#All the websites I’ve found with information about queens is only about their sex life and I’m gonna be honest I do not care

[fandomnerd101]

I gave Kevin a therapy dog

she doesn’t have a name yet but she will be named after some queen from history. If anyone has any recommendations I am begging you to tell me

#All the websites I’ve found with information about queens is only about their sex life and I’m gonna be honest I do not care #Neither would kevin #He wants to know which ones killed people and had the most influence #My art

[pagesoflauren]

The Highest Bidder Ch. 1 (Ransom Drysdale x reader; sugar daddy!AU)

Summary: A graduate-level education is a costly pursuit. When you move out of state to study in Boston, expenses pile up, leading you to auction off what is apparently your most valuable asset: your virginity. It goes to the highest bidder…who happens to be Ransom Drysdale.

There are no major spoilers for Knives Out. Consider this as an alternate timeline. There will be references to the movie/its characters and family dynamics revealed in the movie.

Warnings: loss of virginity, explicit sexual content/smut, angst, sugar daddy/baby arrangement, dark elements, dubcon, cliffhangers, minor spoilers for Knives Out, unprotected sex, irresponsible driving (don’t drink and drive!), swearing, Ransom is an asshole (more to add and if you spot any that I’ve missed, please kindly let me know!)

A/N: Huge disclaimer...I really didn’t want to end this chapter the way I did, but it was getting a little too long...but there’s more coming! Don’t worry, please don’t send an angry mob after me 😱  Big love to @threeminutesoflife and @caffiend-queen for beta-ing this for me! ❤️ One last thing about the text messages: Italics are sent messages and bold italics are received messages :)

This chapter is written under the assumption that the reader drinks alcohol.

Masterlist

Series Masterlist

With his bedroom illuminated by the flashing images of his television, Ransom lounged lazily in his bed. One hand was occupied with his phone as his thumb slowly scrolled over the screen, the other idly wrapped around his cock as he took in the images on the device. 

Various girls, all a few years younger than him, staring with false wide-eyed innocence or sprawled out provocatively across recliners on sandy beaches or by turquoise-watered pools. Their names or aliases were listed under the respective photos, with a number in green text next to it. 

Deciding there were too many options, Ransom scrolled back up, the hand on his cock pausing as he started setting filters through the search. He changed them to specific hair colors, skin tones and a more concentrated age range. The only filter he didn’t change was the prices--there was no limit there. The page refreshed and showed him more favorable faces. 

His mind started to numb and the faces started looking too similar. As he was ready to pack it in for the night and tuck himself back into his boxers, a strange listing catches his attention. 

He sees you, kneeling in the sand at an apparent topical destination in a barely-there bikini. Unlike the other girls, though, your face is candid, caught in a laugh, eyes crinkled and lips spread in joy. There’s no price. Just the letters “HB” in red text. 

He clicks on your photo and the webpage changes to your profile. There’s a few more photos of you: one with a cat, more vacation photos. Your location is convenient: Boston. Not too far from where he is. 

But all of that fails to answer the question at the forefront of Ransom’s mind: Why don’t you have a price next to your name?

He scrolls through a couple more meaningless pieces of information: a little blurb about who you are, your measurements, your race and your conditions.

One time only.

“What?” he wonders aloud, face scrunching in curiosity. Sugar babies don’t just have sex once and then walk away with a fortune. From what he’s heard, they bitch and moan but shut up when there’s a cock in their mouth (or pussy, for that matter). They need to be looked after either because they can’t afford it or can’t be bothered to do things on their own. Then, once he reaches the end of your profile, he understands. 

Virginity Auction. Current Bid: $8,250.

Ransom smirks at the prospect. He wasn’t looking for a virgin, but he likes the idea of taking one now. 

The number changes in real time, going up in five dollar increments before someone brings it up to $8,500. A pop-up window appears, warning him that if he’s interested, the auction ends at midnight. Ransom’s eyes flick to the top of his phone. It’s 11:57.

He thinks for a few ticks. If he pays you enough, he’ll have the convenience of entertaining himself between your legs and taking your virginity with no strings attached. Once that’s done, you’ll be out of his hair. He wouldn’t have to put you up, send you money or deal with your whining or complaining. 

Sounds like a good deal. 

Pressing his thumb into the blue button that says “Bid,” Ransom looks at the clock again. 11:58. 

Initially, he types in $10,000. But with two minutes to go and your price still ticking up, he doesn’t want to chance getting outbid by someone at the last second. He has to blow the other bidders out of the water. 

Sat up in your bed and wringing your hands nervously, you look at your cracked phone screen. Midnight has just passed and you’re waiting for a notification about the final bid in your auction. It started at $5,000 and in the week that the listing was posted, you had gotten notifications whenever it went to the next thousand. 

This isn’t how you wanted to lose your virginity. Ideally, you would have genuinely made love to somebody, someone your parents would have approved of and who truly cared for you. Even more ideally, it would have been the man who eventually became your husband...though you wouldn’t have waited until marriage to lose your V-card. You were about to take the next step in life and--you had to face it--you weren’t getting younger. 

What was the least ideal of it all was the fact that you were doing this out of pure desperation. Your graduate program was starting in a month and your savings were mostly gobbled up by application and testing fees. Living out of state didn’t help either; most of your money went to paying rent and commuting around the city. If someone paid you enough to tide your finances over, you could live off that money until the end of the semester, after adjusting to the program and your schedule, before taking on a job off campus. 

Your phone buzzed with an email from the website and you tapped the banner. Your email app launched and opened directly to the message. 

Your auction has ended. 

Reading further, you can’t believe what you see. 

Winning bid: $50,000 by Ransom Drysdale.

Fifty thousand dollars? Surely there must be a mistake. Why would someone pay ten times the starting bid? 

And Drysdale...where had you seen that name? 

Closing your eyes, you searched your recollection to place the name. It’s so familiar. 

Deciding your memory is unreliable, you resolve to a Google search of your highest bidder’s last name. 

The first result that pops up is a real estate company and a picture of famed author Harlan Thrombey, who apparently is the father of the woman who owns the business.

You feel faint...these names are not insignificant in Massachusetts, let alone the world. Harlan was a best-selling mystery writer--you had some of his books in your library back home. 

Then concern floods your brain: if this Linda Drysdale is Harlan Thrombey’s daughter, that makes Thrombey her maiden name. She must’ve married a Drysdale. 

Are you a pawn in some horrible cheating scandal? You must be, nobody has the name Ransom. It has to be an alias. Her husband must be looking for some young thing to get his rocks off. 

Stress causes your scalp to prickle as your phone buzzes again with a text message from the semi-mysterious Ransom, checking if it’s you, that he has the right number. 

Yes, you reply. 

The three dotted message bubble pops up before turning into another message.

Good. I’ve made a reservation at The Boxer in the city for Saturday. I told them you’ll check in. I told them not to charge you anything, but if you need to pay any fees, I’ll send you the money back. I’ll be there after 9. 

A chill runs down your spine at how direct he is. But, you suppose you can’t expect anything more from him. 

Okay, you acknowledge.

More dots, then another message.

Dress appropriately.

Despite your lack of experience in the bedroom, you know for a fact that he’s not referring to office attire. 

Settling back onto your pillow, you pull the covers over yourself and breathe slowly. You’ve got some preparation to do.

What do you bring with you when you’re planning to lose your virginity to a complete stranger in exchange for tuition money? 

Fuck all if you have a clue. 

You spent the days leading up to Saturday getting yourself ready. You bought a tight dress and pair of strappy heels from the sale racks. You cluelessly browsed for lingerie before an associate took pity on you (or just desperately wanted you out of her store, jury’s still out on that) and helped you select a lacy set complete with a garter and stockings. The associate absolutely gushed at how the color of the material complemented your skin tone, though you could care less. You forked over $120 for the damn thing and scampered out. Learning from your friends’ mistakes, you purchased a set of condoms using the self-checkout kiosk (and prayed you picked the right size). You weren’t instructed to buy condoms, but you figured you wouldn’t risk the chance of not having any. You endured a Brazilian wax, stifling profanities as the woman did her work. You also had trouble getting over your embarrassment; a stranger was going to see you bared all for him in a few days so if you can’t handle the wax lady seeing you, how could you handle “Ransom”?

Ransom.

Thinking about him did nothing for your nerves. You were certain you were going to lose your virginity to a man in his late 50s, who was married to Massachusetts’ biggest real estate mogul and the daughter of a renowned author. 

Dear God, what if she found out? Her father wrote murder mysteries, she had plenty of ways to kill you and get away with it. What if you weren’t even meeting “Ransom” and you were meeting Linda and she was going to kill you at the hotel?

You shake your head and look back down at the contents of your duffel bag: toiletries, a change of clothes for tomorrow, the condoms and your phone charger. You had created a playlist on your phone...if you weren’t going to lose your virginity to someone you loved, then maybe you could fake it with music. 

Who are you kidding? you chide yourself. 

You sigh and resolve to getting ready. After eating dinner, you strip off your old band t-shirt and sweatpants, remove your simple cotton underwear and novelty pineapple-patterned socks before discarding them into your laundry hamper. 

You shimmy into the lacy knickers, the material feeling quite uncomfortable against your skin. You clip the bra on next, followed by the garter around your waist.  Then you finish off with the stockings over your legs, stopping at mid-thigh. After fastening the clips on the suspenders to the lace trim at the top of the hosiery, you sit at your vanity to apply some makeup and fix your hair. 

“‘Dress appropriately’,” you mutter as you pull your dress from your tiny closet, “Hopefully this is appropriate enough.”

You maneuver yourself into your dress, struggling with the zipper for a moment then smoothing the material over yourself. You slide your feet into your heels and teeter a bit as you stand up. 

You’re not planning to really impress too much, so you pull on a downy, puffy jacket to combat the sea breeze the city gets in the evenings. 

Pulling the strap of your bag onto your shoulder, you look in the mirror one last time. You catch the reflection of the clock: it’s almost seven thirty. Taking into account how long it’ll take for your rideshare to arrive at your house and the traffic in the city on a Saturday night, you’ll arrive at the hotel a little after eight. You suppose now’s a good a time as any to leave. 

Requesting a car for pickup, you realize there’s no going back. 

Stepping into the hotel lobby, you know you don’t belong here. 

With modern touches and old architectural charm, the men wearing luxury tailored suits and women wearing unaffordable dresses, you felt you stood out like a sore thumb. The most luxurious hotel you had stayed at was a Holiday Inn Express near Disneyland. And it barely had functioning lighting. 

You timidly approach the front desk. Though the receptionist gives you a warm smile, you’re not comforted. 

“Hi, I’m here to check in for Drysdale?”

The man’s eyebrows raise in what you assume is recognition. 

Maybe this “Ransom” meets other escorts here often, then.

“While we would normally ask you to cover the fees upon checking in, Mr. Drysdale is a very good friend of the hotel so we’ve accommodated his request to make an exception,” the man informs you as he types away. He grabs a keycard and hands it to you. 

“You’ll be in room 6-F. Have a pleasant stay.”

“Thank you,” you say meekly, taking the card before turning to take an elevator up. 

Once on the sixth floor, you locate and unlock the room. The lights turn on automatically and you’re met with a cool gray toned room, which gives the room a darker atmosphere already. 

The entrance is narrow and you assume the bathroom is on the other side of the wall on your right. With wobbly steps, you move forward and see the room open up. 

The first thing you notice is the king-sized bed. Beyond it, the windows show illuminated facades of buildings outside. On the wall opposite the bed is a desk with a speaker and aux cord on top of the marble workspace and a fridge underneath. A TV is mounted on the wall above the desk. Next to it is an open wardrobe with a bathrobe hanging, cubbies and drawers, as well as a tray of refreshments. 

You set your bag on the bottom shelf of the wardrobe and retrieve the remote to turn on the TV to create some white noise and maybe kill some time (and nerves) as you wait for nine o’clock to come around. 

You wander into the bathroom and look yourself over in the mirror. You shake out your hands and pace, deciding to take off your heels for now as you pad around the room. 

Ransom was bored of dinner and his host knew it. Everyone else kept a level of decorum, but all the guests knew this get together was extending much longer than necessary. 

Checking his watch, it was quarter to nine. He threw back the rest of his drink before nodding to his friend and exchanging brief glances as he got up. Haphazard goodbyes were thrown his way as he pulled on his jacket and Ransom gave a nod of acknowledgement. He exits the restaurant, whistling to get the valet’s attention and handing the man his ticket as he pulls out his phone. 

Where are you? he messages you. 

At the hotel, sir. Room 6-F. 

“‘Sir’,” he muses to himself, smirking at the title you’d given him. He didn’t even need to tell you to address him that way. 

Have them bring up my usual from the bar.

Yes, sir.

Wondering how far he can take this, he asks you to send him a picture. 

He’s surprised with how quickly you comply. You’re sat on top of the sheets at the edge of the bed, leaned forward so your elbow can rest on your knee and the camera can get a view of the plunging neckline of your dress. Your hair falls nicely over your face and your palm cradles your chin. 

He can’t lie, he loves the way you look. You may as well be the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen. 

Taking a few deep breaths, he wills himself to calm down; he can’t get hard yet. 

He puts his phone into one pocket and reaches into the other as the valet returns with his car. When the valet approaches, Ransom hands over a few sad, crumpled bills as a tip before walking around to the driver’s side of his car and climbing in. Sending one last message to you, he pulls away from the curb and heads to the hotel. 

I’m on my way. Make sure my drink is there before me.

You let out a spastic sound of nervousness and shook out your hands again before getting up to pace around the room again. 

The drink was on the way, you placed the order as soon as he told you to. You didn’t want to give him any excuse to not pay or complain you were unsatisfactory. Though, not having any experience in bed might prove that mission to be difficult regardless of whether or not his drink came in time. 

There’s a knock on the door and you jog over, pulling the door open to find a waiter holding a tray with a glass of what you assume is Scotch perched on top, covered with one of those signature little hats hotels always place on top of glasses. 

“Thank you,” you smile, carefully receiving the glass from him. He bows silently and turns to leave. 

You shut the door and place the glass on a coaster you find on the desk. You bother yourself with where the glass should rest (next to the speaker? on the far end, closest to the wardrobe?). Deciding it should be on the bedside table, you move the glass and coaster there then return to the desk to plug your phone in and play some music. You cringe at your choice to include Ed Sheeran in this playlist, but there’s no going back now. 

Suddenly, you hear the clicking sound of the door unlocking and you scramble over to sit on the bed to put your heels on. 

When you look up, you’re shocked to not find a man in his late 50s, nor the severe looking woman you’ve seen plastered on real estate posters. 

You find a man who can’t be that much older than you, dark hair and blue eyes that stand out in the dim light of the entry hallway. His cheeks are pale and rosy, framed by a strong jawline. He’s tall, crown of his head so high towards the ceiling. His broad shoulders nearly touch either side of the walls as he approaches you. 

He’s dressed rather casually, as if he was out to dinner with friends. The color palette of his outfit matches the hotel room: cool gray henley shirt, black blazer and jeans, finished off with a pair of brown boots and belt to match. If you’re honest, he looks like a model. He looks like he could have any woman he wanted. 

Why the hell does he want a virgin?

When he comes to stand in the room, hands tucked into his pockets, he looks you up and down from where you’re seated. His lips pucker thoughtfully and you see how perfectly pink and full they are and you wonder what it would be like to kiss them...

Nope. We’re not doing that. It’s a one time thing and that’s that. You remind yourself.

His eyes catch the glass on the bedside table and he plucks it up, removing the paper covering before bringing it to his lips to drink.

When the glass is halfway to his mouth, he hooks a finger at you. “Stand up.”

As he drinks, you obey, rising from your place on the mattress and smoothing down your dress before folding your hands together. 

He pauses his sipping, “Turn.” 

Hands falling out of each other’s grip, they land at your sides rather limply and you begin turning, giving him a three-sixty view of your body. You feel heat creeping up your neck and settling into your cheeks. 

When you come back to face him, he throws his head back to finish his drink and places the glass back on the bedside table, but he misses the coaster. You cringe inwardly at the ring that will surely form on the surface later. 

Your breath catches in your throat when your eyes meet his. You feel like a deer in headlights, unmoving as his gaze continues to flit over your figure. You wonder if he knows you’re holding your breath. You wonder if he can hear how quickly your heart is pounding. 

When he goes to take off his jacket, things start feeling real. You don’t know how to describe the sound that leaves your throat, maybe something a frightened toad would make. Ransom halts and throws you a perplexed look and you cover your mouth in embarrassment. 

He rolls his eyes. “You nervous?”

The words blend together, but his voice is so honeyed and silken and you can’t help but sigh inwardly at the sound of it. 

Your jaw is slack and can’t make any sounds rise from your larynx. You snap your mouth shut and manage to nod stiffly. 

Rolling his eyes again, he crosses the room to the mini fridge under the desk and pulls the door open. Crouching down, he shuffles through the various little bottles inside before turning and tossing one to you. 

Your balance teeters as you fumble to catch it, the glass slipping out of your grip a few times before you fully grasp it.

The cap makes a cracking sound as it separates from the tamper evident band when you twist it open. You don’t bother to look at the label or pay any mind to the color of the liquid. Once the bottle’s open, you tilt your head back and drink, feeling the burn travel down your throat. When you stop, you notice you’ve had almost all of it. 

Your eyes meet Ransom’s again and he raises his brows as if to ask, Better?

You finish the remaining contents of the bottle and feel the liquid settle in your belly as you twist the cap back on.

“Thank you,” you muster your voice to say. 

His eyebrows raise again, showing his disinterest, and he holds his hand out. You’re certain you resemble a child when you use both hands to carefully place the bottle in his hands. There’s a flicker of confusion that crosses his face and you think you were meant to place your hand in his, but he turns and places the bottle on the desk. 

There’s a sense of dread that settles in your stomach when you realize there really is no going back and no more stalling. You can’t read the expression on his face, but you’re certain he’s not pleased with how slowly this is going. 

Summoning your courage, you reach your hands up behind you and begin to pull the zipper down...

Permatag: @caffiend-queen @fckdeusername @lou-la-lou

Chris tag: @onetwo3000 @patzammit

Ransom tag: @jeremyrennermakesmesmile

Highest Bidder Taglist: @sapphirescrolls @just-another-wretched-egg @ladynightshade30 @angstsfordays @icanfeelastormbrewing @buckysteveloki-me @what-is-your-plan-today @iloganjade @twittytelly @xoxabs88xox @an-awkward-human-1 @fanfiction-trashpile @jtargaryen18 @donutloverxo @meaganottiz02 @princess-evans-addict @kianifan @asiaaisa77 @kelbabyblue @my-emotional-self @saiyanprincessswanie @random-things-i-love @captainchrisstan @daughterofthenight117 @buchanansebba @sweater-daddiesdumbdork @andiebell2023 @avengerraven1023 @dahkness @thatonefangirl111 @sllooney @sheerfreesia007 @chris-evans-indian-fanfic @suzieqsez @farremoved @edge-ofparadise @bellaireland1981​

A note about tags: If your name is crossed out, I couldn’t tag you for some reason. While comments asking for me to tag you are okay, it is much easier for me to keep track of my tag lists if you send an ask. That’s the sure fire way to guarantee I’ll tag you. 

Additionally, if I forgot to tag you, please gently remind me via my ask box.

#ransom drysdale #ransom drysdale fic #ransom drysdale fanfiction #ransom drysdale x reader #ransom drysdale x you #knives out fanfic #knives out fic #The Highest Bidder #pagesoflauren

[werevulvi]

What incited you to become a MRA, what did you learn from it (good neutral or bad) and what got you to wake up and finally cease to be one?

This became a really long-winded answer, because I’ve apparently a lot of thoughts/feelings about this, which I probably haven’t really gone over with myself before. But here’s my rant: Well, before I became an MRA, my opinions on sexism and feminism were pretty much only "gender equality would be good of course" and I did not think women necessarily had it worse than men, but I noticed there was some obvious injustices in both directions. So I was in a position that could very easily be swayed in either the feminist or MRA direction.

What led me down the MRA direction (at that time, roughly year 2016-2017) was discovering MOGAI/tucute microlabels (like noun genders, neo pronouns, stuff like pansexual, demisexual, etc) on tumblr and vehemently disliking it. I had truscum opinions without knowing it back then. Meaning I was pretty certain there are only 2 genders based on 2 sexes, being trans was a medical condition, and everything else was bullshit, pretty much. And so, discovering my "opposition" online (which I previously didn't know existed) led me to consume a lot of basically "anti-SJW" content.

And as you may or may not know, most "anti-SJW's" on youtube at that time were anti-feminists, MRA's and MGTOW's. So I was informed of those opinions without having directly searched for them. It just kinda came with the territory. I watched a lot "Sargon of Akkad", "Bearing", "Dr. Randomercam", "ShoeOnHead", "Undoomed", "Prince of Queens" (rest in peace), etc. Most of them were not self-declared MRA's, but their opinions kinda moved in that sorta general direction.

Back then I was very strongly identifying as a man and grasped at anything to validate my male identity and mitigate my dysphoria. Kissing men's asses became my method of basically trying to buy my way into manhood. I idolised men, worshipped them even. I didn't need to be convinced that men face discrimination on the basis of their sex too, because I already knew that, but learning about the suicide rates, falsely accused rapes, etc, was extra compelling. I've not talked about this at great lengths before, but I've actually been falsely accused of rape myself once, by someone who mistook me for being a cis man (luckily it didn't lead to anything), I've been laughed at by men for admitting to being a sexual abuse survivor as they assumed I'm male too, and I've been harrassed much worse for appearing as a gnc man than I ever was for appearing as a gnc woman. This I concluded as forms of misandry (and I still do.)

(I wanna squeeze in somewhere around here, that my transition gave a fairly interesting view on gender, as sorta being able to see how both men and women have it "from the inside" so to say, as I've been treated differently as a man post-transition vs as a woman pre-transition. This experience has influenced my views on gender and sexism pretty heavily. My own experiences of essentially both misogyny and misandry.)

My own experiences with misandry of course served as fuel for my becoming MRA opinions. And then eventually I found the website "A voice for men" and the documentary movie "The Red Pill" and after that I was a self-declaired MRA... for a while.

Until came my detransition, mid 2018. This changed my views on gender drastically. Both gender in regards to identity vs sex, and gender in regards to oppression vs privilege. In my early detransing, I was approached by a few radfems on youtube, and curious as I am, decided to look into it. I was back and forth between MRA and radical feminism for a while, while I was learning as much as my constantly overworked, autistic brain would allow me, and about 6 months later I had come to the conclusion that I do agree with majority of radfem and it's basis, but still sorta cared about men's rights on the side (for example still supporting their safety being gnc, their mental health, etc) but no longer considering myself an MRA per se.

During those 6 months I did also start seeing that a lot of what the MRA's spout is misogynistic, and they are factually incorrect about men being more oppressed than women. However, after a couple of years taking a deep dive into radfem, I realised that as an ideology it's almost equally flawed as MRA, and in rather similar ways even. So I ditched that too. Although I still consider myself somewhat gender critical (bio sex is still important and real, and so is critical thinking) as well as still totally for female rights (basically sex-based feminism) but not in the rigid way radfem is. I dunno its conclusions are rather fucked sometimes, and sometimes a little delusional. I'm not a fan of equity, communism or collectivism, which I later on noticed runs pretty heavy through radfem. I'd say I'm more of a gender critical libfem who supports men's rights as well, nowadays.

I've been through so many different ideologies by now, that I feel like at core they're all kinda the same shit. They're all flawed. I'd rather just have whatever opinions I think is right/good/logical regardless of which ideology that opinion comes from. I don't wanna fight or debate. I only care for peaceful, actually meaningful discussions. I'm done with being part of hiveminds by now. I need to prioritise living my life, having fun, learning to be functional, petting cats, going swimming, having a lot of sex, transitioning, and finding my own happiness. Not politics. I've never been the activist type, and I think I just got drawn into it because of guilt. Because people started saying "if you're not a feminist, you're a bad person" and at first I rebelled, but then I fell for it. Now I'm just dropping my battle axe altogether. Because no ideology can ever determine whether some one is a good or bad person. I've learned now that having the "right" opinions is not what matters.

What I learned from being an MRA... that men are not evil. That they are human with a full range of emotions, a need for vulnerability, sometimes victims of awful crimes, sometimes traumatised, etc. I learned that my fear of men (due to my own trauma) is not rational and should not dictate how I judge male strangers. I also learned that some men are never gonna return that same empathy and respect to me as I offer them, because I'm bio female. Those are not the same men, and they should not be treated in the same way. I learned that in many ways I'm surprisingly not that different from men, but that I'll also never truly know what it's like to be bio male or grow up as a boy, but that's okay. Although, living as a man probably taught me more about men, than being an MRA did. It more so solidified what I had already found out to be true.

[oranjis-shipping-mess]

ABC Challenge~ Jihan L is for Longing

Warning: smut

"Fuck, Jeonghan!" Joshua screamed, as they both reached their climax. Joshua slowly pulled out and found his spot next to Jeonghan, both still breathing heavily. "So far you going gentle." Jeonghan chuckled, shaking his head. Joshua sighed, "I tried, Han. I really did." Jeonghan pecked Joshua softly on his lips, "we'll figure it out.", "then you certainly are more positive then I am. We are never gentle, Jeonghan. Just admit it." Jeonghan rested his head on Joshua's chest, "maybe we should ask someone? Maybe it will help us. I mean, no hard feelings Josh, I love having sex with you. But always going this hard is slowly getting exhausting." Joshua kissed the top of Jeonghan's head, "maybe we can do that." He agreed, stroking his hand through Jeonghan's soft hair.

Jeonghan and Joshua had been together for years now. When you see them, you would say they are the most soft couple you would ever see. Which is really not a lie, except for when they have sex. They have had uncountable times of sex now, it was always the same. It was always hard, never gentle. No matter what they tried and changed, it just didn't work any other way. Yet, they couldn't get enough of each other, so they just took it for granted.

The next morning, Joshua was laying on the couch lazily, when Jeonghan returned from getting groceries. "Hey babe, you have an appointment tonight." Jeonghan looked questionable as he put down the bag on the table, "hm? What appointment? I don't remember any meetings?" He said as he kissed Joshua's lips gentle. "No, I just made it. His name is Choi Seungcheol, and he is some sort of sexworker-therapist kind of thing. I'm meeting with him tomorrow night. The man really sounded like he knew what he was talking about." Jeonghan raised his eyesbrows, "you did what now? God, Shua. Why didn't you ask me first? We don't even know the guy." Joshua shrugged, "it was your idea. But I can still cancel it if you want. I'm sure he won't charge me for it. And its not like I didn't do any research. His website is very profesional, and there are lots of different reviews on him on different websites." Jeonghan let out a sigh, "sometimes I really wonder why I love you, yet I can't picture a life without you." He rolled his eyes as he kissed Joshua again.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this. Are you 100% sure he's safe? What if he has an std? Or a gun? Joshua, I don't know if I can have sex with someone else then you." Jeonghan pouted as he pulled Joshua in to a hug. "Don't think, just fuck." Joshua said as he left a soft kiss on Jeonghan's forehead. "Just keep your phone close. And if it really feels off, just immedeatly leave, okay? You know I will stay here in the parkinglot, waiting for your return." Jeonghan nodded, kissing Joshua, not wanting to part from him just yet. "I love you, Joshua Hong." Jeonghan smiled in to the kiss, "I love you more."

Jeonghan nervously rang the doorbell, not sure what he had signed up for. It wasn't long before a handsome man opend the door. His hair was dark brown, and it seemed to match his eyes perfectly. "Yoon Jeonghan?" His low voice asked as he stared down Jeonghan from a small distance. "Yes." Jeonghan nodded, and the other let him come inside. "I'm Choi Seungcheol. But you can just call me Seungcheol, or Cheol, whatever you prefer." Jeonghan nodded as he followed the other to a large room, it had a beautiful couch, with two chairs in the same style on one side, on the other side a queen sized bed, which seemed like the same style as the other furniture. "Please, have a seat. Do you want a drink?" Jeonghan shook his head, even though his mouth was as dry as the sahara. "So your boyfriend, Joshua, told me a few things about you. Do you mind telling me some more?" Jeonghan nodded, "well, I'm Jeonghan.. I have a master in English literature, I uhm, I love reading detective books-" Seungcheol chuckled lightly, "not that I'm not intrested in these kind of things. But you're here to improve your sexlife." Jeonghan's cheeks turned red as he bit his lip, "right, i'm sorry.. Well, Joshua and I, we've been together for six years now? We've always had sex atleast three to four times a week, we still do. Uhm, I'm always bottom, never knew it otherwise. But the thing is, the sex is always rough, it seems like we can never have a nice, gentle night. Foreplay usually lasts for about 5 minutes, if its even there, and the act itself maybe reaches ten minutes max. But its always been like that, its not like I hate it or something.." Jeonghan shrugged. Seungcheol nodded, the information was almost the same as what Joshua had told him over the phone earlier. "Alright, I won't say anything now. What we're gonna do now is, we move to the bed, only if you're still comfortable with it, ofcourse. And you just show me how you'd want it to go next time you have sex with Joshua. You can do anything you want, there is absolutely no judgement. Condoms, lube, anything else you wanna use is on the side table. And before you wonder, no its not weird if you were to call out Joshua's name." Jeonghan's cheeks were now as white as snow, as it was only 5 minutes ago that they were as red as could be. "Okay." Jeonghan stated, remembering Joshua's words from earlier.

Both were undressed soon and Seungcheol was laying patiently on the bed, as Jeonghan wasn't exactly sure what to do just yet. "Anything?" He wondered again. Seungcheol nodded, "anything. Believe me, nothing is weird, I've quite literally experienced it all." Jeonghan nodded, trying to empty his mind. Jeonghan moved on to the bed, the lights were dimed and it was rather a beautiful setting. "Can I kiss you?" Jeonghan asked, looking in to Seungcheol's eyes, who nodded. "Ofcourse. And Jeonghan, you really don't have to ask permission for anything. Just do as you please." Jeonghan let out a nervous sigh as he leaned in, softly touching Seungcheol's plump lips, moving gentle. Jeonghan softly cupped Seungcheol's cheek as he passionated the kiss more, slowly moving, so he was now hovering over the slightly older man. He started moving his lips on to his neck, sucking and licking lightly, still feeling a tiny bit nervous, but the other was so confident, that he soon forgot about his own nerves. He slowly went to kiss down his chest, noticing that both of them were already hard. Jeonghan slowly started sucking Seungcheol's dick, he was bigger then he had expected and had to pump the bottom with his hand. It was satisfying to Jeonghan to hear the other moan from pleasure, something he didn't hear as much from Joshua, as mostly what they did was scream and curse. Jeonghan slowly moved to get some lube, covering his fingers slightly. He bit down on his lip as he carefully entered one finger in to Seungcheol, he moved forward, so he could kiss him again, desperate for some touching. Their lips moved in perfect synce, as Jeonghan added a second finger, making Seungcheol moan in to the kiss. "You doing alright?" Jeonghan whispered against Seungcheol's lips. Seungcheol nodded, as this was nothing compared to what other people had done with him during his job. After a while Jeonghan entered a third finger, slowly moving back and forth, not even completely sure if he was doing it right, as he never even prepared someone before. But Seungcheol moaned in pleasure, so he figured he wasn't doing anything wrong. He grabbed a condom from the side table, wrapping it around himself carefully, making sure not to rip it. Kissing down Seungcheol's neck, he slowly entered him, feeling joy of pleasure going through him when he felt the warm, tight space around himself, something he had never experienced before. "God, this feels so good.." Jeonghan groaned, pressing his lips against Seungcheol's again, starting to thrust faster, wrapping one hand around Seungcheol's dick, pumping it at the same pace. "I- I'm close.." Jeonghan's thrusts became sloppier, as he released in to the condom, slowly thrusting out. Kissing Seungcheol's neck, he started pumping him faster, having him release not that long after. He finished off with a gentle kiss, stroking his hand through Seungcheol's hair. Realization hit when he laid down next to him, tears forming in his eyes. "Hey, what's wrong?" Seungcheol whispered, getting a warm cloth to clean them both up. "I- I'm sorry.. I can't believe I had sex with someone else.. And actually liked it.." He sobbed quietly, sitting up. Seungcheol gave him a tissue for his tears, and a glass of water. "Listen, its completely normal, okay? You two are in this together, and its not like you have to do it again. This is just part of processing, and part of you and Joshua's journey." Jeonghan took small sips of the water, trying to calm down again.

"And I don't know if Joshua had already told you. But the two of you are not supposed to have sex untill you both visited me, and after our last meeting together, okay? And also do not talk to each other about what you did here, that will come later. If you have any questions or want to talk about any of this progress, you can call me, or you can visit me here. This whole things will only last for three days, so don't worry too much about it." Seungcheol smiled, as both of them were dressed again. Jeonghan nodded and politely thanked Seungcheol, as he walked out of the front door. Tears almost in his eyes again, as he saw Joshua who was still waiting in the car. Jeonghan rushed to their car, and hugged Joshua tightly. "I love you, Joshua." He murmered in to his chest. "You okay, bby?" Joshua stroke Jeonghan's back, making sure he would feel safe. "I am now.." He whispered, as Joshua led him in to their car, driving them back home.

"Can we take a bath?" Jeonghan pouted, and even after all of their years together, Joshua still couldn't resist the pout of the older. "Ofcourse, hon. I'll make everything ready, okay?" And so Joshua did. A nice warm bath, some scented candles on the side and a cup of tea for both of them. Jeonghan sat in between Joshua's legs, resting against his chest. "I know this is to improve our sexlife, but I never in my life want to have sex with anyone else again." Jeonghan said softly. Joshua was stroking Jeonghan's arms, "you don't have to, Han. And if you are too uncomfortable with me going tomorrow, i'm sure Seungcheol would understand." Jeonghan shook his head, "no, go. I know this will help us, one way or another. And its just one time, and atleast not behind each others backs." Joshua kissed Jeonghan's shoulder lightly, "okay, bby. Also, I think you can relax now, you feel tense." Joshua said, as he softly massaged Jeonghan's shoulders. Jeonghan smiled, exhausted from the earlier events, and relaxing under Joshua's touch.

The next morning, Jeonghan was extra cuddly, clinging on to Joshua, who was still sound asleep. Jeonghan wrapped the blanket around them tightly, not letting the warmth escape. Joshua's strong arms wrapped around Jeonghan. "Cuddly today, aren't we?" Joshua's sleepy, deep voice spoke, having Jeonghan smile and purr, "yes." was the only thing he could say. They stayed like that for a while, Jeonghan resting on Joshua's chest, while Joshua played with Jeonghan's hair. "Did you sleep well?" The youngest of the two asked, Jeonghan shrugged, "Just progressing what happened last night.." He whispered, knowing he wouldn't have to worry at all, but he couldn't let it go just yet. "You still okay with me going?" Joshua asked again, really wanting to make sure that Jeonghan was still okay with this little project. Jeonghan nodded, clinging on to the blanket. "I trust you, Shua." He said as he interwined their fingers together. "But after tonight, you're only mine again." He added, making Joshua smile. "Lets get some breakfast, ya?"

Jeonghan had been slightly nervous all day, even more then yesterday. But he knew deep down it would all be fine, and it would be over soon. Driving towards Seungcheol's place though, made him almost shiver, he was driving today and Joshua noticed. "Bby, you can turn around, you know that, right?" Jeonghan nodded, "like I said, it will be fine. I trust you, and this will help us improve." Jeonghan smiled. It had sort of been his idea after all, he just had never guessed it would all go this fast. He put the car in the parkinglot. "Just.. Don't forget the condom. And if he hurts you, call me immedeatly, I will be right here in the parking and-" Joshua shut Jeonghan up by kissing him, making him relax under his touch. "I know. You will be right here in the parkinglot. Ofcourse I will not forget the condom, and he could try to hurt me, but I promise, he won't succeed, ya?" Joshua smiled as he kissed Jeonghan again. "Sorry.." Jeonghan mumbled, embarrased. "Its totally fine, hon. I understand." They shared one last kiss, before Joshua left the car and went to Seungcheol's front door.

Seungcheol and Joshua sat at the same spot as where Seungcheol and Jeonghan sat yesterday. Joshua wasn't shy when it came to his sexlife, then again, he had already told Seungcheol most of it over the phone anyways. "I feel like I perform well, you know? I've always been the top, also with highschool boyfriends and one night stands. Everyone was always very satisfied too. Jeonghan too, I know it. But I also know that lately, he gets really exhausted from it. We tried some different things, and I really try to go gentle on him, but it just never works out, and it makes me feel so bad for him. It would be really nice for him, that after all these years, something can finally change. For him, anything, really." Joshua nodded, confirming his own words. "Were you always like that? Rough in bed? Also with your past bedpartners?" Joshua shrugged, "not really. I mean, sometimes, yes. But it really started to become a thing when Jeonghan and I got in to a relationship." Seungcheol nodded, understanding what the younger told him. "I'm ready when you're ready, Joshua." Seungcheol said, as he made his way to the bed, which had fresh, new sheets. "You know the rules, right? We went over them on the phone. I can repeat them if you want." Joshua shook his head, "I remember all of it." He stated as he went on the bed, next to Seungcheol. "Whatever you desire, Joshua." Joshua bit his lip, as he sat up again. "I don't know if I can do this." Seungcheol also sat up again, "that's okay. Take your time, and remember, you don't have to do this." Joshua lookes at Seungcheol, pressing their lips against each other. Rough at first, but then slowly, becoming more gentle. Joshua slowly pushed Seungcheol back down, lips still locked. Joshua was hovering over Seungcheol, reaching for a condom, ripping it open and sliding it on to Seungcheol's hard dick. Joshua potitioned Seungcheol's dick at his entrance, making Seungcheol raise his eyebrows. "Joshua, don't you think its better if you prep-", Seungcheol couldn't finish his sentence as Joshua was already sliding down his dick, letting out every curse word he could possibly think of at that very moment. "Christ, that hurts." Joshua whined. Seungcheol gave him a sorrowful look, "I didn't expect you to do it just like that, Joshua. If you ever bottom again, seriously prepare." Joshua nodded, biting down on his bottomlip hard. "Too late now for that, isn't it." Joshua said, as he slowly leaned in, kissing Seungcheol's neck, while slowly starting to move his hips back and forth, groaning in pain, but also from pleasure of the new feeling he had never experienced before. "Please.." Joshua murmured, leading one of Seungcheol's hand towards his own dick. "Fucking hell!" Joshua practically screaming from overstimulation. A sloppy kiss was shared between the two, as Joshua released over Seungcheol's hand and chest. Seungcheol releasing close after in to the condom. Joshua groaned as he removed himself from Seungcheol, feeling sore already. "Are you okay?" Joshua nodded, "I just wanted to try.." Seungcheol grabbed a cloth to wipe them clean. "I get it. But be carefull next time. Not preparing well can be dangerous." Joshua just stared after he got dressed again. "Can I have some of that Vodka you have over there?" Joshua's voice cracked. Seungcheol nodded, giving him a small glass, "as long as you are not the one driving." Joshua took the glass and almost downed the drink in one go. "Now that. That's the burning pain I do like." Joshua coughed, feeling the alcohol burning through his throat. "I shouldn't be giving advice till tomorrow, but please take it easy, Joshua."

Moments later, Joshua made his way back to the car, where Jeonghan was silently reading in one of his favorite books, to calm his mind. "Babe." Joshua called as he opened the door. Jeonghan smiled, greeting Joshua with a kiss. "Vodka?" Jeonghan questioned, chuckling lightly. "I don't wanna talk about it." Joshua groaned, kissing Jeonghan again. "I'm glad you're back, Shua." He put his glasses away as he started the car, driving home and telling Joshua about the book he was reading, even though Joshua must have heared it a dozen times by now. Joshua just stared at Jeonghan, who looked every so lovely, talking about his favorite things.

Once at home, Joshua immedeatly took a shower and getting dressed in some cozy clothes. Once he made his way back downstairs, Jeonghan was preparing tea and some snacks. "Hey babe.." Joshua whispered as he hugged Jeonghan from behind. Jeonghan giggled, turning around to face Joshua. "Hey, I thought we could take this upstairs? I know its still early, but I'd love to-" Jeonghan was interrupted by Joshua's lips against his own. "The answer is yes. Yes we can do that." Joshua said, getting a plate big enough to fit their tea and snacks, carefully taking it upstairs. Once cuddled up on their big bed, they were watching some tv, Joshua had one arm wrapped around Jeonghan, one hand free to drink his tea. "Hon?" Joshua whispered, getting no answer. "Bby?" He asked again, but Jeonghan's heavy breathing said enough, he was asleep. Joshua put down his own cup on the bedside table, before carefully getting Jeonghan's cup out of his hands. Turning off the tv and making sure the blanket was wrapped well around Jeonghan.

The next morning they had an appointment with Seungcheol. The third, and last day, he had explained to them. This time, Joshua was already wide awake, while Jeonghan was still very much asleep. "Han? You need to wake up soon." Joshua spoke, leaving a kiss on his shoulder. "Hmm.. What time is it?" The older groaned, not yet ready to wake up. "Almost 9am, you slept very long, you must have been exhausted." Jeonghan sat up, nestling himself in to Joshua's chest. "Still am." Joshua smiled, "but we have to be at Seungcheol's place at 10:30am, so we better get ready." Jeonghan pouted at Joshua's words, but followed Joshua out of bed. "Are you alright?" Jeonghan chuckled, seeing Joshua had a hard time walking straight. "Yes, yes. Totally fine." Jeonghan raised his eyebrows, already knowing what had happened, but knowing they couldn't talk about it just yet.

Once at Seungcheol's place, the three of them sat down in the room they had visited before. "You both had some time to think about what you did here?" Seungcheol asked, both of them embarrased in their own way. "Yea, I guess we did." Joshua answered, smiling at Jeonghan. "I wrote down everything the two of you did. And compared it to your personal experiences. So what I understood, Joshua is always top and Jeonghan bottom. It didn't came to me as a big suprise that you both switched that out in here. You both told me how you tried to switch things up, but nothing worked. Well, it has to do with the fact that you both stay the same position you've always been. Because that's knowing, comfortable, and you know what to do. And yes, its definitle not easy to switch, but seeing how the two of you did it here, make me think this could work. Try to switch around a few times, try actual new things, maybe even add some toys. Don't be afraid to go wrong a couple of times, you have to figure out what works for the both of you. And most importantly, take the time to  figure these things out. Don't expect to find it within a couple of days. But my advice, Jeonghan should top and Joshua should bottom. I really think you will find new ways in that to pleasure each other. Switch around, don't always do only one things, like you have done for the past couple of years. And another note, foreplay and preparing is important. You will take more time to see and feel each other, get to see the more romantic side of it as well. I hope this will help the two of you, and I will also send you the papers later this week. And if you have any questions, or need more advice, don't be afraid to call, okay? That's what i'm here for." The the boys nodded in agreement, and after more chatting and talking, they made their way back home.

"I can't believe you topped." Joshua chuckled as they entered their house, "just as much as I can't believe you bottomed. On top of that, you didn't prepare? God, if we're really gonna switch up, there's a lot you still need to learn." Jeonghan laughed lightly as he wrapped his arms around Joshua. "As long as you are my teacher, I won't mind." Joshua chuckled, kissing Jeonghan. "What do you say that we give it a try?" Jeonghan smiled in to the kiss. Joshua picked Jeonghan up, legs wrapped around his waist. "Your wish is my command." Joshua whispered, kissing Jeonghan's neck, carrying him to the bedroom.

It was only noon when they went to the bedroom, but they only came out to order diner and go back. Too curious about the new things, probably leaving both of them sore for the next couple of days. But they didn't have anywhere to go anyways, so spending most of the time in bed, was just perfect. Whether it be trying out something new, or just cuddle and watch some tv.

#oranjis-shipping-mess #Jihan #Jeonghan #Joshua #Jisoo

[perfectlymarilynmonroe]

I just saw a tiktok talking about how Marilyn had relationships with women, they mentioned Joan Crawford and Elizabeth Taylor and her acting coach, and that her therapist revealed that to the public. They even said Joe confirmed it saying that that was the reason their marriage didnt work out. I have never heard or read that before but everyone just took it as facts in those comments, could you clear it up?

Nope. All of the rumors of her dating woman have never been proven, and Joe never confirmed it. I’m really not sure where the rumors originated from, but biographers and sites continue to spread the myth.

There definitely hasn’t been anything to prove an affair with Elizabeth Taylor, as for Joan Crawford, Biographer Fred Lawrence Guiles wrote that she invited Marilyn back to her home and made a pass at her:

“Marilyn was more than ready for an affair with someone she could also admire. Her emotional life was far more complex than the public could even imagine. No sooner had she extricated herself from her entanglement with Natasha than she became involved in a serious friendship with Joan Crawford. Although Crawford’s career was again in decline, she was still a social presence of considerable importance in Hollywood. She had initiated the relationship by phoning Marilyn at the studio and inviting her to her home for Sunday brunch. Marilyn was thrilled to be taken up by one of her early idols and began dropping by Crawford’s home frequently. They found that they had a mutual interest in Christian Science. The aging film queen began to give her advice on how to dress and even offered her part of her own wardrobe, but since Crawford was petite and Marilyn was five foot six, nothing would fit. Just before Marilyn’s first date with DiMaggio, at another brunch and with the hostess slightly drunk, Crawford made a sexual pass at Marilyn and the friendship abruptly ended. Marilyn, who saw nothing wrong with lesbianism, recoiled more from shock than offense. Marilyn had a strong self-protective instinct and she must have sensed that any intimate involvement with Crawford would lead to big trouble down the road. Although she turned Crawford down, she determined to be discreet about what had happened. Within the next year and a half, her loyalty to the woman would be severely tested.”

In “My Story” Marilyn’s ghosted autobiography here is the chapter entitled: “My Joan Crawford Feud”

I met Joan Crawford at Joe Schenck's house. She was an impressive woman. I admired her during dinner. I hoped that when I was her age I would keep my looks as well as she had. Some movie stars don't seem like stars when you meet them, and some seem more like stars off the screen than on. I don't know which is better, but Miss Crawford was definitely the latter type. She was as much the movie star at Mr. Schenck's dinner table as she could have been electrifying a courtroom in a movie drama-even a little more. I was pleased to see I had made an impression on Miss Crawford. She said to me after dinner, "I think I could help you a great deal if you would let me. For instance that white knitted dress you're wearing is utterly incorrect for a dinner of this kind." It was the only good dress I owned. I wore it evenings as well as daytimes when I was going any place important, and I cleaned it myself every day. I looked at Miss Crawford's beautiful evening gown and understood what she meant. "Taste," Miss Crawford went on, "is every bit as important as looks and figure." She smiled very kindly at me and asked, "Will you let me help you, my dear?" I said I was flattered to have her offer to. We made a date to meet Sunday morning in church. It turned out that Miss Crawford and I went to the same church. After the church service, Miss Crawford said as we met coming out, "I'm so glad to see you. But you mustn't come to church in flat heels and a gray suit with black trimming. If you wear gray you must wear different gray tones, but never black." It was my only suit, but there was no sense defending it on that ground. "Would you like to come to my house with me?" Miss Crawford asked. I said I'd like to very much, and it was arranged that I should follow her car in mine. I was excited at what I thought was going to happen. Miss Crawford, I felt pretty sure, was going to offer me some of her old ball gowns and ensembles that she'd grown tired of. The house was very beautiful and elegant. We had lunch in the kitchen with Miss Crawford's four children and a beautiful white poodle. After lunch, Miss Crawford asked me to come upstairs to her room. "Brown would look very good on you," she said. "I must show you the things I've been knitting." She showed me a number of knitted dickies in different shades of brown and explained that they were to be worn under different shades of brown suits. "The main thing about dressing well," Miss Crawford explained, "is to see that everything you wear is just right- your shoes, stockings, gloves and bag all fit the suit you're wearing. Now what I would like you to do is to make a list of all the clothes in your wardrobe, and I'll make a list of all the things you need to buy and see that you buy the right things." I didn't say anything. I usually didn't mind telling people I was broke and even trying to borrow a few dollars from them to tide me over. But for some reason I couldn't tell Miss Crawford that she had seen my wardrobe in full-the incorrect white knitted dress and the wrong gray suit. "It's so easy not to look vulgar," Miss Crawford assured me, when I was ready to leave. "Do make out a list of all your things and let me guide you a bit. You'll be surprised at the results. And so will everyone else." I don't know why I called Miss Crawford up again, except that I had promised I would. Maybe I was still hoping she would present me with some of her discarded ball gowns. I think, also, I had some intention of telling her the truth about not being able to buy any fancy clothes. But when I heard Miss Crawford's voice on the phone, I had to start palavering as I'd done before. Had I made out that list of my wardrobe? No, I hadn't. That was very lazy of me. Yes, I knew. And I would make the list out in a few days and call her up again. "Good," said Miss Crawford. "I'll be expecting to hear from you." I didn't call Miss Crawford again. In fact, the next time I heard from Miss Crawford was in the newspapers. This was a year later. I'd gone to work at both Century-Fox again, and the Marilyn Monroe boom had started. I was all over the magazines and movie columns, and the fan mail at the studio was arriving in trucks. Among the honors that were now showering on me was the privilege of presenting one of the Oscars to one of the Award winners at the Academy's annual affair. I was frozen with fear the night of the Academy Award Ceremonies. I waited tremblingly for my turn to walk up to the platform and hand over the Oscar in my keeping. I prayed I wouldn't trip and fall and that my voice wouldn't disappear when I had to say my two lines. When my turn came I managed to reach the platform, say my piece, and return to my table without any mishap. Or so I thought until I read Joan Crawford's remarks in the morning papers. I haven't saved the clippings, but I have sort of remembered what she said. She said that Marilyn Monroe's vulgar performance at the Academy affair was a disgrace to all of I Hollywood. The vulgarity, she said, consisted of my wearing a dress too tight for me and wriggling my rear when I walked upholding one of the holy Oscars in my hand. I was so surprised I could hardly believe what I was reading. I called up some friends who had seen me at the ceremony and asked them if it were true. They laughed. It wasn't true, they said. They advised me to forgive a lady who had once been young and seductive herself. I have written out this accurate account of one of my "feuds" because it is typical. The feuds are all started by someone whom I have mysteriously offended-always always a woman. The truth is my tight dress and my wiggling were all in Miss Crawford's mind. She obviously had been reading too much about me. Or maybe she was just annoyed because I had never brought her a list of my wardrobe.

*From my FAQ about whether MY STORY is trustworthy:

My Story is based off of interviews that Ben Hecht conducted with Marilyn in late 1953 and early 1954 for an autobiographical work they were doing together. The project was nipped in the bud after Hecht’s assistant leaked the manuscript to a publisher in England. Marilyn lost faith in the project and the book sat away for decades after her death. It landed in the hands of the Greene family, and they published it in 1974 -  10 years after Hecht’s death. After much digging and consideration, I would not regard it as a factual autobiography. The loose information provided like her childhood, molestation, rise to stardom, relationship with Joe DiMaggio is factual, but I would not take the book word-for-word. It’s also incredibly disappointing that her name, Norma Jeane, is mis-spelled as “Norma Jean.” Marilyn’s niece, confirms this on her website as well:

MYTH: Marilyn wrote an autobiography entitled MY STORY.

FACT: No so. Ben Hecht, a Hollywood writer, concocted a half-baked manuscript based on conversations with Marilyn. The manuscript remained unpublished long after Marilyn’s death. Marilyn’s former business partner Milton Greene had it in his possession. — http://www.monaraemiracle.com/disc.html⁣⁣

In the short version, the story is a myth without factual evidence. Furthermore, there is no proof that Marilyn ever engaged in sex with a woman.

From Marilyn herself:

“A man who had kissed me once had said it was very possible I was a lesbian because I apparently had no response to males-meaning him. I didn't contradict him because I didn't know what I was. There were times even when I didn't feel human and times when all I could think of was dying. There was also the sinister fact that a well-made woman had always thrilled me to look at. Now, having fallen in love, I knew what I was. It wasn't a lesbian.” —My Story, ghost autobiography

Marilyn, however, was very supportive of gay rights, in 1960 she told W.J. Weatherby, (about Montgomery Clift): “People who aren’t fit to open the door for him sneer at his homosexuality. What do they know about it? Labels – people love putting labels on each other. Then they feel safe. People tried to make me into a lesbian. I laughed. No sex is wrong if there’s love in it.”

Following the 1953 Photoplay awards Joan Crawford made nasty comments about Marilyn to the press for her dress choice:

“Certainly her picture isn't doing business, and I'll tell you why. Sex plays a tremendously important part in every person's life. People are interested in it, intrigued with it. But they don't like to see it flaunted in their faces. Kids don't like her. Sex plays a growingly important part in their lives, too; and they don't like to see it exploited. And don't forget the women. They're the ones who pick out the movie entertainment for the family. They won't pick anything that won't be suitable for their husbands and children. The publicity has gone too far, and apparently, Miss Monroe is making the mistake of believing her publicity... She should be told that the public likes provocative feminine personalities; but it also likes to know that underneath it all the actresses are ladies.”

Marilyn’s reaction was:

"I cried all night. I've always admired Miss Crawford for being such a wonderful mother--for taking four children and giving them a fine home. Who better than I to know what that means to homeless little ones?" 

#ask

[evecolours]

How much did the British tabloids’ brutal coverage of Harry and Meghan impact their decision to ‘step back’?

By Emily Yahr 

Jan. 10, 2020 at 12:46 a.m. GMT+1

When Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, made their shocking announcement Wednesday on Instagram — that they plan to step back as senior royals and split their time between the United Kingdom and North America — they also encouraged their 10.4 million followers to visit their new website, SussexRoyal.com, to find more information.

One section of the glossy site that hinted at a possible reason behind their bombshell decision? The simply titled “Media.”

In several long paragraphs, Harry and Meghan explained that they will be taking a “revised media approach” in their new roles. Most significantly, they will no longer be a part of the “royal rota” system — essentially a press pool — in which a group of U.K. outlets get exclusive access to royal events and share that information with other publications.

However, the couple emphasized that they will “provide access to credible media outlets focused on objective news reporting,” adding they understand that there is great interest in them as members of the royal family. “They welcome accurate and honest media reporting as well as being held to account if appropriate,” the website reads.

The key words here, of course, are “credible,” “accurate” and “honest,” apparent digs at the brutal tabloid storiesthat Harry and Meghan have endured for the past several years. In the fall, the couple sued the Mail on Sunday newspaper for publishing a private letter that Meghan wrote to her estranged father after her wedding; Harry also filed a lawsuit against the Daily Mirror and the Sun, claiming they hacked his phone.

Royal experts and observers say there are many complicated reasons behind Harry and Meghan’s new path. But it seems clear that intrusive tabloid coverage added to their motivation to step away from royal tradition.

“I think it had a significant impact. I don’t think it’s the whole story, but I think it’s part of it,” said Elaine Lui, the “etalk” and “The Social” TV personality who runs the website LaineyGossip.com and has closely monitored the media’s obsession with the royals. “If we go back historically, Harry has hated the royal rota forever. That’s a fact. It has been made very clear, he blames a lot on the media for what happened to his mother. . . . I’ve heard from people I’ve talked to that he was already asking questions about detaching himself from the royal rota as far back as a year ago.”

Harry and Meghan started dating in summer 2016 but managed to keep their relationship under wraps until that fall, when the Daily Express broke the news that Harry had been secretly dating actress Meghan Markle, best known for her role on USA’s “Suits.” The articles were initially quite positive, as the paper gushed that Harry was “besotted” with his new girlfriend: “In recent weeks royal watchers have noticed that Harry, fifth-in-line to the throne, has had a notable spring in his step and can’t stop smiling.”

Things quickly took a turn: “The fact that she is American and a divorcée will also have raised eyebrows in Buckingham Palace,” the Telegraph wrote. The Sun ran an interview with Samantha Markle — who deemed her half sister “a social climber” who “is not fit to be a royal” — and published a post about one of Markle’s scenes in “Suits” that showed up on a porn website. (The tabloid deleted the latter and apologized.)

Multiple sites noted that Meghan had an African American mother and Caucasian father, resulting in racist headlines. “Harry’s girl is (almost) straight outta Compton: Gang-scarred home of her mother revealed — so will he be dropping by for tea?” the Daily Mail headlined a story that included crime statistics from Meghan’s mother’s neighborhood in Los Angeles.

Indeed, several days later, Harry took the extraordinary step of publicly confirming their relationship by releasing a statement that condemned the “wave of abuse and harassment” that Meghan had seen. He noted “the smear on the front page of a national newspaper; the racial undertones of comment pieces; and the outright sexism and racism of social media trolls and web article comments.”

Although the couple was still photographed everywhere after they got engaged in November 2017, the tone of the articles seemed to calm down — at least the ones about Meghan herself. The U.K. press still delighted in printing details about her family, from her estranged father to her nephew’s legal marijuana farm. Their wedding the following spring also received fairy-tale coverage from many tabloids — although it didn’t remain cozy for long.

“Not long after the wedding, they took their gloves off,” royal historian Marlene Koenig said, “because it sells papers.”

There was an onslaught of critical stories, most of them pointed claims about Meghan: She’s too demanding and bombards her staff with messages at dawn. She’s feuding with Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, about Meghan’s treatment of the palace staff — oh, and she also made Catherine cry during Princess Charlotte’s bridesmaids dress fitting. She’s coming between Harry and his brother, Prince William. She had the nerve to ask if St. George’s Chapel could be sprayed with air freshener before the wedding.

“They would always bring up the word ‘protocol,’ ” said Koenig, pointing to the many gasps when Meghan made fashion choices that were said to be frowned upon by the queen. “Protocol applies to official state events, or who sits next to who. . . . It does not apply to off-the-shoulder dresses or nail polish.”

The stories continued at a relentless pace, even after Meghan announced she was pregnant — how she was “flaunting” her bare legs without tights at six months pregnant, or even how she cradled her growing stomach. (The Express: “Meghan CAN’T STOP showing off: Duchess uses these SNEAKY tricks to flaunt her baby bump.”) She was ruthlessly criticized after she attended a baby shower thrown for her in New York and paid for by her friend Serena Williams.

Meghan had plenty of defenders as well: Five of her closest friends were dispatched to People magazine to “stand up against the global bullying” of Meghan. Celebrities from George Clooney to Elton John spoke up on the royal duo’s behalf.

Lui said that if there was any “tipping point” for the couple’s frustration with the media, she would guess that it was the “hoopla” made over their use of private jets this past summer.

“What a huge story, for almost two weeks, the British tabloids made out of that when they’re not the first and only members of the royal family to fly private,” Lui said, pointing out that another royal story — the revelations about Prince Andrew’s association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein — didn’t get the same amount of attention in the press at the time.

Though the royals are known to rarely speak out about such personal issues, in an ITV documentary this past fall, Meghan was candid as she spoke about struggling with the rough treatment.

“When I first met my now-husband, my friends were really happy because I was so happy. But my British friends said to me, ‘I’m sure he’s great. But you shouldn’t do it. Because the British tabloids will destroy your life,’” she told reporter Tom Bradby. “I think I really tried to adopt this British sensibility of a stiff upper lip. I tried! I really tried. But I think what that does internally is probably really damaging.”

Now, as Harry and Meghan start the complex process of moving away from the traditional duties of royal life, they have certainly found a solution — by leaving. Unsurprisingly, the British tabloids are critical and furious about that as well. But Lui added that the outlets’ issues with royalty go far beyond nasty headlines and columnists.

“I think it’s far too simplistic to just blame the tabloids,” Lui said. “It’s a multilayered problem — the tabloids are getting leaks from somewhere. . . . Only certain people are able to leak that information. There are vipers and backstabbers all over the place in the royal family.”

#new era #new era article #Sussexes January20 #Washington post #january 2020

[shadowlinecomics]

Hail to the Queens!

(crossposted from Kurtis J. Wiebe’s website)

THIS IS ME NOW

It was early 2012 when the core concept of Rat Queens came together. I’d been in contact with Roc Upchurch after meeting him randomly on a street corner over the weekend of NYCC in 2011. I’d seen his work on Vescell and was inspired by it. He was making art in a way I’d never seen in a comic series.

While he finished Vescell, we emailed several times, batting around ideas. We’d attempted a small pitch on a concept that I’d originally worked on with Owen Gieni (who, in a strange twist, became a later Rat Queens artist), it was called Goblinettes, and it ultimately didn’t float. Didn’t seem like there was much interest in a story about a three-piece all girl goblin punk band that sang about love and getting along.

We went back to the ideas phase. We both knew we wanted to work on fantasy. And we both knew we wanted to try something fresh with a genre we loved.

I sat and thought on it awhile. I asked myself all kinds of questions. What did I love about fantasy? What was ridiculous? What was annoying and outdated?

It wasn’t a new thing for me to have female leads in my stories; Debris, The Intrepids, Beautiful Creatures and even Peter Panzerfaust, while predominantly male, had women that are, to date, my favourite I’ve written.

Having four female leads wasn’t the novel idea, in my opinion. What I wanted to do was have a fantasy adventure story where being a woman wasn’t a thing. And in so many of the fantasy books I’d read, it almost always certainly was.

We did a call and I laid out the idea that I’d come up with in the worst way possible: It’s Lord of the Rings meets Sex in the City. We both laughed. It was a terrible mash, but we both knew what it meant.

That’s where it started. Where it would land, how it would end, we had no idea. Our best guess was five issues and a good looking trade collection.

Rat Queens #1 came out on September 25th, 2013. Five and a half years ago, now.

On that day, my life changed.

Within months, Rat Queens became the most successful project I’d ever worked on. Both in sales and in the acclaim it garnered from an industry, a community that had become so important to me. It was the highlight of success after years of personal struggles that had nearly sapped me of hope and strength.

I felt like I finally belonged.

And it was good for a while. We always struggled to get the series out on its monthly schedule (I have many thoughts about the industry’s demand on artists, but that’s for another time), but we were creating something we loved and the fans loved in returned. It was the best a creator could ask for.

Since then, it’s been a long and difficult journey. The years following September 25th, 2013 have been a trail through the highest mountains and the darkest caves.

I had a daughter.

I moved seven times. (Yes. Seven.)

I began new comic series’.

I finished several others.

It’s no secret Rat Queens has had its share of controversies. They took a heavy toll, bringing me back to a dark place I thought I’d escaped when this Rat Queens journey began.

You can read about my brush with suicide in the summer of 2016 here: https://kurtiswiebe.com/2016/10/28/this-side-of-suicide/

Even then, I kept creating new stories with these four women throughout it all. But, I have to be honest, it was getting more difficult with each new iteration. Each new artistic team that came on.

At the end of the day, I had to step back and ask myself some familiar questions: What did I love about fantasy? What was ridiculous? What was annoying and outdated?

This past summer of 2018, I found that I didn’t have the answers I used to. Or maybe I’d already answered them and somehow lost myself along the way.

In that reflection I realized that I’d been burned out on the one thing that once gave me joy and provided for my family.

I was terrified.

And then I knew: it was time to move on.

That fear only grew, but it was the seed to plant a new foundation. I’d wrapped up so much of my identity in Rat Queens; my worth, my voice, and world-view.

Five years is a long time. We all grow and change, day to day, and over the span of five years, I’ve faced many shifts to my status quo.

Those changes excite me, I want to write about them. While that doesn’t mean the Rat Queens can’t be part of the equation, it means that I want to commit the next span of years to these new perspectives that have deeply informed my life.

So, I’m saying goodbye to Rat Queens. For now, and the foreseeable future.

THE NEXT CHAPTER

Rat Queens is still popular. I know fans love these characters, and I’ve always been interested to see what other people would bring to the table with this large cast of characters. There are still a hundred stories that could be told with Betty, Hannah, Braga, Dee and Violet.

With that said, I’m passing on the torch to a new team, a group of amazing creators who will carry on the legacy of the Rat Queens in an exciting and new direction.

Ryan Ferrier, who has lettered the series since we came back in 2017, will be taking over writing duties. He was absolutely the first choice for me. We share a similar sense of humour and he’s been living with these characters for over a year now. If you haven’t read any of Ryan’s work, I HIGHLY recommend D4ve. It was my first foray into his work, and it’s genius and funny and heartfelt and great.

Our new line artist, Priscilla Petraites, is someone I’ve been watching for years. She has emailed me every year since 2014, always sending me her new portfolio, to show her progress and growth as an artist. I’ve always had an interest in working with her, but could never find the right concept for the collaboration. When I decided to move on from Rat Queens, Priscilla was an obvious choice. And the heavens aligned, schedules collided and Rat Queens is now her baby.

Marco Lesko and Priscilla had worked together on several other projects as a team before coming on to Rat Queens. I’d seen their work together and bringing Marco onto Rat Queens as our colourist made absolute sense. They have an artistic chemistry that drips off the page, and I can’t wait to see them craft their take on the world of Rat Queens.

This new team will be taking over in April, 2019, with their one shot: Rat Queens Swamp Romp, before jumping into their full-time duties with issue 16 in June.

So. What’s next? And what about current Rat Queens artist, Owen Gieni?

In the past few years, Owen has become like a brother to me. He’s been around through the toughest of times and has always been an honest and stalwart friend. Through our long conversations over the years, we’ve discussed hundreds of theories and philosophies, and even more stories and worlds.

It’s time we did something with them.

2019 is about change. About taking a risk, in art and in life.

Together, Owen and I are founding a creative company; Beast and Bone Studios.

We’re going to be creating a pile of new art, comics and otherwise. We’re finally going to get a start on a series we’ve been talking about since summer of 2017. Plus a few others we’ve been hashing out in the last few months. I cannot wait.

First, I want to thank Jim Valentino, the man who saw something unique in this little series. He backed me through everything, and has supported my decisions, both creatively and professionally, and it’s been a fantastic journey. I call him my second dad for a reason!

And finally, I want to thank every single person out there who’s supported Rat Queens, and more directly, supported me through the past five years. It has never been unappreciated, and the kindness you’ve shown through emails and messages has saved me more than you can know. I will be forever grateful for the fans and to the five Queens who made my current life possible.

Here’s to you, Violet, Dee, Hannah, Braga and Betty.Especially you, Betty. You know you’ve always been my favourite.

Much love,Kurtis Wiebe

PS: Here’s your first look at Ryan, Priscilla and Marco’s Rat Queens!

#rat queens #shadowline comics #kurtis j wiebe #ryan ferrier #owen gieni #priscilla petraites #marco lesko

[hope-for-olicity]

Fabulous Olicity Fanfic Friday - September 28th, 2018

Happy Friday! So this is my attempt to both thank awesome fanfic writers for their amazing work and offer my recommendations to anyone who is interested. Here are the fantastic fanfic stories I read this week! They are posted in the order I read them.

A Novel Beginning multi-chapter WIP by @vaelisamaza - Olicity AU, Felicity runs her own Tech shop and writes romance novel reviews for her sister's website, Oliver comes in for computer help and it's all getting very exciting!! SQUEE!!!!  https://archiveofourown.org/works/15800145/chapters/36771384

Angel multi-chapter WIP by @it-was-a-red-heeler - Oliver encounters a stripper by the name of Angel and is blown away. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15961898/chapters/37227686#workskin

The Paths We Take multi-chapter Complete by griever11 - Rival CEOs AU. Felicity Smoak, CEO and founder of her own company, is trying to prove herself in the cutthroat world of the technology industry among the other bigwigs in the game. Oliver Queen, recently back from the dead is trying to prove to the world that he's no longer the same man-child who went down on the Queen's Gambit and is finally worthy of his family's legacy. Both equally formidable names in the corporate world. And both with a long, complicated history with each other that no one but themselves are privy to. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15314133/chapters/35530296

From Somewhere Within multi-chapter WIP by @smoaking-greenarrow - Their connection has always felt natural to them, safe and secure. But others tend to fear what they don’t understand, and as far as their enemies are concerned, the world isn’t ready to accept two people who can know each other the way that Oliver and Felicity do. https://archiveofourown.org/works/16009244/chapters/37356257

I Have a Right by who_seeks_shall_find - William's friends defend William when a group of older kids harass him in a cafe. https://archiveofourown.org/works/16011746

The Hardest Target multi-chapter by @laurabelle2930 - When Felicity was a child her father developed an AI program that eventually brought their family fame and fortune. As she grew her father faded away his business grew and their bond shattered. After a car accident almost got her best friend Sara Lance killed Felicity's father made a choice...this choice would radically alter the course of her life. Now 5 years after the plane crash that killed her father and left her stranded she's come home to defeat the enemies her father's work created. The target is H.I.V.E's gun for hire, his name is unknown but his skills are deadly. He works for Damian Darkh who's allied with the one and only Quentin Lance Starlings chief of police. The only problem with her brand new life is Oliver Queen. He feels foreign yet familiar at the same time. She's drawn to him as he is to her but the question is why? What brings them together and what could potentially tear them apart? AMAZING!! http://archiveofourown.org/works/5745787/chapters/13240654

The Proposal multi-chapter WIP by @sunshineolicity - When Felicity is threatened with deportation, she lies about being engaged to her boss, Oliver Queen. She doesn't expect him to agree to marry her but they're caught up in family parties and wedding plans before she knows it. https://archiveofourown.org/works/11301480/chapters/25287291

P.S. Hong Kong: Was it Real?!? multi-chapter WIP by @cruzrogue for Olicity trope-tastic award: Fake Marriage - This is off season 3 Flashbacks. When Tommy goes to Hong Kong he doesn’t go alone he takes his friend Felicity as the best information system being to help him locate Oliver Queen. Tommy may leave empty handed but Felicity gets to be a bride… https://archiveofourown.org/works/15025697/chapters/34832747

Rebels Connected multi-chapter WIP by @mindramblingsfics - Felicity Smoak is an escaped mutant on the run. Oliver Queen, leader of an underground safe house for mutants to call home comes to her rescue. Everything changes once he brings her into the organization and his life. https://archiveofourown.org/works/16014089/chapters/37369784

If I Tremble multi-chapter WIP by @smoaking-greenarrow - A collection of prompts and ficlets, with all the smut! Olicity sexy times are the best times. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15409122/chapters/35762643

Life's All About Changes multi-chapter WIP by Crazyreader2468 - After agreeing to plead guilty to being the Green Arrow in order to get FBI assistance in capturing Diaz, Oliver finds himself in a supermax, a maximum security federal prison, serving a life sentence. As he struggles to become accustomed to life in prison, his family, friends, and teammates struggle to live without him, as well as continually attempting to find a way to get him pardoned. Will they succeed in obtaining a pardon and will Oliver survive until they do? Mostly AU from right before the ending of episode 6 x 22 and after most of 6 x 23. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14936172

Pieces of Always multi-chapter WIP by @so-caffeinated and @dust2dust34 - Life continues after Forever is Composed of Nows. Ongoing non-linear collection of family moments for the Queens. http://archiveofourown.org/works/8220479/chapters/18840356

The Reason multi-chapter WIP by flipflops - Oliver is an Alpha and Felicity is an Omega....circumstances lead Oliver to find this out and a very bad time or maybe very good time... https://archiveofourown.org/works/15012431

Re-Airrow Episode 2x04 by @lostolicityscenes - Three fill in the blank scenes for the episode. The first one takes place before the episode events basically deepening the bond between Oliver and Felicity and setting up the flirty flirt at the end of the episode. The second scene is a Delicity scene that takes place after the revelation that Sara is alive, expanding on Felicity’s feelings of hurt and confusion. The last scene takes place before the flirty Olicity scene in the episode. I wanted to show they talked before that scene to explain her change in attitude as well as an excuse to show Oliver’s increasing reliance on her advice. https://lostolicityscenes.tumblr.com/post/178194053416/re-airrow-episode-2x04

10 Rules of Rebounding multi-chapter WIP by @smkkbert - Oliver and Felicity start a sex relationship as rebounds for each other. What’s supposed to be just fun, soon gets complicated when it turns out that their work lives collide, Robert Queen fears their sexual relationship could threaten his company and an ex comes back into the play. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15403404/chapters/35749620

Home To You multi-chapter WIP by @the-shy-and-anxious-fangirl - Oliver Queen has never done what his family expected of him. He took a gap year after high school instead of going to college right away. He quit his fraternity sophomore year to join the student newspaper, switching his major from business to journalism. He became a photojournalist for a wire service instead of taking a place at Queen Consolidated. He went missing after six months instead of coming home for his sister’s twenty-first birthday. He survived five years of captivity in a war zone when everyone thought he was dead. He came home. But home didn’t have a place for him in it anymore. His parents were both dead, casualties of their own mistakes and a city they had turned against them. His sister was all grown up, the CEO of Queen Consolidated with a fiancé and a dog and a life of her own. Oliver didn’t belong in his old life, but there was nowhere else for him to go. He was a man without a home, without any way of finding one, until he stopped by the IT department of his sister’s company to get files off an old, battered memory card, and found a woman with curly blonde hair and bright, intelligent eyes chewing on a bright red pen and swearing at a computer screen. https://archiveofourown.org/works/12613188/chapters/28734552

Arrow Out of Context: "You can call me nothing" Buried Alive Part 1 multi-chapter WIP by @smoaking-greenarrow - "John" and "My friends call me Dig, you should call me nothing."https://archiveofourown.org/works/14957309/chapters/37421213

Arrow Out of Context multi-chapter WIP by @smoaking-greenarrow - "I've already seen you shirtless. Multiple times. Shirtless all the time" https://archiveofourown.org/works/14957309/chapters/37541849#workskin

Queen vs Queen multi-chapter WIP by @muslimsmoak - Felicity Mignonette Renaldi Smoak has been handling being a princess pretty well so far. After all, she did only find out at the ripe young age of 15. Now, she is 21 and ready to take the throne of Genovia after being under the tutelage of her aunt. But there’s only one thing in her way, wait, actually two. Two things in her way: Oliver Queen, the hot young bachelor she danced with the night of her homecoming ball, who neglected to mention that he’s after her crown alongside his uncle Malcolm Merlyn, and the fact that she has to marry within 30 days if she wants to be Queen. Ray Palmer, Duke of Keystone is sweet, sensitive, intelligent and kind and seems like the perfect choice. But marrying and falling in love are two different things. A Princess Diaries AU  https://archiveofourown.org/works/15808065/chapters/36794172

Back to Start multi-chapter WIP by @laurabelle2930 - Felicity left home almost ten years ago. She missed her family, the land that she'd always felt bonded to and, the boy who was not only her best friend but, also her true love. Now with the help of her family she's about to see if the boy she left behind is still just as in love with as she still is with him. https://archiveofourown.org/works/16043321/chapters/37451873

Fragments multi-chapter WIP by @alexiablackbriar13 - A collection of various arrow and olicity ficlets from my drafts folder, partially completed. some AU, some canon related. many related to established verses I've created, although do not need to read those verses to read these fics. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15906561/chapters/37075926

Unexpected Meeting or Fate? multi-chapter WIP by CaptainSammyAngel - Since she was a little girl, Felicity Smoak has been apart of the League of Assassins. While Oliver Queen for the past six months has been the CEO of Queen Consolidated and trying to keep it afloat. When the League decides to start the hunt of Malcolm Merlyn in the last place he was located, two people will meet but circumstances and pasts will make it difficult for them to be together. Will they find a way or will they be torn apart? https://archiveofourown.org/works/15007139/chapters/34783916

The Queen's Mage multi-chapter WIP by @the-shy-and-anxious-fangirl - Words have power, and mages, those with the aptitude to draw on that power, are few in number. Thus, their services are highly sought after by anyone who has exhausted all mundane means of solving whatever problem is plaguing them. Felicity is reminded of this fact the hard way when she is hired by Moira Queen, the Lady Starling, to find and return to her son Oliver, who fled his family home five years ago following the death of his father. With a threat hanging over her should she return without Robert Queen's heir, Felicity begins her search. When she finds Oliver, and ends up joining his vigilante crusade while she waits for him to decide whether to return home, the last thing she expects to do is fall in love with him. https://archiveofourown.org/works/14617068/chapters/33781269

Re-airrow: Episode 2x05 by @lostolicityscenes - This scene takes place right before the above scene at the top of the episode. I think it’s pretty self-explanatory, dialogue that appears side by side takes place at the same time. Rest is below the cut. https://lostolicityscenes.tumblr.com/post/178325265428/re-airrow-episode-2x05 

Fear Wakes You Up multi-chapter WIP by @smoakmonster - In a world divided into factions, being Divergent means certain death. For years, Oliver has hidden his terrible secrets–masking his own Divergence within the chaos of Dauntless, covering up the sins of his father’s past that mark his body beneath tattoos, and pushing himself to overcome his nightmares through endless simulations. He’s biding his time until he can somehow save his sister back in Abnegation. But everything changes the day a new batch of transfers arrive. The day he meets her. https://archiveofourown.org/works/16058117/chapters/37490819

Deep Water multi-chapter WIP by @it-was-a-red-heeler - A Season 7 Speculation fic. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15081917/chapters/34968092

Hard To Find Love multi-chapter WIP by Mellowyellowdiamonds - Through a tragic twist of fate Felicity finds herself left with an orphaned young William Clayton. Keeping her promise to her friend, Felicity raises William diligently, loving him as if he were her own child, only to have Moira Queen storm into their lives several years later demanding custody of her grandson. Locked in a war with Moira Queen, things get complicated when Felicity finds herself developing unwanted feelings for William's biological father, Oliver Queen. At the same time she must try to manage her meddling 13 year old son, who has it in his head that if Felicity would just cooperate and fall for his father, everything would be right in the world. https://archiveofourown.org/works/15941786/chapters/37173917

A Series of Dates multi-chapter Complete by @alexiablackbriar13 - Oliver Queen is in love with Felicity Smoak. Felicity Smoak is in love with Oliver Queen. It takes four dates, and the help of Oliver's loyal service dog, Hunter, for them to realise that they're forever destined to be something more than just friends. https://archiveofourown.org/works/13130304/chapters/30036912

Time for a Story multi-chapter WIP by @smkkbert - This fic shows Olicity and their life as a (married) couple with family. Although Olicity (and their kids) are the protagonists, other characters of Arrow and Flash make appearances. YOU NEED THIS STORY IN YOUR LIFE. http://archiveofourown.org/works/3912157/chapters/8757172

// @emmaamelia95 // @mel-loves-all // @oliverfel4 // @green-arrows-of-karamel // @coal000 // @miriam1779 // @memcjo// @captainolicitysbedroom // @tdgal1 // @spaztronautwriter // @lalawo1// @quiveringbunny // @wrongshipper // @thebookjumper // @vaelisamaza // @myhauntedblacksoul // @lovelycssefan // @laurabelle2930 //

#FabulousOlicityFanficFriday #olicity fanfiction #fic recs

[helloitsthecynincalaesthete-blog]

Annotated Bibliography

“16 Remarkable Historical Figures Who Were Transgender.” HistoryCollection.co, 31 Dec. 2018, https://historycollection.co/16-remarkable-historical-figures-who-were-transgender/5/.

This was a really cool thing to find because I only recognized one of the names on this list. The article lists all of their sources at the very bottom, and I Googled some of the names online to make sure the information matched up. It did, so I knew that I could trust the information. This type of article wouldn’t really have a conflict of interest or any bias. Each person’s story was plainly told the way that it happened.

I was drawn to this article because 1) I hadn’t addressed the transgender historical impact and 2) I was looking for stories that were more of the ‘heart-wrenching’ variety to continue the idea of mentioning the sacrifices that the LGBT community made. The story of Jennie Hodgers aka Albert Cashier stuck out the most to me, so I decided to use it in both the opinion series and the research essay. Jennie immigrated from Ireland to the US; she changed her name and identity on the boat ride over, so everyone in America only knew her as Albert Cashier. Albert was a Union solider during the Civil War. He would bait the Confederates into action and even escaped the custody of a Confederate soldier after being captured. After the war ended, Albert took up normal life, living off of his army pension. An accident revealed that Albert was genetically a woman. His army pension was revoked but he won it back in a court battle. He was committed to an insane asylum when his mental health started to decline, where he was forced to live and dress as a woman. Albert started to go a little crazy from the stress of not being able to live as the gender he identified with. He would use safety pins to fashion the skirts that he was forced to wear into trousers. He lived there until his death in 1915.

 Bie, Søren. “Canonization: Joan of Arc.” Joan of Arc - Jeanne D'Arc (1412 – 1431), Joan of Arc 1412 - 1431, 7 Oct. 2019, https://www.jeanne-darc.info/biography/canonization/.

‘Canonization: Joan of Arc’ was written using information from the Catholic Encyclopedia and the National Library of France. The bibliography itself lists about one hundred sources, give or take. The information was very professionally researched which means that it should be accurate and reliable. That doesn’t mean that there isn’t bias. The author is Catholic, so the information is presented with religious bias. Sentences like “Our predecessor of blessed memory, Pope Benedict XV, who was deeply committed to the spiritual welfare of France, was thought give to this nation, noble of all, a pledge special benevolence.” Are scattered throughout every article on the website.

Although a little unorthodox, I’m going to use the information presented about Joan of Arc’s life in my research essay as an example of a transgender historical figure. I got the idea when I was looking for examples of transgender historical figures and found a small article about Joan of Arc being labeled as a ‘gay icon’; LGBT speculate that she was either transgender man or a lesbian. She was the one who came up with the idea to dress as a man. She continued to do so even after signing a plea deal saying that she wouldn’t and was burned at the stake for breaking her word. In the opinion series, I played around with stances from both sides: the religious version of the story and the LGBT presenting their own claims, all backed up by historically accurate examples from the website. Addressing the argument from both sides helped me refine the argument that I’m going to present in the research essay.

Gates, Henry Louis. “Bayard Rustin, the Gay Civil Rights Leader Who Organized the March on Washington.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 19 Sept. 2013, https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/history/100-amazing-facts/who-designed-the-march-on-washington/.

PBS is an incredibly reliable source. Most of their programs center around education. The article was published about 6 years ago but it’s written about the Civil Rights Movement that took place in the 1960’s. It’s highly unlikely that the information is outdated. The article doesn’t present any bias because, once again, PBS is an educational program. They present the information and events the way that they are.

I decided to use this article to address how the Civil Rights movement helped to foster the Gay Rights Liberation movement that happened in the 1960s-70s. Even though the Civil Rights movement was about liberation for African Americans, it also became a bolster for other minorities to push for equal rights as well.  In a time where there was already such discrimination and persecution of African Americans, it seems unheard of that any of them would be openly gay. Bayard Rustin was not only openly gay, but he was also a key player in the success of the Civil Rights movement. He helped to organize the March on Washington. He taught Martin Luther King Jr. about Gandhi’s non-violent resistance. Rustin’s sexuality was used against him by other African Americans who disagreed with MLK’s peaceful protests. They threatened to spread rumors about Rustin and MLK being in a homosexual relationship. These men threatened one of their own people simply because they disagreed with how MLK was running things. Rustin stayed in the shadows and is often uncredited for all the work he’s done. Although not a tragic death or sacrifice, it was an important sacrifice nevertheless. I can use this example to address my theme of LGBT sacrifices throughout history.

 History.com Editors. “Stonewall Riots.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 31 May 2017, https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/the-stonewall-riots.

I’ve used History.com for many papers and I’ve found time and again that this is a quality website with accurate facts and stories. This website presents its information without little to no bias. The article was only written two years ago, so the section where it addresses the Stonewall Riots’ legacy is still applicable to today’s political climate. The only new thing that was influenced by the riots is the Equal Rights act that was presented earlier this year.

The Stonewall Riot happened in New York City in June 1969. At this time, sodomy had been decriminalized in a few states but was still illegal in most places. NYC had been a hub for LGBT culture since the 1800’s but it was illegal there. A lot of lowkey gay and drag bars started popping up; these places were a safe refuge where LGBT folk could be themselves. These places were constantly raided by the police as New York had passed a law that it was illegal to serve alcohol to LGBT people. Police were also looking to catch people engaging in illegal same-sex acts; people could be arrested for something as simple as holding hands. Isn’t that nuts?? Stonewall Inn was a refuge for gays and welcomed drag queens when other bars didn’t. The owners were usually tipped off before raids happened. One night, police raided the Stonewall Inn with no warning and started arresting workers and patrons. Those that were arrested were roughly handled, which sparked outrage among patrons and neighbors. A riot broke out and lasted a total of six days. These riots, an important event in LGBT history led to the creation of many gay rights organizations, like Gay Liberation Front, Human Rights Campaign, GLAAD, and PFLAG. There's a reason that the Stonewall Riots are still widely discussed some 50 years later.

 “HIV and AIDS --- United States, 1981--2000.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5021a2.htm.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention has got to be the most accurate and trusted source out of these ten. I found this source when I was looking for information about the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s. I knew that there was a stigma around gay men but that was basically it. This article only addresses the facts from 1981-2000 and was published in 2001, so I did look elsewhere to find up to date numbers for how many people had contracted and died from the disease. Gay men are most likely to contract the disease, with minorities not too far behind. Infections numbered as high as 150,000 per year and the 1980s but as social awareness and efforts for prevention increased, the number of infected individuals dropped to 40,000 by 1992. The LGBT community, mainly gay men, are still feeling the social impact of this rampant disease almost forty years later. Gay men aren’t allowed to donate blood or plasma for fear of infection, even if they test negatively for HIV. There is still a ton of negative social attitudes towards those with HIV or even just getting tested for the disease. This has prevented people from coming forward to be tested. They’re scared of the social impact if they do test positive for HIV. Because of this, a lot of infected people remain undiagnosed. Eighteen years after this report was made, scientists are still working on creating a preventative HIV vaccine.

 Robson, Ruthann. Lesbianism in Anglo-American Legal History. CUNY School of Law, 1990, https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1321&context=cl_pubs.

Lesbianism in Anglo-American history was published in 1990. It discusses laws and punishments put into place for lesbians, or rather, the lack thereof. This source is almost thirty years old, but as it focuses solely on the history of lesbians, it isn’t necessary outdated. The end of the paper does address modern day lesbianism, but as a plea to not let the legal history of lesbians be shrouded or erased. A theme repeated throughout the paper is that there usually weren’t laws that made same-sex relationships between women illegal. The reason being that people often believed that it just wasn’t a thing or rather ‘impossible’ to behold.  Queen Victoria straight up didn't believe that lesbians existed. "Queen Victoria's stance of ignorance on lesbianism which resulted in the 1885 Criminal Law Act not covering sexual activity between women." The American colonies seemed to have the most strict laws against lesbianism, which fell under the blanket term ‘sodomy’. However, it's not well known whether these laws were effective or if they were ever enforced. 

There was a quote that inspired my argument and the last few paragraphs of my research paper. “My plea is one for the future: we are living legal history and we must not allow [lesbianism] to be obfuscated in that history, whether by deliberate concealment or benign neglect.” Although this paper is specifically about lesbians, I could just as easily put gays, or transgender folk, or LGBT people where the parenthesis are, and it would still make perfect sense. We cannot and will not allow our history to be erased. This was essentially the basis for the tone I used in my first paper for the opinion series. I wrote something along the lines of ‘We cannot be erased and we will not be erased! History is super gay!’ etc. I'm going for a softer approach in my actual research essay. I don't want to alienate the audience, so instead of a tough stance, I want it to be open ended, an invitation for change. The whole essay is based off of 'History is super gay!'. It's just not stated outright. 

 Erickson, Tyler. “Legalization of Gay Marriage--United States Supreme Court Declares It Unconstitutional for States to Deny Same-Sex Couples the Right to Marry: Immediate Impact of Gay Marriage in North Dakota.” North Dakota Law Review, vol. 91, no. 1, Oct. 2015, pp. 219–232. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=115834666

This paper outlines the impact of the case Obergefell v. Hodges (2015), wherein the Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples are legally allowed to marry under the protection of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th amendment. States must recognize gay marriages that happened in other states. “… the Court found the right of personal choice regarding marriage is an integral part of a person’s individual autonomy…the right to marry is a safeguard for families and their children, which connects it to similar fundamental rights…an individual’s right to marry is a keystone of the nation’s social order.” There were fourteen petitioners in four different states that insisted their marriages being recognized as legitimate. Marriage is a right for any given person. The officials who ruled against this said that if gay marriage was legalized, it would threaten the very institution of marriage itself. Their decision was overruled by the Supreme Court. The United States finally legalized gay marriage in all 50 states, 14 years after the Netherlands became the first country to do so. This paper addresses the changes that happened that led up to this historical event. Up until the 1950’s, homosexuality was viewed as immoral by the Western countries. It was illegal in most of them. Homosexuality was classified as a mental illness in the 1950’s. But more and more LGBT started living their lives out in the open due to social shifts and equal rights movements. In 1996, the Defense of the Marriage Act was passed, defining marriage as between a man and a woman. In 2003, Massachusetts overturned this and legalized gay marriage. Eventually, enough people challenged the laws that the whole country had to follow suit.

.

Burke, Monica. “7 Reasons Why the Equality Act Is Anything But.” The Heritage Foundation, The Heritage Foundation, https://www.heritage.org/gender/commentary/7-reasons-why-the-equality-act-anything.

‘7 Reasons Why The Equality Act Is Anything But’ was written by Monica Burke and published March 14, 2019.  It’s immediately obvious after scanning the title and the mini bio about the author that this article is going to be biased, which makes it the perfect source to use when addressing the counterargument in my research essay. Burke was a research assistant for DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at The Heritage Foundation, which provides her with some credibility. Burke’s first sentence, “Most Americans don’t want a nationwide bathroom requirement...” more or less erases the LGBT community and its allies.

As Burke lists the ways that the Equality Act could affect the community, her examples aimed at the religious population. A baker was sued for refusing to make a wedding cake for a same sex couple and won. The same baker was sued for refusing to make a gender-transition cake and was found guilty of gender discrimination. Burke reasons that people should be able to refuse things like this (aka discriminate) on religious grounds. The next example is of a teacher who refused to use a student’s preferred pronouns based on religious beliefs and was fired. She effectively uses ethos by stating that the Equality Act could get charities shut down. “Although same-sex couples have the opportunity to foster children through the state or every other agency in Philadelphia, the city canceled its contract with Catholic Social Services. The agency’s approved foster homes remain available while children languish on the waiting list.”

This article is effective to address my counterargument because the audience I’m trying to address is the non-LGBT community which is largely a religious population. I can address their concerns specifically.

[maevns]

tagged by @znanyjany // thanks martyna!! ♡

rules: you must answer these 85 statements and tag 20 people. 

the last... 1. drink: fruit punch gatorade.  2. phone call: the mom of the kid i babysit (LOL). 3. text message: kelsey!! 4. song you listened to: fixed by new hope club. 5. time you cried: pretty sure it was yesterday. 6. dated someone twice: haven’t even done it once :/ 7. kissed someone and regretted it: ...never kissed anyone lol. 8. been cheated on: nope. 9. lost someone special: just from a friendship. 10. being depressed: i’m never not depressed. 11. gotten drunk and thrown up: never.

three favorite colors... 12. pastel pink 13. black 14. lilac purple

in the last year have you... 15. made new friends: absolutely.  16. fallen out of love: yes/no. 17. laughed until you cried: yes. 18. found out someone was talking about you: yep. 19. met someone who changed you: yes. 20. found out who your friends are: yep. 21. kissed someone on your facebook list: nope.

general: 22. how many of your facebook friends do you know in real life: all except two. 23. do you have any pets: not anymore :( 24. do you want to change your name: no. 25. what did you do for your last birthday: went on a shopping spree at barnes and noble and spent $168 LOL. 26. what time did you wake up: like,,, 07:40 am. 27. what were you doing at midnight last night: writing a review for a book i finished that day, and watching youtube videos after that. 28. name something you can’t wait for: i’m not sure... 29. when was the last time you saw your mom: a few minutes ago. 31. what are you listening to right now: a bull riding competition (don’t ask..) and fixed by the new hope club. 32. have you ever talked to a person named tom: yep,, and i’m fb friends with him too. he was in my graduating class. 33. something that is getting on your nerves: people rating/praising books higher just because they have more representation, even if the content is terribly generic or the plot is trash. 34. most visited website: goodreads or pinterest. 35. hair colour: dark brown (it’s v close to black, tbh).  36. long or short hair: medium length lol. 37. do you have a crush on someone: yep,, and it never quits. 38. what do you like about yourself: my ability to see through bullshit & my ability to retain information. 39. piercings: just my ears, but i rarely wear earrings. 40. blood type: no clue. 41. nickname: lyns. 42. relationship status: single. 43. zodiac: cancer. 44. pronouns: she/her. 45. favourite tv show: the vampire diaries (even tho it’s over). 46. tattoos: none. 47. right or left handed: left. 48. surgery: never,, but i broke my ankle when i was in third grade. 49. piercing: wait, wasn’t this asked already? 50. sport: bike riding/ice skating (but i haven’t been able to do it in a v long time).                51. vacation: camping. 52. pair of trainers: i have two pairs (one adidas & one nike, ironically).

MORE GENERAL: 53. eating: your basic fourth of july food lol. 54. drinking: gatorade. 55. i’m about to: eat dinner LOL. 56. waiting for: whatever the future brings. 57. want: red queen #4.                                                 58. get married: maybe.. 59. career: illustrator, idk what else.

WHICH IS BETTER: 60. hugs or kisses: kisses. 61. lips or eyes: eyes -- hands down. 62. shorter or taller: tall (i’m 5′11, so if we’re talking about guys... i’d like him to be taller than me). 63. older or younger: younger. 64. nice arms or nice stomach: nice stomach. 65. hook up or relationship: relationship. 66. troublemaker or hesitant: hesitant.

HAVE YOU EVER: 67. kissed a stranger: no. 68. drank hard liquor: just wine and wine coolers,, so no. 69. lost glasses/contact lenses: yep lol. 70. turned someone down: yes. 71. sex on the first date: no. 72. broken someone’s heart: not sure.. 73. had your heart broken: yep. 74. been arrested: no -- i’ve been pulled over tho lol. 75. cried when someone died: yes. 76. fallen for a friend: nope.

DO YOU BELIEVE IN: 77. yourself: most of the time lol. 78. miracles: mmm.... maybe. 79. love at first sight: yes and no. 80. santa claus: no lol. 81. kiss on the first date: i’d really only go out someone if i  r e a l l y  liked them,, so yes. 82. angels: no -- i don’t even believe in god. OTHER: 83. current best friend’s name: raina, lexi, & ondraya. 84. eye colour: hazel (blue & green). 85. favourite movie: the grand budapest hotel by wes anderson.

tagging: @lilycallouway, @rhysahd, @kaitegecko, @neiljoster, @adampairrsh, @adamsronan, @camerongoodkn, & @gansaey.

#fuck.. this was long LOL

[allofbeercom]

Who is Leanne Wood? A profile of the Plaid Cymru leader – BBC News

Image copyright Getty Images

When Plaid Cymru started looking for a new leader in 2011, Leanne Wood faced rival candidates grounded in the party’s Welsh-speaking heartlands.

But it became apparent that Plaid members wanted change.

They found it offered by a left winger from a non-Welsh speaking background in the former industrial valleys of south Wales.

She won a decisive victory and took the Labour stronghold of Rhondda, her home patch, at last year’s assembly election.

But success with the wider electorate in the rest of Wales has not come so readily.

Born in 1971 to parents Jeff and Avril, she and her sister Joanna were raised in the village of Penygraig.

Image copyright PA

Image caption With parents Jeff and Avril in the former mining village of Penygraig where she lives on the street where her grandparents lived

She still lives there with her partner, Ian, and daughter, Cerys.

Their private life is just that – private.

Though she has spoken frequently about how her working-class upbringing shaped her politics, she keeps her family away from the media.

Understanding why she has stayed so close to home is crucial to understanding her politics, says Plaid AM Adam Price, a long-time friend and ally.

“She sees the role of a politician that you represent the people in whose community you live and you have a real sense of what matters to them because you live among them,” he says.

Witnessing the decline of those communities and the miners’ strikes of the 1980s was a political awakening.

Image caption Described as very clever by school friends, Leanne Wood became interested in political issues around the time of the miners’ strike in 1984-85

She has recalled how her father was laid off from the builders’ yard where he worked, and talked about the experience of joining a separate queue for free school dinners.

“I understand what struggling means,” she wrote on her website.

While at Tonypandy Community College – or “Pandy Comp” – she had no intention of going into politics, dreaming instead of becoming a TV newsreader. Moira Stuart was a role model.

She left school at 16 and got a job in a factory making artificial flowers.

Low pay and poor conditions convinced her to go back and study for A levels.

For many politicised young people from that background, there was a well-trodden path into the Labour Party.

But some thought getting rid of Margaret Thatcher was not enough.

They decided fundamental changes were needed to the way power operates in the UK.

Who is Leanne Wood?

Date of birth: 13 December 1971 (aged 45)

Job: Probation officer, university lecturer, Plaid Cymru leader since 2011

Education: Left Tonypandy Comprehensive at 16 – remembered as “clever” and “great fun” – to work in a factory. Returned to education and graduated from the University of South Wales

Family: Partner Ian and 12-year-old daughter Cerys Amelia

Hobbies: Allotments, where she grows her own vegetables. Beer enthusiast and member of the Campaign for Real Ale. Musical tastes include Catatonia (as seen in “van share” with Victoria Derbyshire), Massive Attack, Bob Marley and Bach. Favourite single… anti-monarchist anthem God Save The Queen by the Sex Pistols

A colleague who has worked closely with her says Leanne Wood saw poverty arrive in the valleys and concluded that “it would never be a priority for a Westminster government and the answers were to be found here in Wales – that we would have to plough our own furrow, shape our own future”.

Image copyright Leanne Wood

Image caption Wood and Jill Evans were arrested in 2007 for blocking a road into Faslane Naval Base, home to Britain’s Trident nuclear missile system

“We were abandoned, effectively, by the Labour Party, and seeking a new political home,” says Adam Price.

When they found that home, they discovered Plaid could claim its own tradition of radical left-wingers.

Among them was the economist DJ Davies, a founding father of the party who wrote about the economics of Welsh independence. Leanne Wood cites him as an influence.

Image copyright Alamy

Image caption A borough councillor at 25, Leanne Wood became political researcher for Plaid MEP Jill Evans in 2000, a year before launching her campaign as Westminster candidate for Rhondda

Image caption The campaigner – Leanne Wood at the Cardiff Bay Republican Day in 2011 and at the city’s LGBT Mardi Gras (r)

After studying at what is now the University of South Wales in nearby Pontypridd, she became a probation officer.

She was a local councillor, worked for the Plaid MEP Jill Evans, and lectured in social policy at Cardiff University, before being elected to the Welsh Assembly in 2003.

The year before, in 2002, her boyfriend, David Ceri Evans, took his own life.

Years later, she spoke to ITV’s Good Morning Britain about coping with the tragedy, saying it was “something that is informative to politics because I think my experience having worked as a probation officer as well has meant that I’ve seen some real difficult experiences that people have had to live through”.

Anyone who had never met her before she became an AM could be in no doubt about Ms Wood’s politics when she arrived in Cardiff Bay.

A republican, she was once kicked out of the chamber for calling the Queen “Mrs Windsor”.

Image caption Leanne Wood “inclined her head” instead of curtseying when she met the Queen in Cardiff last year

She was arrested in 2007 at an anti-nuclear protest at the Faslane naval base.

And in the same year she was among four Plaid AMs opposed to a coalition with the Conservatives.

Eventually, the then Plaid leader, Ieuan Wyn Jones, took the party into a coalition with Labour.

In her own words

Setting things straight in a leaders’ TV debate when UKIP’s Paul Nuttall kept getting her name wrong: “I’m not Natalie, I’m Leanne”

Telling BBC Wales that Brexit was not the only thing on voters’ minds before May’s local elections: “Most people talk about dog poo”

Her verdict on the Queen’s speech in December 2004: “We are more at risk now than we have ever, ever been before and the measures outlined in Mrs Windsor’s speech will not address this risk”

Meal times at Tonypandy Comprehensive School: “We were stigmatised for having free school meals. We used to have to stand in a separate queue from the paying children”

At Plaid Cymru’s conference in Newport this year: “If you live here and you want to be Welsh then as far as we are concerned, you are Welsh and your rights will be defended by the Party of Wales”

There was no ministerial job for Leanne Wood, leaving her free to roam across subjects.

She delivered a lecture to Plaid activists in 2010 asking whether the party needed a new direction.

The following year she published a pamphlet about an environmentally conscious economic strategy to revive the former coalfields.

It combined two of her passions: co-operative politics and allotments.

When election defeat ushered Mr Jones out of office, Ms Wood started talking about how young Plaid members were encouraging her to stand – a hint that she would offer a break from the cautious, centrist Mr Jones.

Image copyright Rhys Llwyd

At the start of the leadership contest, she was an outside bet.

But enough Plaid members liked what they heard and read, choosing her as their first woman leader and the first leader not fluent in Welsh.

She took up the reins with a call to work towards “real independence”.

She has a much higher profile than all previous Plaid leaders, thanks to her inclusion in the leaders’ TV debates for the 2015 general election.

Lining up alongside David Cameron and Ed Miliband was, says an aide, a “huge deal”.

Her team poured their efforts into preparing for the debates, trying to make sure that she left an impression in voters’ minds that Leanne Wood was the voice of Wales.

Image copyright Keith Morris

Image caption Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has praised Leanne Wood’s performance as leader

Supporters say viewers liked her authenticity, pointing to good approval ratings as proof.

What they cannot do is point to seats won in parliament – Plaid still had only three MPs.

And although hopes were high in Plaid before last year’s assembly election, the leader’s victory in the Rhondda was its only advance. Plaid won 12 seats, the Tories 11 and Labour 29.

What others say

“I was proud of Leanne, I know you were proud of Leanne and I promise you I will always work with Leanne Wood in the best interests of our two countries,” Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said at Plaid Cymru’s conference in 2015.

Vice chair of British CND and friend John Cox: “She’s a campaigner who happens to have become a leader of Plaid Cymru. But it’s not like some people I’ve known who throughout their political lives have been climbing from one step to the next. She’s not that sort of person. She’s not a successful politician; she’s a successful campaigner.”

Former Pontypridd probation service colleague Rob Thomas described her as “a doughty fighter, who will not take no for an answer very easily”.

Soon after the election, Conservative and UKIP AMs lent her their support, causing a dramatic tie between Ms Wood and Labour’s Carwyn Jones in a vote to nominate the first minister.

It forced Labour to make concessions to Plaid, although there is no formal coalition between the two parties.

In reality, there was never any real prospect of Ms Wood becoming first minister last summer. She has ruled out ever working with the Conservatives, let alone UKIP.

Meanwhile, there’s a debate within Plaid about the party’s attitude towards Labour – something Ms Wood herself conceded when she said on the eve of a party conference last year that it was something Plaid was “actively considering all the time”.

Image caption Leanne Wood won praise for her dance skills during a Strictly Cymru Dancing 2016 fundraiser, pictured with actor Richard Elfyn (l) and Plaid Cymru councillor and actor Danny Grehan

The current arrangement – in opposition, but sometimes working with Labour – probably puts Ms Wood in the centre ground of opinion in the party.

She campaigned with Mr Jones for a Remain vote in the EU referendum and helped draw up a Welsh Government plan for Brexit.

But her “project” is to eventually replace Labour.

The Scottish nationalists provide the blueprint – first become the biggest party, then build the case for independence.

Both goals are some way off and Plaid members are annoyed by unfavourable comparisons to the Scottish nationalists’ success.

Defections mean Ms Wood no longer leads the largest opposition group in Cardiff Bay.

But positive results in local council elections have boosted Plaid’s hopes of inflicting wounds on Labour in the snap general election on 8 June.

Image copyright Plaid Cymru

Image caption Looking down on the village of Penygraig in the Rhondda Valley

Before the local elections, she said her five years at the helm had seen its “ups and downs”.

While campaigning, she has let rip with her anti-Tory convictions, asking voters to “defend Wales” from a Theresa May government.

And she pondered in public about whether she should stand as a Westminster candidate in the Rhondda, a move that would have required her to quit as party leader under current rules.

Eventually, she decided against.

Senior figures in Plaid privately told the BBC they were dismayed by her openly flirting with the idea.

Nevertheless, the Rhondda is one of two or three seats Plaid hopes to snatch from Labour on 8 June. If it does so, this election will be remembered as one of the bigger “ups” in Ms Wood’s political career.

Related Topics

Plaid Cymru

Leanne Wood

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/2017/07/08/who-is-leanne-wood-a-profile-of-the-plaid-cymru-leader-bbc-news/

[bruceeves]

“Work # 961: Six Works Seven Anecdotes”

When accepting the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958, Harold Pinter said that “there are no real distinctions between what is real and what is unreal, nor between what is true and what is false. A thing is not necessarily true or false; it can be both true and false.” What I propose here is to engage with six works I created over the past three years, a series of works that are mash-ups of gay history, art history, and my history refracted through the mashed-up lens of image abutting image and text atop image. The resulting elements of ambiguity engage memory – not exclusively, but not insubstantially either – and neatly echo the lack of reliability between real/unreal true/false posited by Pinter. “Memory” as Mary Warnock would postulate “operates under perpetual tension: the only way to cope with life is to learn what to forget; the only way to feel one has an identity is to remember.”

  In 2007, after a months-long bout of self-doubt and self-recrimination, I decided to take a booth in the artist sector of the Folsom Fair North to decide once and for all whether or not to throw in the towel. I was interested in feedback more than anything. Aside from earning about 20 cents profit, the one thing I learned from my afternoon spent in Allan Gardens in downtown Toronto is that Leathermen, while supportive, are cheap, cheap, cheap . . .    With success and validation like that, I realized it would be stupid to give up so I resolved to stick around (much to the annoyance of some . . . they know who they are).

  Accepting “Salò: 120 Nights of Sodom” as its personal saviour, “Work # 864: The Nature of God” (2013) looked to Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1975 enumeration of abuse of power, corruption, sadism, sexual perversity, and fascism as the first work in a series that explored the outer limits of masculine behaviour – a behaviour that is traditionally still expected of the boy before he can be considered fully a man. With titles like “Trailer Trash Terrorism”, “Behave Work Obey”, “Yes I Will Yes”, “Cell Block Bitch”, and “Shhh . . . (How to Conduct a Successful Interrogation – Lessons 1-20)” this is not a series of works intended for the faint of heart. What was done with this series was the antithesis of aestheticizing gleaming muscleboys or exploring the romanticism inherent in male bonding. “Work # 864: The Nature of God” allows that the rigour of discipline often morphs into the disciplinarian running amok. Notwithstanding the fact that this work has been described as ‘the water-boarding piece’ (which is an interpretation that I don’t dismiss), it is a multi-image cum-soaked force-feeding enacting either the predetermined choreography of some arcane sexual ritual or the resolution of cold-blooded revenge – that’s up for you to decide.  

  “Work # 900: (Endeavouring . . . )“ (2014) is masculine behaviour of a different sort – a mash-up of “Hercules Beating the Centaur Nessus” by Giambologna and a slightly abridged line lifted from “The Pickwick Papers“ by Charles Dickens. While it appears to be a meeting of an apple and an orange, the two parts making the whole have a lot in common. Giambologna (1529-1608) was a Flemish sculptor (born Jean Boulogne) based in Italy and celebrated for a Mannerist style of intellectual sophistication and conscious artificiality favouring compositional tension and instability over balance and clarity. It seemed logical to partner a Mannerist sculpture from 1599 with a comic novel from 1836. As in many other Dickens novels the main literary value is the often exaggerated personality traits of his characters. The abridged quote is from a scene when the perennial spinster Rachael Wardle is driven into a state of near-feverish excitement over her botched elopement. The two fragments – sculpture and text – taken together assume a different form of feverish instability by implying a post-modern conflicted relationship willfully engineered by Nancy-boy Nessus to force hunky he-man Herc into delivering the most satisfactorily masochistic pounding. “Work # 900: (Endeavouring . . . )“ could never be construed as a self-portrait. The only thing masochistic about me is my continual insistence on maintaining an art practice; and as far as what goes on, as they say, behind closed doors, I’m far too snotty and opinionated to be anyone’s slave.

  It was after much arguing that this work was finally exhibited as part of a self-described “queer” arts festival hosted by Artscape – a real estate monopoly that is the purveyor of postage-stamped sized “live/workspaces” and studios priced at levels geared to the 1% throughout Toronto – found this union of 16th century image with 19th century words simply beyond the pale for breached the organization’s (previously unknown) family-friendly guidelines . . .

  The fact that it even needs to be stated plainly that “according to the rules of my tribe, being 62 puts me 12 years past my best before date” strategically planted atop a photo of a hot torso in “Work # 904: Twelve Years a Ghost” (2014) should be indictment enough in exposing ageism as the last acceptable prejudice. I guess I must have touched a nerve when the piece was exhibited (by a curator old enough to known better) far enough away and high on a wall in the furthest back corner of the gallery . . . Fine, I’m a sixty-three year old, half lame, three-quarters deaf, widowed gay man with a cardiac condition, full dentures, horrible eyesight and rapidly developing cataracts; I acknowledge those facts. But that doesn’t make me, as is said in Yiddish, ein alter kocker – and old shitter!

  The scenario presented in “Work # 918: Ash [and] Tray” (2014), from the same series as “Work # 864: The Nature of God” and    

                dredged up from deep within my unconscious, was enacted several times over the course of one sultry evening at the Crash ‘n Burn in the summer of 1977. Toward the end of the line for the C’nB, the now fondly mythologized punk rock club brooding in the basement of its overlord the Centre for Experimental Art and Communication (CEAC), the crowd had become distressingly uptown (meaning north of Queen Street). Technically acting as the eyes and ears for the head office upstairs, the perpetrator of the heinous acts was me (drunk) and the instigator (drunker) was one Paul Bartlett (now deceased), a poor little rich boy with impossible-to-resolve daddy issues and (stupidly) the perpetrator’s soon to be boyfriend. That that sultry evening proved to be one of Mr. P.B.s more rational moments was soon to become apparent. That memory is both a weapon and a crutch led Jean Genet to claim that every man guards in himself his own particular wound. I don’t remember when the affair completely fell apart but I don’t think it lasted past that Christmas. To quote Francis Bacon, they say time heals, but I really wonder about that.”

  There’s nothing metaphorical in the least about the title of “Work # 943: Spider Web Sex Machine” (2015), it’s exactly what it says – two panels, one over the other; the top, a photograph of a spider’s web glinting in the sunlight and the bottom a no-nonsense advertising styled photograph of a sex machine. Discovering its existence of such a thing left me with the same sense of unease in not being entirely sure how this baroque contraption accommodates a human body as when I inspected close-up one of the pieces of fucking furniture custom-built for the future Edward VII. One assumes that Mr. Spider has gone out for beer and poppers because the web is as empty and inviting as the sex machine is peculiar and menacing.

  On March 28, 2016 I received the following email with the subject heading “Question about Work # 943“ from a fellow with residences in both Montreal and Berlin: “Hey There, You show a sex maschine [sic] in the Artworkt Nr 943 [sic] called Spider web sex machine' out of 2015. Do you know where to buy that machine from? [sic] maybe you can give me a website or a hint in what direction to go for more information about the machine.  Cant [sic] find any hint nowhere [sic] on the internet so far. Thanx a lot for your help. Greetz [sic] J___ B______ “. Two things came immediately to mind when I read this: 1) this is the first time I’ve ever been sent correspondence from a genuine pervert (cool!); and 2) both the deutchen grammaticus and the fractured syntax made my pants feel too tight. Of course I emailed him at once (!) with a couple of suggestions and that perhaps, if all else failed, he would be interested in purchasing the one-of-a-kind “Work # 943: Spider Web Sex Machine” (2015), which is a work of art . . .

  He never wrote back. Oh well. I tried.

  On an annual school trip to the Royal Ontario Museum before I had pubic hair, I recall lingering behind my other classmates when we got to the Greek and Roman galleries because of one sculpture in particular, a life-sized fragment of a man’s nether region with orange-sized testicles and globular glutes – feeling sweat and convinced I was the focus of knowing glances. I don’t think anyone noticed, but in my mind’s eye “Work # 956: David Was Horny” (2016) is how I imagined I looked staring up at David’s gigantic balls for the first time. It made me wonder whether or not male desire has really changed all that much from 1500 to the present, and while I have long delved into the question of the "gay sensibility", it’s never been either a trip down memory lane or a retreat into the stereotyped suck-and-fuck paradigm. I've positioned myself as an ironic spectator of this world of men ripped from the daily headlines where the 19th century notion of a romantic friendship has been kicked into the gutter. Herein lies the challenge: it is old news that the male body continues to be a provocation; but ironically, a critique of masculinity has gone largely unexplored, and embraces the proposition examined in much of my work that it should be possible to be simultaneously hot and sweaty and critical and detached. It is desirable – even exhilarating – to question the givens of our cultural baggage while at the same time allowing ourselves to be wrapped in its brawny arms.                                                                   Bruce Eves, April 2016

Bruce Eves is an artist living in Toronto. In past lives he was the assistant programming director of the Centre for Experimental Art and Communication (CEAC), art director of the New York Native and Christopher Street magazine, and the co-founder and chief archivist of the International Gay History Archive (now part of the Rare Books and Manuscript division of the New York Public Library).

[njawaidofficial]

Leah Remini Doubles Down on Anti-Scientology Crusade: I Want a Federal Investigation

http://styleveryday.com/2017/08/09/leah-remini-doubles-down-on-anti-scientology-crusade-i-want-a-federal-investigation/

Leah Remini Doubles Down on Anti-Scientology Crusade: I Want a Federal Investigation

The firebrand star revs up her war in season two of A&E’s Emmy-nominated docuseries ‘Aftermath’ as she heads to New York to join Kevin James’ CBS comedy amid a church counteroffensive: “It’s been really trying.”

Some moments from Leah Remini’s childhood will never fade. Like the afternoon she rode a graffiti-covered B Train with her big sister, Nicole — at ages 8 and 10, their first time alone on New York City mass transit. Their journey took them from Bensonhurst, Brooklyn, to Times Square — a seedy porn-theater mecca in the late ’70s — and the Church of Scientology building on 46th Street. There, they met their mother, Vicki, a divorcee whose new boyfriend had indoctrinated the family in the self-fulfillment movement. “We went all-in, because Scientology is an all-in proposition,” says Remini. “My mother thought she’d found the answers to her life and, you know, our future.”

Three decades later, Remini is going home again. The 47-year-old actress and anti-Scientology activist is currently relocating from Los Angeles, her home since age 13, back to the East Coast. The move is a practical one: She’s joining the cast of Kevin Can Wait, part of a major second-season retooling of the CBS sitcom that sees the departure of its current female lead, Erinn Hayes. Beginning Aug. 7, Remini will be seated in a Long Island soundstage alongside Kevin James, her TV husband for nine years on The King of Queens, for the season’s first table reads. But right now, she’s just trying to cram her life into cardboard boxes. “It’s been really trying,” she offers wearily on July 28. “I’ve never been apart from my daughter for longer than five days.” Sofia, 13, has opted to remain in her current school and will travel to see her mother on weekends with her father, Remini’s husband of 14 years, singer-actor Angelo Pagan.

Remini also will continue to produce and star in Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath — the second season premieres Aug. 15. This enthralling A&E documentary series profiles ex- Scientologists like herself — people shunned and targeted by the church and, all too often, by their own family members. The two vastly different shows will air concurrently (“hopefully not on the same day,” says Remini). Aftermath has earned Remini, who stars and executive produces the show, an Emmy nomination for best informational series or special. It’s her first shot at an Emmy and, after nearly 30 years in the business, that feels good — even if it’s not quite as she had always imagined it. “When I was just acting, of course it was something you always wanted,” she says. “Like, hey, we’re on a show for nine years, you want some recognition from your peers.” Now she’s more interested to win it for her Aftermath subjects. “They don’t get paid to do the show. The only thing they get is a hate website put out on them by Scientology. They get paid internet ads against them. Their families turn against them. Any award I get is for them.”

But not long ago, before the nomination and new show, Remini had doubts that Hollywood would ever embrace her again. Her profile had waned in the post-King of Queens years, during which she appeared in a string of failed sitcoms with names like Family Tools. In 2010, she began a stint on CBS’ The Talk that culminated in her firing the next year — followed by a very public war of words with her Talk co-star Sharon Osbourne.

But her flight from Scientology in 2013 dramatically altered the course of her career — and, it turns out, revitalized it. Doubts about the organization and its strong-arm tactics had begun to creep in as early as 2004, but it was at Tom Cruise’s storybook wedding to Katie Holmes in 2006 that Remini began to seriously contemplate cutting and running. At the ceremony, set at a 15th century Italian castle, she’d innocently asked about the whereabouts of church leader David Miscavige’s absent wife, Shelly. That was apparently a big no-no, and she says church elders cursed at her and told her to mind her place. Drawn to keep asking questions, Remini soon saw her life become hell, as former friends and colleagues subjected her to blacklisting and the filing of dozens of “internal reports.”

Remini filed a missing persons report on Shelly Miscavige, whose whereabouts are still in question. A Los Angeles Police Department detective later told Remini, “She is fine,” which Remini considered an unsatisfying response. “I asked, ‘Did you see her? Did you see her body? Was somebody speaking on her behalf?’ ” (She recalls the detective replied, “Can’t tell you that, ma’am.”) Remini says the detective in question has since been hired to speak at Scientology events. “Does he work for the Church of Scientology, or is he LAPD?” she asks aloud. “Like, what’s going on here? They host detective lunches at the Celebrity Centre for the LAPD Hollywood division. I mean, they’re very, very friendly with each other.”

Remini chronicled her flight from Scientology in 2015’s book Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology — a by-turns dishy and disturbing tell-all that includes, amid the dirty laundry, a story about Cruise berating an assistant over faultily prepared cookie dough. The book was promoted heavily in the run-up to its release with a 20/20 interview and dozens of talk show appearances, and it shot to No. 1 on The New York Times best-seller list.

With the book’s success, several ex-Scientologists reached out to Remini in gratitude and to share their own trials with the church. She brought cameras with her (and a high-ranking church defector, Mike Rinder) to document one shocking story: a woman’s deathbed account of her forced estrangement from her daughter, under church orders. Against the protestations of her management team, Remini brought that footage to producers Eli Holzman and Aaron Saidman and proposed turning such narratives into a series. “I said, ‘Don’t be pussies. If you’re going to be pussies, you’re not the right producers for this,’ ” Remini recounted at a TV Academy event this past May. After a tense huddle, the two men assured her they weren’t “pussies” — and the series was born.

Remini is astonished at the impact of Aftermath‘s first season — which focused on disconnection. “We’ve heard from people who were inside Scientology, who told me, ‘I watched your show. I went on the internet. I decided to leave. I am fighting for my children after watching your show,’ ” says Remini. “We get tons of those. And it’s those moments that you go, ‘OK — we’re doing something.’ “

Season two will ramp up the attacks on the religion, shining a light on what Remini calls “all of the abusive practices of Scientology — sexual abuse and physical abuse.” Remini intends for the sophomore outing to move into an “activist” realm — meaning she hopes to present enough evidence of criminal wrongdoing to warrant a federal investigation. “I’m talking about the FBI, the police, the Department of Justice, the IRS,” she says. “If the FBI ever wanted to get anywhere, all they would need to do is do a raid. Everybody who’s ever gone to Scientology has folders, and anything you’ve ever said is contained in those folders.”

Asked to explain these “abusive practices,” Remini takes a deep breath, then lays out some foundational principles. “Scientology policy dictates that children are grown men and women in little bodies. They believe a 7-year-old girl should not shudder at being passionately kissed. That’s in Dianetics,” she says, referencing L. Ron Hubbard’s 1950 book that establishes core tenets. “If you join the Sea Org [a clergy class with a nautical heritage] as a child, your parents give you over to Scientology. Children are treated as crew. They are assets. And if a child is molested, that child and/or parent cannot go to the police, because it’s against policy. They handle it in Scientology. They will usually bring the molester in and give them spiritual ‘auditing,’ or counseling.” The victim, she continues, “gets punished for ‘pulling it in,’ which is a Scientology term that means you did something that you’re not telling the church about — and that’s why you received the abuse. The child is usually made to do some kind of amends, to make up for what happened to them.”

Remini (who says she once was falsely accused of being “Out 2D” — Scientology’s term for having premarital sex — after church officials found lace panties in her drawer) argues that “there are no victims in Scientology. Anything that happens to you in Scientology happens to you because you made it happen.”

The church has a different take on Remini and her A&E series, citing a spike in anti-Scientology hate crimes, bomb threats and death threats since Aftermath began airing. That escalation has required “drastic increases in security in many of our churches,” says Scientology spokeswoman Karin Pouw, who adds that since the show first aired, “there have been more than 500 incidents of vandalism, harassment and threats of violence against the church, its parishioners, staff and leadership.” Pouw cites several recent incidents, including “a woman who gushed about Leah Remini on social media [then] drove her car through the front doors and lobby of our church in Austin, Texas, coming to rest just short of a nursery where earlier children [had been] playing,” and a man who “served five months in jail and is now on parole for a credible assassination threat against the leader of the church, which he said was inspired by the ‘King of Queens lady.’ “

Adds Pouw: “Leah Remini is just an actress whose current role is starring in a scam of a show whose singular goal is to incite religious hate and violence for ratings, money and Emmy nominations.”

With both sides ramping up for a new — and, in all likelihood, much uglier — phase of this all-out war, Remini says the fight has been “rewarding, but very taxing.”

Amid such stress, working with James again takes some of the edge off. “I’m just happy to be laughing again,” she says.

The two reunited in May for a two-part Kevin Can Wait season finale in which they played rival detectives forced to team up to investigate a drug-smuggling case. After the show notched a surprise win in the ratings, it was apparent to everyone involved that the chemistry was still there. “They have a natural ESP. It’s magic,” says showrunner Rob Long, who worked with Remini on a 1993 episode of Cheers. (Long was a writer on the show; Remini played the daughter of Rhea Perlman’s Carla.)

When NBC passed on Remini’s comedy pilot (based on the 1991 Bill Murray comedy What About Bob?) in May, Kevin Can Wait producers saw a window of opportunity. Says Long, “It was a very small group of us that thought it would be fun to bring her back as a series regular. We were looking for a creative reset — a way to create a little bit more emotion.” Season two will see the action move ahead in time and Hayes’ wife killed off, leaving open the possibility of romance between James’ and Remini’s characters.

Still, Remini, who claims that she has no idea what her arc on the show will be, says she was pleasantly clueless about the opportunity. “My agent just said, ‘You’re going to be on the show.’ I said, ‘How many episodes?’ He said, ‘No — you’re going to be on the season.’ I was like, ‘Oh, my God — that’s amazing!’ That was the first round of excitement. And then, of course, reality sets in, where you’re like, ‘Oh, wait — I have to move my whole life there.’ “

Yet Remini isn’t complaining. “When I was younger, I was like, ‘What’s the character’s name? And I need to speak to the stylist on the show. And I need to have certain shoes and, like, what’s my dressing room look like?’ ” she says. “Now I’m like, ‘Great. Where do I sign?’ “

Remini will have shot three episodes when, in September, it’s back to L.A. for the Emmys, where her status as Scientology Public Enemy No. 1 could make things a little awkward for her. What if, for example, she were to cross paths with Elisabeth Moss, a nominee for outstanding lead actress in a drama series for The Handmaid’s Tale — and a lifelong member of the church?

“Elisabeth Moss believes that she can’t talk to me,” says Remini. “There’s a thing in Scientology called ‘acceptable truth.’ It means you only say what’s acceptable to the public. But she believes that I’m an antisocial personality — because I’ve spoken out against Scientology. So she isn’t allowed to talk to me. And me knowing that, I wouldn’t put her in the awkward position.”

But what if, say, the two were to suddenly come face-to-face at the Governors Ball, each carrying a freshly engraved Emmy? Would she congratulate her fellow winner? “I would, of course,” says Remini. “I don’t hold anything against Elisabeth Moss other than she’s continuing to support a group that is abusive and destroying families.”

But, Remini adds, “That’s for her to learn — just as I needed to learn it.”

This story first appeared in the Aug. 9 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.

#AntiScientology #Crusade #Doubles #Federal #Investigation #Leah #Remini

#AntiScientology #Crusade #Doubles #Federal #Investigation #Leah #Remini

[samanthasroberts]

Who is Leanne Wood? A profile of the Plaid Cymru leader – BBC News

Image copyright Getty Images

When Plaid Cymru started looking for a new leader in 2011, Leanne Wood faced rival candidates grounded in the party’s Welsh-speaking heartlands.

But it became apparent that Plaid members wanted change.

They found it offered by a left winger from a non-Welsh speaking background in the former industrial valleys of south Wales.

She won a decisive victory and took the Labour stronghold of Rhondda, her home patch, at last year’s assembly election.

But success with the wider electorate in the rest of Wales has not come so readily.

Born in 1971 to parents Jeff and Avril, she and her sister Joanna were raised in the village of Penygraig.

Image copyright PA

Image caption With parents Jeff and Avril in the former mining village of Penygraig where she lives on the street where her grandparents lived

She still lives there with her partner, Ian, and daughter, Cerys.

Their private life is just that – private.

Though she has spoken frequently about how her working-class upbringing shaped her politics, she keeps her family away from the media.

Understanding why she has stayed so close to home is crucial to understanding her politics, says Plaid AM Adam Price, a long-time friend and ally.

“She sees the role of a politician that you represent the people in whose community you live and you have a real sense of what matters to them because you live among them,” he says.

Witnessing the decline of those communities and the miners’ strikes of the 1980s was a political awakening.

Image caption Described as very clever by school friends, Leanne Wood became interested in political issues around the time of the miners’ strike in 1984-85

She has recalled how her father was laid off from the builders’ yard where he worked, and talked about the experience of joining a separate queue for free school dinners.

“I understand what struggling means,” she wrote on her website.

While at Tonypandy Community College – or “Pandy Comp” – she had no intention of going into politics, dreaming instead of becoming a TV newsreader. Moira Stuart was a role model.

She left school at 16 and got a job in a factory making artificial flowers.

Low pay and poor conditions convinced her to go back and study for A levels.

For many politicised young people from that background, there was a well-trodden path into the Labour Party.

But some thought getting rid of Margaret Thatcher was not enough.

They decided fundamental changes were needed to the way power operates in the UK.

Who is Leanne Wood?

Date of birth: 13 December 1971 (aged 45)

Job: Probation officer, university lecturer, Plaid Cymru leader since 2011

Education: Left Tonypandy Comprehensive at 16 – remembered as “clever” and “great fun” – to work in a factory. Returned to education and graduated from the University of South Wales

Family: Partner Ian and 12-year-old daughter Cerys Amelia

Hobbies: Allotments, where she grows her own vegetables. Beer enthusiast and member of the Campaign for Real Ale. Musical tastes include Catatonia (as seen in “van share” with Victoria Derbyshire), Massive Attack, Bob Marley and Bach. Favourite single… anti-monarchist anthem God Save The Queen by the Sex Pistols

A colleague who has worked closely with her says Leanne Wood saw poverty arrive in the valleys and concluded that “it would never be a priority for a Westminster government and the answers were to be found here in Wales – that we would have to plough our own furrow, shape our own future”.

Image copyright Leanne Wood

Image caption Wood and Jill Evans were arrested in 2007 for blocking a road into Faslane Naval Base, home to Britain’s Trident nuclear missile system

“We were abandoned, effectively, by the Labour Party, and seeking a new political home,” says Adam Price.

When they found that home, they discovered Plaid could claim its own tradition of radical left-wingers.

Among them was the economist DJ Davies, a founding father of the party who wrote about the economics of Welsh independence. Leanne Wood cites him as an influence.

Image copyright Alamy

Image caption A borough councillor at 25, Leanne Wood became political researcher for Plaid MEP Jill Evans in 2000, a year before launching her campaign as Westminster candidate for Rhondda

Image caption The campaigner – Leanne Wood at the Cardiff Bay Republican Day in 2011 and at the city’s LGBT Mardi Gras (r)

After studying at what is now the University of South Wales in nearby Pontypridd, she became a probation officer.

She was a local councillor, worked for the Plaid MEP Jill Evans, and lectured in social policy at Cardiff University, before being elected to the Welsh Assembly in 2003.

The year before, in 2002, her boyfriend, David Ceri Evans, took his own life.

Years later, she spoke to ITV’s Good Morning Britain about coping with the tragedy, saying it was “something that is informative to politics because I think my experience having worked as a probation officer as well has meant that I’ve seen some real difficult experiences that people have had to live through”.

Anyone who had never met her before she became an AM could be in no doubt about Ms Wood’s politics when she arrived in Cardiff Bay.

A republican, she was once kicked out of the chamber for calling the Queen “Mrs Windsor”.

Image caption Leanne Wood “inclined her head” instead of curtseying when she met the Queen in Cardiff last year

She was arrested in 2007 at an anti-nuclear protest at the Faslane naval base.

And in the same year she was among four Plaid AMs opposed to a coalition with the Conservatives.

Eventually, the then Plaid leader, Ieuan Wyn Jones, took the party into a coalition with Labour.

In her own words

Setting things straight in a leaders’ TV debate when UKIP’s Paul Nuttall kept getting her name wrong: “I’m not Natalie, I’m Leanne”

Telling BBC Wales that Brexit was not the only thing on voters’ minds before May’s local elections: “Most people talk about dog poo”

Her verdict on the Queen’s speech in December 2004: “We are more at risk now than we have ever, ever been before and the measures outlined in Mrs Windsor’s speech will not address this risk”

Meal times at Tonypandy Comprehensive School: “We were stigmatised for having free school meals. We used to have to stand in a separate queue from the paying children”

At Plaid Cymru’s conference in Newport this year: “If you live here and you want to be Welsh then as far as we are concerned, you are Welsh and your rights will be defended by the Party of Wales”

There was no ministerial job for Leanne Wood, leaving her free to roam across subjects.

She delivered a lecture to Plaid activists in 2010 asking whether the party needed a new direction.

The following year she published a pamphlet about an environmentally conscious economic strategy to revive the former coalfields.

It combined two of her passions: co-operative politics and allotments.

When election defeat ushered Mr Jones out of office, Ms Wood started talking about how young Plaid members were encouraging her to stand – a hint that she would offer a break from the cautious, centrist Mr Jones.

Image copyright Rhys Llwyd

At the start of the leadership contest, she was an outside bet.

But enough Plaid members liked what they heard and read, choosing her as their first woman leader and the first leader not fluent in Welsh.

She took up the reins with a call to work towards “real independence”.

She has a much higher profile than all previous Plaid leaders, thanks to her inclusion in the leaders’ TV debates for the 2015 general election.

Lining up alongside David Cameron and Ed Miliband was, says an aide, a “huge deal”.

Her team poured their efforts into preparing for the debates, trying to make sure that she left an impression in voters’ minds that Leanne Wood was the voice of Wales.

Image copyright Keith Morris

Image caption Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has praised Leanne Wood’s performance as leader

Supporters say viewers liked her authenticity, pointing to good approval ratings as proof.

What they cannot do is point to seats won in parliament – Plaid still had only three MPs.

And although hopes were high in Plaid before last year’s assembly election, the leader’s victory in the Rhondda was its only advance. Plaid won 12 seats, the Tories 11 and Labour 29.

What others say

“I was proud of Leanne, I know you were proud of Leanne and I promise you I will always work with Leanne Wood in the best interests of our two countries,” Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said at Plaid Cymru’s conference in 2015.

Vice chair of British CND and friend John Cox: “She’s a campaigner who happens to have become a leader of Plaid Cymru. But it’s not like some people I’ve known who throughout their political lives have been climbing from one step to the next. She’s not that sort of person. She’s not a successful politician; she’s a successful campaigner.”

Former Pontypridd probation service colleague Rob Thomas described her as “a doughty fighter, who will not take no for an answer very easily”.

Soon after the election, Conservative and UKIP AMs lent her their support, causing a dramatic tie between Ms Wood and Labour’s Carwyn Jones in a vote to nominate the first minister.

It forced Labour to make concessions to Plaid, although there is no formal coalition between the two parties.

In reality, there was never any real prospect of Ms Wood becoming first minister last summer. She has ruled out ever working with the Conservatives, let alone UKIP.

Meanwhile, there’s a debate within Plaid about the party’s attitude towards Labour – something Ms Wood herself conceded when she said on the eve of a party conference last year that it was something Plaid was “actively considering all the time”.

Image caption Leanne Wood won praise for her dance skills during a Strictly Cymru Dancing 2016 fundraiser, pictured with actor Richard Elfyn (l) and Plaid Cymru councillor and actor Danny Grehan

The current arrangement – in opposition, but sometimes working with Labour – probably puts Ms Wood in the centre ground of opinion in the party.

She campaigned with Mr Jones for a Remain vote in the EU referendum and helped draw up a Welsh Government plan for Brexit.

But her “project” is to eventually replace Labour.

The Scottish nationalists provide the blueprint – first become the biggest party, then build the case for independence.

Both goals are some way off and Plaid members are annoyed by unfavourable comparisons to the Scottish nationalists’ success.

Defections mean Ms Wood no longer leads the largest opposition group in Cardiff Bay.

But positive results in local council elections have boosted Plaid’s hopes of inflicting wounds on Labour in the snap general election on 8 June.

Image copyright Plaid Cymru

Image caption Looking down on the village of Penygraig in the Rhondda Valley

Before the local elections, she said her five years at the helm had seen its “ups and downs”.

While campaigning, she has let rip with her anti-Tory convictions, asking voters to “defend Wales” from a Theresa May government.

And she pondered in public about whether she should stand as a Westminster candidate in the Rhondda, a move that would have required her to quit as party leader under current rules.

Eventually, she decided against.

Senior figures in Plaid privately told the BBC they were dismayed by her openly flirting with the idea.

Nevertheless, the Rhondda is one of two or three seats Plaid hopes to snatch from Labour on 8 June. If it does so, this election will be remembered as one of the bigger “ups” in Ms Wood’s political career.

Related Topics

Plaid Cymru

Leanne Wood

Source: http://allofbeer.com/2017/07/08/who-is-leanne-wood-a-profile-of-the-plaid-cymru-leader-bbc-news/

from All of Beer https://allofbeer.wordpress.com/2017/07/08/who-is-leanne-wood-a-profile-of-the-plaid-cymru-leader-bbc-news/

[rosecierraw]

Saving TechDirt

As regular readers know, I’ve twice been sued for defamation over my reporting and opinions from this blog.

When Joseph Rakofsky sued me (and so many others) for reporting on ornis dreadful attempt to defend a murder case in his first ever trial, TechDirt was there to shout in our defense.

When Dr. Michael Katz sued me for reporting that a Queens judge repeatedly called him a liar in open court, TechDirt was once again there to scream from the rooftops.

Now it’s my turn to holler for TechDirt, as it’s very survival may hinge upon raising funds needed to defend itself from a defamation claim.

TechDirt, which gets 1.5M visitors a month, does original reporting and commentary about changes in government policy, technology and legal issues.

The blog is well written, well-researched, with just the right amount of snark to make reading that’s both enjoyable and informed even if the subject isn’t one you’d normally read.

So they’ve have been sued. For writing about who “invented” email.

Shiva Ayyadurai claims he invented email. And he didn’t seem to appreciate TechDirt’s Mike Masnick of calling him a fraud for making that claim.

As per a Fortune article on the suit:

Ayyadurai claims that a series of posts on TechDirt amount to libel—in part because the posts call Ayyadurai a “fake email inventor” and a “fraudster” and calls his claims to have invented the technology “bogus.”

Apparently, Ayyadurai created a program that he entitled “EMAIL” around 1978 or 1979. But, according to TechDirt, he merely creating code for one program, and that:

 “does not, in any way, establish him as “the creator” of “the” electronic mail system — merely an electronic mail system — and hardly the first one. I could write some sort of email management software tomorrow and copyright that… and it would no more make me an “inventor” of email than Ayyadurai.

TechDirt’s site references NetHistory for the story of how email was actually created. There is no mention of Ayyadurai, as the foundation had apparently already been laid before Ayyadurai created his program.

Email is much older than ARPANet or the Internet. It was never invented; it evolved from very simple beginnings.

Indeed, the core element of email, the idea by Ray Tomlinson to use the @ symbol, was described merely as a “nice hack” when it was first used in 1972, years before Ayyadurai named his program:

We needed to be able to put a message in an envelope and address it. To do this, we needed a means to indicate to whom letters should go that the electronic posties understood – just like the postal system, we needed a way to indicate an address.

This is why Ray Tomlinson is credited with inventing email in 1972. Like many of the Internet inventors, Tomlinson worked for Bolt Beranek and Newman as an ARPANET contractor. He picked the @ symbol from the computer keyboard to denote sending messages from one computer to another. So then, for anyone using Internet standards, it was simply a matter of nominating name-of-the-user@name-of-the-computer. Internet pioneer Jon Postel, who we will hear more of later, was one of the first users of the new system, and is credited with describing it as a “nice hack”. It certainly was, and it has lasted to this day.

At one point in 2014, the Huffington Post wrote a multi-part story about Ayyadurai  being the inventor of email. While there’s no doubt that Ayyadurai did create an email system, and did obtain a copyright for his particular code, that didn’t make him the inventor of email as you know it. So says TechDirt in its analysis of the article, concluding that the Post store ignored the fundamental difference between a copyright on the particular code and a patent on the concept:

Copyright was not, and has never been “the equivalent of a patent.” Copyright and patents are two very different things. Copyright protects specific expression. Patents protect inventions. That’s why copyright protected only the specific code that Ayyadurai wrote, rather than the concept of email.

Techdirt acknowledges that Ayyadurai came up with some cool improvements, such as using the shortened word email in place of electronic mail, and making the full address book part of the email system. But that simply  comes under the classification of standing on the shoulders of those that came before you:

Ayyadurai has built up his entire reputation around the (entirely false) claim that he “invented” email. His bio, his Twitter feed and his website all position himself as having invented email. He didn’t. It looks like he wrote an implementation of an email system in 1978, long after others were working on similar things. He may have added some nice features … appears to have potentially been ahead of others in making a full address book be a part of the email system. He may, in fact, be the first person who shortened “electronic mail” to “email” which is cool enough, and he’d have an interesting claim if that’s all he claimed. Unfortunately, he’s claiming much, much more than that. He’s set up an entire website in which he accuses lots of folks, including Techdirt, of unfairly “attacking” him. He apparently believes that some of the attacks on him are because he spoke out against corruption in India. Or because people think only rich white people can invent stuff. None of that is accurate. There’s a simple fact, and it’s that Ayyadurai did not invent email.

TechDirt deserves a vigorous defense. If it doesn’t get that defense, it may go out of business. That is not just bad for the company, it is bad for anyone that believes in free expression.

An important note: Ayyadurai’s counsel is Charles Harder, of California. He’s the one, with bankrolling by Peter Thiel, that brought down Gawker regarding the publication of the Terry Bollea (Hulk Hogan) sex tape. Before the First Amendment issues could be challenged in an appellate court, the $140M verdict sent the company spiraling into bankruptcy.

But don’t think for a second that Harder is infallible. Because he’s also behind the Melania Trump lawsuit where she sued because she was called an escort. And, as I posted recently, I think he screwed the pooch by revealing that Melania wanted to use her new-found high profile to make millions. The negative press was devastating. And I blame the lawyers for that.

The suit is important, very important. Because, while it was easy to laugh at Gawker going down the tubes due to its reprehensible conduct, there were significant First Amendment issues regarding the publication of something that was true, and that Bollea had also made his sex life fodder for discussion.

As Scott Greenfield notes:

There’s no sex tape of Ayyadurai. There’s no ickiness pigeonhole to shove this into. It’s clearly a matter of public interest and concern. And Techdirt isn’t Gawker. At the time, the constitutional “scholars” argued that none of this would happen, there would be no chilling effect. It was just about Gawker, because Gawker, and sex videos because privacy. Nothing to see here, move along.

But Harder figured something out that you didn’t. Or you didn’t want to. He figured out that if you bring a suit, bring it in the right jurisdiction, try to get some home field advantage, a defendant might get Gawkered into submission. In this case, suit was brought in the United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts. That’s where Ayyadurai happens to be. Mike? He’s in California, far, far away.

Thus far, TechDirt has imposed the defense of “In pilleum caca.”(Go shit in a hat.) But it costs money to do that against the very well-funded Harder.

You can donate to the Techdirt Survival Fund here. Please give a few dollars if you appreciate the right to speak freely.

As I know all too well from personal experience, free speech isn’t free. It needs to be defended.

Elsewhere:

What a strange allegation, in alleged-inventor-of-e-mail vs. Techdirt lawsuit (Volokh at Washington Post):

No — a copyright registration for a program named “email” is not the U.S. government recognizing Ayyadurai “as the inventor of email.” No-one at the Copyright Office determines whether a program (or any other work) is a new invention. (Patent examiners may do that, but the Copyright Office doesn’t.) Indeed, no-one at the Copyright Office runs the program, reads the source code, or tries to compare the program’s description to those of other programs.

We Stand With TechDirt and So Should You (Carr at Pando):

Certainly the philosophical connection between Thiel’s attempt to kill Gawker and Ayyadurai’s attempt to silence TechDirt couldn’t be clearer: Both involve wealthy tech moguls using their cash (and Charles Harder) to shut down critical reporting, with the handy side effect that other media outlets are frightened into silence. At the very least, Thiel’s crusade against Gawker has emboldened plaintiffs like Ayyadurai to try to outspend the First Amendment.

…

But, of course, it barely matters whether TechDirt would win or lose in court — the cost of defending a $15m suit could easily be enough to bankrupt the site before a judge gets a chance to rule.

EFF is Proud to Stand Beside Techdirt in its “First Amendment Fight for its Life.” (Greene @ Electronic Frontier Foundation):

Techdirt is a vital resource – it provides a wide audience with independent journalism addressing some of the biggest technology issues of our time. The Internet community wouldn’t be the same without it. But of course this case is not just about Techdirt. It’s about freedom of the press generally.

  Saving TechDirt published first on http://fergusonlaw.blogspot.com

[verylargeladies]

Big, Bold and Beautiful - BBW Dating in Australia

BBW Dating sometimes confuses those not familiar with the abbreviations and acronyms used in ads for singles dating and personals. Does it mean bbw cupid? When I first came across the term, I thought it meant BBW. After a little exposure to the scene, and confirmation from other authors, I've come to realize it means Big Beautiful Woman. In other words, it refers to those women likely to be found in the plus size community.

Of course, there is no hard and fast rule as to where the scale of being a BBW begins. Many people don't like the idea of placing labels on people (unless they are unambiguously favorable, like, "genius"). However, many do find labels a convenient short-hand and will judge others, or conveniently group them, according to the job they hold, their race, color, car they drive, income earned, etc. Even their size.

Although a BBW may come in many shapes and sizes, you are probably a BBW if you, and those who know you, would consider you to be overweight. This excludes anorexics who believe their skeletal frames to be excessive!

The modern BBW is more likely to be a curvy woman who is proud of it. Some of the most successful women in the public eye have at times been considered BBWs. For instance:

Kate Winslet, Queen Latifah, Jennifer Lopez, Oprah Winfrey, Marilyn Monroe, Kirsty Alley, Sybil Shepherd.

I'm sure you could think of many more.

Often, these women wouldn't be considered fat. They are simply built the way a woman should. For instance, Marilyn Monroe was considered to be one of the sexiest women who ever lived. Voluptuous and exciting but, by today's standards, her ample charms might be considered overweight.

For anyone interested in dating, meeting quality singles can be a challenge, regardless of size. For those who come in larger packages, this can be especially so, why some singles dating services have emerged which provide especially for those who are plus sized. They cater for singles seeking the opposite sex, as well as same sex relationships. These sites are for those looking for the BBW or BHM (I'll let you work out the last one) and their admirers. Modern matchmaking techniques provide opportunities for friendship, companionship, or even romance and love. Simply place your own personal ad with one of these services.

It's often been said that men naturally like women with curves and are tired of those who look like brooms with long hair. Women with curves are often considered to be among the sexiest. Look at Jennifer Lopez, for instance.

That is also why BBW dating sites are flourishing. For the single, Big Beautiful Woman she now only must log onto the internet if she wishes to find a date and no longer has fear she'll be considered dateless, and loveless, in the eyes of her scrawny friends. There are many men looking for a woman who looks just like you!

Some Tips For Spicing Up The Life Of The Full-Figured Woman:

•  Plan Ahead. Anticipate some more activity in your romantic life and buy some really sexy plus size lingerie. Whether you're thinking of being slinky, naughty, sophisticated or...whatever, playful gear is available online if you don't want to buy it at an offline store.

•  Give serious thought to the photo that will accompany your profile. This is extremely important. While you might hope that your great personality will attract more people, this is hard to convey in a photo. The reality is that profiles with photos bring many more responses.

•  It's important to look relaxed in your BBW photo. You can compose it to present yourself in the best light but it's far better that the photo doesn't look too staged.

•  Be sure to show your face clearly. When a website displays a thumbnail-sized photo of you, a full length, full-figured shot will mean your features cannot be seen. A close up is better.

•  Don't obscure your features with sunglasses, shades, hats, or poor lighting. It looks as though you have something to hide. This can be almost as bad as not posting a photo at all.

This is your opportunity to radiate confidence and friendliness. After all, big IS beautiful.

For more important online dating information and BBW Dating and no strings attached australia, visit verylargeladies.com.au where you will find dating tips, advice, resources and significant useful material about improving your online dating experience.