#it says ‘i’m performative in my support and don’t care about actual latino people’ | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sortavibing · 3 years

Note

i just found your blog and it’s so pretty!! i hope you’re having a nice day,,, could i get a male hq matchup pls?? i go by rita and she/her pronouns. i’m questioning atm. i’m an intj-t & a libra sun, aquarius moon, leo rising, & i kin tsukishima & kageyama.

i’m reserved, thoughtful, hot headed, creative, judgmental, polite, open-minded, & cunning. when you first meet me, i am polite and tend not to talk a lot. once you get to know me i’m v chill and i like to joke around and get to know more about you. i can also be kinda dumb sometimes. i do tend to get angry and annoyed towards everyone but i don’t show it. i just kinda shut myself down and try to talk myself into letting go. i like doing things a certain way and to my standards. i care a lot about my grades and getting into a good university but i do tend to procrastinate and take breaks,,, i end up getting my work done on time. i am self conscious and care a lot about what others think about me,,, i am self critical and tend to beat myself up. i tend to get impatient easily and bc of that i like to get things done quickly. i like relaxing and spending time by myself. i don’t really like interacting with ppl,, i only have one irl friend & a few online friends. i do have anxiety & tend to overthink things a lot & have a hard time trusting ppl.

i’m 5’6 with a pear shaped body & a tummy. i have a round/oval face & glasses. thick brows, brown eyes, brown wavy hair. my hair is grown out rn bc of covid but i plan on getting it cut back into bangs & collar bone length. i’m latino so i get darker when i’m in the sun but i’m v pale atm </3. i wear a lot of black clothes and high waisted pants. i’d describe my style as 70s/80s mixed with dark academia. i always want to look presentable in public but i just wear comfy clothes when i’m at home.

my hobbies include writing, playing the sims, & baking. i also enjoy watching anime, reading on here, looking at tiktok, & playing uno or guess who. i have a dog & a hamster. i start cleaning when i feel uncomfortable or anxious ig. when i get bored i like to plan things. my likes/interests include true crime, history, & psychology. i also watch reality tv for entertainment 😩. one of my favorites shows is daria & i listen to a lot of different music,,, i just like what sounds nice. i have so many dislikes,,, but my main dislikes are ppl who are discriminatory & don’t try to educate themselves on issues. (basically trump supporters & my family members who believe facebook </3) i also dislike ppl who complain a lot but don’t help themselves and then continue to complain like pls?? it’s not my responsibility to fix these problems you can easily fix yourself?? & ppl who aren’t considerate of others.

i want a partner who is kind, loyal, & open-minded. i can’t stand ignorant ppl who only care about themselves. i want someone who loves me & accepts me. my love language is quality time & gift giving (both ways). someone who is willing to split the work & deal with my moods and hear me out. mmm i think that’s about it! <3

hello! thank you for reqesting! ok but reality tv is so fucking funny i don’t understand- like it’s such stupid comedy but i love it. anyways, here’s your matchup!

generating matchup...

matchup: complete

i match you up with kita!

what first drew kita to you was your calm personality, since he is pretty chill as well, and he wanted to meet someone who isn’t too loud like the miya twins. once he got to know you, he started seeing your joking personality, which he liked even more, because you were always able to make him smile and relax.

like you, he also has a habit of cleaning, so if you are feeling anxious, he will come over to help you clean things up, while listening to you rant about whatever comes to mind, while soft music plays in the background. he just wants to help you destress, and since he enjoys cleaning as well, it makes it a lot easier to help you feel better.

kita is smart as well, so you guys will always study and work on homework together, and he will always remind you not to procrastinate, and ever since you started working with him, you have been turning in your work earlier than usual, and school is even easier. kita makes sure to give you guys breaks though and brings snacks and drinks to have while studying, but he always gets you guys back on track after the break.

he really likes your pets (surprisingly), so if he ever comes to your house, he will always bring something small for your dog, and he will subconsciously pet him while talking to you. you have so many pictures of him with your dog, and all of them are so cute, so you have to save them all.

one of kita’s love languages is quality time, so he just likes being around you, doing whatever you want because he thinks that anytime spent with you is time well spent. you guys often take a train or bus to a nearby city and spend the day just walking around with each other, eating at small bakeries, watching street performers, and buying little souvenirs. he holds your hand the entire time, and if he’s feeling especially romantic, he’ll surprise you with a small kiss on the cheek. your city dates are always fun, and you have many small presents that remind you of each trip.

since he knows you enjoy baking, kita will offer to try to make a cake for the birthday of someone that you are close to. you guys end up having a lot of fun, because kita doesn’t really know what he is doing, so he tries his best, but in the end, you have to help him a lot. the cake actually turns out pretty well, and he is pretty proud of making it look so good, and he’ll mention that he wants to bake with you more, and you have to agree because he looks so happy to be able to share an interest with you.

he will write you little notes saying how much he misses you, or how pretty you look today, and they usually are accompanied by a little gift. they always are so cute, and turn up in the most surprising places. you started leaving notes and small gifts for him too, and whenever he finds one of your notes, he will get really happy that his girlfriend wants to do these cute little things with him, and will keep everything you give him.

if you ever are uncomfortable because you have to socialize with a large group of people, kita will always be there to help you, whether it is giving an excuse for the both of you to leave, or by handing you one of his earbuds so you can listen to whatever music you want with him. he hates when you are feeling anxious, so he will do whatever he can to help you feel better, or at least be a little more relaxed in the situation.

when you first introduced kita to true crime, he was kind of confused why you liked it so much, but he slowly started enjoying it, and now he loves to listen to podcasts about it or talk about it with you, because he finds the minds of these killers fascinating, and he always wants to learn more about it. he won’t listen to the podcasts alone, but he will write down the names of the episodes he wants to listen to with you, so he can hear your real-time opinion on the person, and he can put his opinion in too.

overall, you guys are very calm and collected, and people envy just how well you guys are able to understand each other. kita will never even think about leaving you, and he is always open to try what you want to do, because he just wants to make you happy, and enjoy every moment that you spend with him.

i hope you enjoyed!

#haikyuu #haikyuu matchups #kita #kita shinsuke #haikyu #haikyuu!!#haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu imagines #haikyu imagines #haikyu headcanons #kita imagines #kita headcanons #kita x you

5 notes · View notes

thecomfywriter · 4 years

Text

On Writing Eating Disorders...

@thecomfywriter (original post; remember to tag me or lmk if you want to repost it)

NOTE: Everything in this post is based off of my personal research, thoughts, opinions and experiences.

If you or a loved one has an eating disorder, please seek help by letting a loved one know, or contact one of these resources. Take care of yourselves, lovelies.

Toll-Free Number (NEDA): 1-800-931-2237 or text NEDA to 741741

Eating disorders are often misrepresented in the media, rather in being glorified, or romanticized, or flat out ignoring some types while claiming others are a choice. As a person who has recently recovered from an eating disorder, these representations can be incredibly harmful and add to the stigmatization of the serious mental illness. As a writer, I thought I’d give some pointers of what to do and what to avoid when writing eating disorders.

1) Do your research

There are many different types of eating disorders, each with different symptoms and different treatment plans. It isn’t just anorexia nervosa, bulimia and binge eating disorder (although this one is also not handled much or not properly). Here’s a list of eating disorders and their basic definitions.

TRIGGER WARNING:

Anorexia Nervosa: officially defined as the ed with dramatic weight loss or an aim for a weight below the healthy amount for age and height. characterized by extreme restriction in food, types of food and calories.

Bulimia Nervosa: subtype of anorexia involving a purging method in order to maintain low weight or dramatically lose weight. Purging can include extreme/obsessive exercise, vomiting, and/or use of laxatives.

Binge-Eating Disorder: reoccurring episodes of eating large quantities of food followed by shame or discomfort. Typically, these episodes are performed in secret, and include a feeling of lack of control. Binge eating disorder is not overeating once. It is a very serious and life threatening disorder where the sufferer feels a lack of control in eating to a point of discomfort repeatedly.

OFSED: encompasses individuals who don’t meet the specific guidelines for the other types of eating disorders but still engage in disordered eating behaviors. Includes frequent binge eating episodes and possibly purging episodes, body image issues (may include body dysmorphia), frequent dieting behaviours, restriction, “burn off” calories consumed, etc.

Orthorexia: included in OFSED, which is defined as an unhealthy obsession with eating healthy/clean to the point of disorder eating and restrictive behaviors. Often shares symptoms with bulimia nervosa (burning off calories through exercise) or anorexia (needing to eat clean/vegan/organic/etc.) Individuals may express body image issues through their desire to be “lean” or “skinny”

ARFID: known as the Selective Eating Disorder, involving limitations to types of food or amount of food consumed without the distress of body image or fears of fatness.

NOTE: these are general terms and definitions. I want to make clear that eating disorders do NOT have a body type or “look”, which brings me to point two.

2) Eating disorders do not have a “type” or “look”

We see this a lot. The anorexic girl is stick thin, dainty and pretty. The bulimic is probably thin too. The binge eater is fat.

It’s not that general.

I was anorexic long before I was skinny. Some anorexics never become skinny. Most people with restrictive eating disorders are actually on the ‘average’ to ‘higher’ end of the scale. Just because someone has a specific weight, that doesn’t mean they don’t have a mental illness. That’s not how mental illness’s work. They are mental meaning they are about what’s in your head, not how your body looks.

If you’re writing an OC with an eating disorder, consider separating their body type from their eating disorder. Eating disorders are about the mental anguish and the overthinking and fear related to food. It’s an unhealthy relationship with food, not a weight or body type. Not only will you be representing ed’s better, it is actually a lot more interesting to read (the books I’ve read focusing on the mental pain of having an ed are wayy better than, omg I wanna be skinny but I can’t see that I already am. Not saying that body dysmorphia isn’t a thing. It 100% is. I have it. But it’s often oversimplified and almost mocked in media, which sucks ass).

3) Do not discriminate

First of all, there is a huge underrepresentation of men with eating disorders. NEWS FLASH: BOYS CAN HAVE EATING DISORDERS TOO

This also goes for age. I personally know people who have eating disorders ranging from 6 years old (I know it’s sad) to in their late 40′s. Eating disorders do not discriminate based off age, nor sex, nor sexual orientation, nor race.

There are black people with eating disorders. There are asians with eating disorders. There are south asians and latinos and hispanics with eating disorders. There are old people and young people, and boys and girls, and gays and straights with eating disorders. It’s not just the average white teenage girl. Take it from the indian recovered anorexic.

Don’t be afraid, and honestly, please do consider adding diversity in your representation of eating disorders. Consider the cultural aspect of how the standards of each of these POC societies affect body image.

An example of this is, in indian culture, people are very blunt. They also glorify weight loss, but don’t be too skinny either. It’s all about looking fertile, but heaven forbid you put on too much weight. This affected me so much when I went on vacation and met with family, and they all started commenting on my weight or pinching at my developing body. It was hurtful. It was even worse to hear them say I looked healthier because of my weight gain because for an anorexic, hearing ‘you look healthier’ is synonymous with ‘you look fat’.

Also, the type of food per culture! Indian food is very healthy but also very dense, so it was my number one fear food when I still had my ed.

Consider all of these things when adding representation, and ADD REPRESENTATION.

4) DO NOT GLORIFY or ROMANTICIZE EATING DISORDERS

I can’t say this enough. Please do NOT glorify or romanticize eating disorders. Often times, the anorexic girl is “dainty” and “pretty” with a “slim weight that you can hold in your hands”, or “is so beautiful but she just can’t see it”.

BLEGH! VOMIT! STOP! DO NOT DO THAT!

Every time I read that, a part of me dies inside. There is nothing aesthetic or dainty about having your bones show, or having such little weight on your body that you physically can never get warm, even after wearing four layers of clothing. There is nothing romantic or aesthetic about having your bones rub together every time you try to sleep or having joint pain at 17. There is nothing romantic or aesthetic about shaking in fear every time someone touches you because you are so scared of someone touching your body, or judgement, or discovering how sick you are. There is nothing aesthetic or romantic about eating disorders. Period.

Please stop using language that makes an aesthetic out of eating disorders. Please stop describing it as if it is just a “dainty waist” or “tiny wrists,” because a) it implies only skinny people having eating disorders, and the skinny people with eating disorders are more brandable and “pretty”, whereas every other body type isn’t (WHICH ISN’T TRUE); and b) it adds a positive connotation, or almost makes eating disorders seem like a choice; like a diet gone wrong.

Repeat after me: Eating disorders are NEVER a choice

5) STOP. WITH. THE. ROMANCE. SAVING. LOVE STORY.

For some reason, most plots involving a person with an eating disorder (typically a pretty and skinny girl) involves a guy falling in love with her and saving her from herself, and being the reason she recovers.

News flash! If love was the cure all for mental illness, my family would have saved me a long time ago.

Mental illness is complicated. It’s debilitating. It steals your life away from you and it’s a long and gruesome process to try and recovery from it or learn to cope with it. I didn’t recover from my eating disorder ~through the power of l o v e~

My mom begged me with tears in her eyes for me to try harder and to eat properly. I yelled in her face.

It’s a sad reality. There’s never a day in my life where I don’t regret doing that. But eating disorders change you. They can turn you sour. Starving is painful and it makes you cold. I wasn’t a kind loving person anymore. My family’s love wasn’t enticing enough for me to recover. The truth was, I was more scared of food and my eating disorder than I loved them. I hate admiting that, but its true. Which is why they couldn’t have been my reason to recover.

It’s not the same for everyone. For some people, their family is the reaosn they recover. And I definently did try harder for my family too. But when I was in the deep, love wasn’t going to make me rational. It wasn’t going to cure me from my suffering. I was too busy pushing people away for that to happen. The sad reality of ed’s are that they ruin relationships a lot of the time. It takes a lot of resiliency to support a person with an ed because of how complex and difficult it is.

I’m lucky my family did it for me. But I couldn’t expect that much from anyone beyond them. My recovery came from myself with the support of my family. I wasn’t saved by love. I was definently motivated by it, and supported by it, but that was only later.

I’m sorry if this isn’t the happy truth you want to hear. I’m only speaking my own reality. Eating disorders are tragic. They have tragic consequences. Ultimately, some guy who is crushing on your OC, or who your OC is crushing on isn’t going to be the person who “saves them from their ed”. Your OC has to help themselves by reaching out to the people they love and to professionals for support.

Don’t minimize the strength and bravery of a sufferer by making their mental illness disappear with love, because love is not a cure. Empower your readers by showing how your OC was strong enough to seek help, and what a big step it is towards taking care of themselves and recovery.

This is just a general list. Sorry it’s so long. I can go more in detail if you guys want a part 2, or I can make more tip posts. Let me know if this helps. And if you know anyone or if you yourself are suffering from an eating disorder, please use your local resources. Tell a friend, a loved one. If anything, you can always message me on tumblr (@thecomfywriter) or insta (@tovwriter). I’ve been there, and I’ll always be here to support you guys <3

You deserve to recover and live a free and happy life. Recovery is possible. For you and your OC’s. Write a story that makes you feel powerful.

Happy Writing <3

18 notes · View notes

fantastic-nonsense · 4 years

Text

@geisterwand I’m bringing you up from the replies into a whole post because you need to sit down and listen

You are a disingenuous asshole. Bernie never chose the precise location in Texas for the waste disposal, and if you store it somewhere wet it contaminates the groundwater table. You're just posting disinformation. Next, the "wow how DARE he run against a wamen!!1" whinging is stupid as fuck

Bitching and concern trolling because Rogan, who committed the horrible crime of having 5 year old bad tweets endorsed Sanders, but being completely silent with the NYT endorsement of Warren despite the NYT's role in starting the Iraq War which killed hundreds of thousands of people, displaced many more and pushed the region into further chaos. But hey I guess to you, bad tweets are just SO much worse than dead citizens in the ME

you're also, of course, intentionally and dishonestly misquoting him about Castro but I think it's pretty clear at this point that even a fleck of honesty is too much to expect from you

and ALSO if it's apparently misogynistic to dare to run against warren, then it's also anti-semitic for warren to run against sanders. go figure out which of those ranks higher on the idpol totem pole and get back to me

You are a nearly 30-year-old man with an anime blog ranting at me in the notes of my own post because you can’t conceive of holding a man accountable for his own electoral failures. You are a grown-ass adult man talking like this in the year 2020. You have ZERO basis to stand on here.

I am not, in fact, a “disingenuous asshole.” You are the one that came onto MY post (SEVERAL of my posts actually. Like...bro. Get a fucking life) to genuinely tell me that, because I said that y’all have been rude-ass motherfuckers to everyone for five years and trashed anyone that remotely disagreed with you and I was no longer going to hold your hand about your shitty behavior, said that “performative woke class reductionism is not "progressive"” AS IF that hasn’t been Bernie Sanders’ playbook his entire goddamn life. You’re an utter joke.

But to actually answer your rant:

Bernie put his name on that legislation and advocated for it. He supported dumping Vermont’s nuclear waste in Sierra Blanca, a poor Latino community in Texas. He said on the fucking House floor he was in “strong support” of the measure. And he refused to talk to environmental activists about it in 1998, because “My position is unchanged, and you’re not gonna like it.” When they asked if they would visit the site in Sierra Blanca, he said AND I QUOTE: “Absolutely not. I’m gonna be running for re-election in the state of Vermont.” It’s not disinformation. It’s pure hard fact.

He did the same kind of nonsense with black people from the 60s until 2015...so well that the only thing his supporters can dredge up for how much he’s “supported” the black community can be distilled down to “well he was arrested that one time at a de-segregation protest in the 60s!” Vermont has one of the absolute lowest percentages of black people in the entire country and they make up nearly 10% of the criminal justice system. He did nothing. I can name more. Sorry your fave isn’t pure and doesn’t actually give a shit about non-white people until he needs their votes.

“How dare he run against women” that’s not what I meant and you know it. If he was so desperate for Warren to run in 2016? If he was SO SURE a woman could win the presidency? Why the FUCK did he declare his candidacy two weeks after she declared? For someone that supposedly begged her to run in 2016, he and his campaign did every damn thing he possibly could to undercut her run this go around, from declaring another run 2 weeks after she declared to the smears and “lying snake” shit to the "fauxgressive" nonsense. You know how he could have PROVED he thinks a woman can win the presidency? By throwing his full support and fundraising apparatus behind her after she declared her intent to run. Instead he, a 78-year-old white guy who just had a whole-ass heart attack 6 months ago, decided he needed to make another failed presidential run to appease his ego. I have no sympathy.

Acting like Joe Rogan, a racist, misogynistic, and transphobic fool that peddles in conspiracy theories, is in any way equivalent to one of the largest and generally most-respected newspapers in the United States (and one whose staff has changed several times over in the past twenty years) is utterly ridiculous and you know it.

Also, Bernie Sanders courting Joe Rogan fans before a single vote had been cast in the Democratic primary is a PRIME example of why he lost so terribly on Tuesday. He showed his true colors too early. He showed where he’d go hunting for votes in the general election. He looked at black voters and said “I care more about the votes of racist Trump voters than I do you.” He looked at women and said “I care more about the people who listen to Joe Rogan’s sexist drivel more than I care about you.” He looked at the LGBT community and said “I care more about the people who agree with his comments over you.” And they saw that...and they voted accordingly. That’s on y’all...and it’s a prime example of Bernie Sanders’ terrible political judgment and uh........what was that? “Woke class reductionism?” That’s a good term; thanks for using it. It’s apt for what he thought he was doing with that nonsense.

And no, I’m not. This is a consistent thing with Bernie; he’s all like ‘oh I oppose authoritarianism and of course they did shitty things!’ but then he keeps praising authoritarian regimes that murdered millions of people because they were socialist/communist and “damn we need that economic system here!!!!” There is a time and place for nuanced discussion about what a regime did well or badly. Making those kinds of comments when you’re trying to win the votes of people whose families were literally murdered by those regimes and fled to the United States to escape them? Not the time or place. Again: terrible political judgement, class and economics over intersectional solidarity and empathy for their multi-generational trauma.

It’s not misogynistic to run against Warren. What’s misogynistic is the way he and his campaign ran against her and treated her the entire damn primary. Keep the fuck up.

Thanks for misrepresenting me and my opinions. Thanks for deigning to grace me with your shitty political viewpoints on my posts. Thanks for “getting involved with politics bullshit” since your blog bio says you don’t like it. And thanks for deciding that I apparently give one single solitary fuck about what a Bernie Sanders apologist has to say to me today, because I don’t and I am exceedingly glad you gave me this lovely, wonderful opportunity to show you just how much I no longer care about appeasing y’all’s nonsense after five years of listening to y’all WHINE about how Bernie was “cheated” and how it “wasn’t fair.”

Life’s not fair, buddy, and you’re going to find that out when Bernie Sanders loses to ANOTHER subpar moderate candidate for the second time in a row because y’all spent five years straight trashing 70% of the party and then spent the last 8 months trashing your ideological allies, and then arrogantly assumed you are still entitled to their votes because “his policies are popular!” Go back to your anime and video games, grow the fuck up, and learn from this experience.

#bernie sanders #us politics #politics #replies

32 notes · View notes

movedto-jewishbucke · 4 years

Note

people are being so gross. it just feels so performative and out of touch, to jump from calling out an actors racism by then being super fucking racist in response. and i definitely dont think youve overstepped. thats literally actually in the definition of genocide. Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide Article II (e): Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. so. maybe folks should think for like (1) second before they post

I don’t think I have anything else to add to this except... yeah, pretty much and tbh even if it wasn’t in the CPPCGA (yes I’m creating an acronym for it) I’d still consider it an act of genocide.

TW shoah/holocaust (also I didn’t realize that was in the CPPCGA as I’ve... never looked at it, I based my “decision” on calling it an act of genocide on what I’ve heard regarding the treatment towards Jewish children during/after the Holocaust by Christians - ie iirc Christian orphanages took in Jewish children then refused to give them back - which a rabbi (?) I think said was an act of genocide as genocide includes forcible death of a culture) TW over

but just... yeah. it’s incredibly disgusting and it’d be disgusting even if the USA wasn’t literally doing this to latino/hispanic children right this fucking second. like. it’d be one thing to say “I think Eddie should be recast and his new actor should be a latino/hispanic man”, because I can understand that response. but people really just immediately jumped to “I think the writers should have a story line that reflects what is currently happening in America and would be deeply traumatizing for latino/hispanic viewers to watch” and it’s like what the fuck y’all!

what this shit tells me is that you do not ACTUALLY care about minorities, that if it came down to it - you would not put your safety, your life, on the line for immigrants (especially immigrants of color), Jewish and Muslim people, people of color, etc.

that your “activism”, your “support” for these communities, begins and ends with the statement “I support the ____ community” and the thing is... you don’t! if it came down to it and someone needed shelter and it was within your ability to shelter them, you wouldn’t. because you don’t actually care about marginalized groups and our safety. you care about looking good, you care about what people think about you, you’re literally no different than corporations because you’re doing the same shit - pretending to care b/c it makes you look good.

this turned more into a vent and obviously the “you” is general and not directed at anon and also it probably is all over the place but just. yeah

#shoah tw #genocide tw #holocaust tw #ask to tag #answered #long post #Anonymous

3 notes · View notes

esta-metamorfose-ambulante · 5 years

Text

Pros and cons of Jane The Virgin over the seasons (in no particular order)

Pros:

An amazingly talented cast.

Overall positive latino representation.

Distinct and interesting characters.

Plot twists that kept the story entertaining.

The Villanuevas bond.

Focusing on the reactions and the human side of the characters whenever something crazy would happen to them.

I’m personally not a fan of Latin novelas because they usually just throw one plot twist after anoter, but JTV used to do a great job showing its characters’ struggles dealing with those events.

Cons:

The love triangle. On season one it was important to Jane’s arc so she could find confidence in being a single mother before marrying Michael, but continuously resurrecting the Michael/Jane/Rafael and Jane/Rafael/Petra was uninteresting, repetitive and tiring to its viewers.

Its representation of black people. Roman Zazo was a killer, who not only killed his own twin brother, but also made Petra have sex with him when he kidnapped her.

Nadine was another neglected character that ended up being killed.

The poor treatment they give to Luisa, who has made terrible mistakes, but is also a metally ill woman that battles addiction. However, she is merely used as comic relief and described as a ‘trainwreck’. If my memories serve me well, the show has used this specific word regarding her, more than once.

Its unreleastic representation of romantic love. In the beginning, Jane was happily engaged to Michael. Then, they broke up and she fell for Rafael. Later, the two also broke up. Eventually, she got over him only to fall in love with both of them in a couple of episodes and almost immediately after she realized it’s always been Michael. Seriously? I don’t think science has a consensus about how someone falls in love, if you can love two people at once or whether you can fall in love with a previous lover after you were over them and in a happy relationship with someone else, but that’s not even the point. The thing is, you cannot trust its own narrative. It’s become repetitive, confusing and incoherent with its previous statements. You can’t even trust on the heart glowing thing, because that happens whenever the characters feel strong emotions with their loved ones. It happened when Jane was holding Mateo after he was born and when the Villanuevas were celebrating Mother’s Day. The only way to have some certainty is based on how the actors’ performances and their declarations, because imo they are even more responsible for developing their characters than the writers. The writers keep moving in circles and the actors need to try to make the best of it and deliver their lines convincingly, but I believe even for them it must be difficult to buy it. Therefore, I take their acting and declarations more seriously, because they at least keep a line of thinking instead of the writers that just go back and forth.

Rose - who used to be an intriguing character - got reduced to a I don’t even know what. She was/is a huge crime lord, but all that potention was thrown way. The show didn’t explore her criminal life at all, only her relationship with Luisa and multiple disguises. Currently, she is back for a mysterious reason, but after four seasons, I believe it’s safe to say she will be neglected as well and whatever she does will be anticlimactic.

The objetification. I don’t get the obsession they have/had with Rafael’s abs and why they would make Petra sleep with every basic/trash white man they introduced. On season three they focused more on Jane managing to have casual sex with Fabian than her book and dream of being a published author. I get that was important for her, but releasing her book was everything she ever worked for her entire life. Ignoring that was disrespectful.

Losing its essence and becoming like every other telenovela: throwing a twist after another, not exploring its effects on the characters and repeating storylines everyone’s sick of.

Not having the characters dealing with their traumas and metal illness or having almost all of it happening off camera. Luisa struggles with alcoholism and an on and off abusive relationship, Rogelio was kidnapped, Mateo was kidnapped, Petra was kidnapped, Petra forced herself to have sex with the man who kidnapped her so she could find a way get out of her captivity, Petra lived with an abusive mother, Petra was freaking paralyzed by her own sister, Petra had postpartum depression, Michael was shot, almost got killed and then he was tortured with eletroshocks until he got amnesia and lost five years of his life and I’m sure there is more that I’ve missed. Still, what do they focus on? Ridiculous love triangles.

Although Rafael is not my favorite character, he and Petra were the ones that had the most interesting potential backgrounds. Petra grew up without a father in Czechoslovakia, Alba always used her as a tool to get by and she left the country running away from a man who attacked her mother. Even in the United States, there is so much they could’ve shown of her before and after meeting Rafael, getting married, pregnant and losing the baby. On the other hand, Rafael could’ve had a journey of self-discovery and found his biological family and finally getting the love he didn’t receive from his adoptive parents. All wasted pontetial as well.

Changing the entire dynamics of the show in order to execute one storyline. To get to a point where Jane chooses Rafael, they had to: ‘kill’ Michael, do time jumps and have the characters almost ready to be together. Rafael basically became a different character, they got rid of Lina so he would be her best friend and even in some scenes that there would’ve made more sense to have an Alba/Jane moment because they both lost their husbands, they made a jafael moment.

Its frustrating depiction of family. I don’t hide the fact I’m a villadero shipper and would’ve loved to see Michael/Jane/Mateo being a blended family. I know I won’t get that, but the twins barely spend time with Rafael. Or they do, but it’s mostly off camera. And that’s not enough. I don’t need fourty minutes of them together or therapy, but it’s important to show that on television. It’s important to show parents giving their kids equal love and attention, just like it’s important to show mentally ill characters getting help. This speaks to the audience and can even change the way somebody acts. Television is powerful. Still, even if Rafael does give the same amount of attention and love to their children, the show doesn’t illustrate that. And that’s one of the reasons why I think Ellie and Anna are basically perfect. So Mateo is the one who is distracted, sad, confused or whatever. And no, I’m not criticizing a kid. But we see Mateo being comforted by Rafael, having Rafael telling him stories and things like that. We get way less scenes from Rafael and the girls and sometimes it is just him saying he will pick them up or something off camera. And I really can’t remember any moment where they were the ones who were vulnerable and Rafael comforted them. Or just them playing and having fun. Not even with him when Rafael was with Jane and Mateo.

Not even between Mateo and the twins. They love to say they are family and I more than anyone know siblings fight, but siblings also love and protect each other. I can only remember one soft scene with the three of them and it was because that was convenient at the moment. But a scene of them playing just for the sake of it, or maybe even comforting or supporting one other would be adorable. Like, have they ever hug? I get that if Rafael and Jane live together with Mateo they will consenquently spend more time together and that’s not a problem. However, the show just executes the stereotype of only biological families being valid and sends the message it’s okay to neglect your other children if you’re not dating or married to their mother.

It also took them FIVE FUCKING SEASONS to show Jane and Petra being friends and having fun. And again, it was only out of convinience. Jane couldn’t decide what to do regarding her situation with Rafael and Michael and no one could give her advice. So she goes to Petra and they drink their asses off and sort of have fun. And that other day when they went to a lesbian bar. They say they’re friends and even family, but certaintly doesn’t feel like it. Do they care about each other? Yeah. Still, it’s like that cousin who lives in other part of the country and you see once a year. Firstly you’re happy, but after they spend a week in your house you realize why you barely see each other or keep in touch when they’re gone. I get they are very different, but everytime they are together they sort of argue. An honest and deep conversation like some that Jane’s had with Lena? I’m afraid it’s never happened or going to.

Total disrespect to their own character, Brett who was generous enough to return while he is part of another show and his fans. Not only they brought him back to play a minor role, but he didn’t even get the respect to have his point of view shown. The man was almost killed, tortured, lost five years of his life, came back to see that everything had changed and felt like a burden, but they don’t actually focus on what he feels? Just as how sad Rafael is? It’s one thing to show both sides, but to only explore Rafael’s feelings as if he’s the one who had it worse is ridiculous and insensitive.

Rafael’s deppression. Again, I don’t want to get technical about it, specially because that’s not my professional area and I could be wrong. The thing is, I don’t think he has depression. I do think he had a lot of shit happening to him and he used to have unhealthy habits whenever he got upset, but there is a difference between getting drunk when you are sad (what almost everyone has or will do once in their lifetime) and having depression. Feeling sad, worthless, suicidal all can be symptons, yes. But there is also not getting any sleep, food or eating/sleeping a lot and more. And I don’t think they show up altogether after one event. Rafael’s had a past drinking when he was feeling low, but that was it. No worthless or suicidal thoughts. No insomnia or sleeping too much or anything else. And that wouldn’t last long. Now I am supposed to believe he has depression? Then actually DEVELOP THAT and SHOW IT TO ME (If A Million Little Things can do a decent job, other shows can too). Don’t get me wrong, I think Rafael might have something, but not actually depression. He sure as hell have reasons to. However, It just seems they threw it so we could empathize with him after the way he treated Jane and root for him. And I bet that will be gone in two seconds once him and Jane reunite. Which leads me to...

The way they insinuated his state was Jane’s fault is disgusting. And I’m sure they will forget this depression storyline once jafael makes up. So yeah, they might have not actually said the words, but the route they took is that it’s Jane’s fault and once they back to their relationship he will be magically healed with their love. Yikes.

Also, the whole Michael x family conflict. That is so LOW. My parents are divorced and their separation was really messy. Despite my personal experience, I’ve seen complicated divorces before and ex-spouses using their children against one another. If Jane ended up with Michael, that wouldn’t make her less of a mother or neglect her family by any means. If anything, Mateo would have a step and godfather who would basically do everything to keep him safe and happy. Mateo would have another person who loves him. Sure, Jane’s priority must be her son, but to give the idea a mother needs to lose her independence because of her child is ridiculous. Mothers are allowed to be divorced, single, marry someone else, have their own time with their friends and even have male and ex-lovers as friends. What makes Jane a good mother is the way she treats her son, the love, attention she gives him. NOT being in a relationship with Rafael. Believe me, I’ve seen some people saying this kind of thing.

Now that Jane and Michael got closure, it looks like he will barely be on the show anymore. Which is wrong on so many levels, because first of all, he was her best friend. Real Jane wouldn’t want him out of her life, but apparently that’s what’s going to happen. And again, it sends a terrible message. She should keep being his friend, talking to him and everything, because being in a relationship doesn’t mean you should lose your (male) friends. And they won’t actually say it, but I don’t see Rafael as the guy that would be okay with Jane being best friends with her ex-husband and therefore we won’t see them interact. Just like we didn’t get Michael to see Jane’s family, that he loved and loved him back. And that’s a terrible message to give to young girls, even if you won’t have it said out loud. Showing it is already enough. The fact some of them are buying it frustrates me.

Also, like, it baffles me the fact Rafael is getting way with all the ultimatums he gave Jane, the fact he showed no empathy when Jane had the scare of thinking she would lose her mother who is fighting CANCER and he kicked her out of their house the very same night. Or that he turned their son against her or did nothing to get him to talk to Jane again until she called him out. She shouldn’t have to call him out. He is a grown man on his late 30s (or early 40s? idek anymore after the time jumps), he should’ve known better. The breaking point was when he didn’t discipline Mateo for running accross the street, something that could’ve KILLED HIM, just because he was mad at Jane. I get Rafael has gone through a lot of shit, but this doesn’t give him a pass to treat people the way he wants to. Everyone on this show has gone through enough and they don’t behave that way. He might have depression, but he knows when he is wrong. And you can actually see on his eyes when he is talking to Jane that he is defying and provoking her. Just terrible.

The fact Jane is choosing him after all of that pisses me off. If he were still zen Rafael and all, I would be frustrated, but not angry. This gives a really dangerous message for anyone who watches it. Abusive relationships start just like that and even though Rafael never raised a hand to her, that is abusive. Rafael is not a bad person, but he has a lot to work on before he could be with anyone else and for me they don’t belong together. Still, he is manipulative and disrespectul with Jane. And I have enough experience with abusive relationships to say that’s how it begins. Then, they have one conversation and sort of a perfect fairytale phase until the next fight. And media romanticizing this kind of relationship is part of the problem.

Last but not least, the fact Jane will have to FIGHT for this after everything turned something that was already bad into something worse. Not only it’s not worth it, but she is supposed to humiliated herself just because she dared to have feelings and be confused when something totally crazy happened to her? Way to go, writers! That’s how you treat you Latin female protagonist and kill your show. The cast deserved way more, but the writers deserves exact rating numbers they are getting.

So to that troll who said Michael fans were racist for dropping it after he died, there are other reasons why we gave up. Those were things that already bothered me, but I still found the show worth it to keep looking foward to the episodes. And after Michael died, I kept watching it, out of respect for its diverse cast and to give it the benefit of the doubt, but I could only do it until the finale of season 3. I just decided not to waste my time anymore because after 10 episodes it didn’t get any better. For many, Michael was vital for the show.

Besides Jane, he was the one who interacted with most people. He was close to Jane’s family, Rogelio’s best friend, Mateo’s stepfather/godfather and a detective. After he lost his job/’died’, the criminal aspect of the show was basically ignored.

One season one, he wasn’t with Jane, but he was there and things were still intriguing. Once he was gone, the show changed completely. Characters were written off, time had passed and it didn’t feel organic. And there were a lot of other stuff that kept people from watching it again. The fact you want to bring race for something that has nothing to do with (breaking news! Rafael is white too! Just because your boy has some tan and speaks spanish he is not a person of color) is pathetic. That’s not being woke. Bye.

#jane the virgin #jtv #jane villanueva #michael cordero #villadero

110 notes · View notes

ademocrat · 4 years

Text

Mark Takano is taking charge of protecting veterans & LGBTQ people in Congress

Representative Mark Takano is one of seven out members in the current House of Representatives. He has served California’s 41st District, covering mostly Riverside County, since its inception in 2013. Takano was also the first person of color that was openly gay upon his election to Congress, and now he is one of two in the legislature, alongside Native American Rep. Sharice Davids (D-KS).

Takano also co-chairs the LGBTQ Equality Caucus alongside the six other LGBTQ members of the House, which works with over 160 other members, and serves on the Committee on Education and the Workforce. Additionally, since last year, he has also served as the Chair of the House’s Veterans’ Affairs Committee – the first, and only LGBTQ Representative currently, to have the distinction of chairing a committee.

Related: EXCLUSIVE: Maxine Waters cheers Mayor Pete’s likely Iowa win

That’s a lot of communities and constituents that one person is expected to proudly represent, but Takano is up for the task. Topics of importance to him as of late have included ending conversion therapy, gun control legislation, and protecting Medical Care for All. He has also called for an official Congressional Office of Technology to deal with the modern issues of our time.

He spoke with LGBTQ Nation live at the 2020 Millennial Media Row, hosted by his fellow California Rep. Maxine Waters. “I have a gavel, just like Maxine,” he says about chairing the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, “and like Maxine, I know how to use it.”

I had the opportunity to talk with @DanReynolds from Imagine Dragons about the effort to end conversion therapy nationwide.

Dan is using his platform to shine light on the struggles LGBTQ youth face and spreading love and acceptance. I'm grateful for his work. #ImagineEquality pic.twitter.com/h91g5QYBrM

— Mark Takano (@RepMarkTakano) February 6, 2020

No child should EVER have to endure the immoral and dangerous practice of conversion therapy.

19 states have already banned this despicable practice, we owe it to #LGBTQ youth to ban it nationwide.#DefundConversionTherapy

— Mark Takano (@RepMarkTakano) February 5, 2020

Takano begins to speak on his experience working on the Committee, reminding us that “VA is the second largest department in the federal government – only second behind the Department of Defense.”

Speaking on the population he’s tasked with serving while acting as chair of the committee, the self-declared “Gaysian” talks about the uncertain population of LGBTQ people under his purview. “The Veterans’ population is becoming more diverse, we know 15-20% of all service members are women…I can’t tell you an exact number of LGBTQ people, but there’s going to be more of them that are open, because 10 years ago, we overturned ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.'”

Takano remembers to point out, however, that trans people are not within that group. “They’re mistreating [trans people] in the army, and the navy, and the military…you know, don’t get me started on what this President said he was going to do for the LGBTQ community, and made it sound like he was an alright Republican.”

“He turned out to be someone who’s going to discriminate [and] promote discrimination against our community,” Takano says.

As a former teacher, Takano first tells us about how personally he takes Trump’s “undermining” of public schools, most effectively by allowing Betsy DeVos – “an enemy of public schools for most of her life” – to run the Department of Education. “This is not a good thing for minorities, and especially LGBTQ people!” Takano declared.

“They want to move in a direction where federal tax dollars can be given to private schools that can discriminate against LGBTQ people,” Takano tells LGBTQ Nation, “and, that’s a terrible policy, it’s a horrible thing. We need a strong public school system where everyone, regardless of who they’re attracted to, regardless of their gender identity, regardless of their race, regardless of their gender…is protected by laws, and they have rights, and that no citizen’s dollars are being used to discriminate.”

We ask Takano to explain to us what he plans to do for the remaining Congressional session, with up to a year left in the current administration. How does he hope to help the LGBTQ people under attack by Trump, DeVos, and so many others? What about Veterans and current military members? What can be done to support trans military veterans?

Takano answers, “I have a lot of legislative agenda that I want to achieve in terms of preventing suicide among veterans, that’s a whole agenda in itself…people who are most vulnerable to suicide are people who have been subjected to military sexual assault,” explaining that men are committing most sexual assaults against men within the military, although the sexual assaults against women happen at a much faster rate. “There are ways in which I think we need to reform our process, so that people who have been subjected to assault will come forward, and will report what has been done to them,” Takano says.

He also looks forward to pushing an agenda in order to protect student veterans that become targets “from predatory, for-profit schools…because of their generous veterans’ benefits.” He points out that “these aren’t specifically LGBTQ issues, but they are issues that affect all veterans, and actually, affect all students.”

What Takano believes is “the most important thing to do” is holding everyone accountable for better results. “Hold this administration accountable, hold the VA accountable, to serve veterans well – to make sure the VA is a welcoming and inclusive place.”

Specifically in regards to trans people, he says that the overall treatment of trans veterans has been positive, “as far as I can tell.” Alluding to the struggle in clear results caused by the Trump administration’s policies, Takano admits that “we need to make sure.”

“I just want all trans people to know that I’m here to listen to trans veterans, who need better access,” Takano promises. “The Veteran’s Health Administration treats veterans on a medical basis, they don’t – they’re not supposed to be discriminating, and as chairman, I’m going to keep it that way.”

In looking ahead to the next Presidential administration, Takano speaks on Pete Buttigieg’s success in becoming a ‘leading’ candidate (“I was going to say, ‘on top’, but that expression, in our community…” he trails off.)

“It’s amazing that an openly, gay, VETERAN is leading in Iowa,” Takano exlaims. He clarifies that he has “not gotten behind any candidate,” but he finds Buttigieg’s performance “remarkable.” Looking ahead to the upcoming New Hampshire caucus, Takano points out that Ann McLane Kuster – one of two Representatives of the state – has endorsed Buttigieg – “So 50% of the state,” essentially.

“I think [people saying], ‘Oh, I can’t believe the mayor of South Bend is gonna really get to the end’ – we don’t know that,” he says of Pete’s electability detractors. “…so, my congratulations to him, for representing our community, the LGBTQ community, and showing those LGBTQ teenagers across the country…'[you can] have worth in themselves, and you too, can run for President.'”

In his parting words, Takano urges Democratic voters across the country to get out and vote – “take these names down,” he requests – so something special can happen in Congress.

He names four candidates – Ritchie Torres, Georgette Gómez, Jon Hoadley, and Gina Ortiz Jones as “just a few LGBTQ [candidates]” of color that can be elected into Congress in the upcoming year.

According to Takano, here’s how the candidates shape up: Torres, running in New York’s 15th District, “could be the first Afro-Latino who’s gay to become a member of Congress.” Gomez would be “a[n out] Latina [from] San Diego” if elected, and Hoadley is a Victory Fund-rated ‘game changer’ that is “running out of Michigan”. Jones is a veteran vying to represent Texas’ 23rd Congressional District on her second attempt at the seat.

Takano actively wants to welcome these candidates to the House chambers, having even endorsed some of them. Why?

“Actually, I could start a whole new caucus,” he says. While he remains “the only Gaysian, still,” he says that along with Rep. Davids, they could form a subcaucus within the LGBT Equality Caucus that would represent LGBTQ people of color.

“That’s not only going to be LGBTQ diversity, but intersectional diversity, right? I think that’s very cool.”

3 notes · View notes

hitominyo · 5 years

Text

Talent Show

I had to wait for a computer to finally post this in here since I still don’t know how to use the app well. Anywho, this is my first work and I’m reaaally anxious and insecure but I’m still pulling it out here. Comments are well recieved and if there is something that it’s spelled wrong or it just looks wrong, please tell me? English is not my first language. Enjoy!

The song I used as inspiration and as part of the story is ’Let it be me’ of Ava Max. Especially the acoustic version. Here is the link from youtube: https://youtu.be/CPpBDxhx-ws

**************

Marco sighs. He is looking through a small gap between the curtains from behind the stage. There was a lot more people than he initially thought it would be. To say that he was nervous was an understatement. He was terrified . Why would he do this to himself? Oh, right. One of his best friends asked him to do it.

Her friend Star Butterfly is the creative manager of this establishment and when she came to his house a month ago carrying a large bowl of his favorite freshly handmade cookies of that bakery from the other side of the city his soul was sold. He had learned a long time ago that trying to say no to the blonde was just delaying the inevitable, but that didn’t mean he didn’t put on a fight. Her friend asked him to play and sing for the Talent Show she was organizing since she needed a at least 4 interested people on performing to make it credible for her bosses and she only needed one more.

Marco has been playing his guitar since he was a little boy, but didn’t have much experience at playing in front of audiences. He didn’t have stage fright, but it still made him nervous and self-conscious when others aside from his close friends and family watched him perform. Overall it made him uneasy play the song he decided on, since the lyrics were made with someone very specific in mind.

*******

Tom stared at the door in front of him thinking for the last time if this was a good idea. He has been locked up in his apartment for the last three weeks since his last break up. Just remembering it made him feel that horrible pain in his chest. Like a big and dark space that made him feel hollow. The embarrassment, the treason, the rejection, the feeling of not being enough to deserve love.

He sighed. But. There was someone who needed his support that night. Someone who has been helping him each and every day after his most recent heartbreak. Marco was the first to know about the break up with her now ex-girlfriend. He remembered how he found her with another man on THEIR bed that fateful day when he left his work early to surprise her for their 2nd year anniversary. The fight has been quick but none the less hurtful. Some screaming, objects being thrown to the floor and tears. Mostly from Tom. The first thing he thought to do after he kicked her ex out from his apartment was to call the boy he's been friends with since they were 15. It took the other to listen to his quavery tone to know he needed to be there as soon as possible.

It took the Latino not even 20 minutes to arrive to his front door. Impressive considering it's almost impossible to get that fast to anywhere with the traffic at that hour. Not even that, he was carrying a few bags full of food and beverages that he knew were the homeowner’s favorites. Tom, who had been crying the whole time, wasted no time to hug him with all his might making his friend lose some of his balance but avoiding by little to drop the things he was carrying. After a minute of convincing from the brunette who had managed to pass all the things to one of his hands, he used the other to awkwardly hug his friend, they made it to the couch closing the door behind them.

Marco had listened all the taller one had to say and took the responsibility to take care of him since he knew he could do so much to make the other feel better. They drank and they ate so much ice cream it was hard for the smaller one to take his friend to bed, taking the couch for himself. The following days were no better for Tom, the pain still fresh and the inevitable reunion with the woman who broke his heart to come back for her stuff accompanied with no other but the one he was cheated with. Marco kept on visiting every night sometimes bringing food for his friend to eat since he knew the other wouldn't make for himself, sometimes to clean the place and others to practically wash the filth from the guy that couldn't even begin to care about his own self been. He even stayed some night by the taller one’s request, sometimes sharing the bed.

For his best friend to take care of him in such a pathetic time in his life, the less he could do was to support him in this night that he knew the other was incredibly nervous about. Even when the brunette didn't asked him to go, (because he is an angel and would never ask for something in return for his actions) he was invited by their blond and enthusiastic friend to support him as a favor for her. It wasn't a hard decision.

With a jacket on one of his hands and his keys on the other, he exited the warm and safety that his home provided to enter the dreaded outside world.

*******

Star went from place to place around the coffee shop with an energy everybody who didn't know her enough would assume was the result of an unlimited supply of energy drinks and pure coffee. The girl was ecstatic to see the great attendance for her first event, hoping there would be a lot more in the future. But it wasn't a surprise, she used every bit of her energy to share her Talent Show around the city and social network until an hour before it started. Even now she was broadcasting with the help of her girlfriend, Janna. Who was also in charge of the music between presentations and lights.

Marco's was the opening act, but she was trying to delay it as much as possible to give his second best friend the opportunity to watch him from the start. Star was done watching their relationship as a mere spectator, she was taking matters on her own hands. While she was talking with one of the contestants she felt a slight vibration on her right pocket and after a second of confusion looked around for her girlfriend at the other side of the room who was showing her two thumbs up.

”That's the signal!” the blond one exclaimed. ”Ok, everyone! You know where to go, just like in the rehearsal!” Screamed the girl running from people to people until she was in front of her best friend. After a very tight hug to the sick looking 22-year-old boy, she shared a big excited smile with him. ”Come on, Marco! You've been practicing since forever! You are going to do awesome!!”

”Star… I don't know if I can do this…” Said the terrified boy trying to look through the curtains for the 50th time that night. Her friend rapidly blocked his way to try not to spoil her very well planned surprise.

”Marco Ubaldo Diaz!” Started the blond with a severe tone on her voice. ”You are the most talented person I've ever met. And I went to art school!” Remarked Star raising both her eyebrows. She put an accusatory finger on the other's chest. ”You have a gift worth sharing and you've been keeping it to yourself long enough” Changing her expression to a sweeter one she lifted her hand to pat the other on his shoulder. ”I’m always going to be with you and all of your family is here to support you as well.”

This made the male smile. He was aware his parents were coming and were probably standing on the first row with their cameras to try to record every second of his presentation. ”Thank you, Star…” He was about to give her a hug when something clicked on his head. His family wasn’t just the ones related to blood for the both of them. ”Wait. Everyone?” Not waiting another second he opened a small gap between the curtains looking for somebody he didn't take too long to sight talking with the blonde’s girlfriend. ”Star! What did you DO?” Asked the taller one with desperation taking the other by the shoulders to shake her.

”Oh, stop that!” Star said removing herself from the other's grip wearing an amused smile. ”This is the perfect time. He actually got out from his actual comfort zone to be here FOR you!” The accusatory finger made it reappearance again with a vengeance. ”You know this is what you have to do, Marco. Or you will regret it for the rest of your life.”

The pep talk from her friend did little for that dreadful feeling in his guts, but he knew she was right. It's been too long keeping his feeling inside of him. They were completely obvious and had put him in various awkward talks with every person he cares about. With the exception of the one he love, who seems to be completely oblivious to them. Seriously, how could be someone so dense?

Marco hasn't been subtle, he even had planned a lot of confessions. But as the perfectionist he is, he needed the perfect time to do it. And everytime he spends with Tom are either so distracting he forget about his plans or trying to be the best comforter he could be. His friend has a point, even if it wasn't planned by him, this was it.

Breathing deeply and closing his eyes tightly he made his decision. With only a nod from the taller one, the girl left him to enter the stage greeting everybody in the audience enthusiastically.

*******

Tom had arrived at the packed place 5 minutes ago looking for any person he could recognize. Instead, he heard his name being shouted from his left. Janna was behind a table brimming to the top with all kinds of electronics and wires waving one of her hands lazily over her head for the boy to see her. With a little difficulty, he approached his friend asking for the people on his way to move politely. ”Hey, you!” Says the taller one once he was by her side.

The girl with the beanie, putting away her mobile on her back pocket looked to her front to the stage making a thumbs up gesture over her head. ”Sorry. Hey, man! You came just in time for the show!” Greets Janna directing her attention to the other before going back to the console in the table in front of her. ”How have you been?” Asked while dimming the lights of the coffee shop and the music at the time she was directing a white light to the middle of the stage controlling everything from a computer connected to all the other gadgets.

”Well, you know.” Paused the 23-year-old to his friend. ”Going.” He watched to the stage as her other friend, Star, walked to the front of the stage greeting the audience with her cheerful tone.

”That’s enthusiastic.” Said sarcastically the girl by his side looking at him sideways. ”But I'm sure you will feel better soon, don't worry.” She says with a strange smile now looking at the other turning her head completely to him before going back to her job as the first contestant was announced. ”Well, look at that.” The room now quieter than before stared at the front as a boy with his guitar took his place in front of the microphone. She could see how the expression from the other changed drastically to a happier one as he saw his best friend.

”Hey, ummm… I'm Marco Diaz.” The brunette presented himself looking a little flustered and searching for something or someone in the audience. After hearing a loud cheer from the back of the room and others followed from it his eyes found the ones of his most precious friend. He took a deep breath and continued. ”And this song is called ’Let it be me’, I hope you like it.” The blue haired girl smiled broadly as the last part seemed to be directed at the confused man on her right. This was going to be great, she thought.

*******

When you're faded and alone

And need somebody on the phone

Let it be me, let it be me

As the melodious voice of his best friend starts the song, the sound of his guitar came next in a slow tempo. Marco started to play when they were in school and he almost didn't need to look where his finger have to be on the guitar’s strings. Tom couldn't ignore the intense look the brunette was directed to him as the other performs as it was just the two of them in the room. Something inside of the taller one that he thought he had been buried inside of him was starting to emerge.

When she leaves you in the rain

You need a high to kill the pain

Let it be me, let it be me

The memories from the past weeks flooded his mind only remembering the moments the singer was there for him. Giving him his undivided attention. Only to make him feel better. To show him how much he cares.

And I'll show you love the way it's supposed to be

Tom felt how his heart stopped beating at the moment that sentence was said. Watching how sincere the performer's eyes were against his own. ’It couldn't be…’ though the pink haired man.

Summer days, winter nights

Ride or die, right by you side

Killing time 'till you're ready to see I'm all you need

The beat of his guitar started to pick up making the people in the audience to start clapping trying to follow the rhythm. This made the performer smile a little breaking their eye contact to look around the room and give them a little love too. But it didn't last long since by the second part they were there to find the ones of the one he loves the most.

You're a drunk, you're a fool

I'm insane, so right for you

When the ship goes down

Look in your dreams, that's where I'll be

Tom could sense the playful tone on his friend's voice as the lyrics progressed and it made him smile stupidly. Making him feel so many things at the same time it seems impossible for a person.

And I ne-ne-ne-need you

Breath in. Breath out

And I la-la-la-la-love ya

A gasp. This time his heart definitely stopped and he knew the way that phrase was said was different from the times it has been pronounced before.

But I wanna-wanna-wanna-wanna

Just stay the night

He remembered all the times they spent on sleepovers since they met each other. All the sleepless nights just talking about anything and everything. How easy it has been to share with the brunette those things he wouldn't say to anybody else. How sometimes they would share the same bed to stay as close as possible because it felt right...

When you're faded and alone

And need somebody on the phone

Let it be me, let it be me

How could it be that even as he could see how nervous his best friend was he could still sing about something so intimate as these feelings? Tom couldn't believe the person on stage was actually the same one he saw blushing and stuttering when too much attention was on him.

When she leaves you in the rain

You need a high to kill the pain

Let it be me, let it be me

There was no doubt the taller one's face was brighter than the lights facing the stage at the other side of the room. It seemed as his whole body was on fire, feeling how he was producing more heat than he needed.

And I'll show you love the way it supposed to be

Tom felt like he was drowning. Drowning in something so rare he believed he could never deserve. The heat on his chest was pleasant and suffocating at the same time.

Ta-da-da-da, da-da-da-da, da-da-da-ta-da-da-da

The listeners around the room that have been swaying and raising their phones to create their own lights were starting to clap to the beat again making some encouraging sounds to the performer's passion on every bit of his song. Tom couldn't notice any of this as he was completely enthralled by the one on the stage.

Ta-da-da-da, da-da-da-da, da-da-da-ta-da-da-da

The pink haired man looked how the one stealing his attention enjoyed the way others were responding to him, even how his flushed face shows that anxiousness he couldn't hide completely. The singers focus fluctuating between his friend and the rest of the room.

And I ne-ne-ne-need you

Hearing again that phrase made the taller one sigh feeling how he was falling completely to the one on stage’s feet. He just couldn't care to keep any of his walls up when this moment was happening in front of his eyes.

And I la-la-la-la-love you

A stupid smile and an even brighter face made him lift up his hands to his cheeks to try to hide a little his expression. But he knew he wasn't changing the fact that his best friend could see every one of his emotions as clear as they were his own. Even if they were so far from each other.

But I wanna-wanna-wanna-wanna

Just stay the night

He just couldn't imagine wanting to ever be apart from the one that was serenading him with such emotion and sincerity. He just wanted to go to him and intoxicate in his eyes. To hug him as close as it was possible and even tighter than that.

When you're faded and alone

And need somebody on the phone

Let it be me, let it be me

Oh, how he wants to kiss him. How he NEEDS to kiss him.

When she leaves you in the rain

You need a high to kill the pain

Let it be me, let it be me

He just couldn't remember a time where it was anybody else but Marco. He is his past, present and future. There couldn't be anyone else. It has always been him, Tom realized as he saw how the last chords of the guitar where strummed.

And I'll show you love the way it supposed to be

It was said as a promise and he just knew it was something both of them were very excited to experience.

*******

Their thoughts were interrupted by the deafening noise from all the one's present in the room that seems even more packed than before. Marco felt as if pulled out from a trance as the cheering made him realize where he actually was. And flushing a bright red made a small reverence to the excited listeners that seemed to be more vocal by every second. He saw how the louder ones, that were throwing him flowers, were his own parents. The hostess entered the stage again to stand beside his best friend hugging him sideways to evade knocking the other’s guitar. Star took the microphone to encourage the audience to be even louder for him. It passed almost a whole minute until she had to call for the people to settle down a little so they could go on with the night.

*******

”Hey.” Tom jumped as he remembered he was in the company of one of his friends. Just the one that would never let him forget how silly he most look in that moment. With a smug smile on her face, she seemed to enjoy the surprise and self-consciousness the boy was sharing unwillingly with her. ”So, what are you doing here?”

”Uh?” Says eloquently the taller one receiving a loud laugh from the other.

”Shouldn't you be looking for your man to tell him how much you want to suck his face?” Tom felt how his face erupted again in a furious blush. ”Take that door and walk until the end of the hallway. You can't miss it.” Says the girl winking at him and giving him a push to the door she was referring behind the coffee bar at her left.

*******

As they exited the stage letting the next performer take their place, the two friends took a little turn to arrive at the deserted small staff room that only had a table, a couple of chairs and a pantry with a coffee machine on top. The male had to sit down. He didn't notice until that moment that his legs felt like noodles. ”Oh, my lord! You were so cool, Marco! I knew you could do it!” Said the hyper girl now standing in front of him to take the guitar from the other and place it on an adjacent wall by their side. ”Did you see how everybody loved you?! I told you you were going to be a hit!” Squealed the blonde girl giving him another big hug now that there was nothing preventing her to do it properly. He heard his friend laughing while returning the gesture but got worried when she felt something wet on her shoulder. ”Marco?! What is it?!” Asked the shorter one using her scarf to try to dry his friend's tears.

”Star… I can't believe I did it…” His voice small and the adrenaline he felt before was draining quickly from his body. Her friend smiled at him again, this time softer and full of pride for the brunette. ”What's going to happen now? I can't just go back to how things were before now…” Everything seems so uncertain for him. The fear starting to settle inside of him like wildfire. They heard the other entrance of the room opening behind Marco’s back. By the smile rapidly forming in his friend’s face in front of him, he knew exactly who it was.

”Well, pretty boys! I have to go back out there to keep the party going.” Singsonged the cheery girl taking her scarf back and started to walk to the door where they previously entered the room before. She opened it and sent kisses to their direction before exiting the place closing it behind her. She gave herself a pat on her back and continued her journey to the place where her attention was needed.

*******

Tom felt breathless and had to stay a moment just looking at the door in front of him. Taking a well-needed breath, he opened it finding two figures on the center of the small room. One of them being the person he was looking for. He watched that the other was saying something to them but couldn't focus on her. His brain not processing anything anymore. As the blonde left the room he took another step and closed the door behind him directing his attention to the other men in the room.

They could hear the noise of the audience applauding another performer muffled by the thick walls. Marco felt as his body was suddenly made of stone and his heart was dangerously trying to escape from his chest. He heard slow but intent steps getting closer to him and a new set of tears left his treacherous eyes. Marco closes his eyes tightly lifting one of his hands to try to get rid of them.

”Marco, why are you crying?” His best friend asked kneeling in his front giving him a worried gaze. He felt the other take his lifted hand preventing it for the brunette to hide. Sighing he opened his eyes founding the taller one looking at him as he was afraid he might break at any moment. This made him let out a short laugh, feeling silly.

”Sorry.” The worry in the other features turned into something akin to annoyance which in turn frightened him. He was opening his mouth again when he saw how the other straightened his bac to match their heights so their faces were in front of each other and placing his free hand on the shorter one’s cheek. He let out a sigh he didn't know he was holding and looked something in the other’s eyes that surprised him.

”I'm the one that should be saying that, Marco...” Tom’s gaze traveled around his friend entire face like he was looking at him for the first time. ”You already said what you had to say. Now it's my turn.” The pink-haired men connected their sights once more. ”I'm sorry.” He paused. ”I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner that I've been in love with you since we met.” At the surprised look in the other’s face, he traced his jawline feeling the roughness of the beginning of a stubble. ”And I don't mean… When we first met. That was… Unfriendly, to say the least.” Tom letting out an awkward laugh and Marco smiling softly. ”But, when I actually met you. When we started to talk and share and spend time together… I just knew I never wanted to be apart from you ever again.” This was said with such conviction and sincerity the brunette felt like crying again. Like he was in a dream. ”At the time I was too stupid to understand what that feeling was and I just associated it to friendship, since I never really had one before.”

”Marco, you definitely are my best friend. But you are also the one that stole my heart.” He could see how new tears were emerging from the one in front of him and move closer to kiss just above his eyebrow. ”I was so afraid you might found out about it. I had to keep as much distance from you as you would let me.” He intertwined their finger and moved his other hand to the back of Marco’s head feeling his soft hair between his fingers while leaning his chin on the others shoulder. ”I started dating people trying to find a connection. Frightened that if I showed you too much I might lose you.”

The shorter one squeezed their grasp and used his free hand to the others shoulder to make a little bit of distance between them to look into his partner eyes. After sharing a watery smile he spoke. ”You are so dumb.” The playful tone clear in this voice, but also a bit of exasperation. They laughed shortly but with contentment.

”I know.” Says the older standing up since his legs were starting to feel numb. He pulled the other to do the same placing his now free hand on the small of his back. ”May I kiss you?” Asked the taller one moving closer to join their foreheads together with an intense look that almost looked hungry.

The other laughed quietly. ”I'm going to be really mad if you don't.” He says unlocking their hands to hug him around his neck and raising himself a little to make it easier for them to join. He didn't wait much longer as the pink-haired one made a small humming noise before pushing their lips together softly. Tilting his head to the side to fit better against each other.

They moved slowly enjoying the moment both of them have been waiting for. Tom felt electricity and fire at the first touch of their lips. His legs wanting to give up. Luckily he had the grip on the other's body to steady himself. His free hand traveling up the brunette’s back to keep him close. Almost afraid he might lose him or wake up from a dream suddenly.

The shorter one was the first to pull back after a minute to look at the other enjoying the confusion in his best friend’s face. He took a moment to appreciate his flushed skin. His brown eyes that look almost red under the sun. The freckles like constellation on his cheeks, nose, forehead, and neck that he knew made him feel self-conscious when they were younger. The makeup that he wears so confident every day even when he doesn't need to leave the house. His pink hair that is starting to show his natural ginger color at the roots. ”Hey.” Those rosy lips said to him, making him smile a little broader. ”What is it?” The curiosity present on his smooth voice.

”Just thinking.” Was his response starting to play with the short hair on the other’s nape. At the arched brow and the small quirk on the corners of his lips, he decided end his suffering for a real answer. ”How lucky I am.” He heard the instant laugh noticing a little embarrassment in it and observed how that blush grew a little more reaching the top of his pierced ears.

”That's so cheesy!” His laugh getting louder and louder by the second.

”I know you are a sucker for that.” Came back the younger one, infected by the other and letting out his own guffaw.

”Oh, my God! Why did I have to fall in love with my best friend?!” The taller one couldn't stop, almost doubling over by the amusing banter between them. Taking a few steps against the other to push him to the table behind him. ”What was I thinking?” Asked a little breathless trying to calm down with little success.

”You weren't. Sorry.” He sat down on the edge of the furniture pulling the other by the neck starting to kiss his face in a random pattern, trying to reach every spot in it.

Putting a hand in the middle of the younger’s back the other pushed him a little more to also kiss him were his lips landed still laughing, but a little calmer.

They definitely looked like a pair of mad men.

”I love you, Marco Diaz.” Was whispered against the shorter one’s ear, making him let a pleased whimper out.

”I love you, Tom Lucitor.” Was his response before kissing the tip of his nose connecting their gazes again.

[Later that night they were found making out in that table by a pair of amused girls and the parents of the younger. One of the first ones with a cellphone on her hand.]

#tomco #tomarco #marco diaz #tom lucitor #fanfiction #fluff #some angst #like just a little #love confessions #janstar #matchmaker star butterfly #send help #please

7 notes · View notes

sumukhcomedy · 3 years

Text

A Brown Man in Rural America

I split time between living in Los Angeles and the plains of Colorado from 2017 to 2020. Given the circumstances in America, this gave me a particularly unique experience. I lived amidst the supposed “Hollywood elite” and liberalism of Los Angeles and also the supposed backwards MAGA-loving world of rural America. I also am a Brown-skinned man, which provides an additional unique experience in both environments.

I grew up in suburban Cleveland. I went to college in the town of Oxford in Southwest Ohio. I lived in my 20s in downtown Columbus. Being a stand-up comedian out of Columbus gave me the opportunity to perform in towns I would not have otherwise known even existed not just in Ohio but in many states across the country. It prepared me for all possibilities in my existence. After one show, a man in the audience casually told myself and a fellow comedian (who is Black) about the sundown hours that were still on the books in the town. We slowly and politely got the hell out of there.

In general, my experience in rural America, much like Los Angeles and any other place I’ve lived, was good. Our home was remote and so our nearest neighbors were a half a mile away from us. My interactions with them were fine if we would even see each other. There was a wave and a smile and perhaps a quick conversation. The philosophy was pretty clear: you do your own thing and you’re left alone. And, if you haven’t gotten to know me at all, then you’ll know that I’m good with that philosophy. There still, though, was a sense of community. When it would snow (which could be heavy and lead to drifting with the high winds of the Plains), a neighbor would come by to plow everyone’s driveways. We’d make Christmas cookies each year for our neighbors. It’s not as if there wasn’t interaction, awareness, and general positivity.

I work from my home and so I obviously did not work in any of the neighboring towns or even was reliant on the local economy. What limited interactions I had were at my favorite places in town: the gym, the hardware stores, and the veterinarian’s office. Again, it was all generally seemingly positive. But, let’s be clear as well: I was a Brown man who looked more Arab than Latino (the only other racial minority population within this community) so I knew that I stood out. I mean, the census taker said she’d “seen me around town” even though we’d never met before.

As a stand-up comedian, I am of course a bit insane and so I often would do early morning running in my “neighborhood.” This would be long stretches of miles of running on gravel roads with usually no one but rabbits and deer around. But, on occasion, a truck might pass by. One time, a neighbor who had never met me before, slowed his truck down and asked, “Are you lost?” I chuckled and explained to him that I lived in the area and where I lived and then he understood and the conversation was pleasant. But, of course, the mind escapes to Ahmaud Arbery and similar such situations where no matter where you are in the country, as a person of color, you are vulnerable. And, it’s more so even possible here as the only person of color that stands out in an area where I’m well aware every one of my neighbors owns a gun.

We often harp on the differences between urban spaces and rural areas and the people within them. In some cases, these differences are warranted. In others, they are not. And, most likely, the differences are still just wrinkles in how our country and society as a whole operate. For example, the challenges of a person of color in Los Angeles as opposed to the Plains of Colorado are different but they are still extensions of the same overall societal issue. In the example I gave, some random person could clearly kill me while I was running in Los Angeles. However, I feel that it is at least a major city in Los Angeles with a diverse population and vocal individuals towards injustice. Even if I am dead, much like the many number of people of color who have died in such a manner, there is a large population that will speak to the injustice and that are fighting to ensure such an act will not be repeated again. There’s still a certain safety in an otherwise unsafe environment.

In rural America, this isn’t the case for the person of color. To begin with, I am already an outsider. I did not grow up in this town nor this area and towns like this still do rely heavily on “legacy families.” As such, they operate in a certain way based off the history of the town. Let’s also add to that a history of racism in this country, that I stand out as a person of color in a predominantly white area, and that there are no others really to defend me on any possible sense of injustice. I don’t have the connections to be cared for whether just generally as a person let alone as a person of color.

Following the death of George Floyd and the rise of people actually caring about Black Lives Matter, that was my biggest concern. There were so many areas of the country where not only were people of color at a higher potential for experiencing backlash but they also may not have any support system to prevent them from that backlash.

2020 was a complicated year for many reasons but, for the sake of my family and personal and work decisions that were great opportunities and best suited us, we moved from the Plains of Colorado. A part of me did not want to leave because I did enjoy the peace and solitude of the area. A part of me also felt guilty because I felt as if I was leaving behind an area I was at least in for 3 years and had some kind of mild impact on. I mean, I think I can say confidently that I was the “Colorado Plains Comedy Scene” and the one show we organized did generate $1100 for mental health services in the area.

When I reflect on my opportunities to live in such spaces, I can’t help but look at the downfall of both urban settings and rural settings and the gridlock over pride, politics, and insults that make the conversation between these areas so terrible. It’s why President Joe Biden preaches “unity” but why I roll my eyes at such a simplistic concept. Let us admit: Los Angeles and the major cities have problems and rural America has problems. If we coalesce and be honest and listen to each other and improve them, we make the country better as a whole. Unfortunately, we’ve allowed ourselves to not actually look and explain facts and history to make it better.

In Los Angeles, a city with a terrible history on race and police brutality, it is no surprise that the focus is on the treatment of authority towards people of color. This does not hit home nor is relevant to rural America, which prides itself on its police and law being a part of its protection and its community. But, when your rural community has next to no people of color, how can you really understand the battle on the issue that exists within the major cities? This is why it was very easy to spin to Republicans and most of rural America that Black Lives Matter protesters were rioters and destroying property which was clearly rare or, in the cases that it did happen, an escalation of the pressure of years of racism in a specific city.

In rural America, while there may have been protests (one I even participated in), the effects can’t possibly have the same impact when the intimidation of the Blue Lives Matter/All Lives Matter crowd was far more prevalent. We could protest but we better be as peaceful as we possibly can be or these people could kill us. Even then, they may kill us even just for protesting. This is the significant difference of being of color in rural America as opposed to the metropolitan city.

But, on the other hand, what appears to fuel rural America’s anger is the determination that the major cities or the Democrats or whomever are inflicting their ways upon that area. To some extent, this is understandable. The community that I lived in was entirely reliant upon farming and agriculture. Who the hell am I to say how their farms should run or what is best for them? But, at the same time, Trump became the first sitting president in 27 years to personally attend and speak at the Future Farmers of America conference in 2018. As a person of color, we often speak of representation and awareness, and if as a farmer you get that from the President of the United States, it’s understandable how you find yourself connecting and aligning with him. We can sit back and debate over Trump, the trade war, subsidies, and farming, but that isn’t what I want to get into. The Democrats failed in the simple step with farmers of just acknowledgment over a long period of time.

President Biden can preach “unity” but it is far more complex to unite these states of America at this point. One of the great difficulties that I had with rural America and social media was people’s strong ability to be swayed by memes, conspiracy theories, and other notions that were just not based in fact but fit the perspective they wanted. It’s not as if everyone within social media isn’t possibly affected by that in some way no matter their perspective but it’s certainly magnified in these communities and in right-wing environments. On the rare occasion I may discuss political issues with someone in the area, it would be with a person that I had met before, and had seemingly found a good and positive relationship with. And, yet, often they would find themselves defending their perspective constantly. Rather than listening, they just kept talking. They would rather believe memes, videos, and the Internet than a person they’d actually met and my experiences. It didn’t make me happy because that is not how I would handle a similar situation. If they wanted to talk to me about farming, I’d listen to them on it. I wouldn’t spew knowledge I heard from some random YouTube clip as what are the facts specific to their situation and perspective.

And, so, this is the great disconnect that we deal with. We can’t have unity unless there is a battle to change the anger and how people are gaining their knowledge, thoughts, and perspectives. Whether it was masks or social justice or Jeffrey Epstein, the 2020s have gone off the rails in how people gain their information and their mindsets. And, from what I can tell, it’s getting more and more extensively bad in both the secluded rural environments and in the major cities. It’s just that each has its own challenges and each also wants to give their opinions and insult the other on the issues.

So, what’s my point? I’ve been critical of Los Angeles on its issues like gentrification. I’ve been critical with Trump supporters on their issues. No area of this country or its people are perfect and yet they purport themselves to have the right perspective with such certainty for whatever reason. And such certainty only gets magnified either via social media or media outlets looking to raise controversy rather than journalistic integrity.

Whether it be the urban space or the rural space of America, the person of color is in a sort of prison, its levels of that Panopticon dependent upon the environment. We do what we have to do to survive in a society that operates in a certain way. I have clutched my hands on my steering wheel when pulled over by police in the predominantly Black neighborhood of Franklin Park in Columbus, Ohio and on a highway outside Sidney, Nebraska. I’m as polite as I can be as a Brown man in a place where I’m self-aware I am a Brown man either in a city that inflicts pain upon about Brown and Black men or on a rural area that has no Brown men.

Sure, I can describe my experiences as “good” from the towns I’ve performed or lived in to the largest cities in America I’ve performed or lived in. But the big question is one that will always linger until change occurs: do people of color feel as safe in any of these environments as white people do?

#brown #desi #rural america #rural #urban #los angeles #colorado #asian #latino #black #black lives matter #blm #ahmaud arbery

0 notes

solemnveloci · 6 years

Text

COCO & BOOK OF LIFE Joint Review

Alright, lemme just get this out of the way.

I know that I’m gonna get some people saying “Hey, don’t compare them! They did a good job conveying two different stories, don’t be spiteful to one over the other!” and that’s a good point. I didn’t even intend on watching them back to back at first.

However, I needed a cleanser after the three straight Open Season movies I’d watched, and it made more sense to me to rewatch TBoL and to… first-watch Coco since they were both about the same holiday. So, worry not. I’ll get it over with quick in the beginning.

Let’s start! (obvious spoilers for both movies)

The Book of Life was practically strangled to death before its time by the multiple years in production until it was finally accepted by ReelFX. The creative minds behind the project were native Mexicans Jorge Gutierrez and Sandra Gutierrez, famous for such projects as El Tigre, Carmen Got Expelled, and with resident fish-kisser Guillermo Del Toro working as producer, they could finally bring their idea to fruition.

Then Lee Unkrich went to Mexico on holiday, mentioned sugar skulls to his higher-ups, and Pixar immediately grabbed him by the throat and said, “DUDE MAKE A MOVIE.” DisNepotism at its finest.

Of course, Disney proceeded to screw themselves over so hard they practically ripped their metaphorical cocks off when they tried to trademark DIA LOS MUERTOS so that no icky DreamWorks producer could get their paws on it. The blatancy of this dick movie rightfully pissed off about a million Latino people (Mexican or otherwise) and Disney realized that maybe they had the wrong priorities. In order to assuage the backlash, they threw about six Mexican creators at the script and creative departments and begged them to sew up the Austria-sized fuckup.

Coco now sits as the highest animated film of all time in Mexico. I’d say they helped a lot.

PROS

The Book of Life:

God, the voice acting is amazing. How the hell they got Channing Tatum in this, I’ll never know, but he nails his lines like he’s not even trying. Kate Del Castillo and Diego Luna are my two favorites, though, considering they dual-dubbed La Muerte and Manolo in both English and Latin American Spanish. This line in particular always gets me.

I adore the puppets as a framing device. There’s just something so cool about it, especially with how characters like Xibalba and the Candlemaker interact with them.

Joaquin shouting his own name like a Pokémon every time he does something.

The Mariachi brothers physically roll around sometimes instead of walking.

Both versions of Manolo’s love song are gorgeous and sweet. They’re a welcome addition to the jukebox musical style of the rest.

Placido Domingo as Manolo’s disabled, opera-singing, bullfighter great-grandpa.

*chuckles* “They crushed our dreams!”

Manolo’s mom is so darling, you guys.

“Being bullfighters, we often flirt with death.” “And that’s why there’s so many of you down here.”

Xibalba, the god of evil, pigging out on a giant table of food and causally telling Manolo that’s he’s been completely screwed over.

Something’s oddly funny about the fact that Chakal’s got a giant, untouched drawing of the medal in his Cave O’ Death.

“Hey! My arthritis is gone!”

“Hello… puddle.”

Manolo’s mom bitchslapping Chakal.

The scene where Manolo apologizes to all the bulls his family killed, and the way the bull just clams down and dissolves into marigolds, like its soul was just put to rest.

Luchadore Priest. Hell, just the whole fight scene.

The kiss between Manolo and Maria, not helped by the fact I though he was flipping Chakal off during it instead of raising a finger.

“Men! Typical.” I love that delivery. “WELP, SAW THIS SHIT COMIN’.”

The little goth kid passing out when La Muerte undisguises herself.

Coco:

Again, the voice acting, fucking astounding. Props goes to Gael Garcia Benal, he pulls off his character so well! Disney/Pixar movies have sort of been lackluster with their voice acting (with a few exceptions) but this one was perfect.

*flashback to Ernesto getting flattened under a bell* “I wanna be just like him!”

“Miguel, vitamins are real.” “Well, now I’m thinking they might be!”

Hector’s facial expressions are so good, you guys.

Actually, I want to talk more about this. Not just him, but all the physical comedy with the skeletons. Like, they way they detach their limbs or heads, it’s so animated and weird. Reminds me of old cartoons.

If someone told me they watched this movie for Hector, I’d support them.

“Those aren’t the words!” “There are children present.”

I don’t care if all the acts were meant to be bad on purpose, I thought they were cute.

“Bring back the singing dogs!”

Seriously, the body language is incredible. Gael must have been having the time of his life recording this.

“HAVE YOU MET MY GRANDSON?”

“I hope you die very soon!”

Ernesto’s twist villainy is better than Big Hero Six and Frozen combined, fight me.

In fact, it’s the only way the villainy would have worked. Dammit, Disney! You made it look lazy!

Holy fuck, he just fell over. That’s… jarring.

Art theft is bad, you guys.

*sobbing*

*LOUDER SOBBING*

Awww! She’s dead! Wait, that sounds bad.

CONS

You scrolled down here for the negativity, didn’t you?

Book of Life: This movie gets shorter every time I watch it. Not kidding. Maybe it’s because I’m used to all the plot beats and twists. But… why is it soooo short?! Even like, two more scenes could have helped it along. I NEED MORE.

Coco: The inclusion of Frida Kahlo. This one kinda doesn’t count, but it does annoy me that she was used as just a quirky side-character, which is a huge slap in the face for all that she’d done as an artist and an activist. The gag at the beginning with Hector wasn’t that bad, but if I could’ve changed it, I’d put the guy who invented Alebrijes in her place, Pedro Linares. You’d only have to do a little bit of tweaking, the Rivera family would dress as a giant Alebrije puppet to get backstage instead, Hector could disguise himself as one to sneak past Ernesto’s guards, and we could have this scene.

Ernesto: Ah, excuse me, sir! The stage is that way.

Hector: *takes off mask*

Ernesto: Hector. You’ve gotten back into performing, I see.

And now, for some rapid-fire nitpicks if that wasn’t enough negativity for you.

Why does the museum have a trick wall? Is it always there, or just there when La Muerte needs it? Is this their day job, or did they shapeshift into actual museum workers? Where’s Joaquin’s Mom? If she’s alive, why is she neglecting a child to live out in the streets? If she’s dead, who the hell raised him before Maria’s dad? Where’s Maria’s mom? Is nobody going to point out that Manolo is the only living member of his family left?!

Why didn’t Imelda just ban people seeking out musical careers and not all music? Are they not allowed to go to church? What do they do for parties? Quincenaras? Did nobody that Hector knew talk about the movie where his own death was ripped off? Did he never even overhear it? If you do something evil, do you only go to the Land of the Remembered if you never get caught? What if you’re a serial killer who never got caught? Does that mean there’s a hell? DID CHICH GO TO HELL BECAUSE HE WAS FORGOTTEN? WHAT KIND OF FUCKED UP GHOST CAPITALISM DOES THE PIXAR-VERSE AFTERLIFE RUN ON

#review #reviews #reelfx #disney #pixar

4 notes · View notes

gaysails · 6 years

Photo

I lived bitch

grantaire was nothing to write home about but he gave a solid performance. the varying levels of mania throughout the show were spot on but sadly the level of reverence towards enjolras left something to be desired. they had a wonderful drink with me verse though! also he was wearing the UGLIEST coat which I wholeheartedly support. and then when the actor came out at stage door he was wearing an ugly coat of his own (they were headed to a new year’s party ofc) and I complimented him on both.

enjolras was solid as well and I loved how unshakeable (up until gavroche’s death at least.... boyyyyy) and passionate the actor played him as well as how clearly he cared for all the people around him. and between him having the most GORGEOUS blonde hair and combeferre being dark-skinned they were the closest aesthetic match to my own HCs that I’ve ever seen onstage

speaking of gavroche the kid playing him was AMAZING like during little fall of rain I was holding it together until gavroche noticed eponine and his FACE? was just WRACKED with grief and I was bawling. also at the end of the paris introductory scene (after javert says to clear this garbage off the street) gavroche yells everybody offstage which he did in the broadway staging also BUT THEN he gives javert this dead serious salute and goose-stepped away it was precious

I had an asian understudy for cosette and the principals playing marius and eponine are latino and black respectively so there were WHOLE SCENES without any white people onstage it was thrilling. I haven’t seen that since dallas les mis!! and they were all real good especially marius he was so open and emotional like the fuckin cancer moon he is

melissa mitchell sang a BEAUTIFUL I dreamed a dream and then recognized me at stage door even though she hadn’t seen me in over a year dfgkjhdfjk I’m pretty sure andrew love recognized me also. rip

SAVED THE BEST FOR LAST..... JAVERT........ WAS INCREDIBLE........ every single thing about his demeanor and the way he carried himself was perfect. he was so deadly and imposing but then he’d like make a face or pronounce something a certain way that would make me want to crack up outrageously but he was still so dead serious! which produces the feeling of “I want to laugh at you but you’re not trying to be funny, you’re actually super intense and this situation is not comedic at all, so the inappropriateness of my laughter at this moment makes me want to laugh even more because of how ridiculous it is” and this is the standard by which I judge all javerts. if you don’t make me want to scream-laugh uncontrollably at you then you’re not doing it right!!! and shoutout to the makeup department also for giving him The Sideburns and aging him up masterfully for the time jump to 1832. god what a good javert

the cherry on top of all this was that the five/six year old I was sitting next to was little eponine’s sister and she had no sense of boundaries but like in a charming way. so she was reading my playbill and leaning on my shoulder constantly and kept giving me whispered commentary throughout act one about plot points and the different roles the ensemble was switching between. this last part was admittedly a little annoying but at least she wasn’t singing along to the songs like some adults I’ve sat next to in the past lmao and anyway it was worth it for the golden moment of comedy where javert announced “he will bend, he will break, this time there is no mistake” and this little girl whispered very earnestly to me “THERE IS.” mood

anyway I turned to her at intermission like “btw I’ve seen the show before you don’t have to tell me everything that’s happening” and she was like OH and then asked me what my shirt meant and I had to decide whether to lie to this child or actually explain to her the meaning of “les miserables as fuq” while her guardian was sitting right in front of us. thankfully act two started a few seconds later and spared me. it was definitely one of the most special/memorable audience experiences I’ve ever had lol

8 notes · View notes

gordonwilliamsweb · 4 years

Text

Back to Life: COVID Lung Transplant Survivor Tells Her Story

Mayra Ramirez remembers the nightmares.

During six weeks on life support at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Ramirez said, she had terrifying nightmares that she couldn’t distinguish from reality.

“Most of them involve me drowning,” she said. “I attribute that to me not being able to breathe, and struggling to breathe.”

On June 5, Ramirez, 28, became the first known COVID-19 patient in the U.S. to undergo a double lung transplant. She is strong enough now to begin sharing the story of her ordeal.

Mysterious Exposure

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Mayra Ramirez began working from home. She’s unsure how she contracted COVID-19.(Northwestern Medicine)

Before the pandemic, Ramirez worked as a paralegal for an immigration law firm in Chicago. She enjoyed walking her dogs and running 5K races.

Ramirez had been working from home since mid-March, hardly leaving the house, so she has no idea how she contracted the coronavirus. In late April, she started experiencing chronic spasms, diarrhea, loss of taste and smell, and a slight fever.

“I felt very fatigued,” Ramirez said. “I wasn’t able to walk long distances without falling over. And that’s when I decided to go into the emergency room.”

From the ER to a Ventilator

The staff at Northwestern checked her vitals and found her oxygen levels were extremely low. She was given 10 minutes to explain her situation over the phone to her mother in North Carolina and appoint her to make medical decisions on her behalf.

Ramirez knew she was about to be placed on a ventilator, but she didn’t understand exactly what that meant.

“In Spanish, the word ‘ventilator’ — ventilador — is ‘fan,’ so I thought, ‘Oh, they’re just gonna blow some air into me and I’ll be OK. Maybe have a three-day stay, and then I’ll be right out.’ So I wasn’t very worried,” Ramirez said.

In fact, she would spend the next six weeks heavily sedated on that ventilator and another machine — known as ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation — pumping and oxygenating her blood outside of her body.

In this photo taken before the transplant, Mayra Ramirez is being monitored by the ECMO team at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago.(Northwestern Medicine)

One theory about why Ramirez became so sick is that she has a neurological condition that is treated with steroids, drugs that can suppress the immune system.

By early June, Ramirez was at risk of further decline. She began showing signs that her kidneys and liver were starting to fail, with no improvement in her lung function. Her family was told she might not make it through the night, so her mother and sisters caught the first flight from North Carolina to Chicago to say goodbye.

When they arrived, the doctors told Ramirez’s mother, Nohemi Romero, that there was one last thing they could try.

Ramirez was a candidate for a double lung transplant, they said, although the procedure had never been done on a COVID patient in the U.S. Her mother agreed, and within 48 hours of being listed for transplant, a donor was found and the successful procedure was performed on June 5.

At a recent news conference held by Northwestern Memorial, Romero shared in Spanish that there were no words to describe the pain of not being by her daughter’s side as she struggled for her life.

She thanked God all went well, and for giving her the strength to make it through.

‘I Just Felt Like a Vegetable’

Dr. Ankit Bharat, Northwestern Medicine’s chief of thoracic surgery, performed the 10-hour procedure.

“Most patients are quite sick going into [a] lung transplant,” Bharat said in an interview in June. “But she was so sick. In fact, I can say without hesitation, the sickest patient I ever transplanted.”

Bharat said most COVID-19 patients will not be candidates for transplants because of their age and other health conditions that decrease the likelihood of success. And early research shows that up to half of COVID patients on ventilators survive the illness and are likely to recover on their own.

But for some, like Ramirez, Bharat said, a transplant can be a lifesaving option of last resort.

When Ramirez woke up after the operation, she was disoriented, could barely move her body and couldn’t speak.

“I just felt like a vegetable. It was frustrating, but at the time I didn’t have the cognitive ability to process what was going on,” Ramirez said.

She recalled being sad that her mother wasn’t with her in the hospital, not understanding that visitors weren’t allowed because of the pandemic.

Her family had sent photos to post by her hospital bed, and Ramirez said she couldn’t recognize anyone in the pictures.

“I was actually sort of upset about it, [thinking,] ‘Who are these strangers and why are their pictures in my room?’” Ramirez said. “It was weeks later, actually, that I took a second look and realized, ‘Hey, that’s my grandmother. That’s my mom and my siblings. And that’s me.”

After a few weeks, Ramirez said, she finally understood what happened to her. When COVID-19 restrictions loosened at the hospital in mid-June, her mother was finally able to visit.

“The first thing I did was just tear up,” Ramirez said. “I was overjoyed to see her.”

The Long Road to Recovery

After weeks of inpatient rehabilitation, Ramirez was discharged home. She’s now receiving in-home nursing assistance as well as physical and occupational therapy, and she’s working on finding a psychologist.

Ramirez eagerly looks forward to being able to spend more time with her family, her boyfriend and her dogs and serving the immigrant community through her legal work.

But for now, her days are consumed by rehab. Her doctors say it will be at least a year before she can function independently and be as active as before.

Ramirez is slowly regaining strength and learning how to breathe with her new lungs.

She takes more than 17 pills, four times a day, including medicines to prevent her body from rejecting the new lungs. She also takes anxiety meds and antidepressants to help her cope with daily nightmares and panic attacks.

The long-term physical and mental health tolls on Ramirez and other COVID-19 survivors remain largely unknown, since the virus is so new.

While most people who contract the virus are left seemingly unscathed, for some patients, like Ramirez, the road to recovery is full of uncertainty, said Dr. Mady Hornig, a physician-scientist at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.

Some patients can experience post-intensive care syndrome, or PICS, which can consist of depression, memory issues and other cognitive and mental health problems, Hornig said. Under normal circumstances, ICU visits from loved ones are encouraged, she said, because the human interaction can be protective.

“That type of contact would normally keep people oriented … so that it doesn’t become as traumatic,” Hornig said.

Hopes for the Future

COVID-19 has disproportionately harmed Latino communities, as Latinos are overrepresented in jobs that expose them to the virus and have lower rates of health insurance and other social protections.

Ramirez has health insurance, although that hasn’t spared her from tens and thousands of dollars’ worth of medical bills.

And even though she still ended up getting COVID-19, she counts herself lucky for having a job that allowed her to work from home when the pandemic struck. Many Latino workers don’t have that luxury, she said, so they’re forced to risk their lives doing low-wage jobs deemed essential at this time.

Ramirez’s mother is a breast cancer survivor, making her particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. She had been working at a meatpacking plant in North Carolina, for a company that Ramirez said has had hundreds of COVID-19 cases among employees.

So Ramirez is relieved to have her mom in Chicago, helping take care of her.

“I’m glad this is taking her away from her position,” Ramirez said.

Friends and family in North Carolina have been fundraising to help pay her medical bills, selling raffle tickets and setting up a GoFundMe page on her behalf. Ramirez is also applying for financial assistance from the hospital.

Her experience with COVID-19 has not changed who she is as a person, she said, and she looks forward to living her life to the fullest.

If she ever gets the chance to speak with the family of the person whose lungs she now has, she said, she will thank them “for raising such a healthy child and a caring person [who] was kind enough to become an organ donor.”

Her life may never be the same, but that doesn’t mean she won’t try. She laughs as she explains how she asked her surgeon to take her skydiving someday.

“Dr. Bharat actually used to work at a skydiving company when he was younger,” Ramirez said. “And so he promised me that, hopefully within a year, he could get me there.”

And she has every intention of holding him to that promise.

This story is part of a reporting partnership that includes Illinois Public Media, Side Effects Public Media, NPR and KHN.

Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a national health policy news service. It is an editorially independent program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.

USE OUR CONTENT

This story can be republished for free (details).

Back to Life: COVID Lung Transplant Survivor Tells Her Story published first on https://nootropicspowdersupplier.tumblr.com/

0 notes

stephenmccull · 4 years

Text

Back to Life: COVID Lung Transplant Survivor Tells Her Story

Mayra Ramirez remembers the nightmares.

During six weeks on life support at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Ramirez said, she had terrifying nightmares that she couldn’t distinguish from reality.

“Most of them involve me drowning,” she said. “I attribute that to me not being able to breathe, and struggling to breathe.”

On June 5, Ramirez, 28, became the first known COVID-19 patient in the U.S. to undergo a double lung transplant. She is strong enough now to begin sharing the story of her ordeal.

Mysterious Exposure

When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Mayra Ramirez began working from home. She’s unsure how she contracted COVID-19.(Northwestern Medicine)

Before the pandemic, Ramirez worked as a paralegal for an immigration law firm in Chicago. She enjoyed walking her dogs and running 5K races.

“I felt very fatigued,” Ramirez said. “I wasn’t able to walk long distances without falling over. And that’s when I decided to go into the emergency room.”

From the ER to a Ventilator

Ramirez knew she was about to be placed on a ventilator, but she didn’t understand exactly what that meant.