#hell i could find some tina and lisa ones too | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

witchvspatriarchy · 4 years

Text

Feminism vs Female Empowerment vs Feminist Exemplification

In the past years this thread of labeling anything that’s female positive as feminist has really skyrocketed and it bothers me greatly. Great female representation and female empowerment does not make a thing feminist. Something that illustrates, explains or describes a feminist value or point of view does not make that thing feminist.

What defines something as sexist or empowering or feminist is the context and the message or objective that it wants to convey.

There are men in the industry who are progressive and works towards equality by hiring more women, and actively trying to give us better female representation. There are women who direct women in films about women and who try to maintain a crew or team of mostly women. In both cases, none of this makes their project or them feminists.

The majority of the entertainment industry responds and caters to The Male Gaze – it does so even if there are no men operatively involved in the project, because 99.9% of people in the industry do not make art, they are here to make money.

And although it is based on what we commonly call artistic careers, that does not mean that there is a really artistic background or objective in the things being made – it’s purely commercial in a vast majority. The ultimate goal of the entertainment industry is to sell. Therefore, much of this "art" is not progressive, thought-provoking or subversive in any way, specially if the person in charge believes that this could cost them money. The main objective is to market to the consumers and they do so at the expense of everything - this includes quality, values, points of view, consciousness and self-awareness. And this is when two very interesting things happen: Faux Feminism & Female Exploitation.

Female Exploitation is when the person in charge believes that what sells is quiet, beautiful and sensual women – this is the main thing, and the character's story is secondary (so much that most end up being just eye candy or as a manic pixie dream girl). In this case they think of subversive and thought-provoking as something that can harm their income. So the actresses talent and creativity doesn’t really matter, as long as they’re pretty and sell.

Faux Feminism is when the person in charge believes that the money is in the feminist pov and they make films that could pass as feminist and with strong female characters that follow closely and/or represent the political climate and feminist discourse of today – but that does not make the product feminist, mainly because in most cases they do this in the most superficial way for a monetary gain. Keep in mind, in this cases they don’t explicitally use the word feminism in attachment to whatever their selling, but it’s very obvious.

And sometimes is neither of these, but instead Casual Feminism - when something could represent, stand for feminism but that wasn’t the intention at all. Feminists saw it and were like HECK YEAH.

Is feminist a project in which mostly or only women participate? Is feminist a project where the main roles are 99% female? Is feminist a project that addresses sexism? Is feminist a project that’s inclusive? Is feminist a project with independent and empowered women? Is feminist a project that criticizes the way in which society treats women? The answer to all this is NO.

What defines whether something is feminist or not, is first and foremost if whether its exhibitors/creators are feminists or if it was written to represent/stand for feminism explicitly and consciously. If I wear a shirt that says I am feminist, that does not make me feminist. Being a fan of Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Emma Watson or any other feminist does not make me a feminist. Reading one feminist book does not make me feminist (it’s the start, if so I decide). I'm just wearing something, following a person, consuming a product. And many artistic products are attributed the term feminist when they are not in the slightest. If you assume that it is feminist because it exemplifies feminism or is potentially empowering for women, that does not make it feminist. Talking about self-love, girl power, sorority and sexism does not make you a feminist - it makes you self-aware of your rights, strengths and weaknesses and that is excellent and encouraged, but it does not make you feminist.

Why? Because Feminism is a philosophical, social, political, economic and artistic current. What makes a feminist person a feminist, above all, is that they identify themselves as such, with all the awareness of what feminism is because they have studied it or are constantly studying it or have the intention of studying it.

We can long and dream for a feminist awakening in the entertainment industry, but precisely because of that we should not label just anything as sfeminist, because labeling something or someone as feminist when it is not is a disrespect to the person or product and misleading; and it is harmful to the people and products that are feminist and that are mostly ignored, criticized, received in a negative way and usually overshadowed by pseudo-feminist products with better marketing, plus it only helps to preserve the misinformation and misunderstanding of what feminism is and superficializes it. Not to mention it can perpetuate some misconceptions.

Something or someone not being feminist does not mean it is sexist and there IS feminism in the entertainment industry, but very little and it usually suffers from detractors from the industry itself; so what we find mostly is female empowerment, in an initial and often diluted facet.

So no, we can't call it feminist but we can call it empowering since many women feel that spark of strength, they feel identified and reflected accurately, maybe they even feel understood - and that is something very valuable. We can also use them as an exemplification of feminism, there are many artistic projects that are not feminist but serve to explain, illustrate or describe a feminist point of view because they showed it excellently.

Let’s see some examples of what I’m talking about:

Mean Girls is a great example of a feminist movie. It represents and portrays feminist points of view and feminist values consciously and with the intention and awareness of doing it directly from a feminist stand. It has the feminist label very big and very visibly. It was written by a feminist (Tina Fey), inspired on the novel of another feminist (Rosalind Wiseman). The director is not a feminist, as far as we know, but that doesn’t take away from its value as a feminist piece of work in any manner.

Legally Blonde is another great example of a feminist film. The writers, Karen McCullah and Kirsten Smith are both feminists, Kirsten notably being a Riot Grrrl. It is based on a novel written by a feminist (Amanda Brown). And just as Mean Girls, it represents and portrays feminist points of view and feminist values consciously and with the intention and awareness of doing it directly from a feminist stand. It has the feminist label very big and very visibly. Also, it is very female empowering.

Now let’s talk Harley Quinn, because is a very interesting one.

First, let’s talk about her in the comics. She wasn’t created by feminists. She isn’t coded as feminist. She is not written as a feminist character. She is not female empowering for most of her story. Nor she or her story are an exemplification of feminism. The character is not meant to represent or embody feminism in any way. So is she a feminist character? No.

Now, in the movie Birds of Prey. Again, she wasn’t created by feminists. Was the script written by a woman? Yes, but not a feminist woman. Is the movie directed by a woman? Yes, but again, not a feminist woman – the director even said in an interview that she didn’t want to “sound too much like a diehard bra-burning feminist”. The film had an all women crew. Again, Harley isn’t coded as feminist - she is not written as a feminist. The character is not meant to represent or embody feminism in any way. BUT is it female empowering? HELL YES. And the movie as a whole is a great exemplification of feminism, this is another quote from the director: “a harlequin’s role is to serve, they’re nothing without a master and so the movie is about Harley Quinn becoming her own master. And not just Harley, but the Birds of Prey as well. All these women go through something and they’re all trying to break free from their own chains”. So is the movie feminist? No, and so are not it’s characters. But we can and should embrace and celebrate Harley Quinn from a feminist point of view.

Is Hermione Granger a feminist character? No. But she is female empowering and an exemplification of feminism. The actress who plays her, Emma Watson, is a feminist but that doesn’t magically makes all the characters she portrays feminists or well written female characters.

On the other hand, Lisa Simpson IS a feminist. Is the voice-actress a feminist? I don’t know. Are the creators feminists? I dont know either - but it doesn’t matter because Lisa is a feminist and she is explicitly portrayed and written as such, she voices feminism and is meant to embody and represent a feminist (even if it’s an 8 year old one) – and she does so very well if I might add.

So stop calling everything “feminist” and stop telling people that if they believe in equality they are inherently feminists even if they dont want to use that label themselves, stop this specially towards people (I’ve seen this in comment sectons). In my experience, there are three types of women who refuse the feminist label:

1) The Closeted Feminist: a woman that’s not afraid to speak up about their opinions but doesn’t describe themselves or their povs with the word feminism even though their arguments and discourse has a feminist stand that is based on feminist theory to the point where it’s obvious this person has immersed themselves in feminist books, podcasts, films, documentaries, etc – this could be because labeling oneself as a feminist is dangerous. Either in their house, or in the society they’re a part of – and with this I mean that it could actually lead to abuse or active persecution. Not everyone has the same freedom, background and opportunity you do.

2) The Double Agent: they say they don’t need feminism and they don’t believe in it but they still stand for equality and justice. Usually this person doesn’t really understand what feminism is because they have never cared to learn about it and yet they go round commenting on feminist blogs about “how feminists are wrong” – this person believes the patriarchy’s version of what feminism is. This person is aware of the injustice and inbalance but thinks feminism is sexism towards men, hatred of men and that is used for women as a women-victimizing campaign to get pity points and advantages. This are the people that said Taylor Swift played the victim for 13 years.

3) The Free Woman: she doesn’t believe in feminism, she probably voices hate towards feminism and feminists and thinks very low of them because “she doesn’t need feminism” because she loves the men in her life and has “never suffered sexism” first hand so it doesn’t exist. The Free Woman and the Patriarchal Feminist have in common that they feel feminism victimizes women and is sexism towards men. The difference is one thinks inequality is a myth and the other one knows it’s still a thing.

If ya’ll read all of this KUDOS TO YOU and THANK YOU. I’ve been thinking about this for almost a year and it took me a long time and effort to write this and put my thoughts into words cause I’m really bad at expressing myself and lack communication skills. I’d like to write too about the difference between Feminist Icon – Feminist Woman – Iconic Women, just because I’m tired of that mess too.

#feminist #feminism #faux feminism #female empowerment #female representation #long post #very loooooong post #legally blonde #mean girls #harley quinn #birds of prey #hermione granger #harry potter #lisa simpson #the simpsons

1K notes · View notes

fandom-necromancer · 3 years

Text

It’s never too late to realise

This was prompted by an amazing anon! I hope you like it, I somehow think I could have made this better. Enjoy!

Fandom: Detroit become human | Characters: Gavin Reed, RK900 [Part2]

Gavin sighed and opened a new document. ‘Gavin.’ ‘Hmm?’ He looked up at the android sitting opposite of him. ‘Your appointment is in ten minutes, are you sure you want to start that report right now?’ ‘The phck is your problem surveying my goddamn terminal?’, Gavin called over before turning back to his screen and shrugging, adding a bit calmer: ‘Didn’t plan on going.’ ‘Why?’ ‘Hey, tin-can, I don’t want to talk to another phcking shrink about my life again, okay? And this week I can get away with it, pretending I didn’t know they already replaced the old one.’ ‘Oh, I’m sure it is terrible’, Nines prodded him. ‘My name is Gavin, I’m an asshole and I hate everyone, now give me the okay to look at dead people.’ ‘That’s not how this works!’, Gavin hissed back. ‘Oh, I’m sorry’, Nines chuckled. ‘My name is Gavin, I’m a socially inept asshole, who hates everyone, ask me your questions I will without doubt find witty comebacks to instead of actually working on my problems and then give me the okay to look at dead people.’ Gavin felt how his shoulders tensed, because phck this tin-can, seriously! As if a machine could understand- ‘Phck it, fine, I’ll go if only to get away from your useless ass.’

Gavin really didn’t want to go. For entirely different reasons than his plastic partner thought of, but honestly it was better he just thought Gavin was too stubborn to get help. No, Gavin knew he needed it, needed some sort of guidance to help him come to terms and ultimately get over his problems. But he also knew the last therapist hadn’t been of any help, so why try again? Maybe he just had to get himself together and press on. Maybe he really just imagined it and if he wouldn’t be this goddamn weak then he could- He sighed as he knocked at the office door at point twelve. ‘Come in!’ So, another try then.

He sat down opposite to the human – were they even human? – therapist. ‘Hello! You must be Detective Reed. My name is Elise Thorn. It’s a pleasure to meet you!’ Gavin took her hand and shook it, grimacing. ‘Let’s see how that changes in a week’s time’, he grumbled. ‘Let’s see how that’ll be then indeed’, she just answered, still smiling. ‘Miss Lisa really didn’t leave a lot of notes behind, so I guess we’ll have to start from scratch again. I’m sorry about that. Would you tell me a bit about yourself? What progress did you make with your previous therapist?’ Gavin laughed ugly. Progress? For real? ‘Well, as it likely states in my file, I have trouble working with androids and there is a severe case of anger issues. That’s about it.’ ‘Okay… Then let’s start with your trouble with androids. What would that be exactly?’

‘I’m afraid of androids.’ Heh, the last time he had said that, Miss Lisa had just laughed him in the face, telling him the revolution was over and that her kind didn’t plan on overthrowing humanity anymore. ‘That’s not what I’m afraid of.’ ‘Then what are you afraid of?’ ‘Their strength. The way they don’t show feelings.’ ‘You do know that’s pretty racist, right? You really shouldn’t think that way.’ Yeah, right. As if Gavin would make the same mistake a second time.

‘I can’t trust androids. My… My partner never did anything, and I should be having no doubts with him, but… yeah. I somehow always think he will turn on me and-‘ ‘And?’ The woman wasn’t smiling, but her face was still looking supportive, so Gavin continued: ‘I always expect androids to fake being friendly and civil and then turn on me when no one’s looking and hurt me.’ He looked up expecting what his previous therapist had said so many times to be repeated: ‘Man up. Hurt you? Why should they? And you’re not looking like a guy that couldn’t take up that fight. Seriously, that’s ridiculous.’ ‘Did you have any experiences with androids that would support that apprehension? Maybe during the revolution?’ Ah, there it was. Why are you like this? Is there a reason? That’s not a valid reason, come on. You just hate us, that’s it. ‘Not during it, before’, Gavin said. ‘I am Elijah Kamski’s half-brother. We grew up together. He started working on androids then and… and there was an accident in the lab. I ran away afterwards and applied at the police academy.’ ‘Do you want to share what happened with me?’ ‘Not really’, Gavin sighed. ‘I want to forget it, but I guess you won’t stop asking, right?’

‘Detective Reed, I am here to help’, she said, putting down the tablet she had written on until now. ‘You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want me to know. But the more I know the better I can try to help you.’ Huh. So not telling was an option? ‘You seem surprised.’ Gavin laughed. ‘Just saying your predecessor used to make this an interrogation.’ ‘Well, I heard as much’, she sighed and rested her head in her hands. ‘I was there with Eli, used to watch how he worked on androids while doing my own stuff. Just for the company, I guess. Or the sounds relaxed me, I don’t know. Well, one day I was playing something on my phone and only looked up as I heard my brother choking. The phcking thing was on top of him, nearly crushing his windpipe and I froze, I couldn’t do anything. In the end I beat it with a fire extinguisher until it broke and let go off my brother. I couldn’t spend another second with an android afterwards, I had an argument with Eli in the hospital, how he had to stop, but he couldn’t see my point, convinced it was his error only. Moved out then and kept away from androids. But now they are people and… Well, I have to work with them.’ ‘Are you afraid of androids?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Did you ever spoke with an android about that?’ Gavin let his shoulders fall. ‘Well, the last one was my therapist and he laughed me in the face.’

The woman in front of him cringed at that and quickly underlined something on her tablet messily. ‘Okay. Any other contact with androids that ended badly besides that accident and my predecessor that really has to have his license revoked?’ ‘No. I mean, Connor, the RK800 here punched me unconscious once, but that really was my fault. I don’t like him, but at least that reaction I can understand.’ Still, his new therapist noted it.

‘Okay, that’s something we can work on. You also said you had anger issues?’ ‘I’m easily riled up’, Gavin shrugged. ‘It’s just how I am.’ ‘What makes you think that?’ ‘Well, actually, everyone says that. Has to be some truth to it, hasn’t it?’ ‘What are they saying?’ ‘You sure this isn’t an interrogation?’, Gavin baited with her. ‘You are evading the question. Tell me or say you don’t want to talk about it.’ ‘I’m an asshole, I’m angry all the time, I hate everyone, these kind of things.’ ‘Do you?’ ‘What?’ ‘Do you hate everyone?’, she repeated for him. ‘A bit?’ Gavin had never really thought about it. ‘Okay. Then tell me, are there people you care about?’

Gavin thought about it for a while. ‘Yeah, Tina. She’s a colleague and a friend. My partner, although he is an android. Hell, even Connor and Hank. I guess everyone I know I care about at least a bit.’ ‘What about yourself?’ ‘What kind of question is that?’, Gavin asked. ‘Of course.’ ‘Then tell me, what do you do to take care of yourself? What are your hobbies, what do you like to do? When was the last time you had fun?’ ‘Hey, what kind of phcking feel-good shit is this?’, Gavin wanted to know, refusing to even think about the questions. ‘Would you rather not talk about it?’ ‘Yes! God, I don’t have the time for that!’ Gavin had stood up and was about to go, but the woman held up her hands. ‘That’s okay. We can concentrate on your android related problems first. I think that would be it for now. See you next week then!’ ‘Wait, that’s it?’, Gavin asked, turning back towards the desk. ‘Yeah. I mean unless you want to talk about something else.’ The woman had the audacity to look as innocent as humanly – androidly? – possible.

Gavin thought about the question and contemplated whether asking was worth it, finally deciding that he had nothing to lose: ‘Yeah, I’m curious, what’s your diagnostics?’ ‘I’m not sure yet, we need more than one session for that.’ Gavin snorted. ‘Keeping it mysterious, hmm?’ ‘Maybe.’

Nines had enjoyed working in peace for once. With Gavin gone to visit his therapist, he could finally concentrate on his cases. He didn’t have to bother with the human cursing at random things, shouting at his computer out of nowhere and running to the breakroom and the toilet all the time. He liked working with the man. He preferred it to working with others. But sometimes Gavin just was a pain in the ass with his constant competitive attitude, his stubborn determination to do all the work alone and his damn self-deprecating humour all the time… Maybe this new therapist was able to help the human better than the last one. Or maybe Gavin was just a lost cause, who knew. Nines was just happy about the short break, but all too quickly that time was over. He saw his partner walk towards their desks and was already bracing himself for having to listen to Gavin monologue about what an asshole the new woman was and how talking didn’t do shit and something along these lines. At the very least he would be in a shitty mood for the rest of the day or overly anxious.

It came as some sort of surprise to him, when Gavin just sat down and quietly started up his terminal again, apparently lost to thoughts. Nines furrowed his brows and conducted a quick, maybe not strictly legal search. ‘You have android related PTSD and there is a high chance you are suffering from depression?’ Nines just couldn’t believe it, that was his only explanation to why he had said that out loud. ‘What?!’, Gavin threw back. ‘The phck you get that from?’ ‘Your therapist’s notes… I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have looked, but you seemed so different to your usual behaviour.’ ‘Yeah, well phck you, this one actually does her phcking job! Or at least she does a better job! Maybe I am, maybe she is wrong, but goddamn it feels good not to hear the same shit all day!’ Nines didn’t know how to answer, so he tried to resort to humour: ‘Was getting your ass handed to you by Connor really that bad?’ But instead of laughing, Gavin glared at him. ‘Okay, toaster, listen here, because I will say this once and then you can make fun of me all you want. I know I have problems; I know I’m not the nicest guy. But do you really think I’m a cry-baby? I saw my brother nearly getting murdered by one of you phcking things! That I can even look you in the eyes now and work with you is already a huge phcking thing! And I don’t think I’m depressed, but holy shit, getting told to man up and that all my problems are just there because I don’t function your way and that I’m just an asshole who will never change? Not helping! I need another phcking coffee!’

Nines blinked a few times, staring into the open air over Gavin’s chair. He didn’t know what to make of that new information and quietly opened a connection with Connor to share it. The RK800 too stopped working and stared ahead for a while, before they both turned to look at each other. We’ve made it worse, haven’t we?

[>next part]

#Detroit become human #dbh #Reed900 #Gavin Reed #RK900 #Gavin Reed gets therapy

47 notes · View notes

hotforharrington · 5 years

Text

Strangely Complicated (Pt. 6)

Get Caught Up Here

Setting: S2•E2 [Trick or Treat, Freak]

Warnings: swearing

Notes: I’m so excited about sharing this chapter! I hope you all like it!

—

Jonathan drove me to school the next day. The day of Halloween didn’t usually intrigue me, but I loved seeing Will so excited about his Ghostbusters costume.

After dropping Will at the middle school, Jon and I entered the high school. A large amount of people stared my way. Seemed like, for whatever reason, I was the talk of the school.

I whispered to Jonathan, “You have any idea why everyone is staring at me?”

He just shrugged his shoulders.

Jonathan went on to his first class and I went to mine. I sunk into my desk seat and pondered who would know what all the fuss was about. Then, I tapped my newly found friend, Lisa’s, shoulder. She always stayed up to date on the latest gossip.

“What’s up?” She asked me.

“I was just wondering if you had any idea why everyone has been staring at me today?”

“Girl, you had to know the whole school would be talking about the fact that you got a ride home from Billy Hargrove!”

“What? How does everyone know that?” I wondered.

“Someone must’ve seen.” She said simply before turning back around as the teacher began lecturing.

That’s when I had the realization. Harrington, I thought to myself.

As I waited for the bell to ring, I was fuming. The fact that he would go and blab to anyone about what he saw before talking to me made my blood boil.

—

The second I heard the ding of the school bell, I darted toward the hallway. As if by fate, I saw Steve exiting the library.

I made my way till I was within earshot and spat out, “Harrington!” He whipped around and was met by my angry face. “Can I have a word?”

Reluctantly, he agreed and went back into the library. Once we were in a place of privacy and silence, I began to release my frustration.

“How dare you!” I said grabbing a book of the shelf and slapping his shoulder with it.

“What?!” He asked, confused.

“Tell the whole damn school that Hargrove gave me a ride home yesterday!”

“Oh... I didn’t tell a bunch of people... but I guess news gets around fast...”

“Why the hell would you do that, Harrington? As far as I can remember, I’ve only ever helped you, not hurt you!”

“You’re right, I’m sorry! I just couldn’t stand thinking about you giving that asshole any of your time. You’re a great girl and you deserve so much more than that dick can give you.”

“Well you could’ve came and talked to me instead of talking to everyone else but me!”

“You’re right, you’re right. I’m sorry...”

“Look, Harrington, you don’t have to worry about me spending any more time with him. I know he’s an ass now...” I said, trailing off.

It was silent for a moment before Steve asked, “You coming to Tina’s party tonight?”

“Well, I was supposed to go with Jon-“

“Oh, okay.” Steve said, trying to brush it off.

“But I might-“

“It’s cool, I just kinda hoped to see you there...”

“I’ll be there.” The words just spat out of my mouth. “I mean I was gonna go with Jon, but I changed my mind.” I said.

The words I said caused a smile to spread across his face, “Cool. I’ll, uh... see ya there.” He said before smoothly exiting the library.

—

Later that day, I caught up with Jonathan.

“So... I’m gonna go to Tina’s party tonight.”

“Seriously? I thought you were coming trick or treating with me and Will?”

“Well... I was... but then I talked to Steve earlier and-“

Jonathan scoffed, “Say no more. I got it.”

“C’mon, Jon... If Nancy had said to you-“

“Nancy did ask me to go! And I said no!” He retorted.

“Oh... right... But it was like...”

“Look, (Y/N), you can try and twist it any way you want, but the fact is that you’re ditching me for Steve.” The words left his lips and then he walked away, leaving me alone with my guilt.

—

Lisa gave me a ride to the home of ‘getting sheet faced’ since I hadn’t gotten an opportunity to fix my tire yet.

I arrived to Tina’s raging party at what seemed to be a peak time. People were scattered all around the building and Shout At The Devil by Mötley Crüe was blasting, shaking the roof.

As I shifted through the dancing drunks and couples that were sucking face, I landed my eyes on Steve.

Suddenly, my attention shifted to the loud chanting of Billy’s name moving closer and closer my way.

Before I could comprehend what was happening, an arm covered by a leather jacket was around my shoulder. The aromas of beer, smoke, and a hint of cologne filled the air.

“Hey, angel,” he whispered to me slightly drunkenly, “Glad you came.”

I hated that I allowed him to drag me around like this, but something about the asshole drew me to him. I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. But when I realized where Billy was headed, I began to regret being toted around as though I belonged to him.

“We got ourselves a new keg king, Harrington.” Tommy said to Steve.

“Yeah that’s right!”

“Eat it, Harrington!” Some dumbass boys shouted.

Steve pulled his glasses off to stare at Billy with vexation. Then his eyes shifted to me, looking me up and down before rolling his eyes. I knew him well enough to know what his eyes were saying. He was pissed that I would still associate myself with Billy after our conversation this morning, but he was also jealous.

I was certain that he was jealous because I had seen that same look before. It was the same look he had when he discovered Jonathan in Nancy’s bedroom nearly a year ago.

Then, Nancy walked off and only a few moments later, Steve chased after her.

I looked up at Billy who still had a cocky smile upon his face. “You done trying to cause trouble?” I asked blatantly.

“Nah, baby doll. Just gettin’ started.” He began to lean in to try to kiss me but I quickly pushed away.

“Damn, Hargrove, you don’t waste anytime do you?” I asked.

“With someone as attractive as you? Not typically.” He said with a smirk.

I laughed at him, “Sorry lover boy, I haven’t had nearly enough to drink to start making out with you yet.” I winked at him before strutting away to go find someone else to mingle with.

As I was walking away, I saw Jonathan walk in, flustered. I was shocked that he showed up instead of going trick or treating with Will. I decided to wait for him to approach me, not wanting to upset him immediately due to how we left things earlier.

I stood not too far from the kitchen, where I noticed a drunken Nancy going back for more punch.

I heard Steve say, “No, no, no.” To her as she sloppily made her way to the punch bowl.

“Get off!” Nancy replied.

“No, you’ve had enough, okay?”

“Screw you!” Nancy slurred.

“Nance, I’m serious. Hey hey hey, stop. No, I’m serious! Put it down.” Steve tried to reason with her.

The two continued to struggle with their grip on the cup as I stared at the scene before me. All of a sudden, the red punch flew in Nancy’s direction, destroying her white top. The whole room gasped at the sight.

“The hell?” Nancy said to Steve as she rushed off. Before we all knew it, Steve was (once again) chasing after Nancy. I saw the two head for the bathroom.

Once again, I noticed the stud with the leather jacket heading back my way.

We locked eyes and I cocked an eyebrow at him. Once he was close enough he said, “C’mon, (Y/N)! What do I have to say or do to get a little action from ya?” Billy said, biting his bottom lip.

“Maybe not be such a douche...?” I began to turn away from him.

He grabbed my wrist and pulled me into him, unexpectedly. I looked up at him, our lips inches apart.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Steve storming out of the house, Nancy nowhere to be seen.

I pulled myself out of Billy’s grasp and said “I’m sorry, Hargrove! We’ll pick this up again another time. I promise.” I winked at him before chasing after Steve.

As I stepped out onto Tina’s front lawn, I called out “Harrington! Wait up!” I jogged a bit to try to catch up. I gained on him, “Harrington?” I said, trying to catch my breath.

“Look, I really just want to be alone right now, (Y/N).” He said. I could see pain in his face and tears in his eyes.

“Hey...” I said reaching out to grab his hand, reminding him of our time together last year, “Steve... it’s me...” I whispered, gazing into his deep brown eyes.

He knew I was letting my guard down, since this was only like the second time I had ever called him anything other than ‘Harrington’.

I could see the tension slightly release from his shoulders as he lowered them.

“C’mon, my dad’s gone on another business trip. You could come over and talk it out. Like last time.”

He nodded and gave me the keys to his car. I drove as he moped in the passenger seat. As I pulled away from the party, I could see Billy staring me down.

I don’t owe him anything, I reminded myself.

The ride to my place was awkward and silent. We trudged into my house and Steve abruptly asked, “What’s really going on with you and Hargrove?”

“Nothing.” I said, matter-of-factly.

“You’ve got to be kidding. (Y/N), I see the way he looks at you. I see the way you look at him. You can’t tell me there’s nothing going on...”

“Since it matters so much,” I said looking him dead in the eyes, “there’s nothing going on. And even if there were, it’d be none of your business.”

Steve scoffed and rolled his eyes.

“What’s it matter to you, huh, Harrington?” I snapped at him.

His cheeks turned pink. “Let’s not do this... okay?” He said, trying to change the subject.

I nodded, before having him follow me to my bedroom.

We sat on the bed and he opened up to me about all Nancy had said. “She basically said everything between us is bullshit. She doesn’t love me...”

“Oh my god, Steve. That’s so fucked up, I’m so sorry.” I said inching towards him and throwing my arms around his neck.

One small tear trickled down his cheek, and all at once it broke my heart. It tore me apart to see someone I cared so deeply about be so hurt. I wanted to heal him in any way I could.

“C’mon, lie down.” I told him and he eased into the comfort of my bed.

He rested his head on top of mine, and asked, “What happened to us?”

“What do you mean?” I questioned him.

“We had a lot of fun together, last year. Seems like we only talk when Nancy screws me over... I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have let Nancy stand between... the good friendship...” he paused, not wanting you to sound friend zoned, “or whatever it was we had...”

I let out a soft chuckle and whispered, “I just wanted you to be happy, Harrington...”

Then he pulled me just a little closer.

For the rest of that night, we just laid there. His right arm underneath me, my right arm draped over his waist. Eventually, we fell into a deep slumber.

—

Part 7

—

Tags: @hargroveshoe @strangerliaa @maggiesblogsblog @philopatris @a-dorky-book-keeper

154 notes · View notes

hollyoaksloversx · 5 years

Text

There’s a Killer on the Loose (Again)...

Rounding up a week in Hollyoaks (12-16th November 2018)

This week saw wedding number six for Mercedes as she prepared to marry Russ for the second time. It’s safe to say that this wedding was doomed from the start. Not only is Mercedes on wedding number six, and experienced the deaths of every other man she’s been engaged to, both have cheated recently, and Russ’ cheating came back to haunt him this week when Goldie informed him that she was pregnant. Despite trying to keep the news from her family, Mercedes found out and followed Goldie to the hospital. When Mercedes made enquires about the Father, Goldie panicked and lied that it was Joel. Later, Goldie returned to the pub and told Russ that she’d had an abortion. Unfortunately, the tale end of the conversation was overheard by Myra...

The wedding soon arrived but the day was thrown into turmoil when Father Dan was unable to officiate the ceremony. Luckily, Cleo had a solution, and called on Joel to help, angering Mercedes, who still believed him to be the man who had got Goldie pregnant. Mercedes and Russ made it through the ceremony to become husband and wife, despite Mercy’s sly digs at Joel. Once they were married, she could hold back no more and confronted Joel over sleeping with Goldie. As chaos broke out around her, Myra suddenly remembered the conversation she’d overheard and realised that Russ was the man Goldie had slept with. Mercedes was understandably devastated whilst Russ desperately tried to explain himself. Mercedes wasn’t the only one baying for Russ’ blood, however, as Sylver was furious to learn how Mercedes had been treated and a fight broke out between the two men. They were interrupted by Jack and Breda, who sent Sylver away to cool off. However, whilst alone in the garage later, Russ was approached by an unknown assailant and hit over the head. Despite everything, Mercy was devastated to find her husband dead and quickly found herself the prime suspect...

Meanwhile, the Lovedays were delighted when Lisa returned to the village unexpectedly but she soon found herself caught up in the Donovan drama when Simone and Zack received a letter, threatening Lisa’s safety if Zack didn’t withdraw his statement about Liam killing Glenn. After trying and failing to keep Lisa in the flat, Simone took extreme measures and booked her daughter on a one way ticket back to Thailand. However, instead of jumping on the first plane out of Chester, Lisa headed to the prison and it soon became clear that she and Liam were in a relationship and she’d been the one to send the threatening message. With Zack’s statement still standing, Liam encouraged Lisa to go after Roxy, and so Lisa went to see her in a bid to find out what had been going on. Roxy told Lisa that Liam was a dangerous man and that she had only set him up to protect her family, unaware that Lisa was recording the confession on her phone. Lisa took the recording straight to the police, so we can assume that Roxy is now languishing on the wrong side of the prison bars. Farewell, Roxy, but it’s time for the next incompetent idiot to take over.

With the whole case thrown open, Liam was released from prison, and soon turned his attentions back to the WAGS. Luring them one by one to The Loft, he tied them up and then played a game of Russian roulette with four cocktails, telling them that one of the drinks had been poisoned, but they wouldn’t know which one until it was too late. Staring death in the face, the WAGS began protesting their innocence, with Simone and Courtney claiming to have lost their bottles of poison and Grace saying that hers had been knocked over. Liam turned his attentions to Maxine and tried to force her to drink the cocktail, until Grace suddenly spoke up and said she’d been lying; it was her who had killed Glenn. Despite Grace only saying this to protect Maxine, Liam planned to shoot his sister, but was interrupted by Jesse, who was able to talk him down. With everyone untied and safe, the WAGS gathered round at Courtney’s, where they all began to turn on each other. However, they soon came to a shocking realisation when Simone pointed out that, if none of them had used their poison on Glenn, someone else must have killed him and got away with it...

The culprit was revealed quickly. Over at the pub, with Mercedes banged up, Sylver was left with the unpleasant task of telling Max and Bobby about Russ’ death. With Sylver clearly struggling, Breda stepped in to help and explained to the boys about heaven and hell. As Breda talked about bad people going to hell, we saw a series of flashbacks to the murders of Carl, Glenn and Russ, with Breda having been the one to bump them off. That’s right, nice Nana Breda’s a serial killer!

Finally, love was in the air over at the Osborne’s. With Charlie feeling slightly under the weather, Jack suggested that he take the day off school, and the youngster didn’t take much persuading. Jack called on Breda to help, asking if she could watch Charlie whilst he attended the dentist. However, when the dentist ‘cancelled’, Breda got ready to leave, but Jack asked her to stay and have lunch with him and Charlie. Charlie quickly worked out that Jack was using him to spend time with Breda and encouraged him to just ask her out. Meanwhile, Harley had a severe case of the green eyed monster as Peri continued to spend time with Tom and Steph. At Tom’s suggestion, Peri invited Harley along to hang out with her, Tom and Steph and Tom later confessed to Jack that he was developing a crush on Harley...

5 Things We Learned This Week:

1. Contraception is not a thing in the Hollyoaks universe. So, Goldie has become the latest ‘Oaks resident to find herself expecting after a one night stand. Why has no one in this village heard of condoms?!

2. Love (and the aroma of terrible aftershave) is in the air. It’s nice to see Jack finally find some happiness following Frankie’s death. Unfortunately, the woman he’s fallen for is a serial killer. The poor man would have been safer sticking with conniving Darcy!

3. If someone seems too good to be true, they probably are. Who would have suspected nanny Breda of being a serial killer? Personally, I think Hollyoaks have overdone the whole serial killer thing, but if Breda can kill Liam, I will be totally on board with this story.

4. She may only be three years old, but little Steph’s already a right rebel. She kept poor Tom up until 9pm last week!

5. Left Hollyoaks? Thinking of returning? Don’t. There’s a high chance that you’ll be killed off pretty soon afterwards.

Fashion Disaster of the week:

Imagine wearing what you’re going to have for your tea?!

Characters Featured:

Bobby, Breda, Charlie, Cleo, Courtney, DS Roxy Cassidy, Goldie, Grace, Harley, Jack, Jesse, Joel, Laurie, Liam, Lisa, Louis, Max, Maxine, Mercedes, Myra, Nana McQueen, Peri, Prince, Russ, Sally, Sami, Simone, Sinead, Steph, Sylver, Tom and Zack.

Past Characters Mentioned:

Carl Costello, Riley Costello, Adam Donovan, Glenn Donovan, Tracey Donovan, Eva Falco, Malachy Fisher, Jacqui McQueen, Tina McQueen, Joe Roscoe, Trevor Royle, Darcy Wilde.

12 notes · View notes