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inacatastrophicmind · 3 years

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Hi I went through few cons and I actually got my heart broken a little bit. Every one of them had Jensen denying the idea of Destiel or Dean being anything but the American male fantasy.

Vancon 2012 J2 panel he avoids the fan who is screaming Destiel. I understand that because he was going through something Misha shaped during 2012. Destiel was the last thing he wanted in his life then.

The controversial NJCon 2013 where he pretty much rudely avoids the Bi Dean question. I mean come on there were so many ways to back down there but just giving into that crowd like that and shooting down that girl who asked the question? I know she actually explained what happened there but he is saying things to convey he is unhappy where that question is heading. JP who is considered the immature even is considering answering the question the girl is continuously apologising it is a horror show there while Jensen is just being plain rude.

Jib 2014 solo panel where he is asked if Dean will ever get his pie. And he denies Cas ever being there at the end of the line. And ironically at the end, he was only there with all kinds of pie but no Cas. Amazing how life worked out for him.

Jib 2015 solo panel where he again denies both CasDean and Destiel from Fan Fiction episode. JPad was not there and Jensen was in a bad mood so maybe it had something to do with that.

Chicon 2016 he again invalidates Cas when a question is asked about him Cas and Mary.

TorCon 2016 where both Js are denying Cas's importance saying there's no necessity for him.

JaxCon 2017 he pretty much shoots down Destiel by saying Destiel doesn't exist.

In JaxCon 2018 he wrote NO infront of Bi Dean research paper a fan showed him.

Jibcon 2019 he asks audience Where does Destiel exist. but I think he was much like teasing the audience there tbh. No major harm but it still hurts.

I just.. I truly believe he knows what he and Misha were doing in the Destiel implied scenes. And now the cat is pretty much out of the bag. But still Jensen is pretty much staying on his ground and it is nice he is now more open for interpretation but the strength this fandom should have to forgive him for all he did...

I believe in Karma. I think Karma got to Jensen eventually for all hurt he did by those words to the fandom. I don't hate Jensen in fact I really adore the guy. But it doesn't mean I am not upset by his words. How I think Karma worked here is that he never embraced what he was portraying as a character and Karma finally said "Okay Dude enough foreplay.. You want pie okay here's pie and your car now die and be in heaven and your character arc is in garbage but your brother gets to live. There goes your male fantasy.."

I understand if he had internalized sexuality issues of himself that he didn't feel like exposing by talking about Dean and Destiel but still there are much better ways to shoot down fan opinions without being so rude.

In 2014 he pretty much says that at the end of the series Dean might get all kinds of pie with no Castiel and...Geez Is it not what exactly happened? No Cas and Pie on his face. Accidental foreshadowing spoilers..

I think he got Karma for hurting so many fan hearts and denying something he evidently portrayed in his character. At the end he didn't get a happy ending he got robbed by his own show. While the shippers actually got something out of it Thanks to Misha.

I don't need Jensen to embrace Destiel in an open hug because not in any universe that's gonna happen. I actually hoped he would eventually be open to it. He actually might be, considering his reaction to episode 18. But there's no proof actually footage of him saying anything positive about Destiel. It just... is such a bummer.

I know Jensen is hurt for his own reasons by his own show which actually hurt him in ways no fan ever did. I hope he understands how fans feel now being betrayed by a show they love.

May be he had the Karma coming..

In the past, Jensen hasn't been Destiel's biggest fan, and that's something that has always bothered me. Not because I didn't respect that he didn't like Destiel, but because every time Destiel was brought up, he was kind of rude. The same thing happened with anyone mentioned Dean being bi. It sucked and hurt because he could have handled it better. He could have easily said "I don't see Destiel/Dean as bi, but it's okay if you do". It's just that simple.

I don't know why Jensen was so rude about Destiel or bi!Dean. I don't know if it was of something personal or because certain fans were rude to him when they brought up Destiel and bi!Dean, or if he was scared that Dean would change if Destiel happened, because society and media think that anyone who belongs to the LGBTQIA+ community's personality is just their sexuality and gender and nothing else, so maybe Jensen was afraid that Dean would just become a character that was bi and that everything else that Dean was would disappear. Or maybe it had to do with the fact that he grew up in Texas, which isn't the most liberal place. It could be anything.

However, since they started filming s15 and when he found out about Cas' confesion, he has been really supportive about Destiel. He might not be as vocal and supportive as Misha is, but you can see the change. And that's important. Even at a JIBcon, (I can't remember which one), after he haid said something negative about Destiel the previous year, he apologized. He knows how important Destiel is for a lot of us. And he has learnt from his past behavior. Even if he doesn't fully support it, he now knows that it means a lot to a lot of people and he isn't rude about it anymore and he respects it.

Also, I should mention that in most cons, all the panels that involve either Jensen, Misha and/or J*red are moderated, and 90% of them forbid Destiel questions. So I don't know what the cons organizers tell the actors to say when Destiel is brought up, or if anyone from the network forbids them to talk about it, but unfortunately, Destiel has been considered a taboo topic by TPTB, and that might have also affected on the way Jensen reacted any time Destiel or bi!Dean was mentioned. Although I still think he should have handled it better, but at least, he now seems to be on good terms with the topics, and as I mentioned above, that's really important.

As for the Cas thing, about how both Jensen and J*red always joked how he didn't matter, it's a joke that's been going for too long, and that's all it is. They have taken it way too far, especially J*red, because most of the times, when Jensen is talking without J*red by his side, he always brings up Cas and how important he is. Just look at some of the interviews he has done over the years.

With that said, I think you're being mean about the whole karma thing. What the writers did to Dean was just the writers being shitty writers. They wrote a whole season with the only goal of killing Dean. After Dean has finally found the will to live, after he is finally able to live on his own terms, the writers decided that killing him was a good way to end the story. That's not karma; that's bad storytelling.

And just because Jensen didn't handle Destiel or bi!Dean in a good way, it doesn't mean that he deserved to have Dean treated like shit. And I think that what you're suggesting is actually quite mean.

Jensen might have made mistakes in the past regarding Destiel and bi!Dean, but he seems to have grown and realized that he can't be that rude. It's not hard at all to accept that people love Destiel and bi!Dean, even if he doesn't. And he has gotten there. So accept that and don't be mean.

#anonymous #my answers #wank for ts

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thegeminisage · 3 years

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Wait wait wait I have to check. Are you going into this fic with the “fuck John Winchester” mindset?

(for reference anon is referring to this fic which i am posting excerpts of as i write but that is not online in full yet. sorry for the long response, this turned into a bit of a meta. cw for abuse)

okay so! yes and no. yes i think john was a bad parent and physically and emotionally abusive. yes i think the actual episode where he comes back (14.13) is bullshit propaganda they wrote because JDM wanted to redeem his character, and i am rewriting it out of sheer fury. but no, i don’t care for all those fics where sam and dean cut him out and mary divorces him and cas breaks his nose...put simply, i think they lack nuance. obviously they’re great wish fulfillment - who among us would not like to break john winchester’s face - but in real life things are often messier than “realize/accept your parent is abusive > react in an appropriately healthy manner > become Free of your past”

i think that dean in canon is incredibly protective of his family, even/especially his dad. i think that that dean and john bonded by sharing the trauma of watching mary burn on the ceiling and having to raise sam alone. i think john teaching dean how to shoot and fight back against fear and darkness is what gave him back his voice after a year of being nonverbal. i think that giving dean the mission of protecting sammy is what motivated him to get out of bed in the mornings and tough it out through the hard times. i don’t think dean will ever not be grateful for that.

i think when mary’s family died and she had wanted to be away from the death and violence of the hunting lifestyle for so long john took her away. i think they were in love for a decade and change - about the same amount of time as dean and cas. i think they’re in their own epic star-crossed love story. i think john the vietnam vet (before he was john the hunter) understood the impact that death and violence leaves on a person, understood trauma, understood when mary woke up with nightmares. i think the choice he made to be kind and sweet and gentle anyway (as he was described multiple times) was something that comforted her greatly and made her feel safe after a lifetime of feeling unsafe. i don’t think mary will ever note be grateful for that either.

does that negate the emotional and physical abuse? the neglect and the way john made his children feel as though his love was conditional? the way he abandoned his kids over and over, sometimes to suffer or starve? the way he raised them to be soldiers and never let them be children? the way he put so much on dean he became sam’s parent when he was still a child himself but trusted sam so little that sam grew up feeling unclean and unlovable? the way he had a whole secret family and never told anyone?

of course not. but it does COMPLICATE it. you can love someone who abuses you or is a bad person. oftentimes you can even love them unconditionally, especially if that person is your parent. if it was so easy to stop loving john winchester, dean probably would have done it a long time ago.

i really enjoyed the dynamic in 14.11-14.12 where dean was tailspinning (his plan for michael being an allegory for suicide), and his family/support network kind of triangulated around him to talk him down off the ledge. they texted and called each other to keep track of how he was doing, they coordinated to keep an eye on him. after a lifetime of dean managing other people - trying to fix his parents marriage at age 4, being the referee between sam and his dad - the rest of the family managed dean. i was interested in exploring that dynamic in a john-comes-back fic. what would this concept look like if, instead of focusing on what WE wanted - like breaking john winchester’s face - we tried to minimize dean’s pain?

dean wouldn’t want anyone to hit or kill his father. he wouldn’t even want anyone to shout at his father. he wouldn’t want to get his dad back only to then lose him or cut him out of his life. there is a vast, vast ocean between what i think (and what we think) john winchester deserves, and what dean thinks he deserves. a happy ending for dean wrt to his dad might not necessarily look like “john winchester, friendless, alone, hated, and possibly dead.” i think that ending would break dean’s heart.

so, the short answer - yes, FUCK john winchester. but this fic isn’t about punishing john, or redeeming him, because it’s not about john at all. it’s about dean. i love dean more than i hate john, just as other characters in this narrative might. i want to give him the ending he’d want, even if it’s not the ending i’d want.

obviously i’m not going to say what i think that looks like because it would ruin the ending of my fic before i posted it, but basically what i am craving here is some fucking nuance. abusive relationships are complicated, especially parental ones. they’re allowed to be messy and fucked up. and i think most of all that after everything dean went through at john’s hands he has the right to feel whatever way he likes about john - even if that feeling involves still loving him - and no one else, not even sam or cas or mary or us, has the right to tell him not to.

[spn masterpost]

#supernatural #john winchester #liz answers asks #broken road #anonymous #liz watches spn #personal #liz's meta #liz's spn stuff #basically what im saying is u have to allow dean to be complicated and fucked up #okay to reblog if anyone wants to let's spread the gospel of Let Dean Have Complex Feelings #br meta

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guiltycorp · 4 years

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a comprehensive bullet point list of what i love about luo binghe/shen qingqiu!

it’s problematic Luo Binghe first experienced attraction to his martial teacher when he was 14 a martial teacher who had been severely abusing him for several years by that time! who then suddenly became nice, betrayed him & separated from him (abyss), grew distant, was nice again, separated again (died), was distant and then finally nice again sounds like a cycle of abuse, doesn’t it? just because Shen Qingqiu didn’t mean for it and wasn’t even in control for much of it doesn’t change the effect it had on Binghe there is little wonder why (outside of BL genre structure) Binghe remained obsessed with his shizun throughout puberty and into his adulthood - after all that really is how those carrot-stick relationships work for children without proper support networks later because of plot shenanigans Shen Qingqiu timeskips and becomes roughly the same age as his former student, but their teacher-student dynamic remains firmly in place, with Shen Qingqiu making comparisons to schoolgirls in his mind, often patronizingly thinking of Binghe as a child as well as appreciating his more childish and subservient behaviour while they don’t always fit this mold, their mutual kink is clear and it is very much not about being equal partners in return, Shen Qingqiu almost always allows physical violence and unsubtle manipulations from his husband-disciple out of lingering guilt and sympathy, and that is also kind of ehhh...

they both love each other for the wrong reasons this one could be argued with! but Binghe loves Shen Qingqiu because of the blatant favoritism during his student years and later because of the sacrifices Shen Qingqiu went through for him Shen Qingqiu was a handsome and young-looking authority figure who abruptly changed his behaviour, making Binghe believe that perhaps he was worthy of love after all -- his betrayal only meant that Binghe was all the more desperate to prove himself to that same person again (after all, it worked once before!) because that would mean that he did have value after all who else could Binghe truly fall for? his childhood friend had been naive and dragged him into trouble on several accounts and he met his other ‘wives’ too late when there was no real opportunity for intimacy so, his romantic interest in his teacher arouse from his insecurity and hormonal drive (i am assuming that shizun basically looked like Monica Belucci in Malena to him) meanwhile! Shen Qingqiu did all those nice things at first out of self-preservation and then fully out of guilt he felt for pushing his loyal student into the abyss, not out of all-encompassing devotion like Binghe thought there is no doubt that he came to love Binghe as a faithful student and extraordinarily good house-servant (especially in contrast to his original blackened counterpart), but he seemed way more concerned about making them ‘even’ somehow and he never showed any obvious sexual or romantic interest in Luo Binghe either! remaining ambivalent both when loomed over, first kissed, pressed up to him in a tight coffin etc; it actually isn’t very clear in the novel whether Shen Qingqiu accepted their romantic relationship only after he agreed to it out of pity or if he had been just THAT repressed and didn’t realize what his feelings of admiration for the protagonist & feelings of responsibility for a student really were

both can’t leave the relationship for the wrong reasons obviously, Luo Binghe craves his shizun’s attention, both as a teacher and as a husband he still doesn’t really have any other people in his life even more so than before (at least he used to have his demonic servants and Huan Hua Palace people to talk to), so even if he realized they needed more boundaries or simply more out of life he wouldn’t be able to change anything since validation from his teacher is his major addiction and any conflict they might have would just feel like a normal part of their routine after which they would guiltily get back together and Shen Qingqiu couldn’t possibly betray his student by leaving AGAIN, and even if he did he would expect to be chased and dragged back also, their marriage allows Shen Qingqiu to stagnate in his preferred laziness, a setup too comfortable to risk!

they still somehow manage to be good for each other all that said!! they make each other happy in their own way, perhaps exactly because they are very flawed characters without some serious character development and growth they couldn’t possibly maintain any meaningful and intimate relations with anyone else and this is why i like this relationship so much, it’s just a realistic portrayal of how it goes sometimes! only in this instance both of them are so extremely powerful and well-off that there’s little chance of their relationship imploding like most of these teacher-student marriages do even if Binghe were to learn that his shizun is a transmigrator... at most it would make him doubt himself and his own value since he internalized ‘suffering to get stronger‘ specifically because of the abuse he endured, and if none of that abuse actually wilfully came from his beloved then what was the reason for his suffering? he would also probably realize that a lot of his shizun’s motivations weren’t out of concern for him, but i imagine Shan Qingqiu would be able to mollify him with just one sentence or even a question like ‘what are you, an idiot?’ because Binghe always thinks the best of him they are also both extremely grateful to each other, making them a surprisingly strong and devoted couple

#luo binghe #shen qingqiu #SVSSS #scumbag system #bingqui #scum villain #text

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jalapeno-princess · 4 years

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Better Together

Tutor Mark X Reader

Genre: Fluff with a hint of angst

Word count: 5.3k

Summary: You’ve been fooling around with your marine biology tutor for a few months. The two of you have more than friendly feelings for one another but you both are too afraid to confess your love in fear of things not working out. However, when one of Mark’s friends take an interest in you, that’s when the truth comes out.

“You know, for someone who claims to miss me, it’s pretty hard to get a hold of you nowadays.” The fake hurt tone in your best friend’s voice made you giggle, but he was right. It’s been over two weeks since you last saw BamBam and he’s been trying to plan something for the two of you to do for the last week but you’ve always been so busy. It wasn’t like you were avoiding him, you just had so much on your plate from both work and school that you didn’t really have time to be social as of right now.

“Hey, I said I was sorry about that but you know how I get whenever it comes to my grades. I need at least a 3.8 to get in to the national honor society. Once we go on spring break, I’m all yours.” The two of you were currently drinking coffee at one of your favorite cafes in between class. When you found out your first class had been cancelled, you were quick with reaching out to the older boy and see what he was doing. A smile was quick to rise on your cheeks when he said he was willing to ditch class in order to spend time with you and although you were against skipping a class, you missed your best friend.

“So, how’s your marine biology class by the way? The last time we talked about it, you had a borderline D. I know you took my advice and went to tutoring for it last semester, I still can’t believe you’re taking another marine biology class this semester after barely passing last semester. It’s like you love putting yourself through stress—or it’s because a certain marine science major just so happens to be tutoring you—don’t look at me like that. I know exactly why you retook that stupid class, it’s because Mark Tuan is the TA. I’m not stupid, there’s no way you went from a D to an A in less than two months by studying alone. You’re probably sucking his dick—Ow! What was that for? I’m totally supportive of you fucking your tutor. Not only do you get good grades, but you get your back blown out too—that’s it. I’m going back to class.”

When he stood up and began to playfully gather his things, you reached over and took his notebook from his hand while motioning for him to sit back down. “Will you keep it down? The entire coffee shop doesn’t need to know of my business and besides—I’m not sleeping with anybody—well—it’s not what you think. I’m not hooking up with him just to get good grades.”

BamBam looked at you in curiosity before leaning forward and placing his chin on top of his hands. One thing you both loved and hated about BamBam, was how nosy he could be. He was one of the biggest blabber mouths on campus. If there was a rumor going around campus, you could bet that he was one of the first people to hear about it and to spread it throughout school. Although you enjoyed being in the know with the juiciest drama there was going on at your university, you never wanted to be the next hot topic. Which is why you were afraid of the fact that he was completely aware of your little affair with Mark Tuan.

“So what exactly are you doing with him then? Are the two of you dating? I feel insulted! We tell each other everything. As your best friend, I would have expected you to tell me that you got in to a relationship and with Mark out of all people. I can’t believe you’ve been blowing me off to waste your time with your boyfriend—“

“He’s not my boyfriend, we’re not dating. Okay? I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier, but there’s nothing to tell. He’s been tutoring me since last semester, that part is true. But I didn’t sign up for marine 462 just so he could help me out again. I wouldn’t suffer through another science class just to have him tutor me again. I’m taking five classes this semester, remember? On top of working full-time so I’m sorry for being so MIA but I promise when my schedule clears up, we’ll do something.”

A frustrated sigh fell from your lips before you took a sip of your caramel macchiato. You hated lying to your best friend, especially because like he said; the two of you told each other everything. BamBam informed you on every single thing that went on in his life and for the most part, you did the same. However, your love life was nobody’s business but you and the person you were involved with. As much as you wanted to update BamBam on your relationship status, you didn’t even know what to classify exactly what was going on between you and Mark anyway.

You were more than just friends, but less than lovers and you couldn’t really consider yourselves friends with benefits either. Sure, the two of you casually hooked up in your free time, but it was more than just sex for you both. Mark was a very shy and soft spoken person to people he wasn’t all too familiar with, but you were one of the few lucky people to know what he was really like. Mark Tuan in more or less words was a very outgoing, patient, kind-hearted, hardworking and surprisingly hilarious individual.

You loved being around him and you loved the effect he had on you. The older boy never failed to make you laugh and smile with his corny science pick up lines and when the two of you were alone, it seemed as if he always needed to be touching you. However, you had no problem with that. Intimacy was something you really enjoyed. You just didn’t know what to make of the lingering stares and the passionate kisses that happened even when the two of you weren’t having sex.

There were a few occasions where you had caught Mark staring at you with so much adoration in his eyes; so you knew he had to have some sort of feelings for you. You had a hard time understanding why he had yet to act on it. Both you and the older boy have been at this for almost four months, if he wanted to be with you wouldn’t he have made things official by now? The vibration that came from your phone broke you out of your thoughts and you didn’t even try to stop the grin that grew on your face when you noticed who was trying to get in touch with you.

MT: Hey, are you busy right now? I really want to see you—and maybe kiss a little—okay maybe more than just a little. 3:15 p.m.

You: Never too busy for you. Wanna meet me at my place in fifteen? 3:16 p.m.

You: Just kissing? 3:16 p.m.

MT: Oh no, more. Definitely more. Sounds like a plan. See you soon. 3:17 p.m.

Since you were so deep in your excitement, you failed to witness that BamBam was analyzing your newly delighted expression and a smirk rose on his face when he came to realization of why your cheeks were pink. He was sure that if he were to reach over and place his palm against your face that it would be warm. Even if you told him that there was nothing on between you and Mark, he knew you like the back of his hand. You and BamBam have been friends long enough for him to know that you were interested in someone.

“Let me guess, lover boy is texting you. He’s asking you to ditch me so that he can rearrange your guts. It’s fine, you can go. Honestly I’d do the same.”

Your eyes widened at his words and you ripped off a piece of your scone and threw it at his chest. “Asshole. It’s nobody—really. I’m serious. But I do have to leave, I have class in twenty—“

“You and I both know you’re done for the day. There’s no point in lying to me y/n, I know your schedule by heart. Go get some dick, and tell Mark I said hi.” No matter how much of a pain in the ass BamBam could be sometimes, you’d be lying if you said he wasn’t your favorite person. Well, other than the boy who owned your heart. It took you two months to accept it, but you were in love with Mark.

It wasn’t surprising, most of your time was spent with your charming science tutor. When he wasn’t teaching you or buried balls deep inside of you, the two of you would be doing a lot of domestic things together. You’d find yourself doing things with Mark that most couples would do; watching movies together, baking different desserts that you saw on the food network, allowing him to sit in between your legs as he played video games and there were a couple times he even went grocery shopping with you. He also had a habit of complementing you almost every single day on your looks, your personality, your outfit, your choice in music and your cooking.

There were times you found yourself contemplating on telling him how you felt, but you were afraid of ruining things one the L word was thrown in there. You made a beeline towards your apartment with the intent of changing your clothes and making yourself a bit more presentable for Mark before he arrived. Although he made it aware that he didn’t really care what you wore only because it would end up on the floor anyway, you couldn’t help but want to look good for him.

Once you made it inside, you placed your bag on top of the kitchen counter and headed in to your room. As you began looking through your closet, you heard a knock on the door and silently cursed yourself at the thought of Mark already being there. “Just a minute, I’ll be right there.” You threw a pair of shorts and one of Mark’s shirts that he left at your place the last time he slept over. That was another thing that confused you. You and Mark weren’t strangers to sleeping over at each other’s places. Sure, if the two of you hooked up, you’d end up staying the night and vice versa. But there were days he’d ask to hang out and he’d end up staying the night.

He had quite a few of his things scattered throughout your apartment and from an outsider’s point of view, it would look as if you had a boyfriend. If only that was the case. You took a quick look through the peephole before opening the door and when you saw him, your heart rate increased. As soon as you opened the door, he gave you no time to prepare yourself before he practically threw his arms around you and pulled you in for a kiss. His hands cupped your cheeks gently as he licked and sucked on your bottom lip and playfully brought it in between his teeth. He maneuvered the two of you forward so that he could close the door, and quickly deepened the kiss.

After a few moments of your tongues battling for dominance while his hands roamed around your body, you pulled away to catch your breath and tiptoed so that you could place your forward against his.

“Hi.”

He let out a soft giggle and stole a quick kiss from the corner of your mouth. “Hey. I missed you.” You rolled your eyes in disbelief.

“You saw me last night.” Mark was the only person you have been seeing these days. You were grateful that he was tutoring you and that the two of you had an excuse to meet each other, even if most “tutoring sessions” ended up in sex. The older boy was like a breath of fresh air; your own little hideaway from adulting. Even if he was about to turn twenty-seven years old, he never failed to act like a little kid.

“Yeah, but that was last night. As much as I really want to take this to the bedroom and find my way in between these pretty thighs of yours, you have a midterm coming up and there’s no way I’m letting you fail.” You released a frustrated sigh and gave him an adorable pout. Mark had the biggest soft spot for you and you knew just how much your cuteness had an effect on him. He would do anything you asked him to, unless it interfered with your education. That was the only time he put anything before getting to love on your body.

“But Mark—you said kissing.” He cupped your cheek and began to caress his thumb right above your Cupid’s bow. “Don’t worry, there will be plenty of kissing. Trust me, I’ve been thinking about these pretty lips all day today. However, you’ll only get a kiss whenever you get a question right.”

Right as the complaint was about to fall from your lips, Mark smashed his mouth against yours and gave you a rough, sloppy kiss. “I know you’ll do just fine on this test y/n—“

“Then why do we have to study right now? I have a week until the midterm Mark. Making out for a couple of minutes won’t hurt my grade.” His laughter filled the room at your persistence and as much as you were upset with the idea of science, you found yourself laughing along with him. Mark had one of the most contagious, high pitched laughs and it had to be one of your favorite sounds. You did whatever you could to be the reason behind the beautiful noise.

“I could’ve sworn I was the horny one between us. When did you get so sexually aroused? Not that I’m complaining, I am all for it, it’s extremely sexy—ow! I don’t understand why you’re not rough like this in bed—you’re going to have to study for the exam on your own if you keep this up my little sea urchin.”

The older boy had a tendency to call you marine animals instead of an actual pet name and you couldn’t help but think that there was a reason behind it. Although there were times he called you baby, whether it was during sex or if it just happened to fall from his lips, he never really used the term with you. You felt that if he were to call you a term of endearment, then your relationship would only get more complicated.

“Fine! Whatever. But we won’t study for long, I’ve already had a rough day. The last thing I need is to drive myself insane trying to instill information about sea-level rise and coral bleaching in to my brain. And you better be generous with these kisses. None of those pecks from last time.” He beamed at you before getting himself settled down at your dining table and taking out some flash cards he prepared for you.

“A swell is pure energy. True or false?” You took a few seconds to think hard about the question before responding.

“True.”

“Nope. It’s false. Come on y/n, that was so easy. I’ll give you a kiss for effort though.” He leaned over and gave you a quick peck before flipping over the next card. “What is the cause of erosion?”

“Soil compaction, low organic matter, loss of soil structure, poor internal drainage, salinisation and soil acidity problems.” He hummed softly before reaching over once against to place another kiss on your lips; a few seconds longer this time.

“Good job, let’s keep going.” Throughout the entire study session, Mark rewarded you with quite a few kisses, whether or not you even got the answer right. There wasn’t much either of you had to worry about though. You got thirty out of thirty-three questions correct. As much as you hated science, marine biology to be exact, you were very grateful to have had sign up for the class in the first place since it was what led you to meeting the devastatingly handsome man sitting in front of you.

Once Mark felt like you had enough studying for the day, the two of you moved over to the couch and turned on the television. He pulled you on to his lap before you could take a seat next to him and wrapped his arms protectively around your waist. Being in this position with Mark wasn’t unfamiliar to you. Mark loved cuddling. You were quick to learn of that just a few days after the first time you stumbled in to bed together. It felt as if it was just yesterday that you went to ask Mark for help after your professor returned your quiz about paleo climate and he was happy to help. You didn’t think that less than a month after he began tutoring you that you’d find yourself writhing underneath him, begging for him to do anything to soothe the burning sensation between your legs. You smiled softly to yourself at the memory and snuggled up closer to his chest while he left a soft kiss against your temple.

When he began to scroll through Netflix, it was then that you remembered the question you were asked just a few hours ago in your literature class by one of your fellow classmates.

“Hey Mark?” He hummed in curiosity against your neck and you couldn’t help but snicker at how ticklish it felt. “Are you free Saturday night? Jinyoung asked me to go watch Planet of The Apes with him and I remember you saying something about wanting to see it.”

When you felt Mark tense up against your back, you couldn’t help but feel as if something was wrong. Jinyoung was a close friend of Mark’s, you actually met him a few times through the older boy and he was nothing short of a gentleman to you. It also so happened that you had him in your first period and the two of you never really talked to each-other other than asking each other how your days were going. Today was the first time he actually asked you something other than what you had for breakfast and you felt as if he was inviting you with the idea of going with the rest of their group of friends.

“Jinyoung asked you to go see a movie with him? When was this? Why? You guys aren’t even friends.” You were quick to pick up on how his whole demeanor changed when you brought Jinyoung up but you didn’t understand why.

“He asked me in AP today if I wanted to go watch Planet of the Apes with him—why do you look so upset?” Seeing his brows furrow and his jaw clench made you even more confused but you couldn’t help to think that there was a chance that Mark was jealous. But why would he be jealous of Jinyoung inviting you to see a movie with him. For all you knew, he asked you because he didn’t have anyone else to go with; but why wouldn’t he have asked Mark? You were sure the two of them probably talked about things like this.

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. So what did you tell him?” You shrugged before tracing your fingers along his brows.

“I told him I’d ask you first and then I’d let him know.” The sarcastic chuckle that came from the back of Mark’s throat sent chills down your spine. You hardly ever seen Mark mad. The only time you’ve seen him pissed off was when one of the students reported him to your professor for giving him a D on the final. Being a TA, sometimes the professor would allow Mark to correct essays and tests. That student wasn’t all too happy with the way Mark graded his paper and you remembered how furious Mark was when the professor called him in to his office and told him of the news.

How could you forget? Mark took all his anger out on you in bed that night and you couldn’t walk for the rest of the week once he was finished with you. Luckily the professor went over the student’s exam himself and actually gave the student an F for it instead. Although it was hot seeing Mark getting all riled up, you hated the idea of something getting under his skin and bothering him for the rest of the day. You decided you were going to use this information to try and pry his feelings for you out of him. However, you were afraid of the outcome not being that of your favor but you didn’t care at this point anymore.

“Good. You’re going to watch that movie with me—not stupid Park Jinyoung.” The last part came out as a murmur but you heard it nonetheless and butterflies began growing in your tummy when you came to terms with the idea of Mark being jealous. It was cute, he was cute and you were madly in love with him.

“What’s wrong with Jinyoung? He’s a nice guy and I thought you guys were friends. I don’t see anything wrong with going to watch a movie with him—“

“You’re mine! Park Jinyoung knows exactly what you mean to me and just how much I love you yet here he is trying to ask my girl on a date—oh shit. Shit, shit, shit—y/n—“ it was too late. His angry rant turned in to a love confession and you couldn’t help but smile like an idiot at the entire thing. Mark finally admitted his love for you and he even referred to you as his girl. Was all of this really happening right now? It felt too good to be true. There was no way he was in love with you even if deep down something told you that the older boy had some kind of feelings for you but love? He couldn’t be in love with you? If he loved you, the two of you would’ve been together a long time ago but he had yet to make things official.

He was quick to try and lift you off of his lap and you were sure he was going to make a run for it to prevent him from making an even bigger fool out of himself and to prevent you from asking him anymore questions. However, the warm feeling of your lips against his caught his attention and he found himself smiling against your mouth. God, did he love you. He would kiss you for the rest of his life if he could.

“Y/n—“

“I love you too. I’m in love with you too. I have been for a while now. I just never thought there was a chance that you’d ever reciprocate my feelings so I kept them to myself. No matter how badly I wanted to be yours. I was content with being whatever it is that we are, but I couldn’t help but desire more. I wanted you. All of you. I wanted to make things official between us but you seemed okay to continue fooling around with me so I didn’t say anything—“

“For someone who has a 3.7 g.p.a right now, you’re not all that bright. You know words were never my forte baby—real quick, can I just say how much I love calling you that? Baby. MY baby. You’re MY baby! Understand that? My baby, not Jinyoung’s! Or anybody else’s! I can’t believe he had the audacity to ask you out to a movie knowing that you and I have something. Well, since the cat is out of the bag, I guess I’ll probably explain it all.”

He brought his hand up to the crown of your head and began running his fingers through your hair. Your heart fluttered with the way he was looking at you; as if you were the most beautiful thing he’s ever laid his eyes on. You could get used to this.

“When you came to me that day, with your hair thrown in to a messy bun wearing nothing but that three sizes too big of a clothing item you call a hoodie when really it was like a tent for you and asked me to help you out, I was over the moon. I’ve seen you walk in and out of class so many times and I found myself developing a little crush on you at the time. You—you don’t understand how beautiful you are do you? You are otherworldly y/n—such a beautiful being. My pretty girl. I can’t take my eyes off of you, it’s physically impossible. But it goes beyond your beauty; although I mean this when I say you’re the most beautiful girl I’ve ever laid my eyes on and I’m sure your golden-hearted personality adds to it. You’re such a selfless and caring person. I’ve seen you help others while you yourself was struggling and I admire that about you. You’re also very hardworking and dedicated in all that you do. There were so many times I found myself wanting to confess my love for you, but just like you I was afraid of you not reciprocating my same feelings. But babe, even if I didn’t outright tell you how I feel, you should’ve known by my actions that I’m crazy for you.”

He grabbed your hand and began playing with your fingers; a habit you noticed he did every now and then if he had a lot on his mind and needed a distraction. “I don’t let just anyone meet my family let’s just put that out there. Especially someone who I considered a casual fuck.”

You playfully shoved his shoulder at the memory of meeting the Tuan family. Over two months ago, Mark had asked you if you wanted to go with him to a party and without hesitation, you agreed. You loved going anywhere Mark went; no matter where it was. That’s how you found yourself in arcades and pc rooms every now and then but it didn’t bother you.

A part of you regretted not asking him about the type of party it was going to be and since you are both in college, you assumed it was going to be a college party. However, when you walked in to a house with Moana decorations scattered throughout the living room and the backyard, you knew you were in deep shit. But the Tuan family were very kind and friendly; his mom wouldn’t stop complementing you and his dad told you a few embarrassing stories from Mark’s childhood that made your insides hurt from all the laughing you did. His nieces also grew very fond of you and continuously asked you about your relationship with their favorite uncle Mark. All in all it was a great day and you couldn’t help but giggle every time one of Mark’s family members asked who you were.

“I told them you were my girlfriend when you weren’t around. My parents really liked you. In fact my mom won’t stop asking me to bring you over. Oh and to continue the very long list of things that I do for you that I would never do for anyone else, I let you choose the movies; even if I don’t necessarily agree with some of your choices. Like, who in their right minds would sit through three hours watching a nun babysit a bunch of kids and sing songs every five minutes—“ you crossed your arms in disappointment and gave Mark an adorable frown.

“Hey! I thought you said you like the sound of music—“

“Yeah, yeah it grew on me. Probably because we’ve watched it so many damn times, but that’s besides the point. Anyways, I share my food with you; I wouldn’t even share popcorn with my brother let alone half of a pizza with you. I would never miss out on any class unless I wasn’t feeling well enough to attend but I’ve found myself ditching a couple of my classes in order to spend time with you. I even let you sit in my video game chair y/n. That right there should’ve been proof on it’s own. You know how protective I am over my video games. They’re my babies, well—other than you now. But yeah. I’d do anything for you. I love seeing that breathtaking smile of yours and I love being the reason behind it.”

You were sure your heart was about to combust the longer he went in to detail about the love he had for you. Although you knew Mark was never a man of words but of actions, it was nice hearing him explain his feelings for you that you weren’t able to pick up on. You couldn’t wait to finally tell BamBam about your newly found relationship with Mark. You knew your best friend would never let you live it down especially after he confronted you about it only for you to shut him down.

“Were you always this cheesy?” He giggled at your question and shook his head in disagreement.

“No. Definitely not. You make me soft—well I mean you make me very hard most of the time but yeah, I get all sappy when it comes to you. I think when I noticed myself caring about your happiness and well-being, that’s when I realized we were more than just your typical friends with benefits. I wanted to love you and make love to you. I wanted to fuck you then take you on a romantic picnic at the beach or some shit. You’re really special you know that? You make this pathetic heart of mine really happy. I love you y/n. More than I can fathom in to words.”

You beamed up at him before placing a gentle kiss on his nose. “I love you too. So, so much. Thank you for all that you’ve done for me and continue to do for me Mark. You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” After a few minutes of relinquishing in your love for each other, Mark wrapped his arms around your thighs and stood up, abruptly taking you with him while heading towards your room. “What are you doing Mark—“

“Well the plan is to do you, for the rest of the day. I’d like to celebrate our relationship and eat your pretty little pussy out as a reward for finally telling you how I feel. Now, either you stop talking since you’re ruining the sensual atmosphere, or I’ll give you a reason not to talk with my cock down your throat—yup face fucking it is. On your knees baby, it’s going to be a long day.”

#got7 imagines #got7 #got7 fluff #mark tuan #mark tuan imagines

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weyassinebentalb · 3 years

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Gaza Conflict Stokes 'Identity Crisis' for Young American Jews

Dan Kleinman does not know quite how to feel.

As a child in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, he was taught to revere Israel as the protector of Jews everywhere, the “Jewish superman who would come out of the sky to save us” when things got bad, he said.

It was a refuge in his mind when white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, chanted “Jews will not replace us,” or kids in college grabbed his shirt, mimicking a “South Park” episode to steal his “Jew gold.”

But his feelings have grown muddier as he has gotten older, especially now as he watches violence unfold in Israel and Gaza. His moral compass tells him to help the Palestinians, but he cannot shake an ingrained paranoia every time he hears someone make anti-Israel statements.

“It is an identity crisis,” Kleinman, 33, said. “Very small in comparison to what is happening in Gaza and the West Bank, but it is still something very strange and weird.”

As the violence escalates in the Middle East, turmoil of a different kind is growing across the Atlantic. Many young American Jews are confronting the region’s long-standing strife in a very different context, with very different pressures, from their parents’ and grandparents’ generations.

The Israel of their lifetime has been powerful, no longer appearing to some to be under constant existential threat. The violence comes after a year when mass protests across the United States have changed how many Americans see issues of racial and social justice. The pro-Palestinian position has become more common, with prominent progressive members of Congress offering impassioned speeches in defense of the Palestinians on the House floor. At the same time, reports of anti-Semitism are rising across the country.

Divides between some American Jews and Israel’s right-wing government have been growing for more than a decade, but under the Trump administration those fractures that many hoped would heal became a crevasse. Politics in Israel have also remained fraught, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s long-tenured government forged allegiances with Washington. For young people who came of age during the Trump years, political polarization over the issue only deepened.

Many Jews in America remain unreservedly supportive of Israel and its government. Still, the events of recent weeks have left some families struggling to navigate both the crisis abroad and the wide-ranging response from American Jews at home. What is at stake is not just geopolitical, but deeply personal. Fractures are intensifying along lines of age, observance and partisan affiliation.

In suburban Livingston, New Jersey, Meara Ashtivker, 38, has been afraid for her father-in-law in Israel, who has a disability and is not able to rush to the stairwell to shelter when he hears the air-raid sirens. She is also scared as she sees people in her progressive circles suddenly seem anti-Israel and anti-Jewish, she said.

Ashtivker, whose husband is Israeli, said she loved and supported Israel, even when she did not always agree with the government and its actions.

“It’s really hard being an American Jew right now,” she said. “It is exhausting and scary.”

Some young, liberal Jewish activists have found common cause with Black Lives Matter, which explicitly advocates for Palestinian liberation, concerning others who see that allegiance as anti-Semitic.

The recent turmoil is the first major outbreak of violence in Israel and Gaza for which Aviva Davis, who graduated this spring from Brandeis University, has been “socially conscious.”

“I’m on a search for the truth, but what’s the truth when everyone has a different way of looking at things?” Davis said.

Alyssa Rubin, 26, who volunteers in Boston with IfNotNow, a network of Jewish activists who want to end Jewish American support for Israeli occupation, has found protesting for the Palestinian cause to be its own form of religious observance.

She said she and her 89-year-old grandfather ultimately both want the same thing, Jewish safety. But “he is really entrenched in this narrative that the only way we can be safe is by having a country,” she said, while her generation has seen that “the inequality has become more exacerbated.”

In the protest movements last summer, “a whole new wave of people were really primed to see the connection and understand racism more explicitly,” she said, “understanding the ways racism plays out here, and then looking at Israel/Palestine and realizing it is the exact same system.”

But that comparison is exactly what worries many other American Jews, who say the history of white American slaveholders is not the correct frame for viewing the Israeli government or the global Jewish experience of oppression.

At Temple Concord, a Reform synagogue in Syracuse, New York, teenager after teenager started calling Rabbi Daniel Fellman last week, wondering how to process seeing Black Lives Matter activists they marched with last summer attack Israel as “an apartheid state.”

“The reaction today is different because of what has occurred with the past year, year and a half, here,” Fellman said. “As a Jewish community, we are looking at it through slightly different eyes.”

Nearby at Sha’arei Torah Orthodox Congregation of Syracuse, teenagers were reflecting on their visits to Israel and on their family in the region.

“They see it as Hamas being a terrorist organization that is shooting missiles onto civilian areas,” Rabbi Evan Shore said. “They can’t understand why the world seems to be supporting terrorism over Israel.”

In Colorado, a high school senior at Denver Jewish Day School said he was frustrated at the lack of nuance in the public conversation. When his social media apps filled with pro-Palestinian memes last week, slogans like “From the river to the sea” and “Zionism is a call for an apartheid state,” he deactivated his accounts.

“The conversation is so unproductive, and so aggressive, that it really stresses you out,” Jonas Rosenthal, 18, said. “I don’t think that using that message is helpful for convincing the Israelis to stop bombing Gaza.”

Compared with their elders, younger American Jews are overrepresented on the ends of the religious affiliation spectrum: a higher share are secular, and a higher share are Orthodox.

Ari Hart, 39, an Orthodox rabbi in Skokie, Illinois, has accepted the fact that his Zionism makes him unwelcome in some activist spaces where he would otherwise be comfortable. College students in his congregation are awakening to that same tension, he said. “You go to a college campus and want to get involved in anti-racism or social justice work, but if you support the state of Israel, you’re the problem,” he said.

Hart sees increasing skepticism in liberal Jewish circles over Israel’s right to exist. “This is a generation who are very moved and inspired by social justice causes and want to be on the right side of justice,” Hart said. “But they’re falling into overly simplistic narratives, and narratives driven by true enemies of the Jewish people.”

Overall, younger American Jews are less attached to Israel than older generations: About half of Jewish adults under 30 describe themselves as emotionally connected to Israel, compared with about two-thirds of Jews over age 64, according to a major survey published last week by the Pew Research Center.

And though the U.S. Jewish population is 92% white, with all other races combined accounting for 8%, among Jews ages 18 to 29 that rises to 15%.

In Los Angeles, Rachel Sumekh, 29, a first-generation Iranian American Jew, sees complicated layers in the story of her own Persian family. Her mother escaped Iran on the back of a camel, traveling by night until she got to Pakistan, where she was taken in as a refugee. She then found asylum in Israel. She believes Israel has a right to self-determination, but she also found it “horrifying” to hear an Israeli ambassador suggest other Arab countries should take in Palestinians.

“That is what happened to my people and created this intergenerational trauma of losing our homeland because of hatred,” she said.

The entire situation feels too volatile and dangerous for many people to even want to discuss, especially publicly.

Violence against Jews is increasingly close to home. Last year the third-highest number of anti-Semitic incidents in the United States were recorded since the Anti-Defamation League began cataloging them in 1979, according to a report released by the civil rights group last month. The ADL recorded more than 1,200 incidents of anti-Semitic harassment in 2020, a 10% increase from the previous year. In Los Angeles, the police are investigating a sprawling attack on sidewalk diners at a sushi restaurant Tuesday as an anti-Semitic hate crime.

Outside Cleveland, Jennifer Kaplan, 39, who grew up in a modern Orthodox family and who considers herself a centrist Democrat and a Zionist, remembered studying abroad at Hebrew University in 2002, and being in the cafeteria minutes before it was bombed. Now she wondered how the Trump era had affected her inclination to see the humanity in others, and she wished her young children were a bit older so she could talk with them about what is happening.

“I want them to understand that this is a really complicated situation, and they should question things,” she said. “I want them to understand that this isn’t just a, I don’t know, I guess, utopia of Jewish religion.”

Esther Katz, the performing arts director at the Jewish Community Center in Omaha, Nebraska, has spent significant time in Israel. She also attended Black Lives Matter protests in Omaha last summer and has signs supporting the movement in the windows of her home.

She has watched with a sense of betrayal as some of her allies in that movement have posted online about their apparently unequivocal support for the Palestinians, and compared Israel to Nazi Germany. “I’ve had some really tough conversations,” said Katz, a Conservative Jew. “They’re not seeing the facts, they’re just reading the propaganda.”

Her three children, who range in age from 7 to 13, are now wary of a country that is for Katz one of the most important places in the world. “They’re like, ‘I don’t understand why anyone would want to live in Israel, or even visit,’” she said. “That breaks my heart.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

source https://www.techno-90.com/2021/05/gaza-conflict-stokes-identity-crisis.html

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adrischrv · 4 years

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REGNUM [L.H] - Chapter 3

Author´s note: Hi! Here´s the third chapter! English is not my first language so lemme know if there are any mistakes.

Word count: 2,902

Introduction. C1. C2.

The morning after the ball was quiet. The lack of Queen Susan’s joyful life was as strange as the King’s laughter and everyone in the palace could feel it. Even, though I only knew them for a short time. I remembered finding my mother talking on the phone with the Queen about nonsense to serious business matters, I was infinitely grateful to the Queen for taking my mother away from a couple of lessons.

Gardenstone has a particular way of saying goodbye to its loved ones: people would write a word describing such people on an acorn, they would gather and water them all over the forest. A nice old lady explained to me that different trees sprouted like the oak tree and when they grew up a person was also born with the written word in a way that reflected the impact you have on the world even after you die. She could assure me that people with good intentions would come out of the words of Queen Susan, King Robert, and Prince Jake.

“Fifty delivered and about… sixty more arrived.”

Luke nodded, tired. I left the piles of papers on the big desk in front of him and took a seat on the other side.

After he had been appointed King and after the farewell, thousands of petitions from citizens and nobles had arrived in the early hours waiting to be authorized. Seeing the load of papers, I offered to help Luke and avoid the collapse of my neighboring country. My mother decided to do the same on her own by talking to the dukes and duchesses who feared for the future of Gardenstone as it was justly uncertain.

“I slept for two hours… and everyone wants me to approve petitions, I don’t understand why.”

Luke had spoken more to himself, but that didn’t stop me from laughing a little.

“What’s so funny?” He asked, paying attention for the first time all morning.

“Of course they want you to approve petitions. They’re taking advantage. Since your father, may he rest in peace, is no longer the king, they expect you to approve everything he didn’t. But I hope you have not approved many, parliament will have a lot to discuss and it will probably be exhausting.”

Luke was stunned, looking for the right way to hide his inexperience.

“It’s parliament’s job, exhausting or not.”

“They wouldn’t give the same importance to every role and something important might be disapproved of or something unimportant might be approved, it’s risky.”

“If you know so much, why don’t you do it?”

Clearly, the regulation of his tone had a flaw causing it to come out more aggressively than planned.

“It would be a pleasure. I firmly believe that I can do it better than you, Your Majesty.”

Luke let go of the pen in his hand and crossed his arms. If I didn’t think it was funny I’d say he was trying to be intimidating but suddenly he relaxed his gaze.

“I’d like to check that out. Oh, and also about approving petitions, princess.”

I clenched my fists but like him I relaxed my gaze, ready to give an intelligent answer.

“I’m sorry I dared to think I was talking to a king, when it is clear the long road you have to be considered one.”

The slamming of the door interrupted Luke from saying - surely - something stupid.

“Busy, Your Majesty?”

Calum’s brown hair peeked out, smiling at the sight of me.

“Go ahead, did you get any sleep, Cal?”

Calum snorted at Luke’s question, taking a seat next to me at the desk, and took an exhausted stance, dropping his hands down his pants.

“Are you kidding? Mom keeps calling, I had to turn off my Jhin just like Dad. Who, by the way, sent me to find out if you had authorized his request.”

The “Jhin”, modern devices from cell phones that had the option to call among other things, and characterized by a function that allowed an easy finding of information about any individual, in the past there were social networks that were eliminated in the International Revolution and changed by the Jhin.

“You find it in this rubble and I’ll authorize all the requests you want” Luke sighed leaning back in his seat and pointing to the papers in front of him.

Calum looked at him sorrowfully, none of them in the mood. Said and done, Calum managed to find the petition he recognized by the notorious “H” for “Hood” in one corner of the paper, leaving it on top of all the others.

Luke took it, signed it without hesitation, and took a second to read.

“You should read it and then sign it, you know?” Calum mentioned, gaining the satisfaction I hoped to get from correcting Luke.

“You have my absolute trust, you know?” Luke replied in the same tone without taking his eyes off the document, opened his big eyes, and handed it to Calum who accepted it immediately. “Are you my Diplomatic Adviser? What about your father?”

“After what happened last night, he thinks it’s time for me to take his place. I would eventually, but it seems to him that I need to be by your side now to support you and test my training,“ Calum replied, noting the anguish in his friend’s expression.

I had nothing to say so I got up and directed my interest to the books on the shelves pretending not to pay attention.

“I suppose your father went with your mother to his village…”

“You guess right,” Calum paused for a moment. “Hey, I know you’re not well. It must be hard to lose your family… I can’t imagine waking up without my parents and my sister… but you’re not alone, I’m here if you need to talk.”

Luke smiled sideways, quietly accepting his proposal.

“You need to take a break, it’s all happening so fast,“ Calum said, almost reading his mind. “The kingdom needs you to be in good shape.”

Frustrated Luke rose from his seat to sit in the corner of the desk.

“I don’t know what else the kingdom needs, and that will be your first task. Also, stop sending in paperwork, close down the possibility of sending in a petition until further notice.”

I was going to tell him how reckless it was to shut down the arrival of petitions but I finally stopped to think about the matter I had provisionally ignored: I had no power in Gardestone and I didn’t know what was going to happen to the alliance.

“His Majesty, His Highness, young Hood” A guard appeared at the door with cards in hand which he dealt to the three of them. “Their Majesties King Ashton and Queen Lauren of Lauxwell would like you to attend a dinner they have arranged for themselves tonight.“

“Are those harpies still in my palace?” Luke raised an eyebrow. The poor guard did nothing but nod. “Get rid of them. I want them out.”

“Are you crazy?” exclaimed Calum, clearing his throat as he realized the mistake he had just made. “I mean, are you sure you want the Irwins out? As your royal advisor, I don’t think it’s true to your word, your majesty. King Ashton won the duel and the terms-”

Luke raised a hand to stop Calum from talking.

“Guard, I need privacy, if it’s not too much trouble…”

The Guard bade farewell with a bow.

“You too, Princess,” said Luke, “you can request as many maids as you need for tonight, but that’s no reason for you to stay here another second.”

I blinked uncertainly as to how to respond to his insinuation… or insult. I was still debating what was most appropriate.

“Did I not make myself clear? -Or would you rather stay here and stare at me a little longer?”

“I can’t ask my eyes to meet this turtle,” I answered, in the most pleasant tone I could find and advanced to the door.

“Are you sure? I can turn around if you need to,“ I heard him scream from the hall.

Halfway down the hall, I decided that I had to set certain limits for “his majesty” if I was going to live with him and his insufferable attitude for one more second. With that in mind, I changed my direction back to the office and stopped short when I heard my name in the conversation.

“-I’m serious, Cal Amberly is unbearable!”

Eavesdropping had never been something I enjoyed, much less needed. I knew there was nothing good about it… and yet I stuck my back to the wall outside the office.

“-the whole kingdom is depressed. Just by spreading the word about Princess of Maredale’s temporary stay they have begun to produce the best quality products, the children went out to play again” Calum debated. “Your people feel the comfort they have not received from their king.”

“Is that what they want? Miss “I got a lesson in something important” and “I can run a country on my own”?” Luke asked, trying to imitate my voice. “Nonsense! I bet she can’t choose which well-known book to read without help, so many classes have been useless if she can’t speak for herself and waits for her mother to do all the work for her. A babbler! that’s what she is. Even that Ashton idiot has more courage than she does.”

I thought I’d walk through that door to tell him how wrong he was. I could even make a scene and choose to tear all of his fine clothes into pieces that would be scattered all over the palace.

But I didn’t. Because deep down I knew he was right.

I spat cautiously. My eyes were threatening to drop the tears.

“Please, Luke. You don’t know what you’re saying,“ Calum replied. “Queen Elizabeth is going to be back any minute and I don’t think she’d like to hear the way you express about her daughter.“

“If the Queen does anything, it will only show what a coward the Princess is.”

Without realizing it, I was walking with a strong step to my room.

Luke was telling the truth, what was the point of taking classes and lectures if I couldn’t speak for myself?

Ashton had said it too, though much more subtly. He implied that I could take charge of my destiny and it must not be like my mother had planned all along.

Courage- I didn’t have it. I wanted to find it and show it off like a new toy, but that’s not how it works.

“Princess, I was looking for you.”

Lidia interrupted my walk into the room, looked into my eyes that were probably already a little red and wet. She gave me a warm smile and took my hands and led me into the room. I sat down on the edge of the bed and talked, holding back my sobbing.

“Lidia, I was about to do the same thing, but…”

She hissed as her hands were lost in the closet.

“Quiet, from the look of your beautiful face I can tell you heard something…”

Lidia stood in front of me with a bright ruby red dress in her hands, a golden ribbon, the colors of the Gardenstone, all around. The silk fabric adjusted perfectly to my body, falling to my feet with a discreet opening at the side of my right leg; the waves of my hair embraced me. Suddenly it did not seem that I had been crying for the fool that the King was.

“….and by the look of you in this dress, I can tell you will shut the same mouths that said something about you.”

The main dining room shone on its own even though the green decoration was quite noticeable, it looked like Christmas. The red walls looked soft, smooth, and warm, I liked to think that and the spruce chairs had been Queen Susan’s idea. In the center I expected a long table with food, a lot of exquisite food, I didn’t think I had seen those delicacies before, I assumed they were typical of Lauxwell. Around the table, the guests - mostly servants of the palace - had already begun to enjoy the food, while the nobles were talking and eating slowly.

I took a breath, looked up, and entered the dining room.

Lauren saw me first, smiled for a second, and went on with her meal. At her side, Ashton adjusted his tie and looked at me for a few seconds directly in the eyes as if he wanted to tell me something. My mother, who had returned from her talks, nodded approvingly. Calum took his attention off a plate, looked at me, and elbowed Luke. Luke did not flinch.

“Sorry I’m late, go on with your dinner.“

“Princess, please sit next to me.” Ashton stood up, offering a chair.

“No, sit next to me.” Luke did the same. “You are a guest in my kingdom, after all.“

They shared a challenging look, Luke just wanted to annoy Ashton and have the satisfaction of being able to ignore me all night.

Luke’s eyes were fixed on me, seeking a truce not to favor Ashton.

“I am flattered, your Majesties,” I smiled innocently, “but I find the company of King Ashton more… appropriate.”

I took a seat next to Ashton. He politely placed a glass of red wine in my hands, for a moment our fingers brushed and I felt my cheeks warm slightly.

“Your Majesty Luke,” called my mother, “I am proud to report that all the dukes and duchesses are now calm again in their respective states. I have said some flattering things about you…”

“Thank you, your maje-”

“I hope I’m not wrong…”

I looked for my mother’s look on the other side of the table along with the opportunity to tell her that she was wrong, so wrong…

“I hope my daughter has contributed something today.”

Too late to talk about Luke.

I alerted the blond man’s intentions, as dirty as mine a few seconds ago. He had the luxury of taking a sip of red wine before responding.

“I found the company of Princess Amberly a bit… “ He looked me straight in the eye “…Comfortable.”

I took a bite of my food, waiting for him to cut off eye contact. He didn’t. The urge to stick something into those blue eyes increased with every second…

“If you find it so comfortable I can suggest that you keep it with you for a while longer.”

My mother’s words not only interrupted the discreet discussion between our eyes but also took us both by surprise.

“What do you mean by that, Mother?” I asked.

“I am going back to Maredale, and seeing first-hand the opportunities you have at Gardenstone to demonstrate your potential, I think it is necessary for you to stay here. If His Majesty Luke approves, of course.”

“Of course I approve, Queen Elizabeth. It will be a real… pleasure.”

I didn’t look at Luke, I didn’t look at anyone. I released all frustration of such a decision at the plate in front of me.

Lauren told a story about a night she had decided to stand guard at a volcano on the Lauxwell border near a funeral home. She described it as a bleak, lifeless place too cold for even the heat of the lava to drive away. A giant beast with big legs and a wet muzzle with traces of blood was found, a wolf big enough for her to have faced it alone… but she had done it, she had hunted the beast and divided the skin among her friends in her kingdom. There was something so horrific about her story that made it interesting and kept us all at the table expectant and eager to hear more.

Throughout the dinner I felt an extra pair of eyes on me, I had the luxury of finding the owner, and the simple fact that they belonged to a certain self-centered brat brought a smile to my face.

“-that’s how I took my father to the bandits who threatened the kingdom. They will rot forever, end.” She took her cup up and drank it to the bottom. Everyone around her applauded, sighs of relief and fear sounded as well.

“Thank you, sister. With these stories full of courage, we thank you for attending this dinner.”

Ashton extended a hand indicating to the servants to leave the dining room nicely, some stopped and thanked him, others took leftovers from the table mistakenly hidden between napkins and took them away.

“Ridiculous, we have never forbidden them to eat. I guess we’ll have to start.“

Luke mumbled to Calum, he laughed but his face was afraid, he thought Luke was capable of it.

Seconds later the two left the dining room followed by Lauren who walked with her head held high despite being under the influence of alcohol. I admired her in silence.

A black hair stood in my way, accompanied by a wide smile.

“Amberly, would you accompany me on a night walk in the gardens?”

“Of course.”

Our arms intertwined, I tried not to blush at the sudden closeness as we got lost in the garden with the moon guiding our every step.

#5SOS #5 seconds of summer #5sosfanfic #luke hemmings #luke hemmings fanfiction #luke hemmings fic #luke hemmings imagine #luke hemmings series #luke fanfic #king!luke #readregnum #ashton irwin #ashton irwin fanfic #michael clifford fanfic #calum hood fic #michael clifford #calum hood #5sosfam

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allet-space · 4 years

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What keeps Steven from rebuilding his supportive Network

Short answer: The black-and-white sense of morality that he holds not others, but himself to.

Long answer:

Steven is known to sympathize with people and gems who did bad things. He sees them not as the abusers, but as the victims, and, as we all know, fixes them. He grants them a sense of self worth and supports them and guides them through their pain to help them reach a better state of being.

He has always been a symbol of change, both in his actions and in what he brings out in others. He helps others change. So why is he struggeling to change so badly? Isn’t he a victim, too, of circumstance, of Era 2, of unintentional harm cause to him by people who love him?

Steven grew up in the image that he should be his mom, Rose Quartz. He felt he had to reach that perfection someday: Be as strong as her, as kind as her, as good as her, as loving as her, fix everything like her. He held himself to this morality FIRST.

And THEN out of that morality and out of his innate desire to help others, he aided others in change.

Steven grew up first knowing the portrait of his mother and his dad’s stories of her as well as the CGs dearly missing her. He knew, he felt, that this was an image he had to reach, somehow. So, on that foundation, on those expectations, he began to build his identity.

His identity, son of Rose Quartz. Meant to be as good as her, meant to fulfill some kind of magical destiny. This is not to say he only helps or helped people because of her: But I am certainly trying to say that he started doing so because of her, because of these expectations. And those expectations also determined the approach he takes.

His approach is similar to that of Rose Quartz: The perfect one looking down on someone imperfect, and aiding them to be better.

Rose Quartz was beloved and adored during the rebellion. She was always right. She was the leader. Nobody questioned her. She was seen as the perfect, the pure and good gem that should lead this kind of rebellion. When she met Garnet, she deflects Garnet’s question on whether she makes Rose upset or not. Of course she doesn’t make Rose upset. Oh, no, it doesn’t even MATTER how she feels. The only thing that matters to this perfect and mysterious and everloving gem, with behavior never before seen by gemkind, is how this imperfect, new fusion sees the world.

It’s romantic, it’s pretty, like out of a fairytale. Life isn’t a fairytale, though, and Rose wasn’t perfect. That, however, was her approach. When she speaks to Pearl, the way she says she’s willing to let Pearl do whatever she wants without forcing her to fight for the rebellion, as if Pearl having the right to leave should be equal to the fact that Rose would simply accept it if it were so. Or, remember the sheer horror on her face when Greg calls out her laughter, as she realizes she’s made a mistake, that her abuse really did leave scars and she has to admit that the perfect Rose isn’t real. The imperfect one is, though.

Rose held herself to an image of perfection, likely something that the diamonds raising her planted deeply in her mind (gem?). Thus, even during the rebellion, she built a sense of morality, and refused to back down from it... and when she had to, with Bismuth, when she felt holding to that morality was no longer perfect, when her philosophy of friendship and perfection failed: She hides the evidence. Kinda like the diamonds hid Homeworld’s failures.

This image of perfection, despite not being truly real, prevailed till her death, till the moment Steven was born. So Steven, born into the world having immedietly a perfect, a not even REAL person’s space, an impossible space of perfection to fill, holds himself to the same standards. (Not to mention his gem programming likely still playing a part.)

She was perfect, so he has to be perfect. He has to know better. He has to be better. He has to be as strong as her, and as kind as her, and as sacrificing as her. He despises himself when his solutions dont immedietly work out the best way possible (blaming himself for the boat trip with lapis). He blames himself for when his attempts at helping go wrong, because Rose’s failures were covered up. There is no story where Rose Quartz The Perfect has to make morally ambiguous decisions, or where her way doesn’t work out despite the best intentions. She was just Good.

He apologizes in the series constantly: Because he feels he just can’t make mistakes. Making mistakes is unacceptable. Making mistakes distances him from the image he is meant to fill, an image he slowly, story for story, finds out wasn’t real. An image that he finds as just that: An image, a dream, a concept. His mother wasn’t perfect.

But then, who is he?

If he isn’t her son striving to be her, striving to be as good as her, if he isn’t the only one who can reach her level of perfection, if the very purpose he feels he was made for and the very foundation of his identity is a lie, then who is he?

That brings us to the problem. The moral problem of a character that means good but makes undeniable mistakes isn’t something that Rose solved. She left. Either way to see it, Steven is now there, meant to figure out what she didn’t: How does he deal with the inevitable guilt he feels for not being perfect? How can he be perfect? And that’s not even the question that’s going through his brain right now.

The question he seems to be stuck on is Why am I not perfect?

Why does it hurt? Why do I have thoughts of vengeance? Why did all of this stick with me? Why do I keep making mistakes? Why do things feel good that shouldn’t?

The world, as it is, divides itself into two perspectives: How we see ourselves, and how we see other people. These two are fundamentally different. Steven lived and grew up in a very specific dynamic: He has to be Better, he has to be Good, and he has to help the rest of the world be Better too.

And now he’s hit with the truth. He’s not perfect. He can hurt people on accident. He already has. His trauma leaves a lasting, lingering effect. When he speaks to other gems, he aids them because he feels their existance is already fundamentally justified. When he thinks of himself, he still feels he NEEDS to justify his existance FIRST. And the only way to do that is to be perfect. And the thing is, to be better, he has to accept he’s not perfect. It’s an endless cycle.

And now he feels his world is falling apart.

He can’t tell the gems what happened to Jasper, because then they’ll see that he failed. He failed to fill the mold, the place in the world he was born into. He’s terrified of what he did to WD in a dissociative, trauma-triggered rage because, dammit, now they know he’s not perfect. What will they think? What will they do when they find out?

And the funny thing is? The only person running away from who he truly is is Steven himself.

Steven has to change. He has to change his worldview, and especially his view of himself. There’s a difference between “I’m not my mom” and “Being her son doesn’t mean I need to live up to her image“.

Steven has to accept that he’s flawed, because then, he can see that nobody wanted him to be perfect in the first place. That is a conscious and incredibly difficult choice to make, however. A choice people usually only make when they have nowhere else to turn, which is where the show is getting him to right now.

Another problem that comes up is that Steven’s only known advice to change from himself. He knows it only in the dynamic of “Good Person helps person B get to a better place”. He’s been the ony dishing out advice so far. He sees the flaws in gems, in the CGs, in humans, and immedietly dismisses their advice, because they’re flawed. Because they’re not better than him.

Because he’s built his worldview on an unrealistic dynamic that he’s always been a part of, and now his confused brain insists he has to meet/see someone who is perfect and someone who could say a few words and give him an immediete easy fix.

That fix doesn’t exist, though, and sooner or later, Steven Universe has to accept that not only is the world grayscaled, but so is he.

#suf #suf analysis #long post #long ass post #su #here's another novel #i write these to cope with my own anxiety and identity issues #i should add pictures to these #make them prettier to read #hmmm...

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flyandfamousblackgirls · 5 years

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6 Things Intersex Folks Need to Know About How We Perpetuate Anti-Black Racism

1. The Segregation in Our Intersex Movement Is Real

The intersex movement has been mostly white since day one. Consequently, it’s necessary to ask ourselves if we’ve inadvertently created an atmosphere that urges Black intersex people to put aside their Blackness — and the oppression linked to it — in order to focus on our collective goals.

In creating this type of environment, it appears our community hasn’t yet been able to connect the dots between Black and intersex people’s oppression — which Saifa reminded me are both rooted in state violence — and our liberation.

Black intersex folks who’ve lived in isolation and have dealt with segregation in their daily lives shouldn’t have to contend with similar experiences once they’ve finally found, and entered our community.

I’m not talking about highly visible institutionalized segregation like the Jim Crow era when Saifa’s uncle, who was also intersex, was forced to sleep outside on the porch of his hospital after a surgery.

I’m talking about the low-key, harder to detect, segregation.

The kind that just takes for granted that the majority of people in the room will always be white. The type that may have a few Black and Brown faces sprinkled here and there, but on a vanilla frosted cake. Is there a path forward?

Sean Saifa Wall, a Black trans intersex activist and collage artist based in Atlanta, reflected on this question by looking back on his time spent as the former board president of an intersex non-profit. Saifa captured why increasing representation shouldn’t be the endgame.

“I think I made the mistake of thinking we need more people of color… but what does institutionalized white supremacy do? It brings in Black or Brown faces who won’t challenge white supremacy — and that’s how white supremacy perpetuates itself. You don’t need white folks to perpetuate it, you just need folks who are invested in white supremacy.”

When I was younger and mistakenly believing that whiteness was the norm to strive towards, I ended up internalizing racist ideologies and, as a result, never fully connected on a truly deep BFF level with my Black friends. Perhaps our movement, and its longstanding quest for acceptance, has created a similar divide.

The global intersex activist network consists, to my knowledge, of less than only 5 Black intersex activists. One of them is Saifa.

2. One’s Race and Intersex Identity Overlap

Born amidst racist flames that attempted to level his neighborhood, Saifa was brought up whilst his borough, The Bronx, was attempting to rebuild itself.

“When I was younger,” Saifa recounted, “I realized I had a different body. Then, due to interactions with NYPD, I was made to know that I was different in another way as well.”

As he got older, Saifa came out as queer, intersex, and trans to a mother — and a world — who wasn’t always ready or eager to respect his intersecting identities. Regardless, his Blackness, sexuality, and intersex identity were always interwoven.

“I cannot separate my intersex identity from my Black identity,” Saifa said. And he shouldn’t have to.

Unfortunately, I’m afraid our community hasn’t figured out ways yet to allow people to show up as their whole selves.

For instance, on the international level, it’s become a known issue that intersex activists from African countries don’t get similar amounts of representation, or speaking time at gatherings. And nationally, our support group meetings rarely, if ever, have been led by Black intersex folks or had sessions dedicated solely for Black intersex community members to come together.

It’s only in the past few years that single Black folks are sitting on boards, or in staff positions of our organizations. There’s also never been, to my knowledge, any Black clinicians present at our Continuing Medical Education (CME) sessions that happen before our support group conferences each year.

Race, especially as it relates to anti-blackness, feels as though it’s at times an elephant in the room.

For me, this elephant peeped its head out when I realized it had become a tradition for one of our non-Black community members, who I love and cherish dearly, to sing Macy Gray’s “I Try” — in Gray’s uniquely raspy voice — at the annual talent show, which is supposed to provide a fun contrast to the rest of the conference.

The audience, if it’s a diverse year, might have a handful of Black folks. This year, there was only one person. I can’t imagine how isolating that experience might have been for them.

And this bring me back to the story I shared at the beginning, about the person who had Obama on a hit list.

Often, racism perpetuates itself by wearing the mask of a “joke” or “fun,” but racism is never a joke and the mask just presents one more hurdle in calling racism out.

It’s time us non-Black intersex people become more aware of our whiteness problem.

We need to keep having difficult conversations about race and oppression every step of the way.

Most importantly, we need to show up the few Black intersex people we do have in our small community, and check in with them to see if there’s anything else we could be doing to have their back.

We can challenge white supremacy in our movement just by asking Black intersex folks in our community what they need to feel safer in our collective spaces.

For our movement to be successful, it’s imperative that Black intersex folks feels they can participate as whole persons.

3. We’ve All Been Dehumanized

The list of atrocities against people of color, especially Black folks, carried out by the medical industrial complex and other agents includes: “the father of gynecology” using enslaved Black people as surgical research subjects, being disproportionately targeted by the US’s eugenic sterilization program that served as a catalyst for Nazi Germany’s and today’s “population control”policies, and the shackling of pregnant women inmates — who are disproportionately Black — in labor delivering children whom they most likely will be immediately separated from.

Likewise, intersex people have been rendered hermaphrodites and featured in freak shows, gawked at as monsters to at on TV, disproportionately put up for adoption, pumped with artificial hormones, robbed of their reproductive organs and genitalia, selectively aborted, raped, and brutally murdered.

Lynnell, a Black intersex lesbian activist, was born intersex but raised male by a single mother in a low-income household. She grew up in Chicago’s mostly Black, hypersegregated, South Side where her family — unlike mine on the North Side — was forced to deal with the effects of the city’s racist public policy and divestment responsible for the destruction of local economies, public schools and affordable housing.

Hyde Park, a pocket of wealth and whiteness on the South Side and home to the University of Chicago (UofC) Hospital, is where Lynnell’s mother took her as a child for doctor appointments.

Lynnell shared memories of that time stating, “My mom wasn’t given the tools she needed to make informed decisions.” As Lynnell grew older, she also “wasn’t taken seriously at first by [her doctors] either.”

Low-income and single mothers of color, labelled unfit by society, experience discrimination. Lynnell’s mother went to U of C seeking care, not charity, for her child. Seeing a golden opportunity, Lynnell’s doctors manipulated her mother’s financial status and turned the situation into a charity case anyway.

“They told my mom they were doing her a favor because they weren’t charging her.” In the doctor’s mind, they were participating in an equal trade with Lynnell and her mother.

To Lynnell, it was torture. “For eight years, every summer, for at least a month, I was put on different drugs, experimented on, given unnecessary procedures and manipulated.”

Exploitation of marginalized people by the MIC for their gains, especially in teaching environments, has been well-documented. Exploitation specific to Black intersex patients has yet to be researched. Lynnell’s doctors, I imagine, took one look at Lynnell’s mother and decided a poor Black woman wasn’t powerful enough stop what they had in store for Lynnell.

“I don’t know many white people that were used as guinea pigs like me,” Lynnell said.

4. Doctor’s Aren’t the Only People Attempting to Erase ‘Difference’

Intersex people are pretty familiar with secrecy, shame and stigma thanks to the pathologization of our bodies. As such, it’s important we have spaces to process our stories with each other. Yet, it’s important to note that as oppressed people, we are still capable of participating in the oppressing others.

The few times I’ve witnessed our community attempt to break down white supremacy and talk about racism, white intersex people successfully shifted the conversation, almost immediately, back to a conversation that centers them and their experience with intersex oppression.

Spaces where intersex people get together and talk are rare, so it makes sense why someone would want to relate and process, but in doing so, we are inadvertently preventing Black intersex folks in our community from expressing their unique experiences.

Saifa recounted a time when he “was trying to bring up the topics of anti-oppression, racism, etc., in the movement and people lost their damn minds. People were like, ‘we cannot hear it.’”

He also shared, “Anti-black racism showed up when I went to South Carolina on behalf of the MC case [a lawsuit involving the parents of a young Black intersex boy and his doctors] and one of the lawyers was condescending, talking down to me as the only Black person in the room. I was constantly pushing back against his patriarchy and racism.”

He continued, “I feel like people don’t care about issues related to anti-black racism in the intersex community.

“I think there’s some intersex people who really see those intersections, who really are affirming of people of color, but for the large part I feel that the level of anti-black racism awareness ranges from hostility to apathy.”

I asked if people ever seemed to care and he replied, “When funding is involved. That’s when people start to care more. Or, when a group wants some representation of diversity—but I found they wanted a Black face, but weren’t necessarily committed to issues around anti-Black racism.”

As a movement, we can’t only focus on these issues when funding dollars are at stake. That tokenizes Black folks.

Instead, we have to stitch anti-Black racism training, and education around white supremacy, into the fabric of our work together.

Saifa pointed out, “In the world, I’m confronted with anti-Blackness, and it’s par for the course, but it’s particularly more devastating when it’s from intersex people. Why? Because I think, ‘Oh, you understand.’

“Or at least I think they understand, until they say or do things that’s really racist and are unapologetic about their racism.”

5. We Need an Intersectional Analysis to Combat Racist Stereotypes

One of the white people present at Lynnell’s first intersex support group meeting recently told her that she was “afraid” of her at first, “because [Lynnell] had on leather and dark sunglasses.”

I asked Lynnell why she entered that support group meeting dressed in leather, sunglasses, and the rest of her leather daddy alter ego outfit. She responded, “Because I was the only Black intersex person there.”

Lynnell shouldn’t have to feel the need to protect herself like that in a room that was supposed to feel like home, a room where she was supposed to be able to let her guard down amongst people with similar experiences.

Unfortunately, this is the type of thing that can happen when a community doesn’t have a firm commitment to operating with an intersectional lens — one that places its most marginalized folks at the center.

Lynnell needed to protect herself at a support group, and in doing so, made a white person feel afraid, circles back to my main point.

We need to place Black intersex folks and their particular needs, struggles and desires at the front and center of our intersex activism.

If we don’t, we risk ostracizing Black intersex folks, again, within spaces meant to be a reprieve from shame and stigma.

6. Confronting White Supremacy Means Confronting Disembodiment

Disembodiment, or feeling detached from your body, often happens as a coping mechanism in response to intense trauma. Intersex activist, Mani Mitchell, once described it as feeling like a “floating head tugging around a body.”

Saifa, someone I admire for their commitment to somatic healing work, believes that white supremacy is rooted in disembodiment “because you have to be disembodied in order to not allow your self to be impacted by the inequity or suffering of others.”

Regardless, Saifa thinks it’s “imperative that white intersex activists feel their feelings regarding any shame they may have as they interrogate white supremacy and its brutal history.”

“It’s only fair that white intersex activists start to acknowledge, as much as their embodiment can hold, the shameful and disgusting emotions that come up after hearing the bitter truth and realities of Black folks and people of color.”

“Doing this work is difficult,” he acknowledged, “and it can bring up things we’d rather not have to face about ourselves.”

Still, non-Black intersex folks need to “confront those feelings and allow themselves to be impacted, then hopefully they can be motivated to action, and allow that empowerment to impact others.”

In taking Saifa’s advice, we can create positive ripple effects throughout our whole community. Doing the work to steer our movement towards becoming an intersectional, anti-racist, intersex movement is a win-win for everyone involved!

#Intersex #intersex black women

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smashskate · 4 years

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Jackie Jett - For @thesimsters-stories‘s Love Island

“Well damn! I’m Jackie, and I can control the weather!”

Name: Jackie Jett

Age: 26

Location: Del Sol Valley

Occupation: Weather Reporter

Traits: Non-Committal, Ambitious, Outgoing

Aspiration: World-Famous Celebrity

Skills:

Charisma: 8

Wisdom: 6

Dancing: 4

Acting: 4

Bio:

Introducing Jacqueline “Jackie” Jett, the semi-famous Weather Reporter on the Del Sol Valley Network, Channel 7. With hair about as big as her ego, Jackie is known for being loud, proud, and... another word that ends in -oud. Give us a bit to think of one, and we’ll get back to you.

Jackie grew up in the suburbs of Del Sol Valley, with her parents and two older brothers. She excelled in school, graduating Valedictorian of her class and getting accepted into Foxbury Institute’s Specialized Biology program. It’s safe to say that years of success definitely boosted her opinion of herself, which was struck down a few notches when the job market tightened up as soon as she graduated. Jobs in her field were hard to come by, and Jackie was feeling down on her luck. One day while shopping with her bffs, she was approached by a man who she assumed to be a model scout. It turned out to be Victor Price, one of the producers at DSVN, who offered her a spot as their new weather reporter. With the show’s viewer count draining as online news becomes the new craze, Jackie’s appearance is possibly the only thing holding the studio together at this point, and she knows it.

While Jackie does have some brains on her, her most admirable trait are her wits. She’s real cunning, and knows how to play the game to come out on top. Unlike some of the other applicants, long-term romance isn’t really Jackie’s thing. She’s much more inclined to one night stands and hookups, and anyone who lasts longer gets their number deleted from her phone. Jackie claims to love this lifestyle, much to her cuffed friend’s dismay. While they think she’s crazy for not wanting to get boo’d up, she thinks the idea of being tied down is absolutely sickening. So why would she apply for a show like Love Island, where the only goal is to find true (or true in terms of reality television) love? (Reason number 1 will shock you!)

Questions:

Briefly describe yourself and your life.

“If you insist, LOL! Alright, my name’s Jackie Jett and I’m 26 years old. If I look familiar, it’s probably because you’ve seen me on DSVN, during the 8am time slot, 9 on weekends. Shameless plug, I’m the hottest weather girl in the hottest city in the west! Sure, the job’s a bore at times and I really only got hired for my looks and not my now-useless biology degree, but it pays well and I get a lot of time off to do the things I actually enjoy! I’m not actually as dumb as I come off to our viewers. I’m college educated! Although, it doesn’t really matter much at the moment, so I figured why not have fun where I am now? Also yes, I’m a natural redhead. Anyone that tells you different is a disgusting liar.”

Any Hobbies?

“My hobbies pretty much only consist of me going out and getting drunk. But it’s not that bad! I’ve always been a party girl, since high school even. There’s nothing more fun than going to a nightclub and letting your inhibitions run wild for a few hours! And if I can witness some celeb drama happen live before I hear about it at the studio the next morning, that's always a plus.”

How long have you been single?

“Well, that depends on what you define a relationship as, doesn't it? If you’re talking about any kind of romance, than I’m technically never single. I’m just never with the same person! If you define it as a romantic, long term relationship, then not since freshman year of college. And I’d like to keep it that way, thank you very much. I love to have my options open.”

Why did your last relationship end?

“Again, if we’re talking longer term, he wanted to get more serious and I realized that it just wasn’t what I was looking for. I was 19 and I still wanted to experience so much before getting cuffed. He really didn't take it well, so kinda safe to say I dodged a bullet on that one.”

What are you looking for in a relationship?

“If I had to be in one? I would want the other person to know and respect that I’m not going to be tied down for the rest of time. The whole “open relationship” thing is a standard I like to set with my long term hookups, and I would like that to apply here as well. Also, they should be hot. I’ve been with every type of guy you can think of, but I’ve got standards. I like em sexy, who can blame me? I promise, if I get on the show I’ll try to restrain myself. Keyword try. Also generally don't be a dick. Just because I’ve been with a lot of men doesn't mean I’m less deserving of respect. Any guy that thinks differently goes out the door, sorry not sorry. Oh, did you know that I have Demi Lovato’s phone number? We’re, like, basically besties.”

What are you not looking for in a relationship?

“By this point in the interview I think it’s pretty obvious the one thing I’m super not looking for, LOL! But other than that, I’m open to a lot! Just depends on who’s asking.” *winks* “I’m really not territorial, but if any of the women try to shame me for my lifestyle, I’m not afraid to get my claws out. Women are supposed to support women, I’m not tolerating any bullshit.”

Something else we should know about you?

“Okay, I guess this is where I come clean. Well, to the producers at least. So, basically, for the last few months, our shows ratings and viewership have been dropping. Our analytics team looked into it, and we’re pretty sure it’s because of that Simstagram News update. Instead of watching the actual news, people are going there because it’s quicker and easier to get info. So one day, Victor comes up to me and is all like “I’ve got an idea and I need your help”, which is already fishy because that’s basically code for “I need to use your looks to get the show traction”. So I go into his office and he brings up the Love Island Application. And, like, at first I’m hesitant because I work in showbiz, right? I know how reality tv stars get perceived by the public. But then I realized that if the studio tanks, I’ll no longer have a job, which like, major bummer. So I say yes!

In the end, I’m here to stir up drama and look cute on camera, all as bait for people to come and watch live news. Of course, I get the added benefit of a longer segment on the show, and a boost in Simstagram followers! So it’s really a win-win! Honestly, I probably would have applied anyway, if I had seen the casting call before Victor showed it to me. A bunch of hot guys, hookups, and more drama than a Kardashian-Jenner Simstagram comment section? That’s basically my dream life! And hey, who knows? Maybe I’ll finally get a tan!”

Some fun facts:

Please, make more That 70′s Show references when you meet her. She’s never heard them before. You’re so original, oh my gosh.

She’s allergic to shrimp. Makes for a downer at fancy parties.

She doesn’t tan, just burns. Curse her Irish heritage.

She played volleyball in college. She was pretty good at it, but almost broke her nose, which cause her to quit out of fear of getting a nose job.

She’s definitely a B list celebrity. No, don’t look it up. The internet is full of misinformation. You can’t trust anything.

She watched Mr.Robot and now has tape over her webcam. Sincerest apologies to her FBI agent. He/She’s missing a lot.

She’s a secret drama nerd. She can’t sing for the life of her, but she did the occasional play when she was younger.

Although her brothers know she can make her own decisions, they’re still super protective. They’re like 6ft+ guard dogs that Jackie sicks on any man that harms her.

She's got a tattoo of a ladybug. She won't tell you where, you’ll just have to find out for yourself ;)

Despite her complaining, her and Victor are pretty close. They have that sibling type bond. Only if one sibling was able to fire the other.

#ts4 #the sims 4 #ts4 love island #ts4 love island entry #s4 #sims 4 #thesimsters-stories #oh I loved making this one #I think I have a thing for redheads lol

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learningrendezvous · 3 years

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Media and Society

FATTITUDE

By Lindsey Averill, Viridiana Lieberman

An eye-opening look at how popular media perpetuates fat hatred that results in cultural bias and discrimination.

FATTITUDE is an eye-opening look at how popular media perpetuates fat hatred that results in a cultural bias and a civil rights issue for people living in fat bodies.

Fat people are paid $1.25 less an hour than their thin counterparts and can still legally lose jobs just because they're fat. Additionally, 1 in 3 doctors associates fat bodies with hostility, dishonesty and poor hygiene. FATTITUDE looks at how this systemic cultural prejudice results in fat discrimination. Informed by a post-modern, post-colonial, feminist perspective, FATTITUDE also examines how fat-shaming crosses the lines of race, class, sexuality and gender. It features a diverse variety of voices such as academic scholars, activists, filmmakers, actors and psychologists, including Lindy West, Sonya Renee Taylor, Virgie Tovar, Ricki Lake, and more.

A body positive documentary intent on inspiring change, FATTITUDE offers alternative ideas that embrace body acceptance at all sizes, explores examples of fat positive representations being produced today by activists and the media, and focuses on real life solutions for moving forward and changing the national conversation about body image.

DVD (Color, Closed Captioned) / 2019 / 88 minutes

HOW TO STEAL A COUNTRY

By Rehad Desai, Mark Kaplan

"It's been almost 10 years of unabated looting." - Investigative journalist Thanduxolo Jika

HOW TO STEAL A COUNTRY opens like a classic thriller, with investigative journalists meeting anonymous whistleblowers in a parking garage. There, they receive a hard drive filled with hundreds of thousands of explosive files and emails implicating Jacob Zuma's South African government in a massive corruption scandal.

Director Rehad Desai (Everything Must Fall, Miners Shot Down) chronicles how the three Gupta brothers, once small-scale peddlers, cultivated relationships with Zuma and other ANC figures, and parlayed them into massive profits. The brothers were involved in everything from a US$100 billion nuclear deal with Russia, to graft at the state-owned railway and power companies. Tens of millions were stolen from money earmarked for rural development and funneled into a lavish Gupta family wedding. Journalists investigating this corruption were targets of a disinformation campaign accusing them of being neo-colonialists supporting white monopoly power.

Eventually, the journalists are vindicated, and a state inquiry is called into "state capture"-a massive corruption scheme involving the Guptas, Zuma and his government, and international finance and consulting firms.

HOW TO STEAL A COUNTRY serves as a warning on how multinational companies and ruthless entrepreneurs can co-opt democracies for their own profit.

DVD (Color, Closed Captioned) / 2019 / 93 minutes

BELLINGCAT: TRUTH IN A POST-TRUTH WORLD

Director: Hans Pool

Bellingcat: Truth in a Post-Truth World follows the rise of the collective known as Bellingcat, a group of online researchers - all private citizens - dedicated to exposing the truth behind controversial news stories from around the world. From the Malaysian jetliner shot down over Ukraine to the poisoning of a Russian spy in England, the Bellingcat team's quest for truth brings clarity and accountability to our era of fake news and alternative facts.

Bellingcat uses cutting-edge digital techniques and crowdsourcing to create a faster, more innovative approach than traditional journalism. For the first time, the group gave exclusive access to filmmakers - allowing us to see the inner workings as they demonstrate the power of open source investigation and put networks, newspapers and governments to the test.

DVD / 2018 / 88 minutes

PROPAGANDA: THE MANUFACTURE OF CONSENT

By Jimmy Leipold

"Propaganda will never die out. Intelligent men must realize that propaganda is the modern instrument by which they can... help to bring order out of chaos." - Edward Bernays

In 1916, Woodrow Wilson ran on a platform strongly opposing US entry into WWI. But just a few months after taking office, the United States declared war on Germany. Soon after, the American people, so firmly opposed to the war just a year earlier, were enthusiastic supporters.

What happened?

The short answer: propaganda.

PROPAGANDA: THE MANUFACTURE OF CONSENT is a revealing documentary about how public relations grew out of wartime propaganda-and a portrait of one of the key architects of the field, Edward Bernays.

The nephew of Sigmund Freud, Bernays refined the techniques used so successfully during the war to sell products to consumers, and ultimately to sell capitalism itself to workers. Public relations was also critical in building support for the New Deal, and in the pushback against it from the National Association of Manufacturers, which created materials including films aimed at children on the glories of manufacturing.

Bacon and eggs as part of a hearty breakfast? The work of Bernays on behalf of a bacon company. Cigarettes as a sign of women's liberation? Bernays, again. Casting the democratically elected government of Guatemala as a Communist threat to justify US invasion on behalf of the United Fruit Company? Once more, Bernays.

There was nothing shadowy about Bernays. He wrote a book detailing his techniques and discusses them in an archival interview with Bill Moyers from 1983. Still, it is jarring to see his pride in hijacking the women's suffrage movement in order to sell more cigarettes-one of many illuminating moments in this film.

Featuring Noam Chomsky, Chris Hedges, Public Relations Museum co-founder Shelley Spector, historian Stuart Ewen, sociologist David Miller, and Bernays' daughter Anne, PROPAGANDA offers an insightful look into the development of public relations techniques, and how they continue to affect us today.

DVD (Color, Closed Captioned) / 2018 / 53 minutes

TVTV: VIDEO REVOLUTIONARIES

Director: Paul Goldsmith

Featuring Bill Murray, Hunter Thompson, Steven Spielberg, Lynn Swan, Goldie Hawn, Abbie Hoffman, Lily Tomlin and more, "TVTV: Video Revolutionaries" is a documentary about Top Value Television (TVTV), a band of merry video makers who, from 1972 to 1977, took the then brand-new portable video camera and went out to document the world. In those days, there were only three TV networks, using giant studio cameras, and no one had ever seen a portable camera stuck in their face, let alone one held by what Newsweek called "braless, blue-jeaned video freaks." Because the technology was so new, there were no rules about how to use it or what to make. So the "freaks" used it to make format-bending satirical shows about whatever interested them - from the 1972 Republican Convention to an award-winning expose of a 15-year-old jet-set guru named Guru Maharaj Ji, called "Lord of the Universe" to capturing the Steelers and Cowboys partying hard the night before Super Bowl X.

Directed by TVTV alum Paul Goldsmith, the film is like opening a treasure chest into the 1970s, filled with cultural and political events hosted by now-famous characters who were then just beginning their climb to iconic.

DVD / 2018 / 82 minutes

ACORN AND THE FIRESTORM

Director: Reuben Atlas, Sam Pollard

If you were impoverished and politically voiceless, ACORN hoped to change your mind. For 40 years, the community-organizing group sought to empower marginalized communities. Its critics, though, believed ACORN exemplified everything wrong with liberal ideals.

Fueled by a YouTube video made by two young conservatives who posed as pimp and prostitute in a sting, ACORN's very existence would be challenged. ACORN and the Firestorm goes beyond the 24-hour news cycle and cuts to the heart of the great political divide.

DVD / 2017 / 84 minutes

CELLING YOUR SOUL

Directed by Joni Siani

An examination of our love/hate relationships with our digital devices from the first digitally socialized generation, and what we can do about it.

In one short decade, we have totally changed the way we interact with one another. The millennial generation, the first to be socialized in a digital world, is now feeling the unintended consequences.

CELLING YOUR SOUL is a powerful and informative examination of how our young people actually feel about connecting in the digital world and their love/hate relationship with technology. It provides empowering strategies for more fulfilling, balanced, and authentic human interaction within the digital landscape.

The film reveals the effects of "digital socialization" by taking viewers on a personal journey with a group of high school and college students who through a digital cleanse discover the power of authentic human connectivity, and that there is "No App" or piece of technology that can ever replace the benefits of human connection.

DVD / 2017 / (Grades 6-12, College, Adult) / 48 minutes

LIVES: VISIBLE/LEFTOVERS

By Michelle Citron

LIVES: VISIBLE (2017, 35 mins): Lesbians in a box... two thousand private snapshots hidden away for over fifty years reveal the rich history of Chicago's working class butch/fem life in the pre-Stonewall era. Spanning four decades, from the 1930s to the early 1970s, the snapshots provide a rare look at a vanished and vibrant Lesbian culture: images of lovers and friends as they played, posed, serially switched partners, worked, partied, drank, and aged. Now we all take selfies; these women used a Brownie camera to tell the story of their community. LIVES: VISIBLE explores the ephemeral nature of culture and the power of the images we make.

LEFTOVERS (2014, 23 mins): Norma and Virginia were lovers for almost fifty years. They died isolated; the vibrant pre-Stonewall lesbian community of their youth long gone. A love story about the unforeseen trajectory of lives lived outside the mainstream told through the 2000 snapshots left behind.

2 DVDs (Color) / 2017 / 58 minutes

NOW HE'S OUT IN PUBLIC AND EVERYONE CAN SEE

By Natalie Bookchin

A riveting polyphonic documentary, NOW HE'S OUT IN PUBLIC AND EVERYONE CAN SEE presents a fractured narrative about an unnamed man whose racial identity is continually redrawn and contested by clusters of impassioned narrators. This intricately-edited and deeply political essay film by artist Natalie Bookchin is composed of fragments of found online video diaries made in the early days of the Obama era, a period many believed would be "post-racial" but instead ushered in a new era of racial discord.

NOW HE'S OUT IN PUBLIC AND EVERYONE CAN SEE explores this new landscape, one where mass media is transformed into social media and where cascades of disinformation, rumors, and insinuations spread across global electronic networks. Newly adapted for the cinema by the artist based on her own multi-screen gallery installation that was exhibited at The Museum of Modern Art, Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions and other museums, NOW HE'S OUT illustrates the way that, as truths and falsehoods become nearly impossible to distinguish, reality is splintered and recast through a myriad of interpretations and retellings.

DVD (Color, Closed Captioned) / 2017 / 24 minutes

OBIT.

Directed by Vanessa Gould

At a time when the free press is under threat, OBIT. takes a rare look inside one of the United States' foremost journalistic institutions, The New York Times. The steadfast writers of the paper's Obituaries section approach their work with journalistic rigor and narrative flair, each day depositing the details of a handful of extraordinary lives into the cultural memory. Going beyond the byline and into the minds of those chronicling the recently deceased, OBIT. is ultimately a celebration of life that conveys the central role journalism plays in capturing and reporting vital pieces of our history.

DVD (Region 1, Color, Closed Captioned) / 2017 / 95 minutes

TRUMP: THE ART OF THE INSULT

By Joel Gilbert

Donald Trump used his special brand of the Art of the Insult to attack opponents and bash the media all the way to the White House in 2016. He continues to master the art with ongoing fine-tuning from the podium, his office and of course on Twitter.

While critics insisted "The Donald" was merely a chaotic sideshow, Trump continues to dominate the 24-hour news cycle with a master plan of political incorrectness. Hurling insults like Low-Energy Jeb, Lyin' Ted, Crooked Hillary, Little Marco, Pocahontas, and Fake News, Trump has emerged as an unstoppable political phenomenon who has transformed the Presidential voice into the greatest show on earth.

Trump: The Art of the Insult tells the story of Donald Trump's improbable journey from Trump Tower to rallies across America to the debate stage, where he reveled in mocking and taunting rivals with targeted insults and nicknames, leaving them gasping for air. As President of the US, he continues the trend.

In Trump: The Art of the Insult, the President is often sophomoric and sometimes brutal, yet America seems to always find him entertaining. Love or hate Donald Trump, you'll find yourself laughing along with the leader of the free world, and marveling at Trump.

Is "the Real Donald Trump" a marketing genius and accomplished performance artist or....?

DVD / 2017 / 95 minutes

ALL GOVERNMENTS LIE: TRUTH, DECEPTION, AND THE SPIRIT OF I.F. STONE

Director: Fred Peabody

Independent journalists like Amy Goodman, Glenn Greenwald, Jeremy Scahill, and Matt Taibbi are changing the face of journalism, providing investigative, adversarial alternatives to mainstream, corporate news outlets. Our cameras follow as they expose government and corporate deception - just as the ground-breaking independent journalist I.F. Stone did decades ago.

DVD / 2016 / 91 minutes

ALTHUSSER, AN INTELLECTUAL ADVENTURE

By Bruno Oliviero

Philosophe, Marxist, professor, murderer. More than a quarter century after his death, Louis Althusser, one of the most influential leftist thinkers of the 20th century, remains an enigmatic figure: a man whose work rejuvenated Marxist theory through books such as For Marx and Reading Capital, a Communist who strove to create a new framework following the revelations of Stalinist terror... and a victim of mental illness who, in his darkest moment, strangled his wife of more than 30 years.

ALTHUSSER, AN INTELLECTUAL ADVENTURE traces the development of Althusser's thought, which influenced a who's who of French philosophers, including Lacan, Foucault, Derrida, and Barthes. Credited with reinterpreting Marx in a way that encouraged readers to engage directly with his work, Althusser brought the Freudian concept of overdetermination to Marxist theory, and argued that Marx's work should not be read as one consistent whole, because there was a clear 'break' between his earlier and later writings. But Althusser's most enduring contribution may be the concept of ideological state apparatuses: institutions and social structures including schools, churches, and families, that serve to reinforce the capitalist state.

The film also delves into Althusser's little-understood struggles with the mental illness that would see him hospitalized numerous times throughout his life. In intimate letters to his wife, Helene Rytmann, and mistress, Franca Madonia, Althusser describes his treatment and mental states. As Yves Duroux says, in order to understand the man, one must look not only at his philosophy and relationship with the Communist Party, but to "his own madness" which in some ways linked the two.

ALTHUSSER, AN INTELLECTUAL ADVENTURE captures the man, and the implications of his work, in interviews with friends and colleagues such as Lucien Seve, who served more than 30 years on the central committee of the Communist Party of France, and with philosophers and former students including Etienne Balibar, Pierre Macherey, and Jacques Ranciere.

Throughout his life Althusser avoided the spotlight, preferring to be a behind-the-scenes theoretician arguing the case for Marxist revolution. But included in this film is the only TV interview he gave, shot on a rooftop in Rome in 1980-just weeks before he would kill Helene.

DVD (Color, Black and White) / 2016 / 55 minutes

CATCHING SIGHT OF THELMA & LOUISE

Directed by Jennifer Townsend

Explores the same women's and men's reactions to the groundbreaking film, "Thelma & Louise", 25 years ago and today.

Powerful, authentic, and timely, CATCHING SIGHT OF THELMA & LOUISE dives off the edge into the truth of women's experience in the world. It revisits the journey of Thelma & Louise through the lens of viewers who saw that iconic film in 1991 and shared intimate, personal, stories at that time. The same women and men were tracked down 25 years later. Are their responses different now? Has anything changed in the way women are treated?

Interview commentary mixes with clips from "Thelma & Louise" to reveal why this cinema classic continues to resonate with millions of viewers, the world over. Christopher McDonald, who played Thelma's husband, and Marco St. John, who played the truck driver, offer an insider's viewpoint.

DVD / 2016 / (Grades 10-12, College, Adults) / 86 minutes

DEMOCRACY ROAD

By Turid Rogne

After more than 20 years in exile in Norway, the Burmese journalists of DVB are returning to their homeland to establish their independent news station there. Editor-in-chief Aye Chan Naing and reporter Than Win Htut have dreamt about this for years, but their struggle for freedom and democracy is not over yet.

DEMOCRACY ROAD is a road movie documentary following the journalists of DVB in Myanmar in a critical phase of the establishment of the newborn democracy. With their existence as an independent news channel and Myanmar's future as a democracy at stake, senior reporter Than Win Htut and his colleagues hit the road with their groundbreaking show "Our Nation, Our Land." Their goal is to investigate the living conditions of ordinary people off the beaten path in Myanmar, but the machinery of the old dictatorship is still running. Simultaneously, editor-in-chief, Aye Chan Naing, has to negotiate with DVB's former enemies in the infamous Ministry of Information. The road towards democracy has only just begun...

Director Turid Rogne has followed the journalists of DVB for more than 10 years. With both boldness and sensitivity, she tells the story of life in a former dictatorship through the people who try to influence history.

DVD (Color) / 2016 / 60 minutes

KINGS OF THE PAGES: THE GOLDEN AGE OF COMIC STRIPS

Directed by Robert Lemieux

At the turn of the 20th century, two of the most powerful men in America were newspaper magnates William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer. Noted mostly for their contentious rivalry and sensationalist news coverage, they were also responsible for cultivating some of the era's most recognizable celebrities-Nemo, Krazy, Happy Hooligan, George McManus, Ignatz, Mutt, Buster Brown, Hans and Fritz, and Offissa Pup, to name a few.

In their ongoing battle to attract newspaper readers, both Hearst and Pulitzer had discovered that comic strips were a strategic addition. Often raiding each other's staffs to acquire the best talent, both men recognized the potential. It wasn't until Hearst unveiled the first full color, 8-page comic supplement in 1896, that the potential was fully realized, prompting Hearst's now famous quote motto... "Eight Pages of Iridescent Polychromous Effulgence That Makes The Rainbow Look Like A Lead Pipe!"

Over the next fifty years, that polychromatic effulgence would usher in the Golden Age of the American comic strip. During that time span, more than 150 different strips made their way into America's living rooms. Every week the characters and their creators provided humorous entertainment and tickled many a funny bone. Reading the comics became a cultural phenomenon.

Only available in North America.

DVD / 2016 / 24 minutes

WHAT HAPPENED TO HER

By Kristy Guevara-Flanagan

WHAT HAPPENED TO HER is a forensic exploration of our cultural obsession with images of the dead woman on screen. Interspersing found footage from films and police procedural television shows and one actor's experience of playing the part of a corpse, the film offers a meditative critique on the trope of the dead female body.

The visual narrative of the genre, one reinforced through its intense and pervasive repetition, is revealed as a highly structured pageant. The experience of physical invasion and exploitation voiced by the actor pierce the fabric of the screened fantasy. The result is recurring and magnetic film cliche laid bare. Essential viewing for Pop Culture, Women's and Cinema Studies classes.

DVD (Color) / 2016 / 15 minutes

BAPTISM OF FIRE, A

By Jerome Clement-Wilz

"As it gets harder to sell pictures, we take greater and greater risks," explains Corentin Fohlen. A war correspondent still in his twenties, Fohlen is part of a new generation of freelance journalists who fly to war zones from Libya to Afghanistan on their own dime in the hope of selling images to news media outlets.

But the carefree attitude of youth can change when confronted with the harsh reality of life in wartime. When a colleague is killed in Syria, Fohlen's thirst for adventure turns into a deeper reflection on the meaning of work and life. Director Clement-Wilz followed Fohlen through shells and bullets for four years in order to create this riveting portrait of the life of a contemporary war correspondent.

DVD (Color, Closed Captioned) / 2015 / 52 minutes

CAFFEINATED

Director: Hanh Nguyen, Vishal Solanki

Every cup of coffee has a story... one that begins in a lush tropical field and ends at your breakfast table. Caffeinated is a fascinating globe-hopping examination of this journey from bean to cup. A host of coffee specialists from the bean harvesters of such coffee-growing regions as Nicaragua, Guatemala and India to American shop owners to Italian industry insiders weigh in on the history and cultural impact of coffee, from the art of roasting and taste-testing to the unsung skills of your local barista. Caffeinated is a compelling, comprehensive look into the world of coffee that will leave you appreciating your morning cup as more than just a caffeine fix!

DVD (Region 1, Color) / 2015 / 80 minutes

DREAMS REWIRED

Narrated by Tilda Swinton By Manu Luksch, Martin Reinhart & Thomas Tode

Tilda Swinton's hypnotic voiceover and a treasure trove of rare archival footage culled from hundreds of films from the 1880s through the 1930s-much of it previously unseen-combine to trace the anxieties of today's hyper-connected world back a hundred years. Then, too, electric media sparked idealism in the public imagination-hailed as the beginning of an era of total communication, annihilation of distance and the end of war. But then, too, fears over the erosion of privacy, security, morality proved to be well-founded.

DREAMS REWIRED traces contemporary appetites and anxieties back to the birth of the telephone, television and cinema. At the time, early electric media were as revolutionary as social media are now. The technologies were expected to serve everyone, not just the elite classes. Human relationships would become stronger, efficiency would increase and the society would be revolutionized... But these initial promises were very different from what new media eventually brought to daily life.

Using excerpts from early dramatic films, slapstick comedies, political newsreels, advertisements and recordings of scientific experiments culled during years of research in film archives around the world, co-directors Manu Luksch, Martin Reinhart and Thomas Tode unearth material that is by turns hilarious, revelatory, beautiful and prescient. The archival footage, combined with poetic narration and a virtuosic score by Siegfried Friedrich forges a cross-generational connection between contemporary viewers and their idealistic forbearers of a century ago.

DVD (Color, Closed Captioned) / 2015 / 85 minutes

FEAR NO FRUIT

Director: Mark Brian Smith Starring: Frieda Rapoport Caplan

Frieda Caplan, "The Queen of Kiwi," was the first woman to own a business on the L.A. Wholesale Produce Market in the 1960s. Over the past 50 plus years, Frieda's company has introduced more than 200 exotic fruits and vegetables to the U.S., transforming the supermarket produce department. The film chronicles Frieda's rise against the odds, introducing the Kiwifruit to America in 1962, taking the business to the next level with her two daughters at the helm, and establishing her impact on American cuisine. Set in California, from the farm to the supermarket, Fear No Fruit climaxes in San Luis Obispo at California Polytechnic State University, where a tireless 91-year-old Frieda receives an honorary doctorate, inspiring an audience of 30,000.

DVD (Region 1, Color) / 2015 / 96 minutes

FEED THE GREEN: FEMINIST VOICES FOR THE EARTH

By Jane Caputi

FEED THE GREEN: FEMINIST VOICES FOR THE EARTH, by Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies professor and scholar Jane Caputi, challenges the cultural imagination surrounding the destruction of the environment and the link and influence on femicide and genocide.

No nation is immune to the effects of global warming, but the impacts of climate change are felt disproportionately by those who face racial and socioeconomic inequalities. In the US, African Americans, Hispanics and other racial and ethnic minorities are more vulnerable to climate change. Globally the effects from global warming are likely to be unequal, with the world's poorest and developing regions lacking the economic and institutional capacity to cope and adapt.

FEED THE GREEN features a variety of feminist thinkers, including ecological and social justice advocates Vandana Shiva and Andrea Smith, ecosexual activists Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens; ecofeminist theorist and disability rights activist Ynestra King, poet Camille Dungy, scholars and bloggers Janell Hobson and Jill Schneiderman and grass roots activist La Loba Loca. Their voices are powerfully juxtaposed with images from popular culture, including advertising, myth, art, and the news, pointing to the ways that an environmentally destructive worldview is embedded in popular discourses, both contemporary and historical. Required viewing for Women's and Environmental Studies as well as Pop Culture.

DVD (Color) / 2015 / 35 minutes

HOT TYPE: 150 YEARS OF THE NATION

Director: Barbara Kopple

Hot Type: 150 Years of The Nation is a vivid, inside look at America's oldest continuously published weekly magazine. Shot over three years in intimate, cinema verite style, the film captures the day-to-day pressures and challenges of publishing the progressive magazine as it follows reporters out into the field, the editors who shape their work, and the editor-in chief who tries to keep all of the plates spinning.

Writers are the heart and soul of the magazine, and the film follows them extensively. Sasha Abramsky travels to West Texas to report on the years-long drought that has gripped the region and the devastating economic impact on farmers and residents. John Nichols unpacks what's going on behind the effort to recall Wisconsin governor Scott Walker. Amy Wilentz visits the "temporary" tent camps of Haiti, three years after the earthquake, to shed light on the dire conditions and lackluster international response. And Dani McClain reports on the Moral Monday movement in North Carolina, and its dynamic leader Rev. William Barber, as they push back against an extreme right-wing takeover of the state legislature.

In all of the current-day reported stories, The Nation's incredible trove of archival articles - and roster of writers - acts as an historical touchstone and illuminates how the past continuously ripples through and shapes current events.

At a fascinating moment in American history - politically, socially and culturally - the media landscape is changing at breathtaking speed. The film charts the journey of The Nation - and the nation - evolving into the future, as it is guided by its remarkable past.

DVD / 2015 / 92 minutes

HOW TO CHANGE THE WORLD

Director: Jerry Rothwell

How to Change the World chronicles the adventures of an eclectic group of young pioneers - Canadian hippie journalists, photographers, musicians, scientists, and American draft dodgers - who set out to stop Richard Nixon's atomic bomb tests in Amchitka, Alaska, and end up creating the worldwide green movement.

Greenpeace was founded on tight knit, passionate friendships forged in Vancouver in the early 1970s. Together they pioneered a template for environmental activism which mixed daring iconic feats and worldwide media: placing small rubber inflatables between harpooners and whales, blocking ice-breaking sealing ships with their bodies, spraying the pelts of baby seals with dye to make them valueless in the fur market. The group had a prescient understanding of the power of media, knowing that the advent of global mass communications meant that the image had become a more effective tool for change than the strike or the demonstration.

DVD (Region 1, Color) / 2015 / 109 minutes

LOVE BETWEEN THE COVERS

By Laurie Kahn

Romance novels comprise over a billion dollars a year in book sales, outselling science fiction, fantasy, and mystery combined. So why is the genre so often dismissed as frivolous "scribble" rather than elevated as a radical literary form that pushes the envelope on gender, race, and diversity? The heroic characters, prolific writers, and voracious readers that dominate romantic fiction are primarily women. Witty and intelligent, these lovers of the written word form a collaborative, supportive, and dynamic community where readers and writers inspire one another. Emmy Award Winning director Laurie Kahn (Tupperware!) takes a comprehensive look at what goes into publishing a romantic novel, from the author's inspiration and writing process to the photo shoots for those distinctive cover designs. Speaking with literary scholars, romance fanatics, aspiring writers, and award-winning authors, including Nora Roberts, Eloisa James, Beverly Jenkins, and Radclyffe, this documentary offers fascinating insights into this female-centric literary world.

DVD (Color) / 2015 / 84 minutes

ON BEAUTY

By Joanna Rudnick

From Emmy-nominated IN THE FAMILY filmmaker Joanna Rudnick and Chicago's Kartemquin Films comes a story about challenging norms and redefining beauty. ON BEAUTY follows fashion photographer Rick Guidotti, who left the fashion world when he grew frustrated with having to work within the restrictive parameters of the industry's standard of beauty. After a chance encounter with a young woman who had the genetic condition albinism, Rick re-focused his lens on those too often relegated to the shadows to change the way we see and experience beauty.

At the center of ON BEAUTY are two of Rick's photo subjects: Sarah and Jayne. In eighth grade Sarah left public school because she was bullied so harshly for the birthmark on her face and brain. Jayne lives with albinism in Eastern Africa where society is blind to her unique health and safety needs and where witch doctors hunt people with her condition to sell their body parts. We follow Rick as he uses his lens to challenge convention and media's narrow scope of with the help of two extraordinary women.

DVD (Color) / 2015 / 31 minutes

PROJECT Z

Directed by Phillip Gara

An investigation into how war games, worst-case scenarios, complex systems, and networked media produce the very crises they seek to model, predict and report.

As the Cold War ends, a professor goes in search of an America without an enemy. Armed with a Hi8 video camera and inspired by the detective work of Walter Benjamin, he heads deep into the inner circles of the defense, entertainment and media industries, where he discovers a worst-case future being built from war games, video games, and language games.

Some thirty years later, a group of student filmmakers find the videotapes in a filing cabinet, along with a stack of old newspaper clippings, audio interviews and photographs. With the help of friends from the Global Media Project, the filmmaker produces an experimental documentary that goes back to the future, where they find the original maps for a new world order. An unexpected warning is found on the outermost edges of the maps: "Beware of Zombies!"

The result is PROJECT Z, a film that updates another warning, issued by President Eisenhower in his 1961 farewell address, about the emergence of a "military-industrial complex" and the consequences should "public policy be captured by a scientific and technological elite".

Combining rare footage from inside the war machine with corrosive commentary by leading critics of global violence, injustice, and inequality, the film challenges the living to write their own future before the walking dead conjure the final global event.

DVD / 2015 / (Grades 10-12, College, Adult) / 74 minutes

SEX, LIES AND TABLOIDS!

By Jean-Baptiste Peretie

They're lurid, obnoxious, disdainful and explicit. And we love them - and love to hate them.

SEX, LIES AND TABLOIDS! charts the rise and fall of tabloid papers in the UK and US, including the New York Post, The Sun, and notorious supermarket tabloids like the National Enquirer and The Star.

In the beginning, they were upstarts. Papers that shamelessly pandered with stories about sex scandals, and celebrities - often skirting ethical lines, and sometimes outright making things up ("Run it through the typewriter again," was one editor's mantra.) But by the 1980s and '90s they had become the media heavyweights. Left behind by the tabloids' coverage of Bill Clinton's sex life, Princess Diana and the OJ Simpson trial, the mainstream media started to adopt their techniques.

SEX, LIES AND TABLOIDS! Features extensive interviews with key tabloid players such as notorious editor Kelvin MacKenzie ("If you have no news... you get a picture of Diana and make it as big as possible"), journalist Paul McMullan ("People need to understand that privacy is an evil, bad concept"), and the late Vincent Musetto (famed for the headline "Headless body in topless bar"). The film provides an insider's account of the no-holds-barred mentality driving tabloid journalism while also using fun and campy footage mimicking the style of the tabloids themselves.

Eventually, the tabs would go too far. Briefly chastened by the death of Diana and shunned after the British phone hacking scandal, the papers would go into a downward spiral, with The News of the World even shutting down. But culture they spawned is stronger than ever. Sites like TMZ and The Smoking Gun and an omni-present gotcha culture have brought the spirit of the tabloids to the Internet. At the same time, the ubiquity of sharing means photos that would once have been prized by paparazzi (hello Kim Kardashian in a bikini) are posted by celebrities and would-be-celebs themselves. The tabloids may be gone, but the tabloid spirit is everywhere.

DVD (Closed Captioned) / 2015 / 52 minutes

WORLD ACCORDING TO RUSSIA TODAY, THE

By Misja Pekel

In 2014, Malaysian Airlines passenger flight 17 was shot down with a rocket intended for the private plane of Russian president Vladimir Putin... If, that is, a viewer is relying on the satellite TV network Russia Today as their source for news.

These claims were not the first time Russia Today drew attention for counter-factual reporting: during the 2008 war in Georgia, the network reported that South Ossetians were the victims of genocide at the hands of Georgians. In 2014, the channel was warned by the British TV agency for its biased and inaccurate reporting on the uprising on Maidan Square in Kiev. The list goes on and on.

Russia Today (now renamed just RT) was launched in 2005 to bring a Russian-centric perspective on current political events to a global audience. After a decade of generous Kremlin funding, 2015 found the 24-hour news channel the biggest media organization on YouTube with 2 billion viewers: more than CNN and the BBC combined.

The network claims only to offer an alternative perspective to the monolithic view presented by mainstream Western media. But what kind of "reporting" is Russia Today actually doing? What is it like to work for the channel? How much influence does the Kremlin really have there? Is it possible to differentiate between fact and opinion on a Russian channel when the Russian interests are at stake?

In Misja Pekel's disturbing documentary THE WORLD ACCORDING TO RUSSIA TODAY, former and current news anchors, editors and correspondents for the network-including William Dunbar, Sara Firth, Marc de Jersey, Afshin Rattansi and Liz Wahl-join journalists and media professionals Alexander Nekrassov, Peter Pomerantsev, Richard Sambrook, Daniel Sandford, Derk Sauer and more in a detailed dissection of the channel's modus operandi and the challenges and dangers of reporting and consuming news in a globalized world.

DVD (Color, Closed Captioned) / 2015 / 40 minutes

http://www.learningemall.com/News/Media_Society_202102.html

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hopeymchope · 4 years

Text

Naegiri Week 2019, Day 4 - Plant

SURPRISE! I actually wrote a one-shot for Naegiri Week. IT’S A FESTIVUS MIRACLE!

Ah, at least if anyone cares.

There are ***SPOILERS for Kirigiri-Sou*** in this story. If you want to read that wild little “sound novel,” though, I strongly recommend you do so via @drmedicsgamesurgery‘s translation over here.

----------------------------------------------------------

In a nearly empty coffee shop on a rainy afternoon, Makoto Naegi and Kyoko KIrigiri sat across from one another in silence. Makoto fiddled with his cell phone occasionally. Kyoko pretended to be interested in the shop’s decor or in the people passing by outside, watching umbrellas bob past her view idly.

With a sad, forced smile, Makoto broke the silence first. He dropped his phone to the table between them and asked, “This is awkward, isn’t it?”

Kyoko finally looked at him, lowering her cup of coffee to give him a small nod. “A bit,” she admitted.

Makoto’s eyes fell to the table, avoiding hers. “It’s like... it’s like we’ve been friends for so long that I don’t know what’s supposed to be different.”

She kept her gaze fixed on him even as his own eyes began wandering. “I understand how you feel,” she agreed. “Perhaps we’re expecting something to change where it doesn’t need to?”

He looked at her sideways. “How do you mean?”

“I’m suggesting that when two people become so close and know one another for so many years... “ Kyoko paused, attempting to find the right words. “...then perhaps a transition to ‘dating’ is only minimally different from the time they already spent together.”

“No,” Makoto responded quickly, turning his head back to look at her directly. ”No way. That’d mean that we were such good friends that we were essentially automatically dating, and I refuse to accept that that’s a thing.” He threw up one hand in a half-shrug. “Like, how many of the days we’ve together are retroactively dates now? What’s the threshold for ‘automatic dating’? How close do you have to be? Is my sister ‘dating’ Fukawa-san now?”

Kyoko smiled tightly. “They already share an apartment and a bed, so... ?”

At that, he had to chuckle. “Okay, okay — bad example!” Makoto said, waving his hands and laughing. “Most friendships aren’t that close, I know. I just mean-”

“I understand,” Kyoko assured him, interrupting. Her voice and her expression both were soft when she continued, “And I didn’t mean to imply that we had already started dating months or even years before now because we achieved some vague friendship-maturation-date. I think you misunderstood me.” Setting down her coffee, she said, “I just meant that once you’ve shared so much of yourself with someone, perhaps it’s understandably hard to find new layers to add.”

His mouth tightened as he considered this. “So then... the act of saying that ‘we’re dating’ is the new layer?”

She tilted her head ever so slightly, looked bemused. “Well... I’d argue that declaring that you’re in a romantic relationship with someone should bring a natural increase in emotional intimacy.” She paused, reaching out to place one gloved hand on top of his own. “And physical intimacy, of course,” she half-whispered.

Makoto grinned at her touch in spite of the fact that her skin wasn’t even in contact with his. The act of casually touching one another still felt so fresh, so new that he still blushed intensely. He rolled his hand over to hold hers and said, “Just the emotional and physical stuff, huh? So I, uh, guess this means you already know most everything else about me... ?”

She shook her head once. “Not that it would matter if I did, but no. There’s no chance of that.”

He was skeptical. “I’m pretty much an open book,” he noted.

“In a lot of ways,” she agreed. “Yet you continue to surprise me with stories of your life experiences and in how you react to what your unusual luck throws your way.” She rubbed one of his fingers between her forefinger and thumb gently. “I’m positive that I still have many stories you haven’t heard, either.”

“All right,” Makoto said with a mischievous smile. Hopping out of his seat, he pulled his hand free of hers and stood up. As he kicked his chair aside, he pointed at her dramatically and announced, “I challenge you to tell me something I don’t know about you!”

Kyoko covered her mouth to stifle her quiet laugh. “I suppose that’s one way to guarantee that something new and different happens today.” She took a sip of her coffee. “Can it be anything at all, or are you looking for a certain type of thing?”

Dropping his hand to his side, he shrugged awkwardly. “I-I didn’t really have any specific ideas. Something personal? Maybe about your family? Or just something from one of your cases?”

“Hm,” was all Kyoko said at first. Her eyes once again traveled the room as she sought inspiration. Once she landed on a potted fern near the door, she said, “I can think of something that fits all of those criteria.”

(THE REST IS UNDER THE CUT)

“Great!” Makoto said, grinning. “So that means it’s something about your family that is also related to a case... ?”

Closing her eyes, Kyoko’s smile faded as she said, “Just remember that you asked for this.”

That was enough to make Makoto’s grin melt in an instant. “Uhhh, wha-wha-what do you mean?!”

“Only that this may be stranger than you’d imagine,” Kyoko replied. She folded her hands together. Utterly straight-faced, she opened her eyes and told him, “Once — for a very short time — I had a sister.”

At this, Makoto looked relieved. “You’re talking about Samidare-san,” he said, relaxing.

“I am afraid not,” Kyoko said. “I’m talking about a genetic sister.” She smirked slightly. “I had a twin who was... well, she was a plant.”

Makoto cocked his head at that, his eyes narrowing. “Now, when you say ‘plant’, you meeeaaan... what, exactly?”

She took care to speak clearly: “I mean that I had a twin sister who was, in truth, an organism that used chlorophyll and photosynthesis to generate nutrients within her body.”

A laugh emerged from Makoto reflexively, but both it and his smile faded in the face of Kyoko’s steely expression. A long moment of silence passed while he stood there and regarded her, his expression quizzical. Then, finally, he reached out and pulled the wooden chair closer to him, watching her the entire time.

“Okay... “ he said slowly. “Help me out here: Is this like a metaphor?” He lowered himself back to his seat. “Do you mean that your grandfather had a plant that he loved as much as he loved you? Or, y’know, maybe you had hedge at your family home that someone trimmed into the shape of you, so it was your ‘twin’, or—”

“Sadly, ‘no’ to both.” Kyoko said firmly. “Kyouka was her name, and she was a walking, talking, independent person who looked exactly like me as I did at the time.” Her eyes grew distant as she thought back. “To look at her, you’d never have known that she was made of plant matter. She grew as rapidly as someone might grow a weed.”

Though he was growing pale, Makoto still tried to laugh it off. “Yo-you’re dead set on tricking me, aren’t you?” he ventured. “This is... it’s a practical joke.”

With a slow shake of her head, she said, “Bizarre though it may sound, I promise that I am telling you the truth.”

There was a soft thonk-slap as Naegi’s arms and hands fell limply onto the table between them. He expression was one of confusion and shock, and his complexion looked sickly. “I... “ he said softly. Swallowing hard, he finished, “I wasn’t prepared for this.”

“If you think it sounds outlandish now, you can imagine my reaction to seeing it,” Kyouko said. “Someone had sampled my DNA and used it in a biological experiment to create a plant-based clone of me. Furthermore, she was one of a series of intended clones of Hope’s Peak students.”

Still stunned, Makoto asked, “Why didn’t you ever tell me about this before now?”

“A Kirigiri never makes an accusation without proof,” she said. “Even though I know what I saw and experienced, I have no evidence to support what I’m telling you. I only knew ‘Kyouka’ for a day before she was reduced to a shriveled-up network of roots and leaves. And without evidence, this is all nothing more than an outlandish story.”

Still stunned, Makoto shook his head and said, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Kyoko responded. “I made the decision to keep this to myself just as I eventually made the decision to stop searching for lingering proof.”

“N-no, I mean that I’m sorry you had to carry this alone,” Makoto said. He looked at her with sympathy as he reached out and put his hand over hers, returning her earlier gesture. “Seeing someone that looks like you — someone made from you, even, who you only know for such a short time before you seem them quickly wither and die right in front of you... it couldn’t have been easy.”

She smiled warmly at him. “Then you believe me?”

“Of course,” Makoto said without hesitation.

“I knew that you would,” she said back. “And I’m grateful.”

Makoto smiled back at her, and the two sat there for a while, staring into each other’s eyes. Kyoko rolled her hand over and took his in hers, giving him a slight squeeze as she did so. Makoto slowly exhaled a happy sigh.

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

“WAIT!” Makoto said, snapping back to reality.

“What?”

““I just realized you glossed right past a super-important detail,” he observed intensely.

Kyoko leaned forward. “Which is-?”

“Was she, like, evil?”

#naegiri2019 #danganronpa fanfic #naegiri one-shots #danganronpa #my writing #fanfic #danganronpa fan fiction #danganronpa fanfiction #naegiri week 2019 #naegiri week #naegiri #makoto naegi #kyoko kirigiri #kyouko kirigiri #kirigiri-sou

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homenum-revelio-hq · 4 years

Photo

Welcome (back) to the Order of the Phoenix, Gina!

You have been accepted for the role of non-biography character AMOS DIGGORY with the faceclaim of Sam Claflin! We were intrigued by the plot possibilities you bring to the game through both Amos’ job and his motivations, and all the trouble that his best intentions might well cause for the Order he hopes to help! We also liked how you didn’t let the Diggorys’ wholesome depiction from the books get in the way of showing the darker nuances of Amos’ outlook on the magical world. We’re so happy to have you back with us!

Please take a look at the new member checklist and send in your account within 24 hours! Thank you for joining the fight against Voldemort!

OUT OF CHARACTER:

NAME: Gina

AGE: 25

TIMEZONE: MST-Arizona (or GMT-7)

ACTIVITY LEVEL: Hello! I’m glad to be applying again! Things have called down at work for the most part – especially being at home. Like before, weekends are usually best for me to catch up on everything. I’ll try to get on during the week – especially on my early days. All that being said, I’ll definitely will be able to post at least once a week! As long as writing is still fun, and doesn’t feel like a chore, I’ll be on the dash frequently (and I’ll let you know immediately about any changes)!

ANYTHING ELSE: trigger: non-con.

CHARACTER DETAILS:

NAME: Amos Diggory

AGE: 27

GENDER, PRONOUNS, and SEXUALITY: Cis-Male, He/Him, Bisexual

BLOOD STATUS: Pureblood

HOUSE ALUMNI: Hufflepuff

ANY CHANGES: N/A

CHARACTER BACKGROUND:

PERSONALITY:

Amos is a very friendly and jovial fellow. A gentleman to the core, he upholds all that the Diggorys instilled in him as a child. Well-mannered, he is a Brit – fond of food, drink, music, a full pipe, his friends and good cheer, and often greets any and all strangers from both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds. Able to charm many, Amos likes to flirt (not matter how cheesy it may come off). With the traveling for his work and care for creatures, Amos loves adventures and wandering.

BRIEF OVERVIEW OF FAMILY:

An only child can go in a few directions. Luckily, Amos took the amicable path – making his friends and schoolmates his family. His loyalty and devotion to them all is a strong bond that should not be taken lightly. While his parents passed away at a young age, Amos does not let their teachings go to waste. Above all else, Amos believes in family firmly – of all kinds. For him, family is what you build and make your own; water is not thinner than blood – pure or not.

OCCUPATION:

Employee of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures

Fresh out of school, Amos wanted to travel all across Europe to find the different magical beasts and beings he would be protecting. Therefore, he has been sifting through many of the sub-divisions of the Beast Division. Recently, he went on a trip to the Americas – particularly to see and gather more information about the behavior of various creatures since he’s seen some strange patterns in Europe. There, he used the study of the great beasts known as Thunderbirds in the wilds of Arizona as a cover. However, once word from Arthur Weasley came about a war in the Wizarding World, Amos quickly made his way back to London. Now, he is transferring to a higher position within the Werewolf Support Services in the Being Division. His goal is to become the Head of the entire department to make a good life for his family and provide when he decides to settle down.

ROLE WITHIN THE ORDER/THOUGHTS ABOUT THE ORDER:

Now back home, Amos is making his rounds to old friends and networking. Many of them have joined the Order – or family members within it. Having no siblings himself, he cares deeply for his old schoolmates and those fighting for justice. He will help in any way he can, but, behind the curtain. His heart is big and gives to many, but he also has a name to uphold and a reputation that he built himself. Amos cannot just go blindly into battle. Besides all of that, he does want to build a life with someone after the war, giving hope to others.

SURVIVAL:

Amos Diggory relies, not only on his magical skills, but also his intellect, and charm. As a member of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, Amos Diggory has a high level of knowledge regarding Magizoology. He knows how to classify many different beasts and beings, and the various laws regulating the ownership of such creatures – such as Ban on Experimental Breeding. In other words, work for their agenda without retaliation.

As for charms, Amos can produce a non-corporeal patronus charm as well as many other incantations (like the eradication spell) that make others consider him an accomplished wizard. In short, he survives because of his unique skills he offers the Ministry and not being outspoken about his opinions. While he disputes blood supremacy, he must keep his head down. For his career and future family. While with the Order, Amos hopes to become an ally within the Ministry for them. He realizes how important their work is and to have friends woven into the system.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Amos has a rather brotherly friendship with Arthur Weasley’s siblings (whom he would later become further acquainted with at the Ministry for work). Being schoolmates, the pair of gingers and Amos had fun roaming the halls and getting themselves into playful trouble. Even after Hogwarts, they continued to visit and write each other often. He then grew a friendship with Arthur with their work – then becoming familiar with Molly and (of course) the Prewett twins. In fact, Amos is rather fond of them – admiring their skills greatly. He would like to think he has a cordial relationship with them, considering he’d do anything for both of the Weasley and Prewett families. Perhaps he even has a well-hidden crush on one of the twins – or both.

As for anything romantic, Amos did have a fair crush on Andromeda Black, but knew she was bound to marry an older and successful Pureblood male, so never made it known to anyone but Arthur. Imagine Amos’ surprise when he heard about Ted! For years, he has been travelling all across Europe, and even visited many parts of the world. With that, Amos had shared a few beds (of both men and women) to ‘get it out of his system’ before his Pureblood family expects him to marry a proper Pureblood woman.

OOC EXPLORATION:

SHIPS/ANTI-SHIPS:

Ships: Amos/Chemistry Anti-Ships: None

WHAT PRIVILEGES AND BIASES DOES YOUR CHARACTER HAVE?

Being a Pureblood and a male, Amos had had few disadvantages in life and is well aware of it. He denounces blood supremacy – believing wholly that family is what you make it and anyone is worthy to study magic. He supports all students with non-magic parents to study at Hogwarts.

Working with beasts and beings, Amos wants a better world for the creatures that cannot voice for themselves. It is the non-humans and beings he has a bias towards. Those with human qualities, a voice, and can fend for themselves. Particularly, this is because of an old grudge he holds against the house-elf Tilly that abandoned him after his parent passed away at a young age.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO? Plotting & writing again – and with the tremendous writers in this RP!

PLOT DROP IDEAS:

No wife / family / Cedric yet. Amos is definitely looking to settle down though. Being from a Pureblood family, he will look at the aristocratic women in that society. For instance, a woman like Emma – although a bit older. Or the beloved Andromeda.

Something between Remus and Amos since he’s now in the department of Werewolf Support Services & something about looking at the creatures being recruited for the Death Eaters. Working with so many beasts and beings that have seen such cruelty in the world, Amos merely wants to help make it brighter for them; give them a future.

ANYTHING ELSE? Super excited to be RE-applying! 😊

EXTRA FOR NON-BIO CHARACTERS:

PAST: (trigger: death)

Honor. Dignity. Pride. A dictum of all the facets that embodied the Diggory family. Their beliefs were traditional, being a Pureblood house. Born on September 22nd, Amos Rigel Diggory grew up in a home his father constructed himself in Devon, England. With Amos as their only child, Domhnall Diggory and Isabella Tabor raised Amos with these ideals of family and devotion. Their goal was to make him a proper Pureblood aristocrat – who could manipulate any situation into his favor and even charm others as well. All to uphold the family name and blend in with the other Pureblood families – with a mask of a ‘proper gent’ in society.

Growing up in Devon, a young Amos met the Weasley brothers. Not only this, but the fertile and hills of the Shire land was also the home to the Lovegood and Fawcett families. With that, Amos quickly found his “siblings” with the family members of his neighbors. Going to school with many of them made their little adventures within the fallen Tudor towers, riverbanks, and grasslands all the better! The youthful Diggory was curious and eager for news of the outside worlds – Magical and Muggle alike. He grew fond of the various little creatures like the bowtruckles and erklings near his home. Although, his mother’s emphasis on being a ‘Pureblood Gentleman’ took his innocence away slightly. Amos was quickly carted off into playing an instrument, studying etiquette, having a fit physique, disciplining of the mind, meeting with other Pureblood families frequently, parties, seeing sports as a luxury, and (of course) good marks in school. Meanwhile, his father put an emphasis on politics – often taking him to the office, showing him card games (along with betting fellow Ministry employees and even kissing arse at times), a prejudice against non-humans (categorized as ‘beings’ in the Ministry – which are much different from beasts, of course), and an understanding of the dark arts. Amos was to be ‘the perfect Purebood prospect’ for their family.

And that he was.

Even if he incorporated his own agenda into it.

In school, raised to be the charmer that he was, Amos shined as a ‘fun and sociable’ young man. While also loyal and determined to excel in magic, Amos was sorted into the Hufflepuff house – to his absolute delight. Immediately taken to Charms and Defense Against the Dark Arts, Amos wormed his way as many of the faculty’s favorite. Even if he had skipped assignments, which he would never do (from pride alone), all he had to do was flash a smile and was in the clear. Although, his favorite subjects were Care of Magical Creatures – from pure nostalgia alone – and Transfiguration. With many friends and favor of the professors, Amos had a bit of an ego. His weaknesses were a lack of humility, insecurities, and a temper that could easily get him in trouble with other classmates.

Amos’ anger surged even more after the death of his parents. First his father from an illness, and then his mother from heartbreak. It made Amos much more somber and dedicated to his schoolwork. Especially when their house-elf Tilly left him on his own. He supposed the betrayal to the family was because Amos disregarded him completely when he was home – if he was ever there. Without any aunts or uncles to turn to for help, Amos became consumed in working new jobs in London, seeing the Underground world. There, he made himself good friends with the innkeeper Tom of The Leaky Cauldron. More often than not, when Amos was not in school, he stayed there. Unfortunately, some of his friends drifted away from him and he grew to appreciate times alone, or with only a friend or so. After getting outstanding scores on his N.E.W.T.S, a Pureblood wizard, that had been friends with his father, offered him a few positions within the Ministry. With new opportunities thrust upon him, Amos felt a bit overwhelmed. He took the proper amount of time to himself, ignoring his friends even more as weeks passed by while he tried to resolve the issue himself. However, there was one thing he was certain: the occupation could not be his entire life. He did not want any future family solely revolving around his own career, his own selfish desires. If his parents taught him anything, it was that family had to be put first. Family above all else – then friends and, finally, work.

In the end, working in the Ministry seemed the most promising. With the options laid out before him, the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures seemed the most logical. He could use his skills of Magizoology, that were his top marks at Hogwarts – and rise in the ranks quickly. Not to mention that it was challenging! And Amos loves a good challenge. The work piqued his interests greatly. It was a way to use his skills, travel, and keep a stable (while sometimes dangerous) occupation. His professors were ecstatic and helped him prepare for what he would need and the up-and-coming interviews. Finally, Amos had a dream and lust for adventure.

PRESENT:

Amos has returned to England – taking up residency in his parents’ old home in Devon. However, sometimes with late nights with work, he rents out his old room in the Leaky Cauldron. Before coming back, however, he had traveled all over Europe. The job needed someone with his knowledge of creatures, and dare he say, his Pureblood bias towards non-humans as well to properly carry out the Ministry’s work. And over the years, he noticed more and more strange behavior. To see if some of the beasts in other parts of the world were acting similarly, Amos decided to get a grant from the Ministry to study out of Europe. For about eighteen months, the Beasts Division allowed him to do some of his scholarly work in the Americas. At the time, because of Muggle-wars, the non-magical world was seeing huge economic reforms and impacting how much the Wizarding world could interact and be out in the open. In short, they let him go to America because it was the only place they could afford to. Their homeland was becoming more and more integrated with Muggle turmoil. Once in the United States, Amos stayed in the wilds of Arizona. There, he used studying Thunderbirds as a cover while watching other magical creatures. Now home, he revels in the stories he holds close to his heart (somewhat even bragging to the wrong ears). All the while, their own war rages on.

Wanting a higher position, Amos has looked into the Being Division within the Ministry. Normally, because of his prejudice against non-humans, Amos would have refused. Especially since house-elves are categorized as beings. However, he has been promised a well-respected role in the Werewolf Support Services for a year. All he has to do is keep his head down and do the tasks at hand. Perhaps here, he can get more answers than his travels did. And while a few of his childhood friends continue to aid the Order, Amos cannot help but wonder in ways he can work behind the curtain. For his own peace of mind, and the devotion to those from his youth (a Hufflepuff through and through – and loyal to a fault). As such, he has given himself the task to find the creatures being recruited for the Dark Lord – and which are still unsure of what side to take. Perhaps, he can even use his charms to convince them. However, no matter what, he cannot do more than gather information…quietly. He cannot jeopardize his career or the Diggory name.

FC CHOICES: Sam Claflin, Garrett Hedlund, or Max Irons

#homenumaccepted

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