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#if youre new here you likely have missed my genuine love of sports
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Fireworks | Aitana Bonmatí x Reader
so many cute Aitana request, I can't help myself... this request, enjoy!
“Come, we will countdown from the roof,” Aitana is practically bouncing on her toes in excitement. 
It was New Year’s eve and the team had gathered together to celebrate the occasion. You were sporting your 2024 glasses and a party hat. “I think I’ll just stay here Tana.”
“No, you will miss the show,” she whines, pulling at your arm. 
You laugh at the way she wags your limp arm about with a pout, “I can see them from here.”
“It is bad luck if the whole team is not together. You must come,” Aitana does her best to look stern. Her face set and arms crossed across her chest as she stares down at you. 
Adorable, as usual. The girl couldn’t even intimidate a toddler she looked so sweet. You hold your laugh, trying to come up with the best way to decline without admitting the embarrassing truth. Then you remember it’s Aitana you were talking to. 
She was literal sunshine and rainbows, “I’m scared.” You try to shrug it off to make it seem like it’s not a big deal. 
“Oh,” her face softens and she takes a seat next to you. “Scared, why?”
“Don’t know, it’s just so loud.” You really didn’t have a better answer. You loved the colorful display in the sky but the sound brought you an unnerving feeling. 
“But it is pretty, no?” You agree, watching as the gears turn in her head. “I will be there with you. Trust me.”
Aitana was nothing if not persistent, you admired that about her. You don’t think anyone has ever been able to tell her no. Which is exactly why you allow yourself to be pulled up from your spot. 
Following behind the rest of your teammates scurrying to the roof just before midnight. You try not to let your fear show as the clock hits 11:59. Your teammates are all busying themselves with preparations for the moment. Aitana ushers you to near the ledge, reaching into her pocket and handing you a pair of headphones. 
“I will play you my favorite song and we can watch fireworks together,” she looks so genuinely happy at the plan you can’t help but smile. 
As soon as the countdown begins she hits play. The warm melody is doing well at blocking out the outside world. You watch Aitana’s face as she counts down the seconds for you. Squeezing tightly at your hand when the clock strikes midnight. 
She’s bouncing on her toes again at the display painting the sky. She looks over at you occasionally to make sure you’re still okay and you send her a grateful smile. 
You can faintly hear the pop of the fireworks, but it doesn’t bother you. Aitana allows you the safe place to fully enjoy the display for the first time. With her favorite song playing and her hand tightly in yours, you were at peace and excited for the new year.
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br1ghtestlight · 4 months
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getting war flashbacks to the bobs burgers fanfic where louise is doing math homework in the restaurant when nobody else is around and then bob has a heart attack </3 that shit was TRAUMATIZING
love linda shouting four whenever there's a math problem or anything related to numbers. best recurring joke. FOUR!!!!
you can do it gene :D also im so bad at math I 100% would not be able to help either. dumbass rep family
bob trying to help gene with his homework is cute. even if he is Not very good at it. he wants to be an involved dad :(
gene im not gonna lie that math question has gotta be fucking with you. rhat is not a real question. i could NEVER do that not if i was given 100 hours that shit is fake
see this is where when I was in math class i would just write a random number and move on bcuz im never gonna figure it out anyway im not gonna waste time. so that's my advice gene. just Give Up
he says "maybe your mom or tina could get you started" because they're older but I genuinely think louise has a better chance of helping bcuz she is so smart. if she'd WANT to help is another question entirely
because I'm stuck in a safe 😐
AND THEN HE BLINDFOLDED ME ON THE WAY HERE??? HE BLINDFOLDED YOU??????
teddy I think his guy is gonna murder you im gonna be so real right now
unfortunately im kinda following teddy's logic now like. it isnt like fischoeder isn't doing this type of shit everyday just for fun. rich guys are just like that BUT getting their money is nice
"gene was doing homework?? that's new"
WE'RE NOT ALL ECONOMICALLY COMFORTABLE LIKE YOU ARE
"Why did you tell me the whole long story about the sandwich in the drawer if you're running out of battery LOCKED IN A SAFE??" "Context!!!!"
also bob and teddy have such great comedic chemistry lmao they bounce off each other so naturally
louise isn't lying she Does have a certain set of skills 😭 if anyone could find him it WOULD be her the lockpicking genius nine year old supervillain
miss you. see you soon. gotta go!!
has he gotten a new cellphone since that MIDDLE OF THE DAY AND YOUR PHONE IS AT 23% argument or is it that same shitty 2008 blackberry phone that dies almost immediately lmfao
bob is a real one for doing this bullshit for teddy he did NOT have to. they're ride or die fr
I'm not entirely unconvinced that gerald isnt a serial killer but thats okay <3 men can have hobbies
also I'm choosing to believe this gerald is the same one from the taxes/weed cookie episode even though it ABSOLUTELY is not bcuz i think that would be funny. by day he's a regular tax agent by night he is a creepy rich kidnapper who pulls mind games on all his handymen
OH I FORGOT THE SUBPLOT FOR THIS EPISODE IS ABOUT SPORTS PEOPLE why did they do the whole thing with gene's homework then.... are they connected. what is the gameplan
WE PICK A NEW LOVER FOR MOM
i love how bob is apparently the only thing keeping his family from going completely off the fucking rails like. he's the only thing standing between his family and their restaurant burning down with everyone inside fr
your dad never loved that dream :/ because he's a hater :/ AND SO JEALOUS :/
you're not gonna break the world record. another hater. STOP THAT
I might be having a panic attack 💔 I CANT TELL BECAUSE IVE NEVER HAD ONE BEFORE OR IM ALWAYS HAVING ONE soo real teddy
WE LOST HIM 😭😭💔
aww I love them all wearing their lil aprons <3 (crappy photo of my tablet bcuz the app im using to watch this episode doesn't allow screenshots)
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SAY SOMETHING SMART LIKE UHH HOW WOULD YOU FLIP A GIANT BURGER. OH GOD THEY DIDNT MAKE THE GIANT BURGER DID THEY. WHO WOULD EVEN AGREE TO EAT THAT. AN OVER FOURTY CO-ED BASKETBALL TEAM. REALLY 😯
sorry this episode has so many good ooc quotes FJDMDJSKSKKM
gene STOP calling him father
bob is being like a whole ass detective meanwhile linda and the kids are currently making The Worst Decisions Ever
h jon benjiman is doing such a good job voicing bob in this episode idk it has so much personality and sounds natural. or it's always like this and im just now appreciating it but either way A+ work
cute bob and teddy moment ❤️❤️
(ignore the awful camera quality. nothing I can do there) also love the fact that teddy can easily lift up and manhandle bob. Good to know
there's so much going on w/ this gerald guy I dont even know WHERE to begin. what a guy. wow
this is so cute and sweet im so happy!!! YOU DOUBLE FAKE WALLED HIM :D YOU SMART SMARTIE. YOURE A GENIUS BOB
"I knew I asked the right person to come help me. Yeah. Mort wouldn't answer."
"What? You called Mort first?"
"No..."
HE ASKED MORT???? LMFAO big win for tedmort shippers. I fucking guess
MORT NEVER DOUBLE FAKE WALLED ANYONE why is bob like genuinely jealous of mort and teddy right now 😭 chill out man you've got a wife at home
"let's just say it's twelve" FINALLY bob follows my very smart advice when it comes to math homework smh
ALSO THIS IS TECHNICALLY THE FIRST TIME WE'VE SEEN THEM EATING BOBS BURGERS FOR DINNER OR IN GENERAL!!! I mean it's a giant hamburger loaf but it technically was served at bob's burgers so it counts
GIANT FRENCH FRIES
aww this episode was so fun and cute!! I love the more adventure-y type episodes where they explore a new location so this episode was great and very stressful lmao. also very funny. I love bob and teddy's dynamic/back and forth throughout the episode and the weird mort mention at the end felt like they were soft launching his and teddy's relationship even though I KNOW they aren't actually. mort could replace kathleen if we believe. very solid 8/10 episode :)
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gucciwins · 1 year
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it's another year of halloween celebrations for Harry and Bel.
Word count: 2295
A/N: I had to write about Harryween it's a special time for Harry and Bel because it's when Bel first told Harry she loved him so the day holds a special meaning to their realtionship. anyways I hope you enjoy this small blurb. im glad you still love harry and bel so much 🫶
love on tour series
//
Los Angeles, California - October 31, 2022 
“I’m so glad you’re here with me,” Bel hugs her best friends tightly, not letting them settle in their hotel room.
“Nowhere else I would rather be on a Monday,” Sarai jokes.
“Haha,” Bel rolls her eyes, finally letting them go.
Naomi now lounging on the queen-sized bed, having removed all her clothes, leaving her in underwear and a sports bra, not wanting her airport clothes on the bed. “I’m surprised H has let you go.” 
“It’s because he’ll be over soon.” 
“Yay! I’ve missed him,” Naomi and Bel turn to look at Sarai, who sits there, confused at their shocked expressions. “What? Harry and I are friends.” 
Naomi looks at their partner, confused, “since when?” Sarai was always the shy one, so Naomi was shocked finding out they had grown this relationship with Harry.
They shrug, “we talked about his favorite books during Coachella, and I told him he needed to get educated. Now he sends me his thoughts after each book.” 
Bel laughs, “that’s right! He’s stocked up a lot because of you. He told me he thought you didn’t like him, so he was excited when you shared that interest with him.”
“Awe, I get that a lot.” They pout.
“It’s the resting bitch face,” Naomi tells them, causing you all to laugh because Sarai is genuinely a sweetheart once you get to know them. 
“Moving on, please. Where are our costumes, Bel?” 
“On their way, Claude did wonderfully. I couldn’t carry all three with me, so Emerson is bringing them over with someone.” 
“Oh, is she dressing up too?” Sarai asked. 
Bel shakes her head, “Emerson doesn’t celebrate the holiday.” 
“She’s still coming to the show?” Naomi wonders because they get on well with your assistant. 
“No, she’s taking the night off, '' says her niece has been dying to watch Spider-man with her.” Bel shares as she looks at a text on her phone, making her way to open the hotel room door. 
“Maguire or Holland?” 
Emerson walks in with a trolley behind her, “Garfield, obviously.” 
“Emmy!!!!!” Naomi and Sarai cheer.
“Nice to see you, but get dressed and make sure it fits before nosy H makes an appearance.” Emerson hands them a bag and leaves them to get dressed. Bel’s outfit is at the arena, promising Harry to get ready there, so they have time to get ready together.  
They’re in for a fun night. Bel couldn’t wait.
//
Bel sits patiently as she lets Ayae fix the ginger wig. If she has to be honest, she loves the look. Everyone has been very secretive about the band’s costume, and as impatient as it has her, she knows the wait will be worth it. The green contacts in her eyes feel strange, but she doesn’t mind them. 
“He’s dressed.” Harry Lambert waits patiently, admiring as Ayae brushes out the ends of Bel’s hair. 
“She’s done,” Ayae tells Lambert, who stares at Bel with awe, taking in her wig and new eye color. Bel looks at herself in the mirror, taking in every detail of her suit, proud of how amazing the suit came out. She’s Sam from Totally Spies. It’s an old TV show, and it’s a perfect trio. There were many options they were thinking about, from doing Aquamarine to doing Josie and the Pussycats, but they loved this idea, knowing it would be a costume they don’t see others doing. 
“I’ve got an idea, but also zero idea,” Lambert tells Bel honestly, taking in her complete look
Bel laughs, “my friends should be here soon. They’ll explain it to you.” 
“Not poison ivy?” 
She shakes her head and knocks on Harry’s door. 
“It’s me. Can I come in?” 
“Your eyes have to be closed,” he calls back.
She resists the urge to roll her eyes, more excited that she’s moments away from seeing him in his costume. The door creaks open, and Bel feels him guiding her in. 
“You smell nice.” She tells him, and he thanks her with a kiss on her cheek. 
“Now, you nutter.” 
Bel blinks her eyes open slowly, and there is Harry in a black slicked-back wig, black shades, and a fake cigar in his mouth to tie his entire outfit of tight black jeans and black leather jacket.
“Danny Zuko,” she gasps, reaching out to touch his jacket, taking in the detail of the entire outfit. 
He smirks, “that’s my name, don’t wear it out.”
Bel lets out a small moan knowing Harry dressed as Danny is doing many things for her. She has many unholy thoughts running through her mind.
“You look beautiful, H.” 
Harry’s face goes red, loving all the attention Bel is giving him. “I was going for sexy, but I’ll take being called beautiful.”
Her hands rest on his face as she takes in the black eyeliner. “Oh, I’m a fan of this.” 
“Stop,” he giggles.
Bel runs her hand over his shoulders and down his back. Harry lets her check him out and takes notice of every detail of the outfit. She has yet to let him get a look at her, but he knows there will be time for that after. Harry’s so lost in the feeling of her hands caressing him that he doesn’t realize she’s slipped off his leather jacket. 
“Bel,” he scolds jokingly, “no time to fool around.”
She giggles, “turn around.”
“Want to see the real good, huh?” 
He does as she asks and she gasps seeing Harryween bedazzled on the black top showcasing all his tattoos. 
“You win,” she gasps dramatically. “Absolutely, everyone is going to go insane.”  
“Are you?” He asks because Bel is the only person he cares to impress. 
“If it wasn’t hard to get out of the latex, I’d be naked already bent over the vanity as I let Danny Zuko have his way with me.” 
Harry loves when Bel’s unfiltered, it drives him crazy. He loves being the reason she’s losing her mind. 
“That can be arranged,” Harry promises. 
“Later.” She places the leather jacket over her shoulder and does a short spin. “Me dressed in only this jacket tonight. I don’t know,” she shrugs, “think about it?”
Harry bites back a moan, already picturing Bel in their shared bedroom, “nothing to think about. I’m in. It’s happening.”
Bel shines with joy at the thought of what the end of the night holds for them. She helps Harry slip the leather jacket back on, knowing they will do group photos soon. 
“Now, let me look at you, my ginger girlfriend.” 
Bel giggles, giving Harry a spin, then striking a defensive pose making Harry laugh. 
“This is amazing. Looks like a real spy suit.” 
“Yeah, amor, it is. It’s from this TV show called Totally Spies. They’re a trio, so it worked perfectly with Sarai and Naomi.” 
Now it’s Harry's turn to inspect every inch of her as she explains every section of the suit. She has a silver belt around her waist; keeping it together is a heart. She feels Harry run his fingers over the heart and waits for him to notice the small detail she added just for him. 
There’s a gasp and a tug of her waist as he looks up at her and then back to the belt where the heart's center is engraved with HS.
“You didn’t!” 
Bel giggles, “it is Harryween. Had to have an ode to you, mi vida.” 
Harry pouts, leaning in to give her a long-awaited kiss, “I love it,” he mutters against her lips. “You look incredibly sexy. Gave me a stiffy.” 
“H!” She exclaims.
He shrugs, “it’s true. Now give me kisses before they come to steal me away.” 
And, of course, Bel happily obliges. 
——-
The show was like no other; the fans were shocked when Harry and the band came out as Grease members. It is safe to say that Danny Zuko is not what they were expecting, even with all the small hints he dropped with the Ferris wheel. 
Bel is standing with Naomi and Sarai, chatting about wanting a snack and which one would go backstage when Harry finished talking to a fan about losing her job and wanting Harry to hire her. He moved to the other side of the stage, hidden behind Sarah’s drum kit. She settled for watching him on the screen. Naomi was leaning next to her, looking through the photos she had Lloyd take on her phone, wanting to see which one she wanted to post to her social media. Bel let Naomi deal with that hard decision, wanting to focus on Harry speaking to a new fan.
“What’s your name?” He leans in closer. “Hani, Honey, oh, Anahi.” He laughs. “Got it.” He smiles down at the fan gesturing to their sign. “Can I read your sign?”
“Yes, please!” 
Harry smirks, standing up and pulling his microphone cord with him. “What is Miss Belmonte dressed up as?” The sign has him laughing, but Bel is shocked he decided to read it. “Very polite.” 
“She's here. How lucky are we all? Actually, we were watching Grease together when I got the idea. She thought I’d be a wonderful Danny, so make sure you thank her.” The fans cheer, but the cameras still don’t pan to her, and she’s thankful. “Back to your question, why doesn’t she show you?” 
The crowd screams, waiting to see a spotlight shine down on her, but what happens next no one expects. The camera focuses on Bel, who looks flustered but waves proudly. Sarai and Naomi standing next to her, laughing and recording. 
“Why don’t you come up here, Bel?”
She gasps, quick to shake her head. Giving him a thumbs down, making the crowd laugh. He pouts, thinking she would have said yes right away. 
He tries another tactic. “Do you want to see Bel on stage?” Harry asks the crowd. The cheers are enough confirmation that Bel will end up on stage one way or another. 
“Don’t make me go and get you.” 
Bel knows he would but still hesitates to move towards the stage. 
When Tom pushes Bel forward, and Lloyd is there to guide her down the walkway and up the steps, she curses Harry’s name under her breath. Mitch looks apologetic as she mutters to him to help, but everyone else cheers seeing Bel on stage. 
She steps up next to Harry, accepting his extended hand, glad he was kind enough to offer her comfort.
“Hi, amor.” She greets quietly, not knowing the microphone caught her soft words. 
“Hello Bel, not your first time on stage, is it? You seem like a natural.” Harry teases. 
Bel knows he’s still a little jealous; she always told him no after going on stage in front of a sold-out stadium for another artist she likes and is friends with. 
“Care to introduce yourself?” 
He extends the microphone to her, but instead of taking it, she leans closer. “I’m Y/N Belmonte, but my friends call me Bel.” 
“Can I call you Bel?” He jokes.
“No. We’re not friends,” she teases. 
Harry takes it in stride, “ouch, don’t worry, I'll keep calling you baby.”
She giggles, feeling overwhelmed. “Well, tell the people of Los Angeles and the surrounding area what you dressed up as for Harryween?” 
“I–”
“Wait,” he cuts her off.
She frowns “what?”
“Your hair? It’s different.” He’s playing his part so well, and Bel loves him for it.
Harry gasps. “I think yours looks more natural. Your team and my team are going to have a talk, anyways back to you,” he gestures for her to continue talking. 
“I hate you,” she mutters as he brings the microphone back toward her. Harry squeezes her hand three times, and it calms her enough to know she’ll be getting off the faster she does this.
“I’m Sam from Totally Spies,” Bel tells the audience, who cheer in recognition. The cameras show her in her green latex suit and gadgets belt with Harry’s initials in the center. Her favorite part of the design. 
“Wonderful! If you don’t know where that’s from, it’s okay. It's an American show. Came out in 2001. Sam is a teenager in Beverly Hills who lives a double life as a student and a spy. Pretty cool.” Harry explains for Bel. Sarai gave him the run down backstage, and it’s safe to say Harry was fascinated. “Thanks, Bel!”
Harry hugs her, pressing a kiss to her temple. “Oh! Her best friends dressed up with her, Naomi is Clover, and Sarai is Alex. Say Hi!” 
The camera pans over to Naomi and Sarai, who are in an intimate embrace when they realize thousands of people are now staring at them. They laugh, waving at the crowd and blowing kisses. 
“Did I embarrass you? Was that enough?” Harry asks Bel, and when she nods, he lets her go. “A round of applause for Y/N Belmonte. Let's see how many more nights she joins us after tonight.” Harry jokes. “I'm afraid this might be it.” 
As nerve-wracking and thrilling as the moment was, she was glad Harry wanted to share that moment with her. She knows there will be talks of them together, some good and some bad, but at the end of the day, she loves him. 
Harry made it up to her pretty quickly when he surprised them all by singing Hopelessly Devoted, an artist both Harry and Bel loved dearly. It’s a song Harry sang to her all the time recently, claiming it had been stuck in his head when in reality, he had been rehearsing. It’s a song that holds many memories of her childhood; now, she gets to add these memories of Harry. 
It truly was a special night. 
//
thank you for reading <3 I adore you.
if you were wish to see more of harry and bel be sure to send me a message.
taglist: @alienorknight @i-got-the-cinema @myfavfanficsever @springholland @michellekstyles @harryismyfwend @japanchrry @lechairr @golden-hoax @itsmycorneroftheinternet @thurhomish @thelovecayon @dontworrysunflower @shawnieeboyy
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mdhwrites · 6 months
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Boscha Ask: If people like seeing bullies slowly not be jerks, why not allow Boscha to have an arc? It could have been really compelling.
(I accidentally posted this ask when I meant to queue it. Wanted to post it later so sorry the full ask isn't here. I've included the main thrust and relevant parts of the ask for my response.) You're absolutely right that it can be extremely satisfying and worthwhile to watch a bully become a better person. To see them let their guard down and see the worth in others. For them to go from defensive and worried about any weakness to being able to open up.
TOH had one of those already and her name was Amity and we all saw how that worked out right? And she was a genuine, primary member of the cast. THAT'S why I argue that the show in S2 actually used Boscha well. She appeared for a couple gags when it was the right time to do so and otherwise vanished. Her role was after all as a small time antagonist and a marker for Amity's progression. She is not Sasha who has a deep, personal tie to both Anne and who Anne was before Amphibia and that is the point of her existence. That's why I say that after Winging it Like Witches, she has no reason to be here anymore because Amity is past Boscha, past most of Hexide, and this ISN'T Amity's story.
Or hell, how about a different character who after their main narrative use was up decided to stick around, albeit briefly: Lilith. She got mistreated AWFULLY by the show because she got in the way of Hunter's narrative purpose. She couldn't continue to be a character for the sake of the new villain. She could only be a joke. And while Boscha is just the romantic interest's old bestie, this is arguably the second main character of the show's SISTER and the PRIMARY ANTAGONIST of the first season.
Just covering a proper redemption for Amity and letting the fallout of S1 actually have an effect on the show, including what should have been Lilith's rage at Belos, could have easily taken up the main plot of at least half a season. Hell, in the show we got, Lumity IS the focus effectively for S2A plotwise with how little movement is in that half season. S1 sets up threads with just those two, ignoring Eda, Luz and Hunter, that are connected to the world building and drama of the world and plot itself that evaluating it... Making someone who is almost a one off in S1 and a supporting member of a supporting cast member seemed like the wrong move to me even when I was writing her before S2 came out.
And here's the ultimate rub: I AGREE. There IS a story there. I wrote a fuck ton of it with The Power of Love. Little Miss Rich Witch flips main character's perspective over to Amity, not Luz, and makes it her story in an original context. And do you know the part of TOH's identity that story focuses primarily on? The school drama, where a school bully can be a primary, ongoing member of the cast. TOH wants instead to have a plot that's grand fantasy and that's NOT where Boscha lies, even if she would have made sense as a member of the EC eventually.
Which, tangent, for as much fun as Sport in a Storm's scene is with her, I did one off for it at one point, it also creates the problem that Boscha didn't see Hunter and try to sign up for the EC despite having no reason to not want the power that would give her.
The problem with your position is a problem with a part of modern ship culture. You love a character so OF COURSE including them as a main character would have been great for the story overall because you'd get more of them. But... Is that actually true? I love Boscha. I think she had a lot of narrative potential that was never tapped into but that was for the best because this isn't a romantic school drama.
It's an adventure, fantasy comedy and the fact that we got Boscha at all out of that is almost condemnatory of the series as much as it is praising it. Sorry.
======+++++======
I have a public Discord for any and all who want to join!
I also have an Amazon page for all of my original works in various forms of character focused romances from cute, teenage romance to erotica series of my past. I have an Ao3 for my fanfiction projects as well if that catches your fancy instead. If you want to hang out with me, I stream from time to time and love to chat with chat.
A Twitter you can follow too
And a Kofi if you like what I do and want to help out with the fact that disability doesn’t pay much.
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scarletttries · 10 months
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Kendall Roy x Trans Man!Reader Headcanons:
Pairing: Kendall Roy x Trans Man!Reader
Rating: Fluff with one NSFW thought clearly labelled at the end :)
Request: "hello! i love your works very much. can I request something about kendall roy x trans man reader? perhaps kendall's reaction to the fact that the reader is transgender? something very cute, some fluff."
Author’s Note: Thank you do much to the anon that sent this request in, I feel like Kendall and Trans!Reader is such a good idea and I hope you enjoy these headcanons ☺️ And thank you for your wedding ship request too, I will share the for you next week 😉 Kendall Masterlist Here 🥳
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- Kendall knew it from the minute he saw you across the room at some party Stewy had thrown. He wasn't sure exactly what he knew; that he wanted to be your friend? That you were going to be someone important to him? That one day he'd grow to admire you in a way he wasn't expecting? It's like he knew all of those things at once the moment he watched you mumble a sly joke that had Stewy throwing his head back in laughter like Kendall had never seen before.
- He spent the whole night captivated by your presence; the way you held yourself like you had fought to become the person you were and now you owned your whole energy with every step, the way you effortlessly charmed every person in your path like you had an insight into them he could only dream of, the way the dark club lights danced on your delicate features. He never usually observed someone this closely unless they were a business rival or a love interest, and Kendall struggled to know which camp you fell into that night.
- Meanwhile you had grown used to being the centre of attention, whether for the right or wrong reasons, but even you couldn't miss the way Kendall Roy's eyes were following you through the crowd as you mingled and networked. Finally you had to find out quite what that interested smile on his face was hiding, buying two soda waters at Stewy's suggestion and approaching the slim built man.
"I thought you might need some hydration since you've been too busy staring at me to get a drink?" Your demeanor was even more captivating up close, a playful glint in your eye that had Kendall falling hook, line and sinker.
"And here I was, thinking i'm the master of subtly. Cheers" He held up his glass to yours, intentionally bumping his hand against yours, the spark not going unnoticed by you both.
- He'd get your number from Stewy and call you up the next day, inviting you to golf or watch a sports game or some place he thought two men sat together wouldn't get a second glance, his feelings towards you new and unsettling, but endlessly exciting all the same. It would be obvious to you from day one that these were dates, but it would take a few weeks of denial on Kendall's part before he finally invited you up to his penthouse and once safely in the privacy of his own home he'd build up the nerve to kiss you.
- It would be so slow and timid at first, as if he's not 100% sure either of you are going to go through with it. Gradually as he feels the delicate press of your lips against his, the sweet taste of reciprocated affection, then he'd be a goner, leaning in for more and smiling against your lips. One kiss couldn't erase all the years of internalised homophobia instilled by his father, but good god did it make a big fucking dent.
- You'd know from your time with Kendall that he genuinely tried to be an ally to those less privileged than him (which was frankly everyone) but that didn't mean you wouldn't be nervous to tell him your full truth once you were ready. You'd have him over to your place, a smaller and much more homely apartment that Kendall would come to adore, pulling out an old photo album and explaining the body you were born in, and your journey transitioning, and how you wanted him to know this important thing about you before you got any closer.
- Already thrown off my liking a man, Kendall wouldn't necessarily be smooth at taking the news. Don't get me wrong, he'd be so happy you told him and so proud of you for becoming the person you were meant to be, just brace yourself for a lot of "No worries dude, i'm an ally, fuck gender conformism, it's all construct put in place by people with small minds, you're stupid hot in any gender." All pouring out of his grinning lips at record pace until you finally shut him up with a kiss that he's more than happy to reciprocate, feeling incredibly lucky to be let in on this part of your wonderful life.
- Kendall would want to support however you chose to express your masculinity, but you will absolutely have to meet his tailor. This old-fashioned gentleman would take one look at you, know the perfect measurements for your build, and before you can say anything other than your favourite colours he's pulled out half a designer's catalogue in your size and Kendall is paying to have it delivered to your apartment.
- Growing up with a difficult rivalry with his own brothers, Kendall would love having another man around to do all the things he never has a friend nearby to do, especially when it's the man he's falling in love with and gets to take home at the end of the night. Prepare to have him fully invested in your hobbies, excited to gain a best friend and a lover at the same time, the lonely darkness he once existed in fully illuminated by your light.
- Connor and Willa adore you. Connor's never seen Kendall so happy, and wants to make you feel as welcome in the family as possible given you might be on the receiving of a few off-colour comments from the older generation. Roman would have a field day making slightly disgusting jokes at your expense, but given you have a much smarter retort for everything he says, he quickly gives up and sulk quietly away. Tom and Greg would both make some overly supportive comments about Kendall's newly perceived sexuality that would have even more rumours circulating about the two of them. But most of all Kendall would just take it all with a smile on his face, so content and comfortable by your side that he'll let any of their dumb jokes roll off his back as long as you want, knowing he's exactly where he's meant to be.
- That being said, if anyone is being transphobic, he will 100% ruin their life. There is no coming back from that in Kendall's mind, his love for you growing protective in a world that is so unwelcoming to the trans community, and feeling somewhat responsible given the messaging of ATN. He'll really put in the work to not only improve himself, but also his business, trying to be the change he wants to see in the world for you and everyone other trans person.
- One slightly NSFW headcanon: Regardless of what stage you are at physically in your transition, Kendall will worship your body. Feeling dysphoria? Kendall will kiss every one of your features and tell you what a handsome man he immediately thought you were that first night, and how he's only grown more attracted to you since. Ken will happily bottom for you if that what you're into, letting you take control as long as you praise how well he takes you, hearing him whimper out how good you make him feel.
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bettyweir · 1 year
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Betty Weir
Chapter 3
Betty Weir and Erica Jones both got into the cheer team, and hang out at the mall together!
Word Count: 2.9k
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Benny raises his hand in class.
"Yes, Benny?" The tired teacher sighs.
"Could I go to the bathroom?" he sheepishly asks, ignoring the question written on the board.
She sighs again, "Yes, yeah, just hurry up."
"Thanks." He picks up the flimsy boy hallpass and rushes out the door.
Did he really have to use the restroom? No, not at all. Benny had something much more important in mind.
He arrives at the gym doors, trying not to be spotted by the practicing class inside. The cheerleading team tryout results are posted on the board. His finger slowly moves down the page as he scans the list of names. Nice Erica got in As he gets closer and closer to the bottom of the list, his heart starts to sink.
Please. please please please please.
His finger stops at the final name, Betty Weir. He taps the page triumphantly, a huge smile spreading across her face.
She reads the last little blurb on the page: First Practice Today after school.
She steps away from the paper and fidgets the blue hallpass in her hands as she heads back to class.
Today's a new day.
As the class packs their things, ready for the school bell to ring, Ethan nudges Benny.
"Hey, wanna play Nights of Ninjitu Four at my place?"
"Oh, I'd love to. But…"
"I promise I won't kick your butt too hard this time, come on!" Ethan offers, "You can even ban my main."
"Oof, that does sound really nice, but I already have plans." Benny looks around the room, avoiding Ethan's gaze.
Thankfully, the school bell rings.
"Aww, okay. Well, feel free to stop by later, if you want!" Ethan shouts, adjusting his backpack and heading into the crowd.
"Later, E!" He waves, hoping Ethan will see his hand over the masses of students.
He joins in the crowd to wiggle his way to the bathroom. He doesn't bother being sneaky since no one is ever in here this late.
At least, that's what he thought. As he heads into a stall, he sees Rory fumbling out of another.
"Shit, shit, shit! I'm gonna miss the bus!" He hisses as he furiously scrubs his hands in the sink.
"Rory, you can fly."
"Yeah, but I like my bus driver!" He frowns, ripping the papertowel dispenser several times, before rushing into the hall.
Benny shakes his head and laughs to himself over the interaction as he changes.
As Betty enters the gymnasium, she sees small groups of cheerleaders sitting around in the bleachers, mingling while they wait for their first cheer practice to start. Erica is sitting off to the side lines of the groups, and waves down Betty as soon as she sees her.
"Ohmygod, holy shit!" Erica smiles, "I'm so glad you got in!"
"Me too! I can't believe it." Betty genuinely didn't use a single magic trick this time, it was all her. She couldn't wipe the smile off her face. "We'll get to cheer together!"
"Augh, you're too cute." Erica gushes. She stands up and starts stretching her legs.
"Sooo, have you been in any sports before this?"
"Cheerleading's a sport. Ha." Betty catches the looks around her and quiets up, "Ah, I mean, it's totally a sport! But anyway, um, not really. I'm just a home body. What about you?"
Betty starts to join in on Erica's stretch routine, putting her hands on her hips so she can stretch her back.
"Ah, yeah, cheer's my first sport too," Erica says, then she makes a little smirk, "You just seemed a bit like you would've been a soft ball player."
"Huh? How?" Benny shoots up.
"Never mind." she shakes her head and looks over to their new coach.
"Congratulation ladies, every single one of you got in." the coach announces, "Pat yourself on the back."
Betty twists her arms behind her to reach her back, and Erica stops her.
"And now, I want you to all change, and do a lap around the track in the field."
The team groans.
"Told ya we'd need to stretch." Erica smiles to Betty.
"Uhuh. Well, I'm gonna head outside to start on that track, or do you want me to, uh, wait?"
"No, go ahead. I'll be right out."
Erica follows the rest of the girls into the changing room and leads herself far back into the curtains, before speeding out of the gym with vampiric super speed. Betty feels a gust of wind hit her skin as Erica stops right next to her.
"AHH!!" Betty jumps, but relaxes when she turns around to see Erica, "Oh. Hey, Erica. That was quick."
"Thank you."
They both wait for the coach to open the fenced gate to the field before starting into a light jog next to each other.
"So, what do you think about the running?"
"OOuuhgh." groans Betty.
"You know, if track gives you trouble, I know how to cheat it."
"Wait, really?" Betty says between gasps, "That'd be awesome!"
"Alright. But not now."
"Wha-" she pants, "Why?"
"Because Ms. Malanchie is staring right at us." Erica says, jogging slightly faster. "Next time."
"Ahh! Wait up!" Betty quickly follows behind her.
The group of girls slowly gather in a circle at the end after finishing their lap. Some girls continue stretching while others go on their phone.
Erica, remembering something, pipes up, "Oh, hey! Do you have any socials?"
"Oh, what do you mean?"
"Hello? It's the twenty-tens!" she laughs, "MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, Insta, Tumblr? Doesn't that ring a bell?"
"Yeah," Betty scratches her neck, "But I don't have anything like that. Um, you know how homeschooling is."
"Yea, I guess you'd only be friends with, like, your Grandma and your neighbors or something, haha."
"Yeah haha, totally only for losers."
Meanwhile, on Benny's desktop computer at home, it displays his Myspace profile and his only friends: Ethan, Rory, and Grandma.
"Wellll, now you have me!" Erica nudges, "And I'd totally give you a shoutout! You'll get tons of friends!"
"Awe, who would even wanna follow me?" Betty twirls her hair.
"Come on! Your a hot cheerleader that's single." Erica raises her brow a bit, hoping for a reaction.
"God, how can you tell I'm single? Am I just that bitchless?"
Erica laughs.
"Well, I think with some luck, you wouldn't be."
The coach blares her whistle.
"Alright, girls! Let's go over the basic routine."
As they get dismissed from practice, the herd of cheerleaders head to the locker room.
"So, Betty…" Erica says as she puts on a black leather jacket, "Would you maybe wanna head to the mall?"
Betty grips her messenger bag tighter. Part of her wonders if this is supposed to be a date, but come on. This is probably just like, a normal girl thing.
"Uhm… I guess so."
"Ooh, great! I've been wanting to go with someone!" Erica cheers.
Betty relaxes. Nothing to worry about. This is totally just a Normal Girl Thing.
"Yeah, for sure."
Erica and Betty arrive at the Whitechapel mall.
"Okay, so, uhm, where do you wanna go first?" Erica asks walking in.
They walk past a couple of stores with displays of mannequins in form-fitting clothes. Betty feels a shiver run down her spine.
"Uhh, anything besides clothing stores."
"Awe, why?" Erica asks.
"I just find it all very," she gulps, "boring?"
"Alright, for sure. Hmm." Erica eyes the black store blasting out shitty emo music, "How about Hot Topic?"
"Uh, I don't think I've ever been there before."
"OMG, it's gonna rock your preppy little world." she says entering, proudly standing in front of a display of anime tshirts, "Okay, well, don't mind these."
She leads Betty towards the back, into the corner where the large display of band tees are.
"OMG they got so many Single Tear Tshirts!!" She squeals digging into a pile of graphic band tees, "Have you heard of them?"
"Uh… nope."
"No way…" Erica couldn't believe it, "I'll have to play you some of their song some time then, for now, help me find some shirts."
Betty helps Erica dig through the piles of folded shirts to find every Single Tear design they could.
"Hmm. Do you think I'd look better in the red, or black?"
She holds each Single Tear tee with just a differently colored background to her chest.
"Hmm… red." Betty answers.
"Ooh, cool. I've always felt like it was my color. And it's by one get one free, so let me know if you find something you like."
Betty and Erica slowly walk around the small store, looking up and down the rows of shelves. Betty finds a small minecraft creeper charm hanging off a necklace.
"Whoa. Wait, look at this." Betty points.
"A minecraft necklace?"
"Hey, it's cute, okay?" Betty looks over at her with pleading puppy eyes. "Pleasseee."
"Ack, okay weirdo. It's free anyways."
Walking over to the till, Betty peeks at the the expensive candy options.
"Just these, please." Erica says to the person working at the counter.
"Alright… 23.14, please." the bored, emo cashier says.
Erica hands over her plastic card, "And yes, I do have a phone number."
Betty looks over at the piles of pins and shoves her hands in it. It felt nice.
"Alright lets go." Erica says, with a Hot Topic bag in her hand. Betty takes her hands out of the pin pile and follows behind her.
They walk past the Gap and Gamestop, the two G's Betty remembers going to all the time with her grandma. She feels like such a dork.
"Could we grab something to eat?"
"Yeah, we can head by the food court." Erica shrugs.
They enter the modest food court, five chain restaurants meet them on each side.
"How about Pizza Hut?" Suggest Betty.
"Nah, I'm good." Erica says, still looking at her options. "I think I'll get taco bell."
"Oh, wait! Taco Bell also sounds good!" Betty mentally slaps herself. Pizza hut? What was she thinking? That was such a Benny thing to say. They wait in the short line together.
"So, what do you want? I'll pay." Erica asks.
"Aww, thanks. You don't have to."
"No, no. Don't worry about it," Erica bumps her, "If I can't get you some clothes I can at least get you something to eat."
Betty looks down at her frumpy shoes to hide her blush. I really should get a nicer pair.
"Hello, welcome to Taco Bell. How can I help you?" The employee asks.
"Yeah, I'll have a beefy burrito and…" Erica trails off and looks at Betty.
"…And a number 1 combo with… a Baha Blast, please." Betty adds.
"Anything else?"
Erica looks over to Betty again, who quickly shakes her head no.
"Nah. We're good."
"8.50."
Erica digs though her bag and pulls out a small black wallet with silver details.
She hands over a crisp 10 dollar bill.
"Keep the change."
They shuffle out of the line for the next customers and wait on the side for their order.
"Cheerleading really worked up your appetite, ay?" Erica grins.
"Ah, I guess so. Was it too much?"
"Nah, not at all," Erica nudges, "Nothing wrong with having an appetite."
"Ah, thanks." Betty responds. She looks down at herself. It feels so odd being in public like this. Even if its behind a wig and preppy clothes, she wasn't sure how she felt about being seen by so many people.
"Food's ready," Erica snaps her out of her thoughts, "I'll get it. Wanna seat?"
"Yeah, thanks." she replies, rubbing her cold arms nervously as she sat down. It feels weird not being in at least a T-shirt.
"Of course! Now eat up, I wanna hit up at least one more store before they close."
As Betty unwraps her first taco Erica snaps a pic with flash.
"Augh jeez what was that for?" Betty says flinching and wiping her eyes.
"Your new Instagram obviously."
"When did I sign up for that?"
"Now" Erica says with a toothy smile. "Pull out your phone."
"Can I just eat?" Betty says, with the uneaten taco in hand.
"Yeah yeah go ahead I got it." Erica says grabbing Betty's phone to go on the Istore.
After a minute or two of downloading Erica pipes up "What do you want your handle to be?"
"Like. Username?" Betty questions.
"Yea." Erica says pushing the register screen towards Betty.
"Hmm how about uh. Betty Cheer?" She shrugs.
"Lame, you sound like a bot." she says punching it in. "Taken."
"Uhhh, Betty Ultimate Cheer?"
Erica quickly taps in the new, even lamer, username. "Not taken, cool."
"Nice." Betty says in between bites.
"Alright well I'll let you customize your profile how u want but," She says giving back Betty's phone and quickly typing on her own phone. "I'm shouting you out rn."
"Mrmr, can I see what it is before you send it?"
"Of courseee." Erica finishes up and holds her phone in front of Betty's face.
A picture of a shocked Betty holding a taco in one hand with the caption:
Check out the newest cheerleader on the Whitechaple cheer team @Betty_Ultimate_Cheer!! #Cheer #Cheerleader #NewBestie #GalPals #MallPic #Friends
"Can I post this?" She pleads to Betty.
"Augh alright sure whatever," She takes a sip from her large soda, cleaning up her area. "Only cuz' you bought me food."
As the girls throw away their trash, they stumble upon a DVD store.
"Hey Betty, wanna look inside?"
"Oh, sure!" she replies, eyeing The Dark Night Rises poster excitedly, "Are there any movies you're excited for?"
"OMG, I don't know if you're a Dusker, but I cannot wait for the fourth movie to come out on DVD!!"
"Wasn't that a total bomb at the box office?" Betty jokes.
"Ugh yeah It was," Erica shakes her head, "But some people just don't have any taste."
Betty scoffs. The two carefully look up and down the rows of DVDs available to rent.
"Ohmygod, haha! Erica, look!" Betty pulls Erica to the side. "But I'm A Cheerleader, just like us!"
Erica quickly grows flustered, she tucks some hair behind her ear.
"…Really?" she smiles.
"Yeah! I mean, we're both cheerleaders, right?" she says, not really getting it.
"Have you not seen But I'm A Cheerleader before?" Erica asks.
"No?" Betty raises an eyebrow, "Should I?"
Erica plucks the DVD out of her hands and brings it straight to the counter.
"I'd like to rent this DVD please."
"How long?"
"Just the weekend would be great."
"Aw, thanks Erica," Betty twist her hair, "I can't wait to watch it."
"That's great! Would you wanna watch it at my place, then?"
Bettys eyes grow wide, shocked.
"Um. Uh, today?"
"I mean, if you want to," Erica smiles at Betty while she hands the clerk her credit card, "But we have all weekend."
"Ah, okay. Awesome."
"Does tomorrow sound better?"
The clerk rolls their eyes at the cheerleaders interactions, and hands Erica her receipt.
"Yes!" Betty sighs with relief, "I mean, I just got out of cheer and I'd like to change and shower first, haha. You get it."
"Of course you do." Erica grabs the DVD from the counter and yawns.
"Oh man, are you getting sleepy? Because I sure am, haha. Wanna head home?"
"Mine, or yours?" she smirks.
"Um, our own houses." she bites on her thumb.
"Alright, alright. I got you, I'll call a cab."
They quickly walk though a JCPenny, past the perfumes, bed displays and poorly made clothes and exit the mall.
Erica leans on the side of the store wall and audible dialing noises are heard.
"Thanks Erica." Betty peeps, twiddling with her thumbs, a bit to anxious to read the miss messages she has on her phone.
Betty is reminded of the minecraft merch she got, "Could I get my necklace?"
"Hi, I'm at the Whitechaple mall," Erica pulls her phone away from her ear, "Yeah here just take the bag."
"Sorry about that, we're just out of JCPenny's. Uh huh, yeah thank you." Erica stuffs her phone away in her jacket "It'll be a few minutes."
Erica catches Betty struggling to clip the small C clasp behind her neck.
"Here I got it." Erica offers.
"Oh, haha thanks." Betty hands over the creeper necklace.
Erica places the charm in front of betty and pulls back the metal chains around her neck, carefully pulling her hair to each side and clipping the clasp behind her.
"There you go." Erica smiles, putting Betty's hair back into place.
"Wow thank you," she beams, "How do I look?"
"Amazing."
A bright yellow taxicab pulls up next to the girls.
"Thank you Erica, for everything… This was really fun."
"It's no problem, softy. Just text me when you get home alright?"
"For sure," Betty says, scooting up to the cab driver. "So my house is at…"
Erica closes the door for her, and waves as the car drives off.
<hr>
Betty arrives home and quickly heads to the back door. Grandma should be asleep by this time but she didn't wanna take any chances. She tip toes though the kitchen and into the first story bathroom to change.
Back to plain old Benny.
Before he stuffs the wig in his bag, he takes out his neon green phone.
Missed Calls from: Grandma(4), Ethan(1)
Two New Messages from: Erica_Jonez, Xx_RORY_VMPR_xX
Woah woah woah, wait Rory?
Benny stops in his tracks and tries to read the previews.
Hey Betty! I cannot blive ur- Wanna meet u-
She hessitates to open them, instead clicking on Erica's.
Had a blast w/ you today, hope your not dead lol.
Betty shakily responds "I'm not dead but I feel like im about 2 be."
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ybcpatrick · 10 months
Note
Hi!! If you don't mind me asking how did you get into wrestling/how do you keep up with it? Every time I see you post about it I'm reminded of my interest in it but severe lack of knowledge
hi!! i don't mind at all!! so, my answer here may not be too helpful, because i didn't decide to get into wrestling myself.
i've been watching since the day i was born (like no joke, i got here, forty minutes later smackdown came on and my parents had it on in the hospital room). for my entire life, i've been watching WWE with my parents. some of my earliest memories involve it, having it on in the background, asking questions, connecting with my mum and dad through their excitement at getting to give me answers.
the past few months have been the first time in my twenty-two years of existence that i've ever had to watch raw/sd without them, and that's only bc my parents' schedules have changed, and they aren't home in the evenings. (but even now, i'm still not watching alone, bc i accidentally got my best friend tiana @heartbreakfeelsogood into it, too, and we're having the time of our LIVES.)
but, even though i didn't get into it, the interest was just Given To Me, i do still have some advice for you if you wanna start watching (and i'm using WWE as my general example here, bc it's the biggest wrestling promotion in the world, and it's the one i watch most):
• wrestling isn't actually wrestling:
the match outcomes in pro wrestling are pre-determined, because it's not meant to be a legitimate competition; it's a vehicle for storytelling. it's a tv show about a wrestling show, closer to live theatre or a soap opera. it is still a sport, and the wrestlers are incredibly skilled athletes, and if something looks like it hurt really bad, It Fucking Did. but, they're fictional characters that exist halfway in their own universe and halfway in ours, who experience time at the same speed we do. you can watch them learn, grow, and change, in real time, for years, even decades.
wrestling is fake, and that causes people to brush it off as stupid. but wrestling being fake is exactly why it's good.
• there is no beginning, and there is no end:
wrestling never ends. ever. literally ever. monday night raw has aired every single week, without fail, since january of 1993. like it just never fucking stops.
because of that, there's no good place to start as a new fan. you just gotta dive in headfirst. WWE programming/commentary is very accommodating to new viewers, they take time to replay important segments you may have missed, and explain past events so you have context for what you're watching. anything else, google and youtube. if you wanna dig into wrestling history, there are some great video essayists on youtube who delve into it; my personal favourite is wrestling bios.
in the US, raw's on mondays @ 8pm EST on USA, and smackdown's on fridays @ 8pm EST on FOX. there's other wwe programming on thru the week, too, and all of it is also available on peacock. in canada, i have sportsnet for watching live, and the wwe network as well. if you're in another country, look it up and check. (i can give you my streaming site if you DM me, too, if you're respectably interested in 🏴‍☠️, but bear in mind that ripping WWE shit is Weirdly Fucking Tricky sometimes, bc capitalism is a prison.)
• pick one promotion, go from there:
there is so much fucking wrestling, it's super overwhelming, you genuinely cannot watch it all. WWE, AEW, NJPW, Impact, WOW, the list goes on and on and on and on. pick one company to start, branch out later if it piques your interest.
if you want sparknotes on shows you missed/shows from promotions you don't keep up with, there are a million review channels on youtube to recap them. i do that personally to know what's happening in AEW, bc i don't watch their stuff week-to-week. i like whatculture wrestling's ups and downs series, the host simon is incredibly positive and fun-loving, and it's great.
• remember it is not that serious, and a lot of the internet wrestling community doesn't know what fun is:
wrestling makes people mad sometimes. fans who are really deep into it/the backstage stuff, called marks/smarks, are the most fickle, bitchy group of people on the fucking planet. if you wanna interact with other wrestling fans, on any social media, just remember that you're allowed to have your opinions and they're allowed to have theirs, and just because they say a match/story/whatever is shitty doesn't mean it actually is. wrestling fans love complaining more than they love wrestling itself.
it's just like any other fandom; step in, look around, find your friends, hang out with them and don't bother with the bullshit. if wrestling's pissing you off more than it is entertaining you, you can take a break from it. it's just a show!
if you wanna watch, just start. you'll pick it all up as you go. i think it's the coolest form of storytelling there is, and i think you'll have fun. BE FREE!
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roboraindrop · 5 months
Text
What? Rain writing for the first time in over a year??
Here's the first part of my fix-it fic for Virgil! I have more planned, but right now this felt like a good place to end. So, here's me getting too emotional over an obscure horror anthology character :'D
--
"Frank and Jesse James never planned an ice cream warehouse robbery…" Virgil muttered to himself as he waited outside for the next truck to load. He always hated waiting, especially when he knew he had something important to do that day. His brother Billy had plotted his revenge against the man who had reported him for robbery and sent him to prison two years ago, but Virgil just wasn't sure why he had to be a part of it… At least until he'd messed up a part of the plan in his recount the day before.
"We're brothers," Billy had been so quick to remind him after a swift, sharp smack to the face, "You and me are all each other got! Forget about your damn Jesse James comics, forget about the nothin' runnin' through your head all day, and think about me. Who's always lookin' out for you?"
"You are, Billy." Virgil had responded, looking down at his hands, "You're the best."
He always caved when Billy brought up their bond. Ever since they were kids, it had been the two of them. Billy was the one who got him his job at the warehouse, Billy was the one who went to jail trying to steal for the two of them to have a better life. His whole life was thanks to Billy. If his brother wanted him to do something, who was he to argue? If he got smacked around a little, called an ableist slur or two, that was just what he deserved for not being able to contribute like his brother could.
"Let's go over the plan one more time."
They had recounted again and again, and as Virgil stood outside, he mouthed his plan silently. First, he would tell Tom to go pick up a delivery from the distric supervisor. After he left he woudl wait for Cooter to take his break, then… Then…
"Excuse me…?"
Virgil looked up quickly at the sudden voice, his bright blue eyes meeting briefly with another pair. He hadn't been expecting anybody- Well, that wasn't true. He was expecting the next truck, but he had been so long in his own thoughts of the robbery that he had entirely forgotten that fact. The eye contact didn't last long as both he and the other party looked away swiftly. "U-um, hi. Can I help you?"
The person before him wore a bright yellow dress, something that greatly contrasted the overcast day. It was almost too bright to look at, like they were the sun. When they spoke, it was with a woman's voice, but the facial hair they sported was saying otherwise.
"Actually I uh, have an order. I'm here to pick up for Rain Badd."
"Oh! Oh, yeah, Miss Badd! Or u-uh… Mister…. Um…"
"Mx, actually. I use they/them pronouns."
"R-right! Mx. Badd. We've got your order, just go ahead and sign-" As Virgil pulled out the clipboard, he couldn't help but notice the comic book that Rain carried under their arm. "Ain't that a Jesse James comic?"
"Hm? Oh! Yeah. I actually just picked it up, I'm a collector! Kinda silly, someone my age reading comics, but…"
"I don't think that's silly at all, Mx. I'm a big Jesse James comics fan!" The smile Virgil felt on his face was the first genuine one he'd had in what felt like ages, and he didn't even realize it. "Would you mind if I looked at it?"
"Not at all, go ahead!" They untucked it from its safety and handed it over. Still brand-new in a sleeve to keep the dust off was a copy of Jesse James Great Train Robbery. "This is the last comic I needed to complete my collection! I mean, of Jesse James at least. I'm still starting out, but someday I'd love to have a full collection of all my favorites."
"That's incredible!" Virgil handled the comic with care as he turned it over in his hands, then looked up with wide eyes. "I guess if you collect 'em they just sorta sit there, huh? You don't read 'em or nothin'?"
"Y'know, you'd think so, wouldn't you? See, I've got this thing… I just can't keep things up! I love to read and reread them. That's what they were made for, after all."
"Wow," He breathed as he handed the comic back, "I never knew you could collect stuff and still use it! I wish I could read all the Jesse James comics- He's my hero!"
Before he had the chance to apologize fully, the heavy footsteps of Ms. Grafungar, his boss, approached. "Virgil!" She screeched, "You quit talkin' that lady's ear off and you get her truck loaded right now, or there'll be big trouble!" She hesitated just a moment, "And wipe that stupid smile off your face, this ain't a damn funfair."
"Your hero robs trains," Rain teased lightly, but smiled so genuinely at him that it was contagious, and he couldn't keep the smile off his face as well. "You mind if I go ahead and sign the slip now?"
"O-oh, yeah, right! Here you go." Virgil scratched the back of his head nervously, "I'm real sorry about that, I just get carried away--"
The smile disappeared right quick off of Virgil's face, and he nodded quickly. "Yes ma'am, but uh, Mx. Badd ain't no lady, Ms. Grafungar."
"You keep that smart shit to yourself, dammit! That's a woman if I ever saw one! Tryin' to tell me that's a man…"
Virgil frowned, his brow furrowing. He didn't understand her reaction. "I didn't say that…"
"You gonna stand there like a brainless idiot or are you gonna load the truck?" She snapped, but when she turned back to Rain, her tone was as polite as ever. "I'm sorry ma'am. He's a little slow- He's usually workin' in the back freezer and not allowed to talk to the customers." At this, Virgil shrunk in posture and shuffled his feet. It seemed as if this were a common occurance by the way he took it in stride, quickly getting to work loading the truck to avoid getting reprimanded futher.
Rain looked up to the manager and tilted their head with eyes narrow. They didn't even bother to correct her on their title; They had something more worrying on their mind. "Why not? There's nothing wrong with him- He's been a delight to talk to!"
"What- Did he talk your ear off about those damn comic books?" She spotted the one in Rain's hand and quickly crossed the gap between them, snatching it in one swift motion. Rain, taken by surprise at the audacity of the woman, allowed it to happen… For the time being. It wasn't until Ms. Grafungar stomper her way over to Virgil with it and raised it as if to strike him that they snapped out of their shocked state.
"Now what the hell did I tell you about bringing these goddamn picture books to work with you?"
The cornered stock boy flinched at the raised hand, and it was obvious to any bystander that this wasn't the first time he'd been threatened with violence- And even worse, it wasn't an empty threat.
"Now you wait one minute!" Rain hurried over, placing themself between the two. If there was going to be an impact, they were dead set that it would fall on them and not the innocent Virgil. "For starters, that comic book belongs to me, thank you very much!" They plucked the book from the raised hand of the woman, "Second, who do you think you are, talking to him like that? Don't you realize you're talking to a human being?"
"We're the only vendor in town- You'll need to drive three towns over before you find another ice cream vendor of our size! You're just starting out in this business, you need us!"
The fire in the gaze of the supervisor wet out as quickly as it was lit, and Rain's chest ached to think of the hell her employees must go through on a day-to-day basis. "Oh my, I'm so sorry! I didn't realize that literature was yours!" She quickly straightened herself up, ignoring the comment about her cruelty to her employee. "I didn't damage anything, I hope. To make up for it, how about I add an extra box of ice cream for your truck? No charge!"
Rain shook their head, "That won't be necessary, thank you. After witnessing how you treat your own employess just because they're a little different from you, I won't be placing an order with you again."
"At the prices you're offering, I think you need my business more than I need you. What I do need, ma'am, is for you to take a good, hard look at how you treat your employees. You turn it around and maybe I'll reconsider."
Fuming, Ms. Grafungar turned on her heel. "Have a good day, Miss Badd."
Virgil nodded, but still had that kicked puppy look in his eyes. "I hate her. She's always mean to me, and insultin' me and my brother…" He remembered his brother, and their plan. He started going over it once again, but another thought crossed his mind, as if he had just put it together. "You stood up for me… Nobody ever did that before…"
As soon as she turned her back, Virgil made a face at her, and Rain raised their middle finger in what was an accurate description of just where she could put her bad attitude and shitty business practices. After a moment, Rain approached Virgil.
"Are you okay?"
"Of course I did! You don't deserve to be talked to like that. You especially don't deserve to be hit." They knew it was stepping over some boundaries, but they felt a strange desire to protect Virgil, and they leaned in slightly, placing a hand on his arm, "She's done it before, hasn't she?"
Starting to get nervous, Virgil shook his head.
"N-No, she hasn't…."
"…But someone else has." Rain finished for him, and he looked at the ground.
"Just my brother Billy, but he don't mean nothin' by it. He just gets angry sometimes, that's all. See, its true, like what Ms. Grafungar said. I'm a little slow. Sometimes I deserve it. "
Rain's heart nearly shattered on the spot at this, and they frowned deeply. "I don't know you, Virgil, but I know that you don't deserve that. Nobody deserves that. I'm sorry that you've had to live with that."
"You don't gotta be sorry or nothin'," Virgil said softly, the kindness in Rain's eyes making his stomach feel all fluttery. Nobody had ever looked at him like that before. He was experiencing a lot of firsts today! "I'm used to it. Besides, it don't do no good to stand up to Billy like you did Ms. Grafunger. She backs down, but Billy don't. It'd be big trouble if you ever talked to Billy like that."
"Big trouble, huh? For me, or for you?" When his expression fell and he began to shrink into himself again, Rain spoke softly. "Hey, I know that I don't live your life, and I'm just some stranger you met at work, but… I want you to know that there is more out there for you. You don't have to take the abuse. You're worth more. Don't forget it, okay?"
Falling silent, Virgil felt a few tears prick at his eyes, which he didn't dare let fall. Billy said tears were for wussies, and the DeLuca brothers weren't wussies. "… You're really nice, Rain. You said things to me that nobody else ever has… I sure won't forget you, or what you said."
"Good." They smiled, and the warmth that spread through the quiet stockboy was more than he ever imagined from something as simple as a grin. He was so distracted by this warmth that he harly even noticed Rain taking out a small notepad and scribbling something down. "If you ever need anything, and I mean anything…" They tore out and handed him the page, their phone number scrawled across it, "Give me a call. I may not be able to do much, but, well… Everyone needs a friend now and then. Maybe we can read comics together sometime."
"I'd like that…" Virgil smiled again, feeling the paper crinkle under his clumsy fingers. "I'll give you a call, promise, I will!"
With that, the vision of the sun climbed into their ice cream truck and drove off. Now, Virgil could focus on what he was supposed to- His brother's plan.
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whiskeynwriting · 1 year
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15 Questions 15 Mutuals
Thank you for tagging me lovelies! 🥹🥰 @movievillainess721 @littlemisspascal @miss-mandalorian @toomanystoriessolittletime
1. Are you named after anyone?
Yes, my middle name belonged to my great grandmother. I think it’s so pretty and unique (:
2. When is the last time you cried?
I'm pretty sure it was this last Sunday.
Me and my boyfriend were watching this movie, "Dog". It's sad but in the end the dog ends up living the rest of her life in a very fulfilling way. But I was having a really bad period, and was feeling crazy emotional. Lately, I can't watch dog movies because my puppy is getting older (she'll be seven this year) and it just makes me think about that. I literally bawled my eyes out. Like choking, howling, sobbing. My boyfriend was dumbfounded lol.
3. Do you have kids?
Nope
4. Do you use sarcasm a lot?
Yeah lol
5. What’s the first thing you notice about people?
Whether or not they match my energy (general kindness and common courtesy).
6. What’s your eye color?
Dark brown/black
7. Scary movies or happy endings?
I love both but I need a happy ending.
8. Any special talents?
I'm double-jointed in almost all of my joints, which makes me really naturally flexible. I can do most of my spits, my thumb can touch my wrist, elbow can turn all the way around, etc.
9. Where were you born?
Michigan, USA
10. What are your hobbies?
I have always loved to read and write, as well as take part in forms of art. Coloring, painting, drawing, crafting. I love using my hands and creating something beautiful and new (:
I always love caring for my plants and my animals. They give me so much joy.
And lastly, I like to study language. I'm currently working on Irish Gaelic, and then I'd like to learn German.
11. Do you have any pets?
Yes, sooo many. Three dogs, two birds, two axolotls, and some fish. I really want a leopard gecko too.
12. What sports do you play/have you played?
Swimming, gymnastics, softball, soccer.
13. How tall are you?
5’2”
14. Favorite subject in school?
Anything to do with history or psychology always captures my attention.
15. Dream job?
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a veterinarian. When I was a teenager, I wanted to be a professional soccer player. Now, I want to be a school psychologist. I genuinely feel like it’s my calling.
No pressure tags <3
@fishingforpike @phnyx @just-here-for-the-moment @lucky-pascal @pascalslittlebrat @beskarprincessjenny @din-is-a-real-mando @lovesbiggerthanpride @moralesispunk @nicolethered @yourwonderbelle @axshadows @buckybarneshairpullingkink @lovelyyy-luna @silver-pieces
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alyjojo · 9 months
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Love Reading 💣 - July 2023 - Capricorn
Singles:
Overall energy: The Fool
How you will meet: 3 Pentacles & 6 Pentacles
How they will treat you: The Magician
Long-term Potential: 9 Swords
Oracle: Like no one’s watching, or if they are, give it up.
I’m not sure about a relationship, but you’ve got a sneaky fling available to you. It could be through work, a hobby of yours, or you just know them through a group of people. They’re tricky, suggestive, sweetly manipulative. I don’t get anything harmful, they’re not a bad person, they just know how to maneuver people to get exactly what they want, and you’re probably diving right in. Could be a one night stand, it’s mutual, it’s kept quiet, you both like the exciting secretive game playing with each other…for a bit. They’re going to hurt you though, either they have someone else, or they’re going to head towards someone else.
I don’t get cheating, I just get you two were fun, ok moving on now - in their mind. But you’ve genuinely developed some feelings for them, and they have too but are keeping them locked up tight. You find this person to be magical, creating whole realities by their will alone, coming and going and things just work out for them no matter what they do. But they have left you hanging, or will, and you will feel deeply hurt. Long term is 9 Swords, they’re on your mind constantly, and you want to speak to them, maybe about a conflict, one that you are in separately, or together, but you’re terrified to be rejected by this person.
You come up as King & Queen of Cups, either you are truly a match or you feel that you could be, you see them that way. You both have feelings for each other that aren’t being expressed. 9 Swords is fear, it’s not destiny, and it can change. There’s potential here if you speak up. I say you, because you want to start over, and they’re over in their own land living life and assuming this is just done, they’re clueless.
Messages -
Their side:
- Sports Fanatic ⚽️
- Living My Life
Your side:
- I just want to start over!
- They told me ALL about YOU
Signs you may be dealing with:
Cancer, Libra, Aquarius, Gemini & Pisces
Couples:
Overall energy: Ace of Wands
Current: 6 Pentacles rev
Challenge: 10 Pentacles & Temperance
How they feel about you: Ace of Pentacles rev
How you feel about them: Knight of Wands
Outcome: The Fool rev
This person is superficial, non-committal, and you’re realizing this isn’t going anywhere this month. It’s more of a passionate affair, but you are hoping that it has potential for the long term, and they are not anywhere on that page. The current energy is one of unrequited love. You are genuinely in love. They are not. They know you’re waiting for a deeper commitment, and they also know it’s 10 Swords in your back because they don’t want anything to do with whatever you’re wanting. A family perhaps? Moving in together, marriage, even just a “in a relationship with Capricorn” on Facebook rubs this person wrong. They never had that intention, it’s not a spontaneous decision. There is a lot of sadness and heartbreak in you, and I’m sorry you’re going through this. They’re a player, or just not the committing kind, and happily so.
They know you have a lot of deep feelings for them, and they know it’s more than you’ve even told them. They can tell. They chalk it up to a missed opportunity because they can’t give you what you want, and that’s that. They are just one level…superficial, it doesn’t get very deep here. You feel they are Knight of Wands (justifiably so), very exciting, passionate, impulsive, let’s run off to New York for the weekend and destroy the hotel room with all sorts of passion games…go home, ok that was great, call you never. New fling next week. You feel like they rushed into an ending and regret it, but they don’t. You also regret even bothering with them in the first place, because you’re hurt.
Outcome for July is you sitting in this regretful energy, possibly impulsively trying to reach out to them and create something again…to which they won’t even respond. And your regrets will start all over again. They know you’re hurt, and because of that, they’re not going to come back, because they aren’t going to change 🙏 Sending you lots of hugs Capricorn, you deserve the whole shebang and then some. This person doesn’t even speak the language. Let karma handle them.
Messages -
Their side:
- Superficial
- Physically Fit
Your side:
- I feel bound to you.
- Dirty as F**k
Oracles - Raise the vibe, one breath at a time.
Their side: Sometimes a smile or a kind word can be stronger than any medicine.
Your side: If you plant seeds of caring and kindness, before you know it you’ll have a garden.
Signs you may be dealing with:
Taurus, Scorpio, Sagittarius, Gemini, Virgo & Capricorn
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garciaasfluffypen · 1 year
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new roommates
prompt: jennifer jareau has a roommate. so why is there someone else in her room who's not kate? wc: 1.1k ship: jennifer jareau x elle greenaway
a/n: i've had this written for my cm oneshot book over on w*ttpad for the longest time and i love it dearly so i figured i'd post it over here!! this three parter is pretty much the kindatv show carmilla, which i highly suggest you watch if you like lesbian vampires ;)
part 2 • part 3
it all started with the mysterious letter that she found on the side of her shared dorm room that belonged to her roommate kate callahan. jj absolutely no idea what had happened the night before, since all they were doing was going to a party. she had asked around, but nobody seemed to remember seeing kate at the party the night previous- which was weird, considering kate was the one who dragged her out in the first place. how could kate have taken her to a party and then just dumped her off there? that wasn’t like kate at all. and the silas university help line was being no help whatsoever either, so she was stuck on her own. she was going to find her herself, whatever it took.
suddenly the door opened, and jj swung around in her chair. a gothic looking girl walked in, sporting a giant bag of stuff on her back.
“hey.”
“um, excuse me but, who the hell are you?”
“elle greenaway. i’m your new roommate, sweetheart.”
“my what?” jj was genuinely confused- she had a roommate. kate was her roommate. “i have a roommate.”
elle purred. “well, don’t you catch on fast?”
“no i meant- i have a pre existing roommate. a prior roommate. her name is kate.”
“oh yeah?” elle raised an eyebrow. “where’s she?”
“she’s… missing right now.”
“i see. so you can’t produce this kate or anything, but you’d like me to leave?” elle started going through kate’s stuff, unbeknownst to jj.
“well, i wouldn’t put it exactly like- what are you doing?”
“well, you see, i may not have a missing roommate, but what i do have is a letter from the dean of students that says i live here now.”
“oh my god. this is not happening. you are not my new roommate! i’m gonna find kate, and you’re going to be out of here so fast there’s going to be… scorch marks on those leather pants of yours!”
jj huffed, turning back to her computer and starting to type furiously. she needed to find kate.
---
time had past since elle’s sudden move in, and jj was going absolutely bananas. there were many things not going her way, and she wasn’t having fun anymore. elle had started wearing kate’s clothes, never cleaned anything, and constantly inviting people over to have “study dates” when all they did was make out on her bed or make fun of stuff that she did. it was driving jj absolutely insane, and she realized that if elle wanted to play that game, she’d have to up her anty and play it as well. which is how she found herself holding elle’s super special soy milk, the one she couldn’t touch because “that’s just the way the world works, cutie.” with a dramatic roll of her eyes, she started to pour the milk out into the bowl. but it wasn’t milk that was inside the carton.
it was blood.
a scream erupted from jj’s mouth as she realized what was happening, doing her best not to drop the carton that was currently sitting on her desk. the one that definitely did not have soy milk in it. not even ten minutes later, alex blake and tara lewis, the two she knew as her floor don and the sidekick to the floor don were sitting in her room, staring at the sight on her desk.
“see? blood. in the milk carton. in my creepy roommate’s milk carton. she’s got to go, right?”
alex tilted her head to the side. “well there’s no denying that it’s a little… odd.”
“odd?” tara questioned, staring at alex. “that’s where you’re going with this? how many people you know take type o with their choka crunch?”
“it’s not that i don’t understand, but you don’t think you oughta talk to her first? a lot of problems can be solved through good communication.”
“so if you two won’t help me, shall i go to the dean?”
tara and alex stared at jj with a scared look on their faces. “that’s really not a good idea.”
“yeah, better just handle this yourself. they could stick you with someone much worse. besides, your old roommate will probably be back soon and then elle will have to move out. it’s what happened with all the other girls who disappeared.”
alex froze as she realized what she just said, knowing that she couldn’t get out of it. she done messed up.
after jj questioned her about it, she was able to talk to the girls who went missing and get their side of the story- it was pretty much the same thing that had happened to kate. she started doing some searching and next thing she knew, a siren was going off around campus, and everyone was being ushered to the center of campus for a “town hall”. apparently, looking up or talking about “inflammatory” topics such as girls going missing on the silas ethernet calls for a spooky siren and town hall. she had finally made it back to her dorm, and there was quiet for just a moment before her door opened.
“hey babygirl.”
“um hi, who are you?”
the one on the left spoke up. “i’m derek, your designated zeta omega mu safety companion. this is matt. we’re kinda like an escort. but only a dude, a dudescort.” he chuckled, looking at jj. “how awesome is that?”
she let out a huff. “it is very, very nice of you large, large gentlemen to offer to keep me safe, but as you can see, i’m in my room. snug as a bug in a rug.” she stared them down. “so you can go.”
before anything else could happen, elle walked into the room. “what the frilly hell is this?”
“whoa, we’re your dudescorts, sexy lady.”
“here to keep you safe from things that go bump in the night.”
elle glared at him. “get the hell out of here before i feed you each other’s spleens.” she turned to jj. “why’d you let these lackwits in?”
“let? what part of this looks like let?”
“isn’t this exactly what you wanted when you plastered your little plea for help on the schools topic board?”
“no! and you haven’t even seen it so what the hell do you know?”
“oh no kate’s missing! oh no elle’s mean!” elle mocked her, staring her down. “am i close?”
“spot on. except the girl playing you is kind of a raging… bad person.”
“agree to disagree, creampuff.” elle flopped down onto her bed. “now get them out of here before i do something we’ll both regret.”
jj huffed. this was not going well.
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f1 · 1 year
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Mick Schumacher explains how new Mercedes reserve driver role left him feeling shocked
Mick Schumacher has opened up about his time at Mercedes so far as he gets stuck into his reserve driver role and simulator duties for the eight-time constructors’ champions, admitting that one particular moment left him feeling “quite shocked”. Schumacher competed in Formula 1 with Haas in 2021 and 2022 but lost his race seat to Nico Hulkenberg for the 2023 campaign and subsequently moved over to Mercedes, taking on a back-up role behind full-time drivers Lewis Hamilton and George Russell. READ MORE: From Brawn GP’s fairytale to Aston Martin’s super start – The biggest year-on-year performance jumps in F1 history In a new diary for the official Mercedes website, Schumacher spoke about his first few months at the factory and trackside, his duties in the simulator and how he is trying to be a helpful addition to the workforce “wherever I can”. “Since I joined Mercedes, I’ve been settling in great,” said Schumacher. “Everybody is just so open-minded towards me, and that made me feel welcome from the first moment I stepped into the factory in Brackley. I’ve spent a lot of time there in these first months. It’s a very impressive facility. “I’m still getting used to the level of preparation that you see here, and I am trying to soak up as much information as I can. Also, there’s still a lot of people I haven’t met but it’s been fun getting to know as many colleagues as I can. Schumacher is sporting Mercedes colours in the paddock this season “My main focus up to now has been working in the simulator. Because I have raced a car under this new set of regulations, I have a good understanding of how to drive them. That has helped me in my role so far and hopefully added value for the team. I will look to be an extra pair of eyes and resource to help with the development programme across the year. “The simulator team have been super kind to me and great to work with. It’s impressive to drive the sim because it’s just so advanced, and I have been pushing to do more. It’s not enough for me to just sit on the side-lines, I want to be helpful wherever I can. Of course, it’s not the real thing and I would love to be driving the W14!” READ MORE: ‘No huge breakthroughs, but we’ve moved forward’ – Mercedes describe ‘quiet satisfaction’ after Melbourne Schumacher, whose dad Michael raced for Mercedes from 2010-2012, also highlighted what he has learned from Hamilton and Russell so far, and how he has been taken aback by the number of radio conversations across the team during on-track sessions. “It’s also been fascinating working with Lewis and George,” he continued. “It’s an interesting period for me as I get to look over and work with two fantastic drivers, which you don’t always get to do. Working with Hamilton and Russell has been “fascinating” for Schumacher “I’ve learned a lot about what’s important in terms of approaching race weekends; I feel like I’ve already gained so much knowledge to add to my skillset. I didn’t think I would have learned and gained so much so early into my role. “As a driver, you usually do not get to hear what is going on between all the engineers while you are out on the track, so listening in during the sessions has been extremely interesting. I was quite shocked at the season opener in Bahrain, I did not expect the sheer amount of exchange that happens. READ MORE: Horner responds to Russell’s suggestion that Red Bull are sandbagging with their RB19 “You don’t know what you’re missing until you are actually part of it. What I really appreciate in working with those engineers is that they are genuinely listening to you and your opinion matters, and what is special from an emotional side is that many people who are working for the team now were working here when my dad was driving.” After a challenging start to the 2023 season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, the recent Australian Grand Prix marked a step forward for Mercedes, with Hamilton finishing second to Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. via Formula 1 News https://www.formula1.com
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featherssideblog · 2 years
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Feathers Reacts: Motorcity - Episode 13 (kind of) - Reunion (definitely)
Hey howdy hello! I'm swapping onto the new viewing order as mentioned in my last post! So this episode is Reunion, labeled Episode 15 in the old viewing order.
Also, I figured out that it's stupid easy to take screenshots using VLC media player (shift + S) and consequently I have a bunch of silly photos to illustrate my ramblings, which brings me great joy.
Episode 13 (15) Thoughts:
Lemme start off by saying that I love sharp-toothed propaganda!Mike. Take your sharp-angled cartoon boy and give him even more angles. A+
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Kane is pretty angry at being . . . kidnapped? Dictatornapped? Anyway, his anger seems genuine, but it cannot possibly be this simple. Is he acting??
Oh I guess not, but now we're gonna see more of Deluxe!
Julie, to Mike: In the meantime, be careful up there! Mike: Aren't I always? Everybody else: *VIGOROUS DENIAL*
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And he's so surprised by their response, look at that face! XD
Dutch, to ROTH: Stay out of trouble! ROTH: *Happy whirr* *Salute!* I love this little robot so much. (●´□`)♡
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I wanted to take a screenshot of Mike with his hand covering Chuck's mouth but I caught a really goofy moment where Mike is in the middle of making a "th" sound and his tongue is sticking out. 🤣
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Deluxe is really not very pedestrian friendly; somebody needs to tell Kane about designing livable urban environments.
Looks like Julie isn't the only one with strained family relations! Oh boy, Dutch!
These wanted posters sure are something! Sharp teeth for Mike and Dutch, but what, no fangs for Chuckles?
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Chuck: *having a full-on panic attack, gasping for breath* Claire: Is he okay? Mike, oblivious: Yeah, he does this sometimes. :) Uhhhhhh Mike??? Did Chuck tell you that this was just something that happens sometimes and not to worry about it???
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Hmmm the Gordy family politics are super interesting. The parents don't support Kane, but they "believe in Deluxe." What does that mean?? It seems like they believe that in the future the people of Deluxe will overthrow Kane. But, uh, are they working towards that in any way? They apparently didn't have contact with Dutch for over a year - which, you know, maybe they couldn't figure out how to get in touch, that's totally plausible.
Claire, you half-hearted revolutionary, how I love you!
The elevator music while they're sitting in Claire's pod is killing me XD
Mike: Your pod won't get a scratch, alright, I'll treat it like it was Mutt! Claire: Wait, doesn't Mutt get wrecked all the time?? Mike: . . . well, yeah . . . but we always fix her up better than before!
Tooley has Kane dolls?? Oh my god
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Dutch talking to Dar - oh man - I think the experience of losing a family member off the conspiracy deep end is something that a lot of people find relatable, possibly even moreso now than when this show came out.
Chuck, I really don't think Claire is interested. Chill, please. Don't make her uncomfortable.
Aaaaaaand Dar is playing Rolfe to the Burners' Von Trapps.
Well, if the whole Deluxe grid is down due to power surges, is it too much to hope that all of the bots are down as well?
Mike is a much more successful version of Captain Von Trapp in convincing Dar to abandon his alliance to the military regime.
Aaaaand now Mike is flying a cube hooked up to Mutt. This can only end in EXTREME SPORTS.
Mike just referred to Motorcity by its initials, M.C. I don't think I've heard anyone else do that in the show so far - maybe I missed it!
YEAH JULIE!!! The countdown here actually created a lot of tension, the whole sequence was fantastically well done!
Holy shit, Dutch had to beat up Dar in order to give him a cover story. That's . . . kind of dark if you think about it too hard, actually. Ain't that just the way with most children's cartoons, though?
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Texas, to Mike and Dutch: If you two chicks are done holding hands and whatnot, howbout you help me with the new and improved Stronghorn cannon? Texas, be a dear and unlearn some stuff. Cripes.
Can we appreciate how fantastically evil Kane looks in Dar's posters?
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And now we get much better décor. :)
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Concluding Thoughts:
I'm glad we got some more insight into Dutch and his backstory! The whole Gordy family and their political views are kind of fascinating. I don't necessarily think we were meant to dive too deeply into the implications of their beliefs, but I'm here ten years late with popcorn and living in a political climate that has been dramatically altered by events within the past decade, so let's have fun with it!
Unlike Claire, Mr. and Mrs. Gordy actively denounce Kane (at least, to Dutch) and do perceive the laws of Deluxe to be infringing on the freedoms of its people. However, from what we can see, they've arguably done less to support the resistance.
Now this is partially because Dutch deliberately fell out of contact with them, whereas Julie sees Claire every day. Thus, Claire has more opportunities to passively help the Burners than Dutch's parents. Also, it's not like political opposition to Kane is easy - it would risk their lives, and the life of their youngest son.
The thing that really interests me, though, is the phrase Mr. Gordy used: "I believe in Deluxe." I interpret that as a belief in the people of Deluxe, a belief that they will rise up and overthrow Kane. Leaving aside the question of how or when, it's an interesting thing to say when only part of this show is focused on the internal politics of Deluxe - a lot of it is focused on Deluxe's outwards aggression towards Motorcity. And yet ultimately they're sort of the same city? There are some real life analogies I think that could be drawn here, but I'm gonna leave that for some other time and some other format than my stream-of-consciousness reflections.
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dontyukmyyum · 1 year
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Five Ways To Survive Teaching in 2022-2023
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If your anything like me the school year has gotten off to a rocky start but by this time things are starting to settle down and get into a rhythm. The students know what to do in the morning, how the line leader and class jobs work etc... But you are still hanging by a thread. This school year is a demanding one. The students who are now in your class have probably missed a lot of important information that they should have known before they got to you. This makes our job exponentially harder because not only are you teaching new information but your also playing catch up with lower students. That's a tough one but just know we(teachers) are all dealing with it. However I can help you get your mindset right so that coming into your classroom is not a chore every morning.
The minute you enter in the morning you need to feel good  that you are there. To do this it’s got to be a place you enjoy being. I personally love a sunny room full of windows that can be opened on a nice Fall day. Make your classroom your own and pleasant to be in. Use your favorite colors to decorate bulletin boards, add rugs, a book nook if you have room. I had my husband make window valences out of cute material. I even have my favorite scented plug in with smells of the season wafting through the room. I personally like a lot of sunlight in my room but maybe you like it dark. I always think how cozy classrooms look with lamps in them. Add some ambience lighting. If you are able I also suggest adding a mini fridge for your Coke Zero. Premier Proteins, airplane bottles of vodka.( JK) Get comfortable.
Morning Meeting: The funniest part of my day is the morning meeting. If you are not doing this I highly recommend it. It’s where you sit around with your students and let them share with you, play a game that radiates good energy through the room. More likely than not you will end up laughing and actually enjoying yourself. It’s a great way to start the day and just sets a good tone for what your trying to achieve which is harmony, respect, good listening skills and the ability to speak coherently and get your point across. What else is there to learn? What other profession can you start the day with some light therapy, a dance off and a silly game? Not only that but you're sitting in a room with people who genuinely adore you and want to please you, so smile and act like you’re here to stay and you will start to believe you are the luckiest person in the world. Laugh at yourself, laugh with your students, just laugh because you can.
Student Mailboxes: This has helped me to absolutely keep my sanity and is a must in any classroom. Simply put, this is where your students go to file their own papers. Yes you heard that right... they do the filing. So at the end of the week you can just pop them right out and put them in their Friday folders. Filing problem solved and this will save you TONS of time.
Let Guilt Go and make Yourself a Priority. This is a biggie yall! (If you haven't guessed it by now I'm from the South). Learn to say NO to helping with aftercare, tutoring, giving tours, coaching a sport, setting up for meetings, curriculum development... The list is endless right? It's not your job, your job is to be the best teacher you can be and to do that you need to make personal time just that... time for you personally. On the heels of the pandemic we are faced with a teacher shortage, which is another word for administration expecting you to pick up the slack for all those people not working. Ummm NO! What are they going to do, fire you? Ummm hard no, they won't do that either because there is a teacher shortage! If someone wants you to cover other things then they need to pay you to do it. If we(teachers) don't start standing up at some point for ourselves and higher wages then the system will continually take advantage of us. #teachersunite
Last but least do not take yourself so seriously, laugh and do it when little Corey asks you to put a band aid on his nose because he is sneezing, or when Clementine says she's allowed to eat crayons at home. Most likely you will probably not get through your entire curriculum this year and that's ok, because not only are you teaching them academics you are teaching them to just be basically good humans. If you accomplish that I say job well done!
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pika2482 · 3 months
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AOTD 1/21/2024 - Teens of Denial (Car Seat Headrest)
[All albums are rated subjectively based off my own enjoyment] 8.5/10
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Car Seat Headrest is a blend between the Alt-Rock you'll find in The Killers, and some of the Brit-Punk sounding vocals as found in Lovejoy. If you like either of those artists, you are sure to enjoy their first fully fledged studio album Teens Of Denial, a 13 track experience made up of the best of all of the above genres. From Will's sometimes uncontemporary approach to vocal (non-)melodies, to the subtle-yet-song making countermelodies in the guitars, to an almost grungy but clear sound in the rest of the instrumentals, you are sure to not miss a single moment of the Hour it takes you to listen through this album.
This is one of those albums that you don't realize you're smiling until the your grin starts to fade. Like the last day of a fun vacation, or the credits roll of a really good game. Not necessarily Cathartic, but it leaves that really good feeling in the bottom of your stomach, one that I'll be coming back to experience again.
Of course, Wills vocals may not be for everyone, sporting a white boy whiny-shouty style for parts of most of the track list. For me this was far from a deal breaker, in fact they were often the more memorable parts of the song, as they strayed away from the constraints of rhythm to help squeeze those few extra words, making for a fun sing-a-long moment like Wilbur often does in Lovejoy. However if whiny white boys are not for you, you probably shouldn't be listening to much Mid-West Emo or Indie anyways.
The highlights for this album are Vincent, sporting a brisk driven beat and an addictive Call/Response Vocal style Chorus, 1937 State Park with it's head banging chorus straight out of Sams Town (The Killers) with a Xylophone Solo for extra measure, The Ballad of the Costa Concordia as an 11 minute Two Parter with a flawless buildup sending you into it's blazing second half, and Connect the Dots as a defacto indie-punk headbanger, sending off the album with such fantastic colors. Picking a favorite here is hard, as they all just hit the spot so fucking perfectly, but just for the feat of holding my attention for 11 and a half minutes straight, the Best of this album has to go to The Ballad of the Costa Concordia.
Honestly it's even harder to choose a least favorite. All of these songs were Great, each and every one of them carrying it's full merit and run time for the most part. Being picky, Drugs With Friends unfortunately slides into this spot. Even with it's interesting production, it ends up on the slower side of the album for me with lyrics I can't quite get into as much as the rest of the album, talking about doing drugs with friends, I guess. I was a bitch pussy of a teenager after seeing my oldest sister get involved with just the wrong crowd and my other sister being another rebellious child, so I missed out on the peer pressure needed to best enjoy this song. It still scored a 7.5 though, so it's nothing to scoff at.
Overall, I genuinely loved my time with this album. I'm gonna be looking forward to my listen of Twin Fantasy by the same artist, and I'll definitely be recommending this album to a bunch of my friends. Sawyer, you may have just made yourself a new fan.
Favorite Songs: Fill In The Blank, Vincent, 1937 State Park, The Ballad of the Costa Concordia, Connect The Dots Least Favorite Songs: Drugs With Friends, Not What I Needed
Fill In The Blank - 8.5/10 Vincent - 9/10 Destroyed By Hippie Powers - 8/10 Drugs With Friends - 7.5/10 Not What I Needed - 7.5/10 Drunk Drivers/Killer Wales - 8/10 1937 State Park - 8.5/10 Unforgiving Girl - 7.5/10 Cosmic Hero - 8/10 The Ballad of the Costa Concordia - 9/10 Connect The Dots - 9/10 Joe Goes To School - 8/10
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blacklodgemusictx · 10 months
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Viva “Violensia”! New Jesse Daniel Edwards Album Out Now
(personal narrative starts here… skip if you only want to hear about the album)
Everyone should have a facilitator – someone in your corner to tell you the things you dream about – the crazy to the mundane- are not that far out of reach.
I’ve had many facilitators. I’ve tried, in turn, to fill that need for my friends.
This time it was my husband.
I wasn’t even trying. We JUST went on the mini tour with Salim. My needs should have been sated for awhile yet.
Doug, I sigh. Doug, Jesse’s album dropped the same day as Salim’s – June 23rd. His album release show is 06/30/23. It’s a Friday… 800+ miles away. We were JUST in Nashville for The Church and it was… expensive (we flew.)
Doug doesn’t even blink. Ask for it, tell your boss you’ll get your Friday work done early. We’ll drive it.
This feeling. Right here. If I could bottle… I love being surprised and this was joyful. I had *no* idea I could even hope for this and POOF there it is. A reasonable plan to accomplish this most primal of needs: to be front and center for music I love.
I get all my work done. I don’t hear from my boss about my leave. I pack anyway. I rage (quietly as is my way). I am a GOOD EMPLOYEE. I’ve only called in sick twice in the last three years and that was for COVID. Righteous indignation flows from every fiber of my being. I am about to get real ‘sick’. Uh huh. Don’t mess with me.
The long and short is they missed my request. It’s fine. I got Friday’s work done on Thursday. And just like that, Cinderella is allowed to go to the ball.
I log off my computer, car already packed, Doug awaits to whisk me off on the first leg of our journey. 6+ hrs gets us to Arkadelphia (“… freedom! Shine the light…”) The rest of the journey puts us in Nashville at 2ish. We sleep. Like the dead.
Awake.
Clean up. Get presentable. The venue website says, “Dress to impress” (it also likens itself to the Viper Room, but I would say only a 21st century Viper Room with Yelp reviews to contend with. A Viper Room genuinely concerned with both the use of coasters and Your Good Time.) It’s hard to “bring it” any harder than we do normally on a show night, but we try. I wear make up (never a guarantee) and Doug picks the spiffiest paisley shirt he brought.
The venue – The Eighth Room – has PARKING… A limited amount, but… (angelic singing) PARKINNNNNGGGG… regardless.
The side of the building sports artful “grafitti” – Rockstars live here. Good. We’re home then, I joke.
The Kraken tentacle door pull… is locked. I look up. There’s a camera. Please, Mr Eye in The Sky… please let us in…it’s hot. There’s a click. We walk in… and are immediately told things aren’t ready yet. Ok, I’m going to stand right here and not be in anyone’s way while being 2 degrees cooler than I was out there. Ok?
Not ok.
We are shuffled back outside.
Uh, why did you unlock the door then? They remedy this by locking it behind us.
We steam gently on the pavement for an interminable length of time. I start to wilt… sadness… I wore makeup on purpose for this.
*CLICK*
We are allowed back in!!! All is forgiven. The inside is dark and cold and… oh sweet Saint of Achy Joints and Bad Backs… there is a COUCH. I sink deliciously in to it and experience something rarely afforded me at shows: comfort.
I order a Diet Coke (psttt… use of coasters… that was foreshadowing) that I sip while goggling at my surroundings. There are statues with painted sayings emblazoned on them (“No more fake friends.”) Mirrors. Every surface is a different pattern, but it all works together. There is a stage directly in front of us hung with crushed velvet curtains.
There’s a fleeting pang in my chest. Had our business situation not prematurely folded last Summer, this is the type of space I would have wanted our venue to be.
I set the Diet Coke on the glass top table behind me and reach for what I thought might be a menu — later, a ghost appears unnoticed and places a folded napkin under my drink to catch the condensation. I am completely oblivious. Instead of a list of cocktails and nibbles, I’m looking at a program! Like this is a graduation or a kid’s school play.
I love it.
Under a tentative set list, I see this. No attribution (but he told me just now as I write this that yes, he and the others in the band wrote it). But this is why I am here… I’m tearing up again just reading it.
Artist’s Manifesto:
“We do so aim to create a beautiful noise to the best of our ability, an reckoning. We speak our simple truth, without falsehood. Let our words never be amended, censored, or appeased. Our concerns lie not the realm of the material or the monetary, but rather the spiritual and the poetical. For the benefit, not merely the entertainment, of all living creatures, the plants, the air, the soil, the water, and the sky.”
How many of these programs just got wadded up and thrown away that night? That is easily one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen … did anyone else even read it?
Showtime:
There’s Landon [Pigg]. If you’ve seen Jesse at all recently, you’ve seen Landon. I tried to research when the relationship began and the answer seems to be the end of last year (2022). For lack of more information, I’m going to create a scenario from the one bit I did manage to find about the relationship being borne of an appreciation of “red wine and music”… or something like that. Something half childhood playground interaction where it really was as easy as just asking, “Wanna be friends?” and the scene in Stepbrothers, “Did we just become… BEST. FRIENDS?”
Landon is all button-down shirt earnest. I love the quote in the program, “Landon is a young man on a soul quest. In a word, he is ‘nimble.’ His upper range engages birds and the more tuneful of dogs. Down, Scruffy, down girl!” A playful jab at the attractive nature of the earnest boy charming the birds down from the trees. His voice is beautiful. His songs are sweet and wistful. Though he seems to spend his time with Jesse on the percussive side (shaker, maracas, tambourine, bongos), he seems an adept multi-instrumentalist in his own right, moving comfortably between keys and guitar.
At some point, it starts to rain. It doesn’t even sound real at first. It sounds like rain sticks I used to see (don’t touch!) at the mall when I was a kid.
Beautiful.
I return to a lyric for what I’m sure won’t be the last time. From Occasionally Joy, “My wardrobe can’t make up its mind…” I’ve already amended my list of Jesse’s outfit personas once. I’m thrown a new one tonight. Jeans, white tank, and… Castiel help us… a trench coat. Tonight he looks like The Highlander (“there can be ONLY ONE!”) and I am living for it.
Just like my time spent Salim last weekend, Jesse with a band is a completely new experience from his quiet, unassuming performances spied thus far. I had a basic idea from videos watched online. It was completely different seeing it live.
Jesse is a man possessed. The demon-spirit is music. The Rock. I verify in my photos later – he’s not even aware at times. He is transported. Slave and master. Dominance and submission. Complete thrall to the sounds he wrestles from his guitar. He throws himself to the ground. “Haven’t the monkeys…” Writhes. “Done such…” Submits to the music while his guitar submits to him. “Lovely job…”
What we got:
Power of Us, The Future’s Been Canceled, The Last Time I Saw Nancy Claire (She Wasn’t Really There), Haven’t the Monkeys Done Such a Lovely Job, Feed Her to the Snake, Ads You Can Really Taste, I’m So Happy (I Think I Might Cry)*, Biting off The Hand that Feeds, Drop Dead and Die*, The Dream Where You Can’t Wake Up*, Everybody’s Got Somebody (Nobody’s Got Me)*, Backyard Party MDA*
(*from Violensia)
MDA was a delightful finale as everyone got up – lead by Landon who boasts some wicked rug cutting capability – and started dancing. It was fun to watch. Happiness like that is catching. A high note to end on for sure.
(READ HERE IF YOU SKIPPED PERSONAL NARRATIVE TO GET TO THE ALBUM STUFF)
Here is your Violensia sound bite:
“This album is SO GOOD it made me FLIP TABLES at my local mall food court. Buy it NOW!” — Someone With a Valuable Opinion (me, it’s me, I have a valuable opinion)
Back to my POV:
The show was amazing. We ended up rocking out next to a kind, older gentleman who was later revealed to be the Pigg Patriarch (or Father Pigg as he is now in my phone). He was delighted to meet us and hear of our long trek to see Jesse and his sons (Gabe, the drummer, belongs to Clan Pigg too). He even asked me what the draw was. It’s taken me time to realize why some of his music is so comfortable, so familiar to me.
Jesse said of the Violensia songs, “They are just so weird and dramatic and operatic…”
I showed Papa Pigg the tattoo that takes up a good portion of my right shin. Another young man with sculpted cheekbones and a flare for the “weird and dramatic and operatic.” Dad gets it. He says he already thought that with Jesse’s choice of white tank top tonight.
There can be only one…
Landon talks to us for a bit. He talks again about the stickers I gifted him with when I saw them in May. They were AI generated and then manipulated in Procreate. One is a guinea pig in front of a foamy cappuccino and the other is an anthropomorphized guinea pig playing a guitar. I was mildly terrified giving them to him. Afraid perhaps, like me, his name got him bullied in school, but no, he seemed delighted. Neither he nor Jesse seem to have much merch (I do stickers for Salim as a freebie at his merch table “Do you have room in your life for stickers?” He will ask people while they browse his offerings). Landon agrees they don’t have much merch usually, but he then tells me that his Mom has framed the stickers (I don’t know if I got this right, but I immediately see them placed over a mantle piece, something Mother Pigg has given pride of place to, she gazes fondly at them when she thinks of her boy, the singer… And oh YES in this imagining they are a family of Pixar animated guinea pigs ready to star in “Sing 3.” Please don’t begrudge me my happy mind movies.)
I pause… I think for a minute… trying to write this.
I don’t know what I am trying to express to you, the collective you.
I know there are people out there who feel like I do. People who don’t have a drug yet to keep them going. I’m just trying to show you mine. There’s a scene in the 1990 “It” where the little kid with asthma has it revealed to him that his medicine is just water. “If you need it, ” his friends tell him, “It’s good medicine.”
I’ll never write something that will single handedly drive up anyone’s album sales (but per the above Manifesto, it’s not even about that… this makes me feel better.) I’m just trying to show you out there in the darkness with me that there are lights, there are drugs – whatever they mean to you – there are things to keep going for.
There is beauty.
My favorite song from Violensia is “Dream Where You Can’t Wake up” (complete aside: I’m either psychic or the Gods of People Afraid to Fly unlocked Violensia for me months ago so I could listen to it on a flight recently while trying not think about crashing .. when I could finally listen to it officially, I knew EXACTLY how this entire song went):
“Tomorrow’s gonna come, the sun is gonna shine, shine on everyone…tomorrow’s gonna come blue skies are gonna hang far above everyone…”
And now I’m really dating myself. Just like Curly said in “City Slickers,” the answer is one thing.. ONE… but you have to figure out what that one thing is.
For me, it’s the hope I hear in these songs, Salim, Jesse, YOU out there making music because it’s what your soul needs to survive.
I’m not alone. There is something beautiful to look for. And when the darkness starts to creep back in, I will search for my next “hit” and the artists in the above manifesto will be out there ready to provide.
“To every broken heart that came before… I’m gonna be just fine…”
TLDR:
Jesse Daniel Edwards is an amazing artist. His new album is called “Violensia.” YOU WANT IT. It’s on Spotify, but vote with your dollars: HERE.
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