#I think I do kinda get what Cohen means though.

[missing-sector]

I just found out that David X Cohen did a reddit AMA. Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1hgdrt/i_am_david_x_cohen_head_writer_on_futurama_ama/

Ramble under the readmore.

One of the questions asked was if there was an episode he wished he could improve. To my surprise he mentioned “In-a-Gadda-Da-Leela”.

It’s a small thing, but I’m glad one of the writers (in fact, the head writer) is able to look back, spot the issues an episode has and admit to them. Still doesn’t excuse the fact that the episode was written that way in the first place.

But it does help me feel a little better seeing this sort of acknowledgement from someone so pivotal to the show. Gives me a bit more hope about the revival. (Still apprehensive about the episode titled “Zapp gets cancelled” because cancel culture isn’t really something cishet white dudes are good at being normal about. Then again the episode hasn’t even come out yet. Maybe the title is just there to throw everyone off).

#futurama #behind the scenes #rambles #ask to tag #I did find Choen saying 'may have hurt Zapp's character' pretty funny #because - as someone mentioned in reply to him - Zapp was always kinda rapey #he always made those kind of jokes #even if he TECHNICALLY never did anything #he probably would have given the chance #this is bleak. #Anyway. #I think I do kinda get what Cohen means though. #Zapp could have been a very amusing character. #Billy West's voice for him is amazing. #If he was merely an incompetent captain who mispronounced champagne he'd be fine. #It's a shame that he's also icky. #So in that sense yeah I do think it hurts Zapp's character. #Not something I think about often in regards to In-a-Gadda-Da-Leela #because normally with that episode I'm focussed on how awful it is for Leela. #(And also because I think the damage to Zapp's character was done long before) #(It's just that his ickiness is brought into the spotlight in that episode. Making it the go-to example if someone asks why I dislike Zapp). #I just think Cohen should have taken out the 'may have' in his statement. #It's like seeing someone with a severe spinal fracture and saying they 'may need medical attention'. #That kind of funny.

[stranger-who-writes-fiction]

What's this? Another Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow post?? But it's 2024! Surely, there's nothing new to uncover with regards to this seminal work of sequential storytelling...right?!?!?

Well...kinda. XD

BEHOLD! Another Tom King podcast interview, wherein he discusses Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, and mostly confirms stuff we already knew, but! BUT! He does drop some new bits of info!

Right then. LET'S GO!

My usual disclaimer applies, recommend listening to the interview firsthand to get a more objective perspective.

But if you're cool with my (INCREDIBLY BIASED! ALWAYS! ALWAYS BIASED WITH THIS BOOK!) summary, then ONWARDS WE GO.

(And when I say 'biased summary' what I mean is that I will be including the bits that make me want to run a victory lap because my readings were SPOT HECKIN' ON, ALL YE NAYSAYERS!*)

Ahem. Anyways.

So I'm going to start off with some new-ish info (at least, it's new-ish to me. XD) The interviewers had asked about the title, specifically in regards to Zor-El's dialogue in issue six (I believe it's the portion where Zor is explaining to Kara why he's going to save her, and says something like, "tomorrow will come soon enough...and you will be a woman looking back on the many decades of your life..." hence 'Woman of Tomorrow') and whether that was planned from the outset, or if that part came about organically as he was writing it.

King said he'd originally written a completely different script for issue six (which we did know) but FUN NEW FACTOID TIME: Zor-El/Kara's origin (initially) weren't included in issue six like, at all. It therefore would not have come up at any point within the mini-series, had they gone with that first script.

But editorial hated it (King agreed with their conclusion, and another fun fact, we'll get to see said script in the backmatter for the new deluxe edition, YAY) and when King asked if there was anything in it that they liked, they said the tiny flashback to Kara's time on Argo was good.

SO. King then decided to expand that/incorporate her origin, because that would be 'easy', and this was back during his crazy COVID writing schedule.

(Folks will perhaps recall that he wrote issue seven in like...a day. What we did not know was that he rewrote issue six in that same week.)

And then it ended up being everyone's favorite issue so yaaaaay for editors! Unsung heroes of comics!

They are also comics' greatest villains but that's a discussion for another day!

Evely's art was mentioned at this point and King was like, 'I had to go back and make the writing more beautiful/esoteric to match what she was putting out.'

Also we stan a comic writer who lets his artists take as long as they need on art. (Though as he's mentioned before, Evely was able to turn in the art quickly on this book, which is heckin' WILD to me, have you SEEN that woman's pencils and inkwork??!??!?!??!?!)

They touched on the True Grit comparisons, only relevant/new bits there are that King feels it's the perfect novel (agree) and that the John Wayne version is terrible (also correct) and the Cohen Brothers' version is great (right again.)

Another bit we already knew: It was an editor who was responsible for the suggestion that Kara should be Rooster, not Mattie. (I think in the past he credited this to Jamie Rich, but this time he said he couldn't remember if it was Rich or Brittany Holzherr, and said they could fight over the credit if they want. XD)

Either way, THANK YOU, WHOEVER YOU ARE, b/c the alternative pitch, with Kara as Mattie and Lobo as Rooster, sounded awful.

Instead King went with, 'Kara will learn from the young naïf, and teach the young naïf.'

(Much better.)

MORE NEW, FUN TRIVIA!!!!

King said they had the first issue completely drawn, colored, and lettered--basically ready to go, and DC said, 'we can't publish this because Supergirl doesn't drink.'

King called Jim Lee, trying to make his case, that she was twenty-one, it was legal, it was a totally normal/human thing to do, and Lee was like, 'but we can't.'

King: Could I do it with Superman? Lee: Yeah.

Essentially it was a lot of tiptoeing around stuff like, 'girls can't get drunk and whatnot' coupled with 'Supergirl can't do that because she's perfect and pure.'

But! Lee ultimately was like, 'okay, you can leave the scene in, but you can't say she's drunk.'

So if you go back and read the actual dialogue/narration, there's no explicit language confirming that kara is three sheets to the wind.

(Which is so, so ridiculous to me because the art makes it very, very clear that she is. XD LOOPHOLES!)

King and the interviewers pointed out that this real world editorial incident ironically tied into one of the metanarratives of the character, that being the pressure placed on Kara, which Clark doesn't have to deal with.

Art imitating life etc. etc. XD

Feel like I've heard this bit in other interviews but it's sweet so it bears repeating: the green sun planet's name is based on King's nickname for his daughter, and she was the one who came up with the idea of a 'green sun planet' during a discussion at dinner one night.

So shifting gears a bit, the rest of the podcast focused specifically on various plot points that the interviewers wanted to discuss/had questions about; it's basically King offering his insights as the writer. And I really, really appreciate this, for reasons I'll get to further down. Now then, more summarizing!

One of the interviewers brought up a sticking point he had with the book: the execution of the Brigand in issue four. Ruthye says to Supergirl that she thought she would save him. To which Supergirl replies: Did you?

King explained that Ruthye and Kara are on opposite journeys in this book. In issue one, Kara is on the side of 'I don't kill, heroes never kill' and Ruthye is on the opposite side, 'Krem killed my father, I have to kill him.' At the end of the book, they are once again on opposite sides, but they've switched.

(I love the way King described it, that Ruthye becomes Supergirl, and saves Supergirl. More on this later.)

But specifically that part in issue four, where Kara doesn't step in, King confirmed that she's on that journey, she's going through that transition, but she hasn't crossed the line of, 'I'll kill him myself.' Rather, she's allowing the system to do what it will.

King also mentioned that this theme isn't especially new and has been examined in comics time and time again, of superheroes asserting their morality over governments, and how that spirals into fascism. He cited Kingdom Come, etc.

Further comments from King on Kara's character: she's conflicted, unlike Clark. Clark's soul and ideals are aligned one to one; Kara wants that. She loves those ideals and wants to uphold them, but she's not fully aligned like that because of what she's been through (read: She's Seen Some Things)

Loved this bit from King: "Supergirl's a little more human than Clark, in spite of being more alien."

King said DC probably would've let him have Supergirl kill Krem in the end, BUT (and it's a good 'but' tying into that earlier bit about Ruthye becoming Supergirl) he said that the theme of this book was 'what makes Supergirl awesome' (he admits this is kind of a dumb theme, but hard disagree, sir) and he liked that Kara's lessons to Ruthye are ultimately what saves her. Kara saves herself.

(STICK A PIN IN THAT ONE, FOLKS)

King once again stated, for the record, that Krem does not die in the end!

The two interviewers had differing interpretations, hence King needing to confirm. XD He even pulled out his script for issue eight, and the description does indeed say that Krem is unconscious, not dead.

And, AND, Evely even made this clearer in the art; the script didn't have Krem moving after Ruthye hit him, but Evely added Krem placing his hand on his head.

Another point the interviewers wanted to discuss: Ruthye writing that Supergirl had killed Krem.

King confirmed that this was to prevent the Brigands from retaliating against Ruthye, and instead focus on going after Supergirl.

In King's mind, Kara feels immense guilt that her father saved her over literally anyone else, so she spends her life taking on other people's pain, to make up for what she sees as taking someone else's spot on that ship.

The scene in issue seven, where Kara's falling through the atmosphere and pushes through in order to preserve the memories that she carries with her was inspired by events from King's life; his mother died unexpectedly, and when going through her things, realized that he was one of the only people who carried certain memories of his mother and grandparents; he described it as a kind of burden.

Last question from the interviewers: Why make Ruthye and unreliable narrator? Do we believe anything in this book, now?

King started off his answer by noting that he fought against using captions in his books for his entire career; by the time he started writing comics, caption boxes had sort of lost their vitality and had become the equivalent of thought balloons, which had long since fallen out of style.

But when he returned to them with Supergirl, he said, (and I have the full quote below)

King: "What I love about [captions] is that you can write things that contrast what's in the pictures, so that the captions can tell you a little bit of a different story than what you're seeing, and thereby enhance it--it's that idea of Ruthye being, she's narrating the story but we're seeing pictures of what's actually happening, creates an excellent sort of tension I think." (Bold mine)

And so, some THOUGHTS!

As always, I love learning new things about this comic. I wish this comic had a commentary track, with King (and Evely, Lopes, and Cowles!) talking about the creation/processes behind the book.

Next best thing is podcasts, I guess! XD

But IN ADDITION to fun, new information, as I mentioned at the outset, King has basically confirmed a bunch of stuff I mentioned in my deep dive posts.

To quote one of the interviews: "I was validated by Tom King!"

XD

This also debunks like. Every bad-faith criticism lobbed at the book. It's almost like a checklist of the month-to-month stuff I was seeing from those aforementioned naysayers, complaining on twitter that King had ruined Kara beyond repair.

They'll likely never listen to this podcast, but I wish they would! I think it would make them feel better. XD Like, hearing the insights on Kara/Ruthye/etc has just reminded me once again how good this book is, and how emotionally moving.

Like, again, I love the way King sums up how Kara and Ruthye work together in this book to shine a spotlight on Supergirl; Kara teaches Ruthye lessons, Ruthye becomes Supergirl thanks to those lessons, Ruthye then saves Kara, thus Kara saves herself.

(Which hey, I touched on in my issue eight post, way back when.)

(I'm also beyond thrilled that my assumption that the art is the true account while the narration boxes are Ruthye's recounting was CORRECT.)

(Which isn't to suggest this is a terribly deep, difficult to decipher text. I mean. It's a monthly comic book intended for mass consumption, starring popular IP--the writing isn't inaccessible by any means. XD But I just remember seeing SO MANY PEOPLE deliberately misreading these specific points as a way to Stay Mad, so I'm relieved that my glass half full interpretations wasn't just the result of desperate Evely Stan goggles, you know? XD)

TL;DR: I cannot heckin' WAIT for that big, beautiful hardcover coming out in July (IDK if I've posted about it here yet but Lopes said he recolored some stuff so you BETTER BELIEVE I'll be back on my Woman of Tomorrow nonsense this summer) and I'm also thrilled that this entire creative team has returned with a new creator owned title (EXPECT A POST ON THAT...AT SOME POINT???)

#long post #supergirl: woman of tomorrow #supergirl: woman of tomorrow spoilers #dc comics

[beautifulpersonpeach]

BPP that Namjoon performance????@!!!!!!!??????

***

Listen! The girls who get it get it.

God what Joon is... where do I even begin? Talking about Yoongi, Joon, and Hoseok for me induces a riot of emotions. And it's the worst with Namseok for both their bond and their individual characters. Namjoon though...

Namjoon is something else. Really.

And can we talk about Hoeok for a sec? About how that man simply cannot not serve for the life of him? I mean, how can you look at this man and tell me he has not served his country every single day of his life, simply by existing as the gorgeous man he is.

Do you see what I see?

*

He's sick.

Back in his Louis Vuitton the second he's out of military fatigues, chic side-pouch present, lips perfectly moisturized... because Hoseok knows who and what exactly he is.

Let's take it back to Joon for a sec because I just had a revelation.

We need to hear his song with Pharrell. There's something I'd like to confirm for myself and I think for all of us in any case, the world will become a better place when Namjoon releases music into it. I saw someone say on Twitter that he reminds their mom of a young Leonard Cohen, and I can totally see why she would say that.

For anyone unfamiliar with the sort of person Leonard Cohen was, The New Yorker does an excellent short profile on him (linked here). One part in that profile that immediately reminds me of Joon is this bit:

"In a letter to his publisher, he said that he was out to reach “inner-directed adolescents, lovers in all degrees of anguish, disappointed Platonists, pornography-peepers, hair-handed monks and Popists.”"

They are similar in other ways too but really, at the end of the day, the real reason I'm here is because Joon is hot.

C'est ça.

*

And Yoongi, that little shit, after creating the concert experience of the century went back to his studio and did this...

*

The fuck?

Who does he think he is? The fucking audacity to look like that, to flex his guns in our faces and fucking smile on top?

He's insane.

Y'all, these three are a major problem for me. A friend recently pointed out to me that maybe one reason I get so into jikook and the other members sometimes is for relief from the overwhelming response I have to the rapline in BTS. And I'm not sure she's wrong.

Anyway, I hope you're all eating your vegetables and drinking your water. Exercise, reach out to friends you haven't seen in a bit, and stream D-DAY, Indigo, Jack in the Box, The Astronaut, FACE, and Seven. Also Tae's solo tracks (but I personally think Sweet Night goes best with IU's music and Ditto by NewJeans, but do you of course). 2026 is a long way off and the world is falling apart in many places, there's a lot going on so please take care of yourselves and fangirl safely and sensibly. Some of the asks I see in my inbox lately kinda worry me, lol. Then again, we're all going a little crazy in chapter 2.

Thanks for this and the other Joon ask, Anon.

#bts rapline #bts #kim namjoon #namjoon #min yoongi #yoongi #jung hoseok #hoseok #kpop #bts rapline bias

[azurdlywisterious]

How would the atompunk trio react if the protags of their games were switched around. Like idk, put Chell in Rapture and the Courier(however you designed them) in Aperture and Jack in the New Vegas Strip. You can decide how the protags are swapped around though

oh ho ho you have no idea how long ive been planning the larger universe this au in my head is set in. so let's tune into the madness together, shall we?

(circutboard divider made by @violetbudd )

Mr. House meets Jack

Mr. House was not expecting a jumpy, uncoordinated young adult to stumble his way into the Lucky 38, but Victor has nothing but good things to say about the kid so he can't be bad. Jack follows order well, which is both a blessing and a curse Mr. House finds out, so he works out a way to get Victor to keep reminding Jack of what he needs to do and it's smooth sailing from there. Would consider working out a deal with the Followers of the Apocalypse to see what is up with Jack after the Hoover Dam battle.

Mr. House meets Chell

Mr. House gets along with Chell quite well. Chell is efficient and creative with completing missions. And she's willing to be paid in only information which cuts down on costs by a lot. He does find that gun of hers rather intriguing, which would turn into a whole cat and mouse of him trying to get the portal gun from her to examine and her not giving him the gun. Chaos ensues.

Cave Johnson meets the Courier

Cave Johnson wouldn't realize that the various people he keeps testing are all the same Courier. But hey, when you're dealing with an anomaly that keeps reincarnating lets you vivisect them, you tend not to ask too many questions (except for why do you keep coming back after you fall into the corrosive water). Certainly keeps the Courier around later on, hoping to figure what keeps them regenerating their body while keeping their memories intact (in his quest to live forever). Sadly, he doesn't figure it out in time. The Courier would then explore the Aperture labs until who knows when. Although thanks to the fact that they can sorta never die (sure their body dies but their memories dont think kinda like a timelord) then they would remember exactly who Caroline was when interacting with GLaDOS. Oh and the angst of finding all the old lab stuff and Cave Johnson's voice logs again at the Portal 2 timeline point of the game that would actually be heartbreaking.

Cave Johnson meets Jack

Cave Johnson loves Jack. Everyone loves Jack! Who wouldn't love Jack? Cave Johnson would be sure to let everyone know that no one gives Jack orders except for him and Caroline. Would treat Jack like the son he never had and also give him cocaine for his anxiety (for science). Would also want to vivisect Jack to figure out how he keeps lighting things like the mantis men on fire. Wasn't seriously considering making combustible lemons until he saw Jack could light things on fire and decided that the same principles could be applied to lemons too.

Andrew Ryan meets the Courier

Andrew Ryan actually gets to interact with only one Courier thanks to the Vita-Chambers. And as luck would have it, he gets to interact with Suzie Fromme (my favorite courier and the one I always think of when I think of couriers). And he would think Suzie is weird and unhinged and way too powerful but not in a cool way but in a way that scares him (you modded a Bethesda protag of course she breaks reality). But since she's an agent of chaos that only wants to help people he would strike a tentative deal with her to take Atlas down. She would agree for the low price of "a room in the prettiest building in Rapture" which according to her is in Fort Frolic(?) which with all the delirious denizens dropping like drones means that there probably is an open room. Did I mention Suzie has the Black Widow perk? Upon finding out how she got rid of Atlas, Andrew Ryan decides that she is not to be trifled with at all and can be Sander Cohen's problem until the city collapses.

Andrew Ryan meets Chell

Andrew Ryan would probably love and hate Chell. Love because she dispatches enemies with efficiency and doesn't listen to Atlas but also doesn't listen to him. Eventually determines that she just wants to go to the surface and leave forever and after doing a couple of missions for him, lets her. Doesn't like that she's playing all sides trying to find the fastest way to leave, but she just wants to always come put on top. Which she does. Would weaponize her bond with Tenenbaum in a last ditch attempt to get her to do what he wants.

#the courier is like a timelord to me i guess #atompunk ancap trio #mr house #the courier #fallout new vegas #cave johnson #caroline portal #chell portal #portal 2 #andrew ryan #jack bioshock #bioshock #long post

[wikiangela]

hiiii 🤗 idk what’s been asked jdisj but tell me more about the ryan x taylor fic bc you know i’m obsessed with that 😅 or the buddie roommates au 🩵

hiii!

so, buddie roommates was answered here (it's still just an idea, but planning to get to it soon bc recently I randomly got some ideas for it haha)

and ryan x taylor! I'm so excited for this one - so, you know how they got sort of an open ending, not explicitly said if they end up together or not, aside from kissing on the train before she left for paris, and those smiles at each other at seth and summer's wedding haha

so my idea was: ryan's at berkeley, taylor is in paris (i don't remember if they said why she was going back but in this fic it's for college lol) and they keep in touch, talk as much as they can, but they're kinda in this limbo, not sure where they stand

so ryan invites taylor for chrismukkah (it's gonna be sophie's first chrismukkah and the first one in the new house in berkeley, and I'm planning some sweet cohen family feels haha) and they spend some time together, and talk, and probably have sex (bc you know taylor lol) and basically get together for sure, and then continue to have a long distance relationship

also might do a time skip to that last scene of the show bc as soon as i saw that, I thought about ryan talking to taylor about taking that kid in, and I wanna write that haha

and a lil snippet just for you <3 (it's not exactly what I want from this scene, probably gonna rephrase some stuff - like, I think ryan and summer keep in touch so he'd probably hear from her that she's coming but idk, we'll see haha)

“Hey, so, I was wondering if maybe you’d like to spend Christmukkah with us.” Ryan says, his fingers fiddling with the corner of his blanket. “Seth said Summer’s coming, too, and, you know, it’s Sophie’s first Chrismukkah. It’d be nice to have everyone there. Unless you’re going to Newport to spend it with your mom, I mean, no big deal.” he adds quickly, not wanting to pressure his maybe-girlfriend – he really needs to talk to her about what they are. He can’t believe he’s the one rambling, what the hell has she done to him.  “Oh, no, I’m so not spending Christmas with my mom.” Taylor laughs melodically, though it is a little sad, like every time she talks about her mom. As far as Ryan knows, they tried to have Thanksgiving together and it went just about as well as could be expected. “I’d love to spend it with you. There’s nothing like the holidays at the Cohen’s.” she adds, sing-songy, and Ryan wants to see her cute little smile so badly. “And of course I’d love to see Summer, I miss her.” “Oh, just Summer?” he asks teasingly. “Of course, who else would I miss?” she responds, tone equally joking.

thanks so much for the ask <3

ask me about my wips <3

#wip tag game #ask games #tag games #wikiangela answers #wikiangela writes #my wips #fic snippet #ryan and taylor fic #the oc fic #this got long lmao

[graftisms]

JOSHUA & MAXWELL — DAY TWENTY-SEVEN

location :   night / post-dumping / bathroom

featuring :   @dobits​

JOSHUA

“oh good, you’re still here.” obviously josh knows he’s still here; he has two stops to make on this goodbye tour that’s brought a spring to his step, and like hell he would leave without making max see his smug face one more time. this goodbye is one that pales compared to what he wants to say to dejan, but after his voting conversation with jenny, part of him feels the need to flaunt the reality between them a little more. it feels like a battle won, one he hadn’t even meant to get swept up in, brought on by max’s negging. but for now he offers him a smile that the other guy can probably see past, holding out one of the containers max had put his grubby fingers in the last time they were in the bathroom together. “some sunscreen for the road,” he offers, the gesture of a gift.  “for your skincare routine that you really ought to start. and… just wanted to say that i hope there’s no hard feelings about tonight. or any of it.” 

MAXWELL

figures he's not even cold in the ground yet and the big man's already trying to tapdance on max's grave. he laughs dryly, bouncing his smirk off the bathroom mirror and toward josh behind him before going back to rounding up his shit. "look at that smile on your face, boss. not even trying to hide how relieved you are i won't be getting even more cozy with cohen." josh may be on a celebration tour, but max reads it like an admission of insecurity. "i think that's kinda cool and sensitive of you to be so open about it." brows raise at the jar being held out to him. "aw," max turns and spins the lid off, leaning forward to give a good hawk putuh and spits inside it before returning the lid. "i'm all good, naomi's gonna hook me up."

JOSHUA

it's impressive how max waits all of five seconds before bringing up jenny, a short laugh escaping him. "please, i think we both know i had nothing to worry about there." this is so painful to write, but josh is at least acting like he means what he says, putting the jar down on the sink in front of him and pushing it forward anyway.  "ah, yes, naomi. your first choice. maybe that's where you went wrong here. but seriously, man. i'm sorry that we never got to actually get along, since you were too busy chasing after whoever i was with. take it, c'mon. all that smoking you do, your skin could use it."

MAXWELL

"yeah," max replies with a grin, fully aware and thoroughly enjoying how utterly stupid josh is gonna look in this edit. "you're right. i dunno why i thought i had a chance." maybe if he can hold on to that thought, he'll be able to make it through this mind-numbing conversation without saying something crazy. he turns and leans back against the counter, awarding josh his full attention as he mocks him. max fucked his girl, after all, he owes josh. "i tried," he reminds him, a note of sincerity that will surely feel insulting once everything's out in the open. "i didn't want it to be some bullshit dick measuring contest. but i guess i kinda fucked that early on." a shrug, oh well. he smirks down at the lotion, shakes his head. "we get the joke, gym rat, give us somethin' new. get it all out."

JOSHUA

well, he doesn't like that grin. after watching jenny trot after max like a puppy on his heels after the dumping, it's not making him feel good.  "you've got something to say?" his eyebrows raise. it's almost not fun when max isn't meeting him halfway, instead giving him a smile fit for the joker. eyebrows raise lightly, not believing max didn't want it to be a dick measuring contest from the get go.  "that's on you, man. i tried to be nice. you're the one being a dick the whole time. if it's a dick measuring contest, it's because you took yours out first." josh flashes him a smirk, though there's not as much smugness in it. he's saving that for dejan later.

MAXWELL

"i just said it," max points out, mouth chock full of canary. "better man won, right?" there's a hollow laugh at josh's denial, head shaking and his hand raising in a shrug. "just told you i fucked it first grafting jen. not to use a word outside your fuckin' comprehension, but it's called accountability. wouldn't kill ya to learn it." he's really trying to be the bigger man, trying not to start shit. there's no space for logic in this bathroom, but max wants to make one thing clear. "i told you i'd cut the shit, i said it right here," he taps the counter. "and i did cut it, 'til... well, today. but you were still giving me a hard time, in your little feelings. takes two to tango, babe, you gotta at least admit that."

JOSHUA

"cut the shit." this is the kind of annoyance he'd feel from dejan, the king of pressing buttons. usually max just gives him mild aggregation, but he hates the way he looks so smug. not when it's josh that has the reason to be smug.  "accountability, yeah. you're just saying that because nobody voted for you, jenny included. you know she didn't even try, right? i would've at least listened if she did, but i guess she likes rhys more." jenny has probably told him otherwise by now, but there's enough truth to what josh is saying that it inflates his smile right back up. two can play it his way. "what, as opposed to last night, when you had her tied up? i had asked you to keep your hands to yourself, and i thought you were man enough to be true to your word. but i'm sure there's plenty of girls out there already lining up to hear your shitty band. and tomorrow you'll be forgotten here."  it's what josh is counting on.

MAXWELL

it's so hard not to be affected by josh's provocations. max crosses his arms over his chest and nods slowly, acting like josh was so right and it makes so much sense. he's trying his best to look composed so that josh could appear like he's having a tantrum. inside he's screaming i fucked your girl i fucked your girl. it's just like high school again. "uh-huh, i was there. and how could i forget with her begging me to forgive her all night? do you think i did? aren't you curious how it went?" it occurs to max now how riled up he's made josh, and that's without knowing what happened today. "you're so angry," he notes plainly, keeping himself restrained. there's the distant hope josh doesn't redirect this shit to dejan, no way will that guy keep any kinda peace. "should we just, like... agree to disagree or somethin'? i kinda got shit to do." and his patient is beginning to wane, his tongue bitten raw.

JOSHUA

that feels like a trap question if he's ever heard one. "she's a good person, you know? i think she's allergic to anyone being mad at her. she tries for good vibes always, even if they don't deserve it." josh can't forget the way she immediately begged for his forgiveness after saying something that was meant to hurt him. if she did that to him, god only knows what jenny did to max. "why, should i know how it went?" he isn't angry--not really, at least--but the longer this goes on, josh's exhales through his nose. "you think this is me angry? you must've missed the time i punched a hole through the wall. saying goodbye to you is nothing, dude. i even brought a present," he motions to the sunscreen. "i mean, we're not friends, and i have enough people who hate me here to know we're not enemies. you're just kind of... nothing," he says, after considering it. "would you disagree?"

MAXWELL

"hmm, i wonder if that's why she caved to you so fast," max pretends to postulate, connecting the dots for him. it feels likely josh will clarify it for him, but even max is aware that there's more to it than that. she wanted to appease josh more than she wanted to save max. "i'd wanna know if my girl walked off hand-in-hand with the guy i've been so worried about." he's really straddling the line here, the desire to put the nail in josh's coffin struggling with max's reluctance to fuck over jenny. he snorts a laugh, nodding at the memory. "you're bragging about that? all right, i get it. this little outburst is you on a chill day, cool. and --," he sighs, nodding at the sunscreen, "yes, i got the joke the first two times it fell flat." hearing josh's perspective does provoke some interest, not that he's gonna voice it. who does he think hates him in here, barring dejan? max must not have kept up with that drama. finally, he nods, straightening off the counter. "nothing sounds delicious. let's be nothing."

JOSHUA

what is he even saying? josh scoffs at the notion that max knows anything about his relationship with jenny. he shouldn't be entertaining this; he will not. but there's no denying that any reservations josh has about his relationship with jenny could be summed up by watching her with max. josh doesn't think max is anything special, but it's what he represents more than anything: the fact that her head could turn on a dime, whenever she gets bored. it's not like their relationship has been particularly exciting compared to the way it started. "well it's not like i have anything to worry about now, considering you're gone. you didn't even try that hard trying to graft, did you?" other than last night at the event, josh really hadn't seen max put in much effort. "i'm not bragging," maybe is a little, "i'm just trying to prove my point." how little max truly means. he smiles slightly when max moves off the counter, eyes watching him cooly. "i'll see you at the reunion, i guess." a pause. "if jenny and i don't work out by then, maybe i'll wingman for you." he blames the way his stomach fell watching max and jenny walk inside earlier that makes him feel that way. josh wants to ask if anything happened between them--and the way max is smiling smugly at him, josh is convinced something must've happened--but he knows enough about max to know the truth: he'd never actually tell him. josh would know, because if the roles were reversed, he'd do the same.

MAXWELL

"nah, not really," max admits with a shrug of his head. "didn't have to with jenny." and, c'mon, josh had to have known that one was comin'. it was kinda sad being reminded his time is truly up, he's leaving the villa tonight. way too soon. god, the reunion. now he's a little perturbed that this shit isn't actually over. "wingman," he repeats with a bark of laughter. "that would be... so fucking weird. i'm in." if given the chance, he's certain josh would dedicate the honor to making sure max didn't see a lick of tail, but he'd be remiss to refuse the opportunity. it is a little odd to him that josh seems to have his doubts about jenny even despite all his provocations, it's the first whiff of it he's shone to max. "i'm sure you crazy kids'll really go the distance," max says with deadpanned, pursed lips, half sarcastic, but even still making sure to show josh how gleeful he is not about that. a little gift from him to josh.

JOSHUA

didn't have to try with jenny. maybe josh would've written himself off as paranoid in a few hours, but there's something about the way max says that coupled with the look the other gives him when it finally clicks into place. max can probably see the moment the gears stop turning in his head and lock into place, eyes growing colder, jaw tightening. he could ask what happened, but it doesn't really matter, does it? knowing jenny, he probably already knows. josh no longer wants to joke about wingmanning or making it last with jenny right now. the only redeeming factor right now is how little max cares to hear about him and jenny lasting, probably thinking it's as likely as josh does right now. for a moment he can only look at him, men both unhappy, a shift in the mood that feels tainted. finally, josh lays down his sword—he's had enough of this for the rest of the night. "well, fuck you," he says, though it's resigned, getting up from his spot against the wall. "have a nice life, man." josh hopes to never see his face again.

MAXWELL

uh oh. well, that looks grim. he's not sure where he pushed too far, maybe insinuated something more solid than the arbitrary flirtations he was trying to refer to, but josh seems to be drawing his own conclusions. max would love for an opportunity to lie through his teeth right now, to assure josh that nothing happened no matter how hard max tried. so he's left a little speechless when josh goes to delete himself from the conversation. god, he hopes jenny's a good liar, because this is gonna suck for her. at least he can smile and say he didn't spill the beans... purposefully. "-- ditto." all the above. shit.

#joshua & maxwell ; #joshua ; #rip max you were a real one #joshua & maxwell 003

[widthofmytongue]

who is your favorite poet?

I'm not entirely sure I've got favourites in that way. The first two names that came to mind were Eliot and Dante, but I mean...

Like okay, I do think The Waste Land is the greatest poem, perhaps the greatest work of literature, to emerge from the Twentieth Century. But we all know that Eliot is an absolute piece of shit and doesn't deserve any reverence, right.

And as for Dante, I feel like I ought to discount any poetry I’ve only read in translation, because English is the only language I've ever spoken fluently enough to really appreciate the poetry thereof. I did have a facing copy of the Inferno as a teen, and I did actually read large swathes of the Florentine, and I've also read bits of Verlaine or Schiller or Virgil or what have you in their original, but did I ever really get it? (I did, actually, yes.)

Another name that springs to mind (not least because I was discussing his genius the other day, but I daresay I'd have thought of him regardless) is Derek Walcott. In many ways, maybe, he's like the Eliot we really deserve.

If I'm honest, someone like Spencer Krug or Dan Bejar would probably rank pretty highly for me, to say nothing of the likes of Leonard Cohen or Peter Sinfield or I don't know Bruce Springsteen or Chuck D. And after all why should we remove pop from the canon??

And on a similar note, I actually quite like Tolkien's poetry. It's not exactly profound or moving, but I really appreciate how it updates Old and Middle English conventions to Modern English, and I've spent too much time grappling with the form of the Perle Poet for this not to resonate with me on some level.

In those technical terms, I have always been impressed by the Romantics, especially Byron, whom I appreciate for his fusion of punk rock fuck you thrust and legit sublime classicism. Even Wordsworth (whom I kinda hate) is kinda chef's kiss when it comes to foot and rhyme and metre. That old school shit really self-harmonises in ways that I think no one even recognises since like Larkin or even Yeats.

ALL THAT SAID: something which I've mentioned now and then is that when I've recently reread Gramsci or Mao or Fanon especially, but also like Adorno or Deleuze or Haraway (all but the last of which in translation), I realise how much they really speak to me, touch me, move me, more than, you know, Carol Ann Duffy or Mary Oliver.

Pourquoi tout simplement ne pas essayer de toucher l'autre, de sentir l'autre, de me révéler l'autre? Ma liberté ne m'est-elle donc pas donnée pour édifier le monde du Toi?

Just try to tell me that's not poetry, and I will show you, mon semblable, mon frère, a reader who cannot read. Or this:

This is a dream not of a common language, but of a powerful infidel heteroglossia. It is an imagination of a feminist speaking in tongues to strike fear into the circuits of the supersavers of the new right. It means both building and destroying machines, identities, categories, relationships, space stories. Though both are bound in the spiral dance, I would rather be a cyborg than a goddess.

In the immortal words of Nigel Tufnel: That's poetry that is.

#sorry for letting this sit in my drafts so long anon #I wrote it like almost immediately after receiving but then forgot #ask #original #text #lit

[spaceorphan18]

99 Perspectives on a Single Love Story #55

A/N: The Story of Kurt and Blaine told through the eyes of everyone else but them. Each chapter is a different perspective in the ongoing tale of their love story.

I started something like this a while back - and now I’m taking the idea and really running with it. Each chapter is a ficlet of a different character at a different point in Kurt and Blaine’s life - documenting their love story. This starts in Audition, and each chapter will be paired with a different episode until reaching Dreams Come True.

[Ao3]

***

Tina Cohen-Chang (Sadie Hawkins Day) 

“So, I was thinking of a navy blue dress, I saw one on sale at the mall that sparkles a bit. I think it’ll go really well with my skin tone, and if you get blue accents with your tux, it’ll really match. Blaine? Are you listening?”

Tina Cohen-Chang sits at Blaine's desk, attempting to have a conversation with him. Blaine’s on his stomach, his text book and papers spread out in front of him, but like Tina, he’s ignoring his homework, too as he texts on his phone. Tina gives him an indignant look that he doesn’t see.

“What, yeah, you’ll look great,” Blaine mumbles.

“I don’t want to just look great - I want to be gorgeous.”

“Well, I think you’re always gorgeous.”

“Thank you.” Well, at least she got a compliment out of it. Still, it’s frustrating that he’s so distracted. She’s made it a point, since they’ve been back since break, to hang out with Blaine at least once a week. He could definitely use a friend and she, well… it doesn’t take much for him to look gorgeous. There he is, just laying on the bed, not really doing anything. He’s even wearing some bold fashion choices with the brightly colored jacket with mustard pants. But god does his ass look good in them.

Get it together, Tina!

“Who are you texting, Sam?” She slides from the chair to the edge of the bed, attempting to get a glance at his phone. “I get why you are into him, and I think your little quest to bring back the glee club is noble, but you’ve been, like, non-stop texting. Neither of us have even started on our essays.”

“It’s not Sam.” Blaine sits up, shielding his phone from her.

“Well, then, who is it?”

“You’re just going to give me a hard time.”

“Oh, god, is it Kurt?” She tilts her head disparagingly at him.

He looks up at her, almost shamefully. “This is why I didn’t bring it up.”

“I mean it’s fine,” Tina says, though probably not convincingly enough. “What are you guys even talking about?”

“Well…” Blaine’s hesitant, but can’t help the gleam in his eyes that he gets when he talks about Kurt. She really wishes he’d light up about her that way… “Okay, he’s been wanting to get more involved in NYADA activities, especially since Rachel, I guess has this new boyfriend who is apparently sucking up all her time. And so he tried out for the show choir.”

“Really?” She tries hard not to laugh, but oh, Kurt... “That sounds kinda lame.”

“Apparently, they do covers of Baby Got Back.”

“Super lame.” She scooches a little closer on the bed, closing the textbook and moving it and the papers out of the way. She gives Blaine a more serious look. “But, maybe it’s good that Kurt is meeting new people. Look, I know you don’t want to hear this but maybe it’s a sign he’s moving on.”

“Maybe.” He looks down at his phone, crestfallen. Way to kill his spirit, Tina. “Maybe not.” Something on that phone makes him grin. However, he bites his lip and looks away.

Her curiosity is at least piqued, even if she probably doesn’t really want to know. “What?”

He holds back. “No, you’ll get judgy.”

“I promise I won’t be. What?”

“Okay…” He takes a deep breath and slides all his words together excitedly. “Kurt and I slept together over Christmas.”

“What?” She says sharply, unable to hide the shock in her voice.

He starts rattling off the details, a satisfied grin on his face. “His dad is going through some stuff, and I was there to help be a friend I guess. And one thing led to another and…”

“Ew…” Tina holds her hands up, not wanting to know more. “Was Burt there when you did it?”

“We made sure he couldn’t hear anything.”

“Blaine!”

“You’re being judgy.”

“Look, I get it,” She says, in her best sympathetic voice. She scooches another inch forward so as to put her hand on his arm. “Break ups are traumatic. I mean, I did sleep with Mike a few times after we broke up but before he moved to Chicago. Sometimes it’s easy to fall into old patterns. But I just think there are better fish in the sea for you.”

“Maybe…”

“I’m sure someday you’ll meet the person of your dreams.” She leans in to look deeply into his eyes. Maybe he’ll see her -- really see her this time. “And maybe it’ll be a total surprise as to who that really is.”

“Yeah, I guess.” There’s a ding on Blaine’s phone, completely ruining the moment. “Oh - hey, it’s Sam, he’s got an update on the Warblers…”

An internal scream goes off in Tina’s head; fuckin’ Sam…

#99 perspectives #s.o. writes things

[13uswntimagines]

Chanukah party (USWNT x Baby!Reader)

This isn’t a request but @literaryhedgehog​ and I thought it would be fun. The basic premise is that reader is at camp during Chanukah, and the team feels bad (especially Lindsey) so they throw her a party. (thank you @notmia101​ for betaing this for us). 

You smiled at Alyssa as she described her winter plans after training camp. How she was going to visit her sister and her family for Christmas. How they were hoping for snow and how they were going to kill an innocent tree and desecrate its body with lights for their amusement. Her words, not yours. It was a game she and the other girls played every year, trying to make their Christmas plans sound as horror-movie-ish as possible. It was a way of trying to make fun of themselves so you could share the amusement and join in laughing at them. 

But despite their efforts, a little piece of you always felt left out because you couldn’t (wouldn’t?) participate. See, you were one of the few who didn’t celebrate Christmas. You were proud of your Jewish heritage, even if your family wasn’t the most ~religious~. But you were proud of the culture you had been raised in. You held its traditions very near to your heart and weren’t AT ALL bitter that the rest of the team had time designated to visit their family during their winter holidays while you still had training camp through the third week of December.  

You were kinda zoning out because you could only take so much of their cookie baking, their stalkerish man that watched kids while they slept, and their hiding of a stupid stuffed toy you were sure would give you nightmares (who the fuck thought having an ‘elf’ stalk your family all month was cute?!?!? Capitalism was a weird man). (Though you may or may not have paid attention to Lindsey’s plan to dress Ferguson like a little elf…) 

“What about you kid?” Tobin asked, nudging you out of your daydream. 

“What?” You shook your head, making everyone around you laugh. 

“Do you have plans for the holidays?” Lindsey repeated, her smile showing off her dimples. 

“Oh, um. Chanukah started a few days ago. It’s cool, they have an app with a menorah and everything. My family has been face timing me most days, but it will be over before training ends.” You shrugged, hoping they couldn’t see how much being away from your family during this time of year sucked (though you were glad to be included on the camp roster). 

Most of the veteran's jaws dropped, how had they not known that you were missing something so important to you? How had US Soccer overlooked a holiday (and inadvertently given you an ultimatum- celebrate or make the national team). 

“Then why did they schedule training camp this week?” Tobin mumbled. Again you shrugged. 

“There’s 23 of you and only one of me… it’s really not that big of a deal,” you smiled briefly and gave the same speech you had given since middle school, “It’s not like the ‘Jewish Christmas’ even though it happens around the same time some years, my family doesn’t even exchange presents, so I’m really just missing the party they’re throwing on the 18th.” 

“That still isn’t fair though. I mean, we get Christmas off automatically, even if we don’t celebrate it!” Christen huffed, throwing her hands up. 

“I mean, this isn’t like a new thing. We’re always at camp during this time. And next year the holiday starts in November, so it’s not something that can consistently be scheduled around. I guess it’s just a sacrifice I have to make to be the best right?” You said earnestly, shaking your head. You knew all of the arguments, you had heard them for all of your life. 

“But-“ Emily started to protest, but before she could get the words out you cut her off. “Don’t make a big deal guys, it’s fine. Really,” 

The team stared at you for a few seconds, several women opening and closing their mouths several times. You shifted uncomfortably under their gaze, breathing a sigh of relief when your phone rang, glad to have an excuse to get out of this situation. 

“Ok so we’re totally going to make a big deal out of this,” Lindsey said turning back around to face the team the second you were out the door. 

“I’m guessing you have a plan to woo your girl?” Emily smirked, wiggling her eyebrows. 

“It’s not to. No. We are doing this as a team to be supportive of our teammate who is part of a traditionally marginalized culture that we need to be more supportive of,” Lindsey grumbled sternly, smiling when Christen nodded in return. “I’m googling “Chanukah for Dummies” right now. 

They were going to make this camp different from the others (and if she got to impress you that was just a bonus). 

…..

“Umm, why does it smell like something is burning?” Becky asked, walking through the hotel corridor towards the dining room. 

“Because Latkes are apparently more difficult to make than I expected,” Kelley said, tossing what looked like a stack of burned hockey pucks into the trash. “I didn’t realize the whole room was going to smell like fried food- do you think they’re going to fine me when we check out?”

“If they fine you, they better fine Em too. The stench from such a little jar is kind of amazing,” Lindsey huffed. 

“What did she do, get her sardines or something?” Becky asked, shaking her head, remembering the smell that she couldn’t quite place. 

“No. Something called ‘Gefilte fish’”. 

“But isn’t that usually for Passover?” Kelley asked, looking up from where she was trying to scrape burned potatoes off her pan.

“They said it was traditional, isn’t that what we’re going for?” Emily huffed, pouting. Lindsey rolled her eyes at her best friend. 

“I’ve got music!” Chrystal called, walking through the door in a star-patterned sweater. “It turns out there are not a whole lot of Chanukah songs. There’s a Spotify playlist that’s only 3 hours long, or so, so I supplemented it with a lot of Leonard Cohen and Paul Simon.”

“And I brought the sour cream and applesauce as requested!” Sam called, walking in after her, “also some apple juice and honey bourbon. I know apples and honey are a thing for Rosh Hashana, so I thought maybe we could make some cocktails?”

“I won’t tell coach if you don’t,” Kelley said taking the bottle and pouring herself a shot. “Someone else needs to take over the latke making. My attempts have all either looked like lefse, hashbrowns or just burned.”

“Lefse?”

“I had an ex-girlfriend from Minnesota. It was a potato tortilla thing her family sent her at thanksgiving. The point here is that someone else needs to cook or we are just going to be eating sour cream and applesauce on their own.”

“We could make french fries?” Rose suggested tentatively. 

“With bacon and cheese! Those are the best,” Emily exclaimed, only to have Lindsey (gently) slap the back of her head. 

“No, Sonnett. She can’t have bacon and I don’t think she’s allowed to have cheese and meat on the same plate…” 

“I think if we just batter potato pieces in egg and flour and fry them it would taste nice with the apple sauce and sour cream. And we’ve made french fries before so it won’t be so much of a… learning curve. Though you did a great try, Kelley!” Rose said, patting Kelley’s arm.

“You guys are useless. Did you even look at a recipe?” Megan shook her head. 

“If you think it’s so easy you try it.” Kelley scoffed. Megan raised her eyebrow at the woman, stealing the spatula from the defender's hand. 

“Tasty made here we come,” 

*****

“Happy Chanukah!” came from all around as you walked in. Lindsey was very proud. Not only had she gotten the team on track and ensured that they had all of the stuff google said would make the perfect Chanukah celebration; she had also kept you off their trail until this moment. The shock on your face made all the work on their day off entirely worth it. 

The room was decorated in tinsel with a shiny plastic menorah in the center of the table. Several people were wearing ugly sweaters with different “decorations” taped on. A sign on the back wall said “We survived, let’s eat!” Lindsey had decided against hanging up the posters Rose and Mal made saying “Stick it to the (ro)Man!” and “MaccaBEe mine.” The first one because she wasn’t sure it was appropriate, the second one because she knew it wasn’t.

“Ooo who brought the hotdog of the sea?” You asked, biting your lip to suppress a giggle as you walked over to the table to see the food on display. 

“What?” Lindsey’s eyes tried to follow yours, utterly confused. They didn’t get hotdogs. They most certainly weren’t on the list that Chanukah for dummies had given her. 

You smiled softly and shook your head, pointing to the tan balls that Emily had provided. 

“That’s what my siblings and I call it during Passover. Gefilte fish is kinda a love it or hate it thing…” you trailed off, scrunching your nose just slightly. 

“And you’re not a fan?” Lindsey smirked, wrapping an arm around your shoulder. 

“Umm, I plead the fifth,” You mumbled, shaking your head slightly. It wasn’t your favorite item in the world. 

“That was all Emily,” Kelley snorted, clapping you on the back, and you grinned devilishly back at her. 

“Well, it was very nice of her to be so thoughtful. She can try a piece with me,” 

Emily cringed at the idea, but nodded nonetheless. It was your party and if eating the smelly thing out of a jar made you happy, then that’s exactly what she would do. (She also stealthily shot Lindsey the middle finger while you were surveying the rest of the items on the tables). 

“Honestly the sufganiyot is my favorite,” you said, taking a step towards the platter, your lips ticking up at Lindsey’s adorable confused face. “sorry, the donuts,” you clarified, picking up one of the many powdered sugar-covered donuts in the stack, inspecting it to see what kind it was. The Jelly ones were particularly important for the celebration. 

Lindsey blushed a little. “We didn’t know if you wanted jelly or custard,” She said hesitantly, watching as your eyes got impossibly brighter. 

“Both are amazing, thank you,” You smiled softly at the midfielder, brushing a stay bit of powdered sugar off her pink cheeks. You held her gaze for a moment before seeming realizing you had an audience, and turning towards the rest of the team. “thank all of you,” 

It wasn’t the traditional Chanukah you usually shared with your family, but the friends who had become your family made it special nonetheless.

#uswnt imagine #uswnt imagines #uswnt x reader #literalhedgehog

[sibsteria]

who do you think you are? [spn cast]

prompts: none

summary: breaking down on stage at an SNS during karaoke

characters: the spn cast

warnings: angst, fluff, no offense to Gen because I literally adore her <3

[beginning to think I like cheating!angst]

''Welcoming Y/n L/n to the stage!'' I heard Rich's voice filled with a humorous tone, it still feels weird to use L/n instead of Padalecki. He's the one that ended it, not me, I just received the divorce papers. Hearing the gasps of some of the non-obsessive fans hearing my last name nearly tore me apart, what would they be thinking right now?

''I don't think she needs an introduction, what you thinking, Y/n?'' He continued, wrapping an arm around me as I strolled on stage.

I whispered in his ear before talking to the audience, ''I think you all know this one.'' Despite the laugh in my sentence, it wasn't a funny time in my life right now. He gave me a questioning look as if to say 'are you sure?', I nodded, a crooked smile shooting his way as to try and disguise my dead eyes.

''I would just like to say, I will be reversing the pronouns used.'' I physically shook my nerves away before starting.

'Yeah, you sure broke my heart last week-'

The audience wailed.

'When you said you had slept with her-'

Nothing against Gen- actually, yes, she knew he was married. The audience seemed to understand my point, whipping out their phones in fan fashion. God, this was definitely going to be  all over Jared's twitter later.

'I know you called, I got them all-''

I put on a fake grin as I continued.

'La da da da da da-'

When everyone in the cast had found out, they were seething, he was supposed to be the one to love me.

'Boy you better love what you got, before you go and give it away-'

I moved from the single spot I had glued myself to, putting a small skip in my step.

'But don't say that I don't know you-'

I gave a small head whip, trying to engage the audience.

'Cause- oh, I know all about your type-'

I grit my teeth at the word 'type'.

'You're the kinda boy that texts all day and talks all night-'

I use mocking hands to emphasise my attitude.

'And oh- I know, that you-'

I looked towards the side of the stage where Jared was watching, oh shit, he wasn't supposed to be here.

'Are feeling sad- don't feel bad-'

I scoff at him, turning towards the crowd again.

'Cause even after three text messages, four missed calls you still-'

I slammed my foot against the ground, anger took over before the anguish.

'Slept with my best friend-'

I sung shakily and it all became too much, seeing his face again after so long, singing this song.

'Yeah, you-'  sure got a lot of nerve

My breath caught in my throat and I stopped singing for a moment, missing a couple lines as I sniffed.

'-to say that this was all my fault-'

I broke down. In the middle of karaoke. In front of an amazing amount of fans. Fuck me.

The sobs came out, racking my chest, Matt was the first one to reach me before I collapsed into despair on the dirty floor. I gave my microphone to Sebastian as Matt whispered to me.

''Come on, it's okay, let's get you out of here.'' He ushered me off stage so quickly, the lights blurred.

I heard the speakers from backstage as I tried to bee-line for the green room.

''Uh- so- I'm just going to go sort this out. This is so unprofessional for me- I apologise but this is important.'' Rich blurts out before leaving the stage, passing his mic and mine to a techie.

The cool air from the green room soothed my burning face as I continued to bang out cry after cry. Matt pulled me in, hugging me as tight as he could.

''Hey- is she-'' Speight stopped as soon as his eyes settled on me falling apart in Matt Cohen's arms.

''Oh no, come here.'' Matt knew that he could handle this better so he handed me over to Richard.

''Go entertain, I have this covered.'' Matt nodded at him before leaving to return to the stage.

We just sat there for a while, on the carpeted floor, whilst I cried.

''Wanna tell me why you chose that song?'' His voice was comforting and light, he tried to cheer me up with his addictive personality.

''I don't know. So much was going through my head and- this is too much to deal with. I saw him and I just-'' I let out a giant exhale, giving up on trying to speak.

''Divorce is messy. You had to go through it alone, in your house, no one to help you. If I could've been there, I would have, oh my god I would've.'' He had such sincere sympathy in his voice and his eyes, I couldn't be this pathetic in front of him.

''No one could have known they would arrive, I knew it was coming, knew what he felt for her. I just thought he would do it in person at least, not like a pussy, god he's such a quivering pussy.'' I growl, standing up to grab a complimentary bottle of water from the set up table.

''Everyone agrees with you. Work is going to be difficult now but- at least you weren't his love interest.'' He giggles, I try to keep a straight face but give in to him, smiling proudly.

''No, I'm yours, I cannot wait to flex on that bitch that I don't care about him anymore.'' I run over and jump onto the awful yellow couch, lying down.

''Well you sure showed it out there.'' He shoved my legs off the coach and sat down, but before I could protest, he picked them up and lay them over his.

''Hey- too soon.'' I pointed a warning finger at him before both of us erupted with laughter. ''That was so embarrassing, I'm never coming again, I will just bar crawl all day.'' I groaned, stretching out my arms.

''Do you miss him?'' This silenced the room, I though of an answer.

''I don't know, I miss the perks of being married. Over the years we grew apart, we loved each other, yeah but-'' He finished it off for me.

''But you weren't in love with each other?'' He looked over at me, placing his hand on top of mine, his sad eyes said it all.

''Yeah.'' I stared into nothing, this is the start of a lonely road ahead.

''It doesn't have to be lonely.'' Guess I said that out loud.

''Yeah, Rich, it does-''

''No, it doesn't. You have me, Rob, Mark and many othe-''

''It's not the same! I can't hold onto to any of you at night and hug away my tears, I can't share kisses and longing looks at-''

''What if it can be? The same?'' I shot my gaze to him, feeling my heart scream inside my chest.

''W-What do you mean?'' I swallow, realising my throat is dry and feels like sandpaper, I try not to cough.

''Mark told me- about that night in Vegas? You two were the only ones left at the bar, scotch-drunk to holy hell. You told him how you felt about me, and how you told Jared. And how he had told you about Genevieve.'' His voice was quiet and unsure, unsure of what I would say and how I would react.

''Damn it, Pellegrino.'' I looked down to the floor towards Hell, before looking at Rich.

''I know it's too soon for you to even have an opinion on this-'' He starts.

''You're right. It is too soon, too soon for me to date anyone for now. How about, we hang out with each other tomorrow. We'll have a movie night.'' I emphasise my words and he get's the gist. It had been four months, it was perfectly okay to say yes to him, so I did it indirectly.

''That sounds perfect. My hotel room, should I invite the vodka or will you?'' I smile at him, shaking my head.

''I think I might skip on inviting Dr. Smirnoff just yet, two's a company.'' I study his eyes, the golden flecks swimming affectionately within the ochre shade.

''Great idea, meet me straight after tomorrow's con, it's the only time we will have for a while,'' I grab his hand which still rested on mine.

''Sick.'' Why did I have to be like this in serious situations?

''Really?'' His judging yet teasing tone played into my ears.

''Really.''

#supernatural imagine #supernatural #supernatural cast #supernatural cast imagine #jared padalecki #jared padalecki imagine #richard speight jr #richard speight jr imagine #richard speight jr x reader #richard speight jr imagines #matt cohen #sns #rob benedict #sebastian roche

[phoebe-delia]

please give me a rant on Cats ily btw

Hi nonnie! Omg ily too, thank you! And thank you for this ask, because ooohh boy do I have feelings about this adaptation.

First of all, I have a few disclaimers to make:

1. I love the actual musical. Yes, I know the show is very controversial--either you love it or you hate it--but I grew up on "Cats." I loved it, and the book of poems it's based on. So for those looking for a rant about the lack of plot or criticizing the show itself, this post isn't for you.

2. I'm not even going to address the CGI other than to say....that was a choice. I think the critics and social media have done plenty to criticize it, and I won't say more about that fever dream on 'shrooms.

3. There were two aspects of the movie I enjoyed: Jennifer Hudson singing "Memory" and Taylor Swift's appearance; though even the presence of my favorite artist of all time was not enough to redeem this movie.

And for you, nonnie, I rewatched both the trailer and The Rum Tum Tugger song. I will be sending you the bill for my therapy <3 ;)

Now, onto the good stuff.

I'll start with the casting. Something that a ton of movie musical adaptations do is stunt-cast big names to draw audiences because they're afraid that people won't want to see a movie musical. This happened in the "Les Miserables" movie, and while big-name choices like Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron-Cohen, and even Hugh Jackman had varying degrees of success, Russell Crowe as Javert was an obvious flop.

People like Jackman, Meryl Streep, and more recently James Corden have been cast in all these movie musicals because they're famous enough to get the average person into the theater. But, God, at what cost? I mean honestly, the only instance in which I think stunt casting truly worked was in the "Chicago" movie, which I firmly believe is the best movie musical adaptation ever made. (But that's another post.)

But please for the love of God can we start casting people with singing talent in musicals? Please? I'm begging.

Anyway, I digress. My point is: casting big names--even distinguished, incredible actors like Sir Ian McKellen and Idris Elba and Dame Judi Dench--will not save a movie musical from being shitty.

But here's probably my biggest problem: the acting itself.

Almost every single character was just the actor's personality projected into it. With the exception of the two previously unknown actors, it just felt like the characters were simply the actors dressed in costume and being a weird, exaggerated version of themselves. Little attention seemed to be paid to the actual characterization of the cats.

I think what hurt the most for me, personally, was Jason Derulo as Rum Tum Tugger. Oh, ouch, this one was painful because growing up I was a huge fan of the character. To be fair to Derulo, it is nearly impossible to follow in the footsteps of Terrence Mann. I mean, he played both Tugger and Javert in the original Broadway casts of Cats and Les Mis respectively--he's a musical theater giant.

But with Derulo, Tugger became...weaker and kinda one-dimensional. Rum Tum Tugger is flamboyant and funny, sort of like Elvis or Mick Jagger. He's larger than life, and Derulo just made him kinda sleazy without the high energy. I will say--his take on the iconic ending riff was good; he hit the right notes while still making it his own. Derulo is clearly talented, but I don't think he was well cast in this role.

Honestly, I think "Cats" should never have been adapted. Even if it pleased every die-hard fan of the show and did everything perfectly, it's so controversial and polarizing among theater fans that there's little chance that a non-theater fan is going to even see it--let alone enjoy it. The musical itself is kind of insane; it's an acquired taste, and it's not for everyone.

The moral of the story is, in my humble opinion, if you can't use the film genre and tools to enhance the story (or at least match the quality) then do a professional shot of it on stage, and either way, hire talented, diverse, unknown theater actors who can sing.

*sigh.* Alright, end of rant. Honestly, thank you nonnie this was cathartic. I think we can call it even on the therapy bill ;)

Send me an ask about Harry Potter, broadway/musicals, The West Wing, and/or Taylor Swift! Or just about life in general :).

Also, I have a playlist of my 99 most listened-to songs of the year so far. Pick a number 1--99 and send me an ask and I'll write you a fic based on it!

#cats the musical #jellicle cats #musicals #broadway #movie musicals #musical theater #ask #ask me anything #ask me questions #ama

[praphit]

Top Ten BAMFs of 2021

It's that time again, baby! - to honor our top BAMF of 2021

Last year's batch was a bit tainted - I mean, Laura Linney and Sacha Baron Cohen were on there, and ended with Nic Cage being the winner. 

Now, I love Nic Cage as much as anyone, but he hasn't really been a bamf since "Con Air".

Let's see if we can cook up some people this year who are a little more intimidating.

Criteria:

1) Badass in power 2) Badass in attitude 3) Relevant to our culture in 2021

Honorable Mentions:

Black Messiah (”Judas and the black Messiah”) Halle Berry (”Bruised”) Taskmaster (”Black Widow”)

Vin Diesel (simply being Vin)

Peacemaker (The Suicide Squad ) Bloodsport (””)

Evil Dr. Strange (”What if...?”) Dave Chappelle - Not getting into right or wrong here, but simply the fact that he knew there was a pool filled with piranhas in it, and he still jumped in and survived... though the counter argument would be that he kinda filled the pool up with piranhas himself for some unknown reason (a la "Jackass" -  the reason he didn't make the cut)

Michael Myers - LOVE, but he's like 70. I'm pretty sure most of us can out run him at this point

And probably a handful of Matrix people, but that movie hasn't come out yet.

So... here we go:)

#10 - Tyson Fury

The reason starts with whom his opponent was this year - Deontay Wilder. This guy hits harder than anyone in the game. He's the Michael Jordan of knocking people out. Tyson Fury took his best shots and kept on going. This man's story is badass and inspiring. The only thing about him that's more badass than his fighting skills might be his sense of style.

#9 - Norman Nordstrom

I know, you're probably saying  "Who the BLEEP is that?!" He's pretty much blind Rambo. He buys shitty homes, people keep breaking into them (idk why... he has no valuables), and then he goes nuts and kills everyone in awesome ways. Two things to mention: He's got kind of a psycho-killer name, right?? Anyone named Norman Nordstrom is not going to be well adjusted. AND there was the whole semen in the turkey baster thing (from the last movie)... if you don't know what I'm referring to, then thank God that the scene I'm mentioning isn't seared into your memory banks as it is in mine. Can't really let that incident go, so he couldn't climb any higher than #9, but this guy is a glorious, badass, scary, killing machine.

#8 - Omni-Man

You might not know who he is (hence only #8), but he's one of the most powerful people on this list. He's voiced by J.K. Simmons. He's pretty much Superman without that lame Kryptonite weakness. Besides the general badassery of having Superman-like powers, there's a scene in season 1 that... WILL horrify you. Imagine Superman deciding he wants to take-out a bunch of people in the most gruesome ways he can think of... or imagine being locked in a room with a gorilla who has heard that you've been talkin smack about his mama; think about what it could do to you. Now, imagine your demise being animated and showing everything to an audience.... yeah, horrifying. So, if you see me crawl-up in a ball and cry whenever I hear a Farmer's Insurance commercial, you'll know why.

#7 - Harley Quinn

She used to get on my nerves; she still kinda does. Not only did I used to date someone who is as annoying as she is (don't decide who to date while you're drinking, kids), but we've been over-saturated by Harley costumes. All of these ladies trying to be sexy in this costume - it's too easy. Ladies, try a character that's not already sexy. What about sexy Prof X. Though I guess the whole wheelchair thing would be very insensitive... so in losing that, you'd just be a bald woman in a suit. You'd have to always make that "I have a migraine" look for people to have any chance of guessing who you're supposed to be... 

never mind... bad idea. But, you understand... pick someone that's not supposed to be sexy AND that people hate - like the wicked witch of the West or an IRS agent. "I'm here to steal your hard earned money" - make that sexy, I dare you.

Harley Quinn has a prison break scene that is beautifully and gracefully badass. Plus, she is always ready to leap into battle against super-humans and monsters, when she herself has no powers. Whether that's bravery or insanity, it's won her a spot on this year's list.

#6 - Captain America (Falcon with the shield)

We've got to do something about that name thought, right? I mean... this is Captain America. He's still alive! He's just really old. Kinda ageist to simply give his name to someone else, especially if he's still kickin (kicking more slowly, but still kicking). The Rock is starting to get up there in age; are you telling me that one day, we'll look up and they'll be a new The Rock? Of course "Black America" doesn't really work (kinda bleeped up). "The NEW Captain America" would get old real fast. How about "Captain Falcon"? Or maybe it should simply be "Falcon with the Shield". "Falcon America"? "Capt Black Twitter"? Regardless of his name problem, he's got skills:

All of that badassery while going up against super soldiers, the racism that comes along with picking up THAT shield after Steve Rogers, learning to wield the shield, AND still managing to be a compassionate human being despite all of this - def a badass, and def worthy of the name (although I do think there's something to "Capt Black Twitter").

#5 - Shang-Chi

This guy is always ready for a fight, and  has had some great ones: he beat some ass on an out-of-control-speeding bus. He beat some ass of a bunch of trained ninjas. He beat some ass outside on some scaffolding. There is no ass that will go unbeaten, if Shang feels threatened.

And he never has time to prep for his badassery. That's what people on the outside don't get - the secret to being a badass isn't prep; you either are one or you aren't. You can't ask the enemies of life to hold up while you put your BAMF face on. If you're the real deal than you're ready to go at all times, even if it's against magic, or demons, or dragons, or magical demonic dragons, or the Daddy Murder Death's of the world (movie villain), or whatever the hell this thing is

You can never catch this man off-guard. I imagine that magical, demonic ninjas could attack him while he's on the toilet, and he would still be ready to bring the pain.

#4 - Sub-Zero

Y'all forgot about that Mortal Kombat movie that came out didn't you? Lightning Guy, Laser Eye, a reptile shooting acid... there was a dude who made a dragon composed of fire, and yet ALL of these peeps and many more ran in terror at the sight of Sub-Zero. He'd walk in the room, cool as ice and people would start crying.

Everywhere he walks there's ice building up, so there are always traffic problems, you can't have no warm food around him (I can't imagine how family dinner time goes), AND he's one of the best martial artists you'll meet, who has a bad habit of freezing people until they explode. If there's a fork in the road, with Subby on one side and a pack of wolves on the other, go with the pack of wolves; they might show you mercy. I don't know what crawled up this dude's butt and died to make him so angry all of the time, but I'm glad it's there so we can all witness his BAMFness.

#3 - Ultron

We all know the problem Ultron was when he had his own movie. This year (in "What if..." ) he got himself a new body (Vision's to be exact), AND the infinity stones. That Thanos guy has been a real inspiration.

With all of this power he did what all A.I.'s do - try to destroy the disease that is mankind. The thing is, he pretty much succeeds. He does inexplicably leave some stragglers behind, but that's a plot hole for another day. In this series, there's a god-like being called "The Watcher". Ultron gets bored, due to accomplishing his mission of wiping out mankind, so he comes after the GOD-LIKE being, and delivers an inter-dimensional ass-whupin that I don't think you'll see anywhere else. I've seen some rough knockouts before, but to be punched through time, space, and alternate realities is a new one. They couldn't even stop him, they had to trap him! If "What if..." were more popular he'd be my number one for sure.

#2 - Wanda

You don't want to mess with witches; this is a fact of life. You certainly don't want to mess with one who's powerful enough to create her own world. Not just that, but made this world she created a Tv show. Sounds crazy when you say that out loud. She brought her dead lover back to life (Vision. He's really getting used and tossed around isn't he??). They had some magical kids that she also created.

Her power of course is badass, but more importantly, those looks she gives when you've crossed her. whew! If she gives you this look, then it's already too late for you. I don't even know how to explain what her powers are... she can pretty much do anything. The problem I have with her (and why she's not #1) is that she tortured people. She created a little world, but not the people; those she had to control the minds of, and in "WandaVision" it's said that this control was torturous. Torture ain't bad ass, especially if there's no remorse. She just strolled off. She would be so cancelled... if everyone weren't so terrified of her.

#1 Black Widow

No death in a comic book movie has ever been so beautiful - figuratively and literally. Look at her, 

that picture could be on the cover of Vogue. She saved her best pose for last.

The sacrifice that saved the world.

But, before that last spread, she evaded the military, took on a league of assassins only to set them free from mind control, there was the whole sever the nerve thing (which was silly, but if I go with it, pretty badass), there was a great prison break, she got her mission-impossible-wearing-someone-else’s -face-thing on, and survived jumping out of like 20 windows. How many windows have you jumped out of recently? This was just another week for her. She did all of these things without any powers! This takes true bravery. - knowing your limits and the limits of the situation, and being able to find that sweet spot where you can kick super-villain ass and still make it home to eat some ice cream.

Now, she was an assassin, which... I would say is frowned upon. BUT, she saw the error of her ways, changed her course, and became an Avenger. Even her path of redemption was badass.

She was also in "What if..." taking on Ultron, a mass of zombies, and a Wanda Zombie!

Scarjo, inspired by her BAMF character, took on Disney this year and got a settlement. You have to be a badass to take on that mouse. Granted, she still has some deals with Disney. If I were Mickey I'd keep casting her in roles where she ends up at the bottom of a cliff. But, for now, she’s on top, and my 2021 BAMF of the Year :)

Take a bow.

#BAMF #johnpraphit #marvel #dc #omniman #dontbreathe #praphitproductions.com #blackwidow #vindiesel #davechappelle #wandavision #scarletwitch #vision #ultron #Praphit #captainamerica #shang-chi #harleyquinn #bloodsport #comics #moviereviews #actionmovies #actionheroes #disney

[ariesbilly]

gladys/alice + 53

53. Take off your shirt. (apologies in advance to any hal fans reading this lmfao i feel like i did him kinda dirty my bad. but hal haters are not allowed to clown on this post. also this did not turn out sexy just sad lmfao sorry)

read on ao3

She knew tonight would be a shit show. Didn’t matter that she had spent two weeks saving up money to actually buy a respectable enough outfit for dinner with the Coopers when she could have just stolen one. Because she wanted to fit in. Wanted them to like her. Didn’t want to feel like even more of an outcast in clothes she swiped from the local department store. 

Turns out, you can take the girl out of the South Side, but you can’t take the South Side out of the girl. Not according to Prudence Cooper and the giant stick he has lodged up her ass, anyway. 

Alice had been on her best behavior from the second she stepped foot on Elm Street. Had smiled and said all the right things. Had gone so far as to make Hal teach her proper dinner etiquette because she wanted to get everything perfectly right. And none of it mattered. Because all Prudence Cooper had done the whole night was look down her nose at her. Did that shit that all those bored, stuffy, suburban housewives do where they make these cryptic little jabs at you with a smile on their face so you have to think twice about if you’ve just been insulted. Because God forbid they say what they really feel. That’s too tacky, apparently. But playing mind games with a teenager is acceptable. 

By the time dinner was over Alice’s palms were bleeding from her nails digging into them so hard. Because, for as much as she wanted to jump over the table and deck Prudence Cooper in her little Puritan face, she knew better. Because, in spite of his nutjob mother, Alice still loved Hal. Even though she was questioning that allegiance now. 

Not once during that dinner from hell did he pipe his big mouth up to say anything in her defense. He’s her boyfriend. That’s supposed to mean something. All the shit she gets from everyone for dating a North Sider, a Cooper, no less, and she always defends him. And he can’t say one thing to his mother.

So now here she was, at some house party drowning her sorrows, her anger. She’d come here with Hal, she remembers that much. But the minute she stepped inside she made it her mission to stay away from him the rest of the night. She wanted to wipe all memory of Hal and the Coopers from her mind, and she was doing a pretty damn good job of it, if she said so herself. 

There was some blue concoction in a giant bowl in the kitchen that kind of tasted like ass, if she was honest. But, fortunately, it had lost all flavor by her third cup, so she kept going back for more.

She’s lost count by now of how many times she’s sent some freshman to fetch her a refill while she hides out in any other corner of the house that isn’t the kitchen because Hal gave up trying to chase her only for her to dodge him. Thought he was being smart parking it in the kitchen to wait for her to come back for another drink. Like she wouldn’t figure out a way around that one.

But apparently Hal’s wizened up to that plan, too. She can see him moving through the crowd of partygoers, obviously looking for her. She’s got the advantage, though, crouched down on the floor out of view. Time to move, though. Can’t risk Hal finding her and turning this night into an even worse fiasco.

Getting up proves to be a little more difficult than anticipated. The room immediately starts spinning, and she has to reach her hand out to the nearest wall to steady herself. Stands still, takes a couple of deep breaths, then she’s good to go. 

Except she’s not. Barely a step forward and she’s falling sideways into the wall. 

“Fuck,” she says on impact before falling into a fit of giggles. The wall suddenly feels like exactly where she needs to be. It’s nice. Soft. Safe...

“Jesus, Al, how much have you had tonight?”

There’s arms around her suddenly. Strong, but skinny. Not Hal’s. And that voice... definitely not Hal’s. Too feminine, even with the grit it possesses. Something oddly familiar she can’t quite place.

“‘m fine,” she says, trying to push out of whoever’s hold she’s in. The room’s so dark around her. Can’t see shit in front her, but that doesn’t matter. She’s just gotta move forward.

“Like hell you are. C’mon, where’s that boytoy of yours?”

Alice’s eyes flutter open at that. Suddenly the room’s not so dark anymore. Gladys Cohen is the one holding her up, she sees now. Because this night just had to get worse for her.

“Don’t wanna see him.” The words slur coming out of her mouth. 

Gladys huffs beside her. “Fine. Whatever. But I’m cutting you off.”

She reaches for the cup just as Alice is bringing it to her lips. The reaction is slow, but once Alice is keyed in to what Gladys is doing, she jerks her hand away out of reach. “Fuck off.”

“Don’t be a brat.” 

Gladys reaches over again for the cup, this time successfully getting ahold of it. Only serves to make Alice pull back, an anger flaring up inside her. 

“Get off me!”

“I’m not letting you get alcohol poisoning over a fight with your boyfriend, that’s so fucking cliche, Al!”

“It’s none of your business!”

Alice swings her arm back towards her in full force, and she feels it instantly. The warm liquid spilling down her shirt, pressing it to her skin. She looks down and sees nothing but a big purple splotch, the blue drink mixing in with the soft pink of her satin blouse. 

The blouse she spent weeks saving for. The blouse that was supposed to solve all her problems. The blouse that couldn’t save her from making a bad impression on Hal’s mother. 

A dam breaks. Tears free flow down her face and there’s a whine coming from the back of her throat, high and shrill and she doesn’t even care.

“Aw, shit. Al-”

“Everything’s ruined!” She yells with everything she has in her. Pounds both her fists into Gladys’ chest, hard enough that she stumbles back a step, before running off to the nearest bathroom.

She slams the door shut as soon as she gets inside. Grabs the nearest hand towel and places under the water and furiously starts scrubbing away at the stain. Some color rubs off onto the towel but it’s doing nothing to remove it from her shirt. 

Vision blurry with tears, Alice gives up, throwing the towel down with a growl before gripping the countertop in front of her. She squeezes her eyes shut, trying to stop the tears, but it does nothing. She should’ve known better. Playing dress-up for one night doesn’t change anything. She’ll always be South Side trash, and the universe won’t let her forget it. 

There’s a soft tapping at the door. Alice rubs her sleeve under nose before answering. “Go away.” But it’s half-hearted.

The door slowly opens. Gladys peaks her head through, like she’s making sure it won’t get bitten off. When she deems it safe enough she lets herself fully in, closing the door behind her. “You okay?”

Alice sniffles. “Do I look okay?”

“Maybe not your finest hour, but I’ve got no complaints.”

Alice rolls her eyes.

“Take off your shirt,” Gladys commands, jutting her chin out at her.

“I’m not in the mood, G-”

Gladys laughs. “And I’m not trying to fuck the drunk girl. Take off your shirt.” She sets a jug of detergent she must’ve gotten from the laundry room down onto the counter before sliding her jacket off. 

Alice gets the hint, then, and starts unbuttoning her blouse. Gladys is removing her own shirt - some old and hand-me-down Runaways tee - and handing it over. Stands there in nothing but her bra and ripped jeans.

With a tentative hand, Alice takes it, tries her best to avoid looking. Their fingers brushing for the briefest second before Gladys is reaching for the stained blouse. Gets to work on making it look new again.

Alice slips the old shirt on. Can smell the brand of cigarettes Gladys smokes on it. The ones they used to share under the bleachers between periods and behind the Wyrm before Alice decided to quite. There’s an undercurrent of something pleasant there, too. Cinnamon and cloves. A mix that is so distantly Gladys. It makes her head spin, but she’ll blame that on her drunken state.

It makes the tears start falling again.

“Woah, hey.” Gladys abandons the shirt in the sink and turns to pull Alice into her arms. “What’s got you all worked up, blondie?”

Sometimes Alice feels like she made a mistake. That she chose wrong. And she hates to admit because, because she loves Hal. But. She misses her old life, too. And right now... everything feels too familiar. In Gladys’ shirt, in Gladys’ arms. The way Gladys is petting her hair and making her feel okay when everything’s not okay. 

She pulls back enough to look Gladys in the eyes. Gladys traces a fingertip softly at her temple, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear and in that split second Alice makes the decision to lean forward, press their lips together.

It’s wrong. She knows. Hal’s outside looking for her, worried about her. And here she is hiding away, kissing her ex girlfriend. 

Gladys’ mouth opens in a gasp, and Alice takes it as an invitation. Except. 

Gladys presses the palm of her hand to Alice’s chest, pushing her back gently. “I’m not doing this, Al,” she says. There’s no anger in her voice. No hostility, surprisingly. Just... a rational calm that Alice feels so far away from.

“Why not?” Alice pouts.

Gladys smiles, but it seems sad. “Because your boyfriend’s outside.”

“You don’t even like Hal.” She goes in for another kiss, but is stopped short with Gladys’ hand to her chest again.

“But you do. You’re drunk, and upset, and I’m not interested in taking advantage.”

“Gladys-”

Gladys slips her leather back on. Zips it up to just her navel before turning to open the door. She pauses, turns to nod at the shirt in the sink. “Be gentle with that but keep scrubbing. Should come out just fine. Then go make up with your boyfriend.”

She turns to leave for good this time, but the moment doesn’t feel finished. Things never really feel finished when it comes to them.

“Gladys?”

She’s chewing on her bottom lip when she turns to face Alice again. Eyebrows raised in expectancy. 

But there’s no words coming to Alice. Nothing feels significant enough to encapsulate the moment, everything she’s feeling. Hell if she even knows what she’s feeling. Longing? Regret? Apologetic? All of it all at once.

The silence hangs heavy between them, but Gladys must feel it, too. She gives Alice a final nod before leaving, shutting the door behind her. And Alice is left alone, wiping a tear from her eye.

#Anonymous #this is the second time ive written alice being under the influence of something and fighting with gladys who is just trying to take care of #her... what does it mean #riverdale fanfiction #alice cooper #gladys jones #femslash february #my writing #riverparents #briana answers things

[eventidedaydreamer]

What is everybody's strengths and weaknesses in your Bendy Au?

:) oh >:) okay

Joey Drew: 

Strengths 

he knows a lot of things, 

Intelligence

he can be very charming and can win people over easily, 

he’s the kind of person that you immediately like when you meet him, 

he knows how to leave a good impression.

If you actually get to know him he can be very bubbly and excitable.

Weaknesses 

he can’t read people, 

he’s brain smart but he isn’t emotionally smart, 

he doesn’t get it when someone shows emotions in a way he isn’t familiar with. 

He lashes out when he’s reminded of unpleasant things.

He knows how to turn everyone into ink creatures through sacrifice but he doesn’t stop to think if he should.

His coping mechanisms are not very healthy

Jealousy, clingy, its hard for him to consider that people can have more than one friend

Henry Stein:

Strengths 

He’s very tough (have you seen how much he falls?? and he’s OLD) 

Probably broke some bones when he was a kid so now he has stronger bones. 

He can handle a LOT of pain, 

he’s cool under stress and pressure, 

he’s a hard worker and a very talented artist.

He has a good memory

Weaknesses 

He has trouble expressing himself 

He’s a people pleaser and has a hard time saying no (something he’s worked on and is better about after he met his wife), 

He underreacts to things and overthinks a lot (overthinking is another thing he got better with after he met Linda)

Wally Franks:

Strengths 

One of the FRIENDLIEST people you will ever meet, 

and hes really really funny

He somehow knows everyone’s name even if he only met them once three years ago, 

It’s like he’s living life at a different speed because it seems like he spent the whole day with you but he also had time to see ten other people the same day?? 

He seems innocent and as if his perfect bubble of the world would pop if you mentioned something upsetting but the reality is he’ll listen to anything you need to get out and then give really good advice followed up with his usual humor.

He trusts that there is good in everyone and gives people second chances

Weaknesses 

He does really stupid things a lot

He’ll connect pipes wrong, resulting in later damage and messes

He’s always getting himself hurt, jumping too many stairs at once, making someone really angry and running for his life (Sammy’s the main one that’ll actually chase him down)

It’s like he has no sense of self-preservation 

(HOW IS HE NOT DEAD?!)

He is really trusting and some people take advantage of that

He opens himself up to everyone and forgives a little too easily

Sammy Lawrence:

Strengths

He knows how to stick up for himself and others

Hardworking

He is damn good at his job and won’t let you forget it

Sarcastic

Honest

Mature

He can hear the music as he’s writing it, feel it in his head when he sees sheet music

Very independent 

If he considers you a friend, he will go to extremes to get back at anyone that hurts you (Just ask Jack, he’s been friends with him the longest!)

It is unknown how many instruments Sammy can play, the band make guesses all the time and Jack is asked on a weekly basis but refuses to comment

its an ongoing discussion 

Determination, he’s the only one that will actually chase Wally til he catches him

Weaknesses

He’s angry almost constantly

The glass is half empty

Doesn’t hold back snide remarks (but if the remark is about music in some way you better listen there’s advice hidden somewhere)

Yelling, but it’s mostly just a very loud “WALLY FRANKS!” followed by running footsteps and Wally’s giddy laughter

I N S O M N I A C

constantly has bags under his eyes

A Perfectionist, Only the best can come from the office of Sammy Lawrence even if he forgets to eat while doing so

yeah thats another thing, he forgets about things like eating, sleeping, ya know, human things

He’s intimidating, the string of constant negativity doesn’t make many friends

Workaholic 

He’s become dependent on the few friends he has to break him out of his  work until its done mode and remind him to eat and sleep (Jack, Wally, Norman and Susie a little.)

because :) it would be a shame :) if one of them :)  went missing :) huh?

Susie Campbell:

Strengths

Hopeful and optimistic

Friendly

She has a really pretty face, shes really pretty in general

she gets a lot of attention because of it

shes tougher than she looks and uses it to her advantage

she is really clever

Flirty and a romantic 

an exciting storyteller, she can make a trip to the refrigerator sound interesting

Weaknesses

Possessive

she wants to hear all the gossip until its about her

is really jealous of the smallest things

she may seem like a little innocent flower but she’s the thorniest rose in the garden and you are growing a little too close to her

Alice Angel means everything to her, its the best way to distract her from anything else :)

the second best way is to mention her star-shaped birthmark/freckle

Norman Polk:

Strengths

Observant 

He’s very good at guessing things correctly

He seems to know something about everything and everyone

A really great listener

He also just has good hearing in general, easily eavesdrops 

Physically strong, he can lift anyone with ease

Wise and careful

he has some pretty sound advice in him if you ask for any

has a very good control on his temper and is calm and cool even in heated arguments or dangerous situations

a good people reader

is very understanding

Weaknesses

He’s scary, just how he likes it

People get the wrong ideas about him (He’s just sitting there! Is he watching me?)

to be fair, he might be

He doesn’t attempt to get to know people unless he sees a reason to

gets into other peoples business 

He’s always lookin’ for trouble

too curious for his own good

doesn’t talk about his feelings

Jack Fain:

Strengths

He’s so good at rhyming that he does it subconsciously on a regular basis

Creative

Empathetic

He’s not afraid to show emotion

Forgiving

Generosity

Gentle and soft

Humble

Patient

Selfless

Weaknesses

He can be really emotional a lot of the time

He spaces out a lot

he can seem like a crybaby

Doesn’t take credit for things he should

Lies about how he really feels to make other people comfortable, he doesn’t want to be a bother

puts himself down to make other people look better

Really shy

doesn’t stick up for himself

too passive

worries a lot

Johnny:

Strengths

He really loves his job

He’s a romantic at heart

very sweet and considerate

Loyal and devoted

Sees the best in people

Weaknesses

He falls in love way too easily

ignores flaws even when they’re concerning

can easily become an emotional mess

fears being rejected more than anything else (bro just love him he’s too sweet)

Shawn Flynn:

Strengths

He’ll tell someone off when they’ve done something wrong

believes in karma and justice

likes sewing while he’s talking/doing something else

really good at multitasking

Luck of the Irish

like he misses getting injured by mere inches

this makes him the perfect Go and Do Something Stupid companion with Wally

He’s really proud of his heritage and his work

Weaknesses

Shouts a lot

He can be too prideful and overconfident

isn’t into mercy or forgiveness 

can and will turn anything into a rivalry if its the last thing he does!!

the downside to being his friend is that its dangerous to hug him because he puts needles through his clothes so he can find them later

he says its built in protection

and Wally says ow

Thomas Connor:

Strengths

He’s been good with anything technical since he was little and only got better at it with age 

Honorable

Hardworking

Mature

Weaknesses

He believes in a one strike and you’re out ideal, leaving him to not trust some genuinely nice people (but he also doesn’t trust some questionable people so he sees it as justifiable)

Reserved, doesn’t attempt to get to know anyone

he can work too hard

Pessimistic

Allison Pendle:

Strengths

Boy can she give an inspirational speech

She’s very generous

Brave 

Levelheaded

She’s a lot stronger than she looks

you should hear her belt out a song

Weaknesses

prefers to fix other peoples problems rather than deal with her own

she’s really competitive 

she gets herself hurt a lot

can be a little too fierce

Grant Cohen:

Strengths

Math, he’s good at math

he was like yeah i can do numbers I’ll be an accountant! (bro im sorry u got Joey as a boss)

He’s a good singer (which seems random unless you know)

Weaknesses

A N X I E T Y

really cannot talk to anyone

his words get all jumbled up

if he had the internet he’d constantly be searching things like, how to explain to your boss that his decisions are putting the company in dept? how do you stand up to your boss?

has bad panic attacks

Bertrum Piedmont:

Strengths

He’s super confidant

Not afraid to get his hands dirty

Even though he almost always is dressed up nice

He makes sure he looks presentable

He acts like a dad to people he likes

Cultured

Very determined 

He can and will do anything out of spite and you can’t stop him because that will only give him more reason to

Weaknesses

Really prideful, gets offended over little things

is pretty arrogant as well

it’s really hard for him to change his mind after he’s made a decision 

refuses to lose, even if it’s really obvious that he has

he can be condescending 

doesn’t like or participate in humor, he’s always deadly serious

He can be over dramatic a lot

Lacie Benton:

Strengths

nothing seems to surprise her

calm and chill

a really good listener, the kind that you know can keep a secret

doesn’t take herself too seriously or anyone, (Bertrum finds her company to be one of his favorites after he figures that out)

shE WEARS WHATEVER SHE WANTS BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T CARE ABOUT YOUR OPINION SHE JUST LIKES WEARING PANTS

Weaknesses

stays quiet about important things, she ain’t no snitch, who cares if she witnessed someone stealing something

Super apathetic about life

kinda isolated (Norman says hi)

Lazy but only because she can do it really fast and well so you can wait for her

Linda Stein:

Strengths

It’s a good thing she’s so confidant else Henry would have just looked at this pretty lady and never introduced himself

shes like really good at gardening, talk about a green thumb!

Affectionate 

knows when to be gentle and when someone needs tough love

and shes good at distributing both

shes so brave

Eager and excited easily

super patient 

Understanding

Weaknesses

she can come off as too forward and a little too fast

can get a little frazzled

Forgetful (Henry helps with that)

she doesn’t want to invade anyone’s boundaries but doesn’t ask what they are so its a tug of war within her

Sorry this took so long, I wanted to really think about it and do it justice! :D

#Bendy and the Ink Machine #joey drew #Henry Stein #wally franks #sammy lawrence #susie campbell #norman polk #Jack Fain #johnny #shawn flynn #thomas connor #allison pendle #grant cohen #bertrum piedmont #lacie benton #Linda Stein #batim #headcanon #headcanons #ask #anonymous #Anon #long post

[kuiinncedes]

guess who keeps writing random quinntina drabbles in completely unrelated aus and refusing to expand on any of them :D so yeah i wrote a shadowhunters!quinn and tina thing (that i actually might expand on bc i was working on a klaine shadowhunter thing and it’s not super different or anything ANYWAY) idk if i need to explain shit to make it easier to understand or anything but here’s some explanations :P

shadowhunters = demon killers born with angel blood, they draw runes on themselves to do things like heal or give extra agility, strength, etc. also shadowhunters usually have compound last names it’s a whole thing but i kept their last names anyway it doesn’t matter lmao

iratze = healing rune, when a shadowhunter uses one it heals them :P

parabatai = platonically bonded shadowhunters basically, and runes given to someone by their parabatai are sometimes more powerful

Behemoth demons = gross slimy demons with like a giant mouth or something and they’re really hard to kill bc they reform and stuff lol

witchlight = a stone that shadowhunters can use that lights up when they hold it

and i think that’s it, if anyone reads this lol and is confused about any of the shadowhunter aspects feel free to ask me about it :P

also kinda took some things from this prompt list that came across my dash - “you’re bleeding” and “There’s people chasing us and I pulled you into the alley with me and wow your close.” idk it doesn’t really stick to that tho

oh but yeah that means there’s description of blood and stuff not a lot at all and it’s not graphic or anything but yeah just fyi :3 

ANYWAY YEAH I KINDA REALLY LIKE THIS LDFJSLFJ maybe one day i’ll stop adding this random stuff at the beginning of the ficlets i post lol

---

“You’re bleeding.”

“News flash, Fabray, we’re Shadowhunters. It happens.” Tina rolls her eyes, then returns to scanning the surroundings for the Croucher demons that just disappeared. “I can’t believe I got stuck on a patrol with you,” she grumbles.

Quinn scoffs. “I’m not too happy about it either, hon.” She rubs her forearm, bare to the chill of the night air, and examines the wound on Tina’s leg, as best as she can given the distance between them. The blood has already soaked through her gear, the material itself slashed viciously halfway up her thigh. “Let me give you an iratze, at least. It looks bad,” she says, trying to keep the biting in her tone to a minimum. It’s hard, though, around Tina. She thinks she at least succeeds at not sounding like she’s actually going to kill Tina if she gets close.

Tina looks at her with an indecipherable expression, somehow different than the contempt and anger that she usually directs at Quinn. “It’s fine, we don’t have time for that. Mercedes can do it when we get back.” Tina seems to swallow, then looks away. “You know, being my parabatai, it’ll be a lot better than anything you could do.” The insult doesn’t carry half the heat of anything Tina usually says to her, which confuses Quinn. But she doesn’t have time to think on it when Tina’s eyes widen at some point behind her and Quinn whirls around with her seraph blade to meet the dark face of a demon, Tina coming up beside her, stabbing one demon and effectively causing another to vanish with a perfectly-thrown dagger.

Try as she might, Quinn can’t ignore just how insanely good of a Shadowhunter Tina Cohen-Chang is. And it annoys the fuck out of her.

Together they easily kill the demons in the group -- Croucher demons are not the brightest by far -- and Tina is retrieving a dagger from the ground when Quinn sees them. 

Three Behemoth demons, moving sluggishly, and not towards them, but they are going to have to take care of them. 

“What the fuck are Behemoth demons doing in a group…?” Quinn mumbles. They need help for this; no matter how exceptional of a Shadowhunter Tina is, and although Quinn is far from bad herself, two Shadowhunters can’t take on three Behemoth demons. 

“Fuck,” Tina whispers, coming up beside Quinn again. She can’t help but notice how Tina’s dark hair has fallen out of her bun a little, messy strands surrounding her face but of course she still looks so good --

“How do you feel about Behemoths, Fabray?” Tina says quietly, her tone challenging. They’re still just watching the demons, who haven’t done anything yet and have given no indication that they’ve noticed the two Shadowhunters.

Quinn scowls, “Hate them.” Which is an understatement. She and Kurt had a terrible experience with one a few years ago and she prefers not to think about it.

Tina nods. “Same.”

Of course, one of the demons finally turns their way and spots them. “Fuck, we gotta run,” Quinn hisses. She can already see that the demons are dispersing their slimy, disgusting bodies -- she really doesn’t like Behemoths -- to reform somewhere else, no doubt somewhere significantly closer to where they’re standing --

Or behind them. Quinn is yanked sideways by Tina and they sprint down a small road, dark but for the dim street lights reflecting off the wet asphalt.

It doesn’t take long for Quinn to notice something is wrong. She hasn’t patrolled with Tina before, but she’s trained with her, she knows Tina is somewhat faster than her. So why isn’t Tina way ahead of her right now… 

Quinn spares a glance over and right, her leg. Before Quinn can think about it, she’s pulling Tina into a small alley off the side of the road. 

“Shit,” Tina breathes, clenching her jaw and leaning against the wall in this really very narrow alley, they barely have enough space for the two of them, each against one of the walls -- 

Quinn looks at the wound on Tina’s thigh and hisses, “You idiot. You should’ve let me put a damn iratze on you, or you should’ve done it yourself, Angel’s sake -- ”

A Behemoth slides past, dispersing and quickly reforming further up the alley. The other two follow close behind. Quinn presses herself into the shadows of the alley, lessens her breath and tries to force her heart to stop pounding so loudly. She doesn’t think Behemoths have a sense of smell, she’s never learned that, but if they do, she and Tina are screwed and she will need to have a little chat with her demons instructor Will Schuester because this would not be a good time to find that out.

The demons pass. Quinn lets out a slow breath. 

“Lost my stele.” Tina’s breath is coming in shallow gasps; Quinn can tell she’s trying to minimize the sound. The gash on her thigh is way deeper and longer than Quinn realized. It’s hard to see anything with the lack of light in the alley and lack of contrast between Tina’s blood on her skin and the black gear she’s wearing.

“Fuck, do you have a witchlight?” Quinn asks. 

“No.” Tina’s muscles are tight and her body is wound. “It doesn’t matter right now. Call the Institute, we need someone to get rid of those Behemoths.”

Quinn wants to argue, wants to ask Tina if she’s seen her leg, but Tina’s right, infuriatingly. She quickly presses the number for her parabatai on her phone while Tina closes her eyes, resting her head against the brick wall, seemingly trying to calm her breathing.

“Quinn!” Kurt exclaims when he picks up. “What happened? Mercedes said she felt something happen to Tina and you guys have been out longer than you’re supposed to -- ”

“We’re fine,” Quinn interrupts. “Tina’s mostly fine, just a nice cut from a Croucher. We ran into some Behemoths though, need someone to take care of them.”

Kurt groans. “Of course you guys ran into Behemoths.” There’s some faint talking in the background -- Quinn can make out Mercedes demanding to know where her parabatai is, some other voices chime in that she can’t recognize. “Okay, luckily Mike’s here and he can go try to magic them away or whatever he does. Beiste is going with him. Mercedes and I will meet up with you and Tina. Send me your guys’ patrol location.”

“Don’t you know it?”

“Yes, but send it to me anyway,” Kurt says, exasperated, but Quinn can tell he doesn’t really mean it. “Okay? Be careful.”

“Always am.” She ends the call and shoves her phone back into her pocket. Then she remembers Tina, who’s sitting against the wall, legs stretched out in front of her and looking exhausted. 

“Here,” she says, finding her stele and holding it out to her. Tina gives her a half-smile and accepts it. She rolls up her jacket sleeve to draw the rune on her forearm, flowing black lines of the iratze stark against her skin in the dim light. 

“Kurt and Mercedes are coming,” Quinn says. “And Mike and Beiste for the demons.”

“Good, saves me from more time with you,” Tina mumbles halfheartedly.

Quinn rolls her eyes. “Let me help,” she says, kneeling down and reaching for her stele. “It will work better closer to the heart -- ”

“I’m fine,” Tina says hurriedly, leaning away from Quinn slightly. Quinn ignores the slight disappointment she feels at that and exclaims, “Are you serious? Your leg is still pouring blood, you can see that, right?”

Tina swallows. “I don’t want you that close to me.” Her voice is resigned, quiet and Quinn can barely hear her.

“Again, are you serious? What the fuck did I ever do to you?” Quinn knows she shouldn’t be getting angry, especially when they don’t know how far the demons are and they could hear her raised voice -- can Behemoth demons hear? Mr. Schue really didn’t do a great job in their demon education -- and come back to finish them off.

“Quinn, just… just don’t.” Tina rolls her stele back towards her. “Thanks for the stele.”

“No, I want to know! I want to know what the fuck I did to make you treat me like this, because I sure didn’t ask for it.” Quinn is seething now, unable to stop even if she tried. “When we were kids you were okay, but ever since the Shadowhunter Academy you’ve been such an asshole to me, and now you can’t even let me near you to help you, to put a fucking iratze on you -- ”

“I have feelings for you!” Tina yells, effectively shutting Quinn up. Quinn looks down at her in surprise. 

“What -- ?”

Tina puts her head in her hands, running them through her hair and pulling out her bun, her shining black hair spilling across her shoulders. “I… can’t let you near me because… I’m scared,” she says softly to her boots. “I’m scared of what my feelings mean when you get close to me and I want to kiss you so fucking badly... I want to be with you. I -- I realized that at the Shadowhunter Academy when I saw other girls kiss each other and I just,” she shakes her head. “I realized I want to do that with you. And I know there’s no chance for that, I get it. But that’s why I’ve been... mean.”

Quinn stares at Tina, jaw dropped open. Tina meets her gaze for a moment, then averts her eyes and smirks slightly, sadly. “It’s fine, Fabray. I’ll stop being an asshole and you don’t have to talk to me again. Except, you know, when Kurt and Mercedes want us all to hang out, but I’ll stay away.”

Quinn wants to say something -- wants to say no, I don’t want that, when the alley floods with light and she turns to see Kurt and Mercedes, the light coming from a witchlight stone in Kurt’s hand. 

“You know,” he says, smiling, “you could’ve come out after the demons left, would’ve made it easier for us to find you.”

-

Quinn makes her way through the unfamiliar halls of the Columbus Institute. She has a vague sense of where she’s going but she doesn’t live at the Institute so she’s still a little disoriented. But she mostly tries to follow the sound of voices and sure enough, it leads her to the library, where Mercedes and Tina are huddled together over a book, talking and laughing with each other. She watches them, quietly, awkwardly, for a second, then Tina turns and spots her, smile faltering a little.

“Hey, Quinn,” she says softly. Mercedes turns too and waves at her.

“Hey, guys,” Quinn says. She swallows. “Um, could I talk to Tina for a second?” Mercedes shoots Tina a look. She nods back and Mercedes pats her hand and leaves the library, and now Quinn and Tina are alone.

“How’s your leg?” Quinn asks, deciding to stall.

Tina smiles a little, walks up to her. Her hair is in braids today. “Good as new. Tends to be the case after a few iratzes.”

Quinn nods. “Good.”

A moment passes, then Tina exhales and says, “Look, Quinn… I’m really sorry about what I said in the alley. I… can’t say I didn’t mean it, but I promise I won’t act like anything’s different, okay? We don’t even have to talk about it -- ”

“I want to talk about it.”

Tina stops. “You do?”

Quinn runs a hand through her hair. “You meant what you said?”

A slow nod from Tina, and a deep breath from Quinn.

“I’ve been thinking about it,” Quinn says, gaze fixed on the floor between their feet. “I think I feel the same.”

“… what?” 

“I want to kiss you. If you’ll let me.”

At some point, they’ve gotten closer, and now Quinn stands right in front of Tina, their faces almost touching. She barely has to move to press her lips to Tina’s. Tina inhales sharply, but then relaxes and her hands flutter up to lightly cup Quinn’s face as Quinn pulls her closer.

They pull away and Tina laughs slightly, breathlessly.

“Does this mean you still hate me?” Tina asks, her dark eyes sparkling, pupils dilated. Their breaths mingle in the lack of space between them.

“Of course,” Quinn murmurs. “Do you?”

“Why would I like you?” Tina tries to say, grinning, but she’s cut off by Quinn’s next kiss. 

And another, and another.

#quinntina #tina cohen chang #quinn fabray #glee #glee fic #enemies to lovers baybee #not me writing this instead of doing anything else lmao #I HAVE CLASS IN LIKE 2 MINUTES SO *SCREAMS AND HITS POST* #ive been sitting on this all day tho soooo #idk #ive reread it a lot #hopefully enough lmao #my ficsssss #also i accidentally did some stuff my last reread and im not sure if i changed something and didnt notice so if yall see something weird #before i can catch it and fix it lol no you dont :P

[unibrowzz]

Mod (finally) reviews all 67 winners of the Eurovision Song Contest Part IV: The 1980s

Ah yes, the 80s. One of my favourite decades for music overall, and one of the only decades in Eurovision where I wouldn’t immediately jump at the chance to change most of the songs that won, the other decade being the 2000s. 

But at least with the 80s there was more quality songs per year, whereas the 2000s was mostly drivel.

I also count the 80s as being somewhat of a turning point in the contest’s history, and by that I mean it always seemed to me like it was the decade where the UK really began to stop caring. Most people know the song that won in 1985, but nobody knows what won in 1986. Everyone knows Johnny Logan won twice, but couldn’t name his second song. Everyone knows Celine Dion competed, but can’t remember if she won or what she sang. 

That and countries also started experimenting with more modern sounds and outfits towards the end. The early 80s is just an extension of the 70s I swear. 

But that’s enough of all that, how do I find the winning songs?

1980- What’s Another Year?

Country: Ireland

Artist: Johnny Logan 

Language: English

Thoughts: Ah yes, the song that makes every 50something woman in the UK and Ireland all doey-eyed and rosy cheeked as they remember back to when they were a teenager watching this on TV and drooling at the lovely looking sad Irishman singing his sorrows into the microphone.  Or that’s my experience with this song anyway. Another experience is that most vintage fans I know tend to dislike this song on the grounds of it beating out [insert song here] Everyone has their favourite from 1980 since it was honestly a pretty strong year, but even though this song isn’t my first place for that year I can still clearly see why it won. See, 1980 had a lot of pop songs, so a slow, sad song like this one was bound to stand out, whether it was popular or not. Luckily for this one, it turned out to be a popular choice. Other songs wouldn’t be so lucky… Back on track though. Like I said, this is a very sad and melancholy song with sad and melancholy lyrics, which not only made it stand out in its year, but also made it stand out amongst other Eurovision songs of its time. It’s strange to think, but at this point in the contest’s history there hadn’t been a winner with lyrics so solemn and personal. See, in modern Eurovision, every other song is the artist baring their soul about their horrible ex-boyfriend, or their depression, or past abuse, or whatever, so knowing there was a period where songs like that were so rare is just… surreal to me.

Is this my personal winner for this year? This or Greece tbh, I don’t mind this one

If no, what is? Greece- Anna Vissi- “Autostop”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 23rd

1981: Making Your Mind Up

Country: United Kingdom

Artist: Bucks Fizz

Language: English

Thoughts: Ah yes, the UK winner that nobody really likes, but the BBC still forces at us anyway because they’re proud they came up with a gimmick that everybody remembers. Or maybe it’s not that well remembered, but nobody would know that because we’re reminded of it every year. This song is… alright. Just alright. The first listen of this one is always the best, because after a while it just gets kind of annoying. The singing ESPECIALLY starts to grate you for a while. Even in the studio version the two girls sound unbearably shrill and whiny, and I’m not sure if that’s their fault or the songwriter’s (since if I remember correctly only one of them was a professional singer). I’m seriously convinced there’s no way for a female vocalist to pull this off without sounding terrible.  Again, this one’s perfectly fine and serviceable, but that doesn’t mask the fact it’s still the worst UK winner and the worst winner of the 1980s too. 

Is this my personal winner for this year? No

If no, what is? Portugal- Carlos Paião- “Playback”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 58th

1982: Ein Bißchen Frieden

Country: West Germany

Artist: Nicole

Language: German (Translation: “A little peace”)

Thoughts: This song gives me a really warm, nostalgic feeling, and I don’t know why. I mean, I know this one did well internationally, so it’s possible I just heard it as a kid, but given how I grew up in the early 2000s, “Eurovision is a shitty freak show full of weirdos from the USSR who gang up on the UK and don't vote for us on purpose” era Britain, that’s highly unlikely. Anyways, this is such a warm, fuzzy kind of song. It has a lovely… round-the-campfire, singalong kind of vibe, like this is meant to be sung by a load of long haired hippies with flowers in their hair and CND symbols drawn on their cheeks. And it’s… … Also kind of bland. If you’ve been reading my personal winners so far, you’ll have noticed I definitely have a soft spot for old German entries, so it’s a shame I find the one song they actually won with to be so… generic. It’s like they got tired of being unique so decided to send the same saccharine fluff everyone else was sending, and guess what, it paid off majorly, because this song was a huge hit at the time. Something about that kind of bothers me, like, out of all the entries they sent, it’s the one that’s the most “Eurovision-y” that ended up winning. And there’s something depressing in that.

Is this my personal winner for this year? No

If no, what is? United Kingdom- Bardo- “One Step Further”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 50th

1983: Si la vie est Cadeau

Country: Luxembourg

Artist: Corinne Hermés

Language: French (Translation: “If life were a gift”)

Thoughts: You want a tip on how to stand out amongst Eurovision fans? Say you like this song. Probably won’t make you very popular, but you’ll stand out at least. I will confess, I, too, was part of the hate-wagon for this song. Like most fans I knew, I’d complain about how boring and uninteresting it was and how it, ahem, “robbed” so many other entries, and how basic it was, et cetera, et cetera. But… honestly? It’s not even that bad. Sure I had other favourites from 1983 (the ones I could stand watching anyway, the host that year was so unimaginably terrible I gave up watching halfway through. I DARE you to watch the whole thing without wanting to neck yourself), but this song gets way more hate than it deserves. I honestly don’t think this song is half as bad as I made it out to be myself, or as bad as the fandom makes it out to be. It’s got a decent melody, some solid vocals, some appealingly 80s instrumental, like there’s a lot I like here. …Until you read the lyrics and realise they’re almost as half-assed and lazy as All Kinds of Everything’s, but I digress. Did I prefer other songs from that year? Of course. Am I going to complain about this one winning? Nah. It’s alright. 

Is this my personal winner for this year? No

If no, what is? Sweden- Carola Häggkvist- “Främling”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 41st

1984- Diggiloo, Diggiley

Country: Sweden

Artist: Herreys

Language: Swedish

Thoughts: Whenever I was a younger fan I used to describe this song as being drunk-dad-at-a-wedding-music performed by three sentient Ken dolls, and I still stand by that statement. And I don’t really know how else to describe this one. It certainly has its charm, and it’s still a likeable song, but it also feels very… vapid. Like if this song were a person, they’d be a bit of a bimbo. And I mean, the song’s about how the singer’s oh-so-happy and prancing down the street in his brand new shoes, so that’s probably a fair description. Part of me wonders if that’s down to old Eurovision songs being vapid in general or if it’s down to the schlager genre itself requiring songs to be kinda neutered and happy-go-lucky, but even though I do like this song, it does come off as being a bit bland. A bit by-the-numbers and playing-it-safe. And I don’t mind songs like that, but I’d rather they didn’t win, y’know?

Is this my personal winner for this year? Not really

If no, what is? Italy- Alice & Franco- “Il Treni di Tozeur”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 15th

1985- La det Swinge

Country: Norway

Artist: Bobbysocks

Language: Norwegian

Thoughts: Ah yes, the song which finally hauled Norway into first place after years of being a regular last-placer. Maybe the UK should take some notes instead of blaming Brexit. Or Russia. Or Iraq. Or anything other than their own apathy, for that matter. But this is about La det Swinge and not the UK, so what are my thoughts on it? Well it’s… It’s the kind of song I imagine my mom and aunt would sing at a wedding if they ever attended one. It’s a very fun song, a little cheesy, sure, but it’s hard to not like a song that’s this upbeat and cheery.  And yeah I know it’s because it’s schlager and that’s generally a really cheerful genre by default, I touched on that in the review above, 

Is this my personal winner for this year? This or Israel

If no, what is? Israel- Yizhar Cohen- “Olé Olé”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 14th

1986- J’aime la Vie

Country: Belgium

Artist: Sandra Kim

Language: French

Thoughts: This song is an enigma because I’m an absolute slut for 80s pop, yet, for some reason, I find this song painfully average and uninteresting. Now, I’ll get it off my chest and say that 1986 was also a painfully average and uninteresting year, and most of the time I just felt myself remembering the singer more than the song, and even then I struggle to remember what some of the acts even were. It was just such a boring blur of a year I’m surprised the juries even managed to stay awake to pick a winner. And I GUESS you could argue that this song is so upbeat and peppy that it woke them up, but that doesn’t excuse how bloody generic it is. Like, this is the most generic 80s song you can imagine, and not in a good way. It feels more like stock music than an actual publicly released pop song. Had it not won, I doubt it would’ve stood out to me at all; it would’ve just faded into the background with all the other muted, 80s-coloured mush from this year. Basically, there’s a reason the singer’s age is the only thing noteworthy about this song.

Is this my personal winner for this year? Not really

If no, what is? Luxembourg- Sherisse Laurence- “L’amour de ma vie”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 49th

1987- Hold me Now

Country: Ireland

Artist: Johnny Logan 

Language: English

Thoughts: Ah yes, the superior Johnny Logan winner.  And I’m not sure why everyone forgets this one because Mother of Mercy this song is in another league entirely compared to the other schlock Ireland’s won with. Like this is their best winner, no competition. One of their best songs overall as well. One of the best entries from the 80s, one of the best winners of the 80s, one of the best winners… Yeah, I really like this song.  I’ll admit to sleeping on this one for too long myself, always dismissing it as some boring Irish ballad to go with all the other boring Irish ballads they somehow managed to win with (we’ll get to that later), and always agreeing with people who said XYZ country (always Yugolslavia) should have won instead.  Basically I learnt the hard way to never judge a song on its country and genre. But one day I found myself in the midst of a revisiting trip, going back to winners I didn't pay much attention to, just to see if there was anything I’d missed the first time round. And something about the lyrics in this song resonated with me a lot more than I thought they would. In a strange way, it made me feel older; like I’d grown up and was able to relate to the words in a song and appreciate it more than I could when I was younger. The line “what do you say when words are not enough?” especially hits harder than it should; as someone with autism I tend to find showing emotions difficult, even in virtual conversation where I’m not using my voice or face, because… Well, what do you say when your words aren’t enough?

Is this my personal winner for this year? Yes

If no, what is? N/A

Personal ranking (out of 67): 2nd

1988- Ne Partez pas Sans Moi

Country: Switzerland 

Artist: Céline Dion 

Language: French

Thoughts: Telling people Céline Dion won this thing is a new favourite hobby of mine, just to see the confused reaction. And that’s the most interesting thing about this song because it’s… fine, I guess? It’s a perfectly serviceable 80s power ballad, but there’s no bells and whistles to make me sit up and declare it any better than just “okay”. It’s basically the ballad equivalent of J’aime la Vie from 1986, in that it’s extremely 80s and also in French, but there’s nothing to make it that memorable aside from the singer herself. And even then this isn’t the song that made her famous anyway. Even her singing doesn't make this one stand out, partially because the song doesn't do anything special with it, and partially because she just blends in with all the other good singers of this era. And that’s kinda sad to think about.

Is this my personal winner for this year? Hmmm....

If no, what is? Greece- Afroditi Frida- “Clown”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 22nd

1989- Rock Me

Country: Yugoslavia

Artist: Riva

Language: Croatian

Thoughts: So this is another song it really took me a while to get into (there’s lots of those, trust me) and one that was very briefly in my top three overall favourites. It’s slid down a few slots since then, though I would still say it’s… Somewhere in the top 15.  I don’t really have a lot to say about this one, if I’m honest. It’s just a good, fun, solid song which stood out in a very dull and ballad-saturated year, nothing more, nothing less. The lyrics are nice too, being about a bored musician who learns to love music again by teaching himself how to play pop songs to entertain his friends. That’s a unique subject and I can imagine it resonating with a lot of people who’ve fallen out with a hobby they used to love because they took it too seriously (providing they either speak Croatian or have looked up the lyrics, of course). I mean, it resonates with me at least. All in all, I just like this song for its message more than anything else.

Is this my personal winner for this year? No

If no, what is? Portugal- Da Vinci- “Conquistador”

Personal ranking (out of 67): 9th

#Eurovision #mod's winner reviews #posting now because the tag will be CHAOS come 7 lmao #esc winners