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popculturebuffet · 3 years

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Ducktales Reviews: The Town Where Everyone Was Nice! or Scrooge Is the Lindburgh Baby

Saludos Amigos! The Ride of the Three Cablleros has at long last come to the last stop before it’s final phase. It’s been a hell of a ride so far: Our boys have tried to woo some ladies, performed some black magic, had some sort of drug trip, dealt with Donald’s ego, helped goofy ungoofy himself...

“SEASONS CHANGE, TIMES CHANGE BUT UNGOOFY IS FOREVER AND ALWAYS HE IS ALWAYS THERE” ... I created this magificent stalion.. kinda I think he came out of a styigan hole in the universe from the darkest dark in the dark of the dark... I can’t be sure. Our heroes fought an arrogant prince, found a lost city and helped donald get his smile back. All culminating in our heroes going to Spain for some reason, soundtracking Goofy’s win against Horace in Flamico Dancing, somehow that wasn’t a Covid induced fever dream I had but the actual premise of the episode, and then played some soccer with Daisy’s cousin and Pancho Pete. All in all we’ve had some good times getting here and I feel acomplished having made it this far. While I’ve still got quite a ways to go, getting this far means I really made something.. and not just the 80 something dollars it took to comission all of this. And I genuinely just want to thank all of you for reading these as these have easily been some of my most popular reviews and @weirdkev27 for comissioning all of this. It’s been easily one of my faviorite projects so far and I look forward to the final leg of it soon. For now though we have one last adventure before the biggest one starts. But before we can dive into it you probably have a few questions, and since I don’t really need to give Ducktales 2017 a lavish introduction as unlike most stuff so far this show is well and familiar: it’s what got me started reviewing animation on this blog, it’s what got me into the duck community as a full member, and it’s what caught Kev’s attention leading to this entire series. So I have time to answer the questions your probably asking and if your not.. well here’s the answers anyway Wait aren’t you going to cover Louie’s Eleven?: Nope. While I love that episode, I already did a full review of it earlier this year. I saw no reason to completely and utterly redo the entire thing when my opinions toward the episode haven’t really changed. That being said since I didn’t touch on the boys characterizations in that one too much and since I do want this retrospective to be comprehensive, I will talk about Panchito And Jose’s characterization there briefly during this review at the right time as a compromise.

Wait why isn’t THIS the last stop since it came out AFTER Legend of the Three Cablleros: Simple.. it felt unsatsfying to both me and kev to end on this one. While their apperance here IS a good one and a big deal... it’s also ANOTHER guest apperance. It’s something I didn’t quite realize for now but outside of the movie.. every apperance after is them guest starring in another series. Their aperances in Don Rosa’s Duck Comics, while awesome and treating them with proper respect, were still them showing up to shake up Donald’s stories and formulas. They were LITERAL guest stars in House of Mouse, and Roadster Racers was entirely just “let’s shove them in there because we can”. Legend.. is their story. Their moment in the sun after too damn long with all three as main characters and while being a lead is normal for donald, Jose and Panchito really HAVEN’T had that shot outside of their home countries. To be the hero of their own fully realized epic adventure. So it just fits best to have the road lead there instead of have all that happen.. then go back to yet another guest appearance. The other major factor.. is that while Legend came out around the same time as ducktales, to the point many compared and contrast both shows treatment of Donald, this episode is what most non-latin american audiences saw first as it took Disney WAY too damn long to air the series over here.. i.e. until Disney Plus launched, finding it somewhere online was the only option despite the series being produced in america with some really big american names voice acting wise. Point is this came first to some people, so i’m using that as a flimsy excuse to put it ahead so we get a better finale.

Now all that’s settled, let’s dive into “The Town Where Everyone Was Nice!” and see what one of the best duck propeties period makes of our boys.

We open in a remote town in Brazil. It’s the Festival of the Flower.. which is a bit off to me. While it DOES kind of make plot sense.. the problem is the lure was written to Panchito and Jose.. Jose whose a brazil native and could’ve possibly been supscious that a tourist invintation wasn’t in Brazilian Portugese, the countries national language and something I specifically researched just to see what it’d be called. For the record it’d be O Festival da Flor acording to google translate, which still sounds neat, Webby could’ve still said it means festival of the flower. It just feels like a missed opportunity from a creative team that’s taken such pains to make the series feel as authentic as possible and clearly put a lot of hard work and research into making each location feel like it’s real world counterpart. But it’s a minor thing and we soon get our two plots for the episode: Our B Plot.. is that Dewey can’t stay the fuck off his phone and is taking pictures rather than actually getting experiences with Louie enabling him, while Webby gets increasingly frustrated at Dewey not actually botherting to experince this unique and obscure culture. We’ll get back to this in a bit.

Our main plot naturally concerns the reason our heroes are here: Donald is reuniting with The Cabs, who in this continuity are his old College friends who Scrooge hates due to having to listen to them practice constnatly and tells the kids they’d hate it worse than his playing the bagpipes.

Bagpipes are objectively the worst insterument on earth. They are loud, unharmonic and generally just obnoxious. I do respect how important they are to Scotland, home of David Tennant, Grant Morrision and .. Alan Cumming and James Macavoy? Wait what? that’s awesome! Point is Scotland is great but I do not like the bagpipes except when Bugs Bunnny is murdering them. Honestly Donald’s college band was probably more like this. Nothing bad at all just mildly pathetic and mildly pathetic is what got Donald a girlfriend, so it’s not a bad look

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That brings me to another point: Scrooge is pretty obnoxious in this episode. It seems like his sole reason for coming was to bitch about Donald’s old college band. He could’ve just sent them a stern letter like the pros at being a cranky old geezer do.

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I do GET why he’s here as there are some REALLY damn funny bits with him in the a-plot, it just feels like they could’ve justified it better. But on to better things as Jose and Panchito enter the scene after Scrooge claims they “weren’t so cool”.. with Panchito diving from a plane and drifting down on his umbrella

And Panchito shows up dramatically playing the guitar. A truly awesome and worthy intro to our boys. So let’s talk about them in this series. Honestly the two really aren’t that diffrent from usual, though Jose’s lady chasing is given to Panchito, his footloose world traveling lifestyle remains in tact as does his genuine charm while Panchito remains the peppy one, just with his outbursts gone as his guns are replaced with cell phones..

Yeah while I do get replacing the pistols because let’s face it the mexican of the group being a gun nut was pretty damn unfortunate, though Don Rosa toned it down and justifed it well, and frankly guns are a hard no for family shows these days unless their laser guns so replacing them I get. But instead of I dunno giving him knives or turning his holsters into pouches carrying his stuff.. he just has two Cell Phones. It’s weird. It dosen’t really make sense other than for him putting on a big shot act and even big stars probably don’t have two phones on them at all times. It’s just a VERY weird update that makes not a whole lot of logical sense and I belivie is thankfully gone by the next ep. The only real issue I have is the two just sorta blend together personality wise instead of being distinct like usual, but that’s also happened in other apperances, so it’s not exactly a new or unique problem, and the two’s voice actors do a great job making both feel like they should.

Speaking of which let’s just go ahead and discuss that elephant in the room: The Cabs were recast for the first time in ages, which didn’t sit well with friends of legend as Eric Bauza, who’d replaced rob Paulsen, was himself replaced by Arturo Del Puerto and Bernado Del Paulo replaced Jamie Camil and Carlos Aquazi as Panchito. And I have mixed opinons on this one: Replacing Eric was a no brainer: while he’s a terrific voice actor.. he’s not brazilian and the crew of Ducktales 2017 perfer to cast actors who match their characters backgrounds, which again adds to the authenicty of it’s globetrotting and scope. They don’t ALWAYS, Cree Summer isn’t, as far as I know, Egyptian and Catherine Tate, while wonderful, isn’t italian. But for the most part it adds a nice flavor to things and frankly I personally prefer it when Jose is voiced by an actual brazilian man. So that change i’m fine with. Not using Camil though... I do not get. Jamie Camil is a throughly talented voice actor, having done TONS of great work lately , vocing Globgor for star vs and not getting nearly enough screen time as the loveable demon dad, and stealing the show as Don Carnage earlier in the series. While that episode is one of the series weakest, he’s still easily the best part of it and I hope Carnage shows up one last time before the finale.

So it really makes.. no sense to me to replace him. Not only is camil a bigger named actor, but he was already on the show and even the defense of “well they don’t want actors playing multiple rolls” ended up utterly destroyed by the end of the season, as Christ Dimatopolus not only reprised Storkules, but went on to play Drake and Melon, and picked up a FOURTH role in season 3 as Hades. My point is the show has no real issue with doubling up on voice rolls, so I scratch my head as to why Camil wasn’t given this part too despite being the obvious choice. Del Paulo isn’t a bad actor and is great in the role.. I just scratch my head why he was needed when a perfect actor for the part was right there and already had experince with the character.

I do think Puerto and Paulo are terrific and do the characters justice, issues with Paulo being there at all aside, and they do a great job and more than earned the roles and I don’t think the mass critcisim of this version of the characters is entirely warranted.. for this episode. This episode while they can meld into each other... that happens in most of their apperances anyway, so it’s not unusual or unique to this series. I will say however that the way their written in their next apperance is utter garbage: they aren’t really given any chances to be distinct, are basically written as one person even worse .. and that one person is a greedy asshole who takes advantage of their friend and never apologizes. I do get why people did not like them in that episode. I do think it has no baring on this one and people should stop bashing these versions as a whole for one terrible episode, especially when Louie has been written pretty badly for the bulk of season 3, yet is still not a bad character. It’s unfair to paint the series as painting them soley as selfish jackasses when it didn’t at first and hopefully wont’ again when they presumibly show up for the finale’s big avengers endgame sequence I hope is coming. For now they aren’t bad and the colors are crisp and the animation nice and bouncy on our boys.

Since we have two plots here, I’m just going to go ahead and split em since honestly, the b plot dosen’t really impact the a-plot until really the last minute and is basically happening right along side it and in concert with it. Sooooo...

The Trite B-Plot: As you can probably gather I didn’t really like this one. It’s basically 5-7 minutes of me wanting to punch a child in the face. Or rather Webby wanting to have fun experinces and actually take in the culture while in town, while Dewey just wants to take pictures of everything, make it seem like he did stuff, and generally is obnoxious to webby while Louie supports him wholeheartdly. That last part is really one of the few good parts of the plot as it’s nice for one of the brothers plots to NOT be about them being in conflict or squabbling but just hanging out and having some fun, doubly so since i’ve had to spend a season watching Louie , outside of a few good exceptions be an absolute dick to Huey and also Dewey once. It’s nice to just see him and Dewey bond over a shared intrest: posting shit online and getting good photos.

And it’s not without GOOD gags: Dewey’s obnoxious captions at one point while Webby continually looses her shit, Louie continually saying “that’s so wise” at Dewey’s bullshit philosphies, Webby’s continued annoyance is delivered great by Kate as always, and the best bit is Webby, utterly pissed at Dewey for refusing to eat Local Cuisine, wolfing down the entire fucking plate, all the dumplings in her mouth at once while Dewey, naturally, takes a picture. Otherwise this is just.. grating. It’s utterly grating to watch Webby GENUINELY try hard to absorb the local culture and really enjoy a once in a life time experince.. while Dewey jackasses about and basically acts like she’s wrong for it and treats his best friend like garbage. Just because i’ts nice it’s not Louie this time doesen’t make one of the kids being a dick without any nuance or character stuff suddenly great. It’s just tiresome.

And SOMEHOW , despite already not liking it the first time watching the episode.. it’s even WORSE now afterlast years. No not because I watched it while having to put up with Coronoavirus induced Chills, but because another show did this plot 100 times better: Close Enough. One of the best new shows of the year, Close Enough had a plot where exes Bridget and Alex, aka yet aother great set of Kimiko Glenn and Jason Mantzokus characters, went on vacation together, but their attempts to have some ex sex fell flat due to longstanding issues we found about through this plot: Bridget has a bad habit of doing what Dewey did, focusing way more on her social than actually enjoying her vacatoin while Alex has a bad habit of befreinding random weirdos who agree with his worldview. Keep in mind this is the same worldview that spent an afternoon connecting garfield to jesus while pissing in a jug for some reason. Point instead of a character just being a smug dick, it ties into actual character flaws that helped us not only learn more about them but lead to a really heartwarming scene where the two admit they jsut can’t sleep together casually with allt heir baggage, and that they still have a lot to sort out. Before given the show their on having their friends show up from the a plot and all of them getting kidnapped by a robot because Josh skipped a bunch of ads and a 5 year old has to solve some issues and prove she’s not dumb to blow up said robot. What i’m saying is it’s even more insufferable watching this after seeing it done a thousand times better, and fucking watch Close Enough. Thankfully unlike Inifnity Train it’s not reliant on you to get a second season as it’s been renewed proving that even in a cluster fuck like 2020 miracles can happen, but it’d still be nice for it to get more fans during the presumably long wait for Season 2. Let’s move past this, i’ll get to the plot relevant bit for the climax when we get to the climax, and onto the reason your all here.

The Main Event: A Life Not Wasted

Okay onto the actual plot. Rewinding quite a bit, the boys meet our boys, and we get some good bits. The boys cool new handshake leaves Huey wanting one only for Louie to simply lick his hand. See this is Louie dickery I can get behind because what did Huey expect? I do take comfort in the fact he has actual friends now who will likely do a handshake, fenton very much included. I’m sure Gyro didn’t want one either so he’s had plenty of time to workshop. We also find out one of the boys was dropped as an egg and well.. given Dewey opens and closes his eyes one at a time for this one moment, the ohter triplets just sorta.. silently agre it’s Dewey. IT does explain why he thought Champ Popular would get over..that and Santa Claus is Going to Highschool being his favorite movie.

So both Jose and Panchito claim to be sucessful: Jose being a sucessful jetsetter and trendsetter, and Panchito being a world famous pop star, never stop stopping. So Donald being donald panics and runs into a alley where Scrooge and Huey join him. Donald is fully convinced he’s wasted his life and has nothing to show for it. Huey rightfully points out he raised three wonderful children and isn’t that enough? Naturally given Donald clearly has some issues related to this subject and Scrooge has develoved into old man yells at cloud, he agrees it’s not important as money. So Huey decides to help his uncle because he’s the good son.. and because the two are easily the most alike out of Donald and his Kids. It’s something I haven’t really been able to bring up before so I was delighted to realize i could now: Besides the obvious people bring up constnatly, I.e. Huey having inhereted the most of the family rage out of his brothers, there’s the fact both are kind of obessive, both tend ot spiral into panic when a situation goes wrong, both are awkward with women, both are frequently ignored or taken for granted by those around them, and both are awkward adorable dorks who I will give my life to protect. It’s why I think Huey has the best relationship with his uncle of the bunch: He’s the only one who at least TRIES to empahtize with him and support him. While the other two do love him, and Webby of course likely has an insanne and horrifying shrine of him, and scrooge and probably della now in her closet.. and of course lena but that’s less out of hero worship and more out of her insane, over the top, very webby version of love. Point is, he’s the one who genuinely sees his uncle as a person who needs help and love. This was best demonstrated in the scene at the bank back in “Who Is Gizmoduck” as Huey tries to get his uncle a loan using the guidebook and is there soley to help the guy and taking time out of his day to visit the bank. Let’s face it though this is huey: he probably loves visiting the bank. They just got new pens! So Huey decides to put his improv badge to good use... so far the only use he’s gotten is Louie laughing at the fact he actually earned an improv badge and urges donald to simply ACT like he’s sucessful. Scrooge balks at this, because as Wonder Woman 1984 taught us nothing good comes from lies.. or from banging your ghost boyfriend while he’s possessing someone’s body without said body’s consent and plan to fully live out the rest of your lives togehter without ever considering how fucked up this is. I will..deal with that movie ... soon. But he soon changes his turn and agrees to go along with it to avoid Jose getting upset and them having to pay for everything.

So Huey suggest Donald keep the lie small, but belivable. Given the law of sitcoms when it comes to anyone saying that and the fact this is Donald, he instead panics and lies that he’s taken over McDuck industries and scrooge has gone full abe simpson in the other direction.

Which is why i’m not enitrely annoyed by Scrooge’s presence: while they don’t even handwave him being here, Scrooge putting on an old man act, and sometimes getting back at donald for it is solid gold the whole damn time and some of David Tennat’s best comedic acting on the show, so it makes up for him being a grumpus. And while i’m not usually not a fan of liar revealed plots, this one works for me.. mostly because it’s rooted in character. Here Donald is lying.. but because of deep seated neurosis he’s yet to fully tackle. While he loves his boys and is proud of htem every day... it’s very clear Donald hates his life and how it turned out. We got bits of this back in House of the Lucky Gander, with Donald’s first thought upon thinking he’s about to die is “I wasted my life” and feeling entirely like a looser. This episode brillinatly builds on that: it shows a Donald who simply feels.. he acomplished nothing. It’s easy to see why as his parents were happy and sucessful at whatever they did from the looks of it and how well taken care of the kids were, his uncle is the richest duck in the world and it’s greatest hero and explorer, his sister is the only one who could rival that record, and his cousin constnatly gets riches and fame handed to him. Donald.. by comparison.. is just a normal guy whose house is in his rich uncle’s pool, who has no job, no partner, and only really the love of his family. He spent his life on adventures he didn’t want to have living int he shadow of someone he grew to resent before the Spear of Selene incident blew things up for a decade. And then when he was free instead of becoming a big sucess... he blew the rest of it being overprotective of his boys and bouncing from dead end job to dead end job. It’s easy to see why he sees himself as a failure despite having lived a good life: compared to everyone else, even his sister who mooned herself, in his life.. he feelsd far behind. And as someone whose felt they were far behind countless times and only now is realizing they haven’t and it’s a marathoon ot a sprint I naturally relate. So his wanting to play big shot for just ONE day, to be the big hero like scrooge, teo be a sucess for five minutes with his best friends.. it’s understandable and relatable.

So Donald continues the ruse, leading to a great bit where the cabs all try to avoid picking up the check “WE can’t all keep whistling nonchalantly” before Scrooge is forced to give Donald the money to in the best joke of the episode.. and I mean FORCED. He and donald get into a fight with their hands under the table and Huey eventually gets fed up with that and has to BITE his uncle’s hand just to get him to do what he shoudl’ve done ruse or no given he’s the richest person there. The reason I take special offense to this.. is that my fairly wealthy grandpa and grandma, my mom’s dad and his wife for the record, would buy us dinner EVERY TIME they were near town, a nice steak dinner with whatever we wanted to most of the time. They knew we couldn’t afford such luxury half the time and wanted to treat us and spend time with us. Since my grandpa’s passing, my Grandma and her New Husband have continued the tradition since then, if obviously not this year for damn obvious reasons, thought hey sent us a really nice dinner to cook for christmas in the same spirit. What i’m saying is when you know your relatives arne’t as stacked as you , you pay for the fucking meal especially since i’ts a special occasion, and even for someone as stingy as scrooge, it comes off as a dick move.

We then get the best scene with the episode, just inching out the climax as the three simply talk, remince on old times, have a good rib like old friends would. It feels natural and wonderful to watch and gets even better when the three hear the radio and end up having an impromptu dance and musical number. Also Jose’s umbrella is also a flute somehow.

Point is the boys have a good time and Donald gets carried away, with the boys planning a world tour. Huey, while happy to endulge his uncle in a badly needded ego boost, isn’t happy to endulge this and scrooge is unwilling ot pay, more resonably this time. Huey eventually talks him out of being a moron and tells him he has to tell the honest truth and while that dosen’t work this does.

So as Donald goes to face the music, we have come to our climax. Phrasing.

The Finale: Ay Carumba

So we come to our finale. Backing up a scene or too to the B-Plot, webby is interviewing a local about the festival when she gets stuck in a loop. So far in the episode we’ve had hints something is up with the people as they go all yellow eyed.. and webby finds out why as she notices the “person” she was interviewing is, in a hilarious and disturbing review.. a horrignly realistic hand puppet.. and upon stealing Louie’s phone, she points out there’s no shots of anyone’s feet.. and the reason why is that the giant flower the feast is about is a mean green mother from outer space and he’s bad. And Webby finding that out’s got him fighting mad. Webby and the boys naturally run to warn the remaning boy and scrooge and they all run out only to get blocked out of town and captured. Dewey looses his phone inside the plant monster.

In a great joke, Scrooge ended up actually throwing his back out with the old man act, so our heroes are all captured and it’s up to our stars to save the day. So while his family is in peril, Donald finally comes clean with Jose and Panchito naturally being upset.. for a second before Jose admits he lied to and an irate panchito.. is forced to admit he also lied. Jose is a flight attendant, hopefully he’ll get his own mini series where he accidently murders a dude on disney plus, which is a nice update of his globe trotting ways, as it’s a resonable way for someone with no money to get around the world these days and Panchito is a birthday party muscian. They all however chuckle over this realizing they haven’t come as far as they thought.. and they still have each other. It’s a nice way of modernizing Rosa’s jobs for them and their hard luck lives he set up and I love this. IJt’s just a sweet emotoinal scene that makes donald, and his friends, realize they aren’t faliures and life isn’t just about reaching some arbitrarity goal.. just like Soul taught me aka the actually great movie I watched on Christmas Day. But since Donald’s family is in peril Jose suggests theys till play the gig.. just like they did ion acapulco thus we get the second best scene of the episode and another worthy rendition of The Three Caballeros as our heroes beat the shit out of the plant, free the kids and the plant straighens out scrooges back.

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It’s beautiful, psycadelic, and utterly awesome. Seroiusly the bright boldend colors are awesome and so’s this sequence. Easily one of the show’s best.. and it’s a show that contiains the greatest scene in television history

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So that masterclass concludes with Donald signing.. badly.. and blowing the plant hte fuck up. Our heroes win and head off in the sunchaser. No idea what Launchpad is up to, probably has another ex in the area. Point is our heroes win, Dewey deletes his photos because “If there was no pics it didn’t happen” (So wise) and Donald decides to get the band back together, prompting scrooge to do an animal house on Panchito’s guitar... you.. you know you have to pay for that right? you aren’t a loveable frat man and he wasn’t ‘singing and I gave my love a cherry. Your obligated to get him a new guitar. You know that right?

So with that the episode wraps. This is a pretty good episode. While the subplot is bad and it should feel bad the main plot is emotional, well done and really adds more depth to Donald’s character while giving us a hell of a show with the cabs. The College Band background gives the boys a unique flavor this time around, not musically but in how they know each other and helps set it apart from the countless other reunions. It’s a truly bright, colorful and fun episode with some great gags and great performances. As I said Puerto and Paulo really knock it out of the park as the boys and while I would’ve preferred Jamie Camil, Paulo was still utterly excellent, though Puerto was the clear standout of the two. While their second apparence would be disapointing characterization wise, overall this was a fun introduction to two of disney’s best into it’s best universe and one of Season 2′s Standouts.

Next Time on the Ride of the Three Cablleros: we begin our massive finale look at The Legend of the Three Cablleros. Donald gets dumped by a nightmare of a person and finds an inhertance, new friends, and some sort of hot adventure god in his new cabana. Good times. Until then goodbye, goodbye, goodbye.

#ducktales #donald duck #panchito romero miguel junipero francisco quintero gonzalez #panchito pistoles #Jose Carioca #webby vanderquack #scrooge mcduck #dewey duck #huey duck #louie duck #Abe Simpson #the town where everyone was nice #The Three Caballeros

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dvlwthn · 4 years

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“ i’m tired –- ” .... of what? “ of surviving and not living. ”

Is that MADISON BAILEY? No, that’s just ALEXIS RYAN KING. They were born on 29/01/99 and are in their THIRD year at Northknot University. They live in Northknot because they are a WEREWOLF from Kaleb’s bloodline (Moon Valley Pack Beta). Some they're COMPASSIONATE and AMBITIOUS, but I’ve heard others say they’re SHORT TEMPERED and SKEPTICAL. When you think of her, don’t you think of A FREE SPIRIT WHO’S ALWAYS LOOKING FOR THE NEXT ADVENTURE, THE SOUND OF THUNDER BEING HEARD FOLLOWED BY STRIKES OF LIGHTNING, HEART OF GOLD THAT WEIGHS HEAVY ?

A E S T H E T I C

dark scars on the heart . thunderstorms ; wild and chaotic . broken girl , fearless woman . stubborn heart . fire in her eyes , darkness in her soul . not afraid to get her hands dirty . just survive somehow . heavy heart , dark past .

Q U O T E S

“ some days i am the flower, some days i am the rain . ” – pavana.

“ she is both hellfire and holy water. and the flavour you taste depends on how you treat her . ” – sneha pal.

“ i wasn’t born soft and quiet. i was born to make the world shatter and shake at my fingertips . ” – unknown.

M U S I C P L A Y E R

“ you keep things bottled up inside–- i wish you'd give someone a try. you fell apart a million times. ” happy face by tate mcrae.

“ listen closely ‘cause no one told me, but you deserve to know: that in this world, you are not beholden. you do not owe them your body and your soul. ” fall in line by christina aguilera.

“ i can bleed, i can hurt. knock me down in the dirt. i am strong i’ll show you even when i’m black and blue: i’m bulletproof. ” bulletproof by dimante.

“ keep me from the cages, under the control.. running in the dark to find east of eden. ” east of eden by zella day

P E R S O N A L I T Y

+ intelligent, protective, and observant - stubborn, distant, and ‘apathetic’

there is a lot that goes into making alexis who she is. from who her family was, to the trauma she experienced, even to her pack. a little bit of everything lives on in her... alexis ryan king is a bit of a conundrum to be honest. she’s protective yet distant. after losing her family, she doesn’t want to feel that loss again. so she tries to keep her distance, the less people around her, the less people she can hurt over is something happens... but she can’t always help how close she gets and to those that manage to become close to her, she very protective over because, again, she doesn’t want to lose them. the young woman TRIES to be apathetic, hopes that if she can act like she doesn’t care long enough she just won’t... it’s hard not to try to fin way to protect yourself (physically and emotionally). so she tries to focus on school or work. just to keep her mind busy.. but she can’t JUST survive anymore. she wants to live her life... live the life her father made sure she could... she has to do it for him, for all of them.

H E A D C A N O N S

001. alexis was born to into a family of wolves, she had two older brother and two younger brothers. both of her parents were very in touch with their wolf side, which made alexis and her siblings feel very much the same. they all loved what they were, even if at times they seemed to lose control... the king pack was very in touch with nature and life, so after each kill they had a little goodbye prayer for. tibi gratias ago pro tui sacrificium tuum pugnet ( thank you for your sacrifice, your fight is over ). no kill was taken advantage of or forgotten. the family paid respects to every living thing they killed (human or animal). alexis was never sure if it was their way of honouring kaleb or just the way her parent were.

002. while most supernatural creatures had started to live in harmony and even had a special location for supernatural only to live, the king family never felt the need to move there. though it was always the plan if things went bad. it was something they talked about since she was a young pup. she never actually thought the time would come.... she especially never thought that she’d have to make the trip solo.

003. a couple of years ago her family was attacked. she had no clue why or what happened, she just remembers that after her and her youngest brother got home from running through the forrest behind their house, she wanted to nap on the floor in the living room. she was asleep when the screaming started but she heard it and started to wake up. by the time she was half awake and trying to process everything, her eldest brother was kneeling next to her and shaking her shoulders. the young girl would never forget the look on his face. wasting no time, the only female child in the king family was up and trying to collect her two younger brothers. “ it’s time to leave. ” her father had told her when he had passed her briefly... but it seemed whomever wanted them dead wasn’t going to allow that. there was fire everywhere, she couldn’t inhale without breathing in smoke. she never understood how it spread so fast. when she found her two younger brothers she remembers instantly falling to her knees and reaching out to try to hold them. their lifeless mangled bodies lay side by side and she couldn’t see past the tears anymore. it was than that her father found her, she could see he was injured and just that look in his eyes... she KNEW no one else survived. her father was yanking on her arm, pulling her away from the scene. he was speaking to her but she couldn’t hear him. it wasn’t till they reach the back of the house that they stopped and her father placed his hands on her shoulders, looked her right in the eye and spoke “ just survive, somehow. ” kissed her forehead and gave her a look that said it all. goodbye. i love you. i’ll hold them off. please survive. i’m sorry. she wanted to scream, scream that he could come with her, or that she’d stay and fight with him... or even die with him. he entire family fell, why did she get to live? but the look he sent her before turning to face the shadows of whoever killed her family told her everything. someone needed to survive this. SHE needed to survive this. so she did.

004. she took her time getting to northknot. it was the plan so she knew where she needed to go, but she was never prepared to make the journey alone. her mind just wasn’t in it. her heart wasn’t in surviving, she wanted to be with her family. but as weak as she felt, she knew she had to keep fighting. her heart and soul were broken, she really didn’t think that anyone or anything at northknot would make it better. but upon arriving she met this older woman... another wolf, and when the lady met her gaze alexis just felt like she could read her like an open book. hated it but also welcomed it at the same time. the lady took her in, helped her settle before introducing her to an alpha.. they all seemed patient with her. and eventually as time went on, the moon valley pack reminded her of her family... and while she felt like an outsider for awhile, they ended up becoming like a second family. it never truly fixed her, but it did make things easier.

005. NOW: she still lived with the woman who took her in and has been going to school at the university. bonds have been formed and while she will always miss her family and sometimes dazes off to think of them, she’s started living her life again. she’s happy here, or at least as happy as one can be after everything she went through.

C O N N E C T I O N S

best friend. could be anyone, pack member or not, but just someone she bonded really well with. someone she can confide in.

ex. it definitely took her awhile to come out of her shell to even think about dating but this person was her first real relationship since arriving to northknot. relationships like this aren’t always meant to last, so it really came as no surprise that they ended... (if you are willing to play her ex, we can talk about how exactly they ended)

friends. friends from school, work (i picture her working at a coffee shop or bookstore to help her with school), pack members, etc. anything and everything.

dislike. maybe a member from a different pack? or maybe even someone from her own pack and they didn’t trust her when she first arrived? idk. we could do anything with this. but it’d be fun.

#nktintro #a. king: intro #species: werewolf #yaaay #done #now i can work on replies #tw death #death tw #tw depression #depression tw

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thesportssoundoff · 4 years

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“Conor McGregor is back! Excitement may vary. Excitement in this card may vary! Excitement is really yours to have and hold, folks” The UFC 246 Fight Preview

Joey

January 13th, 2020

The UFC kicks off its 2019 schedule after a few long weeks off with a card that will, with very little sarcasm in play, play a hefty part in defining the way 2020 rolls out deep into the year. UFC 246 from Las Vegas, Nevada is a weird card on paper but it's also very significant and significance can sometimes create card quality/card quantity. Conor McGregor vs Donald Cerrone is a significant fight, one that figures to ask and answer a lot of questions for both men. For better or worse, the future of two divisions could be mapped out in one night depending on the results of one which fight which again parlays to its perceived significance. The PPV main card is "fine" although it clearly lacks a significant co-main event and the televised prelims are actually respectably spiffy as they're essentially four well put together "prospect of note vs proven veteran" fights with some good early ESPN+ prelim action too. Again I don't know if this card is good or bad---just that it's a significant card of fights and by the time Friday comes along, that long term delay in high level MMA is going to be eating at us SO we'll be all in on this one.

2020 Stat-O-Matic:

Debuting Fighters (): Ode Osbourne, Aleksa Camur Main Event Exemption:

Short Notice Fighters (): Main Event Exemption:

Second Fight (): Askar Askarov Main Event Exemption: Vs Debutantes:

Cage Corrosion (Fighters who have not fought within a year of the date of the fight) (): Conor McGregor, Brian Kelleher Main Event Exemption: Conor McGregor

Undefeated Fighters (): Aleksa Camur, Maycee Barber Main Event Exemption:

Fighters with at least four fights in the UFC with 0 wins over competition still in the organization (): Alexey Oleinik, Justin Ledet Main Event Exemption:

Weight Class Jumpers (Fighters competing outside of the weight class of their last fight even if they’re returning BACK to their “normal weight class”) (): Donald Cerrone, Conor McGregor Main Event Exemption: Conor McGregor, Donald Cerrone

Twelve Precarious Ponderings

1- So what necessarily is the end game here for Conor McGregor? As has been the case since he broke out onto the scene and KO'd Jose Aldo, much of Conor's "plans" feel less like plans and more like thoughts he forces into existence. The good stuff like being a double champ and finagling a big money Floyd fight and the bad stuff like the Khabib lead up or believing he could just beat Nate Diaz up 15 lbs because it seemed like fun all feel like the decisions of a guy who sort of just decides he's going to do something and then does it regardless of the long term impact. Conor had the chance to fight Justin Gaethje and instead pushed for Frankie Edgar fight, ultimately leading us to the here and now where he'll draw Donald Cerrone up a weight class after a year plus layoff. In the time between Conor's LAST fight and this one, he's been arrested, accused of sexual assault, accused of fathering a child out of his marriage and feel free to fill me in on anything I may have missed. What sort of made Conor McGregor a superstar was that he flirted with the concept of being a character completely in control of everything he did and 2019 at the very exposed him as somebody lacking any semblance of control within his life. Either way, it's hard to say what the future holds for McGregor with a win. We know a loss means it's over as four losses in his last five pro fights (I'm counting Floyd here for completionist sake) would probably kill whatever credibility he had and whatever legitimacy he garnered over the course of three years running through the UFC ranks. A win? It's hard to say with a guy who when he's right has the ability to dictate what he opts to do next. A win? Conor McGregor would fight Jorge Masvidal in a big money fight, a third Diaz fight, a GSP fight where both fighters can cash out or go and chase down Khabib. If one truly wishes to get stupid, I suppose fights with Pacquaio, Floyd or Paulie Malignaggi exist out there as well. The first step isn't so much winning this fight but winning this fight and getting back to what made this whole act work to begin with.

2- This is historically the sort of fight Cerrone doesn't show up for and gets forced out of his element but there's some things here I think that do tilt the scales slightly in his favor. For starters, I DO believe in ring rust and Conor hasn't fought in over a year and has fought just twice since the end of 2016. You can argue that wear and tear means Cerrone is shop worn but I feel as though he fights better the MORE he fights and the more active he is. For a fighter like Conor who lives or dies based upon how sharp his timing is, I think it's fair to wonder if the long layoff is going to shake him. We saw him struggle with his timing vs Khabib and while Khabib is on a whole different galaxy than Cerrone, I'd argue it's worse to be slightly off vs a dude like Cerrone who does have the starch in his strikes to do more than flash KD you. Also Cerrone is probably the first guy since Jose Aldo that Conor's had to be mindful of walking into smoke with the legs. Also Cerrone's been campaigning at 170 lbs on and off since 2016 and so you have to assume if this is about being comfortable at the weight class, he's got the nod over Conor.

3- Under normal circumstances, I'd say "I think Conor's defensive wrestling is somewhat understated and the idea that anybody can take him down and sub him is a fallacy" but I also have ZERO idea if he's actually done any serious grappling training or if he's just hoping Cerrone's going to play nice and strike with him for a bit.

4- Which fight is more undesirable for Amanda Nunes; a Holly Holm rematch where she can't realistically top what she did in the first fight or a Rocky Pennington rematch where she'll be tasked with trying to sell/expand upon one of her most boring fights ever?

5- I wonder who is more broken in theory between Holm and Pennington. Rocky looked to be on the verge of going from solid WMMA fighter to a damn good top 5-ish woman at 135 lbs after dominating Meisha Tate but she broke her leg, took a lot of time off, followed that up with a dud vs Amanda Nunes and then got stalled out by Germaine de Randamie. She rebounded with a win over Irene Aldana which almost felt more about Aldana being a putz and less about any sort of sign of a rebound for Rocky. It's worth remembering that the fight vs Holm was the one that got sort of signified that Rocky was better than people realized but it required her to pressure for fifteen minutes and that's sort of gone away for her recently. As for Holm? She's fought Rousey, Cyborg, Tate, Shevchenko and Nunes. She's pushing 40. She had an extensive boxing history that suggests she's taken plenty of damage. She just got KO'd for the first time in her UFC run the last time out and at this point it's fair to ask if Holm's durability is going to be shot. This fight is why Aspen Ladd figuring shit out is really important for this division.

6- Maurice Green and Alexey Olenik being on this main card is curious until you realize that this main card has two WMMA fights and a fight at lightweight on it. Sometimes beef gets called in to "bulk" up the main card.

7- Anthony Pettis sure picked a fine week to announce a UFC lawsuit, am I right?

8- Let's talk about how great these prelims are for a second. Sodiq Yusuff vs Andre Fili is a battle of exciting prospect and proven veteran with a multitude of ways to win. Nasrat Haqparast vs Drew Dober is a battle of exciting prospect vs proven veteran with a multitude of ways to win. Maycee Barber vs Roxanne Modafferi almost feels like the potential crowning of Maycee as a 125 lb contender by taking on a former title contender who STYLISTICALLY will at least give us a reason to double check her ability to do things such as defend takedowns and deal with pressure. Lastly I REALLY do love this fight between Chas Skelly and Grant Dawson as Dawson has slowly gone from somewhat awkward wrestling savant to a more well rounded pressure fighter while Chas Skelly is one of those ultimate gatekeeper types for young fighters. These are all great fights worthy of going out of your way to see on ESPN.

9- We're four years now into the Alexa Grasso project and I still don't know if she has the fight smarts to ever take the next step in her career. A good test vs a declining Claudia Gadelha who still has something to offer.

10- How much ya wanna bet Maurice Green allows Olenik to pull him down on top of him?

11- Justin Ledet's run at 205 lbs has been weird as his lack of athleticism for the weight class plus what feels like an odd lack of strength (How he was burly enough to fight at HW but gets chucked around at 205 lbs is a mystery to me) has made him go 0-2 in the division. After a lengthy lay off, he's back at 205 lbs against Aleksa Camur. Camus is a training partner of Stipe Miocic and he got in here off the Contenders Series where he had a crazy fight that exposed him to be a) wacky as all hell and b) a bit too raw for my liking in the UFC. This feels pretty winnable for Spirit of Truth lookalike Ledet.

12- Ode Osbourne vs Brian Kelleher is an early FOTY candidate to me.

#MMA #UFC #McGregor #Cerrone #Pettis #CDF #Holm #Pennington #Prospects

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millieswickedbooks · 5 years

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chapter two: the reaping

Girl on Fire (Teen Wolf x Hunger Games) [Stilinski]

previous chapter || masterlist || next chapter >>

pairing: Stiles Stilinski Black!OC

word count: 5,622

WARNINGS: swearing, mention of pet death, mentions of death, brief mention of pregnancy and brief mention of war

➳

"Aurora?"

"Yes, Alise?"

"Are you afraid?"

I sighed, Alise would ask something like this. I looked at her from the reflection in the mirror. She was standing in front of me, as I was finishing up doing her hair for the Reaping. She was wearing a light blue denim skirt overall and a beige colored short-sleeve shirt underneath. Her dark skin was complemented by the pastels of her outfit and her dark brown, basically, black hair was up in a neat, high bun—courtesy of yours truly.

I turned to the side and looked at Stiles and Scott, both of which were sitting at the dining table, across from each other. They looked at each other and turned, giving me helpless looks. I internally rolled my eyes at the idiots and turned to look at the girls; Lydia Martin, Allison Argent, Kira Yukimura, and Malia Tate. They were spread out in my kitchen, Lydia was leaning up against the counter, Allison was sitting in front of her on the kitchen table, Malia sitting on the counter and Kira was to her left, leaning on the counter too, petting Beau. They all gave me apologetic looks and I internally groaned, damning them all.

After we—Stiles, Scott and I—left the forest, we had met up with the girls, all of which were at the Argent household and we walked to my house, because I always get Alise ready for the Reaping. Erica, Boyd, and Isaac were most likely at the Hale Household. Sometime around the beginning of the year, Derek had taken those three under his wing. I literally had no idea why by they all just bonded, it was adorable if I'm being completely honest.

Danny and the Twins, Ethan and Aiden, were probably at Danny's, we'd meet up with them afterward.

From here we will go down to the Seam for the public not-execution-but-basically-an-execution.

I took a deep breath and after pondering what I should say to her, I respond with, "just a little bit, babe. But that's what everyone feels on this day so it's no big deal."

"Yeah, don't stress. We'll be fine," Lydia reassured, suddenly appearing beside us, "we always are."

Lydia had reminded of Scott in the forest because that's literally exactly what he had said to me, and she put a comforting hand on Alise's shoulder and Alise looked like she had more to say but I really wasn't in the mood for this conversation. I didn't know what to tell her, it was breaking my heart, she looked so scared and I was so helpless in this situation. I can't do anything to protect her from the truth that is our horrible reality.

"Okay, you're all set, Alise, let's go," I asserted, preventing this conversation from going on any longer by interrupting it. I looked at Lydia and smiled at her, silently thanking her for trying to help me out in this situation. Lydia winked at me and God, I love her so much, she's the freaking best.

"But-"

"Alise, we gotta go, or we're gonna be late. And I really don't wanna find out what happens if we are. I'm not trying to get arrested or something worse. Come on," I explained to Alise, looking at her expectantly. She huffed but nodded and I sighed, turning around, facing the group who was already up. We all gave each other knowing looks and we began to make our way out of the door, Alise and I were last. And as soon as Stiles stepped out of the house, me following, thinking that Alise was right behind me, I heard her call out.

"Aurora, I'm scared."

And that sentence alone brought down my walls entirely. I turned to her and saw her standing in the middle of the room, with Beau at her feet, her long, fluffy tail wrapping around Alise's ankle. Her big brown eyes were sad and her eyebrows were slightly scrunched up, a worried look adorning her face. She reminds me so much of Bubba.

"Oh, Alise," I cooed, running back towards her, crouching down and hugging her. For a fourteen-year-old girl, she really was tiny.

"What if I get picked, Aurora? What if you get picked? I don't want you to die!" Alise rambled, sounding exactly like me when I ramble.

"Dang, babe, have some more faith in me," I joked, hoping to help lighten the mood.

"Aurora, you know what I mean," she said seriously. I sighed and looked at her, remembering my terrible dream and how real it felt.

"Alise, listen to me, okay?" I started, looking her right in her big doe eyes and she stared right back, waiting for me to continue. "I'm not gonna let anything happen to you, you hear me? Nothing."

"You promise?" Alise asked in a quiet voice.

"Cross my entire heart," I reassured her, smiling up at her. She quickly wrapped her arms around my neck, hugging me tightly. I was kind of taken back by the all-of-a-sudden hug and I nearly fell over on my ass but I quickly balanced myself out and hugged Alise back just as tight. I kissed her right temple and we pulled away.

"You ready?" I asked her and she nodded, grabbed my hand and we walked out of the house, seeing the group there, waiting.

I scanned the group and soon enough my eyes landed on Stiles and once again I was reminded why I had such a big crush on that boy. His beautiful amber eyes were looking right at me and he had this look, one I couldn't place. It made my heart swell though. He had this little smile on his face and I just wanted to kiss him right then and there. I, begrudgingly, looked away, I didn't want him or anyone else for that matter seeing me basically checking him out and my eyes landed on Malia and she was smirking at me. I cursed myself as I quickly remembered Malia is incredibly observant and nothing really gets past her. Malia knew I had on crush on Stiles and that was one of the main reasons why she didn't date him when he asked her out a while back. She has been wanted us to get together for the longest time and no matter how many times I told her and the other girls that it just wasn't going to happen, they refused to listen. I blushed as she winked at me and I looked back at Stiles and I saw him still staring at me. I blushed harder and proceeded to walk down my porch steps and towards the group, Alise in tow, and as I did that I saw Stiles wink at me. I nearly choked on my spit at the sight. Why the fuck does he have to be so fucking attractive, what the actual fuck?

'Lord, don't do this to me, you know just how hot he is,' I thought to myself. Once I reached the group Stiles draped his arm over my shoulder and pulled me close to him.

We then began to walk to the Square, not knowing that that day, in just a few moments, our lives would change for good.

➳

Once we got to the Square, we almost immediately got separated. Boys one side and girls the other. Alison, Malia, Lydia, Kira, Alise and I went to our rows; we were separated by age. Alise went with all the fourteen-year-old girls, Lydia, Kira, Malia, Erica and I went in the row with the sixteen-year-olds and Allison and Cora, Derek's little sister, went with the seventeen-year-olds. I stood next to Malia at the end of our lil' clique's row.

After every child was grouped together, we waited for the Mayor to do his usual speech. I look around and behind the boy's group, off to the left, I see Mr. Stilinski and Ms. McCall. The sight would've made me smile. If I wasn't in this place I definitely would've too. They were standing next to each other and—they were holding hands! Yes! Scott, Stiles, and I have made it one of our number one goals to get those two together. I kind of wanted Lydia's mom to get with my Bubba but I knew it was still just a little bit too soon for him, so I knew I had to be patient.

And that reminds me, where's Bubba? I turn and quickly spot Bubba. He kind of easy to find, he's six-foot-four-inches and his dark skin made it even easier to find him. He was wearing a gray shirt with a brown vest, standing off to the side, next to Amara and Derek. And I saw that Laura Hale, Talia Hale, and William Hale, Derek's older sister, mother, and father, were there, too—which was shocking. They usually don't come to these.

'It honestly breaks my heart to watch these,' I remember Talia told me. I can't blame her. If I could, I would run away and never come ever again.

I saw that Bubba was staring right at me, his sad eyes boring into mine. I looked at him and threw him a small smile. I could just barely make it out but I know he signed, 'to the moon?' to me. He does it every time. And just as I signed, 'and back' the Mayor began to speak.

"Welcome, citizens of Panem," he began, his voice nearly thunderous in the Square as the crowd and its unnecessarily substantial amount of Peacekeepers was silent, now more than before. He continued, "welcome to District Twelve's reaping of the seventy-third annual Hunger Games. As many of you know, disaster struck what used to be North America..." and it was around here when I would zoom out because I seriously don't give a fuck. A civil war from years ago resulted in us sending our children to die every year, still to this day? For control? I'm not paying attention to this, it's straight bullshit.

I tune back in when I can tell he's about to introduce the Capitol's representative.

"In the past seventy-three Hunger Games, we have had only a few victors representing District Twelve. A living victor representing District Twelve is here today. His name, as many as you know, is Haymitch Abernathy and the tributes will meet him shortly after being Reaped, as he will be their mentor. So let's get this started, shall we? I know you all are dying to know," he announced, chuckling as if this was a joke. "Please welcome Effie Trinket of the Capitol!"

And with that a lady, Effie Trinket I guess, strutted up to the front of the stage after her introduction. And she looked pretty ridiculous but that's the Capitol for you. She had a huge smile on her face and was tall, with perfect posture and very pale. Like 'this-is-my-first-time-stepping-outside-in-fifty-eight-thousand-years' type of pale. And she had some weird makeup on too but that's whatever. What she was wearing though, was another story. She has a full plum-colored suit on. A plum-colored skirt that went down, just barely reaching her knees. It was weird, it was ruffled but not at the same time. And she had a plum-colored, long-sleeve, peplum button-up blazer with exaggeratedly huge shoulder pads that oddly reminded me of a really big mushroom. And to top it off, she had a rather uncomfortably large flower choker and a fucking massive plum-colored flower on her big, white hair and some black heels.

"Happy Hunger Games, District Twelve, and may the odds be ever in your favor!" Ms. Trinket proclaimed with her typical Capitol accent. That line sent a shiver down my spine as it reminded of the demonic Peacekeeper from my dream. Effie continued, "As you all already know, the time has come. I have the absolute honor of choosing one courageous, young man and woman to participate in the seventy-fourth Hunger Games. As the Mayor mentioned before, you all must be waiting so let's get right to it, huh? Ladies first." She finished with the same large smile on her face. I rolled my eyes and felt my heart pounding in my chest, feeling on the brink of a panic attack. As she reached a manicured hand into the giant ballot that was filled halfway with slips of paper, closed with usual black tape, I looked down, not wanting to hear someone being sent to their death—and also hoping it would calm my heart down.

And then, I heard it. The reason why my heart was pounding, the reason why I freaked out earlier today, the reason why I woke up with the heavy feeling in my chest. The reason why I had a nightmare last night.

"Alise Galloway," Ms. Trinket calls out.

And at that moment I felt my heart stop. Like actually. I looked up, at the back of Alise's head and I couldn't see her face but I knew what look she had on her face. One of terror and shock. I look around and I saw my Bubba's face; he was still processing what was just said, just like me. Amara wasn't any better, already beginning to cry. Talia, Derek, Laura, and William looked surprised as well.

I turned and saw the boys staring at me; Stiles' eyes were wide open, Scott looked near to tears and Isaac Lahey, Vernon Boyd, Danny Mahealani, Ethan and Aiden were all standing in the same row as them and all had varying looks of shocked, upset and confused faces as they turned to look at me as well. I turned to my right and look at the girls and they are harboring the same looks like the rest of my family and friends are.

I hear Ms. Trinket begin to speak into the microphone again.

"Alise? Where are you? Oh! There you are. Come on, don't be shy. Come on stage," Ms. Trinket cooed at Alise and at that moment everything slowed down, even time.

I remembered playing with little five-year-old Alise out in the rain, us splashing through the mud as our dog, Spark, chased us. I remembered playing with little six-month-old Alise around the house. I remembered bathing little ten-year-old Alise, her splashing me with water, resulting in a water-fight that got us in trouble with Bubba and he gave us a stern talking. I remembered burying our dog, holding Alise as she sobbed, kissing her forehead. I remembered getting her ready for school every morning. I remembered Amara surprising eight-year-old Alise with a little kitten, a couple of months after Spark died, which she named Beau, despite everyone in town telling her it was a 'boy's name'. I remembered me being completely and utterly obsessed with one-year-old Alise, even at a young age. I remembered Bubba and Mama telling Amara and I that Mama was pregnant. I remembered Amara and I going trading at the Seam, me holding little three-year-old Alise. I remembered Bubba, Amara, Alise and I holding each other after Mama's funeral. I remembered Bubba wrapping my broken arm in a splint after Erica had broken it falling off a tree and I tried to catch her, Alise holding my hand the entire time. I remembered all the times I would put my tiny hand on Mama's tummy, feeling her kick at the spot where my hand would lay. I remembered all the nights I stayed up late with Alise, talking about school and boys and whatever our minds would think of. I remembered calming twelve-year-old Alise down for her first Reaping. I remembered her and Amara holding me after every single nightmare I had had about Nino or Mama. I remembered Bubba showing me little one-day-old Alise into my arms, I looked down at her tiny face, her eyes closed and I whispered a tiny 'hi', and a small smile appeared on her lil' baby face as she heard the words, as she heard my voice. I remembered that as I grew I silently swore to myself that I would protect her from all harm. And this was what all those years prepared me for. To face my biggest fear; having Alise be reaped.

'Why didn't you save me, Aurora? Why didn't you do something, Aurora?' Alise had said in my nightmare. I tried to do something but I failed. Now, I can't afford to fail. If I do, then I'm losing Alise and I'm going to be letting her down as a big sister. I'm going to be letting my whole family down as a big sister. And I'm not letting Alise down. Or Amara. Or Bubba.

Or Mama.

I made up my mind. I wasn't letting this happen. Absolutely not.

"No. No. NO!" I began chanting as I ran out of my row and ran towards Alise but four Peacekeepers stopped me, gathering around me, preventing me from getting to Alise. "No! NO! ALISE!" Alise had already moved from her spot in the crowd and was standing at the center, in the aisle between the boys and the girls. She was in the process of being led on stage by four other Peacekeepers when I called out to her. She turned around at the sound of my voice and at that moment I got a good look at her face. Her big doe eyes were scared and red due to the fact that she was crying, big, fat tears rolling down her dark brown cheeks.

"Aurora?" She asked, her voice so tiny I just barely heard it over my struggles against these damn Peacekeepers.

"Alise, no! Let me go, let me go! I-I," I screamed, not knowing what the next words I was going to say were going to be but at the same time knowing exactly what I was doing. I cried out as loud as I possibly could, "I volunteer!"

After hearing what I just said, the peacekeepers let go of me, instantly backing away from me, as if I had burned them.

"What?" Ms. Trinket's voice asked, her voice echoing through the silent town.

"I volunteer as tribute," I yelled, loud and clear, making sure everyone and their mother heard me.

"Oh? A volunteer? Well, it looks like we have a volunteer, everyone! That's just great!" Ms. Trinket announced, looking right at me. "Come on up!"

I pushed past the Peacekeepers and ran to Alise, instantly wrapping my arms around my little sister. I then bent down in front of her, keeping eye contact with her.

"Aurora, what are you doing?!" Alise screamed at me, not caring that every eye is currently on us.

"Keeping my promise, babe. Now go, Alise. Go to Bubba and Amara-" Alise cut me off.

"No!" She cried out, feeling her cries stab through my heart. I hated it when she cried.

"Alise, go find-" I tried again but she wasn't having it.

"No! No!" She screamed, grabbing onto my arms with the intent of never letting go.

"I'm so sorry-" I said but then the Peacekeepers decided that was enough, pulling us apart. Seconds later, I saw Stiles, appearing out of nowhere, grab Alise. She was refusing to move so he had to lift her up completely off the ground, putting her on his shoulder. While he did that, I saw he had tears in his eyes as he stared at me. Our eyes locked for a second and then suddenly he was off.

"No! NO! AURORA! NO!" Alise screamed as she was carried away, continuing to scream as Scott quickly followed them, not before casting me a look that broke my heart.

I was then led to the stairs of the stage by four Peacekeepers. I slowly made my way up as I digested what just happened in these last few minutes. I'm a tribute now. I'm going into the Hunger Games. I'm possibly going to die.

"District Twelve's very first volunteer, ever. Come on, dear, come on up," Ms. Trinket acknowledged me and as I reached the last step, she gently but firmly grasped my hand, pulling me fully on stage and guiding me towards the microphone at center stage.

"Hello, hello! And what is your name?" Ms. Trinket asked her colored lips in an even bigger smile than before.

"My... uh, my name is Aurora Galloway," I answered, still not knowing whether I should feel happy that I saved Alise or sad because I might definitely never see my family or friends ever again. No more Lydia, no more Allison, or Erica, or Amara, or Issac. No more Scott, or Malia, or Kira. No more Stiles. No more Bubba, or Alise. That's it, it's over for me.

"I suppose that that beautiful little girl I called was your sister, huh?" I numbly nodded, glancing at Ms. Trinket and then looking around. I saw Lydia, Allison, Kira, and Malia holding each other as Lydia sobbed loudly. I turned and saw Derek holding Amara and Bubba holding Alise, who was sobbing on his chest, I could tell by the fact that her shoulders were shaking up and down.

Bubba was also crying, which tore at my heartstrings even more. The sight of my Daddy crying will always hurt. He deserves more than what this life offered him. I'd bring him the moon if he asked me to.

"Yes, that was," I answered as I guess my nod wasn't enough of an answer for Ms. Trinket as she leaned the microphone towards my mouth.

"Well, let's give a hand to our volunteer, Ms. Aurora Galloway!" Ms. Trinket told the crowd, as she began to clap lightly herself.

Not a single person besides her clapped. All I could hear was sniffs and sobs coming from multiple people. My eyes scanned the crowd once again and, at first, I didn't know what I was searching for until I found it. I was subconsciously searching for Scott and Stiles. Scott was crying, his brown puppy-dog eyes red and he had tears running down his face. Stiles was crying too, but he looked different, he looked more in pain. He wouldn't take his whiskey-colored eyes off me and in any other circumstances, I would have been blushing like a little school girl like I was earlier. But right now, it felt like my heart couldn't take any more of this. More of looking at my friends crying for me. More of my family looking like... like they were already mourning me.

And suddenly something happened. As if it was planned I saw all the townspeople, instead of clapping as Ms. Trinket told them to, they all, one after the other, put up their three straight middle fingers, kissing the fingers and raising it up high above their heads. I was shocked at the use of this old gesture. I never knew this district knew me like that, knew me enough to say they love me. I was reminded of a conversation I had with Ms. McCall; she had told me that everyone knew about The Galloways.

'Everyone loved your mother,' she told me once. 'She was a great healer, a good conversationalist too. She was just a great... friend, not just to me and... Claudia, but to everyone. Everyone was dying to see her be with your father too. He is, was, and always will be a good man. When they got married, nearly everyone came down to the wedding. Everyone loved you, Amara, and Alise too, since you girls act so much like her. After her death, it was like a disconnect. Everyone mourns in a different way. Maybe that's why the townspeople don't really talk to you all as much as they did before. Must see too much of her in you.'

'Do you really think I act just like Mama did?' I asked her. My father told me that I reminded him so much of her but I honestly don't see it. Mama was such a kind person, I felt like I wasn't as good as her, or that I'll ever be.

'Yes. You all do.' Ms. McCall began, looking off into the distance as she spoke to me and at that moment, I felt my heart break for Ms. Melissa McCall. She had gone through so much I just wanted to give her a big hug. She lost both of her best friends and her husband. It made me hate Death for stalking her so much in her life. She deserves so much more. 'Amara took your mother's maturity and her sympathetic side and is understanding just like her. Alise is thoughtful and bold, always saying what she felt was needed, not caring who heard, just like Rose. And you, Aurora, you got a little bit of everything from your mother. You might not see it but you are selfless, charming, cunning, witty, and smart. You are a beautiful young girl, Aurora, and you'll grow up to be a wonderful woman. Just like Amara is becoming, and just like your mother.'

So that's why we always got good deals while trading. And that's why the townspeople are saluting me now. It makes sense now. The townspeople were thanking me. The townspeople admired me.

The townspeople were saying goodbye to someone they love.

"And now, for the boys," Ms. Trinket continued and just like that, I was brought back down to reality. Ms. Trinket walked over to the other massive ballot that was meant for the boys and she reached in, pulling out another slip of paper. As she did that I wondered, 'Who's the poor soul who I might kill or might kill me?' And then it really hit me. I'm going to have to kill people. Children. I'm going to have to kill children. I'm going to have to take the life of someone's child. I just turned sixteen and in just a couple weeks, I'm going to become a killer. I can't kill, how will live my life, if I even survive this shit, with blood on my hands? How will I be able to do this without killing someone?

Ms. Trinket tore open the slip and read the name, leaning towards the microphone.

"Liam Dunbar," Ms. Trinket called out and I couldn't help it but I look for the boy. I quickly spotted the poor boy as the boys surrounding him moved away from him, keeping their distance from the boy as if he had the plague or something. Probably hoping the Peacekeepers wouldn't make a mistake and grab the wrong kid. The kid, Liam, looked around, shocked at his name being called but he reluctantly went with the Peacekeepers. And Lord was it heartbreaking to see him come up. He looked so scared. And as I watched him come up the stairs I'd realized seen him before. His family owns a bakery in town and he is also in Alise's grade, I've seen him going into some of her classes. The boy must be fourteen too. And for some reason, I felt the need to hug and comfort him, tell him everything would be alright.

I shook the weird feeling off and realized he was staring right back at me. I looked down, not wanting to see him staring at me any longer. I felt Ms. Trinket walked away from me so I guess she was guiding him towards center stage, where I was like she did to me. I glanced up when I saw Mr. Trinket's bold colorful outfit in the corner of my eye and saw they were standing right next to me, her hand on Liam's shoulder.

"Here we are, our tributes from District Twelve," Ms. Trinket rehashed and looked at the crowd again. My eyes found my father once again and I saw that this time, Mr. Stilinski and Ms. McCall were at his side, Mr. Stilinski had his hand on Bubba's shoulder and Ms. McCall was holding his hand. They both looked like they were crying too. And chastised myself for looking at them again, I have to stop looking, I'm on the brink of having a breakdown right in front of the whole District and that'll make me seem weak. And I definitely can't go into these games looking weak.

Ms. Trinket continued, "Now, come on you two, shake hands."

I turned to Liam and really looked at him, like really looked at him. And I felt this feeling of familiarity, it was weird. I felt like... I knew him from somewhere else, not just from the bakery or from Alise's classes, it was on the tip of my tongue and nearly driving me nuts because why the hell can't I remember this boy? But I scrapped the thought for now and reached my hand out, at the same time he did. We shook hands awkwardly but at the same time firmly. Ms. Trinket practically beamed at the sight.

"Once again, happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor..." Ms. Trinket finished and turned around to us, gently grabbing both Liam and me by our shoulders and leading us towards the large dark door. I've seen this door so many times before, from past Reapings obviously, but I never really thought I'd ever see myself going through it. The door was guarded by two Peacekeepers and once we walked through the doors, the doors were promptly shut behind us.

"Come along now, quickly. You have a limited amount of time," Ms. Trinket rushed, her heels clicking on the empty hallway she led us down. I didn't even bother to ask what she meant by that and just quietly followed her. We were led into a room and the Peacekeeper opened the door.

"Aurora, this is your stop," Ms. Trinket informed me and I glanced at her and Liam and walked in the small room. I turned to look and they had already been closing the door behind me.

And like that, I was left to my own devices. There was a chair in this room and I knew better than to just sit in it but it's all kind of just hitting me and my legs felt like jelly and god ohmygod I'm going to die. I shook my head, chastising myself again for thinking like that.

'No, Aurora, stop thinking like that! Do you want to see your family again? You want to live! You must win!' I thought to myself as I took a seat.

'But I can't kill people, I can't have blood on my hands,' I pondered, wondering how in the fuck I would survive these games, how would I go about this all while avoiding murdering someone. I struggle enough just by hunting birds and squirrels, and I know that's for survival, but in the end, it's still a life and I still feel bad. Maybe it'll help if I view it as hunting? This is basically the same thing as hunting. I have to survive. It's necessary death. But... I can't; that's someone's child right there. But at the same time, I'm someone's child too.

'Ugh, this is so fucking terrible,' I thought to myself as I racked my brain for a way out and every solution I came up with just came with another flaw or a problem and I felt my blood boil with anger. I hate these fucking Games. But I have to survive, I have to come back, to Scott, Isaac and Ms. McCall, to Lydia and her mom and the Tates. I have to come back and see Kira. I have to come back to Allison and the Argents; I'll miss her like crazy. I have to come back to Boyd and Erica and the twins. And I have to come back to Danny. I have to come back to the Hales and I have to come back to Mr. Stilinski and... Stiles. Stiles. I have to come back for him, to him. I'll miss him and Scott so much. And when I do, hopefully, I will tell him how I feel. No more waiting around. No more secrets.

And most importantly, I have to come back for Bubba and Alise. And Amara. We are all we have. I can't leave them, I can't let myself get taken away as that Peacekeeper did to us with Mama. I have to come back to them.

And in that room, I promised myself that I would kill only if I absolutely had to. Because I might think about others and their well-being and why I shouldn't kill them but that doesn't mean they're doing that to me.

And as I stared off into space, looking at the wall in front of me in the small, quiet room, I realized something. I realized that I wasn't really freaking out as much as I felt like I should anymore. And I wondered why am I not shaking at the fact that I might die in a few weeks? And it hit me. I have a shot at this, it's slim but a shot's a shot. And I remembered why.

'Thank God Mama taught me archery and Bubba taught me knife-throwing. Without those, I would be a lost cause in these Games,' I thought, slightly chucking because I used to complain about why I should learn to them constantly when I was younger and when I was around thirteen I realized I could use my skills to hunt and now, look at how handy they'll come in for these stupid Games.

And in that very moment the door opened, the loud noise startles me and I looked up, seeing Alise, Amara, Bubba, and the Hales. And that was what officially caused me to break down.

➳

and there’s chapter two !!! as always, feedback is always appreciated !! ♡

#stiles stilinski #stiles stilinski fic #teen wolf crossover #teen wolf fic #teen wolf rewrite #stiles fic #hunger games #hunger games fic #teen wolf #black women #woc #stiles #girl on fire #black original character #stiles stilinski x black!oc #oc: aurora galloway

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just-jordie-things · 7 years

Text

“I Promise” - Malia Tate

word count: 4259 warnings: mentions of sexual activitiesss and super fluff

(prompt nine)

----

[ love is forgiving ]

Malia sat at the kitchen table, tapping her fingers against her cheek as she propped her head up. She had a scowl permanently etched onto her face as she thought.

“What about… flowers?” Kira suggested. “Flowers are nice, she’ll love flowers”

“Please” Malia scoffed. “Flowers are for heteros” She said, and Kira blinked before awkwardly laughing.

“I didn’t think that gifts were… labeled” She said, and Malia just sighed.

It was her and yours one year anniversary. And she had no idea what to do for you. She’d called Kira over an hour ago to help her come up with ideas but so far nothing had come to mind.

“A puppy?”

“No! She’ll give it more attention than me!” Malia exclaimed, and Kira burst out laughing.

“Or, you could take care of it together?” Kira offered instead, raising her eyebrows and hoping to be of some help. Malia groaned, putting her head down on the table and wrapping her arms around her head.

“I don’t have the time for that. Hell I can barely take care of myself”

“You take care of y/n just fine” Kira shrugged, and Malia raised her head for a few moments just to give the kitsune a glare. Then she put her face right back down in her arms.

“I have to, I love her she’s my everything” She mumbled, and Kira found herself smiling at the sweet words. Even though Malia probably didn’t realize she was being sweet (like most of the time).

“Awe” Kira cooed. “Get her a giant teddy bear?”

“I did that for valentine's day” She muttered, and Kira frowned.

“Well what’s the first thing that came to mind? Like the very first thought you had when-”

“I thought I’d surprise her with sex but it’s not too much of a surprise anymore” Malia sighed, finally sitting up again. “I just want her to like it, to feel as special as she is”

“Awe!” Kira cooed again, her smile growing painfully wide. “Tell her you love her!”

“Duh, she knows. I told her when I met her”

“Oh, yeah” Kira bit on her lip as she remembered the first time you actually talked to Malia. She’d blurted out immediately that she was in love with you. And as awkward as it was, you had laughed and asked her out anyways. And now here you were, a year later of being lovesick girlfriends. “Where’s her favorite place to go with you?”

“Uh… I guess the park. We go there late at night with ice cream and we swing and talk and lay in the grass” Malia shrugged a shoulder. “It’s fun, it’s just not… it’s not very anniversary-y” She said, crinkling her nose with disappointment. “It’s not like some… some big fancy restaurant where we drink champagne and laugh all poshy”

“Wow” Kira chuckled, and got up from the table to go to the fridge. “I’m taking some juice” She announced, and Malia stayed sitting at the table, boredly drawing shapes in the wood with her fingertips.

She smiled to herself at the time she’d done this with her claws, and you scolded her for ruining the tabletop. You stopped scolding when she had shown you she’d carved a heart with both of your initials into it.

“Mal! I got the best idea!” Kira squealed, and Malia perked up at her excitement, thinking that it must be good. “Buy her a star!” She clapped her hands together happily from the kitchen. Malia’s brows furrowed, a frown pulling on her lips.

“I don’t think you can get those” She stated.

“You can! You get this form online, and like… NASA names a star after them or something” Kira said. “It’ll be sweet!

“A piece of paper?” Malia grumbled. “That’s not sweet, that’s easy” Her frustration was growing by the second, and her worry of not having anything for you was increased as well. You deserved the best, she knew that. She just couldn’t give it to you. “Maybe I don’t deserve her-”

She was cut off by the doorbell ringing.

“Oh, that’s her now” Malia sighed, and stood up from the table. Kira poured her glass of juice, watching from the other room as Malia answered the door.

“Hey Mal” You said cheerily, stepping inside and kissing her cheek as you kicked off your shoes.

“Hey, Kira’s already here” Malia responded, her tone much less joyful than yours. You stuck your head out to grin at the petite girl in the kitchen. She grinned and waved.

“I’ll be out in a sec I’m just rounding up snacks” She called out, and turned to gather snacks. It was a girl’s movie night. Even though Lydia backed out last minute because apparently she already had date night plans with Stiles. Not that any of you believed it, but you let it slide.

“Sorry I’m late” You apologized, and Malia shook her head.

“No it’s cool, it’s totally cool we were just talking” She shrugged

“Anyways I uh… I found this clearing, this just absolutely gorgeous little field in the Preserve and I was thinking that we could go there, tomorrow. You know for-for our anniversary” Your voice came off nervous, worried she wouldn’t like the idea. “I was thinking that you could pick somewhere for food, we’ll put it all in a picnic basket and we could go there” Malia smiled slightly.

“Yeah, yeah that seems good. I like it” She said, and just as you were about to respond, she walked off. Your brows crinkled, looking over and watching her leave the living room to go to the kitchen with Kira.

“O-okay” You said awkwardly, and wrung your fingers together as you sat down on your spot on the recliner.

You and Malia always sat there together, it was a prime cuddling spot. You could sit on her lap, or on your side in between her and the arm rest. If you were too sleepy to drag yourselves upstairs, or Malia was too tired to carry you, you’d just prop out the bottom of it so you could both lay back and sleep, and it wasn’t uncomfortable at all.

Though sitting here by yourself felt pretty uncomfortable.

“You guys need help?” You called, pulling your bare feet up onto the seat and wrapping your arms around our legs.

“Nope we got it” Kira replied, just as both girls came back in, holding bags of chips and snack cakes and drinks. “So, n/n, how was your Saturday”

“Fine, spent the day looking for a place for tomorrow” You said, standing up so that Malia could take her seat on the chair with you, but she sat down on the end of the sofa. You frowned, but she didn’t say or do anything about it, just sat back on the recliner again. She was her own person… she could sit wherever she wanted.

“Yeah? Find somewhere good?” Kira asked with the kind smile she usually had on her lips. You simply nodded, looking down at the floor before setting your chin on your knees.

“What movie was picked?” You asked quietly, feeling a sort of sadness falling over you. Your girlfriend was barely speaking to you, and she wouldn’t sit with you, and she wasn’t even looking at you.

“Actually I haven’t decided yet. But don’t go snatching one! It’s my turn!” Kira said, quickly making her way to the dvd case to find something.

“I’m… I’m gonna go make a glass of water” You excused yourself and slid off the chair to go to the kitchen. Sniffling quietly to try to hide the tears that were beginning to sting your eyes.

Kira turned to Malia, giving her a blank look.

“What?” The coyote questioned, but her voice dripped with her guilt.

“Honey. Go talk to her. This is ridiculous”

“You’re ridiculous” Malia muttered back lamely, and Kira rolled her eyes.

“Just cause I can’t sniff the air and smell chemosignals, doesn’t mean that I can’t tell when people are sad. And y/n went from jolly to depressed in four minutes” She said defeatedly, and Malia sighed quietly to herself, before standing up and leaving the room. Kira just smiled to herself and went back to picking out a movie.

Malia shuffled awkwardly into the kitchen, watching you as you made your glass of water, your back turned to her. She smiled to herself in a secret sort of way, just enjoying you in your bubble, an innocent sort of beauty about you. As you turned around you startled slightly, not having known she’d come into the room.

“Oh Mal I didn’t know you’d come in” You said, an awkward smile on your lips as you set your glass of water on the countertop.

“Sorry” She mumbled, and walked around the countertop towards you.

“Did Kira pick a mov-” You were cut off as Malia’s hands grabbed your hips and tugged you against her, covering your lips with hers in a hot kiss. A muffled sound came from your throat in surprise, but you just as quickly wrapped your arms around her neck and leisurely kissed her back, smiling against her lips at the nice surprise. When you pulled away you smiled, unable to contain the small grin of happiness.

“Well that was nice” You hummed quietly, biting on your bottom lip to suppress the smile. Malia grinned at you, leaning down to connect your lips again, softly encasing your lips in hers in a sweet form of dominance. You moaned softly and leaned further against her, thanking the heavens that she truly hadn’t been upset with you earlier.

“I’m sorry I got weird” She pulled away before you’d stopped kissing, leaving you standing with your lips pursed having expected another one.

“It’s fine, we all get weird” You shrugged, a smile tugging on the corners of your lips. “What happened though?” Your fingers caressed softly beneath her hair against the soft skin at the back of her neck.

“I… I was feeling bad” She admitted, and you furrowed your brows.

“What were you feeling bad about?” You asked gently, and she pursed her lips to the side awkwardly. Malia hesitated her answer, licking over her lips and avoiding your eyes as she thought about what to say.

“I don’t know what to do for you” She grumbled, and you laughed, snirking a little bit.

“Babe… you do… so much for me” You said, winking after and making her giggle. “But really, you do. You don’t have to do anything for me. The day’s not about me, it’s about us together” You dropped your hands to grab hers from your waist, linking your fingers together. Malia smiled at that, liking the way you put things into perspective for her. “All that matters to me, is that I’m with you” You told her, and she grinned at you.

“You’re cute when you’re sweet” She said, leaning in and pecking your nose. You giggled at the soft and ticklish feeling and released her hands.

“I’m always cute” You said, flipping your hair over your shoulder jokingly but Malia just shrugged and nodded in agreement. “Come on, we’ve got a movie night to get to” You said, tugging her hand and pulling her back into the living room. Completely forgetting about your glass of water.

Kira grinned as you both came in, hand in hand, happy that you were both fine again. She knew you would be, but the girl was a ball of anxiousness and, well, electricity.

“I picked the best one” She assured, as you and Malia took your cuddling positions on the recliner.

“I’m sure whatever it is it’s great” You assured as the kitsune laid out with a fluffy blanket on the sofa. You wrapped your arms around Malia’s middle and tucked your head against her neck as you watched the screen.

You and Malia both gave Kira a look as the opening scene was a girl on girl make out session.

“What?” She asked innocently. “I wanted to know what Scott’s fuss about this being so hot was about” She said with a small shrug. You and Malia’s eyes met as you both smirked with a small laugh before you cuddled back into her again.

“I know just what the fuss is about” Malia whispered lowly into your ear, placing a kiss in your hair then going back to the movie like nothing happened.

And by the end of the night, when you fell asleep in her arms, she knew exactly what she was getting you.

The following afternoon you were getting ready for your date with Malia. You kept messing with the little things, having already been mostly ready half an hour ago.

You were in distressed jeans and a tee shirt with one of Malia’s jackets on over top of it. Your favorite one, the jean vest with soft grey sleeves. Your hair was down, and had been brushed through so much that your fingers were beginning to cramp. The subtle makeup you had on you just kept messing with, cleaning off and then reapplying, wanting it to be absolutely perfect.

“Honey are you still doing your makeup?” Your mom chuckled, and you turned from the bathroom mirror to see her standing in the doorway. You gave her a blank expression, and she laughed again, putting her hands up defensively. “No no, by all means spend another two hours on it” She said, and you forced a laugh so she didn’t think you were so tense.

“It just has to be perfect” You told her, going back to applying your mascara. But the woman just scoffed, heading back down the stairs again.

“That girl already thinks you hung the moon and each star, I think you’ll be alright” You stood back away from the mirror, smiling to yourself and capping your mascara. You didn’t need it tonight.

You took a deep breath, walking into your room, grabbing your bag and picking up your gift for Malia. You looked over it, making sure everything was okay. It was the one part of the night that mattered most to you, besides Malia of course. If this went well, the anniversary went well.

“y/n! Malia’s here!” Your mom called and you put the gift into your bag quickly put it in.

“Coming!” You called, an excited nervousness washing over you as you pulled on your boots and rushed out of your room. You stopped at the top of the stairs, grinning down as Malia kicked the toe of her converse into the rug at the front door, watching it like it was the most fascinating thing ever. But she must’ve heard you cause she perked up and her eyes landed on you.

It was like one of those movie moments, where your eyes meet and all time freezes, and all you could do was focus on each other. All time stopped, and your lips parted as you stared at the beautiful girl right down the stairs. Her hair in their waves to her shoulders as beautifully always, a black shirt with a flannel over it and shorts that showed off her never ending long tan legs. You unconsciously licked your lips and made your way down the steps, your eye contact not breaking once.

“Hey” You breathed, smiling big and your blush beginning to grow. It was like it was your first date all over again.

“You look so-” Malia’s eyes cut to your mom, standing a few feet away with her camera as she waited for you. “Beautiful” She settled, and pulled you in for a kiss on your cheek. “Sexy” She whispered under her breath into your ear and you giggled as you stepped back.

“You look great too” You said softly.

“Okay pictures!” Your mom squealed, pulling out her phone and her camera. You chuckled awkwardly and whined slightly.

“Mom it’s not Prom” You muttered, but Malia waved her hand dismissively.

“Nah, I love pictures with you” She said, so you happily went along with it and began to smile and pose with her. After your mom took what felt like a hundred, you told her it was time to be done.

“Fine alright I get it!” Your mom said putting her devices away. “You girls have fun. Oh! But not too much fun- who am I kidding you can’t get pregnant” You held back a snort of laughter as she waved a nonchalant hand and began to head into the living room. “Text me if you’re coming home or staying there” She called.

“Okay mom, love you!” You said before opening the door for Malia. “You ready?” You asked, and she nodded, checking once more to see your mom was in the other room before pressing her lips against yours.

“Ready” She replied with a smile before taking your hand and walking you out to her car. “The Preserve right?”

“Yeah but if you want to get food first we can” You offered as you both got in the car.

“I mean… I’m good if you are” She said, a slight nervousness in her tone.

“Yeah” You smiled softly. “Yeah I think I’m good too” You said in a quiet voice as she backed out of your driveway. “I’m really excited to show you this place, I think you’ll like it” You told her as you admired the night sky out the window, eyes flickering over the stars that were just beginning to show in the dark palette the sky had become.

“I’m sure I’m gonna love it if you do so much” Malia said, and you smiled to yourself happily. Malia had a knack for saying the sweetest, cutest things that would make your heart do somersaults, but it wasn’t often that she realized it. The drive wasn’t too long, and it was filled with more sweet things and hand holding, as well as a comment about how well your girlfriend had gotten at driving. Malia had flustered under the compliment, as she usually did.

When you’d arrived at the Preserve, the coyote practically jumped out of the car to run around and open the door for you. You giggled, taking her hand and she kissed the back of it, making you laugh again.

“You’re such a gentlewoman” You said and she grinned, happy to have made you happy. You walked together, hand in hand along the hiking trail as you led the way to the spot. You told her all about it, how the grass seemed softer and the stars seemed brighter when you were there. Malia just smiled and stared at you, finding the sparkle in your eyes more bright than any star.

You finally stopped after pulling her of course through a group of trees. “This is it” You said, your voice full of admiration to the secret little clearing. Malia smiled from you to the area, taking a moment to look it over before tugging you towards it with a bounce in her step out of excitement. You giggled as she sat you both down in the grass, her fingers running through it as she tried to get the same experience as you did.

“I love it” She told you, and you smiled our of relief.

“Good, I was worried you’d think it’s just like all the other places I pick” You said, but Malia shook her head.

“No of course not, none of them are the same. Even if they were it wouldn’t matter, I’m here with you. That’s what matters” She said, quoting you from last night and making you smile bashfully.

“I love you” You told her, wrapping your hands around her arm to pull her over and place your lips against hers sweetly.

“I love you more” She responded, her hand lying on your cheek as she looked at you. “A lot more” She clarified seriously, and you let out a small giggle as she pushed your hair back behind your ear.

“Should I even bother arguing it?” You raised a brow, but she shook her head instantaneously.

“Nope” She replied, popping her lips. “You would only embarrass yourself in your loss” You let out a scoff of a laugh.

“Oh really? Embarrassment? I could never be embarrassed. Especially not with you. And especially not when it comes to how crazy in love with you I am” You said. “Seriously, it’s ridiculous. If you asked me to cut off my arm I’d do it. I would” You began to wave your hands around spastically as you went on. “I would kill a deer for you, and hunting scares me half to death but if you wanted it I’d do it”

“Well I’d do this” Malia said, reaching into her pocket and pulling something out, holding the small object in front of you. You silenced instantly, staring at the small but impactful thing in between her fingers. Your lips were dropped open, eyes flickering slowly between her,

And the beautiful small diamond ring in her fingers.

“Mal…” You said quietly, unable to form any other words. She smiled, enjoying your surprised reaction.

“It’s a promise ring” She told you, like you didn’t already know it. “Lyd told me all about it, and I think it’s perfect. It’s perfect for us” She explained, and you still just stared, dumbstruck. “It’s not an engagement ring, it just means… well maybe someday it will be. It could be” She said. “I want to promise you that I’ll be in your future y/n” A small gasp of a laugh left your mouth and you nodded your head, tears beginning to leak out of your eyes.

“Yes” You mumbled, reaching forward and hugging her tightly, burying your face in the crook of her neck as she wrapped you up in her arms. “Yes yes yes Malia that’s… you pulled away, unable to find the words to say so you kissed her sweetly, and then again, and then peppered her cheeks and nose with more little butterfly kisses. “I love it. I love you” You told her and she grinned, absolute joy coming over her.

“I love you too” She said, and held the silver ring out towards you. You let her slide it onto your finger swiftly while you stared at it in awe. It was beautiful, a simple silver band, and a small diamond encrusted in it. “Look at the bottom” She said, turning your hand over so your palm face up. You brought it closer to your face, seeing a small heart carved there expertly, two sets of initials inside of it. More tears fell as you recognized them as hers and your own.

“Well it’s about time you carved into something other than your father’s nice furniture” You chuckled through your crying and reached out to hug her close again.

“Actually the guy at the jewelry store did it, but I told him exactly what it had to look like. I showed him my lock screen” She held up her phone and turned it on, revealing her lock screen photo of her tabletop. You laughed at the cheesiness but you both knew you loved it.

“Mal I love it, it’s perfect” You awed at the band around your finger. “Now I feel like I didn’t do enough for you”

“I’ve got you, that plenty” She said, but you rolled your eyes and scoffed.

“Well it’s no ring” You said with a playfully bitter chuckle as you opened up your bag, pulling out your gift to her. Malia took what looked like a book and inspected the cover curiously. It read photos on the front in a fancy embroidered cursive font, and above it was a picture of you and her, sitting at the top of the Beacon Hills Carnivals ferris wheel. It was an artsy candid photo of you laughing as she stole a kiss on your cheek. She remembered snapping the picture before you could protest.

“I remember that day so vividly” Malia said quietly, running her fingers over the front of the album before opening up. Each page was a thick white paper, a picture of the both of you on each one with a caption.

It was like she was reliving all of her favorite memories of you, which was all of her memories of you. From fancy dinner dates, to stay in sweats and binge Netflix dates, eating pizza, going on hikes, Prom, pack nights, long walks, cuddling in bed, all the wonderful times of your growing relationship accounted for in this one, creative little book.

“I know it’s not as great but I thought it might be nice to have something for when we aren’t togeth-” Malia cut you off, setting the photo album aside and grabbing your face in her hands, tugging you towards her and smashing her lips against yours. You hummed, happily threading your fingers through her hair, pulling her lips impossibly further against yours. You could never have enough. Malia breathed in deeply, taking in your scent of vanilla and affection and love, the taste of your cherry red lips making it all too intoxicating. She pulled you away from her, staring at you with the roundest doe eyes and softest expression.

She sure did look the part of a girl in love.

“You are my whole world” She told you, and you leaned your forehead against hers, nose brushing against hers as she spoke softly and sincerely. “Don’t ever think otherwise”

“I promise” You whispered back.

prompt list here if you’d like to request a number + a character!

xoxo ~ jordie

#teen wolf #teen wolf x reader #teen wolf imagine #teen wolf scenario #teen wolf fanfiction #malia tate #malia tate x reader #malia tate imagine #malia tate scenario #malia tate fanfiction #malia hale malia hale x reader #malia hale scenario #malia hale imagine #malia hale fanfiction #shelley hennig #shelley hennig x reader #shelley hennig imagine #shelley hennig scenario #shelley hennig fanfiction

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racingtoaredlight · 5 years

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The degenerate’s guide to college football TV watch ‘em ups, 2019 season, week 6

Not sure if anybody has reminded you lately but there is only one OCTOBER!!! And we’re in it. October is breast cancer awareness month and one of only four annual truck months. The first football weekend of October features three top 25 matchups, which isn’t terrible, but two of them are B1G conference games. And they each feature a team from the state of Michigan who probably won’t be in the top 25 come tomorrow.

So now that I have you all pumped up for it, let’s get to the games! As per usual, the schedule is copied and pasted from FBSchedules and gambling info, where it’s provided, is from Vegas Insider. NOW ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!????!???? IT DOESN’T REALLY MATTER!!!!

Saturday, October 5

Matchup Time (ET) TV/Mobile

TCU at Iowa State 12:00pm ESPN2

TCU is tough to figure out. So is Iowa State for that matter. But I think Gary Patterson got back on track last week and the Cyclones -3.5 looks bad to me so... load up the Cyclones, I guess.

14 Iowa at 19 Michigan 12:00pm FOX

The line is moving towards Iowa but it’s still Michigan -4. I think the sharps are on Iowa here but I don’t trust it. This looks like a horrible game for purposes of watching.

Kent State at 8 Wisconsin 12:00pm ESPNU

Wisconsin’s defense might be great but the Badgers still kept it close against Northwestern last week. That’s a big red flag for me but not so big that I think Kent State +35 is smart money. I hope Chryst runs it up like crazy.

Maryland at Rutgers 12:00pm BTN

It’s been a long couple of weeks since Maryland’s offense looked good. But I bet Rutgers can get them back in the swing of things. Terps and the over.

6 Oklahoma at Kansas 12:00pm ABC

The line has moved towards Kansas and I’ve got nothing. I love Les Miles and those plucky Jayhawks but come the fuck on. Oklahoma’s gunning for 80. Also, I love KU football for all the failure so I’m in the bag for either 95-0 Oklahoma or KU pulling one of the more monumental regular season upsets in memory.

21 Oklahoma State at Texas Tech 12:00pm FS1

TIRED: Bet the over. WIRED: Chuba Hubbard hits the over by himself.

Purdue at 12 Penn State 12:00pm ESPN

Rondale Moore won’t play but he’s not out for the year. Supposedly. He should be, though, right? No reason to chance it with one of the best players in the country on a garbage program like Purdue. Penn State is favored by 28 and, as much as I hate to say this, they’re wildly undervalued even though that’s up 11.5 from where the line opened. This is going to be an all out splatterfest.

Tulane at Army 12:00pm CBSSN

This game is a metaphor. The environment vs. the troops. The environment is favored.

USF at UConn 12:00pm CBSSports.com

As godawful as USF has been this year they’re still favored by 11 on the road in a conference game. UConn should consider dropping football.

Utah State at 5 LSU 12:00pm SECN

Jordan Love goes to Death Valley to face a bunch of future first round picks in the LSU secondary. That’s fun for scouting but LSU should destroy USU.

Boston College at Louisville 12:30pm RSN

No idea what to say here.

Eastern Michigan at Central Michigan 3:00pm ESPN+

We’re about to run through a bunch of MAC games.

Virginia Tech at Miami (FL) 3:30pm ESPN

But before we get to all that MAC first we have to deal with this MAC-level disaster. Miami has pretty much sucked so far this year but maybe they fixed everything in the week off. More likely, Justin Fuente will get off the hotseat for a week after winning on the road against a Miami team dressed up as pumpkins.

Western Michigan at Toledo 3:30pm ESPN+

O/u 74, 1.5-point line. These teams are interchangeable. Not just Toledo and Western Michigan - the entire MAC is a jumble of teams that are exactly the same and Buffalo. Buffalo sucks way differently than the rest of the MAC.

Ohio at Buffalo 3:30pm ESPN+

Buffalo sucks differently than the rest of the MAC but they still suck.

Marshall at Middle Tennessee 3:30pm Facebook

I want to love this game but it looks fucking horrible.

Arkansas State at Georgia State 3:30pm ESPN+

ESPN+ is definitely a government conspiracy. Real deep state channels over here. The other Arkansas is favored on the road in a matchup of two middling offenses and two of the worst defenses in the country. I’m tempted to say hit that over of 69.5 with the Red Wolves winning. I don’t know about that line, though.

11 Texas at West Virginia 3:30pm ABC

I am not enjoying Heisman hype for Texas’ QB but I don’t think WFV is the team to bring him back down to earth.

Illinois at Minnesota 3:30pm BTN

Minnesota may be the worst 4-0 team in the country but if they are you can put money on them being the worst 5-0 team in the country, too. I think Tanner Morgan is pretty good as far as B1G passers go and the “worst...” unbeaten team thing could very easily extend to the worst 8-0 team in the country.

Bowling Green at 9 Notre Dame 3:30pm NBC

I very strongly disliked Notre Dame for a long time before they bought their coach’s way out of a murder trial but the line for this game is laugh out loud shit and I’m fully on board with it. Domers by 46 with an o/u of 63 is a thing of beauty even if it glorifies pure evil.

Baylor at Kansas State 3:30pm ESPN2

Kansas State’s mimicry of a good team might be breaking down after getting run over by Chuba Hubbard & Co. last week but a win by Baylor could get the Bears into the top 25. I need the ghost of Taco Bill (yes, I’m aware) to rouse the Wildcats for a stomping of Baylor.

Ball State at NIU 3:30pm ESPN3

Do whatever you want with this.

7 Auburn at 10 Florida 3:30pm CBS

Fantastic uniform matchup featuring some almost great Florida throwbacks to Steve Spurrier’s Heisman season. I wish the stripes on the shoulders went all the way around. Otherwise they’re perfect.

Air Force at Navy 3:30pm CBSSN

I haven’t gotten a handle on Air Force this year but this is not a good Navy team. Maybe the Paul Johnson offense has finally run its course in Annapolis? Usually you can count on a senior QB to make the option hum for the Middies but they aren’t looking like anything special through three games in 2019. Here’s hoping they can find their rhythm as home dogs.

Memphis at ULM 3:45pm ESPNU

Kenny Gainwell came very close to making the RTARLsman list this week but he needs some bigger highlights to get back on there. ULM running back Josh Johnson’s production has gotten worse every week this year. Memphis is a pretty big road favorite and they should be bowl eligible by the time they dip back into conference games.

Troy at Missouri 4:00pm SECN

Kelly Bryant has been OK so far as Missouri’s QB. Which is fine, that’s what Kelly Bryant is: an OK QB. But if he can get more confidence in Derek Dooley’s system he could get a real shot at an NFL roster next year. Games like this one are the best way to build confidence.

North Carolina at Georgia Tech 4:00pm ACCN

UNC has looked well-coached but talent-deficient so far this year while Georgia Tech has looked untalented and undisciplined. Here in the ACC that means this game is a tossup.

Northwestern at Nebraska 4:00pm FOX

I’d like to think Nebraska can never climb out of their 15 years-long rut but maybe Scott Frost is the real deal. If he is then this game should be a walkover for the Huskers. Look for a close game that hinges on some comically bad execution.

Arizona at Colorado 4:30pm Pac-12N

Khalil Tate and Laviska Shenault are still cool. That brings a tear to my eye.

WKU at Old Dominion 6:00pm ESPN+

This is the kind of football we live for in these posts. All gambling, no sentimentality, weird uniforms, and a matchup that would look great in the March Madness First Four. But it’s part of the Disney plot to overthrow Ukraine.

3 Georgia at Tennessee 7:00pm ESPN

By what right do I hate Tennessee? And yet, my desire to see them keep falling to deeper and deeper depths is boundless. I don’t particularly like Georgia but I want them to win by 60+. They can do it but are they cool enough to do it? I doubt it. Look at their coach’s haircut. He must use a woodchipper like a Flowbee to get that look. Maybe he found a barber in the countryside of 12th century France.

Rice at UAB 7:00pm ESPN+

UAB is dead to me. Favored by only 10 at home against Rice? That’s disgusting.

UMass at FIU 7:00pm ESPN3

Butch Davis is having quite the struggle trying to put FIU together as a program. Things are in a very bad place for FL Int’l (pronounced “Flinn-tull”) even though the school is in a very nice place.

25 Michigan State at 4 Ohio State 7:30pm ABC

I know Mark D’Antonio has gotten some crazy results in his time as Michigan State’s head coach but this looks bleak. Brian Lewerke truly sucks and Chase Young is getting Myles Garrett comparisons. 20-points is a huge number for a game like this but I’ll be pretty surprised if the Buckeyes of An Ohio State University don’t beat the spread.

Tulsa at 24 SMU 7:30pm ESPNU

SMU with that little number next to it is a sight to behold. So last week I guessed that it had been since 1986 that the Mustangs were ranked and that was correct. How smart I must be. I’m really curious how they deal with that success. It seems silly but that ranking is a really big deal for the Ponyfuckers. Here’s hoping they sprint right past 13-points and pull away from Tulsa for a decisive win.

Vanderbilt at Mississippi 7:30pm SECN

AJ Brown and DK Metcalf already look like stars in the NFL. Remember the offense they were in last year that struggled getting them the ball and had them run a combined four total routes? Haha. Fuck both of these teams, though. Nobody cares what happens here.

UTSA at UTEP 8:00pm ESPN+

El Paso versus San Antonio, aka “The Bigger Even Boringer El Paso.” Everything is bigger in Texas. Even Texas.

Liberty at New Mexico State 8:00pm FloSports

Put some prop money on Antonio Gandy-Golden and ignore everything else in this game. Maybe even ignore Gandy-Golden.

Pitt at Duke 8:00pm ACCN

Goddamn does this game suck. Go Panthers.

California at 13 Oregon 8:00pm FOX

The Berkeley Bears don’t have much of an offense but their defense is good enough to keep things within 20 here. I’d put money on Justin Herbert throwing his first pick of the year, Cal to cover, and Oregon to win.

Oregon State at UCLA 9:00pm Pac-12N

Chip Kelly’s revival as a football genius lasted exactly one half. Here the Bruins and Beavers matchup in the Rose Bowl to sully the reputation of that great stadium.

San Diego State at Colorado State 10:00pm ESPN2

MWC, baby! Fun stuff for me even if CSU is a trash heap. SDSU is no great shakes this year but at least the setting and the uniforms clash are cool.

16 Boise State at UNLV 10:30pm CBSSN

Boise by 100. Book it.

15 Washington at Stanford 10:30pm ESPN

Stanford was one of the biggest disappointments of the season’s first month. This is the perfect spot for David Shaw and his team of sleepmakers to bore Washington to death and, at least, keep it closer than 15.

#saturday post #football #college football #watch em ups #rtarl watches tv #degenerate football

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annelisterofhalifax · 3 years

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A bad wrist,Lady Vere Cameron and an uninteresting sermon

1835

M[ar]ch Sun[day] 29

9 1/2

10.55

No kiss. Fine morn[in]g F 45 1/2° at 10.20. H[a]d Mr Jubb for 10 min[ute]s, dress[e]d my wrist

right, and put a spalk on it 1st ti[me]. Go[in]g to York on Mon[day] subpoena[e]d on 2 trials, t[ha]t of

Morrison, for violat[in]g a lit[tl]e girl aged 5, tak[e]n to Mr Jubb the next morn[in]g, will recov[e]r, and t[ha]t of a boy convict[e]d

of manslaughter. Br[eak]f[a]st and sat talk[in]g till 11.50 wh[e]n ca[me] upst[ai]rs, fr[om] 12 to 2 wr[ote] 1/2 sh[eet] note pap[e]r 2 2/4 pages to

L[ad]y S-[Stuart] and 3 pages to L[ad]y St[uar]t de R- [Rothesay], and 1 page to L[ad]y V.C [Vere Cameron]. A-[Ann] and I at Lightcliffe

ch[ur]ch in 19 min[ute]s.

at 2 3/4, wait[e]d 13 min[ute]s. Mr Bellamy d[i]d all the duty, preach[e]d 34 min[ute]s, ex tempore

and uninteresting[l]y fr[om] ps[alm] 51 v[erse]. 6. Ho[me in 23 min[ute]s at 4 3/4, dress[e]d, fr[om] 5.20 in 1/2 h[ou]r

wr[ote] 2 pages and und[e]r the seal and finish[e]d my no[te] to Vere, kind no[te], hope and th[in]k she is right in

think[in]g Mr Cam[ero]ns eye chang[in]g ‘fr[om] bet[ter] to worse and bet[ter] ag[ai]n’ is a good sign. ‘Has an[y]bod[y]

‘ ev[e]r fanci[e]d the digestive powers at all in fault? You kno[w] how m[u]ch I am interest[e]d for

t[he]m, and t[he]refo[re] for all concern[in]g you’. Kind reg[ar]ds and th[an]ks to Mr Cam[ero]n for his troub[le] ab[ou]t my carr[ia]ge

will wr[ite] ab[ou]t in a day or 2- in fact ‘I put off all writ[in]g t[ha]t does n[o]t eith[e]r partic[ularl]y bear

‘up[on] heart or buy[in]gs’ on acc[oun]t of my wrist. ‘Wh[a]t my medic[a]l man calls spalked, t[ha]t I

still wr[ote] w[i]th pain and diffic[ult]y’, gl[a]d she is at Lodge etc etc. ‘one line fr[om] an[y]bod[y], to

say all is well, and wheth[e]r the young Laird be co[me] or n[o]t, will qui[te] satisfy me’.Gl[a]d h[i]s

sist[e]r L[ad]y Alb[ini]a Fost[e]r, is go[in]g to take y[ou]r niece Aba [Albibia] Hob[ar]t b[a]ck w[i]th h[e]r and t[ha]t V- [Vere] likes h[e]r fine

niece, so m[u]ch. ‘Y[ou]r plan is a ver[y] nice one, and reallygi[ve]s me pleas[u]re, y[ou]r broth[e]r

‘ August[u]s will be pleas[e]d, and I ha[ve] n[o]t forgott[e]n the inter[e]st ab[ou]t h[i]m I learnt to feel at Hastings.’

Th[in]k L[ad]y Gord[o]n will feel the loss of h[e]r moth[e]r. ‘I th[in]k she,’ L[ad]y G-[ Gordon], ‘h[a]s deep[e]r and bet[ter] feel[in]g t[ha]n

may so[me]ti[me]s

‘app[ea]r. Does Mr Camer[o]n kno[w] an[y] good Scotch gard[ene]r w[i]th wh[o]m one m[i]ght a year or two hence apprentice a

‘well- principl[e]d boy, the son of an old serv[an]t?’ My no[te] to L[ad]y S-[ Stuart], kind as us[ua]l, glad t[ha]t

h[e]r last few lines, 3 w[ee]ks ago, ga[ve] a rath[e]r bet[ter] acc[oun]t of h[e]r. Gl[a]d she is w[i]th Miss Tate.

‘[Expect] Vere has, in h[e]r state of uterm[os]t disengagement, c[oul]d n[o]t ta[ke] bet[ter] care of you. In

‘k[i]nd attent[io]n nobody[y] can exceed Miss Tate. I trust she is in strong[e]r health

t[ha]n she w[a]s 2 y[ea]rs ago’. Am conclud[in]g by my comp[limen]ts to her, ask if I may not congrat[ulate]

her L[ad]y S-[ Stuart] and L[or]d St[uar]ts go[in]g to Constantinople.’ I long to kno[w] if it be true’.

He w[oul]d n[o]t like S[ain]t P-[Petersburg] b[u]t sure[l]y w[oul]d ma[ke] no object[io]n to C- [Constantinople]. ‘An emb[ass]y w[hi]ch at t[hi]s

ti[me]

so loudly calls for a diplomatist of first rate talent, n[o]t dishearten[e]d ab[ou]t the

scrutiny. Hope all will go well, if writ[in]g to L[ad]y Harr[ie]t beg my love and th[an]ks ‘for

‘h[e]r long interest[in]g let[ter] and got the ver[y] pret[ty] draw[in]g of her ‘cabinet’ w[i]th w[hi]ch I am qui[te]

‘delight[e]d, it brings to my mind a host of agreeab[le] recollect[io]ns,’ will wr[ite] to h[e]r ‘as soon

as my wrist is out of bandage’. It is still ‘spalk[e]d t[ha]t I wr[ite] w[i]th diffic[ult]y and pain.

‘Bel[ieve] me alw[ay]s d[eare]st L[ad]y St[uar]t ver[y] truly and ver[y] affect[ionate]ly, y[ou]rs A Lister’. My no[te] to L[ad]y S[tuart] de

R-[Rothesay] to say I r[ea]d a day or two ago in the morn[in]g Herald the [?] of L[or]d S[tuart] de R-s [Rothesay’s] appoint[men]t

to Constant[inople], an emb[ass]y requir[in]g 1st rate tal[en]t. ‘Is it true t[ha]t the d[uke] of Wellingt[o]n h[a]s filed up[o]n

‘t[hi]s trust w[i]th his us[ua]l discern[en]t, and t[ha]t we are to ha[ve] a man of bus[ine]ss, and of master-mind,s[u]ch as1835 M[ar]ch ‘L[or]d St[uar]t

undoubt[abl]y is?’ prob[abl]y w[oul]d n[o]t ha[ve] lik[e]d S[ain]t Petersb[ur]g and

can serve up bet[ter] at C-[Constantinople] ‘I long to kno[w] if his Lordsh[ip] is,

or is to be appointed, and wh[a]t do you th[in]k ab[ou]t it? ‘I am sure you kno[w]

my real anx[iet]y for anyth[in]g and ev[er]yth[in]g to hap[pen] t[ha]t can do you

serv[i]ce, or gi[ve] you ‘pleas[u]re. I admire L[or]d St[uar]ts tal[en]ts,and wish his

count[r]y to profit by t[he]m, b[u]t if the ‘appointm[en]t were made, I c[oul]d

scarce[l]y rejoice till I knew t[ha]t you were satisfi[e]d. Hope they are all

enjoy[in]g t[hei]r s[tay] at Highcliff etc etc ha[ve] ask[e]d L[ad]y S-[Stuart] if I

may n[o]t congrat[ulate] h[e]r, gl[a]d she is at Miss Tate’s, hope Mr Ja[me]s

Wortley is safe in spi[te] of the scrutiny, fear Mr Cam[ero]n is no bet[ter] ‘ wh[a]t

a bless[in]g t[ha]t Vere is so free fr[om] alarm! my love to the d[ea]r girls, and

bel[ieve] me, my d[ea]r L[ad]y St[uar]t, ver[y] truly y[ou]rs A Lister’ Wr[ote] all

b[u]t the first 2 lines of today till Din[ner] at 6 1/2. H[a]d Charlotte Booth a few

min[ute]s whi[le] A-[Ann] and I were seat[e]d at the din[ner] tab[le]. Charlotte

ca[me] wi[th] a req[ue]st fr[om] Miss Hebden for so[me] new th[in]gs, ans[we]r

yes!. S[e]nt off und[e]r cov[e]r to ‘The Lord L Stuart de Rothesay, 3 Carlton T

errace, London’ my let[ter] to ‘The Lady Stuart de Rothesay’ L and my let[ter] to

‘The hon[ora]ble Lady Stuart at Miss Tate’s 21 Grosvenor Place’ and my let[ter]

to The Lady Vere Cameron at the hon[ora]ble Lady Stuart’s Richmond Park’.

Coff[ee], ca[me] upst[ai]rs at 8, sat talk[in]g 1/2 h[ou]r t[he]n skimm[e]d ov[e]r the

1st 8 or 10 pages of vol[ume] 2 Sharon Turner’s sacred hist[ory] of the world

t[ha]t I g[o]t b[ou]ght, for A-[Ann] the oth[e]r day. Th[e]n wr[ote] the last 7 lines.

Till 9.50 Read[in]g ov[e]r the Introduct[io]n + and the 1st 8 pages of Philip on the

Vit[a]l Funct[io]ns, t[h]en ten min[ute]s w[i]th my a[un]t. Fine day F 47° at 10.5 p.m.

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policeslime35-blog · 5 years

Text

NFL Mock Draft Roundup: Defensive line is the obvious popular pick for the Eagles

The 2019 NFL Draft will be here before you know it. Mock draft season has already begun and there’s no shortage of opinion as to whom the Philadelphia Eagles might select with the No. 25 overall pick. Let’s take a look at which players the experts have the Eagles taking this week.

Defensive end is an obvious need with Brandon Graham and Chris Long potentially not returning to the Eagles in 2019. Polite was also the best player available on the board in this situation. Add in Howie Roseman’s #GatorBias and that checks all the boxes. The 20-year-old Polite finished his junior season with 45 total tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, six (!) forced fumbles, and four pass deflections. The Eagles’ defensive end rotation could look something like this in 2019: Derek Barnett, Michael Bennett, Josh Sweat, and Polite.

The Eagles could go in many directions here, but any time you can add a speedy edge rusher; you gotta do it. Brandon Graham is likely on the outs as a free agent, Derek Barnett is returning from injury and the team will need someone to rotate in with Michael Bennett at defensive end. Polite has sky high potential and instant impact ability. The Eagles might entertain getting a cornerback here, but with Polite on the board they should sprint to the podium.

Maybe this is too reactionary, but the Sunday’s playoff loss to the Saints showed that the Eagles need a true lead running back. Don’t forget that Jay Ajayi, who tore his ACL this season, is a free agent. If there’s a first-round back in the 2019 draft, it is Jacobs.

The storybook run of Philadelphia back through the playoffs was truly something to behold — but like all good things, it finally came to an end. And when it did, we noticed that, while DT Timmy Jernigan came back from a back injury to start meaningful reps, his quality of play decreased. His contract now non-guaranteed due to the non-football injury, and the depth behind him laughable, Jim Schwartz will look to add pass-rush juice with Wilkins, a 3-tech next to Fletcher Cox and a 1-tech stopgap when Cox isn’t on the field. In 2019, Philadelphia can now rush Cox, Wilkins, Michael Bennett, Derek Barnett, Josh Sweat, and Brandon Graham if he’s retained. That’s a whole lotta oomph.

With free agents Brandon Graham and Chris Long potentially moving on, Philadelphia could add some pass-rush help here. At 6-foot-6, 241 pounds, Sweat is a rangy prospect who is athletically gifted. And he produced, racking up 22 sacks the past two seasons. Receiver is also a position to watch, as Golden Tate and Mike Wallace are both on the free-agent market.

This would be the steal of the draft for the Eagles. Wilkins is a top-10 talent.

Polite had a breakout season for the Gators in 2018 with 45 tackles (19.5 for loss), 11 sacks, and best of all, 6 forced fumbles. He is one of the funnest prospects in this draft to watch, because of his combination of speed, pass rush feel, and relentlessness. Polite is a game-changing playmaker, and in any other draft, I would say there’s no way he could possibly make it to pick No. 25. However, in a draft that Howie Roseman called “historic” for it’s overabundance of defensive line prospects... maybe? I do also think that a trade up for a high-level, immediately-contributing defensive lineman prospect is possible, as the Eagles potentially have some outgoing pass rushers this offseason: Brandon Graham will be a free agent, and he is going to test the market. Michael Bennett was a good player in 2018, and he’ll be under contract in 2019 at a reasonable cost of $7 million, but he’s 33. Chris Long is also under contract, but he’ll be 34 in March, and he almost retired last year. Beyond that trio, the only defensive end on the roster with any legitimate NFL production is Derek Barnett. A defensive end in the first round is, in my opinion, by far the most likely position to be addressed. If there’s any concern with Polite, it’s that he’s undersized, at 6-foot-2, 242 pounds. If bigger offensive tackles get a hold of him, they can drive him back in the run game. That said, he plays with a violent, nasty demeanor, and is far from passive as a run defender. He’ll make his share of plays for loss, which is what Jim Schwartz prioritizes.

The Eagles’ safety group could use a youthful member. Thompson wasn’t a consistent play-maker for the Crimson Tide in 2018 ... but he’s very rangy and equally as impactful stopping the run as he is in coverage.

Adderley made a name for himself over the final months of the season and the FCS standout could find himself among the first 32 players taken. He’ll have a chance to prove himself at the Senior Bowl and the biggest question might be his size -- is he big enough to play safety over the course of an NFL season -- because every other aspect of his game checks all the boxes of what teams look for in a defensive back.

Harmon has the physicality to win at the catch point and over the middle, adding another outside weapon to the Eagles offense. He graded at 83.3 overall last season while winning 17 of his 30 contested catch opportunities.

The Philadelphia Eagles secondary is much better than most would assume given the lack of huge names on the depth chart, but there is still a need for cornerback upgrades and depth, as seen in the divisional round loss to the New Orleans Saints. Washington’s Byron Murphy is only around 5’11”, but he’s a feisty cover man with excellent instincts and closing speed. He showed off his ball skills all season for the Huskies and was a thorn in the side of Pac-12 quarterbacks. Some scouts might see Murphy as a slot cornerback, and that’s a possible destination for him in Philadelphia. But no matter where he’s lining up, he has the skills to make a major impact immediately.

Well, “The Magic Run” is over, Philly fans. Many Eagles’ faithful have moved to the stage of grief where they can accept this loss, and appreciate the good memories. Not me. My throat is still sore from screaming at the TV during the final drive, hoping Doug Pederson would hear me telling him there’s no need to rush or panic...that with a mere 27 yards to go, with two full minutes remaining, and time outs in your pocket, you could take your time, milk the clock, and get the winning TD with 20 seconds left. CERTAINLY there was no need to spaz out and inexplicably try to squeeze ONE MORE PLAY in before the two-minute warning when there was an eternity of time left and NO NEED to increase the chance of a mistake by rushing a play off when... OK wait: Serenity Now. As I was saying, the 2019 Eagles’ season has officially begun. There will be a lot of personnel decisions that will be made in the coming months. With OT Jason Peters likely retiring, the Achilles injury to OG Brandon Brooks, and even C Jason Kelce mentioning retirement...what will this O-Line look like next year? The D-Line, with the uncertain futures of Brandon Graham and Michael Bennett, has its own question marks. Multiple running backs may be needed. And, with all due respect to Nelson Agholor and Golden Tate, a field-stretching WR is also needed. The Eagles were a middling 16th in splash pass plays (20+ YDS) in 2018, and that needs to improve. Wolfpack WR Kelvin Harmon may not be a true burner, however he is very effective at all levels of the route tree. Coaches will love his attitude, work ethic, and the mean streak he brings to the table when blocking for the run. Harmon may not be the true complementary speedster the Eagles need right now, but he could be a legit #1 WR when Alshon Jeffery’s days are over in Philly. Plus, he’s just REALLY good at football.

Imagine how poorly a 30th-ranked pass defense would have fared without a capable line to mask its shortcomings. Dropping in the Jim Thorpe Award winner would be a step in the right direction.

Montgomery (5-11, 216 pounds) has emerged as a strong prospect because he finishes run strong and has shown some good hands and wiggle as a receiver. The Eagles have been a committee team under Doug Pederson, but injuries and ineffectiveness should make them consider one back who can do it all and complement Carson Wentz on every down.

There’s no question that the secondary needs some help, but there are a few promising pieces already in place that could turn into better players with a bit more patience and another season of development. The offensive tackle situation needs somewhat of a makeover. Jason Peters has been a staple of the front for nearly a decade, but injuries seem to slowly be taking a toll on his body. It’s unclear if the team will part ways with him this offseason, but an heir apparent needs to be in place due to his injury history. Cajuste is a very solid option to fill that void.

Protecting Carson Wentz has to be Philly’s primary objective, and finding a long-term replacement for Jason Peters should be a huge part of that. Cajuste is still smoothing out the rough edges in his game, but he’s got all the talent to be a stud blocker in the NFL.

It was a nightmare season for the Eagles secondary, with injuries and lackluster play equating to one of the leagues worst pass defenses. Needless to say that is not a good place to be in this pass-heavy age, so those issues on the backend must be resolved. Any plan to do that will likely include the addition of at least one high-quality cornerback or safety to the mix. Abram is a big, physical, aggressive safety with superb instincts who is at his best playing downhill, whether it’s against the run or even as a blitzer. Despite being an explosive athlete with decent ball skills who runs relatively well, Abram has some struggles in coverage but to his credit has made strides in this area. Abram also earns positive reviews for his intangibles such as toughness and leadership, showing the ability to anchor a secondary.

DE Jachai Polite - 3 DT Christian Wilkins - 2 OT Yodny Cajuste - 2 WR Kelvin Harmon - 2 S Deionte Thompson - 1 S Johnathan Abram - 1 S Nasir Adderley - 1 RB David Montgomery - 1 RB Josh Jacobs - 1 CB DeAndre Baker - 1 CB Byron Murphy - 1 DE Montez Sweat - 1

DE - 4 S - 3 DT - 2 OT - 2 RB - 2 CB - 2 WR - 2

Offense - 6 Defense - 11

We’re going to see a ton of mock drafts that have the Eagles taking defensive linemen this offseason. It’s a big need and the 2019 NFL Draft class is loaded with DL talent.

There’s a good chance Polite and/or Wilkins don’t even fall to the Eagles. Philly might luck out on the DL class being so deep, however, that someone unexpected falls in their laps at No. 25. Both of those players would be great additions to this defense.

Getting Cajuste would make me feel better about the Eagles’ offensive tackle situation. I really don’t love the idea of Halapoulivaati Vaitai entering the 2019 season as the undisputed starting left tackle if Jason Peters isn’t back. (Click here to read more about Cajuste).

I don’t really expect the Eagles to go with a wide receiver but maybe that changes depending on what happens with Nelson Agholor ($9.4 million cap hit in 2019, zero guaranteed), Mike Wallace (free agent), and Jordan Matthews (free agent).

I can’t see the Eagles taking a first-round running back. They haven’t done it in 34 years. I’ll believe it when I see it. With that said, the team does need to make some kind of significant addition(s) in the backfield.

I don’t see first-round cornerback happening, either. The Eagles have a lot of youth there already: Avonte Maddox (22), Sidney Jones (22), Rasul Douglas (23), Jalen Mills (24), and Cre’Von LeBlanc (24). We’ll also see what happens with Ronald Darby (25), who is set to be a free agent.

Safety is an underrated need with Rodney McLeod (9.9 million cap hit) coming off ACL/MCL injuries and Corey Graham (free agent) potentially retiring.

Who is your favorite for No. 25?

Source: https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2019/1/19/18189479/nfl-mock-draft-roundup-2019-defensive-line-eagles-jachai-polite-end-tackle-pass-rush-philadelphia

#read more #see more #check it out #interesting #learn more

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xavieralexander1980 · 7 years

Text

A Guideline to Reading My Work and Generally Blowhard Post About Poets, Activism, and Performance Art

(Written for Facebook were I post usually)

(Warning, I was drinking coffee and just started writing to clarify some things. It has turned out to be an EXTREMELY LONG post. You might want to visit later if you care and have the time):

--I stared into the sun one time for three or four hours. For a long while afterwards there was a floating blue and red dot or floater in my field of vision, but my eyes adjusted. It's kind of a miracle that I can see at all. I completely destroyed my macula. That is why you often see mistakes in punctuation. I think it is a comma when it is a period. I was delusional when I stared at the sun.

--I started writing poetry at 15 in 1995. In 2008, I branched out to poetry films in grad school, which you can see those films on my page, Caruso Films. That is a long time of writing only poetry.

--After reading David Foster Wallace in 2011, I branched out into nonfiction, memoir, and experimental essays. Some of those essays have been published in journals, such as "Sugar Mule" and "And/Or". However, it has only been 5 years of truly writing prose, so if you think my prose is weird or rough or shaky, it is because I am an amateur experimental essayist.

--In poetry and experimental writing, there has to be an entry point into the author's style. Every day if you are following any of this, I am experimenting. One thing I notice is that I try to be as clear as a fucking idiot who is grasping for words in my prose. I don't want you to think I am being condescending at all. Or that everything I write is somehow profound. Because it isn't usually: Being profound or not, after a while, I have learned, in writing is all the same. In learning the craft of writing, writers say that you have to "earn" interesting and profound points and ideas. There is no shortcut in earning something, as you know. It is all doing and work hours.

--Writers usually don't show the world their work hours. What you see is the finished, polished product. In a sense, I don't see my writing as "nonfiction" in any conventional sense. Since this is Facebook, and it is like town hall square in olden days, I have always intended it to be performance art. I am a great admirer of performance art, such as spoken word, magic, jesters, busking, impromptu comedy, jazz, or even ballet. I see poetry as my strength, prose my weakness. At least, that is my opinion. I don't want to impose that, though. I notice people actually prefer my little blogs and essays. I also notice people prefer brevity, but here's the thing about that: this is all published, and can be perused by anyone on earth later. I don't hide my profile or any status updates.

--As an activist, which much of my writing is political, and I would argue Facebook, as a public forum, is all political and social dynamic, I have always enjoyed independent and maverick art and statements, such as Neil Young or Lou Reed or Emerson or Thoreau or just about any poet in World Literature. While poets have come in groups like the Beats or Romantics or Dadaists (the first punk rock artists), within those groups, there have always been individual and political differences between poets, such as Ginsberg and Kerouac, or Byron and Wordsworth, or Marcel DuChamp and Tristan Tzara. I try to allude to poets and literature I admire, btw. Here is a compendium: (I sort of went hogwild. Skip for time sake.) -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. Welsh maverick and alcoholic prodigy, Dylan Thomas, my first love. To know more about his style and who he is, see Gerard Manley Hopkins and John Donne, both Protestant ministers.

2. I prefer World Literature. a. Russian poets: Brodsky, Mayakovsky, Mendlestam, Voznesensky, and Pushkin (Shakespeare of Russia). b. Germanic, Polish, Eastern European and Jewish: Goethe (Shakespeare of Germanic Literature), Paul Celan, Maria Wisława Anna Szymborska, Edmond Jabes are good starting points. c. Western European poets come in schools: French Symbolists (who invented free verse and influenced TS Eliot), Surrealists, Dadaists and Futurists (who opened poetry to all the arts), and British poets you know. d. Although not technically World Lit, American Southern Poets are not discussed near enough: John Crowe Ransom, Allen Tate, Robert Penn Warren are like the Willie Nelsons and Johnny Cashes of the South.

3. American Schools and Poets I would recommend: John Cage (John Lennon and Yoko Ono), David Antin (who didn't write but spoke all of his poetry and recorded it), Language School, and Black Mountain School.

4. For Queer poets: Allen Ginsberg, Walt Whitman, Jack Spicer, are the big guys. Lesbian poets: you should know are Sappho and Adrienne Rich. Just talk to your gay and lesbian friends about poets they like.

5. For Black and African lit, "Negritude" school, see amiri baraka and Aime Cesaire, who are, to me, very important for their poetic styles. Check out your local Spoken Word show. There are a million things going on.

6. I don't even know where to begin with Asian Literature. Haiku poet Basho and Korean poet Yi Sang are two big poets. In China, poetry was the literature of the scholar class. Prose wasn't invented until 1900 and it was considered pulp. I would refer you to my Professor Walter K. Lew for all Asian and Buddhist Literature. Lao Tzu is phenomenal, in so many ways. From religion to spirituality to poetry, it is all one and the same.

7. Spanish poets I like are Chilean Poet Pablo Neruda (His sonnets are the best love poems), Brazilian Poet Carlos Drummond de Andrade, and to know these poets, check out Federico Garcia Lorca from Spain. It doesn't hurt to know the first novelist Cervantes, who birthed the modern novel, Don Quixote. I like the 1940s translation by Samuel Putnam. Critic (Big Blowhard of English Lit) Harold Bloom considered Cervantes the only equal to Shakespeare, who both were writing at the same time (and didn't know about each other).

8. Middle Eastern and Persian poets: Rumi, Ghalib (who wrote ghazals, one of my favorite forms). I can't say I am too familiar with Contemporary Middle Eastern poets, but you come across them in literary journals. See the Koran, as well.

9. For Feminist poets, see Anne Sexton, HD, Gertrude Stein, Diane Wakowski, and Adrienne Rich, again, to name a few. Although not a poet, see Renaissance Italian writer, Christine de Pizan, and her fictional story, "The Book of the City of Ladies", which birthed Feminist Literature.

10. The Bible, Torah, Tao Te Ching, Koran, Gnostic Judaic and Christian Books, Bhagavad Gita , Vedas and Upanishads, and Homer, (Most Buddhist Literature was orally passed down but all we have is prose versions. Except certain Chinese Buddhist Schools: See Haiku and Renga forms): all of which is technically poetry. And that is a different entry point or lens into those important works. I think in this day of organized religion it is very important to remember that spiritual texts and myths were written as poetry, and translated into all languages. People have noted some of my religious views, but I do so from poetry.

(I don't know why I just gave you a compendium of poets and authors. I got excited and took a trip down memory lane. I prefer World Literature translations. I just have always gravitated toward them and learning about the world through their poets.)

In case you don't want to go through all of World Literature, here are anthologies I would recommend: 1. Norton Anthologies, of course. 2. Poems For the Millennium by Jerome Rothenberg and Pierre Joris (Most of the poets I mentioned can be found in the first two volumes and it is a great starting off point). -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

--Personally, I have always enjoyed anthologies and literary journals over individual poets. I enjoy poems over poets, generally speaking. The best guide to literary journals is New Pages.com. Everything from experimental writing to traditional writing can be found there. The big thing now or in the last few years is "hybrid' writing, which is basically not identifying the style of writing and blending all the styles. So just to be obvious, my Facebook page could be quote hybrid. The other big thing is a more "personal style". To paraphrase Frank O Hara, why write a poem when you can just call your friend on the telephone?

--My father has told me a million times that he doesn't get my poetry. And my father is more intelligent than I am. He is a doctor. I really don't have an answer or explanation. I read poetry like I read an article in the Washington Post. I read poetry on the toilet. I try not to "comprehend" it. Sure there are different ways to analyze it, and there are scholars who do that all day long. I have done that and can do that. But the difference is kinda like hearing "Kind of Blue" and studying it. I just appreciate the album, I don't know Jazz Theory. Most of the time, I just feel or listen to poetry. School and scholarship is the time and place to scan, do close readings, and theorize poetry, in my opinion. I am not a scholar. I am not a critic. I am an artist. I create. Most of theory and criticism stifles me. And I would recommend both scholarship and theory for any artist, but I wouldn't bog myself too much, not until you are interested in it. There are people who have been doing that all their life. And so much more power to them.

--Last point: I have Bipolar Disorder. I have coped with this illness all my life. Mental illness is a debilitating illness in the sense of functioning in conventional society. You know someone who has a mental illness, beside me. And not much is truly understood about mental illness. David Foster Wallace hung himself due to chronic depression, and he is arguably the greatest nonfiction writer in the last twenty years. Dostoevsky suffered from fits of seizures in which he had profound revelations. Hemingway shot himself due to alcoholism and some underlying mental illness. Sylvia Plath committed suicide due to a mental illness and I believe it was un-diagnosed bipolar disorder (I could be wrong). Emily Dickinson suffered from agoraphobia and stayed home for most of her life. While I am not saying I am like those geniuses, and it is a misnomer to think that everyone with a mental illness is an artist or genius, I bring it up because artists I admire had mental illnesses. The point is to show that sometimes society is wrong about things, as you know. Blacks, immigrants, queer folk, women, veterans, homeless people, poor people, and virtually every marginalized group I can think of society has been wrong about. And many of these marginalized people are starting to come out of the closets and say, guess what, society doesn't quite get me. And they are doing so in art and argument.

"In conclusion," LOL, these are guidelines and entry points for readers. For the most part, I believe people don't care actually. But neither do I most of the time. I also have been drinking coffee this morning and I get rolling with thoughts, which explains the length of this post. LOL.

#blog #essay #experimental essay #prose #poets #activism #performance art

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