. 7-5-6 4th Judge Me: 6

Tinashe & Brandon: She seems braggy some. OMG Brandon is adorable. I expect a Lot from this dance. And overall it was good. Halfway through she just seemed a little lost but overall it was decent. She was so over-hyped though imo. I liked Alexis’ Jive wayyyyyyy more. Good critiques though. 8-7-8 4th Judge me: 7

Nancy & Val: I hate her outfit. She looks pretty but I hate that dress. SORRY GOT SIDETRACKED. Watched Rashad with the costume designers. I still can’t believe they got quickstep on night one. That’s rough. It wasn’t bad but it was so mediocre and it was good for a nondancer doing a freaking quickstep. Good critiques. 6-6-6 4th Judge me: 6

Jenna and Joe: I’m sorry. I can’t watch the dance again. I saw it last night. It was decent until it went off the freaking rails. Their package was cute though and he’s realllllll cute. Her fangirling was cute. And she looks freaking stunning.  HARSH critiques. Pretty unnecessarily harsh imo. He can redeem himself tonight because we all know he isn’t going home tonight. 5-4-5 4th Judge me: 5

Demarcus & Linds: He’s pretty. He’s charismatic. He is freaking ripped. He has Linds. He’s not going anywhere for a LONG while. I liked them. I feel like there is some Football Fatigue. The dance was good. Real good like we expected. He isn’t as good as Rashad but he has a looooooot of potential. He got a bit overzealous once or twice and I thought he was going to chunk linds across the floor LMAO. 8-7-8 4th Judge me: 8

So my PERSONAL ranking of the dances on night one:

Demarcus Danelle Milo Bobby Alexis Evanna John JP Tinashe Nancy MLR Nikki Joe

But yeah Nikki is going home

[flcurishing-blog]

⌜adelaide kane, cisfemale (she/her) , 27, & demeter ⌟ · ˚ . did you just see ALYSSA BLAIR go by? SHE can definitely be pretty RESENTFUL whenever they’re in a rush; then again, when i ran into HER last week, SHE was actually quite CARING. they must be late - working as a BOTANIST isn’t easy around here. the ZEALOUS has a tendency to blast WEEDS by MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS from their place in the NECTAR district of town.

hello children, it me, vivi (she/her) and i’m old and as it is late in here, so i’m probably in bed right now (i work full time in the weekdays and have class all day tomorrow so bear with me). i’ll be playing demeter’s reincarnation, local plant ho, petty pretty binch and mom friend, alyssa. you can find a small profile for her in here, and i’ll also be talking about her under the cut. i’d appreciate immensely if you could like this post so i can rush to your inbox for some luv.

alyssa was born in scotland, to parents whose small plough field provided for their family for allegedly generations. her father was a hard, roughened man & her mum was a softie who made the best out of her conditions; all of the blair worked on the field in their own way, with a young alyssa running to bring her da bread and lunch or spending her afternoons riding with him in his tractor

when she was about ten, her mother got terribly ill, and eventually ended up passing away. that, plus the horrible harvests the blair have had (partially due to craig’s inability to keep up with technology and need to remain with his own old beliefs and traditions), caused the father and daughter to get all the remaining funds they had and move to america – a small town named edendale. there was no large agriculture fields in there, but they had enough money to open a small flower shop, which was the closest shit to what they knew to do

things were, the least to say, rough. her father was stubborn and harsh, and wasn’t the most present nor caring father, although he never left his daughter hungry and, to his late wife’s advice (the only one he had ever heard), kept a college fund for alyssa even in the most difficult moments. she chose botany for her major then, which only seemed fit – not only because of her family’s inclinations and her own heritage, but alyssa did always adore the nature

almost done with her studies, she found herself pregnant. the dude and her were not in good terms, and she was rather young, with a whole life ahead of her, but alyssa wanted to keep it. with all her might and will, she wanted that baby and she loved it from the moment she found its existence to (today) the moment of its demise, not three months in the term. it was hard on her – while her body healed, her mind did not, and she wallowed in a deep depression that had her pulling out of school and taking a year off

when her little sabbatical finally ended, she returned to school and finished her courses, got a job and a flat. something in her head changed, though, or maybe the less soften bits of her had just been in the dark for too long – the sweet girl was not always sweet now, and now she had sharper edges, an inclination not to bend to others as easily, to allow herself to feel: anger, sadness, happiness, whatever it was. 

to this day she suffers from a severe case of seasonal depression, so it’s not completely weird if the girl is at one moment quieter, another snapping, another blabbing about a new acquisition by the town’s botanical garden. that’s where she works, close with the plants and with people as well, rarely missing an opportunity to showcase her passion for the flora and teach ways to protect and care for it (and scold you if you do not)

on the weekends, she works on her father’s old flower shop, that is still open and is managed by someone (an open plot??) she trusts. it is in a much better place financially too, and it is known even in the wealthiest parts of town as somewhere that can provide for all your nature needs

there are also plants in her apartment, and she is always surrounded by them – her poor roommate (brianna/athena) suffers greatly from all the green babies on the floors, on the walls, on the counters; she also grows her own herbs and mixes for “miraculous” teas. you can always find something in her bag too: she carries organic fruits daily, and does not fail on offering them to whoever it is.

the mom friend tbh??? cares about everyone and anyone, and often tries to make sure even random people are fine, eating healthy enough. it’s just an instinct, one she had long before even getting pregnant. you young? she mums you. you old? she mums you. you same age? SHE MUMS YOU. YOU GET IT. ironically, she’s not that great with romantic relationships, and doesn’t know if she will ever be an actual mother again.

does not forget anything too??? she remembers everything people have done to her, good or bad, and she does not let it go, and it influences greatly on how she treats the person (@hades looking at u boi)

overall, she’s a little broken, a little moody but has a lot of love, environmental advice, bread and oranges to give so hit her up!!!

[stargleeksil-blog]

Criminal Minds s01e20 Charm and Harm review

Episode 20 – Charm and Harm

Okay, so this episode’s title definitely suggests at some sicko psychopath killer and I’m really not looking forward to all the blood. Yikes.

Let’s see where this one takes us.

Well, we start with a lavish romantic dinner with wine.

Okay. Not so romantic anymore. That dick is eating and has a woman tied up? I knew it was going to be something sick. Damn it.

God profilers can be such a pain sometimes. Can’t a girl have secrets? I’m with Elle all the way here, lay off Derek and Spencer.

And Spencer, baby, I love you, but what’s with the random facts at every corner? Lol. I love you.

“We’re sitting with a guy who knows there are 800 kernels on the cob” “arranged in 16 separate rows” “and you’re calling me weird?” oh Elle, you little sassy lovely sexy thing.

Wow, she’s being defensive, and it’s so obvious that Elle does have a boyfriend, but Derek is seriously the sassiest little cupcake and I love her.

Wait, why are they calling them if they know who is the killer? They can’t catch them, so they call the FBI? Damn. That’s weak, Tampa.

Voltaire: “There are some that only employ words for the purpose of disguising their thoughts.” Isn’t that the whole point of words? Voltaire, you’re not exactly inventing the wheel here, get some fresh ideas.

Wait, so he tortured them and then drowned them? God that is beyond the meaning of sick. Gross.

So there’s a girl missing, yikes.

Wait, let me get this right, the psycho killer is the professor’s best friend, ex-colleague, used to coach his son at soccer, was married once, and now he’s completely gone cuckoo? Yikes!

Wow, that’s a nice house, man. Impressive.

A ten-year-old luxury car. Dogs. 20 different suits. Tons of watches. Tons of shoes. Fuck. Yeah, this guy is totally whack.

A chameleon? Why is he always trying to disguise himself? This makes no sense, unless he has some form of serious disorder that makes him hate himself.

Oh fuck, he has no problem letting in room service to take out everything while the girl is drowned in the tub? Fuck.

“And fret not, my sweet,” I love you, Kirsten, I really do.

Wait, Gregor gets off on drowning women? Oh god. That is beyond freaky.

“Who is your daddy?” “I’m sorry?” lol, yeah, I don’t think Hotchner is used to you yet, Penelope. But you’re good girl and I love you.

Wow, so he has abandonment issues, thinks that everyone is cheating on him and controlling women? Oh god.

“Your son is a narcissist with split-personality, he’s able to gain his victims’ trust before inflicting pain upon them.” Um, Spencer? Baby? I don’t think telling his dad that like this is the best course of action?

Oh fuck, he has mommy issues.

So the dad is making excuses cuz he doesn’t want to believe that his son is that messed up. I can get that, but he has to face reality.

Also, he tortures his victims to the point of passing out and then wakes them for the drowning part? Oh god.

Oh crap, Elle is totally profiling his car and his personality. I love you! But please stop dogging on Derek, okay? He’s a bachelor. Yeah, he has food all over his car, but at work he’s meticulous and that’s what counts, right?

“Aw, that must be the boyfriend,” “Yes, it is. Hey, Gideon.” And Morgan just looks up like, are you serious right now? Oh my god I love those little pieces of insight. Oh my god.

Aw tired Derek is such a puppy I want to cuddle him from now till forever.

“You sure about the time?” “Absolutely, my stories were on.” I love that motel manager. That’s the first time I’ve written that …

“Who’s the answer to all your dreams?” “I’m gonna put you on speaker. “Oh, you completely suck.” Come on, Hotchner, don’t harsh my goddess’s buzz.

“Behold the wonderful genius of Dr. Spencer Reid. Honey, that’s exactly what the rest of the hospital record says.” Lol!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wait. Why didn’t the dad tell Gideon and Reid that Mark was in the car with his mom when she died? That’s like the most basic thing to tell the FBI. Yeesh.

Wait. So the mom went to motels, she took her son when she couldn’t find a babysitter, let him play by the pool. When she died, the dad didn’t think he needed therapy even though he witnessed his mom die? What kind of father is that? Oh my goodness, this guy is beyond wack.

Wow, Gideon is seriously taking this case seriously! I mean, he’s huffing and puffing and trying to get a rise out of the dad, but that is beyond anything I’ve ever seen. Damn.

“Do you have any idea how many people drown every day?” “Yes, but they’re more in the summer for obvious reasons. But I think it averages around 6,500  a year, which is 17 a day.” “Is this Reid?” “Why, you’re impressed?” “I am, slick. I am. You’ve been doing your research, haven’t you?” oh my god, I am suddenly also loving the Hotchner/Garcia banter. I love you!!!!!!!

Wait. Now the theory is that Mark killed his own mom? Oh sweet jesus in hell. Oh my god.

Fuck. I hope they get there in time, cuz he’s gonna drown that lady and that’s not good.

Oh that lady is good! I’m so proud of her. Just run, baby, FBI are on their way.

And you, you fucking asshole, just stop with the killing! You are sick, sick, sick!

Oh I love this lady’s resourcefulness! Seriously! She’s amazing! But I need Elle and Derek to move just a little bit faster. Come on.

Yes! He’s dead! Fuck him.

I mean, I feel for the dad, he lost his kid, but he was a damn sick boy. Ugh.

Francois de la Rochefoucauld: “We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others, that in the end, we become disguised to ourselves.” Well, I guess that is true to Mark Gregory, but overall? That is a sick thought, Francois.

 Okay, so overall thoughts on this one? Bah, I hated the whole idea of the murderer. I really did. But I did love that they put more Penelope in this one, it made the whole thing bearable and they had Hotch making jokes with her, which was precious. Mandy’s acting was beyond phenomenal with the dead, I just love every part of this episode’s little insights into the main characters.

Let’s hope next time won’t be so morbid and gross.

[writeyourownlifestory]

Lets talk about that Dirty Dancing Remake.

As I’ve gotten older, I found ranting online about things to be less appealing. And in truth, this isn’t so much of a rant. More like an extended review. I am gonna try to keep it light and sweet; talk about the good and then the bad. And then decide how it did over all. Let’s do this, shall we?

The Good! 

Abigail does a wonderful job portraying the wide eyed innocent Frances/Baby. It’s perfectly believable that she could be smart, and lovely, and even a little bit funny at times. She was completely adorable a good fit for the character. I saw a bit of comments blasting her for her weight, but let’s be real -- she isn’t overweight! Not by a long shot. Jennifer Grey was incredibly skinny when she did the original, but back then, it was a standard to have small, thin women in films like this. However, if you can ignore the comments and look past the fact that Abigail looks like a perfectly fine, healthy young woman, it’s not that hard to imagine her dancing. 

((Sidenote, Romola Garai, actress who starred in Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights (yes it exist and it’s amazing) stated that the director of the film was very determined to have a very small and very thin actress for the role that she wasn’t even allowed to eat on set.)) 

Some of the other wonderful cast members were Sarah Hyland, Bruce Greenwood, Nicole Scherzinger, Katey Sagal, and Debra Messing. All of them could sing nicely and looked their part. Debra absolutely stood out in this film. She was the best actress and her voice, oh her voice. I could spent 3 hours just listening to her sing and I would be absolutely over the moon. 

Billy Dee Williams also did a neat job, despite having maybe 10 lines all together and just standing in the background looking old. ((Too harsh? Seriously, put him in the newest Star Wars before he dies!)) 

J. Quinton Johnson was also a great addition to the story, with his character having a sweet little subplot with Sarah’s character. 

They made Neil Kellerman less of a punk. I mean, he is still a rich guy who is kinda lame, but he isn’t terrible like he was in the original. 

The singing was nice. There wasn’t much of it, but over all, any time someone sang, they sang with passion and what more could you ask right?

They added more subplots to it, aside from the whole Baby/Johnny thing, and that great abortion plot. The parents had one, so did the sister. Baby and Johnny had a great scene together that I thought was the highlight of the film. Unfortunately, it was about as long as a Snapchat video. 

They also extended the relationships, really showing how Baby and her father, as well as Johnny and Vivian. They also changed the latter from being a bored housewife to a divorcee, so no more cheating there. Thanks ABC.

The Bad! 

While some of the actors did okay, it was the lead male that just ruined it for me. Not, Colt Prattes isn’t a bad actor. He’s just no Patrick Swayze. And while I know he wasn’t trying to be, you can’t be Johnny Castle without that style. That cool guy with an attitude, but he’s not a jerk type of style. He lacked emotion in most of his lines and when he did it, he was full of assholiness. 

Fantastic dancer and singer, yes. Future Oscar winner? Doubtful. The only thing I will give him in his acting was he could act with his eyes. When he looked at Baby, you saw what emotion he was going for. I just wish he could have vocalized it better. 

The singing, like I said was great, but they didn’t really sing the iconic songs. And when they did, they fell flat. They had other celebs do the singing for the soundtrack, which utterly bummed me out because the fact has a great voice and could sing them no problem. 

The dancing...it wasn’t very dirty. The dirtiest scene was when Johnny and Vivian performed together. Which, mind you, wasn’t in the original and got weird after a bit. 

They also kept making Vivian out to be this woman who was happy with her life, but then got angry when she wasn’t wanted, though she prefers not being wanted. 

And finally, the plot that was added and was no fucking way needed....if you haven’t seen this movie already...lucky you. Prepare to be spoiled.

The movie “opens” in New York City, 1975. Baby is going to “Dirty Dancing the Musical” -- how meta. And then it flashes back and we get the film we were promised. When it opens again, later on after they all “had the time of their lives” we see that Johnny and Baby have in fact separated. 

They meet up in the empty theater and Johnny is beyond thrilled to see her there. He wrote and choreographed the musical. Sidenote, after their night of “sleeping together” because saying sex is forbidden, Baby made a comment saying Johnny should be on Broadway. And what do you know, how he is! 

They talk and it’s obvious that Johnny is still head over heels with her. And then a child comes in. For a split second, you (as well as Johnny) thinks that they separated and Baby got pregnant after their time together. But then a man joins in, and he and Baby kiss, and it is revealed much to us (and Johnny) that Baby is happily married with a child. Still taking Salsa classes mind you. 

THIS MOVIE PULLED A LA LA LAND FOLKS! 

The two go their separate ways with Johnny telling Baby to keep on dancing. Fucking. Gag me. 

At the end of the day....

Overall, this movie was an utter waste. They could have done such good things with it, like how Fox did with Rocky Horror. Not perfect, but not horrible. They tried so hard to be their own thing, they forgot to include the magic that was dirty dancing! There was no passion, no fun. Half the time, the characters were upset over different things and dancing was just put off to the sidelines.

If I had to rate this film, I would give it a big fat F. And I pray they never touch Dirty Dancing 2: Havana Nights. 

[fashiontrendin-blog]

Accents, Language and Race: 5 People on Why They Code-Switch

http://fashion-trendin.com/accents-language-and-race-5-people-on-why-they-code-switch/

Accents, Language and Race: 5 People on Why They Code-Switch

The first time I actively noticed someone code-switch I was about 10. I told my mom (who is white) that she put on an accent around my dad’s relatives (who are black) at Christmas. “Please stop,” I said in the car one day. When you’re 10, everything is embarrassing, but I think there was something about that particular brand of code-switching that stuck out to me. It seemed so inauthentic, an attempt to belong in a way that just came off as awkward. So often when we talk about code-switching, we talk about a certain group shifting to meet the expectations of a dominant culture. I think watching that in reverse was what caused me to notice it, even though I had been code-switching for most of my life.

There’s the linguistic-focused dictionary definition of code-switching — “the practice of alternating between two or more languages or varieties of language in conversation” — and then there’s the more colloquial one that centers around changing one’s behavior, conversation topics and dress when around different groups of people. There’s a podcast, a Key & Peele sketch and a million memes about code-switching, and for Duality Month at Man Repeller, I wanted to hear from some other real-life, self-proclaimed code-switchers about their experiences. Below, five women talk about the hows and whys of their personal code-switching and how it feels to move between languages and identities.

Rachita Vasan, 24

I grew up not feeling at home in my own skin, feeling too Indian for Americans and too American for Indians. You internalize those judgements and value systems, not realizing that in doing so, you’re setting yourself up to fail because you consider yourself to be an inherent contradiction.

But you can’t sharpen a knife without a whetstone — as hard as my childhood was in a lot of ways, I credit it with so much of who I am today. Constantly having to reevaluate your audience and context can take a lot out of you when the entire world is trying to tell you who you’re supposed to be. So I developed a really strong internal radar for what felt authentic and honest to me — time spent understanding other people was also time spent nurturing my intuition and sense of self. Especially as an only child, I didn’t have anyone Indian-American to really model behavior off of other than myself, so I got really good at observing and learning from the people around me, even if they weren’t “hybrids” like I was.

When you code-switch, you get really fucking good at understanding the power of words

The practice of putting myself in other people’s shoes to delve into their state of mind is one that became critical to almost every skillset I’m proud of today, especially writing. When you code-switch, you get really fucking good at understanding the power of words, how to get people to take you seriously, how to override their lizard brains shouting stereotypes and misconceptions in the background of your conversation. I have an endless fascination with the nuances in language and communication because as far as I’m concerned, I am a nuance.

There’s a tension in code-switching, you know? But there’s also an energy and a power in that tension; eventually, I learned that being from two cultures didn’t have to mean I was excluded from both. It meant that, once I grew enough to feel secure about who I was and who I wanted to be, I could be greedy with my identity — I could have everything I wanted, I could be unpredictable, I could have all of the above instead of a, b or c. I might look like I’m caught between two cultures, but I am exactly who I am and where I belong. That hyphen in Indian-American could have been a shackle, but I turned it into a bridge.

Victoria

My brain subconsciously goes back and forth from thinking in Spanish to English. If I’m thinking in English, I’ll blurt something out in Spanish and vice-versa. I often find myself accidentally describing things using Spanish slang and being unable to explain to English speakers what exactly this slang word means.

Sometimes certain topics and emotions bring out the Spanish or English in me. It’s interesting because when I’m talking about love, joy and all things sweet, I tend to speak in Spanish. When I’m angry or annoyed or anything of that sort, I tend to speak in English. I think that has to do with how romantic Spanish sounds compared to harsh English.

Overall, it’s a blessing and a curse, but I consider it a huge part of my identity now.

Leslie Bartley, 26

I learned to code-switch from an early age. I watched as my mom, and our lineage of Kentucky women, find out that if we wanted access to jobs, mobility and respect, we better scrub our tongues clean and recognize that how we talk to our family is NOT how we talk in public. Put your shoes on and hang your banjoes up; it’s school time.

“I heard your accent. Thank god I got rid of mine years ago.”

A hellish CEO I met recently in an elevator in Bangkok asked me where I was from after a gregarious introduction from my end. After telling him Kentucky, he responded, “I heard your accent. Thank god I got rid of mine years ago.”

To create balance in spaces I own or feel responsible for, I draw on tropes of Southern women of yore, caricatures of my matriarchs who don’t sell used cars like my actual mom, but had the whole day to focus on buttermilk biscuits and receiving the boys for supper. If I want to make guests, new folks or students of mine comfortable, I’ll greet them with a plucky “Hay y’all,” clasp onto their forearms and ensure them that “I got you baby!” As I’m pushing into my late twenties, I’m starting to recognize the patterns of when I use my Kentucky accent outside of familial spaces, and every time it’s to create warmth.

Olha Kurenda, 18

As a native Ukrainian, I speak a whopping five languages: Russian, English, German, Polish and Ukrainian (naturally). In my country, code-switching is very common, since so many people speak both Russian and Ukrainian every day without realizing that they have changed languages.

I love code-switching with my mom. She doesn’t speak English and German fluently, so hearing her pick up the words I use when talking to my English friends, sometimes without knowing the meaning of them, is hilarious. All the languages I speak have allowed me to learn words which do not exist in other languages. German pick-up lines are amazing; you can compliment someone by telling them, “You look hot as a rat.” In Ukrainian, you can call someone a breadcrumb and they would feel flattered. In general, code-switching allows me to know so many idioms, and using them in other languages can be a lot of fun!

Code-switching really spices up my speech and makes people slightly confused. But sometimes you have to confuse people, right?

Jean Hall, 33

Code-switching is as much a part of growing up black as double-dutch and hot combs; you would be hard-pressed to find an educated black person who hasn’t mastered the art. I grew up in a predominantly white suburb of Washington, D.C., and commuted an hour each day to attend an all-black, African-centered private school in northwest D.C. I was labeled the “white girl” immediately. Not only did I live in white west bumfuck, but my mother is from Connecticut and my father is from New Jersey … I lacked that particular D.C. drawl, the one that pronounces crayon as crown, and so I “talked white,” too.

In kindergarten, I learned to minimize the parts of me that my black inner-city peers referred to as white. At school, it was “crown”; at home, it was “crayon” or my mother would pop me for talking [like that].” I spent kindergarten through high school switching between the codes of the streets and the codes of my mama’s house. In high school, I had more freedom and thus more access to the hood. My street code was solid, I dated boys who sold drugs, I had an adopted big brother from a hood that claimed me, I danced on speakers at go-gos (dangerous dance parties that usually ended with gunshots), I was all set! Then came college, where the hood persona became a bit less necessary. My mother was thrilled when she realized my D.C. accent was slowly fading away.

I learned that my underlying hood edge gave me a kind of cachet

I moved to New York after college, to Bed-Stuy, to be exact (not today’s Bed-Stuy, but the Bed-Stuy of 10 years ago when you could still get your purse snatched). I finally lived in the hood, and my years of practice served me well. If the little hoodlums came at me sideways on Nostrand Avenue, I knew exactly what to say to shut them all the way up. But at work as a visual merchandiser for Louis Vuitton, a different code was expected, and my education and upbringing prepared me to switch easily. I’d read the right books, visited the right countries, wore the right brands and pronounced them properly. While working in fashion — like magazine fashion, not retail — I learned that my underlying hood edge gave me a kind of cachet. I would find the white people I worked with picking up my slang that had now morphed into a weird amalgamation of Atlanta, D.C., New York and California hood.

Let’s fast forward 11 years … I’m 33, and Bed-Stuy isn’t the hood anymore. I’ve done enough soul-searching to know and love who I am: I’m a little bit country, a little rock and roll and even a little Soul II Soul. I’m educated, confident, well dressed and well travelled, but I prefer bodega coffee to espresso, consider “chicken and mumbo sauce with a jumbo mix” a delicacy and I am exactly the same everywhere I go.

Illustration by Emily Zirimis.

[makeamericasfate-blog]

EDITION NO. 3 : NATE

Interviewed Monday, April 11th, 2017

Well, election day started and I probably woke up about two in the afternoon.

I did not vote. I don't care, cause in this election there was really no winner in my opinion. It didn't really matter to me.

They're both pretty horrible candidates.

I went to work that day, worked till about 2am. I came home and turned on the news and started watching the results totaling. I thought it was pretty funny that Trump beat Hillary. Just because everyone thought it was in the bag for Hillary, but I don't know... it didn't really affect me too much.

I wasn't mad, I wasn't sad. It was a joke to me. This whole election has been.

I still can't believe we technically have a celebrity as our president! It's funny. Hillary was a seasoned politician facing a celebrity. She should have known better and did a lackluster job; that she not only did once, but this would be her second time failing horribly.

My boss and coworkers were for Trump. Every night, my boss would ramble on, saying "Trump...Trump man!! WikiLeaks! Trump's gonna destroy Hillary!" Talks like that, but they were actually three hour conversions. He was extremely passionate about Trump. It was ridiculous. He'd just sit in the back and watch CNN or Fox or whatever and just like go on his tablet for the whole night, pointing out every development. Telling me about the latest news story.

"Look, this new story shows how finished Hillary is! Look at this now, Trump hired a new female campaign manager, it's gonna be awesome, it's gonna be great. Hillary's done. She doesn't know what's coming!"

My mom and stepdad were for Trump too, but they weren't diehards. They were kinda split down the middle at the time. They liked certain things, disliked others. That's it though. I don't really care.

There are a couple things about [Trump] I don't like. Like his views on global warming for one, and on education. Betsy Devos....that evil creature!

I don't think he's doing horrible. I wish he thought differently about environmental problems that we have and everything like that. He’s a typical Republican, embrace fossil fuels, make money...let the next generation worry about what happens.

I don't think he's doing too bad. I think people are too harsh to judge him. We won't know how he's doing for at least a year, then we'll know if he's shit or not. We have to give him a chance.

After all, he is the God Emperor Trump!

Hah, honestly though when I look at him, I think of a baby. I really do! I think of a baby.

He's just a hotheaded, very self-centered man. Besides the fact that he's had seven failed businesses, he does know business. Mostly construction. I'm hopeful that our economy could get better from him. I don't see evil intent in home to destroy America, nor did I in Hillary for that matter. I don't see like, complete destruction of America that most people see now that he's in office.

People will say "We're fucking done for, let's just pack up and move to Canada." He's just an immature person who cries out on social media when he doesn't get what he wants, or when things don't go his way.

I think the current political climate is honestly stupid. Cause this country is pretty cool, it's pretty awesome. This idea that people attach to political parties, like when they say I'm red and you're blue, right now the meta is to hate you.  Because you don't see what I see or don't view what I view. And I think that's wrong. I'm entitled to my own opinions and so are you. It is what it is. There's no reason to be at each other’s throats about it.

It doesn't help America. It doesn't help us. It doesn't help the generations that will come after it. It just makes it worse for the overall well-being of our country. It digs us into a hole instead of putting us on a pedestal. And I do think we're in a hole.

People are being stupid about the political parties they're associated with. It really doesn't matter what you're associated with. If you view what you view as a liberal or a conservative, that's fine, but it doesn't matter. Like, I'm still me, you're still you. We can still be friends. Who cares?

People are wanting to be defined by their political party association. Outside of political stuff, you're still a person.

I've always been told that life is never fair. And I believe that. I've witnessed that and experienced that. Not everything's fair.

A lot of these minorities want life to be fair, and it's not. I have no problem with LGBT...Muslims, any of that stuff, I'm not racist or whatever. The current climate sucks for them and I feel sorry for them, but at the same time, you gotta roll with the punches...you gotta embrace the suck, cause it's not always gonna be rainbow, sugar-coated glory time for you. Everyone's got their own problems, you're not special. So you're Muslim or LGBT. Ok, that's fine, but you gotta deal with it. I don't like to favor one side of things.

I personally don't think Trump will infringe on the LGBT. I know Pence would, and if he got into the Oval Office, it'd be hell cause he's a hardcore Christian. But I don't think Trump will do anything disastrous to LGBT. I know he hates Muslims, so there's a target on their back now, which sucks. I have a lot of Muslim friends who are pretty fricken sweet, you know. So, it's a struggle and it will be. Just like with black people still being scrutinized in America, it sucks, but you gotta embrace the suck.

The Democrats would act like they supported black people and then would go hang out with KKK leaders. Or like where the Black Lives Matter protesters came into Hillary's speeches and she told them to shut up and go away. It's all a trick.

That's what these politicians are, just two-faced liars.

I liked part of Bernie's vision at least. I liked what he stood for on certain things. I didn't follow it too deep. I think it was a good part of history in that it started something. It really opened a lot of people's eyes, which was needed with how politics had been going.

I think that Bernie could've beat Trump if his Party hadn't screwed him over. He would've won, but the Democrats wanted Hillary… so, they got Hillary, and....we seen how that went! Now we got a celebrity for a president.

So about me...after high school I joined The Marines, served in The Marine Core for four years. I'm NOT a combat veteran or anything like that unfortunately. I went to Quantico for two years, and then Japan for another two, and then I got out. I worked for an arms contractor in Virginia. Then I moved back to Michigan, where I'm currently a college student and also work at the local Home Depot. I'm living the 'orange life' in Michigan. That's me!

Nothing too crazy. I'm not a super political person. My life doesn't revolve around it. To me it doesn't really matter, because what little control people have over politics will never change anything very much. Politics itself is capable of changing a lot of people's lives, but the biggest problem is getting the correct people in office to change other people's life or to change my life.

Like someone in Michigan for example, something who could have prevented or fixed the Flint Water Crisis. It shouldn't have happened. Should never have happened.

But you have people who are concerned with lining their own pockets with money and saying, "Fuck the other guy, it's all about me." It's not why they're in office. They're in office because of us, but they do this kind of thing on a day to day basis, not only the local government, but the Federal Government as well.

And the worst part is, people re-elect or don't vote for congress, because they don't know or because it's not broadcast like the presidential election. So many bills going through congress, you've never heard of them. There are senators who have been there for 30 years, it shouldn't be like that. You know, serve the people, but instead they're serving themselves by lining their pockets with pension. It's not what that was made for.

Politicians are supposed to represent the people but all government really fails to do that now.

The state of America is horrible right now. Government isn't--hasn't been trusted for a while. Big Brother is watching. They know what you're doing, when you're doing, how you're doing it. Then you know it’s bad when things come out from WikiLeaks about the CIA doing stuff and the FBI doing stuff.

The hacking tools. They're just...before, at some point, people had faith in their government. They believed they'd do the right thing. Seems that has become a slippery slope, where they're "actively doing the right thing" but then when politicians get in office they often do the opposite of what they said they were gonna do.  

Most of the reason is because companies pay them and decide what they do. Money is the biggest mover in politics. Ever.

How do companies like Comcast get away with all they do? Why doesn't the FCC intervene? Why isn't Net Neutrality being defended? None of what they're getting away with should ever transpire. It should just be common sense and prevented, but since Comcast has the money to lobby, they can get away with anything.

The world revolves around money.

No politician is ever a candidate of the people. It doesn't matter how they make it look, they are paid off by one of the four companies that truly run American. It is what it is, there's no way to stop that.

Facing them is like playing against the casino, the odds will always be in the house's favor. You may walk out of the casino with a thousand bucks, but at the end of the day they made millions and then some.

The thing about being American is a weird question for me. To me, everyone in America is an immigrant.

No matter what, everyone here is an immigrant. Unless you're an Indian, then all of us came over here on a boat at some point. So to me, being an American is about being respectful.

I'm not gonna say it has anything to do with freedom because tons of countries have freedom, we're not the only nation that has freedom. We do have a lot of freedom type things I guess.

I've had the experience of living in Japan for two years, and I can tell you, Americans don't respect their country. In Japan, they respect their country, they respect one another. Americans just kinda stomp all over it. They demand everything, and that's hard to swallow sometimes after having lived in Japan and being treated like a super important person even though I wasn’t.

You go to a business and ask for help...except you're asking where to find a competing business and they'll walk you over to it. When my sister came to visit, we were trying to find a certain restaurant and walked into the wrong one. The employee walked us over to the correct one and graciously wished us a good night and then walked back expecting nothing from us.

That would never happen in America. They'd pressure you to eat at their restaurant or they'd tell you to fuck off.

It's just the little things. Americans demand, they don't ask. And it's just because we're strong, militarily.

We're such a big nation but we can't do universal health care. We got tons of fucking homeless people. We don't take care of each other. Everyone's too concerned with taking care of themselves. At least in civilian life.

The military was much better at that. It doesn't seem like it though, because it's tough love.

The military is a lot more comradery based. Yeah we yell at each other, we get in each other’s faces, but when someone is in a time of need, everyone bands together and makes things happen so that either A. They go home or B. They get the help they need.

In bad situations, everyone comes together. That's probably one of the biggest things people miss after they leave the military. Besides those who have seen combat and miss the adrenaline.

If you talk to any combat vet, nine times out ten, they'll say they want to go back. I never got to experience combat, so I can't really comment on that.

In civilian life you're just kinda left to fend. You're out there. In the military though, they feed you. They house you. There's a designated place to go to if you need problems or need help.

Contrast that to civilian life. I can't get anything better than a part time job. If you need health insurance, it's gonna cost you $900 a month and your copay's gonna be $850 bucks. That's great! In the military you just go to the doctor. Obviously we pay for it in taxes, but the military does a much better job with that kind of shit.

That said, I've never felt like leaving this country. As shitty as America can get, and I shouldn't even say that; America isn't shitty, it's a great place, but it's going through a shitty time right now.

Eventually once it's over, hopefully we'll all be better from it, but we'll have to embrace the suck in the meantime. It's going to get worse before it gets better.

For it to get better, people will need to stop being babies. They'll have to grow up and act like adults. Everyone's entitled to an opinion. You don't like someone's opinion? Too bad, they're still entitled to it.

Being offended is such a popular thing right now. People get offended by something and they run away from the conversation. Meanwhile, I think that it's great if you're offended by something. It means you have an opinion about it. It's good. Let's discuss it! Let's go over it, and if you don't want to, that's fine. Ok. That's not gonna change MY view.

People take that like it's the end of the world. They think their opinion is the only one that matters and if you don't agree, then fuck you! Get out of life. We're all humans, we're gonna think differently. We do everything different. It's fine. You learn to accept that. If we don't accept that, we can't coexist. And that's what we need to do. It's what needs to happen, but no one will let that happen. They refuse to let it happen, because the idea of that coexistence actually scares them!

They can't be a team. They have no clue what being a team is. If they did, they'd realize that when working together to accomplish one goal...things get done a lot faster than individually working on something. If you put your differences aside and work together, you get a lot of shit done.

I guess that thinking is what gets people in trouble. It scares them. It scares them because it would mean that you couldn't get offended and stonewall someone when they say something you don't like. That would mean you'd have to work next to a Muslim, or a black guy, or a redneck!

Who cares? We all got a heart. Two legs, arms, ears, eyes, head. We're all the fucking same. Why does any of that shit matter? It doesn't. We're all people. Everyone generally has the same needs in their life. A house, a family, food in their belly...

Everyone's the same in that aspect. At least, that's how my brain views it.

Why is it that European nations can do this kind of thing, but we can't?

I'm pretty sure we can, but again it comes back to our government. They're all bought and paid for.

And if a politician was coming out attacking my skin color, I'm sure I'd feel offended too. Anyone would feel offended, but I wouldn't be scared because hopefully I would have faith in the American people to note vote for that person. It'd be a shock. It's stupid we still have to deal with racism still.

And I've grown up around racist people before. I've seen them. And I have coexisted with them. I just try not to associate with them. That's the biggest thing. Those people are always going to exist. I have nothing against religion, but it's always the bible thumpers that harbor those kinds of thoughts. Their parents were racist, so they end up racist. And yet again, they chose to be that. You gotta hope one day they'll dissipate, maybe not in our lifetime, but it'll happen.

You can't stop these people. They're entitled to their opinion as long as they're not being violent, as long as they're not being racist in the streets. That's what the authorities are for, if a person is making others feel unsafe, then throw them in jail.

I know police are a touchy subject in America right now. A lot of these police stations in general need to be reworked.

The people who run them need to be looked it. The police are there to serve the people but they only do that 10% of the time. I try to think about if there's any good in our political system.

Like what's GOOD about the Democratic Party? Hmmm, what's good…?

Well, they portray that they want to take care of people. Whether they actually do it is one thing, but they portray that that's what they care about. Democrats are more accepting than the Republicans are, they have that going for them. Whereas the Republicans are more Christian, more rigid with these ideas like "marriage is between a man and a woman."

Meanwhile, I'm in the middle, I don't care what people do behind closed doors. Are you a dude who wants to fuck some dude? Great! You know what you want. Most of this country doesn't know what they want, so good on you for knowing what you want!

With that in mind though, the Democrats suck just as equally as the Republican Party, but they just suck at different things.

So then what's good about The Republican Party? Obviously, they support the military more than the Democrats. They're less strict on weapons. I feel like owning a gun is an American right, a Second Amendment right. But they're too closed off to environmental protection, too bible thumpy. They shouldn't tell people what to do with their bodies.

When I think of my ideal president...well...Trump for example, he is far right. Like he swings the boundary for how far right he is.

My ideal president is pro-choice in all things, he supports the people, he doesn't care about skin color, he has the same end goal in mind. Basically that'd be an Independent, someone who swung both ways in a political sense, but of course they could never win with our system.

Abraham Lincoln is my favorite President, and I think it's funny that Trump compares himself to him. Trump is nowhere near Lincoln. Trump is just trying to make himself feel better. If he were comparable to Lincoln, he wouldn't be so bigoted.

Compared to the modern presidents, a lot of the presidents of the past seemed to be more Independent. You can't compare Lincoln's presidency to any other one, it's ridiculous to try.

America was its most great in the 50s, if you take out certain aspects. Back then political integrity actually meant something. The downfall of American politics was Nixon. But something about the 50s just calls to me. The economy was better; the workforce was better. There was a kind of a pureness to it. America took a super turn for the worse in the 60s and it hasn't really stopped that downward spiral since.

I think most of us just want our universal health care. We don't want to be working three jobs just to survive. The ideal America or ideal president wants to cull the environmental torture we've done, doesn't care about your orientation. They want the country to be better, not for their legacy, but for the next generations’.

Someone who can coexist with other parties and not let progress stop because they get offended. I just want people to get along and to keep the planet from imploding. Right now we're too divided. We're all stuck on this planet together, might as well make it better while we're here.