#allison faces a burden no one else can truly understand

[bewitching-book-tours]

Bridging the Gap – Reducing Gender Bias in the Workplace by Alexandra McGroarty

Bridging the Gap – Reducing Gender Bias in the Workplace

Alexandra McGroarty

Genre: Social Sciences

Publisher: McGroarty and Company Consulting

Date of Publication: June 8, 2022

ISBN: 9798835096770

ASIN: B0B3NJFVQZ

Number of pages: 129

Word Count: 30,210

Cover Artist: Jenna Gelow Designs (Graphics)/Allison McCafferty (Photographer)

Tagline: Offers insight into how women and those around them can help cultivate growth opportunities

Book Description:

Bridging the Gap - Reducing Gender Bias in the Workplace is an overview of the current state of gender bias in the workforce with a personal twist. 

McGroarty outlines the biases we have unconsciously, those we impart on others and how the pandemic shaped the way we view women in the workforce. 

By outlining what women face both at home and at work, McGroarty lays a path for how to reduce gender bias whether you are an executive professional or looking to further your understanding of this important topic.

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/Og-Y6KX_vFg   

https://amzn.to/3mByVE9

Excerpt:

Sometimes, it takes a truly dramatic event to bring the truth to light: we do not have to struggle so hard, and we do not have to struggle alone. I am still learning what it means to have mental health. It is not about a constant state of happiness or complete enlightenment; mental health does not free us from pain, grief, worries, or bad days; it only reframes our thinking about these struggles so that we can learn from the ones that are out of our control and do something about the ones that within our control. Dealing with my own mental health issues also taught me better how to interact with others. We do not all interact and communicate in the same way. What I need may drive someone else’s triggers; what I dislike doing may be the way they prefer to communicate. I am still in therapy, and I am constantly working on myself. It has taken time, and will continue to take time, to unpack the events of my life, and realign them in a way I can move forward with. We women stand in a world bursting with opportunity.  

  There’s not a job out there that we’re forbidden from trying. There’s not a position that we can’t be considered for. There are spoken intentions to place us in positions where decisions are made. In fact, companies, CEOs, politicians, the workforce itself, really seem to want to announce their dedication to the world. “Look, we hire women! We promote women! We listen to women!”  We are now able to work full- time and be mothers, too. People absolutely understand that women have babies and want to raise them in addition to having a career.   The COVID-19 Pandemic proved a fact that really needed no proof: that women are on the frontlines when it comes to holding society together, keeping the engines running, and keeping the fires under control. And yet, somehow, the problems we work so hard to overcome (microaggressions, systemic bias, serious pay inequality, and our shouldering the overwhelming burden of stress and responsibility for unpaid and/or unpromotable work) remain stubbornly in place. Putting women in the workplace is not the problem. Putting them on equal footing with their male counterparts is. Gender equity begins with equitable hiring – that means hiring men and women for the same amount of money. But it also means that once they are there, both men and women are given the same opportunities. Women must be able to occupy an equivalent number of executive, managerial, team, and departmental roles within the company.   Gender equality means a more peaceful, productive, healthier, wealthier world. Men who accept and promote equitable gender practices are generally healthier and happier), they experience fewer mental health issues, and they have happier life-partners. Societies where men treat all genders as equal are more inclusive and peaceful, both inside their own borders and in relation to other nations. We are all beautiful in our differentness, and our differentness lets us lean on each other in times of need. Someone else’s puzzle piece can complete your picture. That is what diversity and inclusion are all about.

About the Author:

Alexandra runs McGroarty and Co. Consulting as the lead Human Resources consultant and serves as a certified diversity professional as well as a certified professional coach. She is currently pursuing her PH.D in Social Psychology.

Alexandra lives with her two children, Lucas and Ava and two bulldogs Max and Sadie in New Jersey. In her free time, she likes to spend time with family, travel, and volunteer in the Greater Philadelphia area.

https://www.mcgandcompanyconsulting.com

https://www.mcgandcompanyconsulting.com/subscribe

http://www.facebook.com/mcgandcompanyconsulting

https://www.instagram.com/mcgroarty_and_company/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/mcgroarty-co-consulting-llc

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNpTrLIzPudvtu5sPmf97Jg

a Rafflecopter giveaway

[bewitchingbooktours]

Bridging the Gap – Reducing Gender Bias in the Workplace by Alexandra McGroarty

Bridging the Gap – Reducing Gender Bias in the Workplace

Alexandra McGroarty

Genre: Social Sciences

Publisher: McGroarty and Company Consulting

Date of Publication: June 8, 2022

ISBN: 9798835096770

ASIN: B0B3NJFVQZ

Number of pages: 129

Word Count: 30,210

Cover Artist: Jenna Gelow Designs (Graphics)/Allison McCafferty (Photographer)

Tagline: Offers insight into how women and those around them can help cultivate growth opportunities

Book Description:

Bridging the Gap - Reducing Gender Bias in the Workplace is an overview of the current state of gender bias in the workforce with a personal twist. 

McGroarty outlines the biases we have unconsciously, those we impart on others and how the pandemic shaped the way we view women in the workforce. 

By outlining what women face both at home and at work, McGroarty lays a path for how to reduce gender bias whether you are an executive professional or looking to further your understanding of this important topic.

Book Trailer: https://youtu.be/Og-Y6KX_vFg   

https://amzn.to/3mByVE9

Excerpt:

Sometimes, it takes a truly dramatic event to bring the truth to light: we do not have to struggle so hard, and we do not have to struggle alone. I am still learning what it means to have mental health. It is not about a constant state of happiness or complete enlightenment; mental health does not free us from pain, grief, worries, or bad days; it only reframes our thinking about these struggles so that we can learn from the ones that are out of our control and do something about the ones that within our control. Dealing with my own mental health issues also taught me better how to interact with others. We do not all interact and communicate in the same way. What I need may drive someone else’s triggers; what I dislike doing may be the way they prefer to communicate. I am still in therapy, and I am constantly working on myself. It has taken time, and will continue to take time, to unpack the events of my life, and realign them in a way I can move forward with. We women stand in a world bursting with opportunity.  

  There’s not a job out there that we’re forbidden from trying. There’s not a position that we can’t be considered for. There are spoken intentions to place us in positions where decisions are made. In fact, companies, CEOs, politicians, the workforce itself, really seem to want to announce their dedication to the world. “Look, we hire women! We promote women! We listen to women!”  We are now able to work full- time and be mothers, too. People absolutely understand that women have babies and want to raise them in addition to having a career.   The COVID-19 Pandemic proved a fact that really needed no proof: that women are on the frontlines when it comes to holding society together, keeping the engines running, and keeping the fires under control. And yet, somehow, the problems we work so hard to overcome (microaggressions, systemic bias, serious pay inequality, and our shouldering the overwhelming burden of stress and responsibility for unpaid and/or unpromotable work) remain stubbornly in place. Putting women in the workplace is not the problem. Putting them on equal footing with their male counterparts is. Gender equity begins with equitable hiring – that means hiring men and women for the same amount of money. But it also means that once they are there, both men and women are given the same opportunities. Women must be able to occupy an equivalent number of executive, managerial, team, and departmental roles within the company.   Gender equality means a more peaceful, productive, healthier, wealthier world. Men who accept and promote equitable gender practices are generally healthier and happier), they experience fewer mental health issues, and they have happier life-partners. Societies where men treat all genders as equal are more inclusive and peaceful, both inside their own borders and in relation to other nations. We are all beautiful in our differentness, and our differentness lets us lean on each other in times of need. Someone else’s puzzle piece can complete your picture. That is what diversity and inclusion are all about.

About the Author:

Alexandra runs McGroarty and Co. Consulting as the lead Human Resources consultant and serves as a certified diversity professional as well as a certified professional coach. She is currently pursuing her PH.D in Social Psychology.

Alexandra lives with her two children, Lucas and Ava and two bulldogs Max and Sadie in New Jersey. In her free time, she likes to spend time with family, travel, and volunteer in the Greater Philadelphia area.

https://www.mcgandcompanyconsulting.com

https://www.mcgandcompanyconsulting.com/subscribe

http://www.facebook.com/mcgandcompanyconsulting

https://www.instagram.com/mcgroarty_and_company/

https://www.linkedin.com/company/mcgroarty-co-consulting-llc

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNpTrLIzPudvtu5sPmf97Jg

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[chrstbll]

miracles and lucky days| ben hargreeves

(gif not mine) 

+tags: @lalisbitch @spaceclone-mom , @meowmeowrex23 @strangeyouthcrusade

plot: after coming back from the 60’s, instead of finding the sparrow academy, the group come face to face with a much more positive outcome of their actions.

                                                           -

The words of Klaus were diluted, inaudible and ringing loudly in your head. Your limbs could barely hold the weight of your body, and the nausea from jumping between timelines hitting your stomach didn’t quite put you at ease. All was blurry at first, not hearing nor seeing properly caused you to feel light-headed as well, but before your legs or your mind gave in, somebody strong arms held you up protectively.

- Are you good? – Diego’s gentle call for you brought you back to reality. He was always a little bit concerned about you. He didn’t show it in great actions, it was in the seemingly unimportant things he did for you. There wasn’t anything romantic involved between you two, instead of that it was a deep understanding of each another that made you appreciate the other significantly. You nodded to confirm that you were in fact all right, shrugging it off with a smile.

Klaus was right. After you successfully registered what he was saying, a wave of relief washed over your heart, mind, and soul. Your whole being. For once, all seven of you managed to successfully jump back to 2019 without any harm or mistake being done. It was quite unbelievable. A dreamlike scenario which proved itself to be nearly impossible to believe. Looking around the hall, everything seemed to be all right. It felt okay. The aura was intimately comforting, yet something was amiss. Different. Changed. It certainly was not a malicious ambiance that you discovered, but one new, something yet unexperienced thing. The others noticed it too, as all six of them were looking around suspiciously. Memories, feelings, and people rapidly invaded your mind, those you haven’t thought about a lot. Pogo? Grace? Are they okay now?

Luther suggested to enter the living room ahead of you, so that’s what you all mutually agreed to. Five was the one who went further on before you heroically and begged all of you to proceed with caution, because we don’t know what’s waiting for us there. The walk from the hall to the living room happened painfully slowly given that the feeling of uncertainty was sitting in one and all’s eyes and was at fault for your lack of speed. Upon realizing the academy was unnervingly noiseless, the anxiety birthed a huge lump in your throat, which you couldn’t swallow. Your heart was terrified from the possible negative outcome of this time jump. What if that moment of clarity and amenity was only a façade and was only felt because none of you faced reality in the short but drunk moment of arrival? Sometimes you thought about how nice it would be to just live without worry. To live in pure bliss, without a care in the world. Without a problem in the universe to solve. How astonishing it would be not to recall what loss, trauma, or sadness feels like. But then again, we would live in ignorance that way.

Turning towards the divans and sculptures in the living room, your attention automatically focused on the small moving figure, who was absentmindedly cleaning the shelves with dusting feathers. Recognition hit you like a truck, as the character of an ape appeared before you. Your breath hitched in your throat. Mercifully, it was a positive reaction, a sentiment you haven’t undergone in a long time.

- Pogo?! – Allison was the first one to call out their siblings’ friends’ name. Barely letting his name roll from her tongue, the sea of emotions instantly overthrew her, and tears stormed down her face. Their beloved guardian turned around in shock, he looked so puzzled, it was as he didn’t recognize the people in front of him. You feared that was the case. What if we screwed it up even more?

- Oh, children. I was waiting for you all to return – he’s spoken politely and gifted us with a kind smile, just like he always did. You almost forgot what a courteous and caring figure Pogo was. His scarce although deep voice reminded you of simpler times. A type of nostalgia which you subconsciously yearned for god knows how long. Everyone gathered around him in a matter of seconds, engulfing him in a suffocating hug. Pogo was still bewildered from the sudden act of affection, as you all were from seeing him alive and breathing, but in this instant of happiness, the questions why and how didn’t matter. What mattered was the present minute, what you currently knew as is.

And next, a voice broke the silence.

Who would dare to turn around first? Who wanted to confirm that the voice that was just heard from behind them, came from a legit source? On a serious note, was it even real? Your minds are only playing tricks on you. You were ecstatic for having Pogo back, but it would be too good to be true to turn around and see the possessor of the voice. We can’t have all the wonderful things. It never went that well for you. Your bodies turned stiff, and your feet were frozen on spot. But what made you fear to turn around? The horror of hearing something that’s not truly there or facing it bravely. Something…someone you haven’t faced in roughly two decades.

- What the hell took you guys so long? – the annoyance sounded so raw, hence genuine. You could hear and understand the words crystal clear; then why didn’t you believe your ears?

The group hug disassembled at a snail's pace and turned to face what they never expected to see ever again in their lifetime. You, on the other hand, had secretly wished for a moment like this. Your heart was aching for the chance, not caring about being rational nor delusional. It kept the faith in your soul steady.

- Please, tell me I’m not the only one who can see him – Klaus muttered.

- Ben – Diego confirmed in a hushed tone without letting out any more words as he didn’t need to. He was the bravest out of all of you to speak up.

So, there he stood in his monochrome outfit, with his black leather jacket hugging his form and a coy smile painted all over his face. The faint rosy cheeks, lively eyes and vivid emotions displayed told you everything. The Ben standing in front of you was very much real, and more importantly, alive, and well.

- All of you look like you’ve seen a ghost – he grinned from ear to ear, and his light-hearted joke legitimately freed your body from the tension which held you in your place so aggressively. Number Four didn’t hesitate one second longer, and slammed himself against his brother, who sweetly returned the embrace. Registering it, savouring it, then finally loving the physical contact, Klaus broke up in a hysterical laughter. The group succeeded to pull the strings in a way his death was luckily prevented. How the hell did we manage this? But he didn’t care. All that mattered was the present minute, what he currently knew as is.

- You’re telling me, man – his laugh slowly started to die down, but his joy only rose. Of course, a group hug was crucially needed and initiated effective immediately. Everyone surrounded him, and you held onto each other tightly, so he never slips away from your grasp again. You admitted it to yourself, that it felt heavenly, but more precisely, it felt so damn terrific. The others eventually backed away, but you stayed right in front of him.

- Hey, you – were all he needed to say for you to go flying into his arms – Where have you been? I missed you – his confession was a simple, warm, and loving anecdote, and it broke your heart in the best way possible.

You missed me?

Your loud sobbing, and ocean of tears was baffling and a mystery to him, and he looked at the others with a perplexed expression. They asked him to just let you be because they understood everything perfectly. Each tear was valid and every one of them had a reason. His arms were wrapped around your body, as he was shielding you from all the cruelty in this world. His embrace wasn’t tight, but fond and sensitive enough. You weren’t greedy at all; it was just all too marvellous. Hearing his stable beating heart as he held you close to his chest completely fulfilled you. A featherlight kiss was tenderly placed on your forehead by him, in an attempt to calm you down. It failed, as more droplets of salty water coated your apple-like cheeks. Even so, the kiss was given so compassionately, it must have come from heaven itself.

Maybe you were in Heaven. Maybe your life ended when you arrived in the hall. This isn’t real and I’m probably dead in Diego’s arms by now. But what if you accepted it as your reality now? You couldn’t believe it, even after feeling his touch and his kiss on your body. It might be because you thought you didn’t think your wish to see the person closest to your heart again would ever come true. After the horrific months you went through, it was certainly an impossibility to be gifted with something this enormous, significant, and joyous.

Maybe miracles and lucky days exist. Maybe they existed both on the same day in favour of you. I’ll accept this, I deserve this. You absolutely deserve to be happy and to drop the burden that’s been weighing on your soul for years. Nobody deserves to live their lives in inescapable guilt and grief. Having Ben back in all your lives meant the world to you. You were thinking about how you might have to fill him in on the details of the previous events, but that was a case for a later part of the day. For now, it was nice to bask in his love and warmth. You’ll care about every other issue later. This was the only feeling that mattered in that moment. Peace finally taking its rightful place back in your heart, which has been waiting for it for a long time now. He radiated pureness, an energy which was incomparable to anything else. Clutching his jacket was your anxiety making sure he doesn’t leave again. Maybe he was reading your thoughts, but at the same time he was realizing he’d never leave you even if it meant his life.

- I missed you too.

#ben hargreeves #umbrella academy #the umbrella academy #netflix tua #ben hargreeves x reader #ben hargreeves imagine #ben hargreeves fluff #ben hargreeves fanfiction #tua x reader #the umbrella academy imagine

[feralnumberfive]

The Rewatch Academy: Episode 2 of Season 1

“Run Boy Run”

I am in no way a good analyst so my little analysis and speculations probably sound a bit goofy or pretty wild and probably mean nothing at all. Everything I put into this post about each episode is purely what I noticed or thought, whether it's funny or serious. I will be making jokes, so please just leave it at that (in no way am I trying to make fun of an actor and or character!) I am also in no way saying I noticed this stuff first. This is just what I noticed while rewatching these episodes

☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂

1x01 | 1x02 | 1x03 | 1x04

☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂ ☂

☂ Ben is a tired boy leaning on his chair

☂ Luther and Allison please stop making googly eyes at each other 

☂ Five really woke up and chose violence that day huh

☂ Diego already knows shit is about to go down and it’s so funny

☂ I love that Reginald doesn’t even scold Five for stabbing the table

☂ Five: “I have a question.” blah blah blah Veggie is talking Five: “I want to time travel.” That’s not a question, Five

☂ It’s interesting to see young Five blinking/jumping compared to older Five. Even at this age, 13, he says that he’s still practicing his spatial jumps. Young Five needs to clench his fists and almost squeeze his eyes shut just to concentrate. Older Five simply just teleports without effort and is able to casually blink even as he’s just walking. Five probably practiced teleporting a lot in the apocalypse 

☂ Someone else pointed this out, but all of the other Umbrellas are frozen for a for a second as Five teleports next to Reginald. While that freeze is just editing, and possibly a small error, this is another example of how Five’s spatial teleporting doesn’t make a noise. Luther, Diego, and Allison only look at Five when he begins talking to Reginald. Grace notices Five right away because he is in her line of sight while Luther and Diego were looking at where Five was sitting and Allison had her head down eating

☂ “The effects it might have on your body, even your mind, are far too unpredictable.” Harsh foreshadowing 

☂ The “Run Boy Run” scene is one of the best musical moments in all of the show. It gave me chills when I first heard it, and the fact that all of the lyrics that play during that part match so perfectly with it make it even better. Tomorrow is another day being sung as Five travels into 2019 is just too good 

☂ Imagine how scared you have to be to call out to your p.o.s father

☂ The instant regret immediately falls onto his face and he kneels in front of the Academy

☂ I love how in the first few episodes Five’s hair is styled exactly as it was when he was an old man and when he was actually 13. Over the rest of the season and the second season it just gets more disheveled and floppier 

☂ “You think I didn’t try everything to get back to my family?” Ahhhh there we go, one of my favorite Five lines. This here is probably when I truly fell in love with his character. He spent 45 years just trying to survive and attempting to get back to his family. He would have spent more too if the Handler hadn’t taken him in

☂ Vanya is genuinely trying to understand what happened and Five was being a little asshole. C’mon, bud, she’s just confused and hasn’t seen you in forever

☂ This Five and Vanya scene melts my heart (simply as a sibling relationship!!) She doesn’t care anymore if she understands, she just wants him to stay because she hasn’t seen him in a while. Even Five understands that as his demeanor quickly changes from being frustrated to gently telling her “Night.” He watches her as she leaves, also partially realizing that he hasn’t seen her in a while too

☂ Why didn’t Five just teleport outside of Vanya’s apartment?? That would have been the stealthiest thing

☂ “All quick and efficient skills.” A little note on Five’s level of skill of slaughtering the Commission agents in Griddy’s

☂ Diego said he bought his police badge on Ebay, so computers do exist in the UA universe

☂ “By the way, this thing might look like a botched robbery, but my gut’s telling me something else is going on here.”  Yeah, and that something else is your brother

☂ I want Claire to meet her uncles and aunt so bad

☂ So Ben has a ghostly puzzle book and pen he can use? Because if they were real Pogo would have been able to see them just floating in the air. What other ghostly items can Ben summon? (I believe this is more so just an error but it’s fun to think about)

☂  “I-I found it at a playground, actually. Must have just *click* popped out.” An underrated Five line

☂ Five immediately becomes aggressive at the thought of losing the eye, something he found clutched in the hand of his dead brother and was a clue to what caused the death of his siblings and the end of the world

☂ Just now noticed that you can see Diego up on the second floor being led down to where Patch is in the police station

☂ I really like that they added in the little tidbit about a cold case Five created 81 years ago

☂ I miss Patch. She deserved better and more screen time

☂ Hey, Diego might have been thrown out of the Police Academy but at least he’s still in The Umbrella Academy!

☂ Hearing Patch talk to Diego really made me realize that the Umbrellas weren’t even necessary for helping with crime. It was just Reginald’s way of training them

☂ Love the shot of Luther looking at Diego’s cross-stitch and the camera lining it up so it’s like he’s wearing the mask

☂ Five lying just to keep Vanya away and to continue on with his goal hurts. His goal is saving the world and his family, but I don’t think he actually took in what Vanya was saying to him or maybe he recognized the offer but shoved all of his feelings down. She was reaching out to actually get him some help and he lied to her to avoid that. Maybe he doesn’t care and is just blinded by his ultimate goal. Save the world and family first, then process your feelings and genuinely communicate with your siblings 

☂ Don’t worry Klaus, I would have let you wear that outfit

☂ When Cha-Cha questions “Five” aka the poor tow truck guy, she asks him about “The London job in ‘66.” I believe she is referring to the Shepherd’s Bush murders where three policemen were murdered

☂ Hazel replying “Not from what I’ve heard.” when Cha-Cha asks if he thinks Five is a whimperer shows that Five definitely had a reputation in the Commission for probably being a cold and stoic guy

☂ Vanya is just trying to help, chill Allison 😭. You haven’t seen her in years, what do you know about her?

☂ Klaus would really slap his brother in the face to get drug money

☂ Another example of Five not making noise when he teleports is when he blinks into the taxi and Klaus didn’t notice that he had left until he turned to look where Five was. On the other hand though the taxi driver does jump as Five suddenly appears in the car. However, I believe that might be from the driver noticing Five in a mirror in the car

☂ I wonder what languages the Hargreeves siblings know. Vanya didn’t understand Leonard’s German. You think Reginald would have taught them multiple languages or maybe she forgot it if she was taught it

☂ I don’t know why but Luther just siting there and reading a book and almost getting hit by the knife is really funny to me

☂ Yeah Diego doesn’t have to prove his innocence, but it would have saved a lot of trouble

☂ Rewatching the scene with Leonard talking to Vanya about his father is just disturbing when you already know what happened to him and how he’s lying just to try to be more relatable

☂ I heard a rumor that smoking is bad for you ❌

☂ Vanya calling to make sure Allison is okay even though she hurt her makes me sad. She’s so nice and thoughtful

☂ The old man can’t even reunite with his wife before he gets hunted down

☂ The shot of Hazel and Cha-Cha putting on their masks in the dark with the music is 👌👌

☂ Again, Cha-Cha isn’t able to hear Five as he teleports next to her and slices her arm. She might not have noticed him though because he was very quick to attack her

☂ Five really went through all of that just to bring his wife home

☂ I think it’s an easily blocked out part because we already know what Allison has to say and it’s exciting, but Luther is apologizing about accusing Diego and causing issues amongst his siblings

☂ Five is just so defeated and emotionally tired that he doesn’t allow Luther to touch him. In fact, he very quickly and aggressively grabs Luther’s wrist. You can tell Five is a little out of it and I believe it was more so his subconscious stopping Luther. Five doesn’t want help, he’s going to carry the burden of figuring out who ended the world and killed his family as far as he can by himself

☂ “There’s nothing you can do. There’s nothing any of you can do.” Are such heavy lines. Five is so emotionally and mentally tired at the end of the day and he sounds like he’s about to breakdown. He’s replaying the moment he found his siblings’ corpses. They weren’t able to stop the person who ended the world. Luther is offering his help, but Five is denying it. Luther couldn’t stop the person who ended the world. None of his siblings were able to stop that person. He’s telling himself that they can’t help and he’s telling Luther and Allison that too. Five wants to be alone to figure out who this person is. His siblings can’t help him

☂ Five coming across the corpses of his siblings is just heartbreaking. He first stumbles across three adults lying in the rubble. One of them is holding an eye. He goes to shake the man in all black, having a tiny bit hope that miraculously he is still alive. He stumbles across another body only to back away with tears in his eyes as he spots the tattoo on the man’s arm and realizes who these people are

☂☂☂☂☂☂☂

Feel free to comment or reblog with things you have noticed too!

#the rewatch academy #tra #tua #the umbrella academy #umbrella academy #1x02 #run boy run #luther hargreeves #diego hargreeves #allison hargreeves #klaus hargreeves #number five #five hargreeves #ben hargreeves #vanya hargreeves #hargreeves siblings #leonard peabody

[hellstenglow]

Top 5 Fiveya Scenes!

Tough question! If you think about it their scenes are few compared to enterity of each season and yet they’re so meaningful. I’ll write the scenes in crescendo order, from bottom to top. I put everything under the “keep reading” line because I really talk too much. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to talk about Fiveya! 

1. The coffe shop moment in Dallas. It’s just a tender scene. The first real interaction Vanya had with someone who was her family, Luther was not that good with his explanation and didn’t stick around after telling his bit. It was almost cute how Five tried to keep the truth about the Apocalypse from her, to not burden her with the knowledge she killed 7 billions people, but a stupid decision that bit him back later. He did it out of care for Vanya (and a bit of convenience for himself), but he needs to stop avoiding the discourse “Vanya is the cause of the Apocalypse”. As I said wrote in a meta before, until they will sort out together the Apocalypse thing, it’s never gonna to be closed as theme (in which they are the two pivotal points). I am also amused by how Five interrupt her phone call. 

2. Their first private time together, in front of Five’s portrait. It set the tone of their future interactions. It made you understand that when they talk with each other, they tend to have private conversations loaded with some tenderness or intimacy or different level of importance. It also happened after Vanya talked about him with Pogo, which linked immediately the two with an invisible thread. The fact the conversation with Pogo was about the time she waited/hoped for his return is considerably more important, because right after that Five did return. Five and Vanya are linked. The show tells you that.

Then you discovered he had read her book in the future (later you will also discover that he kept that book with him after leaving the Apocalypse and it was the place where he wrote down his equation to come back to his family. It was that important for him) and with her he talks softer, he is less an of an asshole and you know that, because you have just seen how he talked with the other siblings (Diego, Luther). He kind comforted Vanya too (“Ah, there are worse things” than exposing our family’s dirty laundry, not like she didn’t tell the truth). It was also interesting how Vanya was the one approaching him, tentatively and how they were establishing again a way to interact with each other.

3. Vanya and Five arguing like a married couple, after Luther told her she caused the Apocalypse. Excuse me but that scene is too funny and lovely. Five was all smug and cocky, as usual, so certain she would follow him after talking with Luther and then he went instantly in panic mode, because she was leaving him. He let Luther go the first time, not making a very big effort with him. However, with Vanya is all “UnCCEptAble VANYA!” the second she said she going back to the farm (subtext: back to her farm friend frau, who is not just a friend and Five knew that. Oh, he knew that. He is clever, remember?). 

Vanya is rightful pissed off by the omitted information, even if she doesn’t have her memory back she felt betrayed by Five (who she trusted, even though he was technically a complete stranger). The whole argument is just funny and I enjoyed it too much. I love every micro-expressions their faces did, bless Ellen and Aidan. Five could have blinked inside the car, but nope, he knocked at the window trying very hard to be a sensitive person. She chould have driven away the second she was inside the car, but she took down the window and listened Five when she didn’t have too. Their faces the second before the car window was taken down were fantastic! It was literally wifey-husbando situation in my head and I couldn’t stop giggling. 

And again, Five’s tone of voice with her is always soft or deep. Whoever let Aidan plays Five like that with Vanya deserve a fruit basket. 

4.The stand-off scene in the middle of the road: ICONIC. The sweet, sweet tension between them could be cut with a knife, delicious, oustanding, visceral. Two tiny people ready (not really, not even close, they really did not want to) to blow each other up and destroy some corn fields from existence? Starring at each other in a crescendo of tension, yet each of them looked uncertain (especially almighty Five)? Vanya knows that she can take Five down and Five knows it too? Vanya not pursuing her threat because, despite not really knowing Five and having her memory back, she doesn’t want to hurt her family, therefore him? Five giving up first, knowing he shouldn’t be so partial to Vanya and yet he let her go anyway? I love it all. 

I mean, do I need to say more? All these are rethorical questions. Thank you for this scene, it was one of the best of season 2 for me. It made me excited and thrilled to the core. THE TENSION. BLESS THEM. 👏👏👏 I explain here why I also think it’s an important scene for the future development of the pair and their relationship, right now I could just make some stupid noise. 

5. Vanya and Five’s moment in her apartment (both parts in EP1 and EP2). The first time, before I started shipping them, I didn’t expect such scene of intimacy and confidence right after a spree murder scene. It’s incredibly telling that the first thing Five did, after escaping the Commission’s attack and basically death, was to seek Vanya. So far in the first episode the show wanted us to know that Five is an abrasive old man inside a 13-years-old body, who doesn’t take sh*t from anyone and bites back people with sarcasm. He also tend to treats people patronizingly and he does whatever he wants, because he has business to do. 

However, the show also marked his ability to be less of an asshole when he is around Vanya. The first time in the living room in front of his portrait and the second time in Vanya’s apartment. The first time I didn’t expect such scene, also because they already showed Five and Vanya’s closeness in the previous scene I mentioned. Why do it again? Twice in a one episode? You start to think there is something very important between Five and Vanya, then. Especially because among her sibling, so far, Vanya had a good interaction only with Allison. The show made a point fo show us that Vanya and Five had a particular connection (Because she waited him and prepared his favourite sandwish every night until she couldn’t hope no more. Because he read her book and when they are alone, he changes his tone to a softer one...still abrasive if provoked, but contained). 

So, after escaping death what did the old man do? He went to Vanya. Not even to treat his wounds (he could have gone to Hargreeves House for that), because he clearly doesn’t care, but to talk with her. Just to talk with her. It is incredibly telling of the importance that Vanya has for him. What he wanted was someone to share the one thing that obssessed him and shaped him into the person he is now, his burden, his secret, his greatest fear: the apocalypse. And Five chose Vanya. It was probably the first very time he exposed himself after decades of solitude and also the few years he couldn’t trust anyone else but himself (in the Commission). He trusted Vanya tho. He trusted her with the most vulnerable side of him. 

And Vanya listened him, even tho she didn’t understand everything and she didn’t quite believe him, but she didn’t want him to feel stupid or excluded. She did her best to understand and she tried to be there for him too. She knew Five was visibly affected by the situation, she cared for him and didn’t want him to leave her apartment in turmoil. She didn’t want to lose him again, not after 17 years (for her) wondering where in the world (when) he was and if he was alright. What she needed was time to wrap her head around the news of the end of the world (that honestly nobody would truly believe), since she was just ordinary Vanya who never had to face looming dangers or villains like her siblings. 

The intimacy of the moment (both parts in ep 1 and pe 2) was palpable. There was tenderness too: Five let her take care of his cut, something he didn’t let her other siblings do in the later episodes (he had to pass out or be drunk af to let his sibling see him vulnerable or let them take care for him). It was literally a bubble where time stopped for them (Five doesn’t have time, remember? He insisted on this point, yet here he was, taking time to talk with Vanya).

The moment they shared that first night set not only the importance of their connection and how they interact with each other, but also made clear there might be something unspoken, something between them that they need to address. It’s the “we were almost something” right, kind of moment? And for me it was stronger than any other “they may or not may” between Allison and Luther tbh. But I might be too fiveya biased xD. 

#fiveya #my ask #ask #my stuff #I am verbose #tua

[xsecretblastsx]

1x09 - Blair Waldorf must pie!

Once again this took way longer than I wanted to. I guess it has a lot to do that this part of S1 is full of episodes that I loved and also are kind of important so I just feel that I have to be really in the mood to watch them with my full attention. 

Anyway, enough about me, here’s the recap for this one after the break. 

Thoughts I had while watching the episode

Loving the flashback of Serena in her wild days and Blair looking after her.

This flashback kind of messes up the timeline though. Because we’re told Serena was gone for a year, but that’s clearly not the case here.

Dan get’s to be Serena’s knight in shiny armor, great. To bad for him she was wasted.

How long ago was it that Blair’s dad been gone? Probs like quite a few months and he hasn’t come to visit her?

I mean I get that Dan is pissed with his mom, but that guilt comment was harsh

Harold Waldorf’s pumpkin pie, I don’t know if anyone has read as much fanfic as I have but this pie, is quite the celebrity.

The oh so casual mention that Blair takes Lexapro :/

Serena trying (and failing) to be casual when asking what Chuck’s doing today.

I think this is the first time that Serena (and later Nate) point out that Chuck and Blair are friends, considering they all were, this must mean that they were somehow closer friends.

This fight is such a clear example of how Blair and Serena go from besties to enemies in 5 seconds flat. 

This one though is kind of funny to me in the way Serena’s like “I won’t judge” and then does exactly that.

Somehow Blair I don’t believe you when you say you don’t like Chuck’s natural musk, just a hunch.

I kind of feel Serena’s way of aproaching this topic was not the best, though to be fair Blair’s also really hard to approach. 

Lilly how much I missed you last episode

Seeing Llily, Eric and Serena in Chinatown is giving me life for some reason

So by thanksgiving sophomore year Blair was already in recovery from her ED, she was really young when she started then.

Wow, “not this one Harold, we have to go together” this line implies so much and I can’t believe I never noticed before

Blair sending Nate to deal with Serena it’s interesting, because I wouldn’t imagine her being naive enough to not noticed Nate’s interest in Serena, granted she trusted them, but still

 I love Dorota, always there for Blair, always loyal.

The mood at Nate’s thanksgiving dinner is so misserable.

Lily, Allison’s and Rufus faces are priceless. Let the drama begin!

“Oh the blond you stalk at school” really they told us and we didn’t listen!!!

Not that didn’t earned herself the harsh comment but, “he didn’t left us, he left you” kind of made me feel bad for Eleanor

Forget it, she was really insentive, and Blair’s face when she grabbed that pie is just heartbreaking.

I can’t believe I forgot about her throwing up incident after that dinner with Nate in the pilot... like wow.

Do you need to go with her? sorry Allison

This dinner is hilariously akward. Sorry Jenny, but I don’t think that song was about your mom.

This is one of my favorite Serante scenes, it’s so them.

Honestly this show needed more flashblacks. I love knowing more about their friendship pre series.

Nate thinking of calling Blair and then Serena, and realizing he can’t is the first time I think he truly gets how he really messed it up

It’s so weird now to see Blai’rs bathroom with the door conecting it to the other room.

Allison calling her character in a play Milly in reference to Lily sheds a bit of ligh in Dan’s abbilities in naming characters. 

The captain reached rock bottom, poor Nate. 

I wonder though if Anne was the one with the money, and yet Nate’s last name is prestigious, does that mean The Captain family had lost their money at some point and the only thing that remain was their last name?

I should have mentioned it before but Blair looks incredibly pretty this episode, and the dress is one of my all time favorites.

“But we’re not related” give it time Dan, give it time

Hi Cedric.

“Only a woman that had satisfied her sexual appetite in her youth could have married some of your step fathers” auch

And so Rufly ends... for now

Eleanor talking about the divorce paper and how she feels and how she acted because of it, reminded of a certain scene in S5. Blair’s truly her mother daughter.

The end of that flashback felt so much like this is why they say ignorance is Bliss. Except for Serena things are better for her now.

The New York setting makes this show even more awsome, that shot with the Bridge and the Manhattan skyline in the background while Dan’s family is having a merry old time is gorgeous.

So this episode was so good, it gave a lot of background information and added much more depth to some of the main characters, particularly Blair. But also Nate. I was really suprised by the amount of stuff I didn’t remember about this particular episode, so in that sense this feel like this is the episode I’ve enjoyed the most during my rewatch.

Having a flashback was easily the best part of this episode in the sense that it gives us a clear idea of how things were before the series and how disaster was brewing just beneath the surface. What a diference a year makes.The previous thanksgiving was at the height of Serena’s wild days, and it’s sad to see how her life was pretty much a never ending haze of parties and alcohol, she may be acting goofy but it’s an empty happiness and it let’s you feeling like this is the only way she can deal with her life. And always looking after her is Blair.

The Blair of a year before seems really happy, she’s on the road of recovery from her eating disorder, her parents are together, her mother is showing actually some concern for her, and Nate is still a loving boyfriend. And yet in many ways this is all a lie. Her parent’s marriage is just a charade, Eleanor’s comment asking Harold not to go after Roman, is so telling and it makes me wonder how long did Eleanor knew her husband was gay? that must have been such a burden for her, and it’s probably the reason why she was so focused in her work and wanted everything else to be perfect, in some ways it also explains her treating of Blair, wrong as it was.

Also the timing of this makes me kind of mad at Harold, he’s always comes across as the nice good parent, but this episode makes it really obvius how much his absence hurt Blair. Think about it. When the show starts it’s established that a few months before Harold had left his wife and the country in favor for a life in Paris with another man. So considering that november the previous year (only a year before the current episode)  is the first time Harold hears about Roman this means he decided to leave his family for a guy he had just meth a few months before, I guess he must have really fallen in love and really quickly, and I understand his need to live a free life, but what a shock it must have been for Blair and how unloved she must have felt that his father was leaving her in New York with a mother that was incredibly hard on her, for a guy he just met. And this at a time when she was still recovering.

There’s also the Nate-Serena-Blair issue. At some poing after Thanksgiving, the Shepperd Wedding happened, which means like I mentioned before that Serena was gone less than a year, and the way Blair encouraged Nate to help her with Serena means that even if she may have suspect Nate’s interest in Serena she still believed that Nate did love her and that Serena would never do that to her and therefore she wasn’t worried about it. Blair doesn’t trust easily and in this case she did and it end ups with her being betrayed, and yet it was a long time coming. Just as I mentioned in previous recaps that there was lowkey something to Blair and Chuck’s friendship, the same can be said about Nate and Serena, I don’t like to mention at least not much future events in these recaps but really compare this scene of Nate and Serena goofing around in the bathroom with any of their scenes in the second half of S3 and they’re really similar, same vibe and chemistry. Nate and Blair goodbye at the end of the flashback even if he gaves her a kiss and calls her sweetheart, seems so lacking in comparison to his previous moment with Serena, and yet Blair smiles and it’s really happy about her life.

So all of this shows how much she had been hurting at the start of the show, her father gone, her best friend gone and a distant boyfriend who by this point couldn’t hide his interest in Serena coming across by how afected he was by her absence, and when the show starts it gets even worse. All the flashbacks of Blair dealing with food and even throwing up once when she was trying to forgive Nate his infidelity show us the depth of her problems and suffering and helps us to understand her so much more and feel for her. And in her moment of weakness she calls Serena, the fight at the star of the episode was a way of letting us know that in some ways Blair hasn’t let go completely of her betreyal and yet how easily their dissagrements go out of the picture the moment they really need each other, is such a deep friendhip, and yet how conflicting it must be for Blair to love and need so much a person who in many ways is a reminder of how things have gone wrong in the last year.

That is the crux about their friendship, they’re both there for each other when it really matters but it’s undenaible that they have hurt each other deeply, even without meaning too, Serena is a the root of some of Blair self steem issues, is not her fault but it has done Blair incredibly damage, at the same time Blair may be always there for Serena looking after her, but she’s frequently incredible cruel with her at times without a real reason beyond a missplaced sense of hurting her too, which causes scenes like their fight this episode where Serena tries to be a friend, becomes a little judgy and Blair overreacts and Serena understandably fights back... it’s a really complex relationship, and one of the aspects of the show that make’s it stand out. 

Lastly, this episode is a good reminder of how ultimetly Ruflly and Derena can’t really function at the same time without it being weird for everyone involved, it also establishes the similitudes between both relationships, a warning of how things could end for Dan and Serena if they’re not careful, and this is only the start. Nate’s storyline this episode was super sad, last episode had him standing up to his parents, this one finally gets him to have some honest conversations with them, and while it hurts is nice to see him finally get to that moment. It’s a moment of real growth for him. It also gives some interesting background to his family history, about how Anne’s family (the Vanderbilts) are the real force behind his family life, the house, his father job... everything was given by the Vanderbilts. It makes me wonder a lot about the Captain’s family, and his history with Anne: did the captain came from a family with a prestigious  Last name but that had lost their money at some point?, or was he an upstart? I can’t see snobish Anne falling in love with a nobody, but who nows. 

Also, not that noticible at this point of the show beyond the paralles between Dan & Serena and Rufus and Lily, but in the last two episode some scenes of Eleanor and the captain had reminded me of future scenes and situations and Nate and Blair having similar reactions. Anyway I love this episode, the then and now, and how much more there is to these characters. 

Random bits:

This is the first direct mention of Blair having an eating dissorder (not sure though, this is why I wanted to be faster with these recaps, so I don’t forget details)

Dorota’s wearing a themed apron, how cute

First mention of the Snowflake Ball, I like consistency hahaha.

Nate’s house look lovely, not sure if these are the real interiors of the house, probably not, but I did read somewhere the house used to be on rental? can’t remember.

There was a picture behind Jenny while they were having dinner of a kid wearing a suit, I know the cast used some actual photos of the cast as kids, so I don’t know if the kid is Penn but god the kid is so cute.

I’m not a New Yorker, but that place where Dan and his family are playing it’s really changed now isn’t it? There’s this guy called Action Kid in youtube and he was amazing videos about New York, and of this location in particular if my memory serves me right. 

And because we rarely got to see Serena in her wild days, I feel I should end this post with just that. 

#gossip girl #gossip girl recap #gossip girl rewatch #1x09 #blair waldorf must pie

[justinmoviereviews]

The Class of 2019

As always, just trying to catalog what I saw this year. Let’s do this shit.

1917 - Sam Mendes

I’ve never seen a war movie like this. I’ve never seen something that was so empty, so decayed and lifeless. Usually these things are about honor or brotherhood or whatever. This one was a horror movie. Gothic. Disturbing. And credit Dunkirk for helping everyone else realize that war movies should be told in the present tense.

Uncut Gems - Bennie and Josh Safdie

Good Time was better because it’s rawness was more painful. Because it’s kineticism was more sociological. Because it physically hurt to watch it. And because Robert Pattinson is a better actor than Adam Sandler (my sincere apologies). But these guys have figured out to a science how to film desperation and visceral consumption and need; they chronicle the ugliest parts of the mind and shoot them in the ugliest parts of New York. 

Little Women - Greta Gerwig

Oh no, I’ve lost interest in writing these. Greta Gerwig is sharper than the average writer, and is going to get a lot of mileage writing interesting female characters, which will keep me occupied way longer than, for instance, JJ Abrams writing Strong Female characters so he gets to keep his third house. But look for this refrain whenever I see good movies that aren’t really made for me, my favorite character here was Timothee Chalamet, popping up sporadically to mack (suavely!) on all three sisters.

Bombshell - Jay Roach

Structurally it’s a little bit of a mess, but Megyn Kelly playing detective to an internal corporate scandal works surprisingly well.

The Two Popes - Fernando Meirelles

Some nitpicks: this movie engages with the child abuse a little bit, but it doesn’t offer any resolution--how could it? The scandal is ongoing, and has mired the legacy of Francis, the good Pope, just like it mired his predecessor’s, the bad one. And some of the dialogue is a little trite; was Benedict this much of a close-minded conservative? Was he really this bad at selling his own vision of the church? I also wonder if movies seem smaller now that we’re watching them all on our TVs. But mostly I thought this was fantastic. I love movies about ideas centered around conversation, and this one does it with so much humanism. The Pope as a role is one of the most complex, elite and fascinating people on the planet. This movie comes so much closer to showing that than I thought it would.

Marriage Story - Noah Baumbach

A cursory search of images from this movie for this post makes me realize how well it’s shot--maybe this really was meant to be his Scenes From a Marriage. It isn’t--he’s not a good enough director to ever be Bergman, he’s too burdened by the things he likes and thinks about, like hipster references and witty repartee--but this is the best movie of his I’ve ever seen. Funny, sharp, and if it isn’t a universal depiction of the disillusion of love, it’s empathetic and compassionate about two characters he likes and cares about. Adam Driver is the best actor working right now. Scarlett Johansson can’t quite keep up, but who could?

Ford v Ferrari - James Mangold

Fast cars and the manly men who build them. This could have been better--the writing is a little too beholden to a generic structure that’s beneath the A+ power of Matt Damon and Christian Bale, who are, straight up, two of our finest actors. Ideally this flick just lets these two dudes dick around for 150 minutes. But fuck man, this shit rocks.

The irishman - Martin Scorsese

This is the calm gangster movie made by a bunch of men who haven’t had to hustle in 30 years. Scorsese is a smart guy, so he probably knows that a de-aged Robert De Niro isn’t going to be as resonant as some young hotshot trying like hell to make a name for himself. It makes the movie weirdly low-stakes, and it only truly comes alive at the end, when De Niro is looking back on his life and facing his regrets, like a man in his 80s ought to be. But look, Scorsese is one of the best to ever do it, and gangster movies are where he lives. If this is mostly a retrospective on four of the best careers to ever track through Hollywood, and I sort of think it is, it’s still got ten scenes that will stand up against any of our man’s best.

The Laundromat - Steven Soderbergh

Steven Soderbergh does The Big Short. Turns out he’s also pretty good at it.

The Lighthouse - Robert Eggers

Robert Eggers is a formalist who understands that movies can be about whatever they want as long as they look good and sound good. This is a movie about, I think, madness. Just madness, just the idea of being isolated and going mad. If you’re wondering, like I was, if that’s enough of a theme to hang a whole movie on (I mean, these things are expensive), well, I think the point of this one is that it’s weird as fuck, it looks real good and it sounds real good. 

Parasite - Bong Joon Ho

This movie is at it’s best when it’s at it’s weirdest. I like Bong most when he’s using a heightened absurdity to point out the ways in which our political systems are unforgivable. 

Motherless Brooklyn - Edward Norton

I know it was in the book, but the Tourette’s syndrome of the main character seems to me like a postmodern tic, like making a straight noir in 2019 wasn’t enough for a studio that assumed audiences would need some kind of a 21st Century bent. I don’t think it adds much to the story, so I want it out there that this is just such a good fucking straight noir. I would personally finance it if they made like three of these a year. 

High Flying Bird - Steven Soderbergh

Soderbergh is gonna need to get over his love affair with the iPhone camera--someone needs to remind him that movies can look a lot better than this--but this is the kind of movie that could have been and maybe started as a play. Things happen off camera and all you see is characters talking about them after the fact. But the writing is phenomenal. Snappy and smart. Maybe my favorite script of the year.

Joker - Todd Phillips

Upon further review, I think this movie never should have been made, but I do like it. I’m not a purist, frankly I think comic book movies are for nerds, but what makes the Joker powerful is that he doesn’t have a backstory. This movie isn’t good enough to justify giving him one, but it’s so ambiguous and strange that it doesn’t ruin anything either. I spent a lot of time wondering if the events of the movie actually happened, or if they were all in the protagonist’s head. I guess the answer is that it doesn’t really matter: if it all did happen it would destroy the throughline of the Nolan movies, and if it all didn’t it would make the movie kind of lame. Ultimately it’s a story about a discarded man who learns that evil gives him a control he never had before. That’s a heavy topic to make a movie about, and a better movie would have been heavier. But  it’s still an interesting watch, and Joaquin Phoenix goes to the places the movie itself won’t.

Ad Astra - James Gray

I have nothing against pretentious movies. Some of my best friends are pretentious movies! But if you’re going to be as solemn and portentous as this one is, I think your thesis needs to be a little more insightful than that love is important. This movie looks fantastic. It’s got killer monkeys in it, and an Apocalypse Now meets 2001 pedigree. It should have been a lot better.

It Chapter Two - Andy Muschietti

Ugh, this one was not good. The writing is pretty bad, storylines open up and fizzle out without going anywhere, the structure is simple to the point of being lazy. The first one was so good, and this is just a crappy cash-in. Oh well. 

Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood - Quentin Tarantino

Look, Tarantino is probably my favorite director. Pulp Fiction is the movie that first taught me to love movies, and he’s never in his life made an artistic choice that I didn’t intuitively understand. I don’t think anyone else has justified their otherworldly self-confidence more than he has. If other directors are more artistically or technically accomplished, I’d struggle to find anyone who better put the thoughts and images in their brain onto celluloid better than him. If this had been made by some new hotshot named Chris Anderson or something, I’m buying a poster of it and telling everyone who will listen about the breakout auteur of the decade. But for the first time in my entire life, I wondered what Tarantino’s point was. Why did he make this movie? The highlight, for me, is Leonardo DiCaprio, who since Django Unchained has apparently realized that he’s at his best when he’s hamming it up and having a blast.

Midsommar - Ari Aster

Two movies in, Ari Aster has mastered tone. My man is in control of his movie from frame one, and the result is that his stuff feels smart. This one wasn’t as wild or unexpected as Hereditary--in fact the most surprising thing about it is that it really isn’t surprising at all; it’s about a sinister cult in northern Sweden, and it hits all the beats that tagline would suggest. But that’s not the same as saying it’s predictable--he still has a gift for ultraviolence, and he hovers in a space that forces you to prepare yourself for anything. My only complaint is that I wish it had been more of a mindfuck. It’s ultimately a simpler movie than you might hope for. But this guy isn’t going anywhere. He’ll be on the prestige list for as long as he wants.

The Perfection - Richard Shepard

If Allison Williams is going to make a career out of deconstructing overachieving white girls, I don’t want it to get lost that she is also insanely hot. Like, just so hot. Anyway, this is one hell of a grindhouse flick, all the way down to being a little less pleasant than you’d expect or even really want. Watch it on a Saturday afternoon and feel a little queasy afterwards.

Avengers: Endgame - Anthony and Joe Russo 

Look, I don’t know what to say to you if you take these movies seriously. You probably wouldn’t like my blog anyway. I thought this was a really good ride. If you have problems with the plot holes or the character inconsistencies, I might recommend catching something other than the final installments of global franchises that are obligated to gross two billion dollars.

Us - Jordan Peele

If Jordan Peele were a quarterback he’d be Deshaun Watson--a top level talent who’s going to be relevant for at least the next ten years. Get Out was a statement, a cheap little movie from one half of a decent sketch comedy show that blew the doors off the tavern and walked in so much smarter and better than anyone was prepared for. But right now, sitting on my couch, Us is the movie I want to watch. It was never going to be as surprising as Get Out because this time out our expectations were so much higher. But this is the kind of movie I ultimately want him to make his fortune with--funny, scary, worth talking about afterwards. A horror movie from a guy with interesting ideas who’s been given the keys to do whatever he wants.

Glass - M. Night Shyamalan

I caught this bad boy in January. At the time I figured there was no way I’d remember anything about it by the end of the year. I don’t. 

[itsybitsynott-blog]

Bridges Burnt || Hugle & Stolena

Dolena tightened her grip on Stefan's hand as they ducked behind one of the stones in the Sundial Garden. They'd followed Gabrielle and the mudblood boy for almost an hour before they were finally away from anyone else. The two had chattered about magic creatures, Gabrielle's worry for the boy, and much more the two seventh years hadn't been able to hear, but Dolena assumed was boring. "This is our chance. Are you certain you want to do this, Stefan?" She verified one last time, wand clutched in her hand. There was safety in the reassurance, especially in the moments to follow when Brie's inevitable tears filled her brother's heart with guilt and he began to lash out at Dolena. She knew it, even if he wouldn't admit it.

The mudblood who was with Gabrielle was loud and irritating, and he seemed to possess the ability to babble without a break. Stefan could not, for the life of him, begin to understand why his sister cared enough to be spending time with him at all. They had been with each other for what seemed like hours and every time he and Dolena were close enough to hear what they were talking about, it only made Stefan more displeased and more determined to do what they had planned to. He couldn't say he was completely confident though, not really. He hated that it had had come to this point, him having to take such unnecessarily dangerous measures to keep her safe. But she was getting wildly out of control and it wouldn’t be long before word would reach their father. And if he found out.. Stefan didn’t want to think about how he would react. He kept telling himself that this was only so she could be safe in the long run but that didn’t really make this any easier for him. Her words echoed in his mind repeatedly. /How much longer until you can justify doing to me what father did to your mother?/ But Stefan forced himself to ignore it. Through his confusion, he was glad to have Dolena by his side as it seemed like she was all what was keeping him from giving into his doubt and indecision. He turned to her when she spoke, his hand gripping onto hers tightly, she was all the support he had to lean on at this moment. His eyes plainly showed his hesitancy but the Hufflepuff laughed loudly at that moment making Stefan turn his gaze back towards the pair. His jaw clenched, his eyes narrowed and he nodded slowly. “It is the only way.” Despite the surge of confidence he felt, his voice trembled as he spoke. When it came to his sister, Stefan was always careful and this seemed like a reckless thing to do but it would be far worse if he just let this be without doing anything. He took a deep breath, it was ragged and shaky, so unlike himself. He took a quick look around them to make sure they couldn’t be seen by anyone and held up his wand and pointed it directly at the mudblood. He couldn’t say why but nothing seemed to be working the way he wanted it to right then. His wand hand was shaky and his voice unsteady as he muttered the incantation. He had practiced the imperius curse several times on several people to know that the spell did not work. The boy should be blanking out now. He should stop his talking, his gaze should be unfocused but that wasn’t the case. He continued to speak to his sister like nothing had happened. Another deep breath, another attempt and nothing yet again. He lowered his wand and turned to Dolena, his frustration was obvious on his features. “I am not able to, I don’t understand..” he mumbled. “Doll, can – can you do it?”

Gabrielle was talking to Hugo about Mister Whiskers. She had wanted a cat since her first year and upon meeting the boy's cat she had become quick friends. She reminded him that his cat was the reason she had spoken to him for the first time, because she wanted to pet him. And how the cat had followed her down to the dungeons that week, Gabrielle admitted for the first time, that she'd considered keeping him for the night, but didn't want to worry the boy. Dolena could feel the tight grip Stefan had on her hand as he watched the scene unfold, she'd known him long enough to know when the boy was struggling, and in that moment, she saw it quite clearly. Hurting Gabby wasn't something she wanted to do either, not like how she wanted to hurt others, but losing Gabrielle meant losing Allison all over again, and then Stefan in return. That wasn’t an option, she wasn’t going to lose the Notts. “I know, I never wanted it to come to this.” She said quietly, “But we can’t lose her, not to some mudblood.” She murmured bitterly, running her thumb over the back of his hand. If she could take his pain away, his guilt for what they were about to do, she would bear it for him, gladly, just so he wouldn’t have to. Dolena didn’t empathize with others, not truly, except for with Stefan. “When it’s over, we’ll take her to the tower to look at the stars, okay? We’ll make her better, better than she is now.” As he struggled to perform the spell, she didn’t cast any judging looks the way she would have with anyone else. Instead, she gave him a rare look of sympathy, placing her hand over his wand hand and nodded, drawing her own towards the Hufflepuff boy. “Imperio.” She felt the spell course through her veins and strike the boy across the way. Gabrielle didn’t notice the spell hitting the boy, too involved in her own chattering. Dolena breathed in the power and control that she now held over the mudblood and began giving the boy his orders. “Tell Gabrielle to stop talking. Tell her that you’d be better off without her, and say whatever it takes to make her hate you.”

Stefan couldn’t really form the words to answer Dolena. He didn’t know what they were to going do when this was over and right then, he didn’t really care. He just wanted it to be over. He knew he would soon have to face the guilt of having hurt his sister, indirectly maybe, but it was still his doing. All he could hope was that she wasn’t too attached to the mudblood boy to let his rejection be taken too seriously. Because Stefan knew how sensitive she could be about simple matters such as this. He was grateful when Dolena agreed to take over, a sigh of relief leaving his lips when he placed that burden onto her. She had always been so much stronger than he ever was. The moment the girl muttered the spell, it was plainly obvious that it had worked. The Hufflepuff spaced out immediately and he nodded at Dolena appreciatively before his eyes went back to watching his sister and him. Hugo and Gabrielle were chatting about a lot of things that day and not all of it really were things that really mattered at all. They spoke of homework and Hogsmeade, his sisters and his cat, Halloween and Christmas, everything and nothing at the same time. When Stefan and Dolena were struggling with the spell they were to cast on him, Hugo was listening to Gaby speak about Mister Whiskers with a wide grin on his face. He was internally very pleased that he was finally getting to spend time with her without all the worrying and arguing. Ever since the start of the year, she had only been ignoring him and pushing him away – but finally it seemed like things were going back to normal again and for that he was glad because he had been missing her tremendously. He laughed at a little joke she said and began to speak about the time Emilia stole Mister Whiskers and hid him in the Gryffindor tower, when Dolena’s spell hit him. the effect was immediate. He stopped talking and blanked out completely. He forgot where he was and who he was with. His gaze was unfocused and he felt at peace, his mind was calm and he got the feeling that there was no worry in the world. In that state of pure bliss, he obliged when he heard Dolena’s command. “I hate you!” Hugo said suddenly, not even realizing what the words which were leaving his lips meant. “I cannot bear to be by your side, you are a horrible person. You are ugly. Your are selfish. You are a murderer. You wouldn’t even care if I die – you – you – “ A small voice woke up at the back of his head and began to question what was going on. He looked horrified suddenly as he began to see that something was wrong but that wasn’t enough to completely stop what he was doing. “I don’t know why I – ! ” he panicked “I don’t – I – HATE YOU!” His words made no sense to him but despite him wanting to stop whatever the hell he was saying, he couldn’t. Dolena’s spell was too powerful. He took out his wand and started to look around, completely frenzied. “Stop! Stop!” he yelled, pointing the wand at no one in particular but yet again he uttered some cruel words despite himself. “You don’t deserve my time or my love or trust!” He spat at her and got off the bench they were seated at and stumbled back in confusion. “I don’t know – I – I don’t even know why I am here with you!”

Gabrielle looked at Hugo in concern as he stopped midsentence. “Is everything-“ She started but was interrupted by his sudden declaration of hate for the girl. Her face fell and her eyes widened with a mixture of confusion and heartbreak. It was so sudden, so out of nowhere, she could barely believe what was happening. Surely, she was having a nightmare, because Hugo was the one person she’d never had to worry about being good enough around, he’d actually liked her for her, not because of her last name, or the blood that ran through her veins. Her heart only continued to break as he spewed out more hateful words in her direction. ‘Wake up!’ She told herself, but she wasn’t asleep. His words sunk into her skin like knives, tearing away at what little self-esteem she’d managed to hold onto since the summer. “That’s not true, Hugo!” She protested, “I’d be devastated if you-if you died.” She whispered quietly, tears filling her eyes. As he began to trip on his words, she only became more concerned, until finally he took out his wand, yelling as he pointed it about. “Stop what? I’m not doing anything, Hugo!” She pleaded desperately with the boy, clueless as to what was going on. “Hugo, please?” The girl let out a small sob, reaching out to take his hand. “Where is this coming from? Please, just tell me what’s going on.” The thought of losing another person was unbearable. She’d already lost Rabastan and Sirius, not that she and Sirius were all that close, but now Hugo seemed to hate her as well, out of the blue, and she wanted to know what it was that she’d done. “Please, explain what I’ve done wrong. I’ll-I’ll leave you alone if you want, but just tell me why you hate me, now?” Despite her trembling form, the girl managed to stand up right, trying to search his face through her tears. How had they gone from laughing and talking about the past to this sudden bout of hatred? Had he been bottling it up all along? Dolena’s eyes narrowed as she fought for control over the boy, she hadn’t expected he’d be a fighter, but she as stronger. “Dig deeper, Hugo, use anything she’s ever confided in you against her.” She demanded more powerfully than before. “Stop waving your wand around and don’t allow her to touch you. Tell her that you’ve known from the start that she wasn’t worth your time, that she has been useless and you’re done wasting your time pretending to be her friend, pretending like you care about her.” Dolly ordered. She didn’t let up her focus to look at Stefan, but reached out her hand for his. She was shaking from the power and trying to hold on to control of the boy, she needed her friend to ground her.

Stefan visibly winced when the boy began to yell at his sister. If he hadn’t been doing it under their command, if he had somehow walked in on them yelling at Brie by his own free will, Stefan would have ended him without a second thought. His eyes focused on Gabrielle and he could visibly see her shatter right before his eyes with every word the mudblood uttered. He hated what they were doing to her and in those moments, he was so focused on Gabrielle and his own guilt that he didn’t notice that Dolena was struggling with the spell till her hand touched his. He frowned a little, his concentration turning to the boy who seemed to be fighting the curse. He didn’t think the boy had any strength at all, let alone enough to actually fight the imperious curse. He gripped her hand tightly for a second. "It's okay, he will never really be able to overthrow the curse." he said, as he raised his own wand again. Dolena's struggle gave him the confidence he needed, he didn't have before, and now that they had started this, they needed to finish this, and smoothly. He pointed his wand at the Hufflepuff and muttered the incantation for the third time that day. But the difference was that his hand didn’t shake and his voice didn’t waver this time. If Dolena needed his help, then his help she would have. Just as his spell hit him, the boy froze suddenly and he knew that his spell had worked this time and he that they would be off with Gabrielle soon enough. Hugo wasn’t in a state listen or answer to Gabrielle's questions and worries. He knew that he was hurting her with every word he was saying but he simply couldn’t stop himself from saying more. Every time he tried to apologize, to explain, whatever it was that was jinxing him seemed to hit him harder and he went ahead and told worse things which only hurt her more. When she reached out to take his hand, Hugo slapped it away harshly and took a step back from her, looking as though he was disgusted by her. “Don’t. Touch. Me.” He spat at the girl, glaring at her with sheer hatred. Hatred which he did not feel. “Don’t you understand? I hate you! I’ve always hated you! I’ve known from the start that you weren’t worth my time! You are useless and I’m done wasting my time pretending to be your friend, pretending like I care about you!” Once again he attempted to fight the voice which was ordering him, a look of pure horror in his eyes as he realized what he had just said. “Gabrielle, I – “ he started to explain but at the moment Stefan’s curse hit him and he froze completely. He gripped his wand tight and let out a bloodcurdling scream the power of the magic performed by the two was too much for him to take and his mind was fighting way too hard. Pain shoot through his head, blinding pain which lasted long enough that he lost control of everything. Without his realization, several balls of fire shot from his wand just as his screaming ended and he fell unconscious to the ground.

Gabrielle's heart pounded as her friend slapped her hand away, she cowered back from him. She'd have never thought Hugo, of all people, would reject her in such a way. They'd been friends for years, so as he admitted that it was just pretend, her legs trembled and tears poured down her cheeks. She'd trusted him with so much of herself, so much of everything, and he had never cared at all. It was the scream that caused Gabrielle to reach out for him again, an instinct to help anyone in pain, but he shot out balls of fire at the young brunette and it was quicker than a match lighting, her clothes were suddenly on fire and just as Hugo's screaming stopped, hers began. The flames licked at her skin and crawled up her arms and legs, surrounding her. The pain was something like she'd never felt before and an animal-like cry fell from her lips as she hit the ground, trying to get the flames to stop. Dolena rejoiced silently as the boy screamed until she saw the fire. "Drop your wand!" She commanded, but it was already to late, Gabby was lit up like a candle and the boy was on the ground. Her feet took off before she could really process what was happening, but she fired off shots in order to put out the flames, but she was still too far away to do any good. Gabrielle's screams pierced the air along with the horrid smell of burning flesh and hair. Had it been the mudblood on fire, she might have relished in the chaos of it all, but Gabrielle was never meant to get physically hurt. The guilt filled Dolena as she got closer and she shakily tried to put the fire out, but her spells weren't enough. The water seemed to only dampen the fire, not put it out, but she kept trying.

Merely seconds has passed since he had pointed his wand at the mudblood and uttered the curse. The reaction was just as expected – he froze the very next second but instead of falling in line with what Dolena was ordering of him, the younger boy let out a bloodcurdling shriek and went completely berserk. He didn’t seem to be in control of his own actions but neither was he under the control of Stefan or Dolena. Before anything could be done to change that, flames began to shoot out of his wand in a very erratic manner. But also with such alarming speed that despite both Dolena and Stefan plunging into action immediately, a lot had happened which they hadn’t expected to. And it had all happened far too soon. His eyes went wide with horror when he saw that Gabrielle’s clothes had caught fire. Immediately afterwards, a chilling scream filled the air and Stefan knew what that meant but he couldn’t afford to think of the pain his sister was in because of this mess, the mess he had started. He wouldn’t be able to focus if he thought about it, and right now all he wanted was to make this right before it was too late. He shot spell after spell even before they were anywhere close to her, and once they were close enough, he stood still to get ahold of his own emotions and made waves of water wrap around his sister till she was free of the flames. It was obvious however, that they hadn’t managed to get her out of this unharmed – maybe he had only just barely even saved her life. He didn’t need the tattered clothes, her severe looking burns and stench of burning skin and hair to tell him that his sister was in excruciating pain. The flames may have disappeared but, she was still burning, her scream – that terrifying scream was not getting any less louder. He knelt down beside her and forced himself to ignore her wriggling and thrashing. He lifted her up gingerly and held her as still as possible. “I am sorry, Brie.” he mumbled as the tip his wand touched her temple and he murmured an incantation under his breath before she fell limp onto his lap. “Don’t you fucking dare.” He hissed when he spared a glance at on Dolena. “Don’t you dare touch her.” He was shaking with fury but she wasn’t the only one he was angry at, he was angry at himself too but he didn’t know what else to do right then except lash out at her, He didn’t even know why he was doing it but he couldn’t bring himself to care. He wasted no time, muttering a few healing spells at the worst looking burns before lifting his sister up in his arms. It wasn’t even difficult to do so, she seemed to have lost a lot of weight because inspite of the present situation, he was reminded in a flash of the many times he lifted her up when she had been younger. “She was not supposed to get hurt.” He hissed through gritted teeth. “My sister was not supposed to get hurt!” He glared at Dolena icily and without another word, disapparated from there with Gabrielle. He apparated back as close to the gates of the school as possible, before racing inside the grounds and to the hospital wing, the only thought in his mind right then was to make Gabrielle well again.

Gabrielle’s screaming and pain only ceased when her brother’s wand settled on her temple and she fell unconscious. Dolena, on the other hand, had to live through it all, wide awake and soberly so. She rushed towards the siblings, but was struck by her friend’s words. They were like a punch to the gut, worse than any torture she’d ever endured. Her mouth hung open, but Stefan and Brie disappeared, leaving her on her own with an unconscious mudblood. Without a second thought, Dolena left the unconscious boy and made her way towards the castle once more. She would go wait outside the hospital wing for news about Brie, and wait patiently as guilt ate her alive.

@stefannott, @huggleshugo, @dollygreengrass

#stefan #dolena #hugo #tw: gore #tw: graphic violence #tw: graphic content #tw: fire

[wheredidhiseyebrowsgo]

Hey!!! 😇 I have read like all fics on your coming out tag page, when you have time can you update them? Today It's my one year anniversary of coming out!!! ☺️☺️☺️ -B

Happy Belated Anniversary! Sorry it’s a little late but we’re so happy we could celebrate with you! Here’s the tag for everyone else. - Anastasia

Taking Bets by S_Horne

(1/1 I 406 I General I Sterek)

“Dad, Mel” Stiles started. “I'm gay.”

With a sudden boost of confidence, Stiles reached a hand out to take a hold of one of Derek's.

“And this is my Derek” he continued, turning his face to meet the other’s gaze.

/

Stiles has a confession for his parents, and they have one for him!

Dream a Little Dream of Me by 42hrb

(1/1 I 830 I Teen I Stanny)

Coach pairs Stiles and Danny in a hotel for a lacrosse trip, it turns out they have some stuff to talk about.

About Damn Time by fancyachatup

(1/1 I 903 I General I Sterek)

It's essentially Teen Wolf, except that there are such things as soulmates.

Deal? by fancyachatup

(1/1 I 921 I General I Sterek)

Only Peter is evil and it's for like 1 sentence. +Basically Sheriff answers a domestic violence call and Stiles hits on Derek while simultaneously coming out.

The Person He Loved In So Many Different Ways by QueenofCrazy

(1/1 I 1,136 I Not Rated I Sciles)

“Bro.” He whispered, hands gripping his knees and fingers tapping. “Bro you uh, you left your porn up on your laptop that I borrowed for my presentation.” Scott felt his face heat up. He knew what porn Stiles was talking about, how could he be so stupid not to check it before giving it to Stiles.

Sourwolves Do it Better by siao

(1/? I 1,406 I Explicit I Sterek)

In another time, in another place, but not exactly as the story still occurs in the much beloved town of Beacon Hills, Stiles Stilinski is a quirky (kind way of saying a walking disaster) teenager just trying to figure out his life in the wake of his parents uncommunicated separation, and being the perpetual third-wheel to his power couple friends Lydia and Jackson that makes him question if their friends because they happened to have playdates in the e-old age or because their parents gave them no choice but to be friends.

And yeah, maybe having sex with a complete stranger in the supply closet at school wasn't his brightest idea - sue him, but how was he supposed to know that his one time fling that he wanks since forth was his English teacher?

Throw in teenage werewolves, alphas, hunters and some kind of demon tree that may or may not be trying to seduce him into being evil and what you got is a whirlwind romance that's not quite legal but profound all the same.

Two Hearts in One Home by TheMipstaz

(1/1 I 1,851 I Explicit I Malia/Kira)

In which Kira bakes 11 pies.

Silver and Cold by inatshej

(1/1 I 2,044 I Mature I Steter)

Stiles admits to himself finally that it is cold, quiet and lonely. It didn't change when he met Peter, but at least he could forget about it. Somehow the thing with Peter ends up hurting him even more.

And The Oscar Goes To by 42hrb

(1/1 I 2,241 I Teen I Sterek)

Being publicly in the closet means Stiles can't go to the Academy Awards with who he really wants, but it's not like he's going to win so he doesn't have to worry about slipping up and thanking Derek in his speech... right?

Outed by smokesforsterek

(1/1 I 2,419 I General I Sterek)

Nancy O’Dell was standing on her chic set but in the background on one of the set pieces was a obviously zoomed in and blurry picture of Derek and Stiles kissing on the beach.Fuck.

or the one where Derek and Stiles are famous and secretly dating, and are caught. So naturally the only thing to do is pretend they're making a movie.

Heavy Is The Head by tragicama

(1/? I 2,574 I Explicit I Sterek)

Heir Prince of France, Derek Hale is tired of his royal life.

When he meets a palace servant named Stiles, everything changes.

Or, the one where Derek falls in love with his own Prince Charming.

Awake by reillyblack

(1/1 I 3,441 I Mature I Sterek)

Stiles was too goddamn old for a sexual awakening.

Never Been Subtle by totallyrandom

(2/2 I 3,886 I Teen I Sterek)

Stiles has something important to tell Scott, but Scott’s not making it easy.

Green Beer and the Howling Wolf by TVTime

(1/1 I 4,152 I Teen I Stisaac)

Stiles, Isaac, and Scott go out drinking for St. Patrick’s Day and Stiles discovers that his hopeless crush on Isaac may not be as hopeless as he thought.

Stiles-centric/Stiles POV, dialogue-heavy college AU story with no powers. Primarily humor with some fluff and Stisaac romance. Alternate character histories. Isaac is Scott's adopted brother.****Stiles held his arms out and turned around in a circle. “I look okay right?”

Scott’s face lit with understanding. “Ah, someone wants to get lucky on St. Paddy’s Day.”

Stiles didn’t deny it, just changed the subject – well, technically he didn’t change the subject, but Scott would think it was a change of subject. “So when’s Isaac getting here?”

Trust by live_laugh_murder

(1/1 I 4,436 I Teen I Steo)

Stiles always knew Theo Raeken couldn't be trusted. But he seems to forget that when the werewolf gets under his skin.

Out in the Open by inmydreams

(1/1 I 5,188 I Teen I Sterek)

Derek Hale, successful actor and Oscar winner, is ready to come out and where better to do it than on his boyfriend's chat show?

Indecent Proposal by lavieboheme0919

(1/1 I 5,432 I Explicit I Stetoper)

Peter and Chris have been married since they were in their twenties. Stiles is introduced to the mix after Peter meets him in the showers at the on-campus gym. All of them love the relationship they're in. Unfortunately none of them know how to explain said relationship to Stiles' dad.

This is the first of a series I'll be working on as I work on my other story, "Gods and Monsters." This one will be heavily focused on sex. If I missed any tags, please let me know. As always, comments welcome and encouraged!

Aparecium by GameCake

(1/1 I 5,446 I Teen I Sterek)

“Hey, Derek, look! Aquamenti!” Stiles yelled laughing.

His laugh though was short-lived as his hand tickled the same time as water shot out of the tip of his fake wand?

What?

“Whatever you did, wherever you found it, put it back!” Derek ordered flashing his alpha crimson eyes.

“Do you really think it is a good idea to leave it here unattended? What if a kid takes it? What if someone said ‘Avada Kedavra’” Stiles defended as he flayed his arms around.

That proved to be another bad choice. His hand buzzed again and lightning escaped the wand and stuck an innocent tree. Which immediately cracked and started decaying to the point that it looked sick and… well… dead.

There were a few bits of silence after that until Derek spoke up. “That’s it! Put it back now.”

*

Or the one where Stiles finds a wand that responds to Harry Potter spells, is apparently a mage and gets a boyfriend out of it.

Don't hate me for who I am by AnnSnape

(2/6 I 5,649 I Mature I Sterek)

It was Christmas when Stiles pack rejected him for being different and Stiles, who turned for the first time, had to run away from his own pack to survive.

Closeted by stilinski_wolf

(2/2 I 7,483 I Teen I Sterek)

Derek is part of a very rich, very conservative - and very homophobic - family, and so he has to hide who he truly is from them.

And then, Derek takes a liking to the new bartender working at the gay bar he frequents, and contemplates coming out to his family.

But his choice is taken out of his hands when his sister Cora follows him one night to the gay bar, changing Derek's life irrevocably.

wolf in the headlights by thedeathlyalpha

(1/1 I 7,581 I Teen I Scisaac)

When Scott finds out that Derek has added a member to the pack, he can't believe it.

When he discovers who it is, even worse.

As Scott becomes closer to Isaac, feelings develop and the lines blur, making everything just seem so confused.

Getting To Know Me Getting To Know You by alternativename

(3/? I 9,477 I Mature I Steter)

In an Omega verse where Stiles has never really felt comfortable in his own skin, he seeks out the company of other Omegas to help him make sense of the world they live in.

Meeting Peter Hale however was totally unplanned, and so was everything that happened from the moment they met.

And...Action! by defenselesswriter

(5/? I 9,632 I Explicit I Sterek)

"Not looking for casual hookups. Sorry, bro. Most codependent independent person you will ever meet. Part-time actor, full-time asshole who coincidentally preaches positivity. Worst bowler in the world after my best friend. Looking for a guy whose first thought isn’t ‘Can I put my dick in one of his orifices?’ Also super hella bi and might be down for a threesome.”

Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes by huffleluff

(1/1 I 21,866 I Teen I Allydia)

If you had asked Allison Argent if she was straight two months ago, she would have said yes. Now, she isn't so sure.

On her eighteen birthday, she receives the name of her soul mate via a mark on her wrist: seventeen year old Lydia Martin. Her sense of identity suddenly gone, Allison must deal with her feelings for her best friend, her preacher father's homophobia, and learning to love herself for who she truly is--preferably before Lydia's eighteenth birthday in just one year's time.

There's Nothing That I Wouldn't Do (I Found My Way Back To You) by SuperMARVELous

(5/5 I 51,051 I Mature I Sterek)

Four times Derek and Stiles pass each other by and the one time they find their way back to each other.

The Payoff Pitch by Leslie_Knope

(12/12 I 83,974 I Explicit I Sterek)

Derek is on the cusp of his second season with the LA Dodgers, and as the reigning runner-up Rookie of the Year, the pressure’s on him to become the team’s star pitcher and lead them to the playoffs for the first time in five years. He’s trying to deal with the burden of expectations and really has zero desire to spend any extra time or energy on anything that isn’t baseball.

But then he meets Stiles.

Building a Better Chimera: Part Two by Uthizaar

(21/21 I 200,638 I Explicit I Steo I MCD)

Theo returns to Beacon Hills with the task of guiding and protecting Stiles as he becomes one of the most powerful chimeras alive...Well that was the Dread Doctor's plan. Theo has a different idea, and Stiles fits nicely into it, not merely as a fellow chimera, but as something more. Of course, Stiles not being aware of his abilities is but one small obstacle... 

#teen wolf #sterek #stiles stilinski #derek hale #sciles #scott mccall #stetopher #steter #chris argent #peter hale #malia/kira #malia tate #kira yukimura #femslash #coming out #anon #angst #homophobia #stanny #danny mahealani #Anonymous

[supportmeetpositives]

How to Deal with Anxiety: EP 20

Anxiety Is Real and Can Be Overwhelming

In This Episode:

We all get nervous, worried, stressed, and fearful from time to time. For example, when speaking in public, going through a financial hardship, or when having trouble in a difficult relationship.

Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about a looming event or something with an uncertain outcome. Having some anxiety is normal but for others, it becomes so frequent, and forceful, it takes over their lives and affects their ability to function. In this episode, I talk with Iva, Allison, and Matthew, each of them have had high levels of anxiety.

A Deep Plunge into Anxiety

Iva is dealing with an anxiety issue. He has no idea why he’s anxious. He’s taken a deep plunge into anxiety and feels there is no way out. He’ll be in class and for no apparent reason will start sweating, shaking and can’t breathe. Then has to lay down in the nurse’s office until he feels better. He doesn’t understand where the anxiety is coming from.

Iva is not alone, there are many people who have serious anxiety issues, 18% of all Americans suffer from anxiety. Many have no idea why they have such anxious feelings, which alone could make one feel even more turmoil. They usually don’t have much patience and understandably so. The anxiety can be so intense, they want relief and they want it now.

Any person who is struggling with anxiety, needs encouragement and support from others, who will empathize and pray with them as they face their daily battles. And walk with them through their own personal nightmares.

You are not alone. 18% of all Americans have an anxiety disorder. #anxiety Click To Tweet

God Can Give Us a Deep Sense of Peace

God can give us a deep sense of peace as we work through our issues. God says more than just, “Don’t be anxious,” or “Get over it,” but tells us our prayers and petitions are the keys to opening the door of overcoming our anxiety. The apostle Paul wrote,

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

I have high hopes for Iva, in spite of his struggle, he has not given up. His parents love him and support him, even though they don’t know what to do. Knowing they are there for him can be a great help. Truly Iva is tormented. May God show him the way to find the peace that passes all understanding.

Overloaded with Emotional Trauma

Allison has a lot of drama in her life, giving her tons of anxiety. She grew up in a dysfunctional family where her and her father were very close and her mom was jealous of their relationship. Now, her parents are getting divorced and Allison feels it’s her fault.

Allison is way overloaded with emotional trauma. For her to get help, she has to reach out and face the truth. Her anxiety attacks are a secondary issue, as horrendous as they are. They serve as a wakeup call. She must discover the triggers which cause her to spin into these anxiety nightmares.

Allison is coming to realize what some of these triggers are:

A broken relationship with her mom

A sense of false guilt and shame about her mom

Her dysfunction family

A boyfriend whose violated her trust

Way overloaded with her jobs

Her father being gone

She’s carrying too much weight, and she’s crying out for help. There’s only so much medication can do. It can help but it’s not an end-all. She’s going to have to go deeper and deal with her issues, one at a time. As she does that, the load will start to get lighter and she will experience less anxiety.

Go deeper to deal with issues, one at a time, and the load will start to get lighter. #anxiety Click To Tweet

Suffered from Anxiety Attacks

Matthew has suffered from anxiety attacks and even thought at one time he might die. He no peace about anything. It took away all his energy. Then he discovered where to find strength and rest and he found them in Christ Jesus. He was worrying about everything and trying to carry everything on his shoulders. He’s learned to give it all over to God. From time to time, he still gets nervous but it’s been years since his last anxiety attack.

Finding Peace

Matthew has found his personal peace with Jesus Christ. With Christ’s love and power, he’s able to help others deal with their anxieties. He still struggles from time to time but nothing like it once was. Jesus explained what Matthew needed to do. He said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

Worrying and carrying everything on your shoulders is overwhelming. Give it over to God. #anxiety Click To Tweet

Did Today’s Episode Get You Thinking?

God can give us a deep sense of peace as we work through our issues. God says more than just, “Don’t be anxious,” or “Get over it,” He tells us our prayers and petitions are the keys to opening the door of overcoming our anxiety

Resources for Anxiety:

Check out my eBook: Understanding Anxiety.

Check out my blogs: How to Deal with Anxiety, You Can’t Just Toughen Up, How to Overcome Social Anxiety, How To Find Sanity In An Insane World, and Mental Illness is Not Mental Weakness.

Check out these stories of hope from people who have struggled with anxiety: She Struggled with Cutting and Anxiety, Megan’s Struggle with Anxiety Disorder, My Social Fear, and Madylon’s Story: My Life Has Been an Emotional Roller Coaster.

Need to talk about your issues? Sign up for an Email Mentor, an online coach who will email you and come along beside you to offer support.

Need prayer? I believe God wants to change your life and mine, through prayer. If you need prayer and would like to have someone pray for you, go to the ThePrayerZone.com and check it out.

Would you consider doing something for me?

If you like this episode and think someone else might too, please share it on Facebook and Twitter.

One last thing,

My podcast, our website, everything we do is entirely listener supported. If you’d like to help us to continue our work, please make a gift right now at our Give Now page.

Join me for my next episode all about identifying toxic relationships. A toxic relationship will suck the life and energy from you. It contaminates your self-esteem and your happiness. In this episode, I talk with Ashely about all the toxic, hurtful things her messed up boyfriend does to her. Then I talk with Kelsea, who’s boyfriend is sucking the life out of her causing her to be confused and miserable. Lastly, I talk with Jess. He and his girlfriend keep going back to the destructive parts of their relationship causing confusion, hurt and chaos in their relationship.

  Remember, whatever you do, Never Lose Hope! Dawson

  The post How to Deal with Anxiety: EP 20 appeared first on TheHopeLine.

[hepatitismeetpositives]

How to Deal with Anxiety EP 20

Anxiety Is Real and Can Be Overwhelming

In This Episode:

We all get nervous, worried, stressed, and fearful from time to time. For example, when speaking in public, going through a financial hardship, or when having trouble in a difficult relationship.

Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about a looming event or something with an uncertain outcome. Having some anxiety is normal but for others, it becomes so frequent, and forceful, it takes over their lives and affects their ability to function. In this episode, I talk with Iva, Allison, and Matthew, each of them have had high levels of anxiety.

A Deep Plunge into Anxiety

Iva is dealing with an anxiety issue. He has no idea why he’s anxious. He’s taken a deep plunge into anxiety and feels there is no way out. He’ll be in class and for no apparent reason will start sweating, shaking and can’t breathe. Then has to lay down in the nurse’s office until he feels better. He doesn’t understand where the anxiety is coming from.

Iva is not alone, there are many people who have serious anxiety issues, 18% of all Americans suffer from anxiety. Many have no idea why they have such anxious feelings, which alone could make one feel even more turmoil. They usually don’t have much patience and understandably so. The anxiety can be so intense, they want relief and they want it now.

Any person who is struggling with anxiety, needs encouragement and support from others, who will empathize and pray with them as they face their daily battles. And walk with them through their own personal nightmares.

You are not alone. 18% of all Americans have an anxiety disorder. #anxiety Click To Tweet

God Can Give Us a Deep Sense of Peace

God can give us a deep sense of peace as we work through our issues. God says more than just, “Don’t be anxious,” or “Get over it,” but tells us our prayers and petitions are the keys to opening the door of overcoming our anxiety. The apostle Paul wrote,

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

I have high hopes for Iva, in spite of his struggle, he has not given up. His parents love him and support him, even though they don’t know what to do. Knowing they are there for him can be a great help. Truly Iva is tormented. May God show him the way to find the peace that passes all understanding.

Overloaded with Emotional Trauma

Allison has a lot of drama in her life, giving her tons of anxiety. She grew up in a dysfunctional family where her and her father were very close and her mom was jealous of their relationship. Now, her parents are getting divorced and Allison feels it’s her fault.

Allison is way overloaded with emotional trauma. For her to get help, she has to reach out and face the truth. Her anxiety attacks are a secondary issue, as horrendous as they are. They serve as a wakeup call. She must discover the triggers which cause her to spin into these anxiety nightmares.

Allison is coming to realize what some of these triggers are:

A broken relationship with her mom

A sense of false guilt and shame about her mom

Her dysfunction family

A boyfriend whose violated her trust

Way overloaded with her jobs

Her father being gone

She’s carrying too much weight, and she’s crying out for help. There’s only so much medication can do. It can help but it’s not an end-all. She’s going to have to go deeper and deal with her issues, one at a time. As she does that, the load will start to get lighter and she will experience less anxiety.

Go deeper to deal with issues, one at a time, and the load will start to get lighter. #anxiety Click To Tweet

Suffered from Anxiety Attacks

Matthew has suffered from anxiety attacks and even thought at one time he might die. He no peace about anything. It took away all his energy. Then he discovered where to find strength and rest and he found them in Christ Jesus. He was worrying about everything and trying to carry everything on his shoulders. He’s learned to give it all over to God. From time to time, he still gets nervous but it’s been years since his last anxiety attack.

Finding Peace

Matthew has found his personal peace with Jesus Christ. With Christ’s love and power, he’s able to help others deal with their anxieties. He still struggles from time to time but nothing like it once was. Jesus explained what Matthew needed to do. He said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

Worrying and carrying everything on your shoulders is overwhelming. Give it over to God. #anxiety Click To Tweet

Did Today’s Episode Get You Thinking?

God can give us a deep sense of peace as we work through our issues. God says more than just, “Don’t be anxious,” or “Get over it,” He tells us our prayers and petitions are the keys to opening the door of overcoming our anxiety

Resources for Anxiety:

Check out my eBook: Understanding Anxiety.

Check out my blogs: How to Deal with Anxiety, You Can’t Just Toughen Up, How to Overcome Social Anxiety, How To Find Sanity In An Insane World, and Mental Illness is Not Mental Weakness.

Check out these stories of hope from people who have struggled with anxiety: She Struggled with Cutting and Anxiety, Megan’s Struggle with Anxiety Disorder, My Social Fear, and Madylon’s Story: My Life Has Been an Emotional Roller Coaster.

Need to talk about your issues? Sign up for an Email Mentor, an online coach who will email you and come along beside you to offer support.

Need prayer? I believe God wants to change your life and mine, through prayer. If you need prayer and would like to have someone pray for you, go to the ThePrayerZone.com and check it out.

Would you consider doing something for me?

If you like this episode and think someone else might too, please share it on Facebook and Twitter.

One last thing,

My podcast, our website, everything we do is entirely listener supported. If you’d like to help us to continue our work, please make a gift right now at our Give Now page.

Join me for my next episode all about identifying toxic relationships. A toxic relationship will suck the life and energy from you. It contaminates your self-esteem and your happiness. In this episode, I talk with Ashely about all the toxic, hurtful things her messed up boyfriend does to her. Then I talk with Kelsea, who’s boyfriend is sucking the life out of her causing her to be confused and miserable. Lastly, I talk with Jess. He and his girlfriend keep going back to the destructive parts of their relationship causing confusion, hurt and chaos in their relationship.

  Remember, whatever you do, Never Lose Hope! Dawson

  The post How to Deal with Anxiety EP 20 appeared first on TheHopeLine.

[supportmeetpositives]

How to Deal with Anxiety EP 20

Anxiety Is Real and Can Be Overwhelming

In This Episode:

We all get nervous, worried, stressed, and fearful from time to time. For example, when speaking in public, going through a financial hardship, or when having trouble in a difficult relationship.

Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about a looming event or something with an uncertain outcome. Having some anxiety is normal but for others, it becomes so frequent, and forceful, it takes over their lives and affects their ability to function. In this episode, I talk with Iva, Allison, and Matthew, each of them have had high levels of anxiety.

A Deep Plunge into Anxiety

Iva is dealing with an anxiety issue. He has no idea why he’s anxious. He’s taken a deep plunge into anxiety and feels there is no way out. He’ll be in class and for no apparent reason will start sweating, shaking and can’t breathe. Then has to lay down in the nurse’s office until he feels better. He doesn’t understand where the anxiety is coming from.

Iva is not alone, there are many people who have serious anxiety issues, 18% of all Americans suffer from anxiety. Many have no idea why they have such anxious feelings, which alone could make one feel even more turmoil. They usually don’t have much patience and understandably so. The anxiety can be so intense, they want relief and they want it now.

Any person who is struggling with anxiety, needs encouragement and support from others, who will empathize and pray with them as they face their daily battles. And walk with them through their own personal nightmares.

You are not alone. 18% of all Americans have an anxiety disorder. #anxiety Click To Tweet

God Can Give Us a Deep Sense of Peace

God can give us a deep sense of peace as we work through our issues. God says more than just, “Don’t be anxious,” or “Get over it,” but tells us our prayers and petitions are the keys to opening the door of overcoming our anxiety. The apostle Paul wrote,

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

I have high hopes for Iva, in spite of his struggle, he has not given up. His parents love him and support him, even though they don’t know what to do. Knowing they are there for him can be a great help. Truly Iva is tormented. May God show him the way to find the peace that passes all understanding.

Overloaded with Emotional Trauma

Allison has a lot of drama in her life, giving her tons of anxiety. She grew up in a dysfunctional family where her and her father were very close and her mom was jealous of their relationship. Now, her parents are getting divorced and Allison feels it’s her fault.

Allison is way overloaded with emotional trauma. For her to get help, she has to reach out and face the truth. Her anxiety attacks are a secondary issue, as horrendous as they are. They serve as a wakeup call. She must discover the triggers which cause her to spin into these anxiety nightmares.

Allison is coming to realize what some of these triggers are:

A broken relationship with her mom

A sense of false guilt and shame about her mom

Her dysfunction family

A boyfriend whose violated her trust

Way overloaded with her jobs

Her father being gone

She’s carrying too much weight, and she’s crying out for help. There’s only so much medication can do. It can help but it’s not an end-all. She’s going to have to go deeper and deal with her issues, one at a time. As she does that, the load will start to get lighter and she will experience less anxiety.

Go deeper to deal with issues, one at a time, and the load will start to get lighter. #anxiety Click To Tweet

Suffered from Anxiety Attacks

Matthew has suffered from anxiety attacks and even thought at one time he might die. He no peace about anything. It took away all his energy. Then he discovered where to find strength and rest and he found them in Christ Jesus. He was worrying about everything and trying to carry everything on his shoulders. He’s learned to give it all over to God. From time to time, he still gets nervous but it’s been years since his last anxiety attack.

Finding Peace

Matthew has found his personal peace with Jesus Christ. With Christ’s love and power, he’s able to help others deal with their anxieties. He still struggles from time to time but nothing like it once was. Jesus explained what Matthew needed to do. He said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” Matthew 11:28-29

Worrying and carrying everything on your shoulders is overwhelming. Give it over to God. #anxiety Click To Tweet

Did Today’s Episode Get You Thinking?

God can give us a deep sense of peace as we work through our issues. God says more than just, “Don’t be anxious,” or “Get over it,” He tells us our prayers and petitions are the keys to opening the door of overcoming our anxiety

Resources for Anxiety:

Check out my eBook: Understanding Anxiety.

Check out my blogs: How to Deal with Anxiety, You Can’t Just Toughen Up, How to Overcome Social Anxiety, How To Find Sanity In An Insane World, and Mental Illness is Not Mental Weakness.

Check out these stories of hope from people who have struggled with anxiety: She Struggled with Cutting and Anxiety, Megan’s Struggle with Anxiety Disorder, My Social Fear, and Madylon’s Story: My Life Has Been an Emotional Roller Coaster.

Need to talk about your issues? Sign up for an Email Mentor, an online coach who will email you and come along beside you to offer support.

Need prayer? I believe God wants to change your life and mine, through prayer. If you need prayer and would like to have someone pray for you, go to the ThePrayerZone.com and check it out.

Would you consider doing something for me?

If you like this episode and think someone else might too, please share it on Facebook and Twitter.

One last thing,

My podcast, our website, everything we do is entirely listener supported. If you’d like to help us to continue our work, please make a gift right now at our Give Now page.

Join me for my next episode all about identifying toxic relationships. A toxic relationship will suck the life and energy from you. It contaminates your self-esteem and your happiness. In this episode, I talk with Ashely about all the toxic, hurtful things her messed up boyfriend does to her. Then I talk with Kelsea, who’s boyfriend is sucking the life out of her causing her to be confused and miserable. Lastly, I talk with Jess. He and his girlfriend keep going back to the destructive parts of their relationship causing confusion, hurt and chaos in their relationship.

  Remember, whatever you do, Never Lose Hope! Dawson

  The post How to Deal with Anxiety EP 20 appeared first on TheHopeLine.