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hillbillyoracle · 2 years

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wait ok so how is it cancel cuz isnt that what like conservatives say about democrats ? /gen

So yeah! I appreciate this question because that's a point of some contention. I'll share my thoughts.

My view personally is that the I'm not playing a game. If the "other side" uses a term to accurately name a problematic phenomenon that "my side" is doing - why not use it? I care more about people being okay and cared for than policing language.

I agree with Clementine Morrigan who's written about the dangers of conservatives being the only group to name and talk about a very real issue - not just on the Left but on the Right too. If they're the only ones talking about it, they control the narrative and can say things like "Canceling is something the Left does - we're better/stronger than that" or even defining what canceling is.

While it might have gained steam as a way to be dismissive of real accusations, that's not exactly how it's being used in conservative circles these days. Like any word it's evolving and thankfully it's into something less damaging and much more potentially useful - even among conservatives.

I live with my conservative family in a conservative county in a conservative state and I can say on the ground that most folks aren't using to for women who accuse powerful men of misdeeds nearly as much as they're using it to describe the very real phenomenon of online harassment campaigns and being socially cut off. I've noticed a lot of people who claim we shouldn't use that term because "it's what conservatives say" aren't spending much time with conservatives so maybe they've not noticed how it's shifting.

See here's the thing - conservatives cancel each other too. They lead in person and online harassment campaigns, get people fired, refuse to hire services - specifically against folks who were clearly identified with conservative causes who later start to back out. You see it all the time with conservative parents of trans and queer teens. They frequently lose all their friends, are pushed out of their spiritual homes, and sometimes lose jobs or homes because they heard the good points the Left was making about loving your kids keeps the alive and isn't that more important. Canceled is the term I here a lot of those conservatives using even for their own community.

And you know what they get in the aftermath of that? No support from the Left in part because we don't have a name for that phenomenon so there's no organizing around it. Even worse, supposed "Leftists" will harass those people about how they shouldn't have been conservative in the first place and it's what they deserve. Which is mindboggling fucked. You want proof a lot of these "Leftists" don't actually care about change, watch them be cruel to someone changing their mind in the ways they advocate for. It would be super helpful to name that behavior and "cancel culture" is literally right there, but the purists would rather clutch pearls.

So yeah - being purist about where the language comes from is...not praxis that's for sure. If conservatives are the only ones talking about it, then they're the only ones who can set the narrative about it. Conservative usage of the word tend to be shifting to name harassment campaigns and being socially cut off - which happens in both communities so why not use it. And if we don't name it we'll never have a way to call attention to people in our community or others who are doing backflips to conflate material harm with activism - which is extremely toxic behavior.

But people are going to disagree with me and that's fine. This is just my reasoning for using it.

ETA: Check out my other response too. Another reason I think it needs to be used and seriously discussed is because right now “cancel culture only happens to fascists” all someone has to do is claim you’re a fascist and all the other scared people will pile on you to save their own skin and prove their supposed progressiveness. Like it’s fucked.

Let’s actually use it and talk about it. Having a term that specifically means “harm against people who deserve it” - as many people keep trying to tell me it actually means - more or less means you just tag that person with the group and you can do whatever you want to them. How about we uh don’t use it like that? Seems more important than whether conservatives use it.

#asks #answered asks #fuck cancel culture

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saucymalum · 2 years

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Checked Out pt.10

Crystal Leigh x fem!reader

Originally Posted on my Instagram

Summary: It's not easy navigating a friendship with someone you have feelings for. Especially not when that person also happens to be your friend's girlfriend.

I also made a playlist of the songs I listened to while writing this series!

Triple Post Today!

Pt.1, pt.2, pt.3, pt.4, pt.5, pt.6, pt.7, pt.8, pt.9

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I wake up to the sound of yelling through the walls. I rub my eyes and squint at the sunlight flowing from the window. Noah opened the curtains like usual. My ears tune back into the yelling and I jump out of bed when he yells mom. I readjust my pajamas that twisted a bit overnight and grab my phone from the nightstand. It lights up when I press the power button and it displays the time. 9 am and she’s already on his case.

I walk into the living room and see Noah setting my Starbucks coffee and the counter yelling into his Bluetooth earbuds. He’s swinging his arms around and his coffee is sloshing in the cup almost spilling at every moment. I grab it out of his hand and his eyes latch onto mine, desperation and sadness pooling in the brown iris’. I slowly set it down and he’s pacing now.

“No, mom, I refuse to go home- yeah. That’s what I said….from the way you reacted last time you're lucky I’m still answering your goddamn calls! No. No. Screaming at me because I came out to you isn’t a way to act surprised. Stop trying to gaslight me. I'm not 10- I am not disrespecting you!“ He rubs his eyes and I can see the tears pool in his eyes

I stand helplessly trying to figure out how to help in the middle of the apartment. I get an idea and run into my room and grab Bean, my beloved seal plushie I always cuddle when I’m stressed. It’s not much but it’s all I’ve got. I rush back into the living and see Noah sitting hunched on the couch, his earbuds still in. I sit in the armchair and hand him the plush. He takes it immediately and holds it into his chest.

He speaks again, his voice horse like he’s holding back tears, “I’m not going, mom- yeah I’m not. I don’t care. I’ll call grandpa but you’d better thank yourself when people ask why I’m not home for Thanksgiving. If you call me again and spew this bullshit at me I’m blocking you.”

Noah winces and I can hear her scream from the earbuds before he pulls his phone out of his pocket and hangs up. I really hope for her sake she doesn’t try calling me, I’ll rip her head off through the phone. It’s so mindboggling how she still feels entitled to his time after almost fucking disowning him. Telling him to not tell anyone who he really is because “What will people think of me, having a gay son.” Noah cried into my shoulder for a week after he got home. Weeks of him pissed, throwing glass at the wall crying until we got too many noise complaints.

Weeks before his grandpa finally called him. Telling him that he was loved, that he was cherished. That even though the others didnt accept him, his grandpa did. And for a while, it helped, and put a band-aid over the hole in his heart.

Until Christmas. Noah and I had Christmas in our apartment that year. Even bittersweet it was nice. Just us and friends who didn’t go home either. Hot cocoa and shitty but, let's admit it, addictive Hallmark Christmas movies.

All to be thrown back to square one in ten minutes. Noah sits on the couch hunched over with his face in his hands. His breathing gets more and more ragged before the sobs start. He clutches onto Bean and I slowly take his earbuds out and place them on the counter. I sit next to him and pull him into my side and he sobs onto my shoulder.

My heart breaks for him all over again. For him to have to rebuild once again because of his family's selfish prejudice. I try to calm him down but his breath just keeps getting heavier. I sit and hold him for an hour when my phone rings. I try to ignore it until it goes quiet but the person calls again. I go to decline Crystal's call but Noah stops me.

Tears in his eyes he says, “Don’t be dumb again.”

I go to refuse but he takes the phone and answers it before shoving it in my hands. He rests his head back on my shoulder. He tries to stay quiet but his breathing and hiccups are still very present.

I stutter to put it to my ear but give in quickly, “Hey, I’m pretty busy right now. Can I call you back?”

I guess that throws her off because she stutters back.

“O-oh um yea sure just. I’m sorry for calling you last night. I tend to do and say stupid shit drunk.”

I wrap my arm around Noah's shoulder, rubbing gently trying to show support in this awkward situation he put me in, “Oh no don’t worry about it. I kinda figured you didn’t really mean what you said a-anyway.”

Noah stares off into space and I can tell he's replaying the call over and over when the tears start spilling. I fucking panic. I look at the phone and Noah before ultimately deciding Noah’s more important than my weird crush/new friend.

I faintly hear Crystal through the phone, “Are you ok?” she asks

“I-I gotta go I’ll call you back.” and I hang up.

I return my full attention back to Noah and hold his shoulders, trying to stabilize him. The tears slowly cloud his vision and he blinks them away and sniffs.

"Hey, hey, take a deep breath ok? I don't want to hyperventilate." I let out a strained chuckle and he smiles for a second.

He follows my slow breaths and he's back to level breathing. He stands up quickly and stares pacing a hole into the floor.

"I just fucking hate how she thinks she has ANY authority over me. I'm a fucking adult, I live on my own, sorta, I have a job, I have a savings account! I just-" his paces slow and his fingers ball into a fist.

"Do-do other people see me like she does? Am I really that bad? I can't be that bad. Am I that bad?"

I rush to my feet and walk over to him, "God, no. Noah, you're amazing. You're the best friend I could ever ask for, you're an awesome roommate! Except for those times we had to throw away a pan or two."

"How about this, we can drink some coffee, you can vent all you want, and then we can call gramps?"

Noah sniffles and my heart sinks, "Can-can I just cry for a bit?"

"Of course, bub. Do you wanna be alone?"

"God, no. Mrs. Patterson would hate me if I end up ruining more dishes. Can we just sit and not talk?" I nod and we lay down on the couch and eventually the dam breaks again. I hold him tightly and rub his back as my shirt slowly gets wetter.

The door almost slams open and Noah and I startle. Noah almost falls off the couch but in using me to stabilize himself he pulls me to the floor.

I hear my name get called and I groan in reply, sitting up slowly and rubbing my back.

I see Crystal's face pop up over the top of the couch, "Holy shit are you ok?"

Looking at her confused, I slowly rise to my feet and pull Noah up from the couch. I look back to Crystal but my eyes catch on Levi as well.

"We're fine, please leave," I say and Noah tries to pull me somewhere I don't pay enough attention to know.

"What? No, we need to talk about this Y/N! You can't keep avoiding me!" Crystal trying to follow us but I stop Noah briefly.

"This isn't about you Crystal! This isn't about you, or me, or our friendship. Right now I have to take care of my friend. So either make yourselves useful and make some hot chocolate or leave!"

She stands in the hallway shocked as I guide Noah into the bedroom but he decides to pace once again. I sigh and sit in his desk chair watching.

"Noah, come on, you're gonna burn a hole in the floor if you keep pacing. Please, just talk to me. I want to help."

Noah stops pacing and his blazing eyes snap to me. "That's the thing Y/N! You can't help! You can't just put a bandaid on this. You can't fix this with hot chocolate and hugs! Stop fucking acting like you know what I'm feeling!"

I feel my blood start to boil and I try to calm myself but the words spill past my lips before I can stop them.

"Hey! I know you're hurt but don't take it out on me. We are a team, I'm here to help. Just…tell me how."

Crystal opens the door with two mugs full of hot chocolate and senses the mood shift, "Is everything alright in here? What's going on?"

I sigh and rub my hand down my face. "Yeah, everything's fine, don't worry about it."

She sets the mugs down on the desk dodging the law textbooks, "N-no if something’s wrong I wanna help. I mean you guys helped me can't I return the favor?"

"Just drop it, Crystal, this is none of your business." Noah snaps from behind me.

Something in me briefly wanted to strangle him at that moment. Crystal curls into herself a bit and I turn to Noah.

"That is enough! You can yell at me all you want but Crystal has done nothing but be nice and care about you! I know it hurts but that gives you-"

"Just because you have a stupid fucking crush on Crystal doesn't mean you know what I'm feeling!" My heart stops but he keeps talking, "You never came out to your family, Y/N. You haven’t been fucking disowned by your own mother and harassed by your aunts on Facebook- FUCK just leave me alone!"

He turns away from me and I stand frozen for a few seconds before my vocal cords recover from the paralysis.

"Noah," I whisper.

"I said just leave me alone!" He turns to look at me and sees Crystal and my face.

"Noah," I repeat.

Finally, it sinks in what he said and all his anger drains from his face. I don't have the courage to look her in the eye so I stare at the ground as I race past Crystal out the bedroom door. I hide in my bedroom next door to him and lock the door.

Noah chases after me, banging on the door but I'm already sinking to the floor. Not only did he probably just out me, but he told my friend's girlfriend I had feelings for her.

Noah continues at the door but his voice muffled in my head as tears flood my eyes.

I sob in the middle of my bedroom floor. God, I wish I had Bean right now.

Crystal's voice replaces Noah's and I hold my breath to hear her.

"Y/N? Please come out and talk to us. I-I'm not mad, ok? I still care about you and I would still love to have you as my frie-my friend."

I sniffle and wipe my tears, trying to steal myself. My hand touches the doorknob and I crumble a bit but I pull it back together and open the door.

My eyes lock onto Crystal's beautiful blue eyes and she smiles at me. I almost want to punch myself after everything for how it makes my heart flip.

Noah interrupts whatever that was and tackles me into a hug. I latch onto him and hold him tight as he repeats whispered apologies in my ear.

Levi walks over casually eating an apple from our fruit basket, "What's going on?"

I'm gonna strangle him.

#5sos fanfic #5sos fic #michael 5sos #michael 5 seconds of summer #michael clifford #crystal leigh #crystal leigh angst #crystal leigh fluff #crystal leigh fanfic #crystal leigh x reader #michael clifford angst #michael clifford x reader #mikey 5sos #calum 5sos #calum hood #queer #michael clifford x y/n

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tomatograter · 3 years

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What are your Thots on jake’s pq route?

I already wrote some about it in this post where I discuss the problem with taking dirkjake as a literal parallel to tavris (Mainly, that it’s inaccurate to both situations and misrepresents the dynamics at play) but it’s been long enough since release that I feel like I can talk about it without that criticism being taken as a personal witch hunt. TL;DR: As a general rule of thumb I don’t cite Jake’s PQ as part of his characterization, and I think basing your Jakewriting on it will only lead you astray.

I liked a lot of the Pesterquest routes and the alphas were among some of my favorites, but I think when you play the four of them in sequence Jake’s really... stands as the odd one out. It’s almost as if he’s afforded way less sympathy from the get go for some indiscernible reason, or like MSPAR took a day to say ‘I can’t stand this kid in particular’ after dealing with waaaaaaaay more mindboggling troll customs or stupid dangerous situations that tested their patience and their limits. When it comes down to it, it’s mostly an issue of framing.

Let’s go with the “Just the Alpha routes” example, because I think that makes the overall context clearer and the response/reactions it gathered (or the lack thereof) easier to understand. The alpha kids were the last 4 Pesterquest episodes. They were also afforded entire volumes just for themselves, which cemented our expectations on “oh, they’re going to really dig into unexplored territory!” and for the most part, that’s what we got! It was really nice to see the internal mechanics of Jane as someone raised within a corporate echochamber, Roxy as a grieving, isolated kid, deprived of all human contact, and Dirk as a nerdy doomsday prepper haunted by private flashes of himself as a supervillain. It all works! Those are things the alpha kids were dealing with on the background of the broader Homestuck story, things we were only hinted at as the *larger* problems played out. It makes you understand their point of view. Except on Jake's route, where nothing about his life seems to be relevant at all?

With Jane we get discussions about HIC and her family, with Roxy beautiful passages about a mother they never met and growing up alone— Same for Dirk, who gets a whole brother zapped from an alternate timeline. But on Jake's route there's not even an expansive dialogue path dedicated to Grandma English, Skaianet, the rebellion, or the giant red ship that came and murdered her in the night and then bombed his house, leaving him trapped inside his only surviving tower. No understanding passage realizing that this kid has had to fend for himself in an island full of Actual Giant Alien Monsters trying to eat him alive, or that he cremated his guardian specifically to avoid attracting predators to the scent of fresh blood drying on her mutilated corpse at the age of an actual toddler. The text refuses to dig into any of the psychological implications or impact an environment like this could have on a kid, which is even weirder when you consider MSPAR has met and helped Vriska get out of a similar situation. The whole thing with Jane in the previous volume has just happened, even, while Jake's particularities go unremarked. He was just supposed to deal with it. And that's because a choice was made to portray all of Jake's problems in this route as sort of... single handedly Dirk's fault? Something he should have Just Dealt with?

There's not even a hint that Jake knows Hal exists. Which is important! Jake can pick out Hal from Dirk based on *verbal cues*, and the fact that he considers Hal a barrier between him and his "real friend" getting to communicate with one another is a whole point of contention (and even comedy) in the story proper. Instead of examining Jake's isolation, or grief, or how he literally locks himself in his room and plasters it with cinematic posters to pretend he's just the main lead of a wacky adventure movie in the face of the immense shitshow outside, we get brobot acting nonsensically and threatening to break into Jake's room to beat him up.

A general reminder on brobot: He was programmed to scout the jungle and deal with predators so Jake could a) Be allowed to safely leave his room (something he simply didn't do before age 13 out of sheer terror, and we know this because dirk and jake talk about it on his birthday conversation, when he first gets brobot) and

b) Learn how to defend himself in the case of a surprise attack, with different combat settings adjusted to his level. The brobot has a novice mode Jake feels patronized by, but pushes him up levels quickly enough. In Homestuck proper, the brobot only enters "stalking mode" after Hal gets pissy with Jake for finding him out, and forcefully switches the setting on to make Jake work for the Uranium inside it. When you take Hal out of the picture, this plotline makes no sense! Jake's route is set way before the Alphas even think of entering the game, so this particular event hasn't even happened. Jake goes on to text Roxy and she turns the stalking setting off remotely anyways, so even if brobot was programmed to murder Jake in his sleep, or jump him inside the safe zone of his room (he's not) he has literally no reason to be acting like that when he's been set to Baby Buff Up Mode.

(Brobot does end up spontaneously pulling himself apart to give Jake his reward after this)

Which brings me to my other problem with the general framing of this volume; the alpha kids don't feel present in Jake's life as friends at all. It's all "romantic options" and "shipping discourse" and MSPAR making these silly logic jumps to justify insisting on this line of query, and all it does is completely flatten out anything of interest having to do with Jake as a Person, to build up an image of Dirk as being suspicious and shady for his volume and more or less come to the conclusion that Jake sucks because he just Cant Choose Who To Date Between All His Friends! And that's why jake is just like tavros… and dirk is just like vriska! Or something.

And just as a reminder, here's Jake talking with Roxy so I don't have to explain why that feels like a weird choice to me. (click to zoom)

And then there's the endings. On the vriska ending, MSPAR just ends up weirdly angry at jake for being such a piss baby and not getting that he's tavros and dirk is vriska so he had to… uh… take all his anger out on this 13 year old alien girl he has never met and teach her a lesson to prepare to do the same on dirk, or something. And on the other ending Jake mentions his pen pal, is zapped to meet jade, they have some non-committal greetings and then a cosplay party where Jake insists that he totally likes Lara croft not because she's a femme fatale and he relates to that, because he's never ever in his life thought of anyone being interested on him. Or Something. He likes Lara croft for normal reasons only. He wears really tiny shorts and does sexy poses because he's not aware at all of how other people find him attractive. He's just too dumb to get this, or the shipping thing, or that he's tavros and Dirk is vriska (who the hell are these people?).

Jake feels like an afterthought in the grand scope of events. Sidelined on his own episode. This volume is busy with rehashing age old fandom arguments that have little to do with his character, because said arguments were started and maintained by bored teens engrossed on fighting online instead of analyzing Homestuck; we introduce vriska for no interesting reason at all (thank god at least Jake has enough decency to say he's not into hitting on 13-year-olds, because that would have been particularly rancid.) And aside from catchphrases and old slang sprinkled liberally into his dialogue like a fog making machine, none of the motivation for the character is there. What does he want? What does he fear? Why does he act like the way he does? What would accommodating him look like? What would helping him look like? We get this on Jane's volume, Roxy's volume, and Dirk's volume. To really heart-wrenching and dramatic results, too. You get to know who they are, where they live, what they want, what they fear, what might help them get better, but Jake is just sort of There. He's a burden. MSPAR either ends this volume berating him for not doing what they want or finding him weird and confusing and like they don't know each other at all, and the fact both of those were marked as dubiously bad ends in the game files speaks for itself, I think.

#jake english #pesterquest #vriska serket #jane crocker #roxy lalonde #dirk strider #meta

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plan-d-to-i · 2 years

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Hello Plan! I... really need to share my bewilderment with somebody. Today I was told (on Tumblr) that I need to reread/rewatch with better comprehension. Because I believe that WWX has no self-esteem issues.

The guy has the exact opposite of it! He totally believes himself amazing and clever and I-can-totally-pull-it-off! Apparently that's not a correct interpretation of the source (the novel).

(●_●) ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I mean, I know this fandom is wild. This was just so mindboggling and out of the left field.

Maybe they only watched cql? lol /jk

Honestly it's hilarious considering these are actual words WWX spoke with his own mouth:

Wei WuXian, “Let me borrow your lap for a while, won’t you?”

Lan WangJi spoke with an expressionless face, “Stop fooling around.”

Wei WuXian, “I’m serious. My head is so dizzy. You’re not a girl; why can’t I borrow it for a bit?”

Lan WangJi, “Even if I am not a girl, you cannot just lie on it.”

Seeing that he began to frown, Wei WuXian responded, “I’m not fooling around. You’re the one who should stop fooling around. I refuse to accept this. Lan Zhan, tell me, why?”

Lan WangJi, “What why?”

Wei WuXian managed to flip around and lay stomach down on the ground, “Of all the other people, there isn’t anyone who doesn’t secretly like me despite saying that I’m annoying. Why is it that, whenever it’s you, you never give me any good looks? We count as having lived through death with each other, don’t we? You don’t even want to lend your lap for me to lie on and you’re lecturing me again. Are you an old man or what?” (Chapter 54)

and bonus

On the other path, Wei WuXian spoke to Lan WangJi, “Can’t believe the little girl from back then already has a daughter who’s a little girl as well!”

Lan WangJi, “Mn.”

Wei WuXian, “But this isn’t fair. Back then she should’ve seen that you were the one doing bad things to me. Why does she find me more disagreeable?” Before Lan WangJi answered, Wei WuXian spun in a circle and faced Lan WangJi, walking backwards as he continued, “Oh, I know. She definitely likes me in secret. Just like a certain somebody from back then.”

Lan WangJi brushed the nonexistent dust from his sleeve, his voice cool, “Please give me back my forehead ribbon, Wei YuanDao*.” (Chapter 112)

Just to be clear I think it's wonderful that WWX is confident; In his abilities, in his cultivation, in his inventiveness and in his charm. I'm tired of the whole YA phenomenon where the mc/heroine is so special because she doesn't know how beautiful and sPeCial 🥺 she is 🌝

#mdzs #answers #Wei Wuxian #Lan Wangji #WangXian #there are so many other instances but this is too long already lol #WWX is confident as well he should be bc he's brilliant

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flying-elliska · 4 years

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S5 Review pt.3 : the Mindboggling

Previously, I went over what I did and did not like about the season. There are still some things I have questions over or am on the fence about, plus a global opinion on the season :

The farm episode : yeah, so that was a fever dream, huh ? Honestly, I enjoyed it, overall. At that point I was so tired of the general drama that taking a step back felt good. It was extremely funny (even though the Fifi thing was like...a bit mean spirited, I still laughed.) I loved Papy Savary telling stories about his time in the army or his Jeanette, Basile waxing poetic about the countryside, Emma and her horse, Imane the city girl vs the chickens, the wheelbarrow...Comedy gold, as was Eliott making eyes at Lucas to keep his rabbit. The episode was completely gorgeous. I feel like it served the same purpose as the thrift shop clip in s3, a comedic-absurdist break in the tension to see things on the lighter side of life. But...I don’t think it worked as well. It was just long and weird and Arthur was pushed to the side. I was waiting for the boys to talk more and it didn’t happen. I feel like there was a lot more opportunity for shenanigans and group bonding to happen, but it felt very fragmented. At the end I was like...”so that was all ?” Idk what they smoked when they wrote that but I want some.

Social media : I won’t lie I loved the Elu pictures we got, they were gorgeous and so romantic but...they looked more like promotional pictures and putting them on the accounts of the characters was extremely unrealistic. I loved the mentions of space, cyborgs, anime, etc on Arthur’s insta, they were very thematically accurate and a good add to the story. But I feel the social media in general was underwhelming this season, like a lot of what they posted were just images they found on the internet, and there were times I expected them to post and...nothing. I feel like Skam France had a few moments of utter brilliance with their social media in S3 (enter cesar ! Eliott’s drawings ! Leave a light on ! Call your girlfriend ! First day of my life!!!) and then...nothing, like they weren’t sure how to integrate it to the story and didn’t want to spend too much on it. Too bad, although the roasting is funny.

The night time episode : I think the concept of it is absolutely brilliant (even though it was tiring lol, and I appreciate they warned us.) It’s again an amazing use of the real time format, like many of their innovations this season (like the alarms, etc). You could definitely feel Arthur’s progressive exhilaration, the lines blurring, the joy of being with people that understand him after getting excluded, breaking into the pool, etc. At the same time, since I didn’t like his thing with Noée...I was not having a lot of fun watching it. I liked that the night ended with him confiding in her about his father but to have her kiss him right away felt just...idk, inappropriate, and like it took away from the gravity of the moment. So...hmmm.

Foreshadowing s6 : Lola seems pretty intriguing. I liked the last clip, the way she stands outside the group, the way she seems to be such a problem for Daphne. I definitely think there is more going on at home than just sister rivalry. And I liked how Eliott’s position - close to the group but outside of it - mirrored Lola’s and I really hope we are finally get a friendship/mentorship at the center of a season. The repetition of Daphné having issues and refusing to talk to Basile got a bit old during the season, I have to say, but I am glad she finally confided in him. We are probably going to see Basile regularly next season and I am surprisingly happy with that. But, I am worried that shifting to an entirely new group and a new character is going to be very weird and I hope we are still going to see the old gang pass their bac and so on.

Conclusion

The first original season of a remake feels...experimental, in both good and bad ways. Given more space, they were able to be quite creative, to deepen characters, do things OG never could, integrate a bit more humor, specify their own style, and treat new subjects. At the same time, it illustrates exactly how and why the skam style of storytelling is damn difficult to replicate : they went too heavy at times, losing the delicate balance of drama and joy ; it lacked subtlety and follow through and the plot balance felt off ; there was not enough introspective moments and they weren’t as good getting us into the POV of the main. But, overall, I am still happy they got renewed - if only to see our favorite characters grow, struggle through new things, and ultimately thrive. They gave us a wonderful insight in an underrepresented community, some excellent moments of filmmaking and acting, a look at Elu as an established couple, some really good laughs and friendship moments, and a certain amount of closure for our main squad. For that, it’s definitely my second favorite season after s3, even though it didn’t come close to evoking the same emotions.

#skam france #skamfr s5 #my meta #arthur broussard #skam france meta #and thus concludes my essay #congrats if you made it through #whew that was cathartic to write #i feel like there wasn't enough discussion this season #like the good points weren't appreciated enough and the bad ones weren't engaged with critically #but here hopefully this does it a bit

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lbat1901 · 4 years

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Rantception S1•E1 - princeofmints exposed | ft. TatSquirp

(I am about a month late on posting this here)

Welcome to the first episode of my brand new series titled Rantception where I talk about a topic or some unfortunate soul who became a total jerk as of recently. I am starting this series off by talking about the user by the name of princeofmints.

princeofmints is apart of the Eddsworld community and they are apart of the official EW Amino, Tumblr, and Instagram. Unfortunately princeofmints is in some hot water right now.

Oh and before I get to that, I just want to make this clear, the princeofmints that I am referring to isn't the one who made tomtord p*rn. This princeofmints is actually accused of tracing and being a total d*ck.

Also they got banned from Amino, but they are still going strong on both Tumblr and Instagram.

One more thing: don't harass them. Instead I want you to stop supporting them. Don't not praise them.

With that out the way, let's get into the news.

I unfortunately didn't know any of this drama that happened till seeing callout posts about it. But I used to like princeofmints's posts until what happened recently.

I decided to to take a look at their wall after seeing a few callout posts on them before they got taken down.

Annnnnd yeah.....they are such an arsehole. Just...just look at these screenshots....

(the third one is my favorite in terms of arsehole energy that's being radiated from it)

I'll be honest with you, the third is the one that show the bitterness of princeofmints. Trying to guilt trip you. I'm sorry to say this, but it's not working. Nice try.

Now I'll handing the rest of this over to the one and only Squirp/TatSquirp who've agreed to be on the show and I certainly didn't kidnap them.

Squirp: ...Why am I here? Why am I tied u-

Lbat1901(me): Shhhh! Just give the audience your side on this

Squirp: Ok, fine...*clears throat*....so a week ago, I've made a callout post exposing princeofmints titled "Dethroning a Prince". It took me awhile to everything and not too soon after posting it on Animo, I've also posted it on Instagram.

Oh boy...it got taken down. No actually I got told by a model on Animo to take it down which I did while on Instagram it got flagged for harassment. I eventually reposted it.

princeofmints (or what I like to call her, Prince) is a 15 year old artist who mostly draws Tom, Tord, and the ship TomTord. She was on the EW Amino since January 13th of this year before getting banned. S

Alright with that out of the way, I'll try to make this brief

She also has been known to cause quite the trouble.

I have been caught up to speed on what Prince has done even learning th as t she had actually scammed someone.

I believe that Lbat told you this already, but Prince's name was stolen by someone who has the same name, but let's dwell on this.

Part 1 - Tracing:

Squirp: Ok so, a few days ago some of my friends and I looked at one of Prince's art and discovered that it was traced from an already existing drawing made by P-Nim. Of course Prince denied this and claimed that it was her own art.

Ok I'll make this clear, Prince didn't draw it for a DTIYS. If Prince didn't trace it then she shouldn't be claiming it as her own.

Also if you want to compare posts or have a look for yourself, you can't cause she deleted it. So much for being reasonable which goes into this next part....

Part 2 - Blocking those who've cornered you for being unreasonable:

Squirp: Oh yes, just like TBATF, Prince also blocks people for calling her out. Unlike TBATF who only block people for giving them criticism and calling them out on their behavior, Prince blocks people for many reasons.

One of them being totally unreasonable. She blocked one of my friends who called her out for tracing. Prince even deleted several comments when trying to defend herself for being called out before deciding to hit the block button.

She even blocked me after I tried to call her out on her wall. I did PM her a few days later about and guess what her response was. The reason why she blocked me was because she didn't like me.

My god....that has to be most stupidest as all hell reason to block someone and folks, we're on the second part on this and things are already getting heated.

Part 3 - Being a b*ch isn't all that cool:

Squirp: Hold on a minute, why is b*ch censored?

(Editor: that's because it's Lbat's show and I am meant to help with anything that Lbat puts out for everyone to see)

Squirp: Yeah, but why? Who cares anyway?

(Editor: well you're probably have a point, but it's my job. Now are you going to continue to argue or are you going to keep going with your side of the story?)

Squirp: I am...geez! I've never meant an editor that's who picky. This isn't YouTube with the whole COPPA thing you know.

Anyway..... pt 3....Prince has to be one of the biggest d*cks that I have ever talked to and- oh my god, why would you censor the word- forget it. Forget it...

Erm...yeah....she cursed at some many people that it's just mindboggling. She's not the most pleasant person to talk to on Amino or anywhere else.

Before you say that she probably has some mental health issues, don't even bother. Well I know she does has some issues, but it doesn't give her the excuse to not be a total d*ck. People who do have issues are at least well spoken and are respectful to others.

But Prince on the other hand, not a freaking single chance.

Part 4 - Stop acting sad:

Squirp: You're probably thinking to yourself, "Wow, Prince is a jerk" and you'd be right. But to make matters worse, she likes to guilt trip people.

How? Well she tries to make you feel sorry for her by giving you a sad sad tale before deciding to cuss you out.

That's right, it's pretty low for her. I don't need to explain why this is bad just because it is. It's really scummy especially when she's in the wrong here. Next!

Part 5 - Don't let Prince do commissions. EVER:

Oh yeah, she actually did this. I did found the person who got scammed and they are a person known as BadBoy.

You see BadBoy commissioned Prince to do a drawing for 92 coins. Unfortunately for BadBoy, Prince said that the price was actually lower than that. But it gets much much worse than that.

Prince got wicked with them and refused to give other pieces of art to BadBoy. Eventually BadBoy had enough and asked for a refund. That's when things started to escalate really fast.

Prince told BadBoy to piss off. After a long battle, Prince gave BadBoy 72 coins back when BadBoy asked for a full refund.

Squirp: I have been saving this part for last and it gave me a reason to make a callout on Prince in the first place. She literally scammed someone over 72 coins.

In summary, Prince just stole BadBoy's money and was a total d*ck towards them.

And that should do it for now, but I one final message to Prince. If you're reading this now while getting harassed for being callout for your crap: none of this, and I stress this a lot, none of this wouldn't have happened if you were to just act a tad bit kinder and a whole bit wiser.

Oh and maybe if you would've just listened. Also running away from your problems, lying, and pretending that they didn't happen makes you look like the bad guy here.

You know, I wouldn't mind you being on Animo at all if you just shallow your pride and try to do better by apologizing to everyone.

I didn't mean to make my callout post to hurt you in a way. In fact, I still believe that you can change. But atlas, your problems need to be addressed to make that happen.

All you need to do is try. That's it. That's all I ask for.

Lbat1901(me): *claps* Nicely done, Squirp. Nicely done.

Squirp: Thanks Lbat. It's been a pleasure being on here. Now can I go home now?

Lbat1901(me): Uhh.....*walks away from Squirp and walks out of the room before shutting the door*

Squirp: Lbat? Uh Lbat? Lbat? This isn't funny! Untie me! Hey cameraman, you're still here. Untie me, please

Camraman: *shrugs before shaking their head*

Squirp: What do you mean no? Ugh!

{screen cuts to Lbat sitting in a chair}

Lbat1901(me): Well that's the end of the first episode of Rantception. I want to thank TatSquirp for coming on and helping me out. Please check them out on the EW Amino and possibly their Instagram as well while you're at it.

#lbat rambles #lbat rants #rantception #rantception season 1 #rantception episode 1 #princeofmints #princeofmints exposed #callout #callout post #tatsquirp #lbat1901's channel 7 lucky hour

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celestialtitania · 4 years

Text

Marinette Meets Supergirl

Inspired by that scene of Kara just casually going around the world to get food.

Marinette was just standing on her balcony, watering plants and talking to Jacques, her frequent visitor. Tikki was enjoying a plate of cookies as she did so. That's when they saw it.

A gust of wind and a blonde haired woman landing on the ground. Landing. Because she had been flying.

Marinette exchanged glances with Tikki. She didn't look like an akuma, but they had had normal looking akumas before.

Tikki gestured for her to confront the woman. Marinette gave a sharp nod. "Tikki! Spots on!" She cried before the bright pink light that accompanied her transformation, encompassed her.

Ladybug swung her yoyo to land right in front of the mystery woman. She blinked in surprise, before changing her stance, so she was ready to fight.

"Who are you?"

The woman blinked. "Who am I? Who are you?"

Not an akuma then, since she wasn't screaming for Ladybug's miraculous. Not to mention, her french sounded a little awkward. As if she weren’t used to speaking it. "The name's Ladybug. Hero of Paris."

The woman smiled. "Nice to meet you." She reached up as if to adjust her glasses then seemed to realize she wasn't wearing any. "I'm Supergirl."

Ladybug frowned. "Like Superman?"

"He's my cousin," Supergirl shrugged.

Ladybug blinked, still a little confused. "So...what are you doing in Paris? I mean aren't you based in the States?"

Supergirl looked a little sheepish and pointed, refusing to look at her. Ladybug followed her gaze to the Dupain-Cheng bakery.

"Seriously?" She questioned the American hero.

"In my defense, they have the best macarons!"

"So you flew here just for macarons?"

"Next stop is Italy. For espresso," she added.

Ladybug resisted the urge to roll her eyes. This was probably the biggest misuse of power she had ever seen, for the most ridiculous of reasons. Even Chat asking for a date was less ridiculous.

"It's really not that big of a deal," Supergirl shrugged. Ladybug was enraged.

"While you are here, getting baked goods and coffee, from different parts of the world, the people of your city could be in danger. How could you be so reckless?"

"Woah, little one. If need be, I can get back to National City within the blink of an eye." Seeing Ladybug stare at her uncomprehendingly, she added "I can move at the speed of light. Or faster. Not quite sure."

Ladybug felt her jaw drop to the ground. She snapped it shut when she noticed the smug look on Supergirl's face.

"So? Even if you can, how do you know something is about to attack?" Realizing it seemed a little offensive, Ladybug adjusted her stance. "I'm just asking hero to hero."

Supergirl pointed to her ear. Ladybug lifted her eyebrows, eyes wide. "You have super hearing! It works even in other countries?"

"I can hear from outer space nearly," Supergirl shrugged. She looked hopefully towards the bakery.

"You want sweets that badly?"

"I'm hungry. Superheroing takes a lot out of you. Though I'm sure you know that." Supergirl paused and stared at her.

"Where are your powers coming from? Are you from Earth?"

"Of course I'm from Earth. Where else would.... you're an alien?!" Ladybug's eyes were wide from shock underneath her mask.

Supergirl smiled brightly. "And you?"

"M-magic jewelry," she pointed at her earrings.

"Cool!" Supergirl exclaimed. Ladybug just shook her head. She supposed after kwamis, having aliens wasn't that much of a stretch. Still mindboggling though.

Her gaze once again went to the bakery. "Oh, go ahead," Ladybug sighed.

Supergirl saluted her before flying off. As quickly as she had gone, she had come back. "I'd like to hear more about the magic jewelry sometime."

Ladybug stared before a slow smile spread kn her face. It would be nice to talk to a superhero who she wasn't in charge of. She nodded enthusiastically.

Supergirl gave a decisive nod before flying away to the bakery. Ladybug swung the same way, landing on the balcony and detransforming.

"Aliens, Tikki. Aliens!" Marinette said in wonder. Tikki zoomed into Marinette's purse as they headed downstairs for cookies. "It's quite amazing, I agree Marinette."

In the shop, the only customer was a well-dressed blonde woman wearing glasses. She looked quite familiar. What was unsettling was the way she was staring at Marinette.

Sabine seemed to notice as well. “That’s my daughter, Marinette.”

“Oh! I see. So how much?” She quickly paid for the baked goods, before turning to leave. Before leaving she looked at Marinette and straightened her glasses. Marinette frowned wondering why the gesture seemed so familiar.

Her eyes widened in realization. She grabbed a cookie for Tikki and shoved it in her purse. “I’ll be right back Maman!” Then she ran out the bakery door.

#miraculous ladybug #supergirl #marinette dupain cheng #kara danvers #kara zor el #Marinette gets trained #kara just wanted macarons

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godsofmonster · 4 years

Text

how to stop being an obsessive/toxic fan

Disclaimer: This post is not meant to hurt or attack any individual or any individual fandom. Every fandom has its extremists. Every person is different and this will not apply to everyone so take what resonates with you. I am by no means a professional in psychology or psychiatry. This is based on my personal observations and experiences after many years in different fandoms. I believe that instead of bullying problematic fans, maybe the solution is to offer some kind of help. This post is meant to enlighten and empower. If you can’t be mature, just don’t read.

1. Ask yourselves what it is that you admire about them...

I believe it is natural and even healthy to have celebrity/idol crushes. Most of the time, it’s not a crush but an inspiration for yourself. Especially at a young age, there tends to be something that an idol/celebrity has that we want to obtain or embodied ourselves. It even allows us to embrace their personalities as our possibilities- whether that is their success, confidence, or courage. However, this should merely work as guidance for the kind of person we want to be.

2. Deal with whatever you don’t want to deal with...

The intensity of idolizing a celebrity is something that usually decreases as you get older. The reason for this is because portions of your identity begin to become more clear and there is less need for outside direction. However, this is not always the case, sometimes what began as guidance has become an emotional escape. What are you not emotionally dealing with? Depression? Anxiety? Low-self esteem? Maybe all of the above. Using idols/celebrities as a distraction from your real-life problems isn’t something that goes away on its own- like a drug addict, it only gets worse.

3. Reduce the time you spent online...

I understand that mental health isn’t something that can be easily dealt with but it is also important to understand that you can’t fix what you refuse to acknowledge. If this is resonating with you, separating yourself from your escape is the best way to face your problem. Stop spending so much time online trying to find out what is going on in the fandom. I’m not saying leave it all behind, I’m sure that some of you have created bonds with people in the fandom who support you. But if you both are using this world as an escape, it is only going to be that much harder to let it go, keep that in mind.

Fan wars are such an issue that I need to touch on it. There is nothing more mindboggling to me than seeing two fandoms come for each other. You are all literally on the same boat. If you would put as much effort in yourselves instead of ‘defending’ your idol- you would all be the badest bitches ever! The reason that you might not is going back to mental health, your self-esteem, do you think you aren’t worth the effort? Well, you are. Believe me! You’re idols don’t need you to defend them! My advice is- if they don’t care then, you shouldn’t’ care too. If they do care, I promise you that they have friends, family, lawyers, record labels to protect them. (This obviously doesn’t apply to all issues) Your job as a fan is to support not defend. Your idols don’t want you/shouldn’t want you to defend them. We all have real difficulties in our life, fandoms are supposed to be a safe place, not more problems.

4. Find an entirely separate interest...

Again, separate yourself from your escape so that you can deal with whatever it is you aren’t dealing with. Finding another interest or activity can do a lot for you. Things like art and music are also great ways to disciple yourself and push yourself. It creates a sense of accomplishment and therefore a sense of self-worth. It is a really good way to start building or simply increasing your self-esteem. The right kind of self-esteem, the one that comes from within and not from the approval of others. Work on yourself. And again, this doesn’t mean give up on your role in the fandom, it’s about the distance to give yourself space to grow as an individual.

5. Make changes and set goals...

Over time and a lot of work, you will become aware of the changes that you need to make in your life. Whether that is moving away or changing your lifestyle, setting goals is going to keep you on the path that you want. The guidance and direction you need will mostly be coming from yourself. You can still support and admire things about your idol but the real difference is going to be how you perceive them. It is no longer seeing them as this perfect, untouchable being. The relationship and connection is understanding that you are equals and have the same potential. That is what will make you admire them and appreciate them in a more meaningful way.

If you have anything to add or have your own opinion on to help create a more positive relationship for all fandoms, feel free to reply. I hope this will not only help ‘problematic’ fans but also remind other fans that there is always something deeper going on behind someone’s behavior. Love yourself. Be nice.

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shapeshifter911 · 6 years

Text

Love at First Slice (Mikey x Reader)

If you like this, check out @cinnamon-and-mey’s post.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

An average NY three-story apartement. This is where our story begins. It stood at the edge of a shady neighborhood where no one dared to go outside at night. The perfect for our mutants ninjas to make a dropoff.

“Is he there yet Dee?” Mikey lamented, sprawled atop an airvent.

“It’s the third time you’ve asked Mikey,” scowlded his eldest brother,”He said he’ll be there in 5, be patient.”

“But that was forever ago!”

Raph slapped him behind the head.

“Stop your whining, we’re all hungry.”

Indeed, the turtles had called their favorite pizzaria and requested Kevin to bring it to their location. He was the only human who had no problem driving his motorcycle late at night to give food to strangers that refused to be seen. ‘As long as I get paid’ was his response.

”If there was any holdup, Kevin would let us know.” Donnie taped against the holographic keyboard eminating from his forearm. “Then again, reception is REALLY bad here.”

Mikey groaned and rolled over, letting himself falloff the airvent.

His boredom and hunger was getting to him. He crawled towards the edge of the roof, looking at the streets below. And then, in the distance he saw...

...a red and white motorcycle cruising towards them.

”Oh, oh! There, I see him!”

Mikey jumped to his feet, crossed the roof and started climbing down the fire escape.

”Deep Crust Delight, here I come!”

Meanwhile, Donnie was reading something on his screen and registered what his brother said a little to late.

“Wait no, don’t-“

He tried to warn him, but he was already gone. Donatello crouched, his remaining brothers followed his lead.

“What’s wrong?”

He twisted his arm so Leo could read the message:

-Something popped up. Don’t worry, you’ll still get your pizza. Got someone to cover for me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The sound of a revving motor was shut off. It’s rider placed the foot down and went to take the pies out of the trunk.

“Finally, you are a life saver!” Mikey exclamed in the darkness of the alleyway.

But Kevin didn’t take out his phone like he usually did. He didn’t even take off his helmet.

Mikey shrugged and figured his visor was blocking his view enough. He was probably tired and wanted to make the exchange quick.

He stepped forward and took the boxes in his hands. At that moment, however, Kevin pushed his helmet up with one hand and...

...it wasn’t Kevin. It wasn’t even a he.

Round. Weird choice of words but that’s the first thing he noticed about her. Round face, round button nose, big round eyes, slackjawed mouth in the shape of an...oh.

She saw him. She’s looking at him.

Mikey shrunk back a bit in his shell. All he could so now was wait for the scream, a stack of cardboard boxes the only thing between them.

But it never came. She blinked several times, and her surprise morphed into relief. She let out a breath.

“Oh, haha. You scared me for a minute there.”

Mikey was floored. His shock wouldn’t allow him to move. She backed away a bit, leaving the pizza boxes in his arms. She then removed her helmet, shaking out the static from her wild hair.

“I wasn’t sure if this was the right place at first. 122 and an 8th?”

He just nodded. He couldn’t trust his brain to come up with any words at the moment.

“Dope...so, um, 55,96$ please.”

Michelangelo couldn’t be sure, but she was starting to sound sheepish. Even the way she just stood there, holding the helmet to her stomach, swinging back and forth on her heels. She looked hesitant and at ease at the same time. And a little awkward. It was cute.

The money, dumbnut! said a voice in his brain, earily sounding like Raph. She’s waiting for you to give her the money, snap out of it!

He reached into his swim trunk and pulled out three 20$ bills. He extended his arm and she took the cash from his open hand.

It was a soft, fleeting and meaningless touch that Mikey would have on loop in his brain for the next few days.

“Thanks. I appreciate the tip.”

She pocketed the money and smiled a genuine smile, not a scream. An expression of gratitide unlike anything Michelangelo had witnessed before. He’s never recieved any thanks from the countless people he’s saved in the past.

And this pretty girl is smiling at him, thanking him for giving her an extra 4,04$? It was mindboggling to him.

Before he knew it, she was already on her little motorcycle, driving off to make another delivery.

Leo, Donnie and Raph quickly descended the fire escape, about to scold their little brother, until they saw the look on his face.

“Mikey? Are you alright?”

He looked like he was on another plane of existence. Don even waved a hand in front of his face. Raph took the pizzas from him, in case he dropped them.

“C’mon Mike, how many fingers am I holding up?”

The orange clad turtle slowly looked down to his arms, still hovering in the air from holding the pizza boxes. He then turned to Leonardo with a wavering smile.

“Dudes, I��m shaking.” He laughed nervously, ecstatically, and stumbled backwards, pressing a hand near his beating heart.

Donnie quickly put on his goggles and scanned him.

“Adrenaline and norepinephrine levels have gone up drastically. We’d better get him back to the lair.”

“Ok. Mike, you think you can walk on your own?”

“Walk? Bro, I feel like I could sprint to the moon and back! See ya there!” Mikey proceeded to steal the stack of pizzas right from under Raph’s beak, and somersaulted onto the fire escape.

“I’ll try to save you a slice!” He shouted as he laughed into the night, followed by three angry snapping turtles.

Extra:

Her shift was finally over. She went to the backroom to change out of her uniform and thought back to the odd customer Kevin convinced her to deliver for him.

“These guys, they’re kinda shy.” He said. “Don’t want anybody to see their faces. They’re not dangerous or anything though. I’ve delivered for them for months now. You’ll be fine.”

Well, it makes sense I guess, she thought. I’d be embarrassed to pick up a pizza in my furry suit too if I were them. But hey, this is New York City, I’ve seen crazier shit before. Besides... I gotta admit, that guy’s costume wasn’t that bad looking.

#tmnt #tmnt 2016 #tmnt mikey #michelangelo #tmnt michelangelo #fanfic #teenage mutant ninja turtles #tmnt x reader #mikey x reader

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chierafied · 6 years

Note

Hi :) For Inuvember I would love to read how Sesshoumaru confronts Kagome with his "proper plan" for his proposal! A one-shot which continues "A proposal most compelling"... aaahhh this would be great!!!!

For Inuvember 2017!

Day 28 - Free day.

2,1 k words. SessKag. Warning for Inuyasha’s potty mouth.

Thank you for the prompt Anon! Since as many as 47 people were in agreement with you, here you go: A sequel for A Proposal Most Compelling. ;)

Hope you enjoy it!

A Proposal Carefully Refined

Inuyasha’s hackles rose as he felt the sudden burst of familiar youki. His ears twitched, his nostrilsflared, his golden eyes scanned his view of the village, until finally hespotted his bastard of an older brother.

Sesshoumaru marched into the village, his back straight, his headheld high, his features stamped with arrogance. And he strode straight andunerringly to the hut occupied by Kagome.

Inuyasha shifted on his perch on the tree branch, and scowled atSesshoumaru’s back as he entered Kagome’s home.

This was the third time he’d come calling on her.

Inuyasha didn’t like it one bit.

Sure, his and Kagome’s thing hadn’t really panned out but… Well,in some corner of his mind, Inuyasha still considered Kagome his.

They weren’t mates or lovers oranything like that, but she was hisbest friend.

And that bastard Sesshoumaru had no business at all to be sniffingaround her!

Inuyasha hadn’t been in Edo the first time the asshole had come tomake his proposal. He’d scentedSesshoumaru the moment he’d returned and had immediately rushed over to Kagometo demand to know what his sad excuse for a brother had wanted.

She’d told him the gist of their conversation, and Inuyasha hadspiralled into incredulous shock because apparently Sesshoumaru had lost hisdamn mind and taken a leaf out of Miroku’s book by asking Kagome to be themother of his children.

What the hell?

Back then, he’d thought Kagome’s refusal would be enough to keepthe bastard away… but Sesshoumaru had returned. With a plan.

And to Inuyasha’s eternal glee, Kagome had send him packing, again.

But Sesshoumaru was stubborn, and was back for the third time tomarshal his arguments, to plead his case.

It had got to stop.

Because even though Inuyasha was willing to bet that Kagome wouldbe able to out-stubborn even Sesshoumaru, that small voice at the back of hismind reminded Inuyasha that even Miroku had eventually worn down Sango andnowadays was a happy father of four.

Inuyasha shifted restlessly in his seat, hoping he could sneakover to Kagome’s hut and eavesdrop the conversation… But with Sesshoumaru outthere, he was bound to get caught in the act, so instead Inuyasha sat andsulked.

And waited.

The minutes ticked by agonisingly slow, but finally Sesshoumaruemerged from Kagome’s hut, his usually blank features stamped with baffledexasperation.

Inuyasha grinned, then straightened himself and jumped down fromhis tree branch.

He started to walk towards his brother, but to his surprise,Sesshoumaru was making his way to him.

He stopped to stand in front of him, aloof as he scowled towardsKagome’s little house.

And he must have been very upset over her refusal, because foronce he actually initiated the conversation.

“I do not understand her,” Sesshoumaru huffed. “She refuses to seereason.”

Inuyasha shrugged. “You can’t really reason with Kagome. She’s notlike you; she’d rather follow her heart than cold logic.”

Sesshoumaru slanted him a glance.

“I am aware of that. It is aquality I reluctantly admire in someone like her, but at the moment it is naughtbut a source for frustration.” His jaw clenched. “I am not sure how to proceedfrom here. I made a huge concession today, by informing her I was prepared andwilling to take her as my mate. And still she rebuffed me! What more can Ioffer?”

Inuyasha paled and bristled.

Oh no, that wouldn’t do at all. No way the bastard would ever getto make Kagome his.

It was time to put an end to this madness.

Discourage Sesshoumaru completely, make him see how hopeless hisendeavour was.

“Ya said it yourself,” Inuyasha said. “You don’t understand her.That’s the whole damn bottom line. Your difference of opinion’s not just ‘causeshe’s human and female. It’s ‘cause she’s not from here to begin with.”

Sesshoumaru frowned, seemed to consider his words. “You claimKagome and I are misunderstanding one another?”

“I guess, yeah, sort of. She’s from a different time, she hasdifferent opinions, different expectations than you do.”

Sesshoumaru nodded slowly, gave Inuyasha a considering look.“Cultural differences. Yes, I should have realised that. You have experiencewith her world, you have visited it, seen it.”

“Yeah.”

“You are close to Kagome, as well.”

“Closer than anyone else,” Inuyasha said, puffing out his chest,not quite able to keep the glee from showing in his eyes.

“Then perhaps you can help me. Tell me, what does Kagome expect?”

Inuyasha swallowed his grin. Gotcha, ya bastard; hook line andsinker.

Inuyasha snorted. “She’s a young woman, what d’ya think?”

“If I knew, I would not be talking to you, Inuyasha, you can beassured of that.”

Inuyasha rolled his eyes. “Love, ya dumb asshole. She’s expectinglove.”

Sesshoumaru’s face remained carefully blank.

“Love?” He repeatedthe word, as if it was something foreign.

Which, to the unfeeling bastard, it probably was.

“Yeah,” Inuyasha grunted. “See, in Kagome’s time, people no longermarry for politics. They marry for love.”

“That sounds very… whimsical.” Sesshoumaru commented.

“It is what it is,” Inuyasha said. “And it’s why you have aproblem here. You’re offering Kagome a marriage of convenience, when she’sexpecting romance, love and partnership.”

“Partnership was implied in my offering today,” Sesshoumarureplied stiffly.

Inuyasha shrugged. “Yeah, well, without the romance it ain’tenough. You want her to agree, you need to sweep her off her feet.”

And a fat chance of that happening, Inuyasha added to himselfgleefully.

Sesshoumaru offered no reply. He glanced back at Kagome’s hut,appearing thoughtful.

“Thank you, Inuyasha,” he said at last. “I have to confess I didnot consider these aspects. When she argued that we did not even know eachother, I figured we would have plenty of time for that later. Now I see shemust have expected me to court her, before I could sire any children with her.”

Inuyasha’s face curdled at the mention of siring children.

“I must think on this,” Sesshoumaru declared at last, then turnedand left.

“You do that,” Inuyasha muttered, glaring at his back.

And good riddance!

A flare of youki disruptedKagome’s archery practice. Her reikispiked in response, but she soon reined all her energy in as sherecognised the source of the demonic presence.

She put down the arrow and groanedin exasperation.

For a brief moment she hoped Sesshoumaru had come to see Rin –but as he’d paid Kagome three visits in as many weeks, the chances for thatwere slim.

True enough, his presence didn’t linger in the village butfollowed her to Inuyasha’s forest.

Kagome sighed. Sesshoumaru was stubborn – and a little scary. Howlong would she be able to turn him down? And what new plan had he come up with now?

After all, last time he hadn’t only talked about having childrentogether, but had suggested they become mates. He must’ve been either out ofhis mind or truly committed to his deluded idea to go as far as offering africking soul bond!

To her, HigurashiKagome.

The whole thing was just crazy; mindboggling, ridiculous, and –well, all right, maybe a little flattering.

But mostly crazy.

Kagome stood up and squared her shoulders, schooling her face intoa neutral expression. She slung the bow over her shoulder, but kept a grip onit as she watched Sesshoumaru approach.

He moved gracefully and with determination, his white kimono andhakama bright in the sunlight, his armour gleaming.

He made for quite a sight, she had to admit, even as her stomachknotted over.

He was also tall and deadly.

Sesshoumaru stopped to stand a few yards away, and inclined hishead – a huge concession from someone as aloof as him.

Kagome’s dread only grew at that. Obviously, he still hadn’t givenup on his crazy idea.

“Good day to you, Kagome.”

Oh boy, a verbal greeting as well? He was really laying it onthick today… which did not bode well.

“Hello, Sesshoumaru,” Kagome replied, her smile strained aroundthe edges.

“I would like to apologise to you.”

“You would?” Kagome blinked.

He nodded. “The error of my ways has been pointed out to me, byInuyasha.”

What?!

Kagome gaped at him.

She must’ve misheard, because if her earsweren’t faulty, Sesshoumaru had not only admitted he’d been wrong, but that Inuyasha had been the one to set himstraight.

And that just couldn’t have happened.

No way.

“That’s… quite all right,” Kagome stammered, thoroughly confused.

“I apologise if my approaches have seemed crude to you before. Idid not pause to consider your point of view in this.”

… Did that mean Sesshoumaru was considering her point of view now,Kagome wondered. Because generally doing that would require basic empathy and,well, this was Sesshoumaru.

The hairs at the back of Kagome’s neck stood up.

She was really getting creeped out now.

“You are right in that we should get to know one another first,”he said.

Uh-oh, Kagome thought.

“Therefore, I have come today to ask if you would permit me thehonour of courting you.”

There was really only one thing she could say to that.

“I beg your pardon?”

Sesshoumaru raised his eyebrows. “You may have all my pardons.”

“No, I mean… Are you serious?”

His bafflement turned to a frown. “Why would I not be? This is avery serious matter.”

“So… you’re saying that you want to date me now?” Kagome rubbedher forehead, scrambling to make sense of this mad mess her life had become.

Sesshoumaru inclined his head. “If that is the sort of courtingyou would wish of this Sesshoumaru, then yes. I shall endeavour to date you.”

Kagome opened her mouth. Closed it. Rubbed her forehead some more.

Nope, it still wasn’t making any damn sense to her.

“Why? Why me?”

The words were muttered, a rhetorical plea to all the cruel godslaughing at her right now.

But Sesshoumaru thought she’d addressed him.

“I told you why the first time I approached you with myproposition, did I not?” He arched his eyebrow. “You are learned, courageous,loyal and caring. Your spiritual powers formidable. And you are attractive, aswell.”

“… I am?”

And here she had thought her mind couldn’t get any more boggled.He definitely hadn’t mentioned that last bit before. Respecting her was onething, but actually finding her attractive?

“Of course I do.”

Kagome bit her lip.

“What would this courting entail, exactly?”

“We can discuss that at some better time, decide on the properprotocol together. I wish to avoid all misunderstandings and miscommunicationbetween us in the future.”

“Okay.” Kagome paused, adjusted her bow. “That sounds good,actually.”

“I do not need your answer right now,” Sesshoumaru continued. “Iunderstand it is a matter that requires consideration, so take your time.”

“That’s… thoughtful. Thank you.”

And so very bizarre, but then nothing about this conversation wasnormal.

“You are most welcome,” Sesshoumaru replied, sounding almostpolite. “You should also know that even if you were to grant me permission tocourt you, you are free to withdraw that permission at any time if you sowish.”

“That’s very gracious of you,” Kagome managed.

Much more gracious than she’d ever expected from Sesshoumaru, tobe honest. Had he maybe hit his head? Because that would explain a lot aboutthis sudden one-eighty.

Sesshoumaru shrugged his shoulder. “Courteousness is the heart ofcourting.”

Sesshoumaru paused, looked away from her. “I am not sure I can offeryou that which you desire. I am not about to declare my undying devotion toyou.”

Thank god, Kagome thought, biting her tongue to keep quiet,because that would be truly disturbing.

“But,” Sesshoumaru ploughed on, “I would like to get to know youbetter, and I hope that you will grant me the chance, as you already have myadmiration.”

That… That was almost sweet.Kagome shifted, fiddled with her bow. And had to concede that Sesshoumaru justmight’ve been able to get his foot in the door.

“I’ll think about it,” she promised.

“That is all I can ask,” Sesshoumaru said, and bowed his head.

He turned, and started to walk away.

Kagome stared at his retreating back, wondering if their wholeconversation had been some weird dream from which she’d wake up any momentnow…

But though it had all been very, very weird, it had also been nice.

She’d probably come to regret giving him a chance, at some pointor another, she thought with a grimace.

And yet, somewhere deep inside, an interest stirred. It wouldn’thurt to give it a try. Could it? If it didn’t work out, she’d just turn himdown again, and they’d go their separate ways.

No harm, no foul.

But then again, if it did,by some miracle work out…

Kagome picked her arrow, notched it, and drew her bow. Her mindswirling on endless possibilities, she released the arrow. It glimmered pink asit soared through the air, like a beacon of hope.

#inuvember 2017 #inuvember #inuyasha fanfiction #sesskag #My personal headcanon is that Sesshoumaru’s plan no2 was a super-detailed 10 year plan kinda scenario which had Kagome run away screaming #Plan 3 would’ve been the offer of mating & partnership outlining some stuff but overall a more relaxed “let’s see how this goes” kinda deal #But 4th time's the charm :P #RR: SK #fic: sk #chie writes

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junker-town · 5 years

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Cricket has never lived up to its ‘gentleman’s game’ reputation

Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Steve Smith’s injury peeled back the corner on the ugly side of the sport.

One of the biggest misconceptions in sports is that cricket is a “gentleman’s game.” Tea breaks, baggie hats, crisp white uniforms — all a veneer. Sometimes, under rare circumstances, we get a fleeting glimpse of how cricket can really be — a reminder that under the pomp and circumstance lies the same tapestry of cheating, violence, and impropriety that runs through every sport.

On Saturday, we got a sobering reminder of that.

Australia’s Steve Smith stood at the crease batting against England in the second Ashes Test. It’s arguably the most important series in cricket, and Australia were on the verge of taking control of the series. Australia, far from the juggernaut it once was, had now, more than ever, become a one-man team. There’s Smith, the world’s best player, and then everyone else — but so phenomenal is Smith’s talent that he’s kept Australia afloat single-handed.

Smith stood at the crease with Jofra Archer thundering towards him. Archer had been bowling short to keep him honest for much of the afternoon. Usually, there’s nothing wrong with a bouncer. Then it happened.

Smith had a standard reaction to a ball thundering towards him at 90 miles per hour. He tried to duck and turn his head, but this caused the ball to strike him just below the ear — one of the only parts of the head a cricket helmet doesn’t protect.

The story isn’t about the bouncer or the concussion Smith sustained — not really. The incident became the latest referendum on conduct in a sport which, of late, has struggled with its identity. Modern cricket exists as a melange of changing times themselves. Fiercely intractable loyalists bemoaning innovation, running headfirst into shortened variants of the game designed to attract new fans. In recent years the latter has been winning this microcosm of a culture war, drawing further attention to the sport from generations who wrote off cricket at “their grandparents’ sport.”

Smith returned to the stands to sit with his Australian teammates. A relief for those who had witnessed him hit the ground moments earlier. Many fans, Australian and English alike, cheered to see one of the world’s best players come back, but not everyone was overjoyed with his return. A small minority of English cricket fans booed from the stands. The veneer pulled back once more, revealing an ugly, visceral, winning-over-everything attitude that sparks elation when an opposing player is knocked out of the game.

In the aftermath, there was a coordinated effort to gloss over the incident — a hastiness to point out that this was a fan minority, with a video posted by England Cricket designed to spotlight fans who cheered him off the ground.

Cricket legends denounced the fans, with former Australian bowler Mitchell Johnson saying those who booed “aren’t cricket fans” — stalwart attempts to keep pretending cricket is above the fray of other sports or that cricket fans are somehow of a better breed. One fan was ejected from Lord’s Cricket Ground for booing Smith on Saturday. However, this charade that cricket is somehow “better” than other sports because of its age and tradition are locked in a fallacy handed down through generations of fans. The game is just as dirty as any other, and yes, sometimes the actions of players and fans can be gross.

It should come as no surprise that cricket is responsible for one of the most infamous sporting events in history that you’ve probably never heard about. The 1932-33 Ashes series between England and Australia generated so much bad blood there were legitimate concerns it would permanently damage diplomatic relations between the countries. The series left such an indelible mark on the sport that one word immediately prompts its recollection, even 85 years later: Bodyline.

It’s almost impossible to quantify just how good Don Bradman was. The Australian legend isn’t just a cricket icon, but his performances were so utterly mindboggling that they deserve recognition across every sport which has ever been played. An average test cricketer will score 20-40 runs a game. A spectacular one upwards of 50. Steve Smith averages 63.24 and is considered the best player in the world. Don Bradman averaged 99.94 across his career. A player so transcendent that it took an entire nation changing the game to stop him. This is where Bodyline was born.

Desperate to find an answer to Bradman, the English cricket team devised a plan. Instead of bowling regular balls to batters which would bounce around their waist or lower, they planned to bowl high, directly at Australian players. The idea was to create so much disruption on the pitch that players would be more concerned about keeping themselves safe than trying to play the game of cricket. The hope was they would try to protect themselves with their bats, leading to inadvertent hits which England’s fielders could catch for easy outs.

There are arguments to this day whether Bodyline was a stroke of genius to contain the greatest player who ever lived or a dastardly ploy to win by any means necessary. The result was the same either way: The series was ugly. The tactic left some English players fearing for their lives after a test match in Adelaide when batter Bert Oldfield suffered a fractured skull from a ball that was delivered to bounce up into his face. The BBC explained just how worried English players were:

“The England players, mouths dry with fear, looked for escape routes - or even potential weapons - in case the mob fell on them.

Bowler Harold Larwood, the focus of the fury, turned to teammate Les Ames. ‘If they come,’ he said, ‘you can take the leg stump for protection - I’ll take the middle.’”

Bodyline was banned shortly following the series under new rules which banned “direct attack” bowling. Short balls are still allowed in cricket today, like the one Steve Smith was struck with — but there are now restrictions on how many short bowls can be used in an over.

There are dozens of examples of impropriety in cricket that extend beyond the pitch. They might not garner the same vitriol as Bodyline but are woven into the sport nonetheless.

In 2018 it was revealed that Sri Lankan groundskeepers had been doctoring pitches at Sri Lankan cricket grounds to favor bowlers from the home team dating back to 2016. This was done to fix betting lines and has since proven to be true.

Australia was caught in 2018 trying to doctor the ball with sandpaper to rough up one side of the ball. This would alter its flight in the air.

A betting scandal revealed that in 2010 Pakistani players took bribes from bookmakers to alter the outcome of a test series between Pakistan and England. Four people went to prison as a result of the investigation.

In 1979 Australian Dennis Lillee decided to use a cricket bat that was made out of aluminum by a friend during a match against England. There was no rule against metallic bats, but it was causing substantial damage to the leather ball. Lillee eventually changed his bat on request from umpires, but it was later revealed that Lillee was getting a cut of the sales from the “ComBat,” and the entire controversy had been a marketing ploy.

In 1977 English bowler John Lever rubbed the ball with Vaseline during a match to alter its flight in the air.

A match-fixing scandal hit the Indian Premier League in 2012 AND 2013 that revealed plans by players and bookmakers to alter games. Numerous players were given partial or lifetime bans, while the Rajasthan Royals were banned from the sport for two years.

An international controversy was sparked in 2007 when an English umpire handed down six charges of ball-tampering to Indian players during a series against South Africa. Umpire Mike Denness refused to answer questions on his decision to penalize the players, leading to irate fans burning his effigy in the streets. Several of his charges were overturned on appeal.

Pakistan had a match-fixing scandal of its own in 2017 when it was revealed that players were fixing matches in the Pakistan Super League.

In 1981 Australia, locked in a match against New Zealand, needed to ensure their opponents couldn’t score six runs off the final ball of the game. Australian captain Greg Chappell instructed the bowler (and his younger brother Ian) to roll the ball along the ground. This would ensure the New Zealand batter had no way of hitting it over the fence and earning six runs. It wasn’t against the rules because nobody thought it would ever happen, and the rules of cricket had to be changed as a result. The incident “went against the spirit of the game,” according to officials.

A cricket match in England in 1979 lasted just 18 minutes when a team intentionally lost the game in an attempt to force a three-way tie in the standings, knowing they would win on a tie break.

These are just a sampling of issues that have happened in cricket over the years. The point isn’t to say, “cricket is bad.” It’s a beautiful game full of history and strategy, and memories of long summer days at the Sydney Cricket Ground leaning over the railing trying to get an autograph. It’s watching games unfold in my grandmother’s apartment while she screamed at the TV about how much she hated Mark Taylor’s unreliable batting.

It’s more that cricket, like any sport, has its fair share of ugly moments. English fans booing Steve Smith when he returned to the ground wasn’t some anomaly that went against everything cricket stands for. It was just the latest in a long line of regrettable incidents. We don’t need to pontificate for cricket and act like it’s above the fray.

In a lot of ways, cricket invented the fray.

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backtothestart02 · 7 years

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Runnin’ Home to You | 3/10

My submission for @westallenfun‘s Runnin’ Home to You challenge.

Part 3 of 10.

Synopsis: 3x21 - Canon Divergent - What if Team Flash decided to keep Barry from remembering until after May 23rd?

Note: The canon divergence in this chap is that Joe isn't present when Barry is told he’s a superhero and Iris is also telling him about who Savitar is in addition to that. Some exact lines from the episode's scene are included.

*Many thanks to @valeriemperez for being a spectacular beta! <3

Chapter 3 - But I Want You In It

Once in the cortex, Iris decided to backtrack and explain to her amnesiac fiancé what having his super speed actually meant. There was no way Barry would understand who Savitar was if he didn’t first understand who he was.

“So, I am a superhero,” Barry said, wanting to be clear.

“Yeah,” she confirmed. “And a really good one too.”

“Huh.”

She waited a beat before proceeding with semi-dramatic flair.

“You’re the Flash!”

Barry’s face scrunched up as he considered that new knowledge.

“You sure the Streak isn’t a better name, maybe?”

Iris’s jaw dropped briefly, the significance of his words not lost on her.

“Uh…it actually…was your name for a time,” she admitted, a smile sneaking through despite herself.

Barry’s brows furrowed. “Why did we change it?”

She cleared her throat. “You actually didn’t like it.”

He gawked, not saying anything.

“I started writing about you, the superhero, before I knew it was you, and I gave you the name the Streak. But you not so subtly suggested the Flash, and it caught on. Later you told me how very glad you were that we’d gotten rid of that first title.”

Barry folded his arms across his chest, annoyed.

“I don’t think I want my memories back now even if there were no repercussions.”

Iris’s beaming smile slowly faded as Barry’s next words slipped past his lips.

“What does me being a superhero have to do with Savitar?”

She swallowed hard, waiting a few painfully long seconds before proceeding.

“Well…Barry, you’re a speedster.”

“A speedster?”

She nodded. “That’s what we’ve labeled metahumans who have super speed.”

“Metahumans.”

“People who were affected by the particle accelerator explosion and have powers now. Most of them are villains, but some are good.”

“Like me.”

Her smile returned. “Like you.”

“And like Wally.”

“Yes.”

“But we’re…speedsters.”

“You are.”

“Are only speedsters good?”

She frowned and started to build a case in her mind for the good metas, which Cisco was and once upon a time Caitlin had been. But she shook her head.

“No. But, that’s…I can explain all of that to you later, okay?” She took his hands in her own. “I brought you here where we can be alone, so I can tell you about Savitar.”

His brows furrowed. “Why do we need to be alone for that? N-not that I mind!” he said quickly.

Iris forced a smile. “Because it’s hard to talk about, Bear.”

Confusion flitted across his face again. Iris knew the reason why.

“It’s a nickname I gave you when we were kids.” She shrugged and let out a strangled laugh. “It stuck.”

His thumbs moved gently across her skin.

“Tell me about Savitar. Why does he want to kill you? Because you’re important to me? Because we’re getting married? Because I love you? Why does that make him angry?”

Iris’s breath caught in her throat as each question sounded in her ears. He was so sure of it. That she was important to him. That they were getting married – well, there was proof of that in the ring on her finger, but still. That he loved her. He was so sure that he loved her, even though he hadn’t even known her a full day.

And yet, he couldn’t understand why something so pure would make a bad guy upset.

This version of Barry was so innocent. He was everything Barry could have been if that particle accelerator had never exploded across Central City.

“Bad guys want to hurt the good guys, Barry. So, they take what they love.”

The truth behind Henry and Nora’s deaths briefly zipped through her mind, reminding her that she’d lied. But she ignored the facts and kept going. Maybe she’d tell him more later, but for now the origin of Savitar was enough.

“And that’s why Savitar wants to kill you? To hurt me?”

She swallowed hard. “Not just that.” Barry raised his eyebrows, waiting. “He…I need to die for him to exist.”

“Why?” he asked, oblivious to the way her voice was starting to hitch with every word she said.

“Because… Because he’s the result of what happens to you if I die.”

He frowned. “I don’t understand,” he said, but she knew he was starting to. She could feel his hands clenching and unclenching in her grip.

“It’s hard to explain…” she trailed off, unsure if she could go on. “There are these things called time remnants…”

“Time remnants?” He nearly dropped her hands the term was so mindboggling to him.

“Yeah, they’re the…uh…result of going back in time and taking a past version of yourself and bringing it to the present to—”

“Wait a second.” He dropped her hands. “I can time travel?”

You’ll never explain it to him at this rate, the little voice inside her said.

She knew it was true, but she wanted so badly not to make him feel guilty. She wanted this Barry to stay happy for as long as he could.

“Yes. But, Barry—”

He blushed briefly and cleared his throat.

“Right. Sorry. You’ll explain later. Keep going.”

She smiled tremulously.

“In the future…when Savitar kills me, you create time remnants to go back in time to save me. But almost all of them die, and the one who doesn’t…gets rejected by everyone here after my death. And eventually he becomes Savitar.”

The expression on Barry’s face so clearly showed that he had about a million and one questions for everything she’d just said, but there was one conclusion he’d come to that she was hoping he wouldn’t. Even if she knew it was true to an extent.

I-I know it’s not you. I know-

Part of him is.

“So I kill you,” he said, his voice numb, his shoulders slumped, his eyes nearly void of emotion because her initial silence following the statement spoke volumes, and they both knew it.

He might not have his memories, but he looked so much like the Barry that did that Iris wanted to cry. She wanted to scream and throw things and undo what she’d said in the hopes that somehow, she’d say it better, in a way that maybe wouldn’t hurt so much. Because this, right here, was what she’d been trying to avoid.

Instead she stood there and watched him as her heart crumbled into tiny pieces.

“Bar—” she tried, forcing herself to find her voice. She jolted forward in a panic when he started to back away from her. “Barry, no. Wait. Stay, please.”

He stopped, but she could see how tense he was. His frame was rigid. It seemed unnatural, and he refused to look at her.

“I don’t understand,” he said in a low gravelly voice that was still filled with heartbreak. “How could I kill you?” Hesitantly, he looked up at her. “I love you.”

Iris was torn again between being moved by his certainty of the latter fact and feeling helpless at the prospect of successfully answering the former. She wanted the answer as badly as he did. They all did.

It’s not you.

It’s a time remnant.

It’s not going to happen.

You could never do this.

All good, reassuring thoughts that she could say, but she knew it would only fuel more confusion and frustration in him. Maybe even anger. She didn’t want that. She wanted to bring the smile back to his face.

Thankfully he saved her from having to come up with an answer by coming back to her with fierce determination in his eyes and confidence in his step.

“I want you in my life, Iris. I want you in my future. I want you to have a future.” He took her hands and gripped them tightly. “Tell me how to stop this.”

She swallowed hard and smiled tremulously.

“We keep you from remembering,” she said simply, then paused a beat. “And we tell the others.”

“All of them?” he hedged worriedly.

She smiled encouragingly. “Just our friends and family.”

He nodded, released one of her hands, and intertwined their fingers in the other. Then he gestured away from them.

“Lead the way.”

*Also available on AO3 and FFnet.

#runnin'hometoyouchallenge #westallen #backtothestart02 fanfiction #westallenedit #westallenfun #runnin' home to you #chapter 3 #but i want you in it #this one's a little angstier #sry in advance

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gleivy · 7 years

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I don’t know if mobile displays readmores or not but I’m so s orry for all this rambly crap you’ve unlocked my level 9 tragic anime backstory

It had been bothering me for a while why I (and I guess pretty much everyone else) love AssClass and it sorta happened that I noticed the parallel between the story and my own personal history...? Like, to a horrifyingly similar level to a point where it almost sounds like I’m making this up to match but I swear on my life I think I’ve mentioned this even before even knowing of AssClass

I think I’ve mentioned this a few times and dropped these names, but I had this teacher (He Who Must Not Be Named) Mr. B who I really idolized. I’ve historically been a bad student so my teachers tended not to like me a ton (beyond that I was behaved I guess) but he ended up being the first teacher to really make me feel wanted-- I did a lot for him because he was an important person to me (there’s crazy shit about how my parents were super hands off and distant because of family drama and the cultural divide but that’s another story for another time) so he was honestly the first person I was able to consider a father figure, partially because all my other teachers had been female.

I really did put my heart and soul into his class, I was insecure about my English/accent at the time but I was wholeheartedly participating in class and even staying after class to push in chairs and pick up trash... He really meant a lot to me, at least for the time being

Eventually, it rolled around where he had an applications-only class (where the focus was helping people out, of all things. I know, so not me, right?) and he was definitely dropping hints that I should apply. I did, and I worked really hard on it, more than I already was! Of course, he ended up personally announcing the results and guess who he didn’t pick! Wow!

I don’t really know how to put it...? I mean, (funny enough, I used this exact phrasing) he was completely dead to me at the time. It sort of helped that he turned cold towards me and refused tell me what I did. I would now probably even say that even if someone were to come into my home and shoot one of my hands off, I would forgive them more readily than Mr. B.

As you would imagine, I really didn’t want much to do with any of my teachers (even though my freshman English teacher Ms. Fletcher, God bless her heart) reached out and even gave me a ride home this one time. It wasn’t so much that I hated teachers or anything like that, I just figured that at the end of it all, I was just another face in a crowd of hundreds. My home situation was poor and yeah, even as a high schooler, I did attempt suicide multiple times (3 or 4 really come to mind).

Eventually, I got this AP Lit teacher, Mr. Shields and hoohhoapfafwhefekslf I’m like crying this is ugly horaorhg holy shsti this erally kills the mood

By the second day of class, he already had my name learned. It was absolutely mindboggling because first of all, it was the second day of class and there were at least a hundred or more other students he had. That’s not even to mention the way he taught; he made everything interesting, no matter what it was, and the way he answered questions and discussed peoples points were as if he were talking specially for them. To use that term, he was really “seeing” me when no one else did. Because of him, I started talking more and raising points in discussions and even started reaching out and making friends-- it was weird, because I was still me, a queer Asian person, but even with everything I put up with because of that, he made me feel like there was nothing wrong with me

Of course, “graduation” (well, from 3rd to 4th year) happened...

We were his last class. The year we “graduated,” he retired. Being that he was of decent age, it was natural that he didn’t use social networks or anything like that, but I don’t think anyone else really knew much of him beyond that... It was as if he disappeared completely, almost leaving me to question if it was really a class I took and not some fantastical dream

What’s the takeaway of all this...? For starters, I am a teaching student and I have been working in classrooms for over two years. I’m happier, I’m open, and I guess I don’t really hate myself. Most of all, I think, I’m able to trust people...

#shootpost #negative ///#suicide ///#well vaguely...? I wouldn't call this negative so much as I'm thinking of something that happened and how I overcame it #sparknotes of all this: I had a beloved teacher throw me under the bus but I ended up having my own ‘’Korosensei’’ heal me nearly completely #yeah I'm weird I know but I'm loving every moment of it

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charetfriarsclub-blog · 4 years

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How To Produce Excellent Comedy For Your Business Vacation Party (From an Expert Comedian)

A vacation party is normally a time for event and a good funny show can be a terrific method to thank your staff members for a task well done. However there are some rules to think about if you want to ensure that you get the best outcomes for your company and from your talent Bruce Charet.

DISCOVERING YOUR TALENT.

There are a great deal of methods to look for comedians, and whether you go through a lecture agent, speaker bureau, funny agent, or check out your regional funny club, here are a few things to think about.

First, business funny is various. If you see somebody at a local club and they're funny and reasonably tidy, there's absolutely nothing wrong with putting them on your list. However make certain that they understand the rules, since a bar comic is typically comfortable utilizing raw language and material that may not fit your crowd.

So have a look at their websites, or much better still, see them live if possible, and call among their referrals. When you view their video, attempt to glance the whole program to get a sense of how everything circulations, rather than just presume that everything will resemble what they place on their emphasize reel.

Some comics, including myself, work all kinds of different places, and we are able to change our product from show to reveal depending on the forum. But I've also been doing this for over 3 years and know what's right for each crowd. The danger with a young inexperienced comic is that he or she may share great intents, however utilize unsuitable product if they feel they're not getting enough laughs, so keep that in mind.

As soon as you have actually chosen your talent, ensure that they consent to your guidelines. More than likely this suggests no cursing, no potty humour and avoiding material that is politically incorrect. It assists to review some of their jokes in advance to offer specific examples of what's fine and what would be considered crossing the line.

Now, it's true some smaller sized business have looser cultures. My partner operates in a workplace wherein charges shout and curse all day long, so if they hired a comedian for a celebration, the limits would most likely be a lot looser, but even then, an excellent business comic understands to err on the side of safety. Whatever you decide, use due diligence and do your research.

AGREEMENTS.

When you've chosen your acts, make sure all celebrations have a signed contract and a deposit. I usually get 50% which secures the date for the business, so they're guaranteed I'm not going to take an eleventh-hour deal for better money (not that I would), but it likewise ensures that I won't lose cash if I have actually refused work and the boss all of a sudden chooses to employ his second cousin's nephew.

COST.

It's hard for me to give specifics due to the fact that it really depends upon the size of group and venue for your celebration. If your company is small, the budget plan is clearly going to be rather different then it would be for a Fortune 500. The bottom line is, provide yourself a variety to patronize and be prepared to be versatile if you find a specific act that you simply need to have.

Keep in mind, the better acts are in higher need, so they generally do charge more, but there are lots of fairly priced comics who may not be family names, however will still do an excellent task for your group. But take care about hiring a comic that is available in at a price that's too low. They might be just starting or may not have much experience in the corporate market.

Keep in mind that the comedy program is probably going to be the important things your co-workers keep in mind most about the party, so be careful not to be cent wise and dollar foolish.

DEVELOPING A GOOD COMEDY ENVIRONMENT AT THE VENUE.

I have actually done comedy in all sort of scenarios and absolutely nothing is harder for a comedian than to enter front of a rowdy crowd who wants to drink, talk and mingle, and could not care less that there's a show. So the number 1 rule is to deal with the program with due regard. If the party coordinators behave as if it's background sound, the audience will usually respond in kind and the comics will be difficult-pressed to overcome that. But if you set it upright, it can be golden.

Wherever you hold the occasion, try to be sure your group has its own separate space so you prevent the opportunity of a loud bar or too much noise from other clients.

Let your group understand that there's a show ahead of time and stress that if anyone just absolutely has to be talking for whatever factor, that they need to take it outside. Then make sure cell-phones are all off and have somebody from the business present the comedian so that everybody focuses.

It's also crucial that everybody is seated, due to the fact that when too many people are standing, they're agitated, and it's harder for even the very best comic to hold their attention. And finally, do not start the program during the meal because no one actually chuckles too much when they're chewing. So try to do the comedy either after the meal, get the wait-staff to stop moving and provide everyone a 5-minute heads-up right prior to so they can use the centres.

NOISE AND LIGHTS.

Sound and lights are more vital then you may believe, so it's constantly an excellent concept to have your entertainer test both before the program when the room is empty.

A lot of hotel meeting room have tiny little round speakers developed into the ceiling. Utilize these only as a last hope. Bad noise can really injure a comedy show, due to the fact that if the audience can't plainly understand what the comic is saying, the humour isn't going to fly.

Lots of comedians have their own noise devices. I have a portable stereo that's good for about 250 individuals. If I'm doing a local show and I'm not exactly sure of the venue conditions, I throw it in the car simply in case. However bear in mind, if you require the comic to bring their own equipment, there is typically an extra charge.

Among the trickiest parts about setting the best tone for comedy is the lighting.

Basically, the total goal is to get the comedian well lit (however not blinded), and have the audience dim however not dark, which increases the intimacy element and makes it more comfortable for everyone to laugh. It likewise helps since the comic can still see the faces and body movement of the audience throughout the show.

AUDIENCE POSITIONING.

If you've ever been to a funny club you understand that everyone is usually packed in like sardines. There are 2 factors for this. First, the more individuals the club suits their room, the more money they're clearly making, but second, is that it greatly increases laughter.

While, you might not want to squeeze your workers quite that securely, do attempt to keep the tables fairly close together and near the comedian. Laughter truly is contagious and this is among the most important elements to an effective show.

LENGTH OF SHOW.

If you want a full funny show with 3 comics, about 90 minutes has to do with right, with the emcee normally doing 15-20, the middle about 30, and the headliner about 45. If you employ just 1 or 2 acts, anything from 30-75 minutes is fairly typical, however it really depends on whether you desire comedy to be a spice component for your celebration, or to work as the main course.

TIME OF DAY.

The very best time for a comic is normally in the evening, but I have actually worked corporate functions at every possible time of day. Almost whenever can work, however if your celebration remains in the morning, I recommend that you try not to start off with funny as the very first course, because your crowd merely will not be all that alert. I've performed at conventions as early as 8 am, and I have actually succeeded, however it's a really different response at 8 AM then it is even an hour later on.

MAKE THE COMIC( S) COMFORTABLE - IT ACTUALLY DOES HELP THE SHOW.

Attempt to make your comic( s) be as comfy as possible. If there's food, and it's not prohibitively costly, we always appreciate a great meal.

It's likewise handy to have a place in the back of the space, or much better still, in another space, for your comics to hang out before the show.

Many comics are quite low maintenance. We perform in many different circumstances that we're normally quite flexible, however the more you make us feel welcome, the much easier it is for us to concentrate on our job - which is to offer you a terrific show.

In my own profession, I've entertained at the NY Stock Exchange, opened for leading name acts at major theatres in front of thousands of individuals, been on national TV shows, and appeared at some truly mindboggling corporate events. I've also been at bars, clubs, coffee homes, libraries and drug rehabilitation. No matter what the location or occasion, the less extraneous stuff we have to fret about, the better it is for everything.

OTHER FUNNY CHOICES - ROASTS AND PUT-ONS.

Roasts are a fun method to let off some steam about workplace politics and business policies, however again, make certain you get someone who understands what they're doing.

This is one of the important things I concentrate on and I love doing it, but it's a lot of composing so I do charge more. However what you're getting in return is a lot more customized show.

When a comic is doing jokes about the business policies and some of your coworkers and officers, the audience is basically constantly riveted. If you do choose a roast, I recommend you examine ALL the comedian's material so there are not a surprises.

You may also consider the business put-on, where the comedian is presented as a new vice president who's signing up with the company after the holidays with some "fresh new ideas" for enhancing organisation. This gives it an added element of surprise, however again, this isn't something that every comic can manage.

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smithdenlio-blog · 4 years

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Have Mobile, Will Go to Town

When I entered advertising in the Eighties, cola was the happening category. Agency creative types would give an arm and a leg to work on a cola or a soft drinks account. Captions resonated in young people's minds, won awards for the agency that created them and quickly made it to the editorial as newspapers and magazines adapted the lines and made them their own. In all fairness many of the other categories, dominated as they were by multinational style advertising, had boring and predictable ads. Thankfully people still watched these ads as there was only one channel and usually half a programme to watch. This was before the days of oongli cricket as the remote control had not yet made its diabolical presence felt. And if my memory serves me right, there was research to suggest that people found the commercials more entertaining than the programmes themselves, which was perhaps an indication of how sad the programmes were at that point in time.

Having said that it would be remiss of me not to mention some of the pathbreaking ads of the Eighties, some of which I can still recall and which I still show my students today, some of whom were born after these ads were made. Ads for Vimal, the 'I love you Rasna' ads, the 'Lalitaji' commercials, 'Give me Red' for Eveready, 'Hamara Bajaj' and the commercial of the Cadbury's girl in the cricket field to name just a few, kept our collars up even if our wallets were thin. And yet, when I show these ads today they seem hardly as exciting as they were when I first saw them. It was for nothing that Bill Bernbach said "Today's smartest advertising style is tomorrow's corn."

Variety, the spice of life

Perhaps the greatest shot in the arm not only for the Indian economy but for Indian advertising was liberalisation when foreign brands came in quest of the 'great Indian middle class'. Some flourished while others floundered but advertise they did, with varying shades of creativity. And yet the greatest revolution, to my mind at least, has been the 'mobile revolution' as India took to mobiles the way a young Sachin Tendulkar took to cricket nearly three decades ago. Young India goes to sleep with its mobile and old India has sleepless nights about the next generation's addiction for mobile phones. But one industry that has not lost any sleep about the phenomenal growth of the mobile services industry is advertising.

Mobile service companies are advertising-dependent, to put it mildly. Companies are in cut-throat competition with each other in the prepaid and postpaid categories, have mindboggling schemes and sexy advertising. The target audience is young, irreverent, has a sense of humour and is completely relaxed as it spends its parents' money! Mobile services is a brilliant advertising category that can entertain, beat the clutter, make you smile and even win your agency awards. What more can anyone ask for?

Of course, there is a slightly discordant note that I must bring up (I think it is my horoscope that prevents me from seeing the brighter side of things) and that is about how far removed from the truth this advertising often is. Every mobile service ad talks about phenomenal coverage. The pug follows the little girl wherever she goes, signifying the depth and width of the coverage. It is a completely different matter that my colleagues in Mumbai are extremely fit as they have to run out every time their mobile phone rings, as you can't hear a word inside the office! Of course, the fact that I do not run much is evident from my middle!

One of the most recalled commercials for Airtel is one in which the grandfather who is in the village and the grandson who is in the train play chess. Forget connectivity on a moving train in distant lands; as an Airtel customer I can vouch for how dismal the coverage is in not-so-distant places such as Mumbai for I have hell when I go there and even in Bangalore where I live and work. Coverage is the last thing the brand should speak about, for it is like a red rag to disgruntled consumers such as us.

In fact, the advertising for mobile services reminds me of a competition that most management schools have called 'mad ads' where students are asked to do advertising for an imaginary product or service. Mobile services are definitely there and thriving, but they are like several other service products in the country whose actual performance has no relevance to the advertising that they portray. Make no mistake, mobile services advertising in the country is by and large brilliant, entertaining, and clutter-breaking. Why ask needless questions like "is what they are saying true" and "how good is the actual coverage?"

Withdrawal symptoms after IPL

The IPL is over and for a few days I had withdrawal symptoms as I would mechanically go and sit in front of the TV at 8 p.m. I miss the hysterics of Danny Morrison; Navjot Singh Sidhu's profound wisdom that would fill an entire calling card; the show of legs as the cheerleaders danced to Kannada and Tamil songs; the wistful gaze of an heir apparent on a largely disinterested young star; and the elusive smiles of Preity Zinta as her team discovered new depths; the missed sitters that made me think 'S***, I could have caught that'; the multiple teams on 12 points; the strategic breaks where the commentators were hard pressed to say anything remotely strategic; the haunting images of Lalit Modi with some pretty woman or the other... A weaker man might have been driven to drink! But thankfully, the ads for mobile services continue to entertain even if Lalit Modi or Shashi Tharoor refuse to. So let me talk about the mobile services ads that I like and that are current.

Show me your tattoo and I will show you mine

Have you seen the one where a lady with South Indian features is chopping vegetables on a kitchen table, Suprabhatham is playing in the background and her pretty daughter approaches her reluctantly and says, "I want to show you something"? The mother looks up, one suspects with dread, God knows what today's youngsters can show and lo and behold, she displays a huge and grotesque tattoo on her lower back. I stared aghast at the tattoo as I thought her mother would and imagine my surprise when the mother says in her pronounced Madrasi accent, "very nice". It was for "my song" and asks people to listen to what they would like to listen. I am sure lots of people with grown-up children like me love this commercial for Tata Docomo, as they would of the young man who goes for an interview and says exactly the wrong things and yet gets a job! Tata Docomo has been a game changer in the mobile category and its pricing has turned the market on its head. But its success in no small measure is due to the advertising.

Not far behind are the Airtel ads for night time calling featuring Sharman Joshi (I finally figured out his name, after all, South Indian names are a problem for North Indians too) where he speaks to his girlfriend's brother and advises him on what to study before he gets to speak to the girl or when he makes the shopkeeper speak to his mom and bargain on the sari price and butters up his professor on thermodynamics thanks to the Net... So what if Airtel has call drops and you can't hear, at least, they have interesting commercials. And what about Idea Cellular and its whacky commercials that feature crazy contests with Abhishek, his fat attendant and the dumb blonde? The whackier the contest, the more I liked the commercial. And what about Vodafone and the Zoozoos? I know that I am going to upset a few people, including my colleague who is a fervent admirer of the advertising, when I say that the current advertising is not as endearing as the earlier edition. Is it more in your face? More strident? More tailored to suit the brand IPL? I don't know, but I have seen better from the same brand.

And finally it is not only advertising

I have a sneaking suspicion that the mobile brands are taking the easy way out and focusing on creativity and advertising that is manageable. What about customer service and engagement? Let me give you an example as recent as yesterday. My wife received a mail from her personal relationship manager whose name I shall not mention saying "thank you" and that she was "special" and how she was her personal relationship manager. There was a small problem though; the mail started with "Dear Sir/Madam," and went on to say all those glowing things. My wife being the difficult customer that she is wrote back:

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