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adrischrv · 4 years

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REGNUM [L.H] — Chapter One

Summary: Princess Amberly begins her adventure in Gardenstone’s Homecoming ball. // The first chapter of my King!Luke fanfic.

Author’s Note: Welcome to Regnum, hope you enjoy! English is not my first language so let me know if there are any mistakes. Gif made by Sheisbea in wattpad!

Word count: 2,452

“… The paradisiacal view of Gardenstone is, without a doubt, one of its greatest attractions. With special mention to the Flaney Forest, the national pride full of ruins of the ancient world …”

The presentation brochure did not lie at all, if in mere images the forest looked beautiful and imposing I can imagine how majestic it would be to see it live. But for now, I could only do that, imagine the places that Gardenstone offered as the time passed since my arrival locked in a room.

One day passed since my picturesque journey from my kingdom to Gardenstone … my kingdom-to-be. I was traveling like a bunch of lobsters, the most important thing Maredale exchanged with Gardenstone, to realize the longed-for union between both kingdoms and in the process, marry someone I had not seen in my entire life.

I’m trained to be a strong leader but not arrogant, humble but not naive, and seductive but not easy, but something had been missing from the list and that was how to be a good wife. I knew how to run an entire country, but the heart of a man? Lost cause. And it was normal, with only 19 years it is not my fault to know absolutely nothing about the subject, more than the common and what I read in my romance books, of course. I kept telling myself over and over how important it had been to pay attention to my parents’ relationship when I was a child, maybe I would know how to start a conversation with my husband, was that important? Should I speak to him?

“Your Highness, I’m sorry to interrupt. Queen Susan has sent this maid to you.”

The guard’s words helped me get out of the spiral.

I nodded as I watched a freckled red-haired girl approach with a box in her hands that she balanced as she bowed.

“Good morning, Your Highness. My name is Lidia and I have come to help you.”

“A pleasure to meet you, Lidia. You can call me Amberly,” I smiled. “Excuse me, but help me with what, exactly?”

Lidia gave a little laugh, taking brushes and makeup from the box and placing them on the dresser; the only piece of furniture in the room along with the bed. I took a seat watching Lidia inspect my curly hair in the mirror.

“King Robert has organized a homecoming dance in your honor, Queen Susan seems to have convinced him that leaving you locked up until the coronation is done is not the way to treat a guest … much less if it will be our future Queen.”

“Future queen.”

The words echoed in my mind, realizing the seriousness of them.

Years ago, “The International Revolution” had been present, everything got out of control. There were no intermediaries, intentions to fix it, faith, or hope. In a world where more than 80% of the earth was uninhabitable, a scattered society grew up and far from all the horror; Lauxwell, Gardenstone, and Maredale; three kingdoms that from the beginning asked for their expansion. Lauxwell and Maredale boast coastlines and rivers, while Gardenstone lives in the middle of both. There was a deal to be made and everyone knew about it, two united kingdoms would cause the fall of the one who was left behind, it was fate. My mother, Queen Elizabeth, had made a deal with the Kings of Gardenstone where both kingdoms would unite, and eventually, Lauxwell must do so as well, leaving one of the kings’ children and me in command.

I watched Lidia place four different dresses on the bed, needing to ask her a question.

“Lidia, what do you think of the princes? Jake and …?”

“… Luke, Your Highness.”

“Yes, Luke … I’ve heard about both of them but I need to know more. Tell me your opinion, without fear.”

Nervous, the maid spread one of the dresses in my direction. Immediately, I went to change behind a curtain while she spoke.

“Well, if you want to know … Prince Jake, your future husband, is charismatic and reserved. Nothing like the brother.” She shook her head. “Prince Luke is an open book, predictable and, excuse the audacity, extremely spoiled. I’ve lost count of all the girls who claim to have been with him, your high- Amberly.”

I chuckled when I heard how Lidia spoke about my future brother-in-law. She wasn’t wrong; Prince Luke was handsome, his blond hair looked like pure gold, and his blue eyes weren’t far from a replica of the ocean, but his arrogant, carefree, and selfish personality made him look like the worst candidate for any throne, or so they said. It was curious to analyze the capabilities and goals that I possess compared to those of Luke, who despite being two years older than me, seemed to have practically no training as well as his interest in the crown.

“I appreciate your honesty, Lidia,” I said sincerely. “I haven’t had the honor of meeting them yet, but something tells me that Prince Jake is a good person.”

“He is, and you will be astonished when you see him. You’re ready, by the way.”

The dress she had given me was light pink; made of pure silk, short sleeves raised slightly at my shoulders that guide the viewer to the factory V-cut, and a remarkable length to the floor, without being floaty. This color highlighted my light brown hair -like my eyes- which reached a little before my ribs dropped in majestic waves - my favorites. I looked radiant, although I would always prefer to wear a pair of pants and a jacket on casual days.

Two knocks on the door made Lidia cross the room quickly to attend to it.

“Excuse the interruption, Your Majesty.” A rather formally dressed boy appeared. “Allow me to introduce myself, I am Hood, the son of the Diplomatic Advisor of the Kings, but to be honest, I think I am a bit of everything. The dance guests are here. The kings asked me to escort you to the ballroom.”

“Right away. Thank you very much for your help, Lidia.”

The maid nodded, a little taken aback by my thanks. Hood extended an arm and I reciprocated.

“So Hood… that doesn’t seem like your name, is that your last name?”

“You’re perceptive, Your Highness, I like it. It is my last name, my name is Calum but my father does not approve of saying my name. In the palace, I am best identified by my surname.”

I allowed myself to look away from the virtual paintings that adorned the halls, slowly reproducing old and new photographs of the royal family. Prince Luke looked happy in the older ones and there was no sign of him in the newer ones.

“… So I recommend you not drink the yellow liquid, it leaves a pretty bad mouth odor.” For a second I had forgotten that I was walking with Calum. “Any questions, princess?”

I opened my mouth to reply, being interrupted by some strong footsteps coming down the stairs at the end of the hall.

“There you are, Calum! I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”

A youthful voice was present, it was Prince Luke.

I allowed my eyes to roam his face. If I weren’t going to marry his brother, I would dare to think of his features as those of a Greek god I read so much about. So thin they were shocking. His blond curls gave a familiar air after having seen the queen’s hair, he had stopped at a point where the sun was shining on him, making the delicacy of the fabric of his white shirt revealing a little of his body. Suddenly, I was not surprised because he had many young women at his feet.

The blonde stopped when he noticed my presence. His demeanor changed radically and he became serious, his look bordering on arrogance.

“Good night… princess.”

His blue eyes peered up and slid boldly over my silhouette. My body tensed and the prince smiled when he noticed.

“If you allow us … Even if not, I honestly don’t care …” He laughed. If he hadn’t said that, I would have found him adorable. “I’ll take Calum with me for a moment.”

The prince tugged at Calum. I looked at the young man with concern, I still needed to know where to go.

“Follow the hall to the end, the door is open. See you later, Your Highness.” Calum indicated as if reading my mind.

"Thanks, Hood.”

I smiled walking past them with my posture restored. I regulated my breathing as I made my way to the living room when I realized that I had stopped breathing.

The queen had wanted to mix the past of our world with the modernity of the present, starting with a classic giant chandelier right in the center of the room. Below, a circular platform with the thrones for the hosts of the evening. The people of the kingdom enjoyed the food displayed on a long table to one side of the room and the classical music that played in the background invited them to dance.

The sigh of someone behind me caught my attention.

“Oh! Nice to see you, Prince Jake.”

Prince Jake perfectly wore a suit that undoubtedly highlighted his arms, which looked strong and his spectacular form. Years of difference and experience showed in his handsome face adorned with a blond beard.

“Let’s not be formal with each other. We’re going to be husbands, after all, ”he suggested, extending his hand at the invitation of a dance.

I had a hard time knowing if his tone was friendly or serious, however, I took his hand and we began to dance.

“You’re right”.

“What would you like me to call you? Amberly, your highness, fiancée…?” Jake asked, this time clearly friendly.

I smiled.

"You can call me Amberly, Ams … My father used to call me Amber,” I said, too lost to notice that I had said it in the past tense.

“I heard about your father, I think he was one of the best kings the new world could witness. And he was very considerate in changing the laws to allow your mother to reign without him … Ams.”

My father had left my mother to take a year off, a year that lasted since I was seven. He left, leaving my mother in charge of the kingdom as the first queen to do it on her own.

I looked at my mother across the room. She was the older, talented, and brave version of me. She was talking with the King and Queen of Gardenstone using an air of born charisma and smiling. Our eyes met, suddenly I wanted to ask for the thousandth time the true importance of this union. But I couldn’t, it would be absurd, so I just smiled.

King Robert was a man with a fair complexion, brown hair, and a not very expressive face that was affected by stress and age lines, wearing a suit with insignia representing different achievements. Next to him, the flawless Queen Susan settled in a red dress noticeably longer than mine and long sleeves that her collected blonde hair revealed. Her air of excellence and at the same time warmth was incomparable, I felt happy with the simple idea of being able to exchange ideas, doubts, and advice with the queen.

The king gave his wife a kiss on the palm of his hand and looked at Jake just as the current piece was coming to an end, asking him to join him in talking with my mother.

"See you after my speech,” Jake apologized.

Queen Susan approached silently offering her arm, I reciprocated and we began to walk around the people in the room.

“You look beautiful, my dear,” the queen said, breaking the silence. “Sorry we didn’t have time to talk earlier, but tell me how are you handling all this?”

I had even thought-rehearsed the correct answer.

“It is new and certainly a little scary, but I am not closed to the advantages and possibilities that there are in achieving this union, your majesty.”

“It’s a real honor to have you here, I can’t wait to show you everything so that you will soon be queen, I mean it. But we can start with my son, what do you think of him?”

"I don’t know him well enough, he seems to be a man who knows what he wants and has good manners.”

The truth is, I just thought he was very attractive and I only knew what Lidia had told me before. What I couldn’t help was being curious about Prince Luke.

“He can be when he knows what he wants but he doesn’t know what that is yet. Hope you help him figure it out if it’s not too much to ask.”

I nodded. In an instant, the king was beckoning me from a table set discreetly in the corner of the room, Luke was beside him. He was holding the hand of a fair-skinned blonde girl who looked almost angelic in the white dress she was wearing. She might seem like a princess. Seem.

The queen followed my gaze and lowered her arm.

"Oh, don’t worry dear, go to the King. We´ll have plenty of time to talk.”

I bowed and walked over to the King and Prince.

“Princess, excuse me for abusing your kindness, I know that you have received war planning lessons since you were little and I thought I would show you this simulator. My useless son does not know what would be the necessary movement to attack this blue base.”

The king says indicating the piece in the center of the map. I began to analyze it, the king had three large troops occupied and two small ones unoccupied and the base did not seem large. Luke moved the two little ones to the base, getting a glare from his father. I looked at them curiously for a moment, was this a test for me or for Luke?

Regardless of the answer, I took a large one taking it to the side with a small one, and did the same with the ones that were left at the base, leaving them balanced. The king smiled and applauded.

“Wonderful! Very simple, isn’t it?” The King exclaimed, clearly annoying Luke.

"As simple as there is, actually.”

An unknown voice caught the attention of everyone at the table. The owner was unknown to me but seeing that raven-haired man move in my direction, I knew it was his intention to change it.

#5sos #5 seconds of summer #luke hemmings #luke hemmings fanfiction #king!luke #prince!luke #ashton irwin #imagine #king!ashton #michael clifford #calum hood #smut #readregnum #5sos fic #fanfic #5sosfam

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ninja-librarian · 6 years

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Commission for @equalskiersten, a story of Pidge/Atlas! Dedicated to all the antis and everyone who has ever said “You can’t ship that”.

For info about commissions, click here!

There had been many things in Katie Holt’s life that she loved. Her parents, her older brother, her dog Bae Bae, peanut butter…

But robots… Robots would always be her greatest love.

She just never thought that, one day, a robot would love her the same way.

*****

It began with discovering King Alfor’s notes from when he built the Lions of Voltron. Pidge found details about how Allura’s father had developed the sentience that the Lions had, which also had the potential to enable Atlas to communicate directly with the ship’s crew. Of course, Pidge had wanted to test this information out immediately.

With the encouragement of her teammates and the equally eagerly curious Garrison engineers and commanding officers, Pidge got to work. Hours later, Pidge stood on the bridge of the Atlas, heart pounding, ready to test and see if her efforts were a success or not.

She activated the ship and said, “Hello, Atlas.”

There was silence. A beat. Then two. Then three. Then…

“Hello, Katie Holt.”

Pidge gasped, grinning. It worked!

The voice was crisp and clear, but with a slight accent that was similar to the posh accent Allura spoke with. The voice was also male, which Pidge found interesting. Though the same tech had been used with all five of the Lions of Voltorn, it seemed that each machine assumed its own gender rather than be assigned one.

“Tell me about yourself, Atlas,” Pidge said, adjusting her glasses and snatching up her notepad, ready to take notes. She hoped Atlas’ Artificial Intelligence could pass the Turing Test, but she had to establish a baseline of the ship’s knowledge and thinking patterns first in order to see what needed to be worked on.

“I am Atlas. I am a battleship. I have weaponry. My design was based off of those of King Alfor, of the planet Altea. I protect Earth and the people of Earth.” Atlas dutifully explained. “When necessary, I can change my shape into a larger version of Voltron.”

“Do you know who pilots you?” Pidge asked.

“My captain is Takashi Shirogane, and his co-pilots are Commander Mitch Iverson, Commander Samuel Holt, Cadet Veronica Ramirez, and Coran Smythe.”

“Okay,” Pidge said, nodding. “So, are you aware of what happens when you are being piloted?”

“Affirmative. I can feel their quintessence. It lends strength to my transformation.”

“Interesting…” Pidge said, scribbling down a note. This was something that she and the other engineers and theorized; though the Garrison built Atlas, and Coran and Allura were undoubtedly the experts regarding King Alfor’s work and Altean technology, there was so much about the Atlas to discover. The ship was quite an enigma. “So. How do you feel about your pilots?”

Atlas was quiet for a moment.

Pidge frowned. “Atlas?”

“I am sorry, Katie Holt,” Atlas said, voice a little clipped. “But I do not understand.”

“Would you like me to rephrase the question?”

“Negative. Your question is understandable. You are asking for my personal opinion of the pilots. However, I do not understand how to respond, as I do not know how to ‘feel’ about them. They are my pilots. They do their jobs well. I do not understand why my opinion matters, even if I did know how to express that opinion.”

Pidge relaxed her shoulders. “Do you… Do you not know what feelings are?”

“Negative.”

“Well, that’s okay,” Pidge reassured. “Everyone has to learn what feelings are at some point, I guess. I mean, everyone feels something emotionally but may not have the words to describe what that feeling is. There’s a range of feelings, too. Happy, sad, angry, scared, jealous—”

“I have no context for these words,” Atlas interrupted.

“Hmm, I guess you don’t.” Pidge said. She thought for a moment. “All right. Then we’ll just introduce context to you.”

She could have easily brought in the Lions; after all, they had some form of emotional capacity—at least enough to bond with their pilots. But if she wanted Atlas to pass the Turing Test, wanted him to be mistaken for a human, then she’d have to teach him like a human.

“Young humans typically learn best by experience and example, both of which typically involve interaction with other, older humans. So, I’ll share my experiences with you, as well as download some media material to your database in order to help you understand.” Pidge explained.

That was how it began, Pidge and Atlas spending time together.

Pidge shared stories of her experiences with joy, with anger, with jealousy, with sadness. She told him stories about adopting Bae Bae and finding the Green Lion, of being bullied as a child and explained why she had been afraid of the dark as a child. Atlas listened, asked questions, used his own logic to comprehend why Pidge felt all of those emotions at various times in her life.

“The saddest I have ever felt…” Pidge trailed off one afternoon when they were discussing sadness. “Was when I found my brother’s grave. His second one, actually. He has two. One on Earth and one deep in space that the rebels created.”

“Your brother Matthew is alive and in good health,” Atlas commented. “Why would there be not one but two death rituals performed?”

“Matt’s been declared dead twice,” She explained. She smiled. “He, Dad and Shiro like to say that the reports of their deaths have been greatly exaggerated. The first time, it was after the Kerberos mission. But the second time… I believed it. I believed he was gone. I was searching for him for so long, and I just felt so alone.”

“Loneliness is what made you sad?”

“Yes. But, also, yeah, that I thought he was dead. Permanently dead.”

“Death is a natural part of the life cycle. All living beings experience death; it is to be expected.”

“Not usually with someone so young and healthy.”

“But in a war that you knew he was fighting in?”

“Hmm, how do I explain this?” Pidge said, tapping her chin. “It doesn’t matter if someone dies when they are very old or very young. You can still be sad because someone you love is gone.”

Atlas was quiet for a moment, then, “Love? Explain love.”

“Love is…” Pidge trailed off. “It’s a strong emotion you feel for someone or something. There’s different types of love. There’s platonic love, which is love for your friends. Like I have for my friends, the Paladins. Then there’s family love, which I have with my parents and Matt. Then there’s love for animals, or colors, or types of objects like tech, books, art… That’s more of an appreciation, I guess. Then there’s romantic love, which is where you form a deep connection with another person; it’s kind of like a more intense version of love for friends, and in a lot of cases a romantic partner may become family through marriage ceremonies.”

“How does one know that they love something or someone?”

“Well, it’s things that make someone really happy. Like I love technology and robots; they make me happy, and I get enjoyment out of learning and interacting with them.”

“Is love with another being similar?”

“Right. It’s being happy with other people. Enjoying spending time with them. Wanting to make sure that they are happy and safe, with their needs met.”

Atlas was quiet again, then, “I understand, Katie Holt. I understand.”

Pidge, however, didn’t understand. At least, not until weeks later…

*****

Pidge sat, giddy with excitement as Hunk took a seat in front of the computer. Today, they were finally performing the Turing Test on the Atlas. She, Hunk and a few curious bystanders were on one side of the Garrison; the Atlas was in a hanger on the other side. In the middle, in his office, was Commander Holt. Hunk was going to ask both the Atlas and Sam a question, and both were to send their answers electronically to the computer, where Hunk would then try to determine whose answer belonged to the man or the ship. Meanwhile, Matt—who had chosen the questions and format of the test—sat at another computer, able to see who the answers truly belonged to.

Hunk challenged questions of science, literature, math, and various other topics. He asked for the word ‘milk’ in Spanish. He asked for each of them to make-up a short story involving a narwhal. He sent images and told them to answer with how the picture made them feel or how the photo’s subject felt, such as a child with a dropped ice cream cone or a bride and groom.

“All right,” Hunk said. “One last photo, with one last question.”

Pidge was surprised when Hunk pulled up a picture of herself and posed the question, “In one word, say how you feel about this person.”

The results were instantaneous. One anonymous response read HAPPY. The other read LOVE.

Hunk sorted them just as quickly, placing LOVE under Commander Holt’s answers and HAPPY under Atlas’.

Done, Matt stood up. “Let’s go analyze the data in Atlas’ hanger.”

They all moved to the hanger and inside the ship in question. Matt stood at the helm, looking at the assembled pilots, engineers, and top brass. “It is with great pleasure that I announce that Atlas has passed the Turing Test! His answers are indistinguishable from that of a human being!”

There was a great amount of cheering and celebrating. Pidge beamed with delight.

“I’m so proud of you, Atlas!” She told the ship, resting her hand on one of the walls.

“Thank you, Katie Holt.” Atlas said. “I am grateful for the experience, and the time we spent together.” The ship hesitated, then asked, “Will we be able to continue to do so, now that the Test is completed with success?”

“Of course!” Pidge said, but feeling a little confused. She had a feeling that Atlas was trying to convey something to her…

Matt smiled at her, and beckoned her over. “Come walk with me, little sis.”

Pidge did so, following Matt off the bridge, away from the people.

“There’s something you need to know,” Matt told her. “That last question? The one with your picture? That’s the one that allowed Atlas to pass.”

Pidge frowned. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, I picked that photo, that question for a reason,” Matt said. “I thought Dad would have been the one to respond with ‘love’ or something similar.”

Pidge’s heart did a small leap. “You mean… Atlas was the one who responded with ‘love’?”

“Yeah,” Matt said, sticking his hands in his pockets. “Kind of crazy, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…” Pidge whispered. “Excuse me.”

She ran into the heart of Atlas’ engine room, a private place where she knew the ship’s AI could hear her. She placed her hand on a piece of cold metal and said, “Atlas?”

“Yes, Katie Holt?”

“Can I ask you a question?”

“You may. It is the day for asking me questions, after all.”

Ah, so he developed a sense of humor and snark, too…

Pidge took a deep breath and asked, “Do you love me?”

“Affirmative, Katie Holt. I love you.”

“Do you… Is it… As a friend?”

“Negative.”

“As family?”

“Negative.

Pidge’s heart was pounding in her chest. “Do you… Do you love me in a romantic sense.”

“Affirmative.”

Pidge’s eyes filled with tears. “I love you, too, Atlas. I love you, too…”

#Pidge/Atlas #Voltron: Legendary Defender #VLD #Pidge #Voltron #Atlas #Katie Holt #Writing #Commission #Writing Commission #Pidge x Atlas

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wildflower8281 · 5 years

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Books! How Reading Has Elevated My Mind & Heart Post-Convent

In the convent we were only provided with catholic books. There were libraries in every convent and we were reading all the time actually, but it was all catholic culture, doctrine, spirituality, thought. I have undoubtedly read the life of every single religious nun in church history. When I came home, it took me awhile to not feel scandalous reading other material or books. Even flipping through a regular magazine felt borderline sinful because of what I was exposing myself to - articles about sex, humans in underwear or bathing suites, products enhancing vanity, etc. As I state everywhere, the Program is real and it took me probably about a year before I ‘strayed’ into reading non-catholic books.

Eventually I headed over to the library, got myself a card and wandered through the great halls and explored. It was one of the most liberating moments post-convent, for me. To be able to freely wander these fantastic long rows of all the books I could ever want! It was an introvert and writer’s dream! Fictional stories about different places, books on nature, animals, travel, art! Books on psychology, the brain, nutrition, health! And of course, books on all the religions and spiritualities in the world. It was definitely a moment of mental liberation and thrill for me when I realized how much of the world had been kept from me and how much I was now totally free to explore! Yes, in religious life we were exposed to music, art, history, philosophy - it was actually a very rigorous academic formation - but it was all within the context of the church, it was all always catholic in some form or fashion.

Reading took me into the world at large and let my mind breathe outside of the church confines. I reveled in reading a book about the brain! I relaxed and enjoyed the comfort of a good fiction book on a snowy day. Reading definitely played a huge part in deprogramming my mind from not only all the convent culture, but the catholic programming as well. As someone who is naturally docile and a pleaser, I had accepted mostly everything without question (which is why I was fantastic as a religious superior by the way.) There were always a minority of sisters who were intellectually curious and rebellious, who would question the things or care enough to ask. I didn’t really. It was easier to just assent and move along. However, reading helped me not only open my mind, but begin to use it again, to learn the questions, to integrate new information regarding the church, the world, and myself. No wonder they don’t let religious read more non-catholic stuff - it creates free thinking humans!

Ok, so here is my list of some truly life-changing books, in my geek-opinion. I would recommend these books to any person, whether they were a nun in a past life or not, male or female or any gender identity honestly. I think they are good for the human spirit and mind to learn about, to traverse and integrate!

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: This is an international forever best seller, life-changing type of book. It is published in 56 languages and has won the Guinness World Record as the most translated book by a living author. Need I say more? It is in essence a fable about a young man who traverses the desert and has different experiences, searching for his purpose. Underneath the story, the mythical characters, the magical desert landscapes are truths about life, love, and self that will resonate if you have a beating heart. There is really nothing more to say here.

The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown: This amazing woman is generally more known for her Ted Talk and for her book, “Daring Greatly,” however for me, it was ‘The Gifts of Imperfection’ that really spoke to many things I was struggling with on my road back into the world. She is famous for her TedTalk on Vulnerability, which probably every human should watch. She teaches on courage, authenticity and showing up as yourself, not faking for anyone. The things she speaks and writes have always resonated with me, because she speaks the language of being human. This book however is a short and sweet version of her overarching philosophy. It’s divided into bite size chapters, packed with real stories and good fodder for thinking, as well as practical ways to implement the practices into your life. Since a lot of convent programming focused on: self-denial, sin, staying busy, keep working, rules, control, falling in line - this book focuses on things like playfulness, creativity, letting go of what people think, self-compassion, heeding intuition, and rest! It’s kind of like an antidote to much of the rigorous mental & physical sides of religious life. For me personally, it kickstarted my curiosity regarding art and creativity specifically. It led me to try new things, to grab some art supplies and begin to just play. Finding art and play was a very deep part of my re-integration and self-confidence that is still with me today. In art and play, I learned to be fully myself without filters. Due to the happiness I found in art & being creative, it opened an entire universe of creativity, movement and freedom for me, mentally, spiritually and physically. Do yourself a favor and grab this short & sweet life manual!

Women’s Body, Women’s Wisdom by Dr. Christianne Northrup, MD: This is basically an anatomy textbook that is fascinating and is helpful if you have a body. True confession: I’m a total geek about the body and enjoy learning about how we work, so dipping into this book was fun for me, however - if you have a body that you live and move and breathe in daily, I highly recommend getting to know how it works for you in exquisite detail at each moment! It’s a big book and that can be off-putting. I get it. The bible is also a big book, but how do you read it? You don’t read it in one sitting, nor do you read it from front to back. You pick it up and read wherever you are led. This is how I read books like Women’s Body, Women’s Wisdom. I read the contents, then skip to any chapter or parts that I’m curious about.

What does this book have to do with life post-convent?

Basic Health: Well, in religious life there was a lot of programming around ignoring the needs of the body, which leads to ignorance in general about how our bodies work and how to take care of them. Also, in religious life, we kind of eat whatever we are given or served. Learning about our bodies and nutrition empower us to choose how we want to nourish our bodies for maximum efficiency and replenishment. This helps us to feel amazing mentally and physically, aiding in our journeys onward. Eating crap and not taking care of our bodies will make the transition into the world - an already rocky one at best - that much more difficult, as our brains will be sluggish, anxious or depressed and our bodies will feel tired and weary. Knowing our bodies and caring for them is perhaps the single most important foundational piece to transitioning back to the world serenely.

Coming Home: Lastly, and personally most important for me was just reconnecting with my body, on the energetic and spiritual level. In the convent (and often in the church,) we live so much in our heads, such an academic and spiritual atmosphere. For a decade, I barely thought about the needs or feelings in my own body. It’s like the priests and nuns are a bunch of heads running here and there. The simple act of sitting and listening to my breathing, or just stopping to notice my heart beat were transformational moments for me. I felt like, ‘Wow, this living, breathing body has been here all along, working for me, taking care of me, doing what she needs to survive, assimilate foods, move for me. And I have utterly ignored every need and feeling from her.’ It was a coming home and a reconciliation for me.

This book will help any human understand their bodily systems much better. It is not heavily scientific, even though she is a renowned doctor. It’s written for the regular person, living a modern-day life. It connects the body with stress effects, the basics of nutrition and shows the energetic connection between the body, mind and illness. It is not new-agey or woo-woo. It’s grounded in legit science and medicine (I say this for the skeptics, because I do believe also in energetic medicines - my Mom is a massage therapist and Reiki practitioner!) It is approachable and easy to read. It’s more like a manual or reference book, but indeed should be read or at least present in any human household!

The Female Brain by Louanne Brizendine, MD: This is along similar lines to Women’s Body, Women’s Wisdom except that it is focused soley on the brain functions and hormones. This book blew up my mind space about my cycle, my hormones and explained so much about how being a menstruating woman feels. I formerly thought that all the hype around pms and cyclical hormones was just that - cultural hype, making fun and being dramatic. This MD explains, again using scientific research in an approachable manner, how exactly our brains work, how our cycles work and how they are connected with the waves of the three main hormones that pulse through us. It’s not a joke, it’s not a drama, it’s basic science and anatomy and how the female brain and reproductive system works. Every human should read it - if they are a menstruating person, or if they know one. Men need to read this book if they are dating women, married to women or are dad’s to women!

This book also empowered me (I rarely use that word because it feels so overused these days, so know that the fact that I’m using it for these two books is noteworthy!) to know myself and my body even more. It helps explain why, as women, we sometimes feel fantastic, strong, outgoing and sexy while other weeks, we may simply want to cozy up in a blanket with a book for 3 days, and not talk to anyone. It helped me understand why sometimes I feel emotionally and mentally resilient, like I can take shit and move on with my day, whereas other days every small comment causes an emotional upset. Understanding my cyclic nature has helped me plan my social life, my errands, my work life, my exercise routines and greatly assisted in relationships. It has given me ownership over my body and being that I am no longer confused or embarrassed by, but rather proud of and make no excuses for. I always know where I am in my cycle and I don’t get freaked out if I am feeling a little low energy or gloomy some days. Additionally, when I am feeling the extra bounce of energy provided by my hormones on the rise, I take full advantage to make social plans, be adventurous and get things done!

Spiritually, I’ve been able to connect the cyclic nature of my body to the cyclic natures of creation and this most definitely has helped me to find peace in each season of a cycle. We cannot be going all the time, just like the flowers are not constantly blooming, and it’s not always Spring. There are seasons of hibernation and stillness, just as much as there are seasons of bursting forth and vibrancy. The ocean waves ebb and flow, the moon waxes and wanes. We go forth and retreat. I’ve written an entire blog on this you can find here (insert link.) Our society and culture, including the culture within the convent, is constantly pushing us to work, keep going, moving always forward (adelante) - however, if we take some wisdom from Nature, we will see that nothing in Nature is always pushing outward. Literally nothing. Things grow and bloom in seasons, in cycles of going forth and pulling inward. This is what our menstrual cycle reminds us to do. Our magic and power as women dwells within us and the only way to tap into that is to have time to go inward. This is why we bleed, why our hormones drop, why we yearn for solitude, quiet and stillness. It’s nature giving us the time we need, just like other living beings, to listen, nourish, incubate the light, love and creative works that we are called to bring forth into the world.

Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd: This provocative title drew me and I also love a good autobiographical account. This is the real story of Sue’s personal spiritual journey, her Story of a Soul, one that began in the christian church world and led her across the world in search of the divine. I was never one to buy into or pay much attention to the charged lingo like ‘patriarchy’ and ‘misogynistic’ things that people said about the church, but when this book found me, I had processed enough of my time in the convent, to read and be open minded about this woman’s journey and search for not only the divine, but truth in the church and rituals. It helped me see with a lot of clarity how things in the convent, especially how we revered the priest ad nauseum, how we served and drove them everywhere, how Mass and many rituals are focused on them - is perhaps a little skewed and off. And I am someone who still holds love for many a priest in my life. I think it’s ok to not be in agreement with the male power in the church, and at the same time truly enjoy the persons that are specific priests in our lives. The book is not all about this, but it was one of the first pieces of literature where - since I was drawn into her personal journey - I read about how patriarchy and men in power can affect one woman’s experience of the Divine and of Church. She takes a beautiful journey that is full of connections to her heart, body, the earth, rituals and a sincere seeking of the Divine.

A few others that come to mind, a short list:

Falling Upwards by Fr. Richard Rohr: This Franciscan priest elaborates on how the second act in someone’s life is often accompanied by great spiritual growth and what we sometimes label as failures or falls actually catapult us forward and upward in wisdom and light. What he connects here regarding veterans who return to civilian life was very helpful & affirming with how many of us feel returning to life in the world, after a unique and extreme situation. Great, helpful read!

The Highly Sensitive Person by Elaine Aron: If you experience sensory overwhelm, have introvert tendencies, don’t like loud places, people, violent movies, etc - this book is for you. It helped me feel normal and be more confident asking for what I need in life, relationships, work and saying no to what I do not enjoy. About 15-20% of humans are HSP, and of that number, 70% are introverts. There is a website dedicated to this book with a quiz you can take to see if you fall into this category.

Quiet by Susan Cain: For all my introverts, do yourself a favor! For all my extroverts, learn about your friends, family and lovers here! This book upped my confidence and self-awareness even more, enabling me to find strength and confidence in my innate, interior, introverted gifts.

The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman: If you plan on loving humans, read this book or at least go to the website, take the quiz and know your own languages. Do you know how you recieve love? Are you a gift person, or acts of service? Do you love physical touch or would you rather have someone compliment you? Also - are you giving love to your loved ones in the language they speak? If you give compliments to someone who prefers acts of service, your compliments will mean nothing. Again, just great to know if you are human and plan on loving and being loved on any level.

Ok, that’s all for now. I could add dozens to this list! Happy Reading!

#formernun #religiouslife #catholiclife #exnun #expriest #formerpriest #ssvm #servidoras #formercatholic #booklover #alchemist #ponderings #postconvent #reading #librarylove #lovelanguages #introvertlife #hsp #freedom

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ponyatta · 7 years

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A (soon) comprehensive list of replies to antis when you have too much to do and can’t argue

I thought this would be nice to do for fans especially with all the goodies we are getting for 3B and anti’s are already coming with their negativity quickly. Its isn’t completed yet but you can still take a read, save it for future, use some of the arguments and tell me what I can add to improve it. I will leave this one up with a link to the updated one before the read more. There are links I haven’t found yet/arguments I haven’t added yet.If there are any mistakes then tell me. For example I can’t see if somethings that should have a link does thanks to the new layout so message me if they don’t. If there could be a point in an argument that isn’t as well then message me also.

Enjoy

Viewers/I don’t dislike Iris because she is black/she makes up an interracial couple/I want my white faves to be together

Interracial marriages were not legalized in the united states until 1967 so on June 12, it will be 50 years since our version of Iris being Iris West-Allen was even legal in a significant portion of where the show is set.

Even with 50 years passing there is still a large issue many have with interracial relationships.

In 2013 there was the huge amount of racist backlash to a cheerios commercial involving an interracial couple and their child to the point that the company had to disable comments from said video on youtube (but you can still see the gist of how terrible it was in the link).

May of 2016, there was an old navy ad on twitter featuring an interracial couple and it also got a flurry of racist comments with many saying they would never shop there again because of the image and just at the end of 2016 there was another incident with a State Farm ad on twitter collecting a large amount of racist comments with people saying how the image disgusted them and making the black man out to be a predator.

A couple was evicted because the landlord found out they were interacial while another were stabbed by a man after they kissed in public.

This is not just your neo-nazis, trolls on twitter and youtube or violent racist. There are also studies which have been done on the way people claim to be okay with interracial couples but may hold subconscious bias.

I/Viewers are not racist for not liking WA/Iris

How would you know? Here is a nice little paragraph from here that gives you an insight on why I ask.

“The problem with asking people to report on their own attitudes about sensitive topics like race and gender, however, is that people are often either unaware of their own biases or unwilling to report them. For example, although most white Americans self-report little to no racial bias against black people, they’ve been shown to possess robust implicit, or nonconscious, biases.”

Why are you attacking me for expressing my opinion?

The same way you are allowed to express your opinion, I am allowed to express mine on yours. You must remember that freedom of speech means that the government is not allowed to retaliate of censor you but that doesn’t mean that the rest of us cannot correct/argue. Attacked is a very strong word that carries a lot of implications. It is unlikely that anymore is happening than people expressing their own opinions about yours to you.

You said something that was wrong and you are being corrected. There is no need to get defensive about it. Realise a mistake and take to correction

You stated an opinion as fact thus denying others theirs/said a blanket statement that doesn’t represent everyone involved.

You said something that has racist undertones and you should acknowledge that then endeavour to fix that.

*Insert anger or defensiveness about the possibility of one being racist/acknowledging their racist action or tendencies*

“White Fragility is a state in which even a minimum amount of racial stress becomes intolerable, triggering a range of defensive moves. These moves include the outward display of emotions such as anger, fear, and guilt, and behaviors such as argumentation, silence, and leaving the stress-inducing situation.” A quote from this journal.

WA have no chemistry

Chemistry is subjective. That is why we have experts (in the form of casting directors, producers and critics) that bring together people or acknowledge those who have the best chemistry. David Rapaport casted most of The Flash’s main characters. When talking to buzzfeed, he said the following:

“That was a really hard role to cast,” Rapaport said. “We had seen Candice initially, but I think we were too early on in the process to cast her so we ended up testing Keke Palmer and this other girl, but they felt a little too young next to Grant. When building an ensemble, you have to do those chemistry reads to find out who works best together. We went back and looked at the tapes and Candice shines — when she smiles, it’s out of control — so we thought, Let’s do another chemistry read and we’ll bring Candice and one other girl in and it was just magic. Everyone in the room and looked at each other and we all just knew it. It just made total sense.”

So not only was she picked based on her chemistry with Grant, they went through a lot to make sure she was the right people and still after all that EVERYONE (which undoubtedly included the executive producers) in the room knew her chemistry with Grant was magic. To say that everyone in that room (including Grant who said once she left the room that Candice was the Iris West they were looking for LINK NEEDED ) somehow is so incompetent at their jobs that a subset of fandom knows better than them is rather insulting and very far fetched.

Furthermore the WA ship or their scenes have won almost all polls taken on various sites when polling the flash so even with how subjective chemistry is a large percentage enjoy the one WA has the most.

Various publications have put WA as one of the best relationships in one way or another. Also for the season 3 premier their chemistry was one of the highlights as noted in many articles. (add link to master post or individual ones) (Add tweets from write who loves westallen)

Even the cast and the people who work on the show love westallen with directors talking openly about how epic the relationship like Kevin Smith and consistently stating that their scenes are the best out of the episodes they direct. Executive Producers have said how much they enjoy writing westallen and Geoff Johns talk about the two of them almost anytime he brings up the show on twitter. (add links)

I like their platonic relationship more

How because they never had one. From the very beginning of the show We know that Barry Allen is hopelessly in love with Iris. During the pilot, He is trying to ask her out. The next episode he confessed his love for her but she just couldn’t hear it and in that same episode she admitted that Barry was one of the reasons that she had never had a real boyfriend before. We see her insinuate in flashbacks that she wouldn’t have dated Eddie if Barry wasn’t in a coma and especially if she knew how he felt about her. And in episode 13 we see that she had been unable to stop thinking about him after his love confession then we learn in the next episode that she always has had/still has these feelings but they just need something to make them come outwords. They literally went on movie, bowling and multiple coffee dates together. They have never had a strictly platonic relationship in the first place. They’ve always had a secretly in love relationship.

Moreover, they are still each other’s best friends while dating. They will still always be the most important person is each others lives. They can love each other in multiple ways at the same time.

Lastly why are you so against them becoming anything more than that? Might it be because you would like her to fall into the strong independent black woman who doesn’t need no man trope (x) (x)/mammy figure (x) (x)? This link is about the boxes that black women are thrown into in fandoms (written before The Flash even aired) and although there are many tropes and roles notice how so many have the prerequisite of her not having any romantic relationship and if she does it isn’t shown on screen more than necessary but can never have one with the main character. Have you fallen for this as well?

Barry doesn’t deserve her

Barry makes mistakes like any human being and she has forgiven him for them. Still it is still understandable to be angry at him but it doesn’t change the fact that he loves her and he makes her happy which is what you should want for her. As noted in this post Barry supports her a lot. We also see that Barry has been described to be willing to do whatever it takes to keep Iris alive in 3B so I think she is lucky to have someone like that.

This sentiment easily fall into the strong independent black woman who doesn’t need no man trope (x) (x). This link is about the boxes that black women are thrown into in fandoms (written before The Flash even aired) and although there are many tropes and roles notice how so many have the prerequisite of her not having any romantic relationship and if she does it isn’t shown on screen more than necessary but can never have one with the main character. Have you fallen for this as well?

Finally if you support an opposing Barry ship and you feel this way then why do you want to him to be with your fave if he doesn’t even deserve Iris. In fact why would you want to watch a show where the protagonist isn’t even good enough for the love of their life.

Iris doesn’t really love him: she’s just following destiny.

Here is a good post that explains why this is not true. Also in season 1 episode 15 “Out of time” Iris says how she was unable to stop thinking about him after his love confession in episode 9 and kissed him. Much before she saw anything about them being together. So we know she had been thinking about her romantic feeling for him since he confessed hers. This can be seen here. https://youtu.be/lbtn_KZmDWU. Also Fake!Wells told Barry in the next episode that she still had those feelings for him but that they were deep in her subconscious so needed something big to force them to the surface as seen here https://youtu.be/2MTzYDFxcYA?t=2m57s and asking her out at a coffee shop while she was still dating her boyfriend probably pushed them further down. So she we have known for absolutely sure that Iris has had feelings for Barry since 1x09. Linda only needed one conversation with Iris about Barry for her to figure out they were in love with each other. Even with, before the show had even started Cisco had only ever heard Iris talk to a comatose Barry/his social media page and already knew that Barry and Iris had was indescribable and was enough for Felicity to know she had no chance as seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gd4V2UiaT0. (add Eddie’s “It’s not about the future its about here and now speech)

In addition to what was said in the previous paragraph about Fake!Wells explaining that Iris’s feelings needed something big to make them conscious rather than subconscious. We also see that she keeps them subconscious so thats he doesn’t mess up the great relationship she already has with Barry because as we have seen, she doesn’t do well without him in her life. So she uses them being married in the future and Earth 2 to reassure herself that if she did try it out it wouldn’t end with them hating each other and never talking again. The same way that his possibly dying was enough for her to have the feeling coaxed out of her in 2x20.

Moreover, we can see that both Candice Patton, Grant Gustin, other members of the show/DCTV and the executive producers do not agree with this. They have all expressed in interviews that that Iris West does love Barry Allen. Aaron Helbing said in an interview “She just moved in with Barry, she’s madly in love with him…” recently in fact. And last year he also said “Barry Allen and Iris West are an iconic relationship. We set it up, at the end of Season 2, that they were going to get together, and then he undid it. But, these two are destined to be together. I would say to keep watching. As with destiny, things end up playing out the way you hoped they would.”

Finally if you don’t believe she doesn’t love him maybe you should look at this gif series which has tags that are a goldmine for understanding their early relationship from valeriemperez also here are their scenes to gether in season 1 and season 2.

Iris doesn’t really love him: she loves the flash.

In season 1 episode 15 “Out of time” Iris says how she was unable to stop thinking about him after his love confession in episode 9 and kissed him. Immediately after that she found out he was the flash. So we know she had been thinking about her romantic feeling for him since he confessed hers. This can be seen here. https://youtu.be/lbtn_KZmDWU. Also Fake!Wells told Barry in the next episode that she still had those feelings for him but that they were deep in her subconscious so needed something big to force them to the surface as seen here https://youtu.be/2MTzYDFxcYA?t=2m57s and asking her out at a coffee shop while she was still dating her boyfriend probably pushed them further down. So she we have known for absolutely sure that Iris has had feelings for Barry since 1x09. Linda only needed one conversation with Iris about Barry for her to figure out they were in love with each other. Even with, before the show had even started Cisco had only ever heard Iris talk to a comatose Barry/his social media page and already knew that Barry and Iris had was indescribable and was enough for Felicity to know she had no chance as seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gd4V2UiaT0.

It wasn’t until he had lost his powers that she next confessed her feeling for him. She told him then that she didn’t care if he was the flash or not but wanted to be with him - Barry Allen. In season 3 she even tried to keep him being the flash out of their love life and told him he was perfect without his powers. What more do you want from her?

Candice Patton, who plays Iris West has spoken about how the reason we saw such intense attraction between Iris and The Flash was because The Flash was everything Barry was but more confidently. Also it allowed her to explore her feelings for Barry without her having all the restriction in her mind of her relationship with Barry Allen i.e. best friends she would never want to lose because without him she is miserable. I REMEMBER THIS BUT I CANNOT FIND WHEN SHE SAID THIS.

Iris’s feelings came out of nowhere

In season 1 episode 15 “Out of time” Iris says how she was unable to stop thinking about him after his love confession in episode 9 and kissed him. So we know she had been thinking about her romantic feeling for him since he confessed hers. This can be seen here. https://youtu.be/lbtn_KZmDWU. Also Fake!Wells told Barry in the next episode that she still had those feelings for him but that they were deep in her subconscious so needed something big to force them to the surface as seen here https://youtu.be/2MTzYDFxcYA?t=2m57s and asking her out at a coffee shop while she was still dating her boyfriend probably pushed them further down. So she we have known for absolutely sure that Iris has had feelings for Barry since 1x09. Linda only needed one conversation with Iris about Barry for her to figure out they were in love with each other. Even with, before the show had even started Cisco had only ever heard Iris talk to a comatose Barry/his social media page and already knew that Barry and Iris had was indescribable and was enough for Felicity to know she had no chance as seen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Gd4V2UiaT0.

Even her boyfriend and her father knew that there was something more between them with Eddie knowing that he couldn’t never compete with it. It was his own words when he said that “There were always three people in this relationship.” MAY BE PARAPHRASED The show finds it hard to deal with the point of views other than white men but we see their more-than-friends-but-don’t-realise-it a lot in season 1. We see her struggle with her feelings for Barry a lot in with his confession, as she asks him if she should move in with Eddie and so much more that valeriemperez highlights so much better in these series of gifs called westallen by scene and the tags are a goldmine for understanding their relationship. You can see all of their scene that season here.

In season 2, their scenes are less especially before the winter break because they were selling Barry/Patty and she was grieving her dead fiance while Barry was feeling guilty about Eddie’s death as well. Still we see Iris parallel her response to him dating Linda in the way that she responds to finding out he is going on a date with Patty. She trusts him with her life enough to jump out of a skyscraper when he tells her to. She talks about her doppelganger having sex and them possibly getting married with him at a club. She tells him to come home (which we learn later meant to her) before going to earth 2. He helped her get closure with Eddie. She stopped seeing her rebound guy to spend time with him. She went to him about her brother first and he relied on him to tell her father about him. You can see these scenes and more here. And even them it wasn’t until next season that they became a couple.

ALSO ADD THE ARGUMENT ABOUT HOW IT MAY BE DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO EMPATHIZE WITH PEOPLE OF COLOUR. I’M LOOKING FOR A STUDY SO IF ANYONE COULD PROVIDE THAT WOULD BE GREAT. Therefore it might have been difficult for you to see her feelings manifest.

They are siblings/Iris and Barry are incest

It if very rude to people who have actually experience incest for people to be using their trauma wrong for petty fandom fights. Like incredibly disgusting. Like don’t do that. Ever. Stop. You don’t like them. Fine. Don’t call incest.

Why aren’t they siblings? Well a large number of reasons. One is that they never saw each other that way. In the very first episode they explains that they are not brother and sister but they just lived together. This is the narrative of the show that was set up at the very pilot of the show. They did not start their relationship from when they lived together like some who many believe to be in comparable situations but rather had a preexisting relationship as friends that they simply built up on. They were raised as friends - not siblings. We see how Barry treats Iris and how it is different to how Wally and Iris treat each other as to further highlight how they are not siblings. Nobody in the narrative has a problem with their relationship. In fact Joe was very supportive of them throughout season 1.

They do not share the same father as one of Barry’s storylines was him getting his father out of jail which was not Joe. We see him call Joe “Joe” or “your dad” when talking to Iris constantly. The only reason that Joe took in Barry was because he was his daughter’s best friend and when Barry was growing up they were not all that close because the only other person that believed that Henry Allen didn’t kill Nora Allen was Iris West before the particle accelerator accident. We can see how strained their relationship actually was before Joe started to help him find his mother’s killer in the pilot. Joe is Barry’s father figure and all of team flash is a family and especially so the west-allen clan but that doesn’t make them siblings. We’ve seen Iris interact with Barry’s father as well as she brought him in to help Barry and tried to get his medical license back.

Moreover, they aren’t siblings full stop though because Barry wasn’t adopted by the West or his name would have changed to Barry West. So they aren’t related. They made it very easy to see the difference between them for the sparse viewer by making one black and the other white, ergo making them look nothing alike. On this note I should add that SB shippers sometimes use the argument that Grant and Danielle look so similar to each other as a reason why the ship should happen but outside small fandom circles that fact is never used against the relationship. Legally there is nothing wrong with Barry and Iris’s relationship as noted in more detail in this post here. So the claim that they are sibling is wrong. The claim that they are “kinda” or technically siblings doesn’t make them that. It is also wrong because you can either be someone’s sibling or not. It is a discrete variable. A yes or no. And the answer is no. There is no inbetween. You tick boxes to be yes not the ones you make up and they are legally, genetically and interpersonal connection. They don’t tick any of them.

The cast see nothing wrong with their relationship and Grant and Candice don’t see them as siblings also. And the people who are making the show feel that there is nothing wrong with it either. In fact they have stated many times that they love writing their relationship evolve into a romantic one. And many other DCTV starts like Violette Beane and Caity Lotz have said that they love their relationship as well. Even the child that played young Barry loves their relationship as well. Directors that come for an episode at a time have also spoken highly of the two of them and their scenes together.

So not only are they not siblings as in line with the narrative of the show and nobody has a problem with their relationship in the world of the show but that they are legal and people who work on the show and make it have no problems with them and even love them as a couple.

I would also want you to note why you stick with this claim after almost 3 seasons? Could this be because of race? This link is about the boxes that black women are thrown into in fandoms (written before The Flash even aired) and although there are many tropes and roles notice how so many have the prerequisite of her not having any romantic relationship and if she does it isn’t shown on screen more than necessary but can never have one with the main character. Have you fallen for this as well? We see that Brotp or the exclamation that two people are like siblings is seen disproportionately with characters of colour as noted by many people here, here, here and here. So you many want to critically analyse your intentions of shouting this wrong claim.

#candice patton #iris west #westallen #Anti masterpost #my post #tf

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vileart · 7 years

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A Girl and a Dramaturgy: Louise Orwin @ Edfringe 2017

A Girl & A Gun by Louise Orwin

Venue: Summerhall, Anatomy Lecture Theatre, Venue 26

Dates: 2-27 Aug (not 3, 7, 14, 21)

Time: 18.00 (70 mins)

What was the inspiration for A Girl & A Gun?

I started researching the basis of the show, when I began re-thinking Godard’s famous statement: ‘All you need to make a movie is a girl and a gun.’ I’ve always been a massive fan of film, and the French new wave in particular, but as my politics developed I began to wonder exactly what it was that Godard was saying when he uttered those words. I felt like there was perhaps a clue in those words as to who he was making film for (spoiler

alert: MAN). Thinking about the male gaze in cinema is nothing new- I am fanatic about Laura Mulvey’s work on this topic, but at this point in time I began to really think about my own appetite for these kind of images as a reasonably well-informed, politically engaged young woman.

At the same time as pondering these ideas a few other things happened. Beyonce released her music video for ‘Videophone’ featuring her and Lady Gaga scantily-clad bearing multi-coloured guns as props; I watched Springbreakers and the scene where two teenage girls lie on a bed surrounded by guns and using them a sexual props stuck with me; and I came across the work of B-movie mogul Andy Sidaris, who essentially makes low-grade Bond-esque action films which always star playboy bunnies running around with guns. I kept thinking about the references to guns in each of these contexts, how the images were stuck in my head, how they all elicited different reactions from me (but overwhelming a mix of being reviled and attracted at the same time), I wondered about the economy of power when a woman in a bikini holds a gun (is it/can it ever be empowering), I wondered who these images were for. I then started thinking about my own appetite for these kind of images, perhaps starting to realise that it was an appetite that had started at quite a young age.

Realizing that there was something almost unconscious about my response to these kind of films, I decided I wanted to make a show that interrogated the allure of the image of the girl and the gun on film, and interrogated how deeply embedded these kind of films can become in our psyches.

Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas?

Yes. I mean, I hope so. If it’s not, I’ll stop what I’m doing right now…. But, honestly, it is absolutely my belief that performance is one of the best arenas to tackle big issues. We live in a confusing world, I believe, now more than ever. With its half-read, click-bait, list-icles, and its ever-increasing platforms for political discussion, speech and demonstration, its fake news and its echo chambers. I think its hard to find spaces to really chew over ideas, to consider the grey areas, to ask the difficult, big questions. I think theatre and performance spaces are brilliant for doing just that. If done right, they can provide an hour long meditation for audiences to consider topics and issues in all their complexity. And crucially, they can do this in very different means to the mediums we are used to, which I believe can help people understand issues in different lights.

In my work, I use ambiguity as a driving force to help open up, and grease discussion for topics that irk me, or anger me, or confuse me. I dislike being preached to, and I think many people feel the same. In my mind, ambiguity can activate an audience- keeps them alive with questions, and thus part of the conversation. That’s not to say that I don’t have strong opinions, but often the work I make covers a topic where there isn’t black or white. I want to make work that provokes discussion and debate, that keeps you thinking, or keeps coming back to you, niggling at you long after you’ve left the theatre.

How did you first become interested in making performance?

I did a BA in Drama and English at Bristol which had a real emphasis on avant-garde work and film/mixed media performance which has undoubtedly had a huge impact on my work, but it was only after graduating from my MA in Performance Research from RCSSD in 2011 that I began working as a solo artist. My MA was basically a research-led course, so I spent a year in a studio banging my head against a wall trying to figure out what my practice was, and lo and behold a year later I emerged a fully-formed practitioner. Which is obviously a complete lie- it was when I graduated that’s when the real work began. But that year set me in really good stead for asking difficult questions about my practice, and the work I wanted to make. I remember a course tutor saying to us: ‘what’s that thing that itches at you? The thing that won’t go away no matter how hard you scratch at it?’ I find that’s where the good work always is- it’s a problem waiting to be worked out, worked through. And there’s a good chance that if it’s itching so much at you, its probably itching at other people as well. I guess it’s there that I realized that I had really specific things I wanted to itch at, and that it felt like performance was the only way I was going to get at them.

Is there any particular approach you took to the making of the show?

This show was quite interesting for me in terms of process, because the concept or conceit of the show (whereby the show is performed by me and a new male performer every night, reading our lines and following stage directions from a live autocue) came quite early on in the process. This meant that the show became quite fixed in its development early on. With other shows I tend to have a really long research and development phase, followed by a phase of making and writing where I let myself create without restriction, without fear of it being shit- I just produce and produce and produce. And then after this the editing phase happens. With this show, I knew I had certain things that needed to happen when I was writing: I knew that the male part needed a specific arc of narrative or development, I knew that I needed to take into account the fact that there are constantly two cameras on stage, I knew that my role on stage would have to be performer, but also stage manager, and so on.

It was also the first time I’d ever written a film script- which was interesting and fun, and a very different challenge. My work is always very visual, so I’m quite used to story-boarding my work anyway, but this was a whole new kettle of fish.

Technically, it was quite a difficult script to write. Although I could plan for my scenes, as the character of ‘Him’ is played every night by someone who hasn’t seen the script before, it was a balancing act between trying to be as clear and demonstrative as possible for that person, while still staying true to the ‘experiment’ of having an unprepared performer on stage with me. Not knowing quite what this performer will do, or how they will perform their role is exciting, but you still need to make sure that the show holds together as much as possible.

Does the show fit with the style of your other productions?

Yes, there are definitely elements in it which I think are very ‘Louise Orwin ™’ – its use of mixed-media on stage, its participatory engagement, its tone which is playful and possibly slightly threatening at the same time, its willingness to provoke an audience in dark and surprising ways. But the format is probably something which is very different to other shows of mine too. Plus it’s the first time I’ve assumed an actual ‘character’.

When I’m on stage I’m normally playing some heightened version of myself, I call her ‘Louise in inverted commas’. The role I play in this, ‘Her’, is like a development of that- she is very campy with her Southern Belle accent, and her cherry stalk twirling and her flirtatious gestures, but in other ways she is also just an extension of myself. She is the femme fatale character I wanted to grow up to be as a child, she is everything I love and hate about hyper-femininity, and in this way she is everything I feel about my own femininity made physical, visible on stage.

I like to play with audience perception of myself, and so there are moments when this character might slip- but the audience will struggle to identify whether this slippage is real or another part of the production. I like to keep my audiences guessing, keep them alive in the experience. If you give them everything, with no work of their own to do, you might as well just let them sleep through the show and deliver them a FAQ after.

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

People often leave the auditorium feeling like they’ve been ‘part of something’. I think the device of using an unprepared performer on stage can make the audience feel as if they are watching one of their own up there. There is always laughter, and also a few tears. I’ve had women come up to me and tell me that the show spoke to them about how they seem themselves in society, or about struggling with past abusive relationships. I’ve had young men come up to me and tell me that they’ll never be able to watch their favourite films in the same way again.

There are loads of hidden references all over the script and staging to popular cinema which makes the show feel super familiar to audiences- people have come up to me afterwards asking me if parts of the script are directly lifted from films, but its all original. This was a deliberate choice to give my audiences a feel of the uncanny whilst they’re watching, in the hope that this may help they see anew.

I’m really excited to bring the show to Edinburgh too, with its plethora of performers (fresh meat!) and its saturation, and excitement, and its jaded audiences. I’m wondering how the show will develop and change each night, and how it might change doing the show for such a long time too.

vimeo

A Girl and A Gun Trailer from Louise Orwin on Vimeo. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Times; min-height: 14.0px} p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Tahoma} p.p4 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Tahoma; min-height: 14.0px} span.s1 {font: 12.0px Times} from the vileblog http://ift.tt/2uvsrxo

#Theatre #Blogger #visual art #Edinburgh Fringe #Experimental Critique

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blushmilpitas · 7 years

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New Post has been published on Home Decor Trends

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Trends 2017: Two Colors Wall Painting Ideas

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If you are thinking of renovating your decor, the two-colored walls can be an original and simple solution to give your home a new look. Discover them!

Every year we are surprised with the new trends that arrive, some we love… and some less. This year the walls of two colors will be one of the successes in decoration. We have long seen this phenomenon in many homes and local. A trend that began with timidity and little by little is gaining adepts and all kinds of spaces. And in 2017 it will continue to rise like foam. It does not surprise me because it offers a great variety of options when decorating our walls in an economic way (we only need two cans of different paint) and simple (you only have to mark the separated areas to paint and put to it). An idea that you can put yourself into practice at home. And if the effect is as beautiful as those of these images, I also point myself and you?

Today we are going to review which are some of the options that we have when decorating our walls of two colors. So you can choose the one you like best and get to work. The rooms of the smallest ones, like the living room, the study or our bedroom, can all be ideal spaces to give them a touch of originality with two colors. And in terms of colors all combinations are allowed, although they predominate white or a neutral tone, with a more intense tone to make it stand out. And which one do you prefer?

Informal walls

A fun and very relaxed idea is to divide the walls without a clear cut, or a marked line. In this type of effect we like to see the brushstrokes that separate one area from another, as if it had been by chance. Almost an accident happened without realizing it. It is perfect for areas like the studio or a living room or games room. It is not suitable for all types of homes but is, without a doubt, a fun and daring effect, which will not leave anyone indifferent. And you do you think? Do you like the idea? Would you try it at home? Imperfect houses that fall in love like those of the following two images.

A clear division

To decorate walls of two colors, the most used option is to draw a clear division between the two areas of painting. A straight line that marks the two colors. It’s the idea we see most in magazines and photos. What can vary a lot is how high we draw that line, depending on the role we want to give each color and the type of environment. Usually they are placed between 1 meter and a meter and a half of the ground and we emphasize to the inferior strip that usually is painted of the color darker or showy. That way the wall gives a feeling of growing, of being taller.

But we can also choose to take the cut much higher so that one of the colors takes almost all the protagonism. So it happens in the following photos in which the cut of the painting has been placed much higher, to 1.80 meters approximately, leaving the top in white. This way our wall will gain in height before our eyes. Since the top wall and ceiling joint causes the ceiling to be lost and the wall stretches upward. It has also conquered the combination of pink and white. Sweet and perfect for a space of rest and relax like the bedroom.

Walls of two colors with mountains

Another way in which we can live a two-color wall is with forms that imitate mountains. This is a very funny and clever idea for the children’s room, for example. In addition to being very simple to perform, with a great result, that surely will delight the smallest and everyone. We have seen many children’s rooms with this design, in several versions, but we can also find them in other types of environments like the studio or an original dining room. Do you like this idea? To us a lot!

A piece of blackboard

Decorating with slate paint is still fashionable; we talked about it some time ago. And that is a very practical idea. But now what it takes is to leave it alone in a part of the wall, so that the children can enjoy but without occupying all the space. That way we create a division between the bottom, with slate paint, and the top, painted in a light color. A good idea to keep the kids distracted, without the whole wall becoming a cartoon burglary. We love! And also gives much style to your room.

Effects on walls of two colors

Another option is to look for even stronger effects as in these two images in which triangular sections have been drawn which will undoubtedly have an impact on the eye. We like the idea although it may be too strong to put it at home. Or would you dare? The truth is that they surprise but also it will depend on the tones that we decide to use when it is put into action. It can be a good decoration for an entrance area or a dining room with lots of personality. Do not you think?

Highlight some element

Finally the last option to paint walls of two colors, is to focus on some specific element that we want to highlight in an environment. That way we focus the color on that element that we especially like or that we want to give importance. For example, a lintel that turns with a strong color into something different. We can also create a visual division between two zones in the same room as in the photo.

Yellow is an ideal color to create this kind of effects in which some element becomes the center of all attention. Like the lintel of a window, a door or the staircase of ascent. A very daring effect but no doubt achieves its purpose, highlight and draw our attention to that element, especially if combined with white spaces. Too risky to use at home? What is your opinion?

And you, do you like the walls of two colors?

And so far our ideas for decorating walls of two colors. Many options for a combination that can perfectly adapt to any type of environments and colors, making it very versatile and at the same time result, without being complicated to perform. An important topic because it is always better if we can do it ourselves or with little help and then can be changed quickly if we get tired. You can see more ideas on my Pinterest page. With what option do you stay? I still love the classic version of a straight line but I also like very much the first effect as inadvertently, done by chance, because it creates very interesting atmospheres. As always I expect your comments and ideas. Happy week!

#two color wall paint #two colored walls

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almostperfectpeachstuff · 7 years

Text

New Post has been published on Home Decor Trends

New Post has been published on http://www.uhozz.com/trends-2017-two-colors-wall-painting-ideas.html

Trends 2017: Two Colors Wall Painting Ideas

If you are thinking of renovating your decor, the two-colored walls can be an original and simple solution to give your home a new look. Discover them!

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

Informal walls

A clear division

Walls of two colors with mountains

A piece of blackboard

Effects on walls of two colors

Highlight some element

And you, do you like the walls of two colors?

#two color wall paint #two colored walls

0 notes

myfuturehusbandwill · 7 years

Text

New Post has been published on Home Decor Trends

New Post has been published on http://www.uhozz.com/trends-2017-two-colors-wall-painting-ideas.html

Trends 2017: Two Colors Wall Painting Ideas

If you are thinking of renovating your decor, the two-colored walls can be an original and simple solution to give your home a new look. Discover them!

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

Informal walls

A clear division

Walls of two colors with mountains

A piece of blackboard

Effects on walls of two colors

Highlight some element

And you, do you like the walls of two colors?

#two color wall paint #two colored walls

0 notes

irezine · 7 years

Text

New Post has been published on Home Decor Trends

New Post has been published on http://www.uhozz.com/trends-2017-two-colors-wall-painting-ideas.html

Trends 2017: Two Colors Wall Painting Ideas

If you are thinking of renovating your decor, the two-colored walls can be an original and simple solution to give your home a new look. Discover them!

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

Informal walls

A clear division

Walls of two colors with mountains

A piece of blackboard

Effects on walls of two colors

Highlight some element

And you, do you like the walls of two colors?

#two color wall paint #two colored walls

0 notes

bebeautyps · 7 years

Text

New Post has been published on Home Decor Trends

New Post has been published on http://www.uhozz.com/trends-2017-two-colors-wall-painting-ideas.html

Trends 2017: Two Colors Wall Painting Ideas

If you are thinking of renovating your decor, the two-colored walls can be an original and simple solution to give your home a new look. Discover them!

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

Informal walls

A clear division

Walls of two colors with mountains

A piece of blackboard

Effects on walls of two colors

Highlight some element

And you, do you like the walls of two colors?

#two color wall paint #two colored walls

0 notes

ponyatta · 7 years

Text

A (soon) comprehensive list of replies to anti when you have to much to do and can’t argue

I thought this would be nice to do for fans especially with all the goodies we are getting for 3B and they will be coming with their negativity quickly. Its isn’t completed yet but you can still take a read, save it for future, use some of the arguments and tell me what I can add to improve it. I will leave this one up with a link to the updated one before the read more. There are links I haven’t found yet/arguments I haven’t added yet.If there are any mistakes then tell me. For example I can’t see if somethings that should have a link does thanks to the new layout so message me if they don’t.

Enjoy

Viewers/I don’t dislike Iris because she is black/she makes up an interracial couple/I want my white faves to be together

Even with 50 years passing there is still a large issue many have with interracial relationships.

A couple was evicted because the landlord found out they were interacial while another were stabbed by a man after they kissed in public.

I/Viewers are not racist for not liking WA/Iris

How would you know? Here is a nice little paragraph from here that gives you an insight on why I ask.

Why are you attacking me for expressing my opinion?

You said something that was wrong and you are being corrected. There is no need to get defensive about it. Realise a mistake and take to correction

You stated an opinion as fact thus denying others theirs/said a blanket statement that doesn’t represent everyone involved.

You said something that has racist undertones and you should acknowledge that then endeavour to fix that.

*Insert anger or defensiveness about the possibility of one being racist/acknowledging their racist action or tendencies*

WA have no chemistry

Even the people who make the show love westallen. Executive Producers have said how much they enjoy writing westallen and Geoff Johns talk about the two of them almost anytime he brings up the show on twitter. (add links)

I like their platonic relationship more

Barry doesn’t deserve her

Iris doesn’t really love him: she’s just following destiny.

Moreover, we can see that both Candice Patton, Grant Gustin, other members of the show/DCTV and the executive producers do not agree with this. They have all expressed in interviews that that Iris West does love Barry Allen. Aaron Helbing said in an interview “She just moved in with Barry, she’s madly in love with him...” recently in fact. And last year he also said “Barry Allen and Iris West are an iconic relationship. We set it up, at the end of Season 2, that they were going to get together, and then he undid it. But, these two are destined to be together. I would say to keep watching. As with destiny, things end up playing out the way you hoped they would.”

Iris doesn’t really love him: she loves the flash.

Iris’s feelings came out of nowhere

ALSO ADD THE ARGUMENT ABOUT HOW IT MAY BE DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO EMPATHIZE WITH PEOPLE OF COLOUR. I’M LOOKING FOR A STUDY SO IF ANYONE COULD PROVIDE THAT WOULD BE GREAT.Therefore it might have been difficult for you to see her feelings manifest.

They are siblings/Iris and Barry are incest

Why aren’t they siblings? Well a large number of reasons. One is that they never saw each other that way. In the very first episode they explains that they are not brother and sister but they just lived together. This is the narrative of the show that was set up at the very pilot of the show. They did not start their relationship from when they lived together like some who many believe to be in comparable situations but rather had a preexisting relationship as friends that they simply built up on. We see how Barry treats Iris and how it is different to how Wally and Iris treat each other as to further highlight how they are not siblings. Nobody in the narrative has a problem with their relationship. In fact Joe was very supportive of them throughout season 1.

They do not share the same father as one of Barry’s storylines was him getting his father out of jail which was not Joe. We see him call Joe “Joe” or “your dad” when talking to Iris constantly. The only reason that Joe took in Barry was because he was his daughter’s best friend and when Barry was growing up they were not all that close because the only other person that believed that Henry Allen didn’t kill Nora Allen was Iris West before the particle accelerator accident. We can see how strained their relationship actually was before Joe started to help him find his mother’s killer in the pilot. The West did not adopt Barry. Joe is Barry’s father figure and all of team flash is a family and especially so is the west-allen clan but that doesn’t make them siblings.

Moreover, legally there is nothing wrong with Barry and Iris’s relationship as noted in more detail in this post here.

I would also want you to note why you stick with this claim? Could this be because of race? This link is about the boxes that black women are thrown into in fandoms (written before The Flash even aired) and although there are many tropes and roles notice how so many have the prerequisite of her not having any romantic relationship and if she does it isn’t shown on screen more than necessary but can never have one with the main character. Have you fallen for this as well? We see that Brotp or the exclamation that two people are like siblings is seen disproportionately with characters of colour as noted by many people here, here, here and here. So you many want to critically analyse your intentions.

#iris west #candice patton #westallen #my post #Anti masterpost #finally did it #had to rush at the last second #tf

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blushmilpitas · 7 years

Text

New Post has been published on Home Decor Trends

New Post has been published on http://www.uhozz.com/trends-2017-two-colors-wall-painting-ideas.html

Trends 2017: Two Colors Wall Painting Ideas

If you are thinking of renovating your decor, the two-colored walls can be an original and simple solution to give your home a new look. Discover them!

Informal walls

A clear division

Walls of two colors with mountains

A piece of blackboard

Effects on walls of two colors

Highlight some element

And you, do you like the walls of two colors?

#two color wall paint #two colored walls

0 notes

blushmilpitas · 7 years

Text

New Post has been published on Home Decor Trends

New Post has been published on http://www.uhozz.com/trends-2017-two-colors-wall-painting-ideas.html

Trends 2017: Two Colors Wall Painting Ideas

If you are thinking of renovating your decor, the two-colored walls can be an original and simple solution to give your home a new look. Discover them!

Informal walls

A clear division

Walls of two colors with mountains

A piece of blackboard

Effects on walls of two colors

Highlight some element

And you, do you like the walls of two colors?

#two color wall paint #two colored walls

0 notes

blushmilpitas · 7 years

Text

New Post has been published on Home Decor Trends

New Post has been published on http://www.uhozz.com/trends-2017-two-colors-wall-painting-ideas.html

Trends 2017: Two Colors Wall Painting Ideas

If you are thinking of renovating your decor, the two-colored walls can be an original and simple solution to give your home a new look. Discover them!

Informal walls

A clear division

Walls of two colors with mountains

A piece of blackboard

Effects on walls of two colors

Highlight some element

And you, do you like the walls of two colors?

#two color wall paint #two colored walls

0 notes

almostperfectpeachstuff · 7 years

Text

New Post has been published on Home Decor Trends

New Post has been published on http://www.uhozz.com/trends-2017-two-colors-wall-painting-ideas.html

Trends 2017: Two Colors Wall Painting Ideas

If you are thinking of renovating your decor, the two-colored walls can be an original and simple solution to give your home a new look. Discover them!

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

Informal walls

A clear division

Walls of two colors with mountains

A piece of blackboard

Effects on walls of two colors

Highlight some element

And you, do you like the walls of two colors?

#two color wall paint #two colored walls

0 notes