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absolutebl · 4 years ago

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This Week in BL

April 2021 Part 4

it’s my birthday week! *raises a glass of pink milk*

Being a highly subjective assessment of one tiny corner of the interwebs.

Ongoing Series - Thai

Second Chance Ep 4 - oh noes my babies are all so sad! Teen angst for the win. Tropes included: crying in shower, a very significant hand hold, & striped shirts. (At this point over half the cast has been in stripes.)

Love Machine Ep 1 - not gonna lie, I barely made it through the first half, this is a short run LOW budget experimental web series and it’s not good. Dropped.

Lovely Writer Ep 9 - I like it when LW gets serious because there are fewer dumb sound effects, but oof Aey, poor baby. How many Aeys have I known over the years? Rejected, broken, angry, lonely, and lashing out. On a different note, I haven’t see the “sex drug made us do it” plot device since 1980s Johanna Lindsey. Props to that cocktail rearing its ugly head. (yeh yeh) ZOMBIE TROPE ALERT. (Is this the point where I remind the world at a-play doesn’t have to hurt? Well, it doesn’t! Toys, prep, and lube people. Sheesh.) Anygay, zombie trope is put safely back underground. Please don’t let it rise again? (I KNOW, I’ll stop now.) So this was a rough episode, especially the back end. (Okay now I’ll REALLY stop.) Seriously tho, BL doesn’t do a massive coming out family drama scene often. I liked LW’s handling of this one. Hard to watch but compelling.

Close Friend Ep 1 (OhmFluke) - very cute snapshot into a LTR featuring an overworked music producer and his student BF. That’s the chassis for this whole series, each one has to do with the song & is a portrayal of that song’s message. Essentially, the theme of this one was remembering to make time for your partner. I enjoyed that. OhmFluke gave us easy casual familiar affection and a kiss, but no BL tropes, just romance.

Fish Upon The Sky Ep 3 - Pi is a total spazz & the ghost story bit was... well, it was something wasn’t it? Lots of tropes: fixing his clothes, wound tending, drag baby around, piggyback, head in lap, hand hold, and ending on a drunk kiss. I just noticed Pi uses guu/mueng with Mork, but Mork’s a year older. (So I have a new entry onto the linguistic brats list.) So rude and presumptuous. Also I gotta say this, don’t wear watches when you’re working on a cadaver, mmky boys?

Y-Destiny Ep 4 - look MaxNat have great chemistry, this ep had loads of great tropes (e.g. cheek kiss, rooftop, public claiming via phone), it’s not their fault I’m just not wild about these characters. I do like Nuea’s wanna-be idol wardrobe though. And Sun is sporting the red bag version of Tharn’s black bag that I wanted so bad in TT2. (I wonder if I can score a knock off when I’m over there?) Regardless, I basically grinned all the way through this installment, so that’s another thumbs up from me for Y-Destiny. Who knew I’d come around? Man would I love to see these two get their own series.

Brothers Ep 12 - teacher/student exposed! But the power of boys on phones will overcome all. No KhunKaow for me, so of course I found this ep tragically disappointing.

Ongoing Series - Not Thai

HIStory 4: Close To You (Taiwan) Ep 6 - MuRen is officially a yaoi manga character in the flesh. H4′s outright mockery/subversion of tropes “don’t touch him he’s mine,” + “touch my lip & think of kissing” makes the fact that other (way more damaging) tropes are being blithely utilized without critique almost - dare i say it? - insulting. YongJie is trash but I’m the one who feels like trash because I want to forgive him. How aptly abusive & dysfunctional we all are. I don’t know whether to applaud H4 or start drinking. (Maybe this is the show I should invent a cocktail for? Who am I kidding? This is totally a jello shots show.)

Friend or Lover (Taiwan) Ep 2 - I thought this was only a microfilm but turns out it’s a web series. It’s cute. I’m enjoying it.

My Lascivious Boss (Vietnam) Ep 3 - subs take a while to drop but it’s still better than average. I like a secret identity trope, I love a grumpy/sunshine pairing, and the side couple is great but this ep was slow. With only 6 total (I assume) they better get the main couple together next ep or the improved quality of this series will be sacrificed on the alter of pacing issues.

Word of Honor (China) Ep 28-30 - slowed down to focus on bad guys (yawn...ooo Scorpion...yawn again). Then baby gets kidnapped, other baby goes crazy, and old friends turn up. We end on DOOM because mathematically this was an episode 11. All boxes checked.

Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding (Korea) Ep 3-4 - how is this show SO DAMN CUTE & weirdly wholesome at the same time? Another one of those: Will Korea resolve this satisfactorily in 4 short eps? But I seem to say that half way through every Korean BL. These days, I have complete faith. Warm fuzzies for everyone.

Stand Alones

Color Rush movie is the same as the series. There is a stinger at the VERY end (untranslated) but which I’m assuming has something to do with the missing mother. Is this a possible indication of a 2nd season? Hopefully someone will eng sub the stinger and post it out into the universe. So yeah, Color Rush movie = To My Star style, sadly, not Wish You. That said, I did enjoy watching with different subs. The first version I watched was fan subbed, and they were better on English colloquialisms. Viki’s subs are better on Korean colloquialisms.

Breaking News

Bunch of new press on Thailand’s I Told the Sunset About You 2 AKA I Promised You the Moon. Here’s a master post on the subject with all the links you could ever want. It will start airing May 27th 8 pm (Thai time) on LINETV.

New Thai Bl Golden Blood got a teaser trailer. Stars familiar side dish Gun Napat (Techno from LBC) as a rich kid who needs a bodyguard. Yeah, it looks to be the Thai version of Where Your Eyes Linger which is FINE. I love me a bodyguard romance. DO EETTT Thailand. Trailer contains ALL the tropes: dry his hair, piggyback, cooking together, and more, plus good smooches. It looks GREAT. Also cheeper to make then KinPorsche and it might get funded due to of residual enthusiasm. Also GOOD TITLE.

Close Friend got another teaser trailer this one for Talay & Yoon (no subs).

Taiwan has a new BL coming out... eventually. Looks to be a new franchise like the HIStory series with different couple(s) each season. It’s the first Taiwanese BL from a major in-country network. The first installment is titled Be Loved in House: I Do (seriously Taiwan, could we talk about your titles?). It stars a familiar face, Aaron Lai from HIStory: My Hero. It’s a grumpy/tsundere boss/employee office-set BL with some forced proximity to push them together. (Nods to Japan.) No release date, but (unlike Thailand) Taiwan usually doesn’t make announcements without content & serious intent.

Gossip

Taiwanese BL NOVEL Miracle dropped a trailer, no subs or translation. According to YouTube comments it was supposed to be part of HIStory3 but MODC took on its slot. Still it’s kinda fun to see what might have been.

Next Week Looks Like This:

Some shows may be listed later than actual air date for International accessibility reasons.

Upcoming 2021 BL master post here.

Links to watch are provided when possible, ask in a comment if I missed something.

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buffster · 3 years ago

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Blind Date (ATS 1.21)

This is part of my ongoing Buffyverse Project, where I write notes/meta for every episode in an attempt to better understand the characters and themes of the shows. You can find the BTVS list here and the ATS list here. Gifs are not mine.

For anyone that needs a refresher, this episode is the one where Lindsay has his first crisis of faith.

I actually enjoyed the way Wolfram & Hart was portrayed. It is very possible to see the appeal it holds for the employees. Sure, you’re doing absolute evil, but there’s a sense of belonging and a strong meritocracy that makes ambitious people want to prove themselves. Lindsey is able to climb in the company despite a lack of connections and Holland speaks to him like a real person, not someone he expects to follow orders and not ask questions. Underneath all that is a competitive atmosphere and a deep fear of the Senior Partners, but there’s a sense that if you try your best you really will succeed. I’m only pointing this out because in many villain groups there’s one head guy and you get the sense he murders a lackey every time they sneeze at the wrong moment. It makes it difficult to understand why they’d stick around. But Wolfram & Hart sells the idea that this is a game you can win.

The main plot of the episode revolves around a blind woman that works for Wolfram & Hart as an assassin. Angel’s quick trip in and out of the courtroom showed an element of his personality I love to watch. He’s just so freaking fed up all the time.

Holland: You're a young man, you've hitched your wagon to our star - and it's a bright star - but you're feeling a little, "is that all there is?

Lindsey: Sometimes you question things but it's no big -

Holland: I did a lot of crazy things when I was your age, you know, searching and all. It took me a while to realize how the world is put together and where I belonged in it. Actually, the world isn't that complicated: it's designed for those who know how to use it.

Lindsey: Yes sir.

Holland: Don't give me that Yes Sir crap, I want you to think about these things, you won't be happy until you find your place in the scheme of things.

After this, Holland informs him Vanessa will be going after children next. This is apparently a line Lindsey isn’t thrilled to cross.

Angel: Still their world, Wesley. Structured for power, not truth. It's their system. And it's one that works - because there's no guilt, no torment. No consequences. It's pure. I remember what that was like…Sometimes I miss that clarity.

There’s a hint of his coming crisis here that we will see play out later. Angel struggles with the one step forward, two steps back aspect of fighting evil more than we see Buffy do. I tend to think this has to do with his being immortal. Time stretches out endlessly for him and I think he longs for an end of the line. The day to day grind that sometimes works and sometimes doesn’t seems pretty daunting in that context.

Lindsey: Our files aren't a hundred percent. But I guess it's fair to say you've never seen anything like real poverty. I'm talking dirt poor, no shoes, no toilet, six of us kids in a room and come flu season that went down to four. I was seven when they took the house, just came right in and took it. My daddy trying to be nice, joking with the bastards while he signed away the deed. Yeah, we had a choice: you got stepped on or you got to steppin'. I swore there with a stupid grin on my face while my life got dribbled out -

Angel: I'm sorry, I nodded off. Did you get to the part where you're evil?

Apparently getting cursed with a soul leaves you short on patience for excuses. In fairness, I’ll be the guy that takes the houses from the poor is an...interesting way to go.

Angel: That's what we call an acceptable risk. You're panicking right now; you can't believe how bad you let things get. That's not change. You have to make a decision to change. You do that by yourself. Most people never do.

I appreciated Angel not just letting Lindsey off easy here. Typically, everyone would move right to being relieved he saw the light. Angel understands that changing is a lot deeper and harder than the realization that you need to. He’s an insider on getting away from evil.

The gang decides to break into Wolfram & Hart to steal the important files. Gunn serves as a distraction.

Gunn: Well my God. They told me it was true - I didn't believe 'em - but, damn, here it is. Evil white folks really DO have a Mecca! OW! Did you just step on my foot? Was that my foot you just stepped on? Are you assaulting me in this haven of justice? I don't believe it. Somebody get me a lawyer. Anybody? A lawyer? My civil rights have been seriously violated. Oh, I get it. You'll cater to the demon, cater to the dead man, but what about the black man?

In a serious oh shit moment, Lindsey is stopped by mind readers before he can make his exit. But Lee is the one who ends up murdered, for talking to another law firm and planning to switch his loyalties.

Despite Holland knowing everything Lindsey did, he doesn’t kill him. He senses that it isn’t too late to keep Lindsey, unlike Lee. He lets him go because he is that confident that he’ll come back. And it also seems like Wolfram & Hart prizes the bold and ambitious, as long as they can be sure they’re on their side.

Angel sees a scroll he didn’t plan on taking but felt drawn to. We later find out this is the prophecy about him.

In the end they’re able to save the children, with Lindsey’s help. But when Lindsey returns, his standing up to them and winning only makes him more valuable to Wolfram & Hart. He’s offered Holland’s old job, and he takes it.

Character Notes:

Willow Rosenberg: We get a small tie-in as Cordelia gets Willow’s help (over the phone) hacking into computer files.

Lindsey McDonald: Holland hand picked him from Hastings when he was a sophomore.

#blinddate #jeannine renshaw #not me coming back after literal years #look im still interested in this so imma do it even if im shouting into the void #angel #cordelia chase #Lindsey McDonald #wesley wyndam pryce #charles gunn

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wonder-kid-pugh · 4 years ago

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Coming Home for Christmas - (Mal Pugh x reader)

Mal loved Christmas

It was without a doubt her favourite time of the year. Every year it felt like she was 6 years old again as her excitement grew with each passing day getting closer and closer to Christmas. She just loved everything about it. The playing in the snow. Spending time with the family. Belting out the lyrics to Christmas songs. Drinking hot chocolate while snuggling up in front of the fire.

But what really made Christmas special was the people she spent it with.

One of the few downsides of being a professional soccer player is the lack of time. She spent so much of the year away from family and always training whether it be for club or the national team meant she didn't get to see her family as much as she would have liked. Not to say she regretted any of it. It was the one of the few sacrifices of being on one of the best teams in the world. No, what she regretted was the lack of time. She regretted how time seemed to slip by so easily. It just seemed to slip through her hands. She could do nothing but watch as it helpless slipped away.

But that's what made the holidays even better. She cherished the time she got to spend surrounded by her family and friends. It just made the holidays just so special no matter how stressful it was at times.

It was also a constant reminder of her relationship.

Y/n L/n has been in Mal's life since she was 6 years old. She has been there through the highs and lows of her life and her career. They had done practically everything together. Growing up she attended every single one of Mal's games and whenever she needed someone to help her practice Y/n was always there to fill whatever position was required. Y/n was Mal's first call after getting called up the National Team and you better believe your ass that Y/n was there in the front row cheering her on when she made her debut. It was only after Y/n surprised her at the game did she realised that she had fallen for her best friend.

Mallory had fallen and had fallen hard

So you can only imagine her delight when on Christmas Day 2017 after both being caught under the mistletoe together Y/n kissed her confessing how she's been harbouring feelings for the forward for a while now. Mal was so dazed by what was happening that she could only stare shocked at the poor girl leading her to believe she didn't feel the same. It was only when the girl started to stumble over her words apologizing profusely for her actions did Mal regain her senses and pull her back into a gentle kiss.

And that was the beginning of their relationship.

It also didn't hurt that it was the same day a year later that they told each other that they loved each other. Christmas for Mal was her favourite time of year for all those reasons. I mean how could you possibly hate Christmas after all that? She had everything she needed. But this year it was slightly different. She had the snow, she had the carols, she had the presents. She even had family.

But she didn't have Y/n.

See while Mal decided to join the Bruins and eventually The Spirit, Y/n enlisted in the Army. Ever since she was younger all she wanted to do was help people. She wanted to make people's lives better. She wanted to do some good in the world. So she became a medic for the Army. Running into battle to help the people who help serve and protect their country. And although it was tough they preserved. Y/n's selflessness was one of the reason she fell in love with her and as much as she hated being away from her, Mal knew that she couldn't stop Y/n from doing what she wanted to do and that was to help people.

She missed her girlfriend. But Mal knew that it wouldn't be for much longer. Y/n promised she would be here for Christmas. It was their holiday. She would never miss such and important day for the two of them. And she never breaks her promises. Which is why Mal as happy as could be answered the facetime request immediately after seeing her girlfriend's name flash on the screen.

She immediately stopped everything she was doing and smiled as she answered the facetime request. She practically squealed when she saw the image of her girlfriend who's been away from her for over a year now, "Hey Babe!" But her smile faltered when she saw Y/n give her a weak smile in return, "Hey Love". Mal scrunched up her eyebrows, "What's wrong?" Y/n sighed and bites the corner of her lip as she stares back at her long term girlfriend.

Immediately Mal knows something is wrong. Mal has known her girlfriend long enough to know that her has a habit of biting the corner of her lip when she's nervous about something.

Or something has gone terribly wrong

"What's wrong?" Mal asks as she frowns lightly at the screen. Y/n's shoulders slumped as she released a big sigh dragging her hand down her face. This did nothing to ease Mal's nerves, "Y/n?" Y/n looked sadly at the Mal as she wanted nothing more than to hug her in this moment after the disaster of a day she had today, "There was an attack on the base...".

Mal's eyes widen, "Oh my god! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" She quickly shakes her head, "No! No I'm fine. Everyone's fine. A few bumps and bruises but nothing we can't handle". Mal could see Y/n look down no doubt playing with her fingers before she looked back up at her sadly, "The plane on base that was planning on bringing us home was damaged in the attack". Mal's breath hitched as Y/n continued, "It was the only plane on base at the moment and there's a storm incoming and they don't think they can get a plane here in time before it hits".

"What does that mean?" Mal asked her voice dropping to a whisper. She tried to look anywhere else but her y/e/c met Mal's brown orbs lacking their usual sparkle, "I don't think I'm going to be home for Christmas".

It was that moment that Y/n wished nothing more than to tell her it was a terrible joke. She could feel her heart break as she watched as Mal's face dropped. The smile that never failed to light up a room disappeared in a second.

And the worst of it all was the fact that there was hundreds of miles in between them stopping her from comforting the love of her life.

"I'm really sorry Love. But because of the storm they can't get another plane to get us home. And it means that they're short on medics so they need me to stay until they can get someone to replace me. I swear Mal if there was a way-" she tried to soften the blow as if it would relieve the forward in some way.

Mal could see how distraught the medic was at telling her the devastating news. She knew that she would rather give her left arm than miss Christmas at home. She knew that she was trying her best to seem okay for her because as much as Mal hated the idea of not being together for Christmas.

She knew that Y/n hated it more

"Babe?" Mal says stopping Y/n from her ramble before she went into a downward spiral. She tries to put on her most convincing smile as she looks at her through the camera, "Y/n it's okay. I-its okay really. There's nothing you can do about it. It's just really unfortunate timing". Her face softens as she looks at me sadly, "You know I'm going to do everything in my power to get back home to you as soon as possible right?" Mal smiles lightly, "I know".

It looked like she wanted to say more before her name was called sounding very urgent, "Shit Love I'm really sorry I have to go. His condition just dropped-". But I shake my head, "It's okay go save a life". She snorted at the saying her girlfriend had taken to telling her everytime she had to go away. She quickly kissed her hand putting it to the camera before quietly whispering, "I love you superstar". I smile at her softly, "I love you too Hero". She gave me one last smile before the call disconnected.

Mal sighed as she dropped her phone burying her head in her hands. The most important holiday of the year and she's missing the most important person in her life. Mal loved Christmas.

But this Christmas already seemed off to a bad start.

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

"Is everything okay Mal Pew Pew?" Sonnet asks as she dropped into the seat across from the sombre forward. Everyone noticed that the forward's mood had dropped significantly since the day before. Everyone knew how excited she got at Christmas. The already happy going forward just seemed to shine even brighter at Christmas.

So what happened between yesterday and now that made the forward do a complete 180?

"Yeah what's up? There's been something off with you since yesterday" Lindsey adds as the rest of the team listened in on the conversation. Mal just checks her phone once more only to see that there is still no new message from Y/n. The forward sighs as she runs her hand through her hair, "Y/n's base was attacked".

Everyone's eyes widen as they look at the younger player. "What? Is she okay?" Rose asks sitting up. Mal nods, "Yeah she's okay but she won't be home for Christmas". Everyone was silence. They all knew how important Christmas was for Mal and Y/n. They saw how much the two loved each other. They were the light of each others lives. And they knew how devastated they must be being away from each other at such an important time of the year.

"Awe we're sorry Mal" Christen says as she drops into the space beside the forward with Tobin right beside her as always. Mal shrugs trying to play it off, "It's okay. There's nothing we can do about it. Just really unfortunate timing". Nobody says anything knowing that nothing could make up for the loss of a love one on the holidays. All Christen did was pull the younger forward into a hug.

After all the hell that was the Corona Virus the team decided to hold a massive team celebration for the holidays. All the player's families were all going to join at the end of camp and all spend Christmas together. And while Mal was grateful she would be surrounded by so much friends and family, nothing could replace Y/n being there.

If only she knew how much Y/n was busting her ass trying to get home to her....

...........

Y/n stood back straight hands behind her back as the general looked her over. He eyed one of his top medic up and down, "Are you sure this is what you want?" But all she did was nod respectfully, "Yessir". Even though he look a bit reluctant he nodded nonetheless, "Although I don't like it". Y/n tensed up before he continued, "I respect your decision and understand why you want to". Y/n relaxed the tiniest bit as she nodded at her superior, "Thank you sir". He starts to nod before he starts filling out some paperwork, "Go pack your bags".

Y/n scrunched her face lightly, "Sorry sir? I don't understand". He just glances up at me with a small grin, "You have a plane to catch". He looks back down going back to writing, "You better hurry. The planes going to be here soon and you need to leave soon to beat the storm". You couldn't stop the smile spreading across the young medic's face, "Thank you sir. For everything". He looks up from his paperwork, "Go home to your girl L/n". Y/n gave him one last salute before rushing out to go pack her bags. The General shook his head with a small smile. Although he hated losing his best medic he knew that where she needed to be was home.

It was the best news she had ever heard. They were somehow able to scramble a nearby charter plane to bring some troops home. Y/n being one of them. Within 15 minutes Y/n had all her belongings packed and was running towards the plane which was scheduled to lift off in 2 minutes. She had just make it into the plane as they were about to lift off. As she had got on the plane she took out the small Polaroid picture of her and Mal. She smiles as she ran her thumb over the creased photo showing just how many times she had taken this photo out. She quickly placed a gentle kiss to the precious photo before tucking it away again and instead swapping it out for her phone.

It was a long flight home but it was okay because Y/n had some major stuff to plan and it would all be worth it in the end to be able to see Mal on Christmas Day.

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

"Christ" Y/n mutters as she pulls her jacket closer to her. Being away from home for so long she almost forgot how cold it was in her home state. However the cold Colorado weather did nothing to deter the medic though as she felt a wave of warmth flood through her as she knew she was so close to seeing her family again. She was close to seeing her Mal again.

Although it seemed like the world was against her today.

It was hard enough for Y/n to find a taxi to drive her to where she needs to be. She blamed it on the heavy snow falling and the fact that most people were probably at home, all bundled up in blankets surrounded by their loved ones enjoying one of the best holidays of the year.

Exactly where Y/n should be right now

Thankfully her prayers were answered as one car pulled over and allowed her in. She quickly told the driver where she was heading before slumping against the seat. They were driving comfortably for a while and Y/n struggled to sit still in the seat.

That was until she faced her next problem

"Shit.." the driver mutters quietly but Y/n was able to hear him over the popular Christmas songs playing quietly from the radio. Y/n leans forward, "What's wrong? Why are we stopped?" The driver gave her a sympathetic, "Sorry but the snow's too heavy and is blocking the roads causing traffic. It pretty much bumper to bumper right now". Y/n sighs as he turns to her fully obviously seeing how important it was for her to get where she needs to be.

Y/n flops back against the seats, "Fuck..."

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

"Okay time to hand out presents!" Vlatko calls out to all the families scattered around the room. Mal grudgingly gets up from playing with Marley who had been doing well from distracting the girl from missing Y/n right now to now sit beside her sister as everyone moved to the Christmas tree they had set up.

Brianna who could see how much Mal was struggling to get into the Christmas spirit without Y/n present, "You okay?" Mal plasters on a fake smile even though she knows that her sister knows just how fake it is, "I will be". Brianna doesn't say anything and instead turns to her daughter who looks at her aunt confused tilting her head, "I think Aunt Mally needs a hug right now. Don't you think Marls?"

The small girl smile and jumps into her aunt's arms never one to deny a hug. Mal chuckles lightly as she hugs the small girl back, "Thanks Marls". Marley smiles brightly as she turns so she's sitting in Mal's lap as she starts to fiddle with the forward's fingers to keep her occupied.

Mal sat and watched as people one by one exchanged gifts which lifted her spirits the tiniest bit. The team had made it their mission to help their crestfallen teammate. They had done everything and anything which came with the perfect Christmas. They had baked cookies, made gingerbread houses, sang Christmas carols, built snowmen, everything. Which Mal appreciated very much as it relieved the ache in her heart slightly.

And before she knew it, it was her turn to pick presents. "Want to help me open my presents?" Mal asked the little girl in her lap who nodded enthusiastically. But just as they started tearing into the first present the door burst open.

Mal's face scrunched up as she heard her teammates gasp looking at something behind her. She shifts around turning to see how has her teammates attention. But her eyes widened as she saw who stood behind her staring straight at her.

Because there stood Y/n L/n

Brianna was the first to recover as she moved her daughter out of her sisters lap and into hers. At this Mal scrambled to her feet and ran into Y/n who had her arms open waiting for her. "Your here" Mal cried out into her shoulder as she clutched onto her for dear life, "your really here".

Y/n had never felt more complete in her life as she wrapped her arms around the girl she so desperately loved, "I'm here Love. I'm home". Hearing this Mal pulled back and kissed Y/n harder than she ever had before. In any other moment they would have been mindful that they were in a room filled with the family and friends but all that mattered in that moment was each other. After being away from each other for just over a year, all they cared about was that they were back in each others arms.

Once they separated Mal looked into Y/n's eyes as both their eyes started to water, "But how? I thought-you said you couldn't-". Mal just couldn't get the words out but Y/n chuckled, "Did you really think I wouldn't move heaven and earth to make it back to you for Christmas?" Mal laughs but as she wrapped her hand around her neck and Y/n held her face in her hands she flinched lightly, "Why are you so cold?"

Y/n looked a bit sheepish as she gave her a small smile and her cheeks flushed but Mal could tell whether it was from the cold or her question, "Well I was in a rush and I didn't get time to change. And then we got stuck in traffic and then the taxi broke down. So I kinda ended up running here".

Mal pulled back a bit shocked, "You ran here? Babe it's snowing outside!" "Oh trust me I know" Y/n laughed making her girlfriend shake her head at her in disbelief. "Beside" Y/n grinned, "it's not the first time I ran through a snow storm to tell you I loved you". Mal smiles at the memory of how when they first said that special 4 letter word with Y/n almost killing herself in the process as she ran through a snowstorm to Mal's house to tell her before Mal could even get a blanket around her to warm her up.

"Your so stupid" Mal mumbles as she brushes from snow out of Y/n's hair. But that doesn't stop the massive face splitting smile from spreading across Y/n's face, "I love you too". Mal smiles as she presses another kiss to her girlfriend's lips, "I love you more than anything in the world".

Mal took her girlfriend's hand and dragged her towards their friends and family, "Cmon let's get you warmed up". But they didn't make it far before something collided with Y/n's legs, "Y/n!" Y/n smiles as she picked up the small girl in her arms, "Hey Marls". The small girl tucked herself into the crook of Y/n's neck and she wrapped her arms around her neck in a tight hug, "I missed you". Y/n just kissed her head and hugged her back gently, "I missed you too Marley". "Not as much as me" Mal said quietly leaning into the medic's side causing her to wrap her arm around the soccer player.

After greeting her family and friends from her long time abroad she found her place right beside Mal as they resumed opening Mal's presents. The two were making sure that they were always touching in some sort of way as Marley help the two open Mal's presents. Once Mal opened her last present Y/n gave her a small smile, "I'm sorry I don't have a present for you..." But Mal simple shakes her head intertwining their fingers, "The greatest gift I could ever receive is having you home for Christmas".

Y/n smile brightly, "Well that's good because..." Mal frowns as Y/n detaches theirs and stands up in front of her for a second. But that all changes when Y/n bends onto her knee.

There was a pin drop silence as everyone watched in awe as Y/n pulled out a small box smiling at the forward who's eyes started to water once more with her hand clasped tightly in front of her mouth.

"Mallory Pugh" she starts, "you have been an essential part of my life since I was 6 years old. I couldn't possibly imagine my life without you there. Through the highs and lows, through the best and worst of times we have been there for each other. And the thought of not being home for Christmas with you made me realize something". She takes a deep breath as she sees tears stream down Mal's face, "I don't ever want to worry about missing another Christmas with you. I want to be home for every Christmas for the rest of our lives. I want to be there cheering you on at every match. I want to be the one you come home to and argue about with one of us do the dishes". Everyone laughs while Mal snorts remembering all the playfully arguements they have over who's turn it is to do the dishes only to end up doing them together in the end.

"I want to start a family with you. I want to give you all the things I promised you if you'll let me. So..". She opened the small box to reveal a beautiful diamond ring, "Will you, Mallory Diane Pugh, make me the happiest person alive and marry me?"

Mal doesn't even say anything and instead flings herself into Y/n's arms. The force of which sends the two of them toppling to the ground. But Y/n barely had anytime to recover as Mal smashed her lips against hers. They were vaguely aware that everyone else was cheering like mad for the young couple. When Mal finally broke the kiss, the two of them gasping for air, Mal nods frantically, "Yes. Yes! I will marry you". Y/n smiled before bringing her into another kiss.

As Y/n lifted them up off the ground they were immediately swarmed by their family. "It's about time!" Horace laughs as he hugs Y/n. Mal's eyes widen, "You knew?!" He shrugged sending a wink at the medic, "She's had our blessing since you were 18". Mal looked at Y/n who blushed, "I asked ages ago but I wanted to wait a little longer until we were both stable". Mal nods and interlocks their fingers kissing her cheek.

"So how long do we have you for?" Rose asked after looking at the ring perched on her friend's finger. Mal's smile falters slightly as she looks to her now fiancée. But Y/n smiles brightly down at her soon to be wife, "How about forever?"

Now this catches everyone's attention

"What?" Mal breathes out. Y/n smiles, "As of today I have been honourably discharged from service". Mal jumps up again wrapping her arms and legs around her, "Your staying?" Y/n nods kissing Mal's temple, "Forever Love. I'm staying forever".

Once again everyone smiles the young couple as Vlatko smiles, "I guess now is a good time to introduce our teams new addition to the medical staff". Everyone turns to Y/n who smiles. All the youngsters plus Kelley jump on top of Y/n and start cheering. "I'll also be taking over diets and fitness training alongside Dawn so I don't know if you'll be cheering for much longer" Y/n laughs.

Once everything gets back on track, Mal takes residences in Y/n's lap as they move onto Tobin's gifts. "I love you so much Superstar" Y/n whispers in Mal's ear as Tobin unwraps a new skateboard from Ash. "I love you too Hero" she whispers back. Y/n presses a kiss to Mal's shoulder as she wraps her arms around the smaller girls waist. This had to have been the happiest moment of their life so far. Nothing could top this not even winning a World Cup. But what did you expect.

They both loved each other more than they love Christmas

Hey guys!!! First off Merry Christmas or happy holidays!!! (Whichever). I wrote this a few days ago in the build up to Christmas and I hoped you enjoyed it. Christmas has always been a special time for me so I hope this brought you a little joy whether you celebrate the holiday or not. Even though it's been quite strange this year I hope you enjoy the day and get to spend it with the people you love. Anyways I hope you enjoyed. Once again Merry Christmas and until next time, bye!!!

#uswnt imagine #uswnt imagines #uswnt x reader #mallory pugh imagines #mallory pugh #mallory pugh imagine #Mallory pugh x reader #mal pugh imagine #mal pugh x reader #mal pugh imagines

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sicariusvoit · 4 months ago

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Beautiful and smart.

Cat hadn't expected Spencer to say those things. Was he trying to sweeten her up? Probably. Was it working? Yes. Cat would have given anything for Spencer to want her the way he wanted Maeve Donovan. It had been painfully insulting that she needed to get Lindsey Vaughn to pretend that she was Maeve. The thought hurt but she had long since stored away any hope of getting Spencer in bed with her. There was the possibility now with this little bundle of joy on the way but it wouldn't be for a while, if at all. Not only did they have prison to consider but at the same time she knew it would take Spencer some time to accept that he had a child and to move past the betrayal. Cat was aware that she had removed his agency, as far as she was concerned men had been doing it to women for centuries so it was justified but that was not an opinion she knew Spencer would share. It was also something she wished she didn't have to put Spencer through but there was no way they could have gotten here if she had given him the option. He forced her hand.

"Oh but Spencie, destruction is fun." Cat met his eyes, reaching up she took a strand of her hair between her fingers and began to twirl it, all the while staring straight into his eyes. "I think power would look incredible on you." Cat wiggled in her seat a little, enjoying his undivided attention. What she wouldn't do for the ability to get closer to him. Leaning forward, she continued. "I chose the darkness because it's powerful, Spencer." It was one of the only times she used his full name instead of the childish nickname she had given him. "Don't you miss feeling powerful. It felt powerful, didn't it? When you almost killed an entire block of people. Well imagine that feeling but over and over and over again. The rush of sex in your system whilst running off the adrenaline borne from self-righteous vengeance. That's a high that I will never regret." She was still staring at Spencer with her large brown does lit with the fire of bloodlust. "So, tell me. Did you ever find out who killed Nadie Ramos?" Looking at the watch she calculated that she had around eight minutes left before she was due to call Lindsey for Spencer to talk to his mother. She thought it would be tasteful to inform Spencer of his child before that. Maximise the drama. Cat always loved extreme displays of emotion, she really wanted to see Spencer lose his shit like that. He hadn't before, he'd been so calm and collected, even when he was held at gun point. Cat wanted to see him when all that logic was drained from his body and he was running on pure instinct alone. The need was so intense it danced on her tongue like sugar. ─────────────────── ♡ ˚୨୧⋆.♡ ───────────────────

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Cat's tongue reached back, the tip of it touching her molars as her mouth opened and she grinned lopsidedly. 𝐖𝐎𝐖. Did Spencer Reid just admit that he enjoyed hurting someone? Apart from her positive pregnancy test that had been the best news she'd had in a very long time. Sending him to prison had worked. The darkness in Spencer had been successfully drawn out. Now, he had no choice but to recognise that in reality, he was just like her. It had been obvious from the way Cat smiled that she recognised the way Spencer swallowed thickly with nerves. She knew how to read him, nothing was going to escape her wry, sharp observations. Another thing she loved was that Spencer knew exactly what her next question was going to be. It was if he read her mind. If she was honest, she really did adore how intuitive he was, how sensitive he was. She was exactly the same, although she hit it behind a different kind of bravado to Spencer, she recognised it in him all the same. Cat saw him, she knew him, unlike all the other people he had grown close to in his life, Cat saw both 𝐃𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 and 𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓. Spencer was just like her and yet he was also not like her in the slightest. He had that beautiful gentle side to him. Cat wanted both, she also wanted to show him that she was the only woman in the world that could handle both sides with practiced expertise. She accepted and embraced both. No one else could have done that, they would have wanted Spencer to be this dainty, fragile little boy wonder who could do no wrong. That narrative of Spencer was nothing short of insulting. It was infantilising. No, Spencer had that softness, he cared, he was an obvious genius, but he wasn't fragile or dainty. No, Spencer was calculating, he was sly, and he knew how to expertly manipulate people. How could a truly phenomenal liar be such a good person? No, there was a nastiness in Spencer that he refused to see or accept. It seemed like his prison stay had been successful. Now Spencer saw and accepted both. Cat couldn't have been more proud.

"Spencie, you 𝐍𝐀𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐘 boy. I guess we're not so different after all. I also like to see people suffer," she chastised him playfully before pointing out the parallels between them so Spencer couldn't escape them. She closed her mouth and rubbed her lips together before regarding him with a glitter in her eyes. Cat checked her watch. She then folded her fingers together tipped her head forward. "Have you 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓 about me since we last met?" The question was serious, there was no doubt that she was testing the waters. The more time they spent together the more apparent it would be that Cat wasn't interested in talking about anything other than them. It had been the whole point of this elaborate plan. Break Spencer down so he could finally move past his pride and see their similarities, gain some sort of revenge for having her freedom removed, before finding out if he harboured any feelings for her. It was debatable, if she really wanted to reveal that she had a baby if he seemed cold and unreceptive to her, but he was playing her game and he'd given into it quite quickly despite knowing that she and Lindsey were behind his incarceration. She supposed his next few answers would be crucial as to whether he found out at all. It was the 𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐀𝐂𝐋𝐄 moment, he could reject or embrace her and both options had consequences.

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#ch: spencer reid #ch: cat adams #test muse #thread: baby it takes two

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13uswntimagines · 4 years ago

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Stupid Games, Stupid Prizes (Alpha!Preath x Omega!Reader)

Request: alpha!Tobin and alpha!Christen fight over omega!reader? You can choose who the reader ends up with.

Hey dudes, I hope you enjoy this as much as i enjoyed writing it! Hit me up with Requests, Questions or if you just want to say hi!

This was getting out of hand. You shook your head, watching Tobin’s sulking for as glared at anyone who approached her. Yes, very very out of hand. What had caused the typically chill alpha’s mood to turn sour? That was the Stanford sweater that you were currently wrapped in. The red sweater that smells distinctly like Christen, and you had a feeling that it appearing in your locker wasn’t a huge coincidence.

The two had been at each other’s throats for the past week, and you were sick and tired of being at the center of their constant game of tug of war. You had thought the idea was stupid, to begin with. The bite marks on your neck and the ones on theirs made the entire effort pointless. But “it’ll be fun they say”, “It’ll make you feel wanted” and help the three of you connect with your more... primal urges, but right now you felt like a toy being fought over by two pups. There was nothing sexy or loving about it.

You huffed, settling back on the bench, blatantly ignoring Christen’s smug grin and Tobin’s pout. “You ok?” Alex asked, settling down on the bench beside you, wrapping an arm around your very tense shoulders, and releasing a wave of soothing pheromones. Alex was like your older sister, her inner omega claiming you as such the moment she set her eyes on you, which wasn’t surprising considering that her mate Kelley’s inner alpha had claimed you the same way.

“I’m just great,” You sassed, glowering at Tobin who was taunting Christen with the soccer ball. Christen bared her teeth, clacking them together at the cocky alpha.

“They look like they’re going to rip each other’s heads off,” Mal mumbled as she sat on your other side, and Kelley slid in behind her mate. Kelley would typically be in Mal’s spot, but with Chris and Tobs in this state, she knew that getting too close to you would not be well received by your alpha’s. Plus, her inner alpha wasn’t a fan of the massive amounts of pheromones Chris’s sweatshirt currently had on it.

“Mmm,” You hummed, leaning further into Alex, allowing her scent to wrap around you like a blanket. Combined with Christen’s scent, it was incredibly relaxing, though you did miss Tobin’s smell.

“You sure you’re ok?” Kelley asked, peeking over Alex’s shoulder, trying not to get too close.

“I’m just tired, and I want to cuddle my mates but they’re too busy having a dick measuring contest,” You groaned, cringing when Christen finally snapped and shoved Tobin, stealing the ball away from her and firing it towards the goal.

“You’re the dumbass that agreed to it in the first place,” Kelley snorted and you rolled your eyes at her, pouting. The premise was that your two alphas would be fighting for your attention, not that they would be unable to stand being in the same room together. In the beginning, it had been fun, watching them squabble and try to get you to wear their cloth or cuddle with just them, but now it was really fucking with your camp routine.

“Like 2 weeks ago. I thought it’d be over by now,” You growled back, releasing as many dominant scents as you could muster. Kelley was joking and you knew that, but you were tired and cranky and you didn’t want to be teased anymore.

“I’m sure wearing Chris’s sweater isn’t fanning the flames at all,” Alex chuckled, easing the tension that had settled over you with a little puff of her soothing scent.

“Kelley’s was unavailable,” You grumbled, burying your nose in the hoodie.

“Damn right,” Alex laughed back, sinking in the sweatshirt she had stolen from her own alpha. The last time you had taken Kelley’s Stanford sweater by mistake both your alphas and Alex had been pissed. It was disrespectful to wear another alpha’s scent, especially if said alpha was already mated to your best friend.

“So the thing between Chris and Tobs is a sex thing?” Mal asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

Something like that,” You smirked at her. Technically it would probably end in a sex thing, but the game was more complex than that.

“Is it like the time you stole Lindsey’s jacket?” Mal questioned, quirking her head to the side like a small puppy. You laughed at the memory. That had been more for Soran’s benefit than your own, but you supposed the concept was the same. Lindsey had for sure gotten the possessive omega reaction out of Emily.

“Same game, different rules,” You mumbled thoughtfully, the memory sparking a few ideas in your brain.

“I still don’t get why the sweatshirt is such a big deal,” Mal huffed, settling back in her seat and pulling a pout that rivaled Tobin’s.

“You’ll understand when you have an alpha of your own kid,” Kelley laughed, reaching behind you and Alex to pat the young omega’s back.

“Who are you going to let win?” Alex grinned at you as Tobin finally managed to catch up to Christen and steal the ball away, shoving the shorter woman back.

“I don’t let anyone win, that’s their problem. All I do is enjoy the show,” You grumbled, huffing when Tobin sent a wink your way and poured when you stuck your tongue out at her.

“Except you’re not enjoying it?” Mal asked in confusion. You shook your head, throwing your head back with a groan when Chris tackled Tobin for what you assumed was winking at you. This was less of a dominance battle and more of a stupid pudding contest.

“I was, but now it’s just annoying. They’re acting like pouting pups,” You grumbled, bringing your hands to your face and scrubbing your eyes. You were tired and all you wanted was some cuddling and to not have to choose between your two favorite people. You wanted to snuggle into Chris’s neck while Tobs drew invisible shapes on your back.

“You could always safeword,” Alex said softly, running her hand down your back and carefully untangling your fingers from your hair. She could feel the frustration rolling off of you in waves, and released her soothing pheromones (along with Kelley) in an attempt to calm your frayed nerves. She carded her fingers through your hair, the corners of her lips turning up when she felt you begin to practically purr in her neck.

You knew that with one word this stupid game would be over, but that wasn’t the answer. You needed to teach your two donuts a lesson they would never forget. A lesson that would ensure they never drag their stupid games out this long again. If they wanted to play dumbass games, you would show them that they would only win dumbass prizes.

“I don’t think I need to. I think I have a better way to show them how fucking stupid they are,” You growled into Alex’s neck.

“You’re going to make them regret this aren’t you?” Kelley chuckled knowingly.

“Absolutely,” Alex felt you smirk, her smile vanishing. You had one hell of a mean streak in the pitch, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to see what you had in store for your mates.

*****

The end of practice and the ride back to the hotel were relatively uneventful, as Mal clung to you and prevented the brewing argument between your mates over who got to sit with you. She also dragged you to an impromptu movie with Emily and Lindsey. You could have done without the whining from your two adult mates, or the pouts, but not feeling like a rope toy being pulled between two pups was very nice. Soran and Mal’s cuddles were a good substitute for your mates as well, but soon enough it was time for team dinner.

You were honestly dreading it a little bit. Your alphas were probably going to be mopey and grumpy and you just weren’t in the mood to deal with it. What you hadn’t expected was to walk into the dining room and see that your usual seat between your mates was missing. You growled lightly, your good mood was all but gone as you marched up to your typical table.

“Why aren’t there enough seats?” You asked, glaring at the very innocent looks Christen and Tobin were shooting your way, and ignoring the giggles from the rest of the table.

“There are, yours is just a little more padded,” Christen smirked your way, pointing to her lap. You rolled your eyes, trying not to let The annoyed pheromones creeping out of Tobin cloud your judgment.

“Hop on short stack,” Christen again patting her lap after a few seconds of you staring at her in disbelief, releasing a small puff of her most dominant scent. It called to you in the most sensual way possible. It settled in every crevice of your brain, blinding you to the cocky smirk that She sent Tobin’s way. She was sure that she had won this round. You shook your head trying to clear your vision, only to be met with another delectable scent. It made your mouth water.

“Or you could sit with me, you know you love how I smell little one,” Tobin murmured, resting her hand on your hip, and pushing her scent towards you in another powerful wave. It threatened to pull you under, but again you shook your head, pulling away from her warm body.

“As tempting as both those offers are, I told JJ I would sit with her today,” You stuttered quietly, forcing yourself to turn away from the two women and towards the Alpha who had already saved you a chair. You almost laughed at the enraged growl that sounded from your mates, Christen’s fingers on your wrist preventing you from making your way over to where JJ, Sam, Abby, and Rose were seated. You glanced back at your alpha, who was glaring in the direction of the table in question.

“That isn’t part of the game,” She grit her teeth, her scent changing from sensual to calling for your submission, Tobin’s joining hers. Your fists clenched and your body tensed. The game wasn’t fair if you couldn’t play too.

“Says who?” You retorted with a snort, pulling your wrist free. The alphas shared a glance before their scents backed off, and they both poured. You grinned at the women, your smile showing far too many teeth to be kind. “That’s what I thought,” You straightened your shirt and skipped off to sit with JJ.

You knew your alpha’s eyes were on you as you touched her arm, and leaned closer than they would have wanted. They loved JJ, but they weren’t as comfortable with her as they were with Kelley and Lindsey. Three could play at this game, and you were pretty sure that you were winning and you weren’t even trying yet.

****

You weren’t playing fair, and you knew that. You were using most of your team's fed-upness with your mates to your advantage. They wanted this stupid game to end almost as much as you did, so they were up for whatever they could do to help you. So, you had been taking turns hanging out with all of the alphas besides your own. It was driving them crazy, and you were finally beginning to understand why the hell they had suggested it in the first place.

Today just happened to be a game-day against the English Women’s National Team, and you were prepared to put an end to this nonsense. It all started with you being late to the bus. The moment you stepped into the vehicle, you could feel your mate's eyes on you, and you purposefully avoided them, instead, finding another alpha’s bright orbs. You smiled at her mischievously and began to make your way towards her.

“Hey sweet cheeks,” Tobin called as you passed her, finally drawing your attention. You glanced down at her, and she patted the seat next to her. “I saved you a seat and included the cuddles for free,” She sent you a very cute, shy smile, opening her arms invitingly. You couldn’t help the giggle that left your lips.

“Like she wants to be covered in your alpha stench Tobin,” Christen hissed from the other side of the aisle. Tobin around you at her. She had felt how much your omega wanted her cuddles, and the warmth her alpha could offer you. Christen had to go and fuck it up for her.

“What you think she would prefer yours?” She growled back, releasing a steady stream of dominant pheromones, directed solely at Chris, but inadvertently hitting you as well. You rolled your neck fighting the urge to submit. It seemed as though they forgot you were there entirely. You sighed.

“She obviously likes my sweater better,” Christen snarled, running her fingers down the side of your favorite Stanford sweater. You internally scolded yourself for wearing the damn thing. You should have known that it would start another pointless alpha battle, but it was just so soft, and you cuddle both of them in it, so their smell was engraved in the fabric.

“Actually guys, I already promised Becky that I’d help her with her crossword, so you’re both on your own,” You mumbled lowly, stepping past the women and trudging towards Becky.

“Look what you did,” You heard Tobin whisper after a few seconds.

“Me, this whole thing was your idea,” Christen huffed back. You smiled just a little at Becky, hopefully, this whole thing would be over soon.

*****

The game against England was as much fun as you thought it was going to be. You had played for Arsenal and Man City, so it was always amazing to go against your old teammates and friends. It also helped that you scored 2 pretty sick goals.

Your smile widened as you approached Leah, the blond alpha pulling you into a hug the moment you were in reach. You laughed for a moment, smirking at her as you pulled your jersey over your head. Passed it to the English player, who pulled her jersey off and handed it to you.

Your days in the UK had not been a good time in your relationship with Chris and Tobin. It was just after the Rio Olympics and all of the emotional turmoil that came with it. You had missed the PK and though they wouldn’t say it, you knew that they blamed you for the loss. In a stupid argument they had said that they and the team were better off without you, and witching 24 hours you were in London preparing for practice with your new team. Arsenal.

Leah had helped you pick up the pieces of your broken heart and sewed yourself back together. She taught you how to love yourself, even when you felt like your mates didn’t love you anymore. Leah was Jordan’s wholeheartedly, but the pair had taken you under their wing. It was a strong bond that your alphas absolutely despised. Maybe it was a low blow to use it against them, but maybe it was the perfect blow to end this stupid game.

Before you could pull the jersey over your head, it was ripped out of your hands, and you were thrown over a shoulder and headed towards the tunnel. You didn’t mind the view of your alpha’s behind, but the dominant pheromones that they were pumping out were making you dizzy.

****

“You’re ours little omega,” They growled as they pushed you up against the cold tunnel wall. Tobin placing her lips on the left side of your neck and Christen doing the same on your right. Your knees almost buckled as they began to assault your neck in kisses, further marking you as their own.

“No more games,” You said breathlessly, placing a hand on each of their chests and pushing them back. They didn’t deserve a reward after all the shit that they pulled. You were supposed to be mad at them.

“You broke the rules little one,” Tobin whispered, her lips ghosting over your mating mark, up to your cheek and caressing the shell of your ear, sending a shiver down your spine. Christen decided to lavish her mating mark in kisses.

“No, you two were being jackasses, so I decided to play. No more games, or find out what other tricks I have in store for the two of you,” You growled, shoving the alpha’s away from you. They pulled their heads away making eye contact with you but still kept you pressed into the wall with their hips.

“No more games,” Tobin said seriously. Her fingers squeezing your arm lightly, leaning in and placing a sweet kiss on your lips.

“We’re sorry we were being stupid,” Christen whispered, kissing your cheeks, nose, and lips between each word. You hummed back, suddenly feeling guilty for using the team and Leah against them.

“I’m sorry that I made you jealous,” You mumbled, suddenly finding your cleats very interesting. Gentle fingers cupped your chin, and soothing pheromones wrapped around you like the softest blanket. Your eyes lifted to meet a set of warm brown and green orbs looking at you concerned. Careful lips touched your own, and you knew that you were forgiven.

“Well you won, so what’s your prize?” Christen said quietly against your cheek, her body heat warming your whole right side.

“And cuddles, I deserve cuddles,” You moaned quietly. You had missed being able to be near both of your mates at the same time without them bickering over who you wanted to be with more.

“lots of cuddles,” Tobin hummed against your skin. Your omega purred at the contact and your cheeks dusted pink when Tobin’s lips quarter up at the sound.

“And maybe a bath,” Christen hummed, her alpha rumbling loudly in her chest at the content scents pouring off of you. How could they be so wrapped up in their competition that they didn’t notice what you needed? They had a shit ton of making up to do, and they knew just how much you loved skin on skin contact. Her hand splayed across your still bare stomach and she suddenly remembered that you were standing, pressed against the stone tunnel wall where everyone could see in only your sports bra. She slipped off her jersey and brought it over your head to cover you. No one but them got to see your abs.

“A bath with the two of you sounds nice,” You hummed, laughing loudly when Tobin lifted you bridal style and began to carry you towards the showers, Christen yelling in protest as Tobin raced off without her. Sure they drove you crazy, but at the end of the day they were your mates and you loved them.

#uswnt x reader #uswnt imagine #uswnt imagines #preath x reader #preath imagine

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rigmarolling · 5 years ago

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Top 5 Things That Will Kill You In the Victorian Era

If you’ve ever spent more than two seconds with me, you know that I live and breathe the fog-choked air of Victorian London. All day. Every day of my life.

See, in many ways, the Victorians were the first version of us--overwhelmed by rapidly-changing technology (and its awful effect on the climate); dealing with incredible wealth gaps; grappling with rising crime and faster travel and out-of-control media and the whole, “God is dead, oh no” thing.

Also, everything was trying to kill you.

Like, literally almost everything.

From your clothes to your doctor to your canned food, here are the top five things that will kill you in the Victorian era.

5. Other Victorians

If the rise of penny dreadfuls (cheap magazines stuffed with horror stories for us morbidly-inclined goth types) was any indication, Victorians loved them some true crime.

And there was no shortage of subject matter to choose from: depending on where you ventured in London, at least, you could be subject to anything from pickpocketing to mugging to violent assault and, of course, murder.

There were a few reasons for this:

For one thing, the population in London alone increased by millions in the 19th century, and approximately no one was prepared for that. So, to accommodate the rapidly-booming population, the wealthy folks in charge reached out and lovingly ensured the masses of the disenfranchised poor were taken care of by redistributing resources and education and access to opportunities that improved lives on a both a personal and social level.

Lol, no, I’m totally kidding; they shoved them into slums and tenement buildings and pretended they didn’t exist.

So of course, there was a rise in crime, because if you have five kids and you can’t find gainful employment and your family will starve if you don’t steal that basket of food over there, or that purse that lady left sitting over THERE, what are you going to do? You’re going to steal the food and the purse to survive, Jean Valjean, I understand, I do.

Except the powers that be did NOT understand, and instead routinely espoused the idea that if people were poor, it was because they were morally bankrupt, or inherently bad, somehow, and the “criminal classes,” as they came to be known by the growing Victorian middle and upper-middle classes, were simply considered genetically bad to the bone and therefore undeserving of assistance.

Basically:

So ANYWAY.

Crime was on the rise and there were multiple efforts to stop it with varying degrees of success, but big city usually = big crime, especially when there’s a massive gap between the one percent-ers and THE REST OF US, WASHINGTON.

Ahem.

All that crime? The booming news industry loved it. The press ate it up and then spit it back out in salacious headlines that never even bothered with journalistic objectivity, like this gem:

I mean. Full disclosure: I, too, agree that cutting off a woman’s head, arms, and legs and then burning them is “awful, inhuman, & barbarous” but just...maybe...maybe tone it down? Just a bit?

No? Okay.

See, here’s the thing: crime sells. It always has. And papers went nuts with full illustrated spreads about the latest brutal murders so you could sit in your parlor and get anxiety poops thinking about how the butcher down the street looked at you funny the other day and oh, God, you’re probably next, oh God.

The most famous murderer of the era, was, of course, Jack the Ripper, which was just the orchestral climax of a hideously corrupted society that had bubbled into naught but a festering carbuncle, an ulcer upon the very soul of man, trussed up as a city of industry, but which is merely Salome, dancing with the Lamb’s head upon a platter and sending us all tumbling into a fiery pit.

....Ahem, again.

Some popular ways your fellow Victorians could kill you included: dueling (with swords but usually with revolvers), stabbing, garroting, and, probably the most popular method of the era, poisoning.

Speaking of which...

4. Anything dyed that hip shade of green

In 1775, a guy named Carl Wilhelm Scheele invented a new shade of green, cleverly called Scheele’s green, and it instantly became a hit. Pretty soon, manufacturers and tailors were dyeing everything this color.

Look at it. Bright, airy. Calls to mind a fresh, spring meadow. (What’s that, you ask? Well, before the Industrial Revolution belched out black smoke onto absolutely everything, there were these things called plants and grass and they were all over the place and you could frolic through them and it was very nice for your serotonin levels.)

I mean, listen, this isn’t really my color because anything vaguely yellow-ish makes my already yellow-ish skin look especially jaundiced, but it’s a lovely shade:

Besides using it to create beautiful dresses and tasteful waistcoats, they used it inside book covers:

And it was a super popular wallpaper color:

They had green candles and green cups and green kitchenwares and green paint.

But while Carl Wilhelm Scheele didn’t exactly murder anyone (even though he has three names like every serial killer ever), he sort of, accidentally, indirectly, kinda...did.

Because that springy dye contained every Victorian black widow’s favorite method to dispose of a troublesome husband: arsenic.

Scheele, of course, had no idea--no one did--so I’m fully exonerating him here, but the poison nonetheless started to take its toll.

Reports began to surface of kids getting sicker and sicker and then dying in their green wallpapered rooms; of fashionable ladies rocking those green dresses at balls and then ALSO getting sicker and sicker and breaking out in horrible sores before dying.

They even used this stuff to dye food green, so of course, anybody who tucked into Victorian green eggs and ham also, you know. Died.

And if they DIDN’T die, they got cancer, because if arsenic doesn’t kill you, it will give you cancer. And then kill you.

Eventually, as science advanced and went, “HEYO, there’s literal poison in this stuff,” consumers were like, “Well, shoot, this summer’s hottest beach shade just killed an entire boarding school,” and Scheele’s green finally fell out of favor.

It was, however, used as a pesticide up through the 1930s, so...way to use the...leftovers? I guess?

3. Your canned food

Hey, now that we’re on the topic of deadly chemicals being where they absolutely should not be, let’s talk about canned food.

In the Victorian era, it was the new Hot Thing (next to arsenic green). You mean I can can my food now? Like? Forever? Oh, only for a few months. Okay, cool. Still cool.

Above: Road trip snax.

Food preservation methods had existed long before canned meats and veggies and soups, but canned everything really started to gain traction around the middle of the 19th century, and people were stoked. Remember, the population exploded; people needed new methods of obtaining cheap food that didn’t spoil immediately. So: cans to the rescue!

Recycling hadn’t really been invented, though, so today, archaeologists constantly find giant Victorian trash pits filled with empty cans.

You know what also hadn’t been invented? Consumer health and safety boards.

So guess what was in the tin cans themselves?

No, no, don’t worry, it wasn’t arsenic.

It was lead.

Which, in case you weren’t aware, is also very, very bad for you.

So bad, in fact, that today, scientists are pretty sure lead-lined tins of canned food were partially responsible for the deaths on the disastrous Franklin Expedition, an ultimately futile trip to discover the Northwest Passage lead by Sir John Franklin in 1845. Every single man on board the two ships stranded in the Arctic died, and in the 1980s, when scientists discovered perfectly mummified bodies (GRAPHIC, if you don’t like that sort of thing, but awesome if you do) of some of the sailors, one of the mummies contained insane amounts of lead. They later tested the cans found scattered across the wreck site and whoops, they also contained insane amounts of lead.

Above: Some of the tin cans from the Franklin Expedition, which contained items like salted beef, vegetables, tea, lethal amounts of lead, and Chicken of the Sea.

Granted, other factors contributed to the Franklin deaths, like, you know, being stranded in the Arctic and starving to death, and also tuberculosis, but lead-lined canned food certainly didn’t help things along.

2. Your doctor

Here’s my advice if you’re in the Victorian era and you’re starting to feel sick: do not get sick. Just don’t. Because then that means you’ll have to go to the doctor. Which probably means you will die.

Hospitals in the 19th century were deadly. Often even more deadly than just staying at home, according to Dr. Lindsey Fitzharris, author of The Butchering Art. Nobody knew how to treat anything, really, because medical understanding of biology was in its infancy and antibiotics didn’t exist yet, so you were absolutely, definitely going to get some kind of infection the second you stepped foot in a Victorian hospital.

Above: The surgery, where nobody has any idea what they are doing, ever.

Doctors weren’t trying to kill you on purpose--they just didn’t know any better. And it super duper didn’t help that common treatments for everything from the common cold to tuberculosis included taking mercury (which kills you) and blood-letting, (which can also kill you) the tools for which are shown below:

Those might look like fun doodads for your astronomy class at Hogwarts, but they’re actually vials and a really, really sharp needle that pricks you until you bleed out a critically dangerous amount of blood into those vials.

The (ancient) school of thought behind blood-letting was that draining patients of “bad” blood would rebalance their “humours” and get rid of the icky thing that was making them sick. We might laugh at it now, but if you don’t know any better, logically, it makes sense.

Medically, oh my God, it’s the worst.

So if Doc didn’t bleed you to death, he might try surgery--done without anesthesia or antibiotics (until good old Dr. Lister came along--read The Butchering Art!), and then ship you and your amputated stump leg off to the hospital ward where, instead of healing, you’d get wheeled through hallways stained with every bodily fluid imaginable into rooms filled with people coughing up every bodily fluid imaginable, some of which would get into your leg stump, infect it, and then kill you dead.

“But what about medicine?” you ask. “Can’t I just take medicine?”

Sure! Just be aware that it definitely contains morphine and probably contains cocaine, or mercury, or arsenic, or sulfur, or pulverized bits of ancient Egyptian mummies (I am not kidding. True, the latter had started to fall out of favor in the 19th century, but, like. Stop).

Above: Hard drugs, but just for you.

You think I’m joking?

Above: PARTY TIME.

Sometimes, a doctor would just advise that you move to a “more temperate climate” like Rome or Spain if you were feeling chronically ill, which might help you get a tan and COULD help if you had sucky lungs, but eventually, you’d just die anyway, because what you really needed was a strong antibiotic or antiviral medication and the closest you were gonna get was Mrs. Hopplebopple’s Temperance Tonic, which was probably filled with ground up baby bones and just so much heroin.

And don’t even get me started on Victorian surgical tools:

Open wide.

1. Water

There are three rules in this life: don’t watch any Adam Sandler movies except for maybe Anger Management, don’t eat the yellow snow, and do not, ever, for any reason, ever drink water in Victorian England.

That’s because it was about as clean as a Victorian hospital.

Meaning it wasn’t. At all.

Victorian water--of the Thames variety--contained:

Cholera, one of the deadliest killers of the era and bad water’s favorite roommate.

Poop, human and otherwise, because a functioning sewer system? I don’t know her. (At least, not until the 1860s.)

Pee, human and otherwise, because nothing says, “Jolly Old England” like an open trench of piss rolling through the city.

Dead things, like animals, fish (which are animals, so why am I listing them as a separate thing?), and, occasionally, humans.

Chemicals, which spewed forth from the great factories in billowing, bubbling, belching rivers of sludge. (Ha! Omg, yes, I was an English major!)

The Thames was so filthy that Londoners called it “Monster Soup.”

Above: Same.

In 1855, scientist Michael Faraday (who was also kind of hot; tell me I’m wrong), wrote a letter to the Times about the disgusting state of the river:

"Near the bridges the feculence rolled up in clouds so dense that they were visible at the surface, even in water of this kind. ... The smell was very bad, and common to the whole of the water; it was the same as that which now comes up from the gully-holes in the streets; the whole river was for the time a real sewer."

Tl;dr: “It smelled like ass.”

In fact, it got so bad, so putrid, so horrifically clogged with every disgusting thing your mind and your butthole can possibly conjure up, that it lead to one of my favorite things to read about in the world: The Great Stink of 1858.

Yes, that’s the real name. I did not make that up. History is incredible.

Above: Summer vacation, 1858.

The summer of 1858 was miserably hot in London. And the Thames was miserably clogged with poop, and pee, and chemicals, and dead things, and, uh oh, cholera. During July and August that year, the smell wafting from the river was so offensive that Parliament was actually adjourned because everybody kept throwing up. Cholera devastated the city. The water was killing London.

Faced with either the prospect of living with a city-wide vomit-and-diarrhea smell for the rest of forever OR finally cleaning things up, the government actually did something right and chose the latter. They contracted civil engineer Joseph Bazalgette to overhaul the city’s sewer, to which Bazalgette, pinching his nose, responded, “FINALLY.”

Above: Joesph Bazalgette, savior of the London sewers and purveyor of a truly beautiful mustache.

Bazalgette proceeded to build the London sewer system still in use today. His efforts greatly reduced the number of cholera deaths, cleared the Thames of its Cronenberg-esque muck, and ensured that poop goes where it’s supposed to: way the hell out of HERE and way the hell under THERE.

Water sanitation still had a long way to go, though, which meant you either had to boil your water to kill the bacteria in it, or you could just drink alcohol instead, which was the safer option but which would also leave you very dehydrated and also, if imbibed excessively, would leave you very dead.

So really, you were doomed in some way no matter what you did, and if that isn’t the moral of the entire Victorian story, then I don’t know what is.

#victorian #listory

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alexsfictionaddiction · 3 years ago

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10 New Festive Books To Read This Christmas

Once you’ve finished all your shopping and the rush has died down, is there anything more tempting than a new, glittering Christmas book to settle down with? I think not. Here are 10 gorgeous Christmas books of 2021 to get you through this week.

Merry Christmas and stay safe!

-Love, Alex x

Stay Another Day by Juno Dawson.

Fern, Rowan and Willow McAllister are siblings who couldn’t really be more different to each other and they’re all battling their own demons. Willow doesn’t know how she’ll overcome her anorexia for Christmas dinner. Fern is bringing her boyfriend Thom home to Edinburgh for the first time and Rowan knows him a little too well already. Even the McAllister parents have a secret too. Full of humour, emotion and a touch of heartache, Stay Another Day is an addictive Christmas read with flawed characters you can’t help but root for.

Always, In December by Emily Stone.

Josie’s parents died on Christmas Eve when she was a child but every year since, she has written and posted a letter to them. Max’s flight home to New York got cancelled, so it looks like he’s stuck in London for Christmas. When they literally collide in the street, Josie and Max decide to spend Christmas together and things blossom. But Max has a secret that means he can’t possibly stick around for long. Beautifully romantic and a gut punch of an ending, this is the perfect weepy yet magical read this Christmas.

Baby It’s Cold Outside by Emily Bell.

Ten years ago, Norah had the most beautiful romance of her life with Andrew in Italy but they both knew it had to end when it did. However, they promised that if they were both single at Christmas in ten years time, they’d meet in Dublin and rekindle what they had. So, Norah takes a chance and makes her way to Grafton Street on Christmas Eve. With gorgeous descriptions of Dublin and plenty of likeable characters, Baby It’s Cold Outside is a unique rom-com with a classic, Christmassy charm to it.

The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox.

Charlie is a TV chef who loses her senses of smell and taste after a head injury. Her twin sister Cass is running the family bakery in their hometown and trying to fend off a persistent ex. The twins loved pretending to be each other when they were kids, so Charlie figures that Cass might want to do that again to help her out over Christmas. But when two handsome men come into the frame, things get just a little bit complicated. As you might imagine, there are plenty of delicious treats mentioned which are sure to whet your tastebuds. It’s a story of friendship between sisters, family exploration and some adorable romance thrown in too. What more do you want?

The Winter of Second Chances by Jenny Bayliss.

Annie just needs a break from her cheating husband and successful restaurant business, so she escapes to a delapidated beach house on the Kent coast. It’s not long before she wants to re-open the tea room attached to the house and while the community are excited about the prospect, the owner’s nephew isn’t happy... initially. Funny and heartwarming, The Winter of Second Chances is a truly comforting story of community and friendship with a lovely slow-burning romance.

Every Day in December by Kitty Wilson.

Although she doesn’t quite have her ducks in a row, Belle loves December and fully believes in the power of Christmas to bring joy. Rory seems to have it all but hates the festive season and is still haunted by his life changing five years before. As old friends, Belle and Rory are about to reunite and teach each other that while life may not be perfect, they can still find a lot of happiness together. This friendship-led romance is spread over the entirety of December and details the glorious slow-burning relationship between two people who have more in common than even they knew. Equal parts moving and heartwarming, Every Day In December is a festive romance for those who love a more subtle, platonic-based approach to love.

On A Night Like This by Lindsey Kelk.

Fran is on the hunt for a new professional challenge and when a mysterious new job offer comes her way, she takes it. While her fiance remains wholly indifferent to her, Fran becomes an assistant to an international popstar and finds herself on the way to a huge, glitzy celebrity party on an Italian island. Enter handsome American Evan and the magic really begins. Laugh-out-loud funny and incredibly glittery, On A Night Like This isn’t an overtly Christmas book but it still contains all the magic, warmth and romance of a festive novel led by a heroine who will make you smile uncontrollably.

The Christmas Wedding Guest by Susan Mallery.

Sisters Reggie and Dena are back in their Christmassy hometown as their parents get ready to renew their wedding vows. Reggie is still mourning her very short engagement from a year before and Dena is preparing for life as a single mother. When two eligible bachelors show up, both Reggie and Dena wonder if they can possibly give love another chance. Wonderfully warm and sweet, The Christmas Wedding Guest couldn’t be more of a Hallmark movie if it tried. It’s very cosy and Christmassy, so is best enjoyed with a creamy hot chocolate.

Twelve Days To Save Christmas by Elizabeth Neep.

When Christmas-mad Poppy discovers that George is leaving her in just 12 days time, she is devastated and desperate to show him why he shouldn’t go. But as the days diminish, she starts to wonder whether George is really what she needs and in fact, what she really wants. Bittersweet but wonderfully uplifting, Twelve Days to Save Christmas is a wise novel about finding yourself and discovering what it really takes to get to the best version of you -something we can all do well to remember at this time of year.

Christmas Carols and a Cornish Cream Tea by Cressida McLaughlin.

Meredith isn’t the biggest fan of Christmas but her job in a gift shop in a beautiful Cornish town means that she has to paste on fake festive cheer every day. Then beautiful, mysterious Finn arrives and he becomes determined to spread seasonal joy to everyone -including Meredith. Although this is the fifth book in the Cornish Cream Tea series, it works fantastically well as a festive stand-alone. Glittery and warm, there are plenty of warm Christmassy cuddles throughout the book and some beautiful, immersive descriptions of Cornwall. Being by the sea at Christmas was also a lovely break from bustling cities and small mountain towns, which are so common in festive romances.

#christmas books #christmas romance #christmas #book recommendations #books #bookworm

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nobody-wants-ice-cream · 5 years ago

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Everything Wrong With The Umbrella Academy. Episode 1, We Only See Each Other At Weddings and Funerals.

Some context before the cut: This is all in good fun! I wanted to do a really nitpicky re-watch of the series and found some really cool and interesting things I didn’t notice before. This is meant to have a Cinema Sins-esque tone. However, I did take off a lot more sins than Cinema Sins would have because I do genuinely like the series and the people that made it possible. So all of the good things got one sin off and all the bad things got one sin added. This is a really long post, so grab some popcorn. If there’s anything that I missed, feel free to add it!

We Only See Each Other At Weddings And Funerals

The story opens with a random scene. I know why this is important now, but for a first time viewer this is a strange Russian show with no subtitles. Sin for the fact that this opening scene could drive away audiences when they could have opened with Pogo’s monologue or the sudden birth scene. +1

Sudden birth. I know that this is what starts the whole series, but not once do these assholes discuss the implications of sudden birth. That shit is traumatic and must have induced a lot of trauma in the mothers. Sinning for trauma. +1

The russian ladies all help this poor girl. Teamwork and togetherness gets a sin off. -1

How did they get her swimsuit off enough for her to give birth without just taking the whole thing off? Did one woman happen to have a pair of scissors on her so they could cut the crotch? Because one piece suits are not that flexible downstairs. They didn’t take it off her, it’s still covering her. Sinning for lack of realism or explanation. +1

This narration should have happened much sooner. +1

Buying children. Literally buying children. And he gets seven so he buys them wholesale. Seven sins because Sir Reginald Hargreeves is a dick that bought seven children. +7

One sin off for the soundtrack now. All the songs used in this show are bops! -1

Ellen Page starts playing the Lindsey Stirling Phantom of the Opera piece on the lowest string when the piece starts on a high note. One sin for lack of musicality. +1

Minus one sin for Ellen Page’s vibrato. Not many people pretending to play the violin get that so accurate. That or this was the talented body double. Either way one sin off for musicality. -1

“Please send more food” Reginald Hargreeves is a dick to his adopted children. He didn’t feed Luther enough, so who knows what he did to the ones he didn’t like as much. +7

Also, Luther has presumably spent four years in this base on the moon. Did he hit his head every morning? You would think that he would learn to duck. +1

One sin off for the moon plant. -1

I’m taking 10 sins off for the special effects of this entire series. -10

That car transition between Diego’s and Allison’s entrances was out of place. I know it’s meant to show that Allison is far away from the action. But did we really need that? It’s not shown when transitioning from the red carpet to Klaus in rehab. +1

What is keeping the lawnchair that Luther has on the moon down? It looks lightweight. Does he have it nailed to the moon? Is there now a lawnchair on the moon forever? +1

Tom Hopper is an excellent actor. He nailed the “just got the news that my father is dead” without saying a single word. -1

Diego doesn’t bother to untie the family he saves. He caused property damage and severely injured the thugs that broke in. No wonder Patch has a problem with him being a vigilante. +1

“Allison, will you wear Valentino to the funeral” +1

One sin off because Robert Sheehan has already won my heart as Klaus and he hasn’t said a single word yet. And for the little jig he does when he gets the drugs. Interesting choice, but I like it. I could be biased because I’ve watched the series already, but I don’t care. One sin off for Robert Sheehan. -1

Why was Vanya allowed to be playing to this empty theatre with spotlights on her? Does she have an arrangement with maintenance? Is that why the orchestra isn’t set up? +1

One sin off for the Hargreeves mansion. The set designers did an amazing job.-1

Creepy shrine portrait of Five is creepy and somehow manages to not look like Aidan Gallager. This could be a stylistic choice to show that Reggie didn’t care about Five, in which case, another sin for child abuse. +1

Creepy statue of Ben is creepy. And it doesn’t look like Justin Min or Ethan Hwang. Who is this statue honoring? +1

It has been stated that Ben’s death broke up the academy. Yet, the other four assholes stuck around for one more portrait after his death? +1

Vanya doesn’t close the doors behind her when she walks into the mansion. +1

Diego’s outfit is central to introducing his character. However, it is dumb as hell and he probably stabbed himself with the knives in the harness multiple times. Especially the ones on his back. +1

Diego is a dick to Vanya at their father's funeral. I know Reggie was a jackass, but Jesus Christ, Diego. Have some tact. I know this is meant to show that Diego doesn’t have any tact, but this is such a severe line. +1

In the first shot of Reggie’s bedroom there are 6 freaking lamps. What is he, Bella Swan? And later, there are three more. +1

David Castaneda really brings Diego to life with his interaction with Luther in Reggie's bedroom. -1

I know I already took sins off for the special effects, but Pogo deserves another two off. Special Effects team, you did good. -2

“How long has it been since Five dissapered” is the most obvious bit of exposition/foreshadowing. To the point where it reads lazy. Another option would be Vanya asking “How long has it been since” and trailing off from there. Pogo knows what happened. This is a crucial reveal, let the audience wait for it a bit. +1

One sin off for Vanya being a good sister to Five. Fluffernutter sandwiches and leaving the lights on is heartwarming. -1

Props to these child actors for being able to portray the way Reggie treats them and how that affects their emotions in the scene where they wanted to say goodnight to Reggie. -1

However, Reginald Hargreeves is a dick to his adopted children. I will keep sinning this. +7

After Reggie shuns and ignores his children, Luther’s hand on Ben’s shoulder is a subtle way to show that Luther and Ben were sort of close, which is what an excerpt from Vanya’s book implies in the comics. Good job directors or actors for making that choice! -1

Robert Sheehan in the office scene. This is where we meet Klaus as an audience for the first time with dialogue, and he fucking nails it. -1

“Thank God he’s not our real father so we couldn’t inherit those cold dead eyes! Ahh! Number Threee-” The delivery on that line is excellent. -1

Klaus’s dangly necklace that looks kind of like dog tags foreshadowing the real dog tags he wears later on in the show. -1

No way in hell Klaus’s skimpy outfit provided enough concealment for that massive box. In fact, in the shots we do see of his back, we should have seen the outline of the box. +1

Sir Reginald Hargreeves is as obsessed with lamps as he is with collecting children. His office is full of them! +1

“Do you think he wears that thing in the bathroom” “Like in the shower” “Yes, absolutely” Allison and Luther have some good interactions. This is where they really act like siblings making fun of another sibling. -1

A woman who told bedtime stories to her kid about her uncle on the moon forgets that said uncle has been on the moon and judges him when he doesn’t know about her divorce.+1

“Rumor thing” Way to be specific, Luther. +1

Allison’s expression at the family meeting when she takes a sip of her drink. Emmy Raver-Lampman is what makes this character likeable. -1

Reginald Hargreeves was a dick to his children. The whole favorite spot thing? Yeah that. Golden child abuse victim. +7

Sir Reginald playing tennis with Hitler line. -1

Luther accuses his siblings of killing their father. Have some tact man, not at the funeral. This makes sense for the character and his circumstances, but I am still sinning it because Luther doesn’t think he did anything wrong. +1

I feel kind of bad for Luther after his siblings leave the room. Great acting on Tom Hopper’s part. -1

How did Allison get into the bank? +1

Luther straight up throws this man out of a building! That guy is 100% dead. And then he admonishes Five for being a killer later! +1

“Guns are for sissies, real men throw knives!” is a line that would only be spoken by a twelve year old that has never faced the judgement of people he isn’t related to. Also, Diego practiced this line in front of a mirror. +1

But that throw was badass, so... -1

Also, how did Klaus, Diego, Five, and Ben get into the bank as well? We only see Luther enter. And presumably Five teleported in. So were the rest already in there? +1

Five manages to jump faster than a bullet here, but in episode two he’s a lot slower when jumping from one side of the table to the other. You could make the argument that the table is in the way, but there was a human being and a bullet in the way here. +1

“Woah! That’s one badass stapler!” This is the first sin off because Aidan Gallagher can act, and it will not be the last. For all his grumpy 58 year old man, he also manages to shine while playing a young version of said grumpy 58 year old man. You would think that one or the other would be a little weak, but no he nails both performances. -1

But, how did Five switch the gun and the stapler? And why do we never see him do this again with more useful items like a briefcase or one of the machine guns used by the local commission hires? Can he only switch items with a similar mass? How does this power work? +1

Luther is the one that tells Ben that there's more guys in the vault to kill. Not Klaus who could have been like “a ghost said there's more guys in the vault”. What exactly did Klaus do on missions? He isn’t shown helping the hostages or fighting in any way. +1

“I didn’t sign up for this.” yeah Ben, like it’s a summer camp and not your abusive father buying you as an infant and then forcing you to kill people. +1

Kenny’s mom appearance. Also, the woman mixes leopard print leggings, a black dress, a square pattern cardigan, and a hat with stripes and a pom-pom. +1

“Can we go home now” Ethan Hwang had great delivery on that line. -1

Sir Reginald Hargreeves is a dick to his children. He forces 6 of them to kill, and then makes it seem like it’s all fun and games to the one he isolates. +7

When did they get coats and scarves? Did Reggie bring them coats and scarves while coming down to address the crowd? +1

Also, Reggie was on the roof of a different building with vanya! What did the kids do while they were waiting for him? Stand around and look pretty? Not likely, Ben was covered in blood. +1

Also, when did Ben have time to clean up? He is significantly less bloody in the scene where Reggie talks to the press. Yet his mask, uniform, and a bit of his jaw still have blood. This suggests he had time to wipe down. What kind of magic wipes are these that soak up and remove blood quickly and where can I get them? +1

The way the children wear their scarves show their personality. Luther has it done properly, Diego has his flapping around, Allison and Klaus have tied it fashionably, Five has it done well, but not as proper, and Ben has it done like Luthers. Well done costume people or actors who made that character choice. -1

The entire scene when Klaus attempts to summon Reggie from the afterlife. -4

I forgot that Klaus actually calls him Reggie in this scene. I thought it was just a fandom thing lmao. -1

How did Klaus clean up the ashes without leaving evidence on the bar? Did he vacuum it? +1

The cutesy fighting posters are a great set design choice. -1

Allison had her trauma tattoo refreshed at some point. It’s faded on Klaus, but on her it’s perfectly visible and stark. I’m sinning because they don’t show or tell why Allison might want to do this. +1

Also, that guitar Klaus was cuddling in a later scene, was just in the kitchen for some reason. Why? +1

Five and Ben are not part of the I Think We’re Alone Now dance party. I know it’s for plot, but come on! They don’t even have another dance party later to make up for this. +1

Diego and Vanya totally saw each other when Diego went to close the door between the foyer and the living area. +1

Luther and Vanya’s dance moves. No hate on either though because I dance like them if it isn’t swing or any other partnered dance +1

Diego, Klaus, and Allison’s dance moves. -1

Also, the song is heard all the way in the kitchen. There is no soundproofing in this mansion. +1

Luther punching down the airplane is funny. -1

David Castaneda doing those amazing dance moves in character. -1

Oh hello Five. Nice of you to show up and kickstart the plot into being something other than washed up superheroes are really sad and abused. +1

“Daddy!” -1

Why were Five’s powers affecting random objects? +1

Klaus is the only one with self preservation. “I vote for running” +1

“Does anyone else see little Number Five, or is that just me” is a great line because Klaus can see the dead. However, the dead don’t show up in massive portals, otherwise something like that would have happened when we see Dave in The Day That Wasn’t. +1

Five asks for an exact date and then Vanya gives him “the 24th” real specific, Vanya +1

Five doesn’t close the fridge properly because that doesn’t matter in the apocalypse -1

“In the end I had to project my consciousness forward into a suspended quantum state version of myself that exists across every possible instance of time” “That makes no sense” “well it would if you were smarter” the mark of someone being smart is being able to explain concepts like this in layman's terms. If Five were as smart as he said he was, then he could have been able to come up with an analogy. That or the showmakers have no clue what they’re talking about and wrote a bunch of science-y bullshit to make Five sound smart. +1

Diego was ready to throw hands with Five, someone who looks thirteen and was thirteen until Five explained otherwise. +1

“Dolores kept saying the equations were off” so in other words, Five knew that his equations were off, but he still risked it. +1

But also, Five knew his equations were off, but he was so desperate to see his family that he risked it anyway. -1

Nations Gazette paper has articles that look like they’re actually about the headline. -1

“What part of the future do you not understand.” -1

Aidan Gallagher’s delivery in that scene really set the tone for his character. Impressive. -1

Five decides to dress in the full on school boy getup. Complete with the tie and the blazer when those items aren’t necessary. +1

Aidan Gallagher and Ellen Page are two kick ass actors. They play off each other surprisingly well. -1

“You mean like what happened to Ben” “Was it bad?” What happened to Ben? This remains a sin until they explain it. +1

“May the darkness within you find peace in the light” that sounds really bad. What a horrible thing to have on your statue. +1

Jordan Claire Robbins’s performance of Grace -1

Luther and Diego are so emo that they don't need umbrellas. You’re in The Umbrella Academy! This had to be a personal choice to not carry one. +1

Klaus’s face when Luther dumps out the ashes. -1

The camera cuts to Five when Diego says that Mom gave them actual names. -1

The fight between Luther and Diego is stupid. +1

Klaus and Five fight over who is going to protect who. +1

“Stop it!” “Hit him! Hit him!” -1

The detail on Ben’s statue. It shows his toe and knee have been touched many times by people who presumably miss him and love him. -1

Luther punches Ben’s statue in the crotch, which makes Klaus’s face 10x funnier once you remember that Ben was probably there too. -1

Luther punches Ben’s statue in the crotch and beheads it, suggesting that Luther had something to do with Ben’s death. -1

Luther punches Ben’s statue in the crotch. +1

Klaus puts his cigarette out in reggie’s ashes. -1

Reggie narration +1

Reggie is a dick to his kids +7

The stupid, bright green jumpsuits +6

What is the point of this exercise? How does running up the stairs make them better heroes? +1

Young Diego either practiced “That’s not fair, Five’s cheating” or his stutter is only there when the plot calls for it. +1

Child Abuse tattoos +12

The fact that Vanya feels left out because she didn’t get a child abuse tattoo. Reggie, you fucked up these kids real bad. +2

We think that Reggie is comforting Luther after he got a child abuse tattoo, but no, he’s actually just attaching monitors to his head. +1

Reginald Hargreeves likes to watch young children sleep. +7

Vanya foreshadowing. Her monitor showing more activity then the cut to her taking one of the pills is brilliant. -1

Vanya still doesn’t close the academy door behind her when she leaves. +1

“An entire square block, 42 bedrooms 19 bathrooms” Five are you a real-estate agent now? +1

“Dad hated children too, but he had plenty of us!” Klaus would be excellent at cinema sins. Seven more for child abuse +7

What are the rules to Five’s jumps? We only really see him jump to places he can see unless he is time traveling or in the instance where he jumps to the car. Speaking of, the car had the keys in it. Reggie, are you trying to get it stolen +1

Diego is a dick to Allison about her divorce. +1

Klaus and Diego’s interactions make me happy. -1

The Klaus theme is a wonderful piece of music. -1

Robert Sheehan making David Castaneda laugh. -1

We get our first glimpse of Luther’s arm here. It’s super weird and vague and only teases the reveal. This is where the ape reveal should have been for the audience and where it would have made sense. Doing the reveal in a later episode is weird. +1

Five doesn’t know how to break correctly, which contradicts “I know how to do everything” +1

Something I just noticed, Five completed the uniform not only with the tie and blazer, but with the hair gel too. +1

The towing guy chooses to sit next to Five at an empty counter. +1

Five looks so offended when Agnes refers to him as “the kid” -1

The creepy smile Five pulls in an attempt to look innocent doesn’t make Agnes scream in terror. Seriously Aidan Gallagher, what the fuck was that that was absoulutely terrifying. +1

Five attempts to relate to a man that looks the age that he should be, but it ends up exceedingly awkward because Five looks 13. +1

The tow truck driver helps him out, but how was Five going to pay for his coffee? We don’t see him with money. Was he just going to jump out to the car? +1

Five never gets his cup of coffee :( +1

“Istanbul was Constantinople/ Now it’s Istanbul not Constantinople”. This whole scene is great. Five plays with them like he did in the bank scene which shows that even if he did age, he didn’t do it around people so he doesn’t have maturity. -1

Five stabs a guy with a mop and kills him. -1

Five stabs a guy in the crotch with a pencil, then uses the same pencil to stab him in the eye. In between he throws a plate at another guy. This is badass. -1

Five jumps in a way that actually does make two of the idiots shoot each other. Which means that technically, Patch was right. -1

Five kills a man with his bare hands. -1

But he stops to put his fucking tie back on. +1

And yet after all that, the goriest thing is when Five pulls the tracker out of his arm. Props to the makeup department and Aidan Gallagher’s acting skill for making that look so real. -1

Five should be way sweatier when he walks out of Griddys. Unless he moped that up with some napkins? What are these super absorbent napkins and where can I buy them? +1

Agnes should be far more traumatized. And definitely shouldn’t have survived that. +1

Diego is emo with the monocle. +1

Luther flashback narration. +1

Klaus, thankfully interrupts this. -1

“Number 6 “Ben” (deceased)” -1

We can see Ben depending on if it’s Klaus or Diego talking. -1

The vigilante mask Diego wears +1

Five jumpscare in Vanya’s apartment. +1

“Rapists can climb” yes Five. Continue with the criminals that can climb. Including you. +1

This whole scene is the best ending to an episode in the entire season. -1

Aidan Gallagher and Ellen Page play off each other with subtle expressions. This acting talent is amazing. -2

“The world ends in eight days and I have no idea how to stop it” “I’ll put on a pot of coffee” roll credits. I love this ending for many reasons. It’s a total mic drop moment. -2

Overall review:

While actively looking for nitpicky things, I got to see the first in a whole new light. Both the great parts and terrible parts stood out in a way that they didn’t when I wasn’t looking for them. Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher, and Ellen Page were the stand out actors in this episode. All three contributed something significant that didn’t heavily rely on the script writers.

The child cast also really stood out to me. All seven of them had very limited screen time (I am counting Gallagher playing a child version of his character in this assessment) and they absolutely made the best of it. Out of all of them, Ethan Hwang stood out to me because of his overall great delivery. I hope that we see him play Ben in a more in-depth way in season 2.

Don’t get it twisted, I genuinely like this series and I think that it tells a great story. I just think it’s fun to nitpick and look deeper. After over analyzing everything else, it’s time to get back to basics. Especially because the season 2 trailer could drop any day now.

Total: 82 sins

Sentence: Tennis with Hitler and Sir Reginald.

#The Umbrella Academy #all in good fun #luther hargreeves #diego hargreeves #Allison Hargreeves #five hargreeves #ben hargreeves #vanya hargreeves #i worked really hard on this

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swanlake1998 · 4 years ago

Link

Article: Dancing While Black: 8 Pros on How Ballet Can Work Toward Racial Equity

Date: January 18, 2021

By: Gabrielle Salvatto

For years, conversations around racism in ballet were typically held behind closed doors. They took place only between company leadership and diversity consultants, and were often met with empty signifiers and performative gestures. Consequently, the dominance of white, Eurocentric ideals and aesthetics have remained as prominent as ever. Tokenism, microaggressions, biased recruitment and prejudicial pedagogy have limited space for Black artists to succeed. But the current momentum to dismantle systemic racial injustice, inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, has empowered Black dancers to use their voices to demand change.

As a professional dancer myself, formerly with Dance Theatre of Harlem and Ballet West, and currently with the Tanzcompany Innsbruck in Austria, I understand the duality of being a Black face in a white space. I've had the great privilege to interview exquisite Black dancers from several different ballet companies to hear their stories as well as their insights on how ballet can work towards true equity and diversity.

Rachael Parini, BalletMet dancer and creator of the Chocolate and Tulle project

Invest in education: "Educate the board, the artistic and executive directors, and teachers about what is excluding Black artists. Also educate parents of young Black students on all it takes to become a professional. I remember my parents' shock over the high cost of pointe shoes. Equality is not equity. We don't just need the same opportunities—we need support, understanding and a place that is ensured."

Avoid tokenizing: "Being the star of the outreach performances and never used in main-company repertoire becomes internalized by the artist. They learn self-effacing behavior and want to quit."

Don't generalize: "You don't know someone's story until you ask them. Each of our experiences is different—we're not all the same just because we are Black. Everyone has a different struggle."

Lawrence Rines, Boston Ballet soloist

Make sure everyone belongs: "Tokenism begins at the educational level. Having only one or two Black students in the school leaves them feeling unsafe, and it also endorses to their white counterparts, even subconsciously, that 'These people are in our space.' True diversity ensures a sense of belonging, for everyone."

Take time for training: "Diversity and sensitivity training can work—we saw its effectiveness with the #MeToo movement. Accountability has been lacking for so long. The time is up for excuses. The current movements to demand racial justice and equality have been very inspiring. You see how many people actually care, and so many dancers are finding their voices. The human spirit is incredibly strong."

Erica Lall, American Ballet Theatre corps member

Hire Black leaders: "Microaggressions are incredibly discouraging. During my pre-professional training, I once had a teacher walk by me at barre and say, 'I just can't look at that anymore.' We can't address these issues because our voices are constantly silenced, the threat of termination looms or there is just a transfer of blame by the people in charge. We need more Black people in power for true equality to exist."

Promote all your artists: "It feels like there is a mentality in ballet where there cannot be too many Black artists succeeding in one company simultaneously. But promoting and supporting all the dancers of color is literally better for everyone."

Taylor Stanley, New York City Ballet principal

Listen and digest: "During my training I was often the only male and one of few dancers of color. I felt recognized and celebrated for my talent while my biracial identity was being simultaneously suppressed. Your perception of yourself begins to shift. It is important for schools and companies to honestly and authentically bring dancers of different experiences and identities to the forefront. There needs to be intention and purpose behind the daily interactions between administrators and educators and their dancers. Any non–person-of-color needs to understand that, within these conversations, our pain is not a result of their actions. Reconfigure your brain to not be defensive—just show up, listen, have sensitivity and digest the information. Allow time for Black artists to express how they feel about the work being done and make space on the other side to receive those feelings."

Boysie DiKobe, Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo dancer

Train all body types: "I destroyed my body to adhere to the unrealistic standards of executing technique based on a certain anatomy. You can make great dancers without damaging them. Educators need to learn about the limitations and capabilities of all body types. The body is just a skeleton to build technique, and should be viewed as equal beyond the color of its skin."

Stop pancaking skin: "Pancaking yourself in roles for Giselle and Swan Lake is highly problematic. The characters are nonexistent. I just want to see talent and hard work onstage. Yes, it's possible to have someone in brown tights and pointe shoes onstage be the lead."

Lindsey Donnell, Dance Theatre of Harlem

Go there: "We need to have more open and honest conversations. Politically correct and coded language hinders real progress."

Recruit those without resources: "We need to broaden our definition of diversity. Race and skin tone isn't the only thing that needs to change—we also need to address financial opportunity. The ballet industry caters to the wealthy, from auditions to training to being a professional."

Alexandra Newkirk, freelance artist

Hire with integrity: "Honesty would be a great start for changing recruitment. Saying things like 'We just don't have a spot for you,' 'You're not a good fit' or 'Our diversity quota is filled' is less discouraging than making it all the way through an audition and hearing nothing. I feel like I have to fit a mold, or replace another Black girl just to be seen. When I see just one other Black dancer at my audition, I know it's either going to be her or me. She is the only one I am competing with because we will never be compared to the many white dancers in the room. This needs to change."

Kyle Davis, Tanzcompany Innsbruck dancer

Eliminate typecasting: "Destroy the stereotype of the Black body. Directors need to stop associating body types with roles. Audiences and artistic directors would be surprised by what a 'different body' can bring to the table, and it would simultaneously change their perception of what they think ballet should look like."

Jenelle Figgins, Aspen Santa Fe Ballet dancer and activist

Make ballet for everyone: "Because of ballet's elitism, Black dancers cannot see themselves being part of it. Ballet is still on reserve for the rich, but it should be for everyone."

Honor Black artistry: "There's no appreciation for the contributions and legacy of Black artistry until they're on a white body, and then they are erased. We see this when dancers' choreography is not credited, or it becomes restricted and then placed on a white principal dancer."

Appreciate the challenge: "Acknowledge the dual existence of your Black dancers. We are swallowing to survive and presenting to thrive. When we report micro-aggressions or instances of discrimination, we are gaslit and not heard. The trauma of being in a white space becomes expected."

#article #ballet #gabrielle salvatto #rachael parini #lawrence rines #erica lall #taylor stanley #boysie dikobe #lindsey donnell #alexandra newkirk #kyle davis #jenelle figgins #racism #anti black racism #ballerina #ballerino #dance magazine #abuse mention

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lavenderek · 4 years ago

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I'm not sure you got the point of my original ask though. Instead of Lindsay Ellis addressing her racism and centering the voices of Asians, she made an hour long video about "cancel culture." She effectively steered the conversation away from how racism affects Asians and centered herself and her platforms as a white woman.

I understand how harassment is bad. However, when you pave over the original problem and center your position of power/influence and how people like to be mean to you on twitter dot com, you're not raising awareness for harassment. What you're doing is you're actively still being racist by minimizing and dismissing the systemic oppression you participated in.

People who fall for this misdirection trap and perpetuate the misdirection trap need to do better about being aware of their own problems with racism. The problem was never about getting cancelled on twitter, it was always about her making racist comments about Asians in the middle of a hate crime epidemic against Asians.

But you have a good night too. 🥴🥴🥴

oh, ok. i'm actually gonna reiterate that all of that was addressed in depth - and i mean in depth. she discussed all of that and addressed like ten of the incidents in her callout thread individually. she talked specifically about each and every one of the things you just said, including steering the conversation away from asian people and positions of influence. she talked about how as a white woman she is not exempt from american white supremacy. she talked about literally all of that in excruciating detail.

i had three reasons that i didn't engage with you, and none of them is that i think "cancel culture" is about targeting poor, innocent racists or even that "harassment is bad."

the first reason is that in this case i simply don't believe what's going on is warranted. it's a bad time to be seen as belittling an asian thing during a time when anti-asian hate crimes are on the rise. i don't think she was belittling that movie or those tropes, and i don't think that counts as being "blatantly racist."

if you feel like comparing that dragon movie with avatar the last airbender is the last straw on a racist camel's back, then that really is, as you said, your prerogative. no hard feelings here - you're obviously not alone in that interpretation. i just don't agree! i think there is and should be a firm distinction between being a dick online and being a bad person online. some people are just irreverent, as a personality.

the second reason i didn't engage is that nothing i said really had much to do with what you said. you saw me saying i agreed with what she said and assumed i was in full support of her. you told me being racist doesn't make her a victim, when i hadn't actually said anything in support of her except "i agree with what she said about cancel culture."

this led me to assume you didn't know what all she said in the video, but that you weren't planning on watching the thing because clearly you were fed up with her. i can't blame anyone for not watching a feature length video where a person sits in front of a camera and talks. what would telling you to watch an hour and a half symposium from somebody you hate do aside from making you angrier? what would arguing the points with you do aside from making me look like an asshole who loves racists? if you wanted to watch the thing, you would.

what i talked about at length was people who cheer when someone gets deplatformed and then spam tags with "jenny nicholson next." i yammered on about that and then went on a tangent about a girl at my high school who got pizza thrown on her car. i talked about this for a total of thirty tags, and you still saw all of that and understood "lindsey ellis is correct and cancel culture is insidious and we must protect the racists," because you were angry at her and feel strongly about it. i talked for the max length of tags allowed and you still thought i was saying something else.

and i don't mean to say you like, jumped down my throat!!! or whatever lmao, you've been very articulate and calm and in a context where i believed that what she said had been racist, i would agree with you vehemently. the issue here is that if i'm talking about what she said in the video, and you're taking about something else, then we aren't having a conversation, you're trying to teach me something and i'm defensively saying i already know. you know what i mean? i'm not going to say what you want me to say because what you want me to say is based on her video being about something it's not.

the third reason i didn't engage is that you're not saying anything i haven't said myself before. you were preaching to the choir.

while you're here, for the sake of clarity, here's what i feel about "cancel culture." is it a problem for people to be held accountable when they say shitty things online? NO. is it a problem for individuals with a very small amount of clout to be held to standards that politicians should be held to? yes.

you say she's got power and influence - i don't think she does. she is a youtuber. she's published a novel, but she's never expanded outside the realm of her niche online. that emma girl with the coffee has entered the world of fashion. james charles is a staple in the beauty industry. lindsey ellis hasn't done anything close to that. she doesn't have meet and greets. she doesn't get invited to louis vuitton shows. she's a film school grad who talks about movie tropes, and movie tropes aren't a bad thing.

making callout threads for racist politicians doesn't do anything, which is demoralizing. making callout threads for youtubers forces them to respond to you. so people deplatform youtubers because they are accessible. they do it because it gets results, and they feel like they've finally addressed something. i get it! i don't think it makes you a nasty person to want to feel like you've done the right thing. i don't think it makes you a bad person to say "that lady said something bad and i know it's bad."

and i don't think it makes you a bad person to feel satisfied when somebody you don't like gets yelled at lmao. that's why i talked about pizza car girl. i don't know that she did anything to earn the pizza, but i didn't like her, she was mean and annoying, so in my eyes, she was deserving of pizza car.

that's what i think about "cancel culture." it's just a crowd response that reaches a point where there is no right answer, so the person ultimately has no choice but to give up. sometimes i agree with what they're saying, and other times i do not. this is one of the times that i do not.

in her video, what lindsey says about "cancel culture" is that "cancel culture" is a loaded term, but there should be a name for this phenomenon. it exists. it's not what right wingers claim it is, but it does exist.

overall, lindsey ellis's online presence isn't actively harming asian people as a community. it's a bad time to be seen as belittling something asian because of anti-asian hate crimes going on right now in response to the pandemic. it's not cute to "clap back." and, she's right about the things she said. asian people aren't a monolith and there wasn't an overwhelming response from asian people saying what she said was bad. all of those things are true simultaneously.

does that make sense? ordinarily i apologize for long responses like this, but it's clear to me that i have to specifically address every angle of a situation to avoid being misinterpreted. that's why her video is so long, in my opinion. this post is almost as long as her video.

if you read all of this and you still disagree with something i said, no hard feelings. and i wasn't being passagg when i said to have a good night. i really do hope you're doing ok.

#haters #who is this even

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t100ficrecsblog · 4 years ago

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three thoughts about raven reyes (& 1 thought about Murven endgame)

ONE

I loved Raven Reyes from the millisecond she showed up on screen. I started watching from the very first episode of t100 but I got truly invested once she showed up and that has never changed. She’s so complicated but at the same time her motivations are simple to figure out if you consider her past and what it was like for her to grow up on the Ark. This might get me some shade but I don’t think a lot of fandom understands Raven at all, and that makes me sad (and also angry lbr). She’s one of the most forgiving characters on this show, she wears her heart on her sleeve and you never have to guess where you stand with her. Raven can be tremendously kind and understanding but she can also tear you down and make you feel small if she disagrees with your choices. I happen to think this is one of her strengths. She deserves so much happiness even though she thinks she doesn’t. It’s not even remotely a stretch to say that she may very well be my favorite character of all time. -JENN

A beautiful, iconic genius. I love how from her introduction, there’s no problem she can’t handle or won’t approach. She’s Raven Reyes and she’s a badass with an amazing mind. Yes, she faces challenges, as all these characters face, but she has such a tenacity when it comes to approaching them which I really love. I think it’s been so great to see this character, played by such a great actress, during the years of t100. -RYN

i find she’s often overlooked for how much representation she brings to the show. she’s not necessarily underrated, but just not appreciated enough for how much she can mean to people. raven reyes is a woman in stem, a woman of colour, and a woman with a disability. on top of that, she is so kickass and kind and funny and beautiful and strong - she isn’t reduced to tokenism, she is an integral part of the show. i love raven reyes and lindsey morgan for the comfort and inspiration they give so many people. -ELLE

TWO

Her strength is something that I think is both one of the most powerful and interesting parts of her character. Her season four arc really broke my heart, in the best way since I love pain, but I absolutely loved that she chose to live. That she fought back against every odd and said “screw that” and powered on. She does struggle, yes, she feels pain and experiences loss and everything else that all the characters face, which I think is important, to show that she isn’t unbreakable. She also confronts those struggles by continuing forward though, and doing what she can for herself and her people. -RYN

despite what canon says, i think that she has always been morally gray in her actions. she took extreme actions against grounders in season one. she wanted to turn murphy over to the grounders in season two. she was pretty complacent in the nightblood experiments in season four. she helped with the flame in season five. in season seven, she wants murphy and emori to keep up the prime act. she’s complex and contradictory and realistic and human. -ELLE

For Raven, family is everything and once she counts you as hers, she’s not letting go without a fight. She felt this way about Finn, which I hated at first, but I have come to appreciate their relationship more and respect her feelings for him as her family even after what he did. She’s willing to do anything for her family, including stay behind alone in space, facing likely death like when it meant getting Spacekru back to Earth safely. We see the devastation she takes on when she loses family and how it haunts her and also influences her actions. This outlook is still going strong in s7 when she fights to bring Echo back to herself and throws being a family in Bellamy’s face when she feels that he has betrayed them. I don’t think anything motivates Raven more than family. -JENN

THREE

Thinking about regrets I’ll have that we likely won’t see for Raven, I think it’s particularly traumatic that Finn, Sinclair and Abby all died right in front of her while she could do absolutely nothing about it. All three were her family and I think the helplessness & guilt that she felt regarding their deaths (and to an extent Monty & Harper too, based on what she says after learning of their deaths) really plays a big role on who she has become over the seasons. I wish canon took a deeper look into that but I do think Lindsey does a particularly good job at showing devastated emotions (sob) so at least I got that. I am truly turning myself into a pretzel to cross my entire body that Raven gets her happy ending, but I will add the caveat that it better make sense for her & not be some bs last-minute move that ruins her character either. -JENN

We love color symbolism!! I love Raven’s red jacket and the repeated red symbolism we get for her. Not just because, of course, it ties with Murphy’s symbolism as well (I see you red jacket patch, I see you), but also because I think it shows her character so well. I enjoyed it so much when they brought the jacket, or one like it, back this season, and think it shows how all the character arcs, but specifically hers, are circling back and connecting them to who they were in season one to who they are now. Hopefully, this circling will include satisfying conclusions for her and the others. -RYN

raven reyes is the only one who should be allowed to call murphy a cockroach. with anyone else, it bothers me, but with (the) raven, it’s fine. i think that’s just because of the development they’ve have. it was a title born out of hatred, but it has since evolved into an inside joke for the pair, and it’s even a bit of a mantra. i know a lot of people disliked the “go be a cockroach” line in season seven, but to me i think it was her way of saying (in a high stress situation) “i need you to survive, like you always do” á la season four’s “go. survive” and “that’s what cockroaches do, right?” lines. every cockroach needs a raven. -ELLE

what’s your ideal ending for Murven?

I feel like there’s two viewpoints I’m torn between - what I want to happen vs. what’s appropriate for the story. IMHO the ending for them that’s appropriate for the story is that they die together. It’s a huge part of their dynamic that canon has set up since early s2. If the show does it well, showing that Raven & Murphy actively choose not to leave each other or it’s a scenario where it’s inevitable and they sort of peacefully accept it and perhaps do something heroic at the end, then as sad as I’d be, I’d also probably love it and would completely accept it. And then I’d write reincarnation fic or something, LOL! But what I want to happen - oh well, in that case - I’d like them both to survive and have maybe a hint or two that the option of them being together is there. Personally I don’t need them to be romantic canon in the end if we can at least leave the ending up to interpretation but I would sell my soul for them to kiss onscreen at least once. I don’t care how or why just let me have it!! -jenn

a quiet life in sanctum. i think after all the danger and pain they’ve experienced, they deserve a nice peaceful life. my ideal would be them being together, living in a cute little cottage style house. raven would take over the machine shop, getting to tinker around all day. murphy would work at the bar/kitchen, getting to chat and joke around with people all day. they would come home and talk about their days or hang out with their friends, never without some playful teasing, and then they would fall asleep together - peaceful and happy. -elle

Okay, this is more than simply just sad, but my ideal goal is a final, important moment between them. I have been theorizing and predicting a possible Murphy death since really the season started, and I’m scared to admit I feel like it is heading there. So, while I think it’s gonna break my damn heart, I want Murphy to have a true hero’s death (if he does have to die which I am not down with or excited about but what I feel is indeed coming) and a final important moment with Raven, who I feel with pretty intense certainty will live and (hopefully) lead a very full and happy life. It’s not a perfect ending, or the ending I would’ve written for them, but this is where my ideal meets my acknowledgement of canon meets haha. -ryn

it was an absolute delight to interview these three Murven writers! you can find ryn @animmortalist on Tumblr, or here on AO3. you can find elle @hopskipawayon Tumblr, or here on AO3. you can find jenn @easilydistractedbyfanfic on Tumblr, or here on AO3. all three of them are working with @t100fic-for-blm, request a fic written by them there. <3

#t100fic4blm #murven #john murphy #raven reyes #murven fanfiction #meta #murven round-up

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justwritethatdown · 5 years ago

Text

High school au set somewhere around 2009 - it’s gonna be a multichapter but I don’t have a title for it yet… Avril Lavigne is gonna be the soundtrack for this 💜

Beca is an introverted fifteen years old who loves music and is about to start high school. Chloe is The Popular Girl™ and they meet because their parents are friends. There’s a lot of Jesse but Bechloe is gonna be endgame (obviously) It’s supposed to be a slow burn but i’m an impatient idiot so we’ll see about that…

Words Count: 2K

Rating: T

Read it on AO3 or under the cut ↓

Please tell me what is taking place (‘cause I can’t seem to find a trace)

“Bec, can you please be nice tonight? It would mean a lot to Sheila and me" repeated her father for the millionth time. Beca just sighed heavily at that and crossed her arms around her chest. They’ve talked about that ad nauseam, there was no way for her to get out of this stupid dinner at Sheila’s friends.

Sheila – a.k.a. the step monster – was the most irritating being on the planet. Beca was sure she only acted nice to her to make a show for her father and actually hated Beca just as much as Beca hated her.

“Oh come on sweetie, they have a daughter your age, I’m sure you’ll become very fast friends” she promised in that annoying high pitched tone she had “I don’t want to make any friends” Beca grumbled and could swear she heard Sheila whisper something to her father about her being weird and having no friends, but decided to ignore that.

She didn’t need new friends, she had Amy and that was enough – more than enough sometimes – Amy was a lot, mostly to someone as introverted as Beca, her loudness and recklessness were pretty hard to handle, but they knew each other since forever and Amy stood by Beca’s side during her parents’ divorce, which meant the world to Beca.

“Come on kiddo, I’m sure you’ll like her. She goes to Barden high, so you can ask her advices for next year" said her father turning in his seat after parking the car “so she’s older than me!” stated Beca “oh for God’s sake what’s one year, specially at your age?” gasped Sheila, her nice facade starting to crack at Beca’s brattyness “never mind" spat out Beca under her breath getting out of the car.

Her father stopped her when he saw she was about to put her big headphones over her ears “don’t make me take these away from you" he warned her with a glare, so she just snorted and left them hanging around her neck.

Beca suffered immensely all through dinner, Chloe – the girl she was supposed to become best friends with to please Sheila – was hideous, she barely introduced herself without stopping pushing the buttons on her Blackberry, obviously more interested in her text than in Beca. Her parents were two pompous idiots – just how Beca imagined Sheila’s friends would be.

As soon as they finished eating, Chloe left the table without even excusing herself, focusing on her phone again.

“Chloe why don’t you show Becky your room, honey?” encouraged Chloe’s mother “sure" answered the redhead without any kind of emotion and left.

Beca gulped, she didn’t know what to do – was she supposed to just follow her? Did she had to wait there for Chloe to come back and invite her to her room? – it was clear that Chloe didn’t want her in her room.

“Beca? Go" pushed her Sheila and the girl found herself following Chloe’s path, she thought she heard someone whisper “that kid is so weird" but she shook it off, too focused on how weird she felt to intrude into a stranger’s room like that.

It turned out that Chloe didn’t mind her intrusion – one could say she didn’t even notice it, if not for the short nod she gave Beca along with a “this is it" before sitting in front of her computer and spending the night chatting on MSN.

After standing awkwardly in Chloe’s room for some moments, Beca decided to sit down on a pink fluffy bean bag sofa and finally put her headphones on. She spent the night with her iPod Classic, as she did most of the times.

Beca had the time to properly look at Chloe, to study her – something she liked to do with people.

The sixteen year old was definitely a popular girl in school – definitely someone Beca would have never wanted to be friends with – she seemed to be coming straight out of Mean Girls – that stupid Lindsey Lohan high school movie Amy made her watch once.

A shiver run down Beca’s spine. She didn’t love the idea of starting high school at all, with all those jocks and beautiful girls who thought they were better than anyone else – Beca could totally see Chloe being one of them.

Chloe was undeniably attractive, the computer light flashing on her face highlighted the perfect traits of her face and the sharp angle of her jawline, her red hair was coming down in large soft waves and her soft blue eyes made her look like a Disney princess. Her slender fingers flew quickly over the keyboard of her computer while she replied to the dozens of beeping notifications blowing up on her screen. Beca had to look away, feeling a weird grasp at her stomach she’d never felt before.

To Beca’s displeasure these stupid dinner dates became a thing, and she was forced to see that girl at least a couple of days per month, even if Chloe seemed to have the power to defect those events, since she never showed up when the dinners were at Beca’s father’s.

Beca wasn’t sorry about that, she was just upset she didn’t have the same luxury.

Chloe smiled at her once, greeting her with a soft “hi" when the brunette went to her house to yet another dinner, and Beca kept thinking about how warm that made her feel for a long time – because it caught her off guard obviously, she wasn’t expecting that, it’s not like she stopped thinking about how beautiful Chloe looked when she genuinely smiled or why she smiled at her anyway.

Months passed and it came the time for Beca to start high school. Amy was out of her mind excited about that and it only made Beca more nervous.

Her first day – the first month even – could have been described with one word, better yet a name: Jesse.

Jesse was in most of her classes and for some reason he was obsessed with her. He managed to learn more about her in only the first week than most people have ever tried to know in her life – he asked so many questions.

At first Beca was annoyed by him and tried to avoid the guy every time she spotted his stupid face in the hallway or at the cafeteria, but it was pointless because Jesse always managed to find her. Amy even started to tease her about her new boyfriend and Beca hated it.

She started to get used to his intrusive presence somewhere during week two, when he casually mentioned a concert of a Sum41 cover band he was sure she would have liked.

It opened up a crack in the big wall she spent so long building up – obviously what Jesse was trying to do since day one – but she didn’t push him away like she would have done with any other intruder trying to tear her defences apart, she instead decided to show him something she considered super intimate and private, something she had never shown to anyone before, she decided to show him one of her playlists.

She even agreed to go with him to the concert – telling herself she really wanted to see the band and couldn’t go without the fake ID Jesse had promised her.

Thinking about it, it didn’t take a genius to understand Beca would have liked such topic. After all, the girl always wore her headphones and from her style – heavy dark eyeliner, pierced ears, studded bracelet and dark boots – it wasn’t that hard to guess her musical tastes either.

“I knew you liked Avril Lavigne” was his first reaction scrolling through the titles in her iPod, Beca blushed at that; there were many other artists on there, such as Linkin Park, Green Day, Evanescence, Blink182… and he decided to point out the one that meant more to her.

“I love her, I think she’s great" he added pressing play on Sk8er Boi “you kinda remind me of her" he shouted over the sound filling his ears. Beca’s eyes widened for a moment and she looked around the schoolyard to check if he had drawn any attention towards them, she still couldn’t believe she was letting him use her headphones.

“It’s Be c a, with one c" she repeated to the guy who was paying very little attention to her anyway – Luke apparently.

“All right guys, it’s gonna be 50 bucks each and it’ll take a couple of days” he said looking at them with a charming smile “to pay now" he clarified clearing his throat and Jesse rushed to pay him “thanks Johnny. I’ll reach out to you when I got them" he said before leaving.

“It’s Jesse…” sighed Jesse when Luke already had left.

“Dude, I’m giving you the money first thing tomorrow, don’t think I’m letting you pay for my ID" “I could’ve never thought something like that" he joked smiling at her.

Okay so maybe Jesse became her friend and maybe Beca liked that – not that she would admit it.

After a month Beca thought she was starting to get used to the whole high school thing and she had to admit it wasn’t as bad as she thought, classes were boring and had nothing useful to form her regarding what she really wanted to do in life, but at least she had Amy and Jesse to lighten her mood.

The brunette was walking down the hallway, headphones on as usual, when she saw Chloe. Beca’s breath caught in her lungs at the sight of the redhead leaned against her locker animatedly chatting with a group of friends. She looked so different from the girl she was used to see at dinners; she looked radiant, like a ray of sunshine. Beca could tell all her friends were hypnotized by her energy and enthusiasm.

The sudden collision with a guy running in her opposite direction brought her back to reality “Dude! What the fuck?“ she hissed, but the guy didn’t bother stopping to check on her, so Beca shook her head and walked to her classroom. She didn’t notice Chloe looking at her.

From that moment Beca’s high school experience became a little different, she was always looking out for any signs of Chloe, she turned her head at any glimpse of red hair around a corner or every time she heard a particular kind of giggle – yes, she stopped wearing headphones in the hallways just to hear that – she’d even learned the faces of those she believed to be Chloe’s best friends and, obviously, her boyfriend – Tom, or something.

During the course of the first semester there had been almost zero dinners and her father told her she didn’t have to attend them because he was sure she was busy with homework, so the only occasions she had to see Chloe were those when she ran into her at school – not that she cared – they never interact and Beca understood, Chloe was a popular girl and with that role you have to maintain the appearances, she couldn’t risk to be seen interacting with some freshman alt girl just because they ate at the same table a couple of times, it wasn’t like they were friends anyway.

Beca was nervous. She would have never expected to open her front door to find Chloe Beale standing in front of her. She felt her ears heating up when the girl smiled at her “h-hi… you’re here too” she babbled hating herself immediately, but Sheila appearing behind her to greet the Beale family gave her enough time to disappear into the kitchen.

Now they were in Beca’s room after dinner. Chloe didn’t feel as awkward as Beca did entering her room all those months ago – or as awkward as she felt right now, for what is worth – she immediately made herself at home sitting on Beca’s bed, bounching on it a little while looking around.

Beca blushed at the amount of posters – mainly Avril posters – hanging on her walls. Her room was much darker than Chloe’s and she was sure the redhead must have thought she was a freak.

“I like your room, it’s pretty cool" “…you do?” asked Beca in shock “yes! And your bed is so much softer than mine" added Chloe lying down. Beca was silent for a while, her brain was filled with so many thoughts she couldn’t speak, she’s never been good with words anyway.

Beca gasped when she saw Chloe stretch to reach for the iPod and headphones resting on her bedside table but couldn’t stop her from taking them.

“What do you always listen to anyway?” asked Chloe sitting back up “beside Avril Lavigne” she added with a giggle that made Beca feel more attacked than she should have, the brunette moved to sit on her bed next to Chloe and took the device from her, holding it protectively against her chest “stuff… you wouldn’t like it" she scoffed “try me" said Chloe tilting her head, smile still in place.

Beca couldn’t find it in herself to say no.

They laid on her bed with her headphones placed between them, listening to Beca’s playlist until Chloe drifted off to sleep. Beca kept laying beside her, looking at the redhead sleep on her pillow and completely ignoring the weird feeling she had in the pit of her stomach that was starting to be something not unusual when it came to Chloe.

#Bechloe au #high school au #bechloe #beca mitchell #chloe beale #Pitch Perfect

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samwisethewitch · 5 years ago

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A Must-Read Book for Ex-Mormons: Recovering Agency by Luna Lindsey (Review)

I do not use the phrase “must-read” lightly. There are very few books that I think every single person — or at least every single member of a given group — can benefit from. After all, we’re all different people with different intellectual, emotional, and spiritual needs.

But I genuinely believe that every person who has ever left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints should read Recovering Agency: Lifting the Veil of Mormon Mind Control by Luna Lindsey.

When I was looking for books to help me process my trauma related to growing up Mormon, I had two criteria. First, I didn’t want to just read someone else’s exit story — I wanted a book that would help me understand my trauma and how to heal from it. Second, I didn’t want to read any book that was pushing an agenda — I didn’t want to be converted to another denomination of Christianity, or to atheism. Recovering Agency meets both of these criteria and then some.

Lindsey is very clear that her goal with this book is not to convince people that the Church is evil, or even that its issues can’t be fixed. She repeatedly points out that Mormonism is right for some people. In the book’s Foreword she says, “In these pages, I describe in detail the negative power organizations have to control the hearts of men. But I also hope for that which is harder to see… that religious faith can inspire the best in people, in spite of any institution’s attempts to control.”

But at the same time, she doesn’t tiptoe around the truth or avoid making controversial statements. She’s very clear from page one that the single goal of this book is to explore how the Mormon Church uses — and has always used — cult mind control techniques on its members.

In the first chapter Lindsey says, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a high-demand group, a deceptive religion that utilizes psychological manipulation via doctrine and culture to restrict the thoughts, behaviors, and emotions of otherwise good and intelligent members. In a word — though it is admittedly a highly-charged, loaded word — Mormonism is a cult.”

The bulk of the book consists of Lindsey explaining individual control techniques, then examining how they are used in the Church. She does this by comparing research from well-respected cult experts (including Steven Hassan, Margaret Singer, and Robert B. Cialdini) with quotes from Mormon scriptures, handbooks, and talks. She also weaves in firsthand accounts from current and former Mormons.

This book is incredibly well-researched, and Lindsey inserts very little of her own opinion. All she does is connect the dots between what we know about how cults operate and what the Church is actually doing. For someone who grew up in the echo chamber of Mormonism, where everything ultimately circled back on itself and outside sources were rarely referenced, this is incredibly refreshing.

This book helped me to understand my experiences as a Mormon in a way that no other resource has.

I’ve read up on all the ways Mormon doctrine directly contradicts the Bible. I’ve studied the Church’s history, from Joseph Smith’s criminal record and child brides to the Mountain Meadows Massacre to the modern Church’s use of tithe money for business ventures. I’ve read other people’s exit stories and been reminded that experiences like mine are not uncommon. And yet, I never found a sense of closure, even though I knew without a shred of doubt that the Church was false and that my life was better off without it.

This book helped me change my approach. Before, I’d been approaching my trauma as a negative experience with a corrupt religious institution — but that didn’t explain the extent of its impact on my life. Once I changed my approach and saw my trauma for what it was — years of cult membership and thought control which I needed to intentionally deprogram myself from — everything clicked, the pieces fell into place, and I was finally able to progress in my healing.

As Lindsey points out, “Knowing a little about mind control… helps inoculate against many types of unethical persuasion.”

And as the saying goes, “The first step is admitting you have a problem.”

Like I said, I really cannot recommend this book highly enough to my fellow ex-Mormons, especially those who still struggle to come to terms with their experiences in the Church.

I recommend keeping a journal handy while reading Recovering Agency. Every time you read a section that brings up a memory, causes a strong emotional response, or connects two dots, write it down. What did the passage bring up? How can you apply cult research to help you understand this memory/feeling/experience better?

It’s almost ridiculous how easily I was able to work through my experiences once I had the right vocabulary. I was able to deconstruct my fears and traumatic memories by identifying the thought control techniques that causes them. “Oh, that’s a double-bind,” “That was love bombing,” “This is a totalist reframing,” etc. Like trying to untangle a ball of yarn, once you find that one central string, the rest almost seems to unravel itself.

Rating: 5/5

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