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wntrsnat · 8 months

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Was Natasha a kid when she met Bucky?

It’s a widespread misconception outside of winterwidow fandom that Bucky and Natasha have known each other since she was a kid. I’ve seen a handful of people object to their relationship for this reason or (sometimes in a humorous manner) comment on how weird it is. And I'd have to agree with them. Bucky dating Natasha despite having trained her since she was a child would have been utterly inappropriate, if not immoral and disgusting. However, the assumption is not only incorrect but also fundamentally impossible.

Let’s go back to the beginning to clarify why that assumption is fundamentally impossible. Different universes equal different realities, and different realities equal different characters. Sometimes characters' counterparts across multiple realities only differ in details, not the basics. MCU characters have a similar correlation with their What If counterparts but not comics’ ones, which is a grave mistake cinematic fans make. I believe that’s why we have this absurd assumption as well, from someone thinking that 616 Black Widow and Winter Soldier are the same age as their more famous counterparts.

MCU’s Natasha Romanoff was born in 1984, and Bucky – 1917. Thus, an adult-kid dynamic is plausible. If we consider cryostasis, Bucky was still pushing 30 when Natasha was born. The situation, however, is significantly different for their 616 counterparts. Let’s start with Earth 616’s Bucky Barnes, who was born in 1925, making him nearly a decade younger than the cinematic one. But that isn’t what disproves the aforementioned belief. What disproves it is that Earth 616’s Natasha Romanoff was born around 1928, making her 56 years older than her cinematic counterpart and just 3 years younger than 616 Bucky. You will find this information on the following page from Black Widow: Deadly Origin, a 2009–2010 graphic novel (which I will be using as a basis today):

This alone debunks the adult/child misconception, but I want to go one step further and discuss the timeline of Natasha's time in the Red Room and the early years of the Winter Soldier.

At the young age of 20, Bucky Barnes "died" alongside Captain America in late 1945, in last days of the war. The Russian submarine discovered Bucky's preserved body after the war while hoping to retrieve Captain America’s remains. And with that, the Winter Soldier story began, along with his role as a super soldier trainer at the Red Room for Department X.

Now, one might say, "Ana, if he was 20, Natasha was 17, which is still kind of wrong, no?". My answer is yes; it would’ve been rather inappropriate. "Would’ve been" because there’s a catch: Natasha wasn’t part of the Red Room when he joined.

I know what you’re thinking: What the fuck, wasn’t she...? Didn’t she…? So let me explain that one from the beginning.

Natasha Romanoff, then 10 years old, was brought to the Red Room in 1938 by her father figure, Ivan Petrovich (a terrible piece of shit about whom I'll write a blog), Taras Romanov, and Joseph Stalin himself. After her trainer, Wolverine, killed Taras in 1940, she let Wolverine go, fled into the woods, and was found three months later by Ivan, possibly going back under his care, which can be seen below:

She returned to the Red Room only at the age of 28, ironically enough, becauseof Ivan, which is depicted on the following page:

There, we find a collapsed building with a bleeding Ivan and a sobbing Natasha, who have been approached by …. *DRUM ROLL* …. the Winter Soldier, who has been sent by his superiors. They were both offered the super soldier serum that would save Ivan in exchange for their newfound loyalty, which Natasha accepted despite Ivan's protests.

Here we are, then: Natasha, 28, meets the Winter Soldier, roughly 31, who’ll soon be her lover and her trainer. Two adult people who met when they were both adults. And with that, we conclude our blog, disproving the infamous “she was a kid when they met!” argument.

Thanks for reading my blog. If you have questions or have found a mistake, let me know. I'll be happy to answer and discuss <3

#winterwidow #buckynat #natasha romanoff #bucky barnes #marvel comics #earth 616 #616 #MCU #marvel cinematic universe #anti winterwidow #anti buckynat #nerd talks #blog #explore #tumblr #lore

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watermelonsugacry · 1 year

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But It's Not You

A/N: double update bebe! 💚

SUMMARY: After almost a year into One Direction's hiatus, Harry craves being in the studio again to make some music. After inviting his best friend and former band member, YN, onto his team, they spend the next two months in Jamaica as they make an album, uncover hidden feelings, and explore uncharted territories. (3.3k)

GENRE: 1dbandmember!yn, friends to lovers

SINCE 2010 masterlist // Jamaica series // Previous song here! ✈

SIDE-NOTE: italicized is voice over commentary (I wrote this kind of like the Behind the Album documentary) bold are things Harry actually said irl

YN’s jaw goes slack in a yawn as she knuckles over her eyes. Her bare feet pat softly against the hardwood floor of the hallway and she has to keep in mind to be quiet on some level as she passes the rooms where the rest of the production crew sleeps. The moonlight that peaks through the multitude of windows throughout the house act as her guide.

It’s been a few days since the team has arrived in Jamaica and so far, it’s been both a relaxing and exciting experience for everyone. With a day full of writing and continuing to get more and more hands-on experience producing, the team was able to get another song down and didn’t go to sleep until the early hours of the morning. Unable to fall asleep herself, however, she finds herself out of bed in search of a late-night snack. She stretches her arms above her head before letting them fall down to her sides.

When she faces the kitchen, her feet come to a stop when she sees a semi-bright light that shines over a small section of the room. Harry stands in front of the open refrigerator, his forearm rests on top of the door while his body bends over to look inside. His torso is bare and the muscles on his back push and pull as he goes to grab something. His sleep shorts hang low on his hips and when he looks over his shoulder at her, his hand to his mouth as he bites down on something.

Is that a strawberry?

Harry takes in the sight of her: an oversized band t-shirt she’s had since their time in the band that has holes scattered around the fabric and slipping off her shoulder every now and then. Her pj shorts are barely visible from underneath the huge shirt and her hair is a bit tousled from her attempt to fall asleep. He smiles at her as he finishes what’s in his mouth, “Good morning, darling.”

Ignoring how nice and raspy his voice sounds, she smiles back at him and shuffles her feet over to him to lean her forehead in the middle of his chest. When she feels his arms around her shoulders, letting out a hum at the warmth he gives off, she thinks back to the time when she couldn’t stand physical affection. She felt claustrophobic if someone were to wrap themselves around her; even with her ex, it still felt off to be held or hold his hand. She knew she was in trouble when she found herself naturally gravitating towards Harry’s body for a cuddle or missed the warmth of his hand on her back rather than anybody else’s.

“Morning,” She says as she snuggles deeper into his chest.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

She shakes her head side to side, still pressed to him, “You?”

He hums out a no before he says, “Want a strawberry?”

She lifts her head so her chin rests in the middle of his chest. She silently parts her lips and he places the half-eaten strawberry to her mouth. The tips of Harry’s finger hold onto the green leaves of the fruit as she takes a bite. He pulls it away and finishes off the rest of the strawberry before throwing the end leaves into the sink beside them.

Knowing that there wasn’t a chance of going back to sleep any time soon, the two friends situate themselves on the kitchen floor, their backs to the kitchen island with their legs splayed out in front of them and the refrigerator door open. As they chat, they’ll both occasionally grab at the cut pieces of fruit in the bowl between them.

“I’ve been thinking about you a lot lately.”

Harry discreetly cringes to himself at his words. As comfortable as he is to talk about literally anything with her, he has to catch himself before he says anything stupid—meaning, not accidentally telling her that he’s head over heels in love with her.

“Yeah? All good things, I hope.”

“Oh no, just the bad stuff,” He says sarcastically.

“Shit, I knew it.” Harry chuckles when she playfully throws a grape at his chest with a smile.

“No, I could never. There’s nothing horrible about you, lovie.” Despite his better judgment, he lets the words of affection slip from his mouth. “You’re perfect.”

YN scoffs with a roll of her eyes. “Don't say that,” she says around a mouthful of a slice of orange.

“But it’s true. You’re beautiful, YN.”

“That’s a bit hard to believe,” Before he can swallow the grape and protest, she beats him to it. “Come on, H. M’nothing like the girls you’ve been attracted to in the past. With their perfectly blue eyes and scarlet red lips,” YN says with a dramatic, playful flutter of her eyes before twisting at a cherry stem between her fingers.

Harry furrows his brows as he processes her words, “Okay but, was that ever really me?”

“What do yeh mean?” she asks with a tilt of her head.

And oh how he wishes he could explain himself to her. Throughout their time in the band, it’s been a known fact that their management teams have been trying to force a certain persona on each of the band members. For Harry, he was labeled as a womanizer: a bad boy who's never done anything bad. Time and time again, their teams had set him up with fake blonde models who were only into him for his name, looks and nothing more. And after each time, he would find himself going back to her.

He’ll take her natural hair color and texture over the girls who fry their hair to achieve a fake-blonde look. He’ll take her bare face over any of the women with too much contour and red lipstick any day. He’ll take her natural plushy hips and chest without it having been done through the work of a doctor. He’d rather be with YN. He meant what he said, she’s perfect. Even her imperfections are perfect.

How he wishes he can tell her all of this but his tongue trips over itself. How can he even collectively get his words together when she’s patiently waiting for him to speak with her soft smile and her eyes that sparkle from the refrigerator’s white fluorescent light.

Harry smiles down at his lap, “Y’know, my mum thinks we’re dating.”

He’s changing the subject. She decides not to call him out on it and just smirks at his statement.

“M’not surprised.” When he gives her an amused look, she continues with a lazy shrug of her shoulder. “Me mum's the same way.”

It’s no secret that their mums have been secretly-not-so-secretly rooting for them to get together the second they saw the kind of chemistry their kids began to show during their time in the X-Factor. The two women don’t push their wishes on them though, merely watching from the sidelines waiting for them to realize it for themselves.

A giggle tumbles past YN’s lips as it easily puts a dimpled smile on his face. “Do you remember that one time when we were on our, what? Third tour and we did that waltz dance thing on the B-Stage?”

Of course he remembers. The band was doing the segment of the show where they answered fan-sent questions. Most of them were dares and this one in particular asked the band to show off their ballroom skills. When none of the other boys wanted to be her dance partner, Harry honorably stepped up with an out-reach of his hand.

“The time when you clumsily fell on me and we landed on the floor?”

“No, no. You fell on me,” YN points out with emphasis, her laughter like music to his ears.

“Same thing.”

“It is not the same thing.”

“Where were you going with this again?” He asks with a humored look, plopping a blueberry past his lips.

“Our mums were at that show.” Harry tucks his chin down to his chest as his shoulders shake with a chuckle as he knows exactly where she’s going with this. “And they wouldn’t shut up about it afterwards in the green room, remember? Penny just kept going on and on about how that was gonna be us dancing at our wedding or some shit.”

“My mum was already telling me about taking some dance lessons so I wouldn’t trip up like we did on stage.”

YN squeezes her eyes shut, one hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter while the other one grips onto Harry’s wrist. The creases beside his eyes appear as his own chuckles rumble from his chest. After they’ve calmed down, Harry lets out a happy sigh at the memory.

“Yeah...Richard had a field day with that one.”

As soon as the words come out of his mouth, he instantly regrets it by the sad look that comes over YN. Her once giggling shoulders slow down to a slump, her cheeky smile fades into a somber one and her bright eyes dim down to her lap.

Bringing up their old management team has become a sensitive topic for YN. These people who took her freedom away, tried silencing her voice just because she was a woman, and forced a different persona on her for the sake of fame sit in the darkest parts of her mind.

Even for something as silly as the two of them dancing together on stage had their management representative give them a good scolding. Richard went on a rampage, yelling at YN for her improper behavior, for putting her hands on Harry in that way. He scolded her for being so clumsy and that she made them fall on purpose just to get physically close with her band mate.

It broke Harry’s heart to see YN keep her mouth shut, knowing that she would bite back if she could. He saw the way she had her hands clasped together in front of her, occasionally flinching back at Dick’s spitting words.

And when Harry tried sticking up for her, he was told off for even offering himself to YN, that he should have known better. That supposed little “stunt” that they pulled had cost their solos to be removed from the new song they were working on for the next album.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up—”

“Don't be.” She says sincerely, licking her lips and keeping her gaze away from her best friend.

Call it a curse or a superpower, but he sees the way her mind begins to race. She’s been good at hiding it, but he can read her like an open book.

“Tell me what you’re thinking,” He tells her softly.

Knowing she can’t hide from him, she lets out a deep sigh, “I just felt so trapped sometimes, you know? They’ve just always dictated our lives in everything. What we wear, what we say,” Who we can be with. “And for what? More money in there’s fookin’ pockets? You know, there were just times in my life where I didn’t even feel...alive.”

“Do you still feel that way?”

“Some times more than usual,” She surprises herself as she answers his question truthfully. She didn’t expect to be talking about this tonight or ever with anyone, really. But she’s glad it’s Harry.

“One day I’ll tell you everything,” She thinks to herself.

“But do you know when are the times that I don’t feel that way?”

“When?”

“When I’m with you.”

“Shut up,” He looks away from her with a bashful smile on his face. Even from the small light coming through the kitchen, she can still see the pink coming onto his cheeks.

“It’s true. It sounds cheesy as hell but it’s like I feel the weight of the world around me being lifted or something. It’s like I can finally breathe. Like, I remember that one day on the yacht last year. We were sitting on the front of the boat and we didn’t really talk or anything but we were just...I don’t know. It’s kinda stupid. I think you were asleep or something so I don’t think you remember—”

“You wore that green bathing suit and the sun was just setting so the sky was kind of orange,” When YN turns her head to look at Harry, he’s already staring back. “I remember looking at you then. You were sitting up and had your eyes closed. You were crying.” She doesn't flinch when he brings his hand to her cheek and wipes away her tears with his thumb. YN didn’t even realize she was crying until now. “But when you opened your eyes, you took a deep breath and you... you just looked so in-the-moment. You looked free, YN.”

She closes her eyes and lets the tears silently stream down her face. Harry’s forehead touches hers.

“This was all I used to need,” She whispers in the space between them. Her words pluck a chord in his heart. He’s felt the same feeling more and more lately. He knows that they’re both incredibly grateful for the success they’ve had with their careers so far. They were able to start so young, provide for their family, and do what they love to do every single night for crowds of devoted fans.

But there’s a longing for the silence.

She can be in a room full of fans and press and their team, but she can still feel like the loneliest person in the world. Having each other to lean on, having someone to go to when the darkest parts of themselves want to consume them is more than all the happiness that this measly world can provide.

“I know. I feel it, too.” Harry whispers in the small space between them, reaching up to thumb away at a tear on the supple skin of her cheek. “I was just thinking about how much we haven’t spoken to each other in a while before this.”

“It had only been a few weeks,” YN pulls back a bit and smiles. She wipes her eyes with the front of her worn-out shirt. “And we’ve been texting during that time anyways.”

“Still. S’not enough.”

She softly laughs at Harry’s teasing. He puts an arm around her shoulders and pulls her to his chest. As much as the band’s hiatus was needed, there’s no denying the fact that the separation was hard—especially for these two. How can one normally carry on through life when the person you see, talk to, and laugh with everyday goes away?

They sit in comfortable silence for a little bit longer, staying embraced by one another before YN speaks up.

“I love you, Harry.” Her words make his body tense up and he tries not to let it show too much. She lifts her head from his shoulder and one little dip of his head can connect their lips. His eyes search hers, trying to find if she meant her words in the same way he does. He sees her eyes flicker down to his lips before she takes a deep breath. “No one knows me like you do. I feel safe with you. I...I feel alive with you.”

When he nods his head in agreement, his nose brushes alongside hers, “I feel everything with you.”

“I meant what I said,” She can get lost in his green eyes, looking at her with that same feeling she feels in the pit of her stomach. The same feeling she first felt as a teenager whenever he was around her. The feeling she would get despite being engaged to someone else. She meant those three words, but now that they’re not under the watchful eye of their old management team, the feeling terrifies her even more. “You’re my best friend, Harry.”

And there it is.

During their time in the band, there was no question that the two were able to get on another level of closeness that they knew each other like the back of their hands. Reading each other from across the room became second nature. Maybe the separation has made Harry lose his touch. Maybe those three words don’t share the same meaning they do for him.

“And you mine,” He reciprocates truthfully.

Without another word, YN shuffles herself to lay her head down on his lap. He brushes his fingers over her scalp, gently pushing her hair behind her ear. Once he sees that her eyes are closed and hears her breathing has evened out, he whispers her words back to her unknowing they hold her true meaning behind them.

“I love you, YN.”

...

Anytime you’re doing anything different, it’s quite scary. I didn’t know what I wanted it to sound like, I didn’t know what I wanted it to look like,” Harry explains the initial feelings he had when making his album. “But it was nice to have someone there who you’re familiar with and, and sort of turn to them when you feel a bit uneasy.”

The next morning, YN plops down on the chair next to Harry at the dining table where he finds him scribbling away in his brown leather journal, “Hey.”

“Hi,” he answers, his eyes still glued to the pen on the paper.

“Anything good?” YN nods to his notebook.

“Maybe, actually.” He shifts his body to face her. “It kind of just wrote itself to be honest.”

A soft smile tugs itself on her lips as she leans her elbow on the table to rest her temple on her fist, “The best ones always do.”

“Kind of wanted to let the work do the talking a little bit. I mean, definitely part of my ego wanted to see if I could write something that people liked without people knowing everything about me.”

Harry slides over the journal for her to read, “What we spoke about last night really stuck with me.”

That infamous crease in her brows appears on her face as she reads his scribbled handwriting and Harry wants nothing more than to smooth over the skin with his thumb or a gentle press of his lips.

We're just two ghosts standing in the place of you and me

Trying to remember how it feels to have a heartbeat.

“I didn’t mean to overstep by writing something personal about you. It was just an idea and a melody for it was stuck in my head all morning.”

“No, don't apologize. This sounds good. Really good, actually. You took what I feel kind of pathetic about and made it sound poetic. It’s beautifully written, Harry.” She lets out a laugh and slides Harry back his journal. “M’kind of jealous that I didn’t write something for myself like this.”

“Well, it can be our song then,” Harry rubs his index finger under his nose, a nervous habit that he hopes will go unnoticed by her; it doesn’t. “I mean, I still need to work out the guitar bits and stuff.”

Instead of calling him out and teasing him just to see the pink tint hit his cheeks, she reaches over the table and lifts the acoustic guitar onto her lap, “That can be arranged.”

Not long after, the team is scattered around the room as they watch the two former band members create music together.

We're not who we used to be

We don't see what we used to see

Their voices blend together beautifully, naturally falling into a harmony. YN’s fingers press on the wired strings as she strums with her other hand.

Mitch watches from his seat on the opposite side of the table, his eyes flickering back and forth between the pair. Harry wasn’t kidding when he said that YN is a skilled guitarist; she’s making beautiful melodies with it without even trying.

More importantly, he sees the way they look at each other. As YN adlibs a vocalized melody, a smile etches on her face as Harry looks at her. His dimples dig into his cheeks and the tiniest hint of pink paints the apples of his cheeks.

Mitch may not know a lot about these two, but it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see their shared chemistry.

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merrellholland · 9 months

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Not So Bad After All → P.Parker AU

HEYYYY YALL; its been a minute and I am sooooo sorry LMAO. I promise to get back into my writing era <3

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Person: Peter Parker (Tom Holland)

AU: college hockey player, frat boy, still spider-man in secret

Words: 2.4k

Warning: swearing, slight bullying (but nothing too deep)

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Never in my life would I expect to have been dressed up in the most stinky and bulky fury suit… yet, here I am dressed as Sparky the Eagle. I was currently a junior at Empire State University located in beautiful New York, and throughout the years I may have found myself in a bit of a dilemma.

Money was never an easy task for my family and I, in fact I got into this school with a huge scholarship to help support my financial needs. Despite that, I still needed to pay some tuition fees and that meant that I needed a job. This isn’t my first rodeo though, back home I had many jobs all at the same time during high school in order to help my mom with paying bills. The only hard part was trying to find a job in New York, a place that I’ve never been to until I started my first semester at Empire State.

As I’ve completed the first two years and am now currently in my third, I’ve noticed the major stereotypical things for a college on T.V were coming to real life. The sorority girls were straight-up obnoxious and cruel to other girls who weren’t part of their sorority house, the frat boys were shirtless 24/7 while playing beer pong and having girls in bikinis all over their front yards of their gigantic frat house every Friday, and lastly the sport-frat boys. These guys were a whole different level of frat boys, and I’ve learned that very early on. These guys? Not only were they known for their handsome looks but most of these guys were going to real professional sports leagues after college, and we all know how that goes for them… in terms of love life.

All the girls (and some guys) would be over, flirting constantly with them and not really taking interest in their sport but rather their six-pack abs and looks.

As much as it pains me to say the cliche phrase “not like other girls” it's true. I really wasn't like the other girls swooning over these guys 24/7 and attending their friday night parties after classes were done. I was more the type of person who would prefer to finish homework and then cozy up with some blankets and a classic 2010’s rom-com.

But now I can’t even do that since my new job requires me to be at the ice rink every week on Fridays from 6-9pm. Six to nine! That’s three hours of prime time that I could be doing homework! And that’s not even the worst part,my job was that I had to be the mascot for the ice-hockey team during their games and interacting with the fans. The Empire State hockey team was one of the best in the college leagues throughout the nation and most players got into the NHL as soon as they graduated.

And now I’m their mascot, well I dress up as their mascot and that means getting a big sweaty and gross costume every Friday for 3-4 hours… great. Not that I could complain though, since surprisingly the pay wasn’t that bad due to the fact that you’re a student. Today was my first day on the job. The Empire Eagles were playing against the Cornell Big Red’s today and it was a home game so many students were going to attend.

After I arrived at the rink, the manager handed me the keys to the supply storage room to change into the eagle costume. Getting into that costume was a full ass workout, the smell is something I’ve never smelt before and the amount I was sweating was unbearable. Nevertheless, I got into that God awful attire and headed outside to the ice-rink. The coolness of the air inside did help a little, but I could still feel the beads of sweat trickling down my face.

My manager told me to practice walking on the ice with the costume since during the halftime break you had to collect all the tokens of appreciation from the fans as they threw it onto the rink from their seats. I slowly walked onto the ice with my giant eagle feet and waddled back and forth to try to get used to it before the game started, I practiced bending down to pick up the gifts in character and tried to come up with some signature eagle moves… might as well have some fun with it righ–

“Yo excuse me but the rink is for the players to practice right now.”

I quickly snapped my head to look behind me and–

Great. A sport-frat boy.

Peter Parker was someone that was greatly known throughout the university, top GPA, great looks, apparently great in the bedroom (so I’ve heard), and was the centerman for the Empire Eagles hockey team. Though I’ve never really paid attention to him. And as much as I wanted to dislike him, I’ve never personally met him before or even talked to him… so who am I to judge?

After all, he did ask somewhat politely and– why the heck am I overthinking this? Just apologize and move on Y/N!

I cleared my throat and attempted to have a deeper voice, “Sorry dude I wasn’t aware, I’ll be on my way now” I said… and cringed internally after saying that.

Peter nodded his head and smiled, “No worries, just a little jittery for the game so I wanted some extra practice” He replied.

I nodded my head and then exited the rink, going back to the storage room so nobody would see me yet.

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The game started and was currently ending the second quarter with the score being 2-1, the Empire Eagles winning and the Cornell Big Red’s tailing behind. I could tell that all of the players from Empire State were filled with happiness… and might I add overconfident and cocky. But that was something that I couldn’t pay attention to since I had to focus on giving it my all while I walked towards the ice rink at halftime and collected all the gifts that were thrown onto the ice from the fans in the stadium.

I walked in character as the fun spunky eagle while walking on the ice and picking up the teddy bears with a girl's number in sharpie written on it and a bunch of red roses. As I picked them up and headed back, I took a quick glance and the audience. There were some students who seemed genuinely happy to be there and there were those… What do people call them? Oh yeah puck bunnies? Yeah there were a whole lot of girls wearing those boob jackets from lululemon and attempting to look cold but also cute and petite. I mean again, I’m not one to judge so you do you I guess.

After I collected all of the gifts from the fans, I took some pictures with a couple of kids and I enjoyed that part. I liked seeing the smiles on their faces as they stood proud with me as their parents took photos. It definitely seemed like a core memory for them and I’m glad that I somewhat got to be a part of that.

As the third and fourth quarter went on, it was brutal for us. Cornell absolutely demolished Empire State and beat us 4-2. I guess that’s what our players get for being cocky and overconfident throughout the whole game, thinking that they’ve got this.

After the game ended and the fans left the stadium, my manager said to stay behind and clean the place up and pick up any extra gifts that were left. As I bent down (still in my eagle costume) to pick up some flowers that were left on the ice, something extremely heavy bumped into me from behind causing me to fling forward and make an umph sound.

“What the fuck?” I cursed in a whisper.

“DUDE what the fuck are you still doing here?! You need to get out, it's closed practice now looser” the voice said.

I turned around and looked at the man who was clearly a player on the Empire State Eagles, he had blonde hair and green eyes and was definitely 6’1”. Shit, what was I supposed to do? My manager literally told me to clean the place up and then help security to lock up the stadium!

“Bro be nice, you don’t gotta be mean” Another boy said.

As I looked up, I saw that that other boy was no other than Peter Parker. But before I could register that, he offered me a hand and I immediately accepted it.

I attempted to not sound like a scared wimp so I deepened my voice a little, “Uh thanks dude, I wasn’t aware that it was a closed practice… I’ll uh keep that in mind next time” I said to him.

He smiled, “Don’t worry, Charlie’s just a snob” He replied.

“Yeah I can tell” I responded while walking out of the rink.

He laughed again while combing through his sweaty brown curls, giving me butterflies–

Wait what.

Nope. Nope. Never. Never in a million years. I refuse.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

The next couple of weeks went by normally, except I’ve started to notice Peter Parker more often. I never realized he was in three of my classes. In my morning class he would wear his hockey sweatshirt with gray sweatpants and in the afternoon he would take off his sweatshirt, revealing a tight-fitted white shirt that showed off his biceps.

Damn, now I understand why girls swoon over guys like him… bro’s majestic.

But my mama always told me to focus on my studies, boys come after. And that's what I planned to do, stay focused. He probably doesn’t even know me since at school I’m practically a nobody. I mean I join clubs, I’m in choir, and I’m part of many study groups so most people would know who I am but they probably have other friends to talk to besides me. The same goes for my roommates, they know me but they have other friend groups.

Once again, it was Friday and that meant that we had another home game. The Eagles were playing against the NYU Bobcats. I went into the stadium and got into my disgusting and sweaty eagle costume. Throughout the weeks, I think I slowly got into character and found new dances to help entertain the little kids during timeouts and in between quarters.

As the game started, I did my little dances whenever I could and the score at the end of the second quarter was 1-1. The stakes were going to be high but I have a feeling that we were gonna win this one.

During the third quarter, I sat on the bench that was reserved for me and watched Peter, jersey number 4, skate all over the ice with his hockey stick. He had the puck, all of his attention was on it. The whole audience had a feeling that he was gonna score a goal but then all of a sudden one of the NYU players stole the puck from him and skated furiously across the other side of the rink.

You could see Peter cursing and quickly going to the other side along with his other teammates. Ever since that moment, it seemed that something triggered Peter… he was starting to get more aggressive and ruthless. It made me anxious to see his behavior on the ice, but nevertheless I kept watching.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Despite the tight game, the Eagles won 3-2 and the whole crowd celebrated which meant that many gifts were thrown down onto the rink. Teddy bears and roses were everywhere and it was all me that had to clean it up. I walked on the ice with my feet stuck in the puffy eagle claws of my costume, gathered all of the gifts, and put them in a big container that I dragged with me across the ice. After I got all the stuffed animals and flowers in the container I headed towards my manager to give it to. As I handed it to him, he thanked me and said I was free as soon as I checked the whole stadium again to see if there was anyone else. I nodded and went back to the arena.

I checked to see if there were any other fans that were trying to stay behind, but didn’t find any… but gosh my feet hurt so much and I just need a little break before heading back to my dorm.

I took out the headpiece of the eagle costume and sighed as the cool breeze from the arena chilled my flushed cheeks. I then took out the rest of my costume which left me with my sweaty ponytail and loose hair strands framing my face along with my black leggings and shirt. Though I didn’t take it into consideration that there would be anyone else entering the stadium again after the game was over. But I guess I was wrong, because all of a sudden I heard a voice from behind me:

“I didn’t realize you were a girl,” I turned my head around to see who it was.

Peter Parker? I thought in my head.

“Or pretty.” he finished his statement with his mouth parting slightly.

I could feel my cheeks warm up despite the cool air as I laughed awkwardly, “W-What? Oh t-thanks… you look pretty too” I replied, not thinking about what I just said.

Peter just nodded and he looked like he was seconds away from drooling as he continued to stare at me… he really does make a girl feel special.

“Uhm, are you doing some extra practice? Or–” I say trying to break the silence.

Peter slightly shook his head and cleared his throat, “Uh yeah, it’s just I don’t feel like I gave it my all today even though we won so I wanted to get some practice in… if that’s okay?” he says.

I smiled and nodded my head, “Yeah sure, I’ll just go tell my manager and put this costume away.” I told him as I stood up.

He smiled back at me with his teeth as I walked towards the manager’s office, feeling intense butterflies cause Peter fucking Parker just called me pretty… WHAT IS MY LIFE?!

You know, I said in the beginning that I wasn’t like other girls but now I definitely think I am (well at least internally).

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

AN: PART TWO?? 😏

#peter parker fanfiction #peter parker x reader #peter parker au #peter parker #merrell holland #spiderman au #new york #empire state university #mcu peter parker #mcu peter x reader #peter parker x y/n #peter parker ice hockey #tom holland ice hockey #peter parker ice hockey au #peter parker one shot

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scifimagpie · 9 months

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Writeblr intro

Last Updated: Mar 2024 So, I realised I hadn't actually written one of these, and I had to fix it!

Name: Magpie, or Shelle, or Michelle.

Pronouns: she/her or xe/xer/xis.

Who: both a writer and an editor!

The Writing: I’ve been publishing since 2011, and I have a bunch of free and paid anthologies I’ve organized, but these are my most important/favourite works.

Except for The Meaning Wars series, all of my books are set in Canada!

The Meaning Wars (complete; And The Stars Will Sing, The Stolen: Two Short Stories, The Meaning Wars, Poe’s Outlaws, A Jade’s Trick, The Meaning Wars Complete Omnibus)

Similar to: Becky Chambers’ A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet and Ruthanna Emrys’ A Half-Built Garden

Vibes: Space opera! Found family! Mature (30s) protagonists! Best friends! Sapphic and queer m/f romance elements! Friendly space raptors! Space pirates! A beach episode! Antifascism! Colonization (and inequality issues)! Fighting stuff with democracy and direct action!

The Underlighters (Book 1 of The Nightmare Cycle; Book 2, Monsters and Fools, is complete and in edits. Book 3, The Foundling City, is a current WIP!)

Similar to: Jean DuPrau’s The City of Ember, Neil Gaiman’s Neverwhere, the Fallout series

Vibes: Coming of age/new adult themes. Spooky monsters. Post-apocalyptic. The importance and warmth of community. Friendship. Struggling with teen problems. Polyamory. Nightmares. Mental health issues. Trauma. Hope. Recycling.

After The Garden (Book 1 of the Memory Bearers Saga; Book 2, Within the Tempest, is also one of my WIPs)

Similar to: Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake, The Wachowski sisters’ Sense-8, the Fallout series

Vibes: Found family. Gentle romance. Polyamory (m/f/m). Superpowers without superheroes. Sinister cults and religious extremism. Reincarnation. An alternate future. Adorable giant spiders. Silk-weaving and fiber arts. Post-collapse societal reorganization and politics.

The Loved, The Lost, The Dreaming: A Horror Anthology includes an alternate-ending version of The Underlighters, the novella A Shot of Vodka, and a dozen or so genre-crossing short stories. All of them have spooky elements.

Similar to: Neil Gaiman’s Smoke and Mirrors, Roald Dahl’s Skin and Other Stories (this is not an endorsement of antisemite Roald Dahl; I am antifascist)

Vibes: Underground living. Spooky dolls. Abandoned houses. Queerness. Sinister fey. Nightmares. Lovecraftian eeriness. Here be monsters.

Bad Things That Happen To Girls (Book 1 of the Memory Bearers Saga; Book 2, Within the Tempest, is also one of my WIPs) Possibly my most underrated work, this New Adultish story is a standalone novella about trauma and what happens when life breaks down.

Similar to: Emily Danforth’sThe Miseducation of Cameron Post and Miriam Toews’ A Complicated Kindness

Vibes: Broken family. Abusive mother. Being queer in a small city. Religious trauma. Forbidden cross-cultural love. Teen heartbreak. Coming-of-age. Sisters.

The Hell series (Unpublished WIPs; Dark as Hell, Uncharted Hell, Hope in Hell)

Similar to: Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag, Andrej Sapkowski’s The Witcher series

Vibes: Grumpy/sunshine romance! Mature protagonists! Queer f/m romance! Thriller elements! Immortal pirate! Marxist/anti-billionaire politics—with a billionaire protag! Lovecraftian ocean horror! Historical fantasy elements! Lots and lots of boat stuff!

Prairie Weather Trilogy (Unpublished but complete, in submission; Chinook Phase, Tornado Warning, Brushfire)

Similar to: Douglas Couplands’ Jpod,Nick Sagan’s Idlewild trilogy (without the sci fi stuff), Love Actually, Heartstoppers

Vibes: Aggressively Canadian! Found family! Cozy academia! University! Set in the early 2010s! Queer romance! Ensemble cast! Aggressively queer, diverse, and inclusive! Coming-of-Age/New Adult issues! Friendship! Drama! Sex work-positivity!

The Editing: I've been a professional freelance editor since 2013, with Top-Rated status on Upwork (a freelancing website) and several hundred books under my belt. (I don't know how many things I've worked on at this point. I've lost count!) Primarily into sci fi, fantasy, horror, and literature (and associated subgenres); enthusiastic about #ownvoices and all kinds of diversity/marginalised representation in fiction.

You don’t have to go through Upwork unless you want to; DM me if you’re looking for an editor who’s knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and gentle. I’m also budget-friendly!

Age: in my 30s.

Queer?: yes. Also poly! Happily married to two people; also have a girlfriend. Not looking for more partners.

Disabled?: yes.

Languages: English mostly, but some conversational Spanish (rusty), scraps of French, tiny bits of German and Irish. All my writing is in English, though.

Location: Southern Alberta, Canada. (Texas + Kansas + Colorado = Alberta, more or less.)

Other hobbies: Knitting, making jewelry, playing Dungeons and Dragons (and other tabletop games), singing, reading (obviously), learning stuff; playing cello, clarinet, and violin

Interests: Jewelry, gems, metalworking, fiber arts, queer issues and social justice, environmentalism, drinking quite a lot of tea (usually black; I like an assam, Ceylon, or breakfast blends, though Golden Snail absolutely slaps when I’m in the mood for it, and I love Earl Grey Cream as well)

Other internet profiles: *Website * Mailing list * Magpie Editing * Amazon * Tumblr * Mastodon *Facebook * Medium * Twitter * OG Blog* Instagram * Paypal.me * Ko-fi

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aroacesafeplaceforall · 3 days

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I’m sorry to see that you took my earlier ask the wrong way! I didn’t quote you in that, but I’ll quote you now so we can both be on the same page as to what I was responding to.

You said “the term actually asexual started as an aphobic or ace spec exclusionary tag/label.” Then you went on to explain the gatekeeping sub-community that used the term a couple years ago.

I’m not disputing that that happened, I am saying that that is not where the term “started”. It started in 2012, inspired by the actuallyautistic tag, as a method to avoid spam in the main tag. At that point it had no exclusionary connotation. Using actually- tags was a trend on tumblr in the early-mid 2010s so that members of marginalized communities could make sure their voices were heard. This use went out of fashion after that era of spam dried up, so it’s understandable that you wouldn’t know about it, and that you would overestimate your knowledge of history and make such a confident but incorrect statement as you did about the term’s true origin.

I know that emotionally it can be really difficult to deal with a message online correcting a statement you’ve made. It can feel like I’m telling you you’re wrong and you should feel bad for it, so I want to make it clear that this is not anon hate, just somebody who cares about aspec community memory. Nobody is right all the time! I’ve been confidently incorrect plenty of times in my life so I understand how the embarrassment can feel like a slap in the face. That’s ok, and those feelings aren’t always an indication that you’re being put down or judged. It’s necessary that we as people can hold discussions where we’re trying to figure out what’s correct collaboratively and not argumentatively, and that means recognizing when the people you’re speaking with are well-intentioned and responding in kind.

Anyway, yeah, I remember being younger and I remember how mortified I would have felt to read the message I sent, so no judgement at all. The good thing is that as life goes on you get more experience, more desensitization to those extreme feelings, more contextual knowledge to recognize that it’s ok, etc etc.

I’m not asking you to respond to this ask in any way, I just want to make it clear that I wasn’t trying to put you down at all. Have a good night!

lmao bestie, reading this was a wild ride and I wish i kept your past post as you back tracked twice.

Yeah i think this was mostly a misunderstanding on both sides and we were both wrong, however I will say in your OG ask you stated the tag started in 2022. But the reason you gave was the same.

I don't know how active you were on the "actually asexual" tag back in the day, but people were still not being the greatest over the split attraction model. It wasn't suddenly a safe haven for all asexuals (just like the current ace tags).

"Using actually- tags was a trend on tumblr in the early-mid 2010s so that members of marginalized communities could make sure their voices were heard. This use went out of fashion after that era of spam dried up, so it’s understandable that you wouldn’t know about it, and that you would overestimate your knowledge of history and make such a confident but incorrect statement as you did about the term’s true origin."

Yeah I know actually. I've been here since around 2016/17 and I do deep dives into tumblr and older posts a lot in my free time. I'm not new here actually and to give a rough est. of my age, I was never under the age of 13 on the site. "actually-" tags are still quite popular, actually asexual being the most known in my circle for obvious reasons. "I know that emotionally it can be really difficult to deal with a message online correcting a statement you’ve made. It can feel like I’m telling you you’re wrong and you should feel bad for it, so I want to make it clear that this is not anon hate, just somebody who cares about aspec community memory. Nobody is right all the time!"

You are right here, and I agree. But the way you originally phrased your "correction" was not only incorrect, but spiteful and hateful. It might not of read so to you but saying shit like "clearly you don't care about" and "you're to young to understand" isn't constructive criticism, its in-fact quite annoying and patronising. Statements like that are meant to enrage people, which is why I did not respond to you OG asks as I don't want to spiral a small matter. I would also like to say you final statements, while correct, are also quite sarcastically sweet to almost (very) patronising. Please do not talk to me like you would a small child.

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im-overstimulated-and-im-sad · 4 months

Text

WIP Wednesday

Doing this early because it's -3 degrees out and I literally said "oh that's the warmest morning this week!"

This is from the upcoming chapter in my TK's growing up years fic - 💝

2010 -

“You hear that?” Sophie asked. “I think someone’s at the door”. TK sat up on his bed. He heard it; someone was knocking at the door. “You think it’s Mom?” Sophie asked.

“She usually uses the intercom,” TK said, shaking his head. He looked at the clock on his nightstand. It was just a little after eight thirty. “Plus, Dad said she’d be here at nine. She’ll probably be early, but… not this early”.

“She has to lecture both kids,” his sister pointed out. “She might want to be early for that”.

“True,” TK nodded. He rolled off the bed and poked his head out. The bathroom door was closed; his dad was still in the shower. “I’ll check the door,” he told his sister.

“Dad said to stay in our room until Mom gets here,” Sophie reminded him.

“Well, he should have thought of that before he went to shower,” TK called back. Plus, he thought to himself, after last night, he couldn’t imagine he could possibly get in more trouble from just answering the door.

At least, not until he saw who was at the door.

“Hunter!” TK exclaimed. He glanced behind him quick; bathroom door was still closed. He turned back and said without thinking, “Am I dreaming?” To check, he reached out and took Hunter’s hand. Even though he had last seen Hunter nine hours ago, he had painted his nails since then.

“Yes, yes you are,” Hunter joked, his eyes twinkling. “I was dreaming that someone very cute on the seventh floor was stealing all of my hoodies and I had to invade your dream to get them back”.

TK looked down at his chest; he did still have Hunter’s Fall Out Boy hoodie on. “Well, that’s your own fault,” TK giggled. “You’ve been to way more concerts than I have”.

“Well, I’ve been telling you we should fix that,” Hunter smiled so TK could see the barbell in his tongue. “But,” Hunter said, interlocking his fingers with TK’s, “after I got back downstairs last night, I texted you. And then I did again when I got up. I wondered if your dad took your phone”.

“He did”. TK sighed. With how pissed his dad was last night, TK wouldn’t be surprised if his dad had put his phone down the garbage disposal.

“And I wanted to see you,” Hunter told him. TK blushed at that; he couldn’t help it. “And I knew your mom would be by early,” Hunter added. “And stopping by when you’re over there might be more… dangerous”.

“Yeah, it would be”. TK nodded. “Still,” he added, “coming up here is hardly safer after last night”. He smiled at his boyfriend. “You’re very brave”.

“Not the word I’d use, kiddo,” a sharp voice came from behind TK. TK turned and saw the bathroom door had opened and his dad was standing there, not looking too pleased.

“Hi, Dad!” TK said brightly. He dropped Hunter’s hand. “Hunter was just—”

“Leaving?” Owen finished, taking a step closer. “Cause that’s really the only thing Hunter should be doing. And TK should be going back to his room".

“Dad,” TK said, “can we talk for just a minute? Please?” He rocked back and forth on his heels.

Owen sighed. “Okay. One minute”. He leaned back against the kitchen table, crossing his arms.

“Are you… going to stand there the whole time?” TK asked, even though he knew the answer.

“Yep”. His dad nodded. “You’ve got fifty four seconds now, by the way”. As TK turned back around, Hunter reached for his hand again. Now TK felt pressure to come up with something really good to say.

“Oh”. He thought of something. “I think my mom called your mom and left her a message about last night”.

“She did,” Owen said from behind TK.

“Did she say anything to you?” TK asked.

“She’s not up yet”. Hunter shook his head. “So we’ll see. She should be cool about it, though”.

Behind him, TK heard his dad muttering, “Well, teenagers unsupervised with drugs, who wouldn’t be cool about that?”

“Dad,” TK whined. He looked back at Hunter. “Thank you for coming up here,” he said. “I know we probably won’t be able to hang out for a bit, and—”

“The words ‘probably’ and ‘a bit’ really don’t belong in that sentence, bud,” Owen interjected, putting a hand on TK’s shoulder. “Time’s up”. He looked tiredly at his son’s boyfriend. “Hunter, I can’t make you go home, but I’m only going to ask you once to get the hell out of my doorway”.

“Dad!” TK squeaked indignantly as Owen slowly pushed him back. He looked at Hunter one more time; he hadn’t moved. “I’m sorry, he—”

“It’s okay”. Hunter said. “We’ll talk. Hold on to my hoodie for me?”

Despite everything, TK, blushed. “Yeah. I can do that”.

No pressure tagging; I tag @sznofthesticks @dreamingofmickeywaffles @anewkindofme @snowviolettwhite @actualalligator @lochnesswriter @carlos-in-glasses @lemonlyman-dotcom @reyestrandd @firstprince-history-huh @carlos-tk @herefortarlos @heartstringsduet @paperstorm @liminalmemories21 @cold-blooded-jelly-doughnut @thisbuildinghasfeelings @kiwichaeng @goodways @jesuisici33 @strakksilva @thebumblecee @celeritas2997 @eclectic-sassycoweyes @tailoredshirt @kiloskywalker and anyone else who wants to do it; open tag 🫶

#911 lone star #wip wednesday #911 ls fic

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chaifootsteps · 6 months

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Ace Anon here to add more into Bees design

Someone correct me if I’m wrong but I think Viv claims that her design is supposed to be based on Kesha’s persona. Maybe it’s cause I’ve been a Kesha fan since 2010 but it takes a simple google search to tell that there’s zero influence taken from Kesha, and if there is it’s a very small percentage in terms of design. If Bee is supposed to be a “career come full circle” moment then lean into it more. And I’m probably going in circles, but for Kesha’s new era “Gag Order” she’s been quite vocal how the Kesha from the early 2010s is dead and isn’t the real her. I think even in 2020 back when Kesha was probably a part of HBs production this was likely her view. I think if they wanted to make Bees design a tribute to her, they could’ve taken Inspo from her newer eras like “Rainbow” and “High Road” which still have very colourful and nice outfits.

I’m ranting now I’ll stop but as a Kesha fan, Bees design is extremely underwhelming for all the unnecessary details on her

All of the things you're suggesting would require Vivzie to care about Kesha as an actual human being instead of the figure that exists in her head, and I think the odds of that happening are pretty slim.

#Anonymous #vivziepop critical #actual blog post

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morlock-holmes · 6 months

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Richard Hanania is still bugging me.

He is a right-wing intellectual who recently wrote a book called "The Origins of Woke: Civil Rights Law, Corporate America, and the Triumph of Identity Politics".

The Amazon blurb says,

"For those angry about wokeness and what it has done to American institutions, this book offers concrete suggestions regarding policies that can move us back to being a country that emphasizes merit, individual liberty, and color-blind governance."

Anyway, in August of 2023, the Huffington Post broke the story that in the teens, he wrote online under the pen name "Richard Host"

Richard Hanania, a visiting scholar at the University of Texas, used the pen name “Richard Hoste” in the early 2010s to write articles where he identified himself as a “race realist.” He expressed support for eugenics and the forced sterilization of “low IQ” people, who he argued were most often Black. He opposed “miscegenation” and “race-mixing.” And once, while arguing that Black people cannot govern themselves, he cited the neo-Nazi author of “The Turner Diaries,” the infamous novel that celebrates a future race war.

Hanania has admitted that the Huffpost story is correct.

Even five years ago, the media could set the narrative, tell people what was important, and how they should react to any particular story. We appear to be moving past the worst of the cancellation trend. Most outside of a certain echo chamber realize this kind of reporting is contemptible. The goal is not to engage with ideas, but to simply silence a person and remove them from polite company. To not have to discuss their ideas on account of other ideas they put forward at a different time of their life and which they may no longer even believe in.

Man, good thing cancel culture has been rejected, so that saying,

“We’ve known for a while through neuroscience and cross-adoption studies... that individuals differ in their inherent capabilities. The races do, too, with whites and Asians on the top and blacks at the bottom,” Hoste wrote in the 2010 essay, titled “Why An Alternative Right Is Necessary.” “If the races are equal,” Hoste wrote, “why do whites always end up near the top and blacks at the bottom, everywhere and always?”

Is absolutely no obstacle to becoming a respected scholar of civil rights.

Wait a second... I'm not sure we've landed at the correct equilibrium.

Hanania is not a guy who makes TikTok videos about fancy cakes but said some unrelated objectionable things 15 years ago.

He is an author and the founder of a right-wing think tank who hopes to, and probably does, have significant influence on the direction of conservative ideas about civil rights law. His views on civil rights are directly related to his job.

Especially if, like, he was just actively lying to people about how he came to his conclusions as recently as may of this year

Here's an excerpt from a speech Hanania gave to the Yale Federalist Society on April 3 of 2023:

I’m glad to be here talking about woke institutions and civil rights law. I have to say, I was ahead of the curve on this issue. It’s something I’ve been thinking about since I was in law school. I graduated from the University of Chicago in 2013, and my 1L summer I worked for an organization called the Center for Individual Rights, which argued the Gratz and Grutter cases. And I learned a lot while working there about how government forces institutions to be conscious of race and sex. So, for the last decade, from 2011 on, as I was doing other things in life, I would talk to people about all these things government did to discriminate against whites and men, remove standards, get rid of standardized tests, etc. And one reason I was so passionate about this is that a lot of the fixes did not require legislation. Executive orders and judicial decisions are enough. But the Trump administration came and went, the Supreme Court got more conservative, and still nobody was listening to me. So finally I started writing on this topic myself, and now that I’m writing for the public instead of just trying to convince people one-on-one, I’m getting a better return on my efforts. Another reason what I’ve been arguing has caught on is that we saw the transformation in how institutions talk about race- and sex-related issues over the last decade. A lot of people are looking for answers. Who are these diversity bureaucrats saying all these crazy things? How did we end up with so many of them and where did they come from? And all this stuff that was more latent, of interest to legal nerds only in 2011, became much more part of the culture.

In 2010 Hanania wrote:

“The biggest enemies of the Black Man are not Klansmen or multinational corporations, but the liberals who have prevented an honest appraisal of his abilities and filled his head with myths about equality and national autarky,”

I'm not just trying to gratuitously point out how awful the things Hanania said were: I am pointing out that he just lied, blatantly, about the very field he is supposed to be an expert in.

And that's not something that happened years ago when he was just a law student, that's something he did this year.

Hanania knows that this stuff was not "latent, of interest only to legal nerds" back in 2011, because by then he had already spent years embedded in a subculture that was deeply concerned about this kind of thing. Nor, for that matter, was he simply, "trying to convince people one-on-one". He was writing under a pseudonym for numerous far-right websites.

And honestly, at this point the question is just "How much of this speech is a lie" but if less of it is a lie, than it looks way worse for Hanania.

When he joined the Center for Individual Rights he wasn't 15 years out from writing all that racist stuff, he was 3 years out. How much of it did he still believe? When he was an active racist back in law school, was he still planning on joining the Center for Individual Rights?

If the answer is yes, and the actions of a blatant racist and the "classical liberal" he has now become are essentially identical, then, uh, I'm sorry, but that seems like the kind of thing that might be a pretty important part of the story of wokeness.

If the answer is "No" then, well, we're still left with the fact that he just blatantly lied about how and why he reached his current conclusions. This story of someone who had a vague, wonkish interest in something obscure but just had to speak up when he realized it was getting out of control in the teens is an utter lie.

This is a man who has told very self-serving lies about how and why he has reached the conclusions that he has, lies that are designed to leave out crucial parts of any honest appraisal of wokeness, and who kept telling those lies until he was unable to get away with it, up to this year.

I think his willingness to lie about his own supposed field of expertise in order to sell books is pretty damning in itself, and that didn't happen 15 years ago, that happened this year.

#politics #discourse #richard hanania #richard hoste

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vintageandroid · 5 months

Text

I wrote this as a comment somewhere, and I wanted to share it here. The discussion was about door-holding etiquette and "chivalry" and stuff, and it reminded me of college...

So, from 2006-2010 I went to an extremely conservative Christian university (if you know me now, feel free to laugh for a while) and I…didn’t fit in especially well even before I left that religion, being a budding feminist, gay ally (…and closeted gay person but never mind), and so on. Even once I realized it wasn’t the place for me, I’d invested a lot of non-transferable credits and wound up sticking it out.

So, because of the super Christian environment, the expectation that everyone was looking for a future spouse, and several other super weird factors, there was a definite culture of Men Always Open Doors For Women. 20-year-old guys would very nearly shove a woman out of the way rather than allow her to so much as touch a doorknob with her delicate feminine hands. I was perceived as a woman at the time, and so if there were men around, doors would be opened upon my approach, and for the most part I just rolled with it because they were usually there first anyway.

One time, probably junior year when I was well and thoroughly sick of everything, I reached the door first, and opened it, because it turns out that people assigned female at birth can actually grasp a door handle and pull open a door without suffering spontaneous uterine prolapse. And since it was a cold day and there were a few people behind me, I held the door.

However, these people behind me…were men. And they couldn’t just let a woman hold the door for them! It’s one thing if they sort of failed and this woman-shaped individual went through by herself, but they couldn’t go through a door that was being actively held open by a fragile female limb, could they? Their marriage prospects would be in shambles! Jesus would seek them out specifically to give them disapproving looks! They’d be emasculated! They might as well start voting Democrat at that point! But they also couldn’t reach past me and grab the door, because then their arm might brush against mine through our coats and in early 2000s purity culture, that’s basically third base and you can’t do that unless you’re married, or at least have gone to Bible Study together.

So…we stand there. I hold the door. They stare at me. Minnesotan winter breathes through the foyer to the academic building we’re all trying to enter. My roommate, who has already gone through the door without mishap and is waiting for me, is trying very hard not to laugh. This is an actual stand-off.

“Go ahead,” I say, in case they just don’t realize, somehow, that the door is open and they may walk through it at any point.

They just stand there. Time ticks by. Empires rise and fall. I’m freezing. The door is actually getting heavy by now, which is probably less because of my helpless “feminine” anatomy and more because I’m a 20-year-old LiveJournal-obsessed nerd who doesn’t exercise, and also because this building is from the 1920s and the doors are solid as hell and I’ve been holding it anywhere between five seconds and seven years.

Finally, I cave. Sort of. “Fine,” I say, and walk through the door. And I let the heavy door fall closed behind me, in their faces.

The world lets out the breath it’s been holding. I catch up to my roommate, and we continue with our day.

#my posts #storytime #ollie stories

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watermelonsugacry · 2 years

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have you done or thought of doing a 1D!yn on that one episode of icarly? i was thinking about it earlier and then i wondered if you’ve done it. i tried looking through your blog but i couldn’t find if you’ve done it yet. 🥰🥰

iGo One Direction

anon: Ok but do you remember when 1D went to iCarly? So what are some lines of bantmate!yn, and are there are some moments of harry and yn together...????

anon: very random because i know it was AGESSSS ago but was y/n in the icarly episode with the boys while in the band ?? the one where harry was “sick” ?? i always love when people write about the early 1d days so your writing is a GODSEND !! sorry if you’ve been asked about this before also xx

anon: omg i’ve never done an anon ask or anything so let’s hope this works! but i was wondering what 1dbandmember!reader was like when the boys did iCarly! i just feel like she would’ve been really funny on the show

A/N: yall really made me rewatch this huh? lol anways here's the long awaited icarly episode! yup, hope you all enjoy lovies! (2.6k)

SINCE 2010 MASTERLIST

The band sings in a line at the iCarly studio to do a soundcheck for What Makes You Beautiful. YN stands in the middle with Harry as they sing the chorus.

YN was honestly pretty excited to be on the show, she has a secret love for acting. She first dabbled in the art when her secondary school teacher encouraged her to audition for the school’s production of Grease. The moody teenager instantly thought it was stupid and embarrassing (thoughts she didn’t shy away from telling Louis when he auditioned). Even though she was against the idea of acting herself, she still went to go support her best friend as he tried out.

She instantly regretted it when the music teacher got all excited at the sight of her, over the moon at the thought of YN actually participating. So instead of telling the woman that assuming made one look like the first three letters of the word, she sighed and trudged her way up on stage to sing Hopelessly Devoted.

The next day, she furrowed her eyebrows at the girls who glared at her as she walked down the hall. One even had the nerve to bump harshly into her shoulder as they passed her. As YN was about to throw down her books and pull the blonde girl’s hair out of her head, Louis lifted her up and spun her around in a tight hug from behind.

“I can’t believe it! I didn’t think we’d actually get the parts! I mean, of course you did because even though I tell yeh your singing’s shit, it’s actually pretty good. Oh mate, this is so excitin’. S’kinda like our big break in a way. Just think, when we’re famous and all tha’, people are going to interview us here and—”

“Oi! Wait, wait, wait. What the hell are yeh going on about?”

“Did yeh not see the roster?

Next thing she knew, YN was shoving her way through the hallways to see that the cast list was hung up on the bulletin board outside the theater. Her eyes started at the bottom, hoping to see her name as Diner Girl #2 and praying it wouldn’t be next to the role she dreaded.

She scanned the paper until her name was the second from the top right under Louis’s. After following the dotted line to the right side of the paper, she nearly passed out to find she got the role of none other than Sandy.

She wasn’t blonde or skinny enough like the other girls who auditioned. She wore beanies, ripped jeans and eyeliner. She covered her body any chance she got and there was no way they were going to force her to wear a dress, even if it only showed her ankles.

After a few stern words to the music teacher and many words of encouragement (with reassurance of an understudy if YN wanted to drop out) back to her, she found herself secretly enjoying the role. She wasn’t scared to be on stage from being with her rock band for a little over a year, but she came to realize that acting wasn’t all that uncool as it was made out to be (not that she’d ever admit that though). If anything, it made her desire to be on stage grow even more.

So after the band finishes their song, the room claps and cheers in excitement. As they go about the scene, YN tries not to stare in awe at all the lights and cameras around her. It’s not like she hasn’t been exposed to this type of equipment before, she’s used to it now more than ever, but she’s just too caught up in her secret excitement of professional acting.

While the iCarly team goes to get sandwiches for the band, it was time for Gibby to occupy the band with his “sister’s” One Direction scrapbook. Even though her role and lines aren’t that major, she still tries to make her actions flow out naturally while simultaneously focusing on not messing up.

Harry turns to YN and asks, “Is there any water around here?”

“Um, over there.” She points over to the water bottle on Freddie’s camera equipment cart. Harry notices the decorations on the bottle’s pink covering. “Heh, handguns.”

After taking a drink, he makes a playful handgun motion with his hands. It makes YN shake her head with a smile on her face, her infamous eye roll coming out to make an appearance that he absolutely loves so much.

“And YN,” Gibby nervously coughs. “If you can just briefly mention how much you love Gib—erm Gurbie. I know she would really appreciate that.”

...

In their next scene, before they get ready to perform for the iCarly livestream, Harry sits on a chair in the middle of the room as he coughs badly with his arms over his stomach. YN stands behind Harry’s chair as she rubs his shoulders, pretending to comfort his sick form.

“I feel cold.” He coughs out.

“And thirsty.” He groans into his chest.

“Can somebody hold me?” Harry looks up and back at YN with a pouty lip.

YN, Louis and Niall all back away a bit with a collective no. It almost makes her give in by how good his acting is and the way his make-up was done makes his performance even that much more believable.

And when Louis suggests that Harry drink some more water, it’s eventually revealed that Carly has unintentionally given him jungle worms through her water bottle.

Gibby tries to keep his cool demeanor for the sake of impressing YN but he eventually just comically starts crying his eyes out in a seat at the corner of the set stage. YN’s grateful when the director yells cut! so she can finally let out a laugh at the sight.

...

YN stands behind the monitors with the rest of the band as they watch Harry act out a scene in Carly’s bedroom. He’s “bedridden” only for wanting to be catered to and pampered by Carly. It’s been such a fun experience working on a TV show so far and YN’s mood has been up on Cloud 9. Not to mention how Harry’s a better actor than she initially thought. She remembers him telling her all about how he played Elvis when he was primary school so that therefore makes him an Oscar award winning actor.

Just as her mind starts to wander into thinking of them doing other acting jobs further in their careers, her heart sinks a bit when she sees him reach out for Miranda’s hand and look at her lovingly. YN knows that it’s all for the scene, it’s all acting. She reminds herself that he’s not really infatuated with her and it’s all for a children’s TV show.

So why does she feel jaw lock at the sight of him smiling at the actress like that? Wasn’t that smile only meant for her as she says something witty?

She knows she shouldn’t feel this way about Harry, about her band mate in which she was not allowed to date under any circumstance under the band’s management contract.

It’s not like he feels the same way anyways. At least that’s what she keeps telling herself.

...

At the Groovy Smoothie, Liam talks about how the band might have to cancel the shows they have in San Francisco due to Harry being ill.

Sam is the one to point out that only reason he’s still in bed is because he’s merely acting sick just to keep being waited on hand and foot by Carly.

“No, that can’t be it.” Carly shakes her head dismissively.

“No, that actually makes a lot of sense.” YN points a knowing finger at the blonde girl.

“What do you mean?” Niall asks from her left.

“Sam’s right. If I was being treated the same way Carly has been treatin’ Harry, I sure wouldn’t wanna leave.” YN shrugs as she mindlessly plays with her pink straw.

“I know a way we can get Harry up and at it again.” Freddie smirks.

“Hit him with ol’ butter sock?”

“Sam!” Carly scolds her best friend.

“Did she say butter sock?” Zayn starts.

“Is that a sock?” Liam continues.

“Full of butta’?” Louis furrows his eyebrows.

Once the group decides that the way to get Harry out of bed is to think he’s being replaced in the band, Carly and Freddie get up to get more smoothies for everyone. YN takes the opportunity to slide into Carly’s seat and lean over to Sam.

“Hey, can I ask yeh somethin’?”

“Sure, what’s up?”

“So...” YN glances over her shoulder to make sure the other boys are too busy in their own conversation to pay attention to them. “How exactly do you use a butter sock?”

The laugh track plays and a smirk tugs itself onto Sam’s lips. She throws an arm over the pop star’s shoulder and lets out a content sigh, “Oh do I have so much to teach you, my friend.”

...

Harry sits in the iCarly studio in his pajamas and robe as he watches Gibby singing with the rest of the band as they rehearse What Makes You Beautiful with a horrified expression. It didn’t take that much acting on his part as he watches his crush’s hand be taken in Gibby’s, lifting their joined hands so she can give a twirl.

He can’t help his eyebrows furrowing at the sight of her smiling and laughing up at the ‘new’ band member. Wasn’t he the only one to make her smile and giggle while they’re performing? Wasn’t the silly interactions during a song solely meant for them two?

He reminds himself that it’s all for the scene, it’s all acting and nothing more. He keeps telling himself that he’s not actually getting replaced in the band by this guy, but it sure feels like it at this point as he watches his crush give the actor a playful roll of her eyes.

Once Harry hears his cue, he wastes no time standing up and snatching the microphone out of Gibby’s hand. After promising that he’s feeling better enough to perform for the live stream and leaves the room, the people in the room cheer at the success of their plan.

“I can’t believe that worked!” Freddie sighs out with a smile.

“Wait, what worked?” Gibby asks with a mix of confusion and hurt. Everyone falls into a comedic silence and YN puts a comforting hand on the actor’s arm, giving him a sad smile.

...

The last scene they have to film is the band actually performing on the livestream. The cast and crew members of the show are all on the studio set as they prepare for the shot.

As YN is getting some last minute touch-up on her makeup, she tries not to pay too much attention to the way all of the females are surrounding Harry as they chat amongst themselves. This kind of attention surrounding him isn’t new at all and she finds that that bugs her the most. She knows aside from her, Harry gets a lot of attention, he's able to hold everyone he meets in the palm of his hand. He has people wrapped around his finger the second he starts talking to him but in the best way possible. It’s a natural reaction that one has no other option but to be pulled into.

So why does this icky, itchy feeling scrap its way under her skin at the sight of him talking to her again? YN knows she truly can’t be mad at Miranda (and thanks to all of her media training, the actress doesn’t suspect a single bad vibe from her) but she has no one else to blame, no one else to point the finger at, and she certainly won’t be accusing herself for her own jealous feelings.

YN doesn’t want to think about how he might actually be developing a crush on the TV star. Was he merely acting while staring at Carly with heart eyes? Holding her hand with the same ones that would brush stray strands of hair away from her face when they were prancing around on stage? Or flash her a soft smile like the one he would give her when she ranted about a new song idea she wanted to write? She’s starting to doubt herself, she doesn’t know what to think.

But what she fails to realize is the fact that the same exact thoughts have been swimming around Harry’s head all day. YN doesn’t think much about the way she talks with the young actors from the show or the way she smiles brightly at something Nathan Kress said. She doesn’t what how his blood boiled at the sight of her hand on Gibby’s arm during their last scene or how she laughed, her eyes squeezed shut in the way he loves, at a joke the actor made after the director yelled cut!

So as the band waits backstage for their cue to make their way on the set to perform, Harry’s eyebrows shoot up when he feels a poke to his cheek, the same spot where his dimples appear when he smiles. YN feels the warmth in her chest come back when his dimples dig into his cheeks.

“Yeh did really good today,” YN whispers and he’s convinced she knows that flattery from her is his kryptonite. “To think that y’could’ve become a triple threat if yeh weren’t so shite at dancin’.”

Harry playfully pulls in his eyebrows and drags out a “Hey,” and it has its desired effect. Too cheesy to admit to himself, his knees go weak at the sight of her smile. “Heard we got the day off tomorrow. Wanna maybe go doing somethin’? Explore LA a bit?”

“Sorry, H but I can’t. ‘Ve already got plans with someone else actually.” And his heart sinks for the nth time today. He just hopes that it wasn’t any of the actor blokes from today.

“Oh, yeah. No worries. ‘Nother time then.” He gives her a tight lipped smile. She scrunches up her nose and looks forward as she hears their cue coming up soon.

“Yeah, this curly headed lad wants to take me explorin’ around LA. Just hoping he doesn’t take me bloody hiking. Me wee legs can’t go up them steep So Cal hills.”

Harry tucks his lips into his mouth to keep the silly, love sick smile from appearing on his face. All of the weight has been lifted from his shoulders at the realization that she was merely teasing him the entire time.

“But what if there was a trail he really wanted to take a look at? One he’s been dying to check out since coming to California?”

“Well he best be prepared to carry me the rest of the way down then.” She playful squishes his bicep through his blazer. “And by the looks of it, don’t think he can.” YN tries to keep her giggle as quiet as she possibly can when he hand teasingly reaches for the ticklish part of her neck.

There’s no trail he’s been dying to see and he certainly wouldn’t have made her hike with him if there actually was one. As long as he gets to spend time with her, whether that be walking along the streets of the city or wasting the day away in a hotel room, that was enough for him.

The two of them try to keep their smiles and glances at each other at bay as they perform the band’s first single on the iCarly set, hopeful that it will only add to the performance rather than having fans suspect anything more.

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spending-life-pretending · 2 years

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Not that I have many followers I can influence on here but if anyone’s going to appreciate this miniseries it’s the tumblr audience so pls go watch Headless by Shipwrecked on youtube:

youtube

I’ve been a Shipwrecked girlie since middle school, and for anyone who likes (or has liked in the past)…

a) Critical Role

b) The Legend of Sleepy Hollow / Washington Irving in general

c) the literary webseries fad of the early 2010s (Lizzie Bennet Diaries, Nothing Much to Do my beloveds, etc.)

d) Starkid musicals

e) Tin Can Bros

f) Supernatural

g) witnessing the fruits of labor when a passion project pays off in a big way

h) beautiful himbos who steal every scene they’re in (Brom Bones accidental marriage to me when)

…this show will deliver laughs, gasps, and oh-my-god-is-that-who-I-think-it-is’s galore. The finale had me on my feet shouting at the screen; please PLEASE go show this amazing independent endeavor some support and love if you have a minute.

#headless shipwrecked #YouTube #mary kate wiles #matthew mercer #starkid #tin can bros #sean persaud #sinead persaud #shipwrecked comedy #sarah grace hart #jon cozart #lauren lopez #joey richter #this series has EVERYTHING (and everyone; LA nerd culture is so strong)#me #a shout into the void #the headless horseman #the legend of sleepy hollow

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religion-is-a-mental-illness · 1 month

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By: Aaron Terrell

Published: Mar 29, 2024

I started speaking out about the dangers of medicalizing gender in 2019. I had spent the previous two years understanding the subculture that had grown around the notion of transgenderism. Apparently being “trans” was noble. Being “cis” meant you supported the white supremacist patriarchy. Apparently now gender dysphoria was a “cishet invention to pathologize transness”. Dysphoria was something you had to claim to have in order to access your “life saving” hormones and surgery. It was all foreign and confusing and full of contradictions. I felt like it made a mockery of my “real condition”. See I transitioned in 2010. Grateful for the relief it brought me and not interested in tribes or support groups, I got on with my life “as a man” and didn’t pay much mind to the culture of transition. That is until late 2017 when I re-immersed myself as a kind of religious studies student.

In addition to studying the culture that had arisen, I spent a lot of time reading stories from detransitioners. The detransitioners’ stories weren’t foreign or confusing. They sounded like my own. A lifelong sense of ‘supposed to be’ the opposite sex, and then learning this meant they were the opposite sex and transition was the only solution. Except it didn’t work. They felt more uncomfortable on the other side. Some felt like they were living a lie and presenting as the opposite sex was an act they no longer wanted to keep up; mentally, physically, or ethically. Unlike the aforementioned religious zealots, the detransitioners were easy to relate and empathize with.

So why did it work for me? And what does “work” even mean in this context? I have no idea. And certainly not for lack of trying to find the answer. I’ve now clocked over six yeas on a deep-dive into gender, dysphoria, detransition, sexology, psychology, etc. and I still don’t know. What I do know is there was no difference between us that could have been discerned by a “gender therapist” prior to transitioning, even back when things were “more careful”. The activists who came of age since 2010 are not just in the gender clinics, they are writing the guidelines for every therapist. They are told that to ask questions that might get to the root of someone’s gender related distress is “conversion therapy”. That “trans people” know what their gender is and to do anything but affirm them is akin to homophobia. We’re told detranisioners are just the rare few who were confused and got their gender wrong. While sad, sure, we shouldn’t weaponize them to punish “real” trans people.

So I am here as a “real trans person” to call bullshit. No one was “born in the wrong body” and sex trait modification is not “life saving care”. Some of us feel it was a net benefit, but recognize it was a serious medical intervention for what is a strictly psychological issue. There is no difference between a “trans person” and a “cis person” other than declared self-identity. If you are reading this, I’m fairly certain you agree. And yet, while attending the 2023 Trans Health Summit, I asked the trans and nonbinary 30 something doctors writing the American Psychological Association’s “Guidelines for Working with Trans and Gender Expansive Patients” how therapists can differentiate between a “trans child” and a “cis child”. I was told only a transphobe would even think to try.

In 2021, I began working with a friend and early gender clinic whistle-blower, Aaron Kimberly, who likewise does not regret transition. Together we launched the Gender Dysphoria Alliance and the Transparency Podcast. The aim of both is to shed light on the experience of gender dysphoria, without all the ideological noise that now surrounds it. Since then, we have gotten countless messages from parents, teachers, administrators, etc. thanking us for speaking out. Jamie Reed credited the podcast with helping her summon the courage to blow the whistle on her gender clinic. People have emailed us to say they decided not to transition or to detransition, crediting our content with them understanding their own motivations better. Mothers have told us their daughters dissisted after being shown the podcast. Personally I suspect that’s because most these girls have no interest in looking like middle-age men and being shown we aren’t cute K-Pop boys has them running from the testosterone. We’re happy to help either way!

However, we have also gotten criticism from Gender Critical activists who feel that by not detransitioning we are advertising transition. I would agree with them on this, if not for the fact of the culture we currently live in. The people with this criticism seem completely disconnected from the realities I described above. We live in a culture that celebrates all things trans while demonizing any investigation into it. There is no shortage of transition encouragement surrounding gender distressed individuals. What there is a shortage of is people telling them the truth from a position of compassion and empathy.

I am grateful to work alongside anyone productively working to interrupt this ideology. But just like how I didn’t need the trans tribes or support groups all those years ago, I don’t need gender critical ones now. If you don’t feel comfortable working with people who do not regret their transition, I completely understand where you’re coming from. I think it’s misguided strategically for the reasons I already mentioned, but I do understand it. I will keep writing and podcasting and trying to sound alarms, alone or with friends and colleagues, and I firmly believe the most productive way to do so is to continue to lean on my standing as a “trans person”.

#Aaron Terrell #Aaron Kimberly #Gender Dysphoria Alliance #queer theory #gender identity ideology #gender ideology #gender identity #intersectional feminism #religion is a mental illness

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hemmohaze · 8 days

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Valentine’s Day Plans

AN: okay what if i said this is my favorite fic i’ve ever written. maybe bc im calum lane as well idk. hope you all enjoy<33

February 13th 2019

Daniella Walker. The name that is mainstream as she was making her way into the music scene as what the internet calls their "pop princess."

Daniella first had internet fame how everyone does in the early 2010's, by posting on Youtube. From the age of 16 she started posting covers of her singing different popular songs at the time ranging from Halsey to Ariana Grande. First viral video being her cover of Honeymoon Avenue from the album Yours Truly.

Her life changed at 19 when one of her self produced songs called Speechless dropped and became an overnight sensation. From countless radio interviews to her first American Music Awards as an attendee and performer at.

That’s when she met some of her longtime friends in the music industry, 5 Seconds of Summer. She met them because she accidentally bumped into a red haired Micheal as she was coming off stage and they were about to take the stage. The two gushing over much they enjoyed each other’s music.

She was a huge Amnesia fan.

Over the years they continued to keep contact with one another. She was featured on their 3rd album Youngblood on their song Want You Back as backing vocals.

Daniella had also become a regular feature in 5SOS content. As well as being posted on their respective girlfriend’s Instagram’s pretty frequently.

Especially KayKay. She’s known her since their freshman year of high school. Daniella claims shes the whole reason why Ashton and her are even together.

For a little while she was considered a groupie when she went to Bali with them in 2016. Until stan twitter quickly defended her from the trolls on the internet claiming how do they not know her.

She was now 24 standing in line at her favorite local coffee and bagel spot in downtown Los Angeles. The line continued move at a slow pace as she hummed along to the beat in her airpods she been sent the night previous. She was absolutely in love with it. She had a studio session set with Max Martin that she definitely couldn't be late for.

He's worked with artists like Taylor Swift, Kelly Clarkson, Ariana Grande, and Britney Spears.

It's been a dream of hers to work with him and only her 3rd album that is saying she's gotta be doing something right.

She finally approached Alexis, one of the cashiers she had blossomed a friendship from after being a regular here for 4 months.

"Everything bagel with a side of strawberry cream cheese and Iced Americano double shot with light ice and vanilla creamer!" She shouted to the back. "Hey Daniella."

A smile was plastered on her face. "Hey Lexi. You'll never believe what I've got planned today." She started as she dug in her purse for her card to hand over for her to swipe.

"Please you're literally a pop star. If you told me you were going to meet up with Kim Kardashian I would probably believe you." She stated in her strong jersey accent as she handed the card back.

"No I wish, but on my bucket list though, maybe I could get a discount on Skims. I somehow managed to get a studio session with Max Martin! And cherry on top, the guys are showing up with Ryan fucking Tedder.” She said excitedly as she moved off to the side of the line so other people could move.

"See this is what I mean. It's Thursday at nine in the morning and you're going to work with your hot Australian friends and I'm here covered in flour all day while dealing with the bitches in the back and isn't Max Martin that Swedish dude who's written and produced for basically every A list singer." She leaned against the register.

"Yeah it's so exciting is it not. And Alexis you're so talented at making bagels. Hone in on that." She joked making the curly haired blonde roll her eyes in fake annoyance.

"Your beautiful everything bagel and iced coffee m'lady." Alexis said handing her two paper bags one full of her favorite little snacks and the other with her bagel.

"Lexi, you didn't have to do th-." She started.

"Oh please shut up yes I did. You're gonna be late with the hot guys.”

“Text me when you can, I'd love to hear all about it." She smiled.

"Will do."

As she was on the highway on the way to the studio her mind was clouded with thoughts some negative some positive, but mostly negative.

Before she knew it she was finding a parking spot and walking into Capitol Records.

Showing security her badge, she looked down at her Apple Watch and cursed, realizing she was going to be late if she didn’t climb the stairs in under 2 minutes. Thank god for her zumba classes she’s been taking.

Once she figured out what studio she was gonna be in for the next 6 hours, she spotted his long hair and glasses talking to Ryan and the 4 men sat in the couch in the corner. All of them laughing at something on Luke's phone. She knocked bringing their attention to her standing at the door slightly out of breath.

"Daniella! Pleasure to finally meet you." Max said getting up from the comfy chair to give her hug.

"So nice to meet you too. I'm so incredibly excited and I also see you've invited some of my good friends." She stated nudging Ryan's elbow.

"He had a lot of positive things to say about you." He said sitting back down.

"Daniella you probably know them," Ryan gestured to the men sitting on the couch.

"Know them. These guys are basically a second family to me." She joked.

" I hope you don't mind that I decided to bring them along here to hopefully do some live instrumentals for ya." He told her looking at her with a smile.

"Oh my goodness not at all! It actually sounds so cool. I’ve missed these guys." She smiled widely.

Micheal stood up and gave her a brotherly hug. “Have you gotten shorter?” He joked making Daniella give him the bird.

“Haven’t you gotten weirder.”

“Touché.”

Ashton was next, giving her another squeeze and pat on the head.

Then Luke who did their handshake they made up in Bali together, that neither of them forgot even after 4 years.

Finally it was Calum who smiled at her first and then suddenly picked up her up and spun her around in a circle, earning a loud laugh from Daniella and his signature smile that she still got butterflies from.

Even after her 6 years of knowing him, he still makes her blush like a school girl.

“Alright everyone let’s get to work to hear this beautiful voice of hers.” Max stated turning around and facing the recording booth as Daniella walked in and put on her headphones.

Two hours passed as Daniella stood in the recording booth, recording the second verse. She was mumbling the possible verse in the microphone. The song had a Lorde lyricism with Ariana Grande singing vibe.

She and Max had titled the song Selfish. Max and Ryan giving her corrections if needed. Other than the couple comments or corrections from the group she had total artistic freedom and she loved that.

“Could we leave that first half blank of that chorus and I’ll stack some more vocal layers on that run.” Daniella suggested over the noise of the metronome. “Thank you.”

“Yup sounds amazing.”

While Ryan was stacking her vocals, she leaned next to Ashton's drum kit and told him what pace she needed for the chorus.

Calum was fiddling with his bass strings trying to tune them when Daniella walked over. “So what’s your big opinion on it??”

“I think it sounds bloody brilliant.” He said in a Scottish accent.

“Don’t make fun of the Scottish people.”

“You always seem to forget I’m half Scottish.” He laughed as she hit his tattooed arm slightly.

Max leaned into Micheal's mic, "Okay Mike start from when Daniella comes in at "I used to be cautious about this and stop when the beat drops back down to the acoustic version."

3 more hours passed as their session ended and Daniella so proud of the song they had made and gotten mastered.

"Alright, could we schedule another one for Friday morning? We’ve got selfish crossed off the list. We could get started on Messier Things as well." Max asked her looking at his calendar.

She nodded with a thumbs up. "That should work with me."

"It was so good to finally see you guys today. What’s new in the wonderful world of 5SOS land." She asked the boys as they were walking to a sandwhich spot on the less crowded side of LA so the likelihood of them all being noticed and ambushed by paparazzi was a zero percent chance.

“Going on a promo tour for Easier. Thats literally all. New York, LA, Atlanta, and some overseas.” Ashton said laughing.

"Well whatt are you guys doing for the day of love that happens to be tomorrow." She asked wiggling her fingers together.

"Spending time with Sierra." Luke quickly answered with a smile. He loves that woman more than air it seems. But it’s good to see him so happy.

"Crystal wants to go see some new movie." Micheal stated with a raised eyebrows. He probably had no clue but he was with Crystal and thats all he cared about.

“Oo lemme know if you need a dog sitter. I’ll bring Pepper. Y’know she loves Moose.”

"Probably just a dinner with KayKay." Ashton’s bright smile came up whenever he talked about KayKay.

"Absolutely nothing." Calum said quickly with a slight eye roll. She knew how he felt about Valentine's Day. He hated that day with every fiber in his being.

"We could spend it together Cal, I'm not doing anything either. It can be like old times!" Reminiscing on when they would go their favorite Ramen restaurant in the city and rewatch Criminal Minds at his house whenever they were both free.

As much as only everyone around them knows, they've had a flirty relationship ever since they've met. But what they don’t know is they claim they’re just friends who have occasionally kissed each other, slept in the same bed, and she's worn his clothes more than once but just friends.

But due to them being too awkward to act upon their obvious feelings, they have no official label on whatever they are.

"Ramen on Melrose it is." He laughed making Daniella laugh along with him.

#5sos #luke hemmings #micheal clifford #calum hood #calum hood smut #calum and daniella #cause im a singer #ashton irwin #5sos fanfic #micheal 5sos #calum 5sos #luke 5sos #ashton 5sos

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louisisalarrie · 3 months

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Lmao about to jump on your bbg discussion here. My issue with the scenario of ending with a paternity test has always been that GP will always still believe that he at the very least, slept with a woman. I was under the impression during 1D years, particularly the later years with RBB, that H and L wanted to eventually come out as a couple, thus the hinting about Larry. Obviously things can change over the years and perhaps they don't want that anymore, but if they do, then the only way to actually do that and have it make sense is to literally tell the truth as the ending. Like a legit tell all about being forced into the closet, the beards, the fake pregnancy, everything. Because he can't logically say "I thought this hookup gave me a kid for the past 8 years" and "H and I have been together since 2010" and not have people be ??? But do you think coming out with the legit truth is ever possibility at all? Or no matter what, will people always think some aspects of the stunts were true? As I said though, maybe H and L don't really care at this point, they know larries know the truth? Just something I've thought about a lot!

Helloooo anon! Lovely to hear your thoughts and thanks for joining in the discussion! I’ll try and break this down a bit into main points so I don’t ramble about everything all at once and it ends up illegible hehe.

Alrighty, so I think that the GP always thinking louis had slept with a woman because of bbg ending in a paternity result is what it is. As long as it stops the stunt, that’s what matters to him and to us. This is a Step 1 of the coming out process, and once those headlines die down about it, then it’s deciding how H and L come out. In my opinion, there are a few ways this could go after bbg ends:

a) harry comes out first, Louis comes out months later (long enough for it to not be immediately connected by gp), then they start being seen together and a “new” relationship between them is seeded and say they’ve never been together until now

b) louis and harry come out together in a relationship, say they’ve never been together until now

c) louis and harry come out together in a relationship, say they’ve been together since 1d, and expose all the stunts by breaking their NDAs

Now… all 3 of these options work with the narrative of a paternity test. In all options, they are still able to define their sexuality as whatever they want it to be when they come out, but will obviously lean towards both of them at least having previous interest in women. Louis could be like “yeah I always thought I was straight but I did some soul searching and realised I’m gay” and harry could stick with the assumption held by the GP already that he is bi, or say something similar to the above.

I assume option A is how things are gonna go, because B links too closely to C and doesn’t line up with the current narrative of them being weirdos on opposite sides of the planet to each other at all times lol. Ideally, option C would be extremely satisfying and would give both of them incredible PR, and bring S*mon and co to their knees, but that truly depends on what H and L think they wanna do, and how big of a war they wanna keep fighting.

Hear me out here now… I’ve talked about multiple ways to end bbg in the past, but what if Louis was just like.. a sperm donor? Very early on in bbg there was a theory that B was a surrogate for H and L, but that definitely doesn’t add up. This theory, however, would require louis to come out at the same time as bbg ending, all in one go, and it also keeps F as his son which isn’t ideal, but separates him more from it in terms of sexuality. But hear me out… what if there was a headline that looked like this?

“Louis Tomlinson announces he donated his sperm in generous act for good friend B whose long term partner struggled with fertility issues”

While this headline looks a bit funny to us, I think the GP won’t question it thaaaaat much. His direct non larrie fans would, because they have seen AOTV, they’ve seen louis call F his son multiple times, but… in this narrative, he IS his son, he’s just not having sex with women because he’s gay lol, and he’s just a sweet guy, ya know? And things could be broken down a little like:

“Tomlinson, 32, says that he loves F and was happy to help B out as he’d always wanted to be a father himself, but has announced to the world just this morning, that he is in fact gay.”

It’s frustrating because in a way, it ends bbg, but it also keeps F connected to Louis to a degree. Ugh. Idk. But that is how you would ensure that the GP don’t have proof that louis has had vaginal sex anymore.

To your point about harry and louis doing a tell all, it would rock the music industry like crazy. Imagine it!!! There would be a million other celebs wanting to come out and share their stories of how badly they’re treated too, and people would be on Larry’s side. It would be powerful. It would help stop what happened to them, happen to other young gay kids. And it would ruin S*mons life, which I love. But… I think a tell all will happen, but not for a long time. I would love it to happen now, trust me I would, but I feel they’re still in too much of a sticky situation with bbg and Harry’s stunts.

I think larry see what we say, they love that we know, and they care a lot about us. But truly I think they’d love to show the world their true colours. Harry’s dancing with pride flags and is MUCH more free now in expressing himself, and I think he would actually wait for louis to be in a position where they can come out together, to take the heat off just one of them doing it. I think they’d love to walk down the street and hold hands and be cute, because they were told for so many years they couldn’t. And being told you can’t, makes you really want to. So I think they’ll do it together, and I think they want to. In saying this though, I do agree with the theory that they decided to put coming out on the back burner for a little bit while they enjoyed their tours and let the dust settle a bit after so much happening, and are just enjoying their private love life while they’re older and have a bit more freedom. But they’ll come back with a vengeance, and they’ll come out together. I’m sure of it xx

(Also sorry I totally rambled)

#answered #anon #bbg

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