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avinaccia · 3 years

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A Completely Objective and Logical Ranking of Every Hetalia Character Song

New character songs are dropping, I have too much time on my hands, let’s go.

Also here’s a Youtube playlist for the ~✨nostalgia✨~

Bring it on in the tags

71. Ah Legendary Class⭐The Awesome Me Highway [Prussia]: Absolutely tearing it up on the drums and on the vocal cords alike (I pray for Atsushi Kousaka). Great for the memes.

70. Happy Thoughts Museum [???]: This is listed as an official song but I had literally never heard of the title. Then I listened to it and BAM! Smack back to 2013 watching the teasers for the show on Funimation. Not sure I’d count it as a character song though...

69. (Nice) My Song that is written by me for me [Prussia]: Deafened me but I can appreciate the industrial grind.

68. My House is...Quiet. ~With the Trolls~ [Norway]: I have never heard this song, nor can I find any version of it online. By default it goes here and I am so sorry Norge.

67. Make a Wish to Santa♪ [Sealand]: The discordant notes and childish exuberance only serve to make this sound like a demonic plea to Santa to eliminate the singer’s enemies.

66. Heaven and Hell on Earth [Rome]: Rome sounds like he’s been in the corner of a restroom. Extra points for the metal version, minus points for the fact that the beach scene was replayed like 1764 times.

65. Canada Complete Introduction [Canada]: Quiet af until Kumacheerio shows up and blows out your speakers. they did you dirty my darling 😔

64. It’s Easy!!! [America]: I don't think any video of this has ever stayed up for more than 20 seconds. Sounds cool, but like I was listening to 20 different genres at once, someone make him calm down.

63. Bù Zàiyì the Small Stuff ☆ [China]: I cannot for the life of me find the complete song anywhere, clips have a cool beat though

62. Let's Boil Hot Water♪ [Italy]: Exactly what it says on the tin..though a bit too close to elevator music for my tastes.

61. The Fragrance of Early Summer [Japan]: Very ‘from the books’ Japan-esque song

60. Peace Sounds Nice…[Baltic Trio]: All well and good until the radio demon shows up

59. W●D●C ~World Dancing~ [America]: How a song can sound like it’s from 4 different decades at once is beyond me

58. Overflowing Passion [BFT]: This is just drunken karaoke and I have 0 clue what’s going on #iconicforallthewrongreasons

57. Ren●Ren●Renaissance♪ [Rome+Chibitalia]: Wholesome Grandpa with Grandson content - barring the fact that Italy sounds on the verge of a nervous breakdown and Rome has had too much wine.

56. Roma Antiqua [Rome]: Similar energy to any one of China’s songs - there’s a part of the song where it sounds like he’s singing in the shower, and I will never not laugh at [CENSORED]

55. Country From Where the Sun Rises, Zipangu [Japan]: Very chill, very Japan, but just meh for me.

54. Moon Over Emei Shan [China]: Good message, okay song.

53. My Friend [England]: What a mind palace you must have Mr. Kirkland

52. With Love, from Iceland [Iceland]: Three words: Heavy. Metal. Puffin.

51. Having Friends is Nice...♫ [Russia]: Russia is the cutest thing ever

50. Mm. [Sweden]: Smooth transition from WWE Smackdown to shopping at IKEA.

49. Why don’t you come over? ~Beyond the Northern Lights~ [Iceland]: I don’t want to be mean but...this does sound like the second closing theme to an anime whose first closing was much more popular (à la Soul Eater)

48. Gakuen☆Festa [Germany, Italy, Japan]: Sounds like a 60s song of the summer but oh dear their voices do not go together. Hella cute though.

47. Wa! Wa!! World Ondo [Main Cast]: One time I travelled 10 hours in a coach bus with a bunch of teenagers to a city of note in my country, and the only souvenir I bought was the fucking PAINT IT WHITE DVD. Perfectly chaotic, UN ĐĕùX~~

46. In the Bluebell Woods [England]: In the album cover for this song he’s holding a guitar but this is not a rock song. Still has ‘running through the hills’ levels of dramatism though.

45. Poi Poi Poi♪ [Taiwan]: You’re telling me that Taiwan, someone whose has *ONE LINE* in Beautiful World (which is criminal tbh what kind of representation-) managed to get an eNTIRE CHARACTER SONG???????

44. White Flame [Russia]: There’s something to be said for a song that is 3x the length of any Hetalia episode

43. Ich liebe… [Germany]: Baking cakes for your friends has never been so wholesome.

42. We Wish you a Merry Christmas [America, China, England, France, Russia]: Nice to see they’ve gotten their shit together since United Nations Sta-hmm.

41. Ah, Worldwide à la mode [France]: Sounds like a Disney Princess song, hard not to picture France frolicking in a field of flowers.

40. Che Bello! ~My House is the Greatest!⭐~ [Italy]: Would not be out of place in an advertisement for Sea World.

39. May You Smile Today [Japan]: THE feel good song of the summer

38. Let’s Look Behind the Rainbow [Italy]: I will protect you.

37. I'm your HERO☆ [America]: “Anyone who’s sad or sullen will be arrested” did NOT age well.

36. Mein Gott! [Prussia]: Alternating headphone effect at the beginning is cool, so is the confidence...the actual singing on the other hand...

35. Nihao⭐China [China]: Listen, all of China’s character songs are great, I just can’t vibe with this one like some of the others.

34. Pechka ~Light My Heart~ [Russia]: I’m still having difficulty wrapping my head around the fact that this and Winter were released at the same time.

33. Pukapuka⭐Vacation [Germany, Italy, Japan]: Seems just a bit too much like they’re running on a treadmill that’s picking up speed and trying to sing at the same time. Peppy.

32. Santa Claus is Coming to Town [Germany, Italy, Japan]: This is unironically the best song sung by this trio; can only vibe with for two months out of the year though.

31. Excuse Me, I Am Sorry [Japan]: Japan’s character traits speedrun. Gives me barbershop quartet vibes for some reason but is catchy as hell.

30. The Story of Snow and Dreams [Russia]: A superhero anime opening in the making

29. England’s Evil Demon Summoning Song [England]: Sir that is not how you roast a marshmallow, don’t cut yourself on that edge.

28. Moi Moi Sauna♪ [Finland]: Exactly the type of song you’d expect and it’s wonderful

27. United Nations Star⭐ [America, China, England, France, Russia]: This isn’t as much of a song as it is a four minute struggle for everyone to sing without America yelling every 5 seconds...Like a particularly musical episode of Hetalia.

26. Paris is Indeed Splendid [France]: Paris-pa-pa-pa-paris

25. Absolutely Invincible British Gentleman [England]: Poppy, rocky, polka-dotty

24. Vorwärts Marsch! [Germany]: To quote the comment section: “This sounds like a German version of I’ll Make a Man out of you.” There’s some truth to that.

23. Hamburger Street [America]: The product of America’s rapper phase. 8/10 because he’s trying so hard and because I can unironically sing along to all of this.

22. Hoi Sam☆Nice Guy [Hong Kong]: A song that would absolutely destroy the ankles of anyone in DDR.

21. I Am German-Made [Germany]: There was once a version that had Germany and Prussia singing at the same time and it sounded positively demonic and Broadway could never

20. La pasión no se detiene ~Unstoppable Passion~ [Spain]: Talented, brilliant, incredible, amazing, show-stopping...

19. Fall in Love, Mademoiselle [France]: Sounds like it should be in Mozart Opera Rock, I have kiss kiss falled in love.

18. Embrace the Très Bien Moi [France]: This is the definition of SELF LOVE PEOPLE.

17. Carrot and Stick [Belarus&Ukraine]: Absolutely DRIPPING in 2000s power ballad energy. The type of song that plays on repeat in the mind of the widow whose millionaire husband ‘mysteriously disappeared’ (and the only legit character song ever acknowledged by the anime)

16. C.B.C (Cowboyz Boot Camp) Vol. 1 [America]: AH MAH GAWWDDD

15. Winter [Russia]: Heavy metal fever dream and the perfect song for an angst-ridden teenager

14. Seychelles Here ⭐ Vacation Island [Seychelles]: UN👏DER👏RA👏TED SONG👏OF 👏THE 👏SUM👏MER👏

13. Nah, it will settle itself somehow [Romano]: One day I aspire to reach this level of chill

12. Let’s Enjoy Today [England]: I will never not feel happy when listening to this.

11. Einsamkeit [Germany]: Ludwig manages to air every single one of his worries about not being good enough compared to his friends and always being perceived as mean or uptight when he’s actually just a softie and now my heart hurts. 💔

10. Aiyaa Four Thousand Years [China]: A very poignant and beautiful song about the passage of time and the inevitability of its passing; comparable to an ancient ballad complete with explosive crescendos and meaningful lyrics.

9. Bon Bon Bon❤️C’est Bon C’est Bon! [France]: Peppy, cheerful, adorable, groundbreaking; has been my alarm tone for six years and I’ve yet to tire of it. 9/10 The moaning interspersed throughout has been an interesting wake-up call.

8. Let’s Enjoy! Let’s Get Excited! Cheers! [Denmark]: This is on par with Everytime we Touch by Cascada in terms of rage potential unlocked (the good kind)

7. Dream Journey [Japan]: Whoever’s playing the shakuhachi is absolutely KILLING IT. Dramatic, wonderful, great metaphors.

6. Gourmet’s Heart Beginner Level [China]: Absolute banger, I’m a vegetarian but this would inspire me to eat shumai.

5. Always with you...Nordic Five! [Nordic FIVVVVVEEEE]: Everyone harmonizes beautifully except for Denmark. Extremely catchy, number placement seemed appropriate.

4. Pub and GO! [England]: I love this trash man

3. Maji Kandou⭐Hong Kong Night [Hong Kong]: If you thought Denmark’s song was a banger JUST YOU WAIT. I WILL BLOW OUT MY SPEAKERS LISTENING TO LO-HA-SU.

2. Steady Rhythmus [Germany]: THIS SONG IS METAL AF. Seriously, if it can be classified as ‘hardcore’ by my father and his group of 50-somethings who have decided to single-handedly gatekeep the metal and hardrock genres, it can do anything.

1. The Delicious Tomato Song 🍅 [Romano]: Beautiful, absolutely awe-inspiring, poignant, catchy lyrics with an extremely deep meaning that only years of meticulous research and analysis can unlock, Romano I love you.

BONUS: Closing Songs

5. Hatafutte Parade (World Series)

4. Hetalian⭐Jet (The World Twinkle): The song is good, the dancing is cursed

3. Chikyuu Marugoto Hug Shitainda (World⭐Stars)

2. Marukaite Chikyuu (Hetalia: Axis Powers): nE NE PaPA

1. Mawaru Chikyuu Rondo (The Beautiful World)

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gone-daddy-gone · 4 years

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Pairing: You x Dryder! Dabi

Rating: 18+

TW: noncon/rape, breeding kink, slapping, choking

DT: @bigscaryyanderewriter from their piece here and here

Word Count: 3,942

“And that children, is why spiders are very instinctual, but curious insects.” That was your favorite line. The kids always seemed more interested in spiders after that line.

“What’s the most poisonous spider, miss?” Another ill informed question that you were used to.

“Well you see kids-”

“They aren't actually poisonous.” A shaky voice, a deep shaky voice called from behind the heads of your small children you were guiding today. He didn’t really look up at you, he was much too busy admiring your tarantula you decided to put up for display for the day. You nodded in acknowledgment at the voice.

“Yes, thank you exactly. You see what spiders are is actually venomous. To be poisoned, you must eat something.” The choir of aws that erupted from the kids made you smile before continuing.

“You see the venom that comes from the spiders' fangs-” As you looked out and continued in your presentations on the fundamentals of spiders. All the while you kept your eyes on the back. To the man whose face you couldn't quite see. The realization that this man could not be with the children and just randomly snuck in with the children had crossed your mind. Which in turn caused you to cringe, a moment no one in your direct vicinity saw.

“Ok kiddos one more question and then we’ll be done and we can feed Mr. Cobalt.” You gave another tour guide smile, before settling on the chubby kid in a yellow knitted sweater.

“Why are the boys smaller than the girls.” You stifle a chuckle, yet another common ask that never ceased to make you laugh.

“You know nature has a funny way of designing things. Boys in our species are bigger for who knows what reason, maybe because we take longer to have babies. But spiders only live for so long. Except, and bringing it back to our tarantula buddy here.” An excellent segway to the feeding and effectively avoiding the uncomfortable question.

“Yes females can live to up to forty years!”

“Don’t you think that’s a little unfair?” A sweet girl with pigtails inquired, oh so innocently.

“Well, women have more of a role to play I guess. They are the ones laying the eggs for the next generation!” Your comment was so small. So miniscule, to everyone with normal agendas. People with minds who accept nature. Not people like Shigaraki Tomura.

You were packing up the things that you had taken out that made it possible for the children to watch nature at work. You felt that you weren’t alone. The hair on your arm standing at full attention. After tucking away the tweezers that many crickets last moments were on. You moved to ignore the presence before they decided to make themselves known.

“Are you that fancy out of state spider expert?” The voice was ever so familiar. The familiarity was called for, as your eyes ascended up you recognized the man. The man in the back of the crowd now standing in full view of you.

“I think so…?” You said in a way that almost asked him for the answer.

“That was a great presentation you did…”

“Well, thank you! Those eight legged freaks are my passion.” A cheeky smile plastered on your features.

He only hummed in response, his coarse fingertips tapping on the butterfly boxes. The ones that you pin dead butterflies on the white backboard, with a clear window to watch the morbid display.

“Have you ever made a discovery yourself.”

“Well… no. I would love to one day perhaps… but you have to pay your do’s y’know?” You spoke in a manner that was casual, while you moved to pack up and finish this talk as fast as possible.

“Do you want to?”

You halted everything that you were doing, now paying him full attention.

“I beg your pardon?”

“I have this-” Finally moving his fingers from the butterfly cases to the table that held Mr. Cobolt before continuing. “Spider, that is the first of his kind. One that you get the first look at.”

Before you could even fathom the words fully, your words spilled out. “Why me?”

“Well, dream globally act locally. It's a spider that's made here. Who else better to represent the spider than you?”

You didn’t know how to respond, but he anticipated that reaction. “If you come to a conclusion, here’s my card.”

The facility did not whatsoever reflect the man you met back in the insectarium. It was a huge building, with large windows and white elegant walls. Chic and classy, mixed with just the right amount of tasteful ignorance. The excitement of his promise came bubbling inside of you. This could be huge! If he really did do as he claimed. You could name your own species, start groundbreaking work that no one could overlook. With your heart beating at a resounding pace you made your way to alert the man you had arrived. You rang once and waited, moving your eyes to the backyard. There seemed to be large webs. Could it be a big spider like a Camel spider? In the seconds it took you to notice, the man came rushing to the door and flung it open. Effectively cutting off your view, demanding it back to the building.

“Hello and welcome. Come inside. My spider is very excited to meet you.” You smiled at the prospect of a little spider all giddy and ready to be discovered.

“Yes I am quite excited to meet, uhm, he or she?”

“It’s a boy. A male about to be a man.”

“What do you-”

“This way arachnologist!” He cut you off before you could inquire more about the spider. I guess full surprise is better for the discovery. So you foolishly let yourself be lured in further.

“That’s a nice camera you got there.” The odd man spoke, trying his best to keep you distracted. You gave a simple hum in response. Letting the memories of the gift play out in your mind. The camera was twice your age. Yet you used it for every single spider you met, giving them each their own little photoshoot. Today was no different, and of course you had to bring your special tool with you to help the spider greet the world. The only sound that was heard through the entire building was the pair of footsteps of you two. It was almost too quiet. Like the building held secrets and if it creaked even just a little bit they would come spilling out.

“Wow you uh, you sure do have a lot of hallways for this place. I can barely tell where we came from.” You stated, adding a chuckle at the end to lighten the mood. He didn’t laugh back, didn’t say anything in fact. So you just sighed and kept walking further into the darkness. After what felt like two centuries, he halted himself at a large door with the lights off.

“In here.”

You gripped your camera a little tighter, waiting for him to open the doors to your destiny. When the door flung open the only thing you could see in the room was a medium sized metal table. You let your face turn into a scowl, even if it was just an accidental one. You couldn’t help but ponder the strange object in the room. The object that didn’t even hold a cage on it. While you were altogether too wrapped up in understanding your surroundings. Shigaraki capitalized on the confusion and locked the door behind you.

“Well, um… Where is he?” You said expectantly.

He gave you a snort that if you listened hard enough would have sounded like a laugh. “Do you know how spiders mate Ms. Arachnologist?”

“Well, of course I do! What kinda question is that?”

“So you know that most females eat the males after they are done, and after that they die?”

If hiding your confusion was an achievable task it was unbeknownst to you. “Yes, some spiders… Most spiders I guess you could say. But what does-”

“What if I told you I made a spider that mates for life?”

Having about enough of the cryptic information you snapped. “Ok well then,” A small laugh that was more breath than anything. “I would call you a crackpot… Is that what you wanted me to say? Spiders don’t mate for life. They don’t have the capacity to… to do that!” Rage finally takes your body over, finding its release via your words.

“I can’t believe I even considered this… Thank you Mr. Shigaraki but I must take my leave.” You made your way over to the door, the only noise that could be heard was your angry footsteps. When you finally made it to the door, it stayed firm on its hinges.

“Open this door please…” The fear of being alone with this man was enough to get your voice shaking.

Shigaraki smiled to himself at the thought of your reaction to what was about to come next.

That’s when you felt the ground rattle a little bit, your eyes lazed to your feet, the vibration you felt slowly turned your fear to one of dark curiosity. Your eyes finding their way to the table. Your eyes widened as it began to shake, causing the table to take a small shift to the left. Without taking your eyes off the table, fear of it disintegrating or something if you didn’t. Your hand found its place at the door knob, shaking it violently. You were two seconds from slamming your body desperately into the door to free yourself.

That was when the source of the sound came in full view. Your legs shook as if they were faulty buildings about to collapse. Your eyes were bigger than dinner plates at the sight ahead of you. The smell, that was what was the worst thing. The smell of something rotten, and some unknown aroma that wafted into your nostrils and burned. You swallowed hard begging your body to just stay upright and to not waver but the closer the thing inched into the room the harder that was.

“What’s the matter? I thought you loved eight legged freaks?” The man jeered with a disgusting smirk stretching out his crusty lips. You didn’t give him the satisfaction of an answer.

“This is Dabi.”

The thing he called “Dabi” was a giant half man half spider abomination. His upper half had the torso and face of a man with the exception of the two twitching phallops in his human mouth. The bottom half was his spider part. Judging by the odd anatomy whoever, or whatever made this thing didn’t understand how spiders work. He was the mix of what seemed to be a black widows female anatomy and regular tarantula. You ascended your eyes down in horror as you observed something protruding out. His claws, his claws that symbolized he was ready to mate.

Your apparent horror at what you were looking at had caught Dabi’s eye. Through the phallops that just about eclipsed his mouth, you saw him smirk. Very quickly you averted your eyes, ever so desperate to look at something else, anything else but what was in front of you. Your attention was demanded back as it spoke.

“She sure is cute…” He could feel your heartbeat quicken in his feet. The fear he smelt only made him that much more excited.

“She is, isn’t she… just your type. And, she’ll know how to take care of your children. She’s an uppity spider expert.” You turned your head from the horrendous sight and back onto the man who brought you here. Children? This thing was going to have children? As if he could read your mind, the demented man continued.

“You see arachnologist, you’re really just here to be a breeding slut to my friend here.” The words echoed in your head and all you could do was shake your head in fear.

“Oh yes you are! You should count yourself lucky to be a part of history. Isn’t that what you wanted?” His words made you feel sick to your stomach. This was not what you wanted at all! Not in the slightest bit.

“What is that thing?” Was the only thing that came to your mind that was about to shatter itself trying to make sense of it.

“Well that’s no way to talk about your future baby daddy. His name, like I already said, is Dabi. And he is the first of his kind.”

“I- how did you… why would you make a monster like this!”

“How isn’t really important, I’m sure you wouldn’t understand it even if I told you about it. And I made him as an experiment he was totally willing of course. And you and him are gonna make me a fucking army.”

“No.” You tried to sound authoritative. Speaking in a matter of fact way, like you had a choice.

“Hmm, you think you have a choice? Do you have a way out of here? You’ve been shaking that knob for ten minutes and it still hasn’t budged.” He gave you an evil self satisfactory smile before he continued. “You smell that rotting flesh smell? That’s the venom that drips out of his mouth. When I first made him he couldn’t stop it from coming out, so it spilled all over his chest and arms. If you take care of the venom immediately, then you escape just looking like a charred freak like the poor bastard himself.” He motioned upwards to the spider who had a scowl this time around. Probably at being called a charred freak.

“But if you don’t you slowly start to rot alive, then when you’re nice and halfway juiced Dabi gets to slurp you, still alive.” He couldn't control himself anymore as he let out a deranged laugh, doubling over and grabbing his belly. He truly thought this was funny.

“I don’t want to… I just want to go home.” This time Dabi spoke.

“Shut the fuck up.” He moved faster than you thought he would, legs pounding into the floor leaving vibrations so harsh you couldn’t stand straight. He snatched you in an instant, hands against the wall and larynx being crushed. He leaned down to smell you. You moved yourself back trying in vain to get as far away as possible from this thing.

“You’re gonna take my cock, then you’re gonna take my eggs. And when I’m done with you you’re gonna look me and Shigaraki in the eye and say thank you like the cum dump breeding whore you are. Do I make myself clear?”

Through teary eyes you looked at him with beggarly eyes, you didn’t want to say it. Who would want to say it? So you thought it wise to whisper more pleas. Stupid on your part, really. It only infuriated him more.

He tightened his hand on your throat, shutting you up. He could not stand your voice any longer. Reflexively you ran your fingers to his human ones, clawing at them hoping it would do something. Your feet kicked out from under you as he walked you over to the table to lay you down. Without moving his hand he took his other human hand and took off the buttons at top of your shirt, exposing your breasts to him. He licked his lips in anticipation. You still had some fight in you as you kicked and tried to fight him off, but the lack of oxygen was making it hard for you to fight efficiently. Out of the corner of your now blotchy vision you saw his spider legs come up and rip all along your dress that clung to your thigh. Once he had enough buttons popped off for his liking he ripped off your stockings, your final barrier to keep him away was your panties. He took two of his digits and coated them in saliva before pushing them into you. Making sure he kept eye contact the entire time.

“You’re gonna be a great mother.” This caused you to weep harder underneath him. His grip far too tight for you to beg for him not to.

You averted your eyes, trying to think about anything else but what was happening to you right now. An easier task said than done. The sound of his fingers plunging in and out of you, the squelching. The sound itself was all you needed to hear to know your body was enjoying what your mind was doing backflips to understand. After he felt that he had prepped you well enough he moved his fingers to his mouth and licked them clean. The action made you want to throw up everything in your stomach. Your disgust was quickly turned to anguish as he pulled, what you could only assume was supposed to be his cock out of his body. It was blue and looked like what a child imagined a spider penis was supposed to look like. You let out another whimper of fear, he was quite pleased with all your noises and you could tell by the way it twitched in his hand.

“Yeah keep crying, I like that.” He was a monster. Inside and out.

He let himself slip inside your trembling walls. A deep groan escaping his mouth, going straight into your ear with a few huffs of hot breath. It stung pretty bad, you couldn’t imagine what the pain would have been like if you weren’t prepared. His thrusts weren’t too skilled either, the human bit of the spider probably not used to fucking unwilling girls as a spider. Well, at least not the fucking as a spider bit. You were still trying to do your mental backflips to understand how this happened. However, you felt a moan slip past your preoccupied self. A gasp coming out after, realizing that you were starting to moan like a whore from being raped by a spider. Dabi noticed this too, displaying a smirk on his lips.

The beast angled his hips at just the right spot to make you lose yourself as he used your pliant body like a fleshlight. Your toes crinkled and you tried to turn your head away in disgust, but his claws dug their way into either side of your cheek, dragging your face towards his again.

“Look at me while I do this to you.” You nod, whimpering as he continued to shove himself inside of you harshly. Each time he dragged his cock out of you caused you to let out a sigh of relief before he would snap back into you which made you moan out in both utter pain and unwilling pleasure. Something about making you enjoy your own sexual torment made it that much better for him. He let his claws find their way to your tits, giving them a light squeeze before he slapped them, watching as you winced in pain.

“Your pussy tightens when you’re in pain...I like that.” He gave you a few more slaps before he took your nipple and twisted it so harsh you thought it was going to pop off.

“AH! S-stop it hurts! Please…” The pain and desperation taking over you once again as you flailed around like a fish beneath him.

“You’re such a bad liar...look at you you’re dripping for me.” He was right, the damn twisted bastard was right. You could feel it dripping down your thigh, you could hear your moans bouncing off the walls and mixing with his groans, the occasional sinister laugh coming from Shigaraki observing over the situation.

“I’m gonna breed you, and I’m gonna breed you until the only thing left in that brain of yours is how to take my cock and push out my fucking children. Because that’s all you’re fucking good for, you understand me?” You moaned, disgusted with yourself for getting off on the thought of being a good for nothing breeding whore. Your arosued response wasn’t a good enough one, so he slapped you in the face again. “Use your words you fucking, bitch.” You let out a meek “yes I understand.” He kept hammering into you like you couldn’t feel pain, but your surrender was met with a small chaste kiss on your forehead. A reward of some sorts. The small bit of compassion was more than welcomed.

“Oh give me a break.” You heard Shigaraki comment from the other side of the room. “She’s already starting to break...how sad and weak the female brain is...absolutely losing, submitting herself completely at a fat cock and a little bit of pleasure.”

He was right, your mind was swirling from fear, pain and guilty pleasure. And the pleasure was building up, driving you close to your end you were so desperate to reach. Moving your hips at the same pace as his, desperately trying to chase that high to an end. You heard him chuckle in your ear, and his hand slipped to your clit, giving it intense swirls.

“That’s a good breeding slut. Already learning your place I see.” You were being lost in pure ecstasy, you would say anything right now, do anything to please him. “Y-yes. Yes!” You were moaning out, nearly crying, but only god could tell from what emotion. “I’m gonna, I’m gonna- ah fuck!” And with that you finally came undone. Realising your own juices all over your rapist's cock. He kept pumping into you, fucking you through your high. You were fucked beyond all comprehension as your hole began to suck and squeeze him again, building back that second orgasm. You pounded on his chest, pleading with your hands to stop because you were so fucked out, so cock hungry you couldn’t make words. If you could, you would tell him you were overstimulated, that you can’t take it anymore as much as the pleasure felt like heaven, that you were no longer going to get to see. That you were seeing stars, and on the verge of passing out. But you were inching closer and closer to your second orgasm.

“Aw? Are you gonna cum again? Huh? You fucking little cock whore I knew you would like this. Just waiting for a monster to come and split you in two. To come and fuck you senseless, to put- ah fuck you feel so fucking good...so fucking tight I can barely stand it. You wanted me to put you in your place. Didn’t you slut?” You were panting and moaning, digging your nails into his chest, feverishly shaking your head yes. He smacked across the face again with all his might. “Answer me when I’m talking to you bitch!”

“Yes! Please that’s what I wanted...that’s all I want please...let me cum please...ah fuck...you can do whatever you want to me, fuck, fuck, fuck-” Your begging and total submission had made him go feral, and he was ready to shoot his seed inside of you, to mark you as his bitch like you were born to be. Pounding you senseless, feeling you squeeze around him, sucking his seed out of him. And did he sure have a lot of it. Loads and loads of thick white cum entered your system, cum that for sure was going to get you pregnant with his freaky little spider babies. Babies that you said you would have, babies that you would raise with your rapist all because he made you cum. For a college educated woman, you sure didn’t have much in that head of yours.

#dabi #dabi my hero academia #dabi mha #dabi x reader #dabi x you #mha #mha fanfiction #my hero academia #my hero acadamy #my hero academia x reader #mha headcanons #bnha #bnha imagines #BNHA Headcanons #rape tw #abuse tw #choking tw #breeding tw #slapping tw

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luxekook · 4 years

Text

bangtan host club ❯ part i

❯ pairing: ot7 x reader

❯ genre: ouran au, college au, crack, smut

❯ summary: when you had decided to take summer lessons at your college, you hadn’t factored in the impending presence of seven insufferably attractive and arrogant boys… the bangtan host club.

❯ word count: 2.1k

❯ warnings: 18+, cursing, suggestive language, terrible pet names, excessive dramatics

❯ banner by: maggie @kimtaehyunq

a/n: while this fic is loosely based off of the anime version of ouran highschool host club, it is set in university - meaning that all of the boys are of age (at least 21 years old)

host club members

❯ Kim Namjoon as “Kyoya Ootori” ❯ Kim Seokjin as “Tamaki Suoh” ❯ Min Yoongi as “Takashi ‘Mori’ Morinozuka” ❯ Jung Hoseok as “Mitsukuni ‘Honey’ Haninozuka” ❯ Park Jimin as “Hikaru Hitachiin” ❯ Kim Taehyung as “Kaoru Hitachiin” ❯ Jung Jungkook as “Haruhi Fujioka”

Taking summer classes had never been on my agenda, my studies having been mapped out in detail since the day I arrived on campus three years ago. And then the university’s president suddenly has this utterly groundbreaking epiphany and adjusts the curriculum to “ensure that all students will leave Bangtan University well-rounded”.

Screw that. My ass is already well-rounded enough, thank you very much.

But despite my best efforts (i.e. begging President Kim to make an exception followed by crafting a petition that gained over ten thousand signatures), I have found that there is no avoiding the dastardly new physical education requirement. And since my schedule for my upcoming senior year has been planned and set for literal years, I’ve been forced to enroll in the sole summer physical education class offered at Bangtan University - Introduction to Weight Lifting.

I wish I was kidding.

To say that I am dreading the start of class tomorrow would be an extreme understatement. I’ll be lucky to escape this summer without physical injury or the loss of my dignity. Athletics have never been my strong suit, and I’ve only entered our campus gym to go to the smoothie bar.

Groaning at just the mere thought of working out and being graded for it, I trek down the streets of outer campus towards the library, swearing under my breath and sweating profusely.

It’s a blazing hot, blue-skied Sunday in July. Typically, I would be lying on a beach somewhere with a drink in my hand, soaking in the warmth of the sun with joy. But instead, here I am, sweltering and desperate for air conditioning after my ancient window unit wheezed its final breath last night. The comfortable chill of the library is my only hope aside from my landlord who promised to fix my air conditioning by tomorrow.

My frustration builds as I turn onto the block lined with imposing and picturesque estates in which the upper echelon of Bangtan University resides. I’d bet the very last ice-pack in my freezer that these houses have unfailing central air.

I pick up my pace, worn Doc Marten platform sandals slapping against the hot pavement. The pristine mansions seem to mock my distress as they exude the coolness of unbothered wealth. Despite there being no Greek life here at Bangtan University, the lack of letters emblazoned on the numerous estates I pass does not symbolize a lack of status.

This block is home to the athletic teams who throw massive parties whenever they happen to be in the off-season. It’s also home to the legacy clubs - the exclusive groups of current students who are relatives of past alumni.

And last but not least, this block is home to the infamous Bangtan Host Club, a small group of idle rich boys with exceptionally good looks and a penchant for entertaining.

The aforementioned group’s house comes into view as I draw nearer to campus. The host club’s mansion sits on the corner lot right across the street from campus. Typically, students are wary of such proximity - but not those boys. No, they’re un-phased, throwing massive parties every weekend without fail and without repercussion.

During my first semester, I had been confused as to why their parties had never been shut down; but now I know better. The host club’s president Kim Seokjin is the son of none other than the fucking president of the university - the very same man who damned me to my weight lifting fate.

In fact, almost the entire host club is related to someone with influence - either at the university or within the surrounding community. The only exception to the wealth factor is Jeon Jungkook, who attends Bangtan University on a scholarship not unlike myself.

About 99% of the university are host club stans. As for me? I don’t subscribe to that bullshit. And I do mean literally ‘subscribe’. They have newsletters, merch and everything. I would say I don’t understand it at all, but a small part of me does.

They’re fucking gorgeous. Like I’m talking Tom Ford at New York Fashion Week gorgeous. Armani catalogue centerfold gorgeous. Goddamn Sports Illustrated Men’s Swimsuit Edition gorgeous.

In fact, I’m pretty sure Kim Seokjin actually does model in his spare time. With his long limbs, broad shoulders and pillowy lips, Seokjin certainly has the features for it. My freshman year roommate bought so many posters of Seokjin from the host club’s merch website I think I could identify him from a hundred yards away in the dark.

“Hey!” The bellow emanates from the porch of the host club’s house and jolts me from my memories, “Hey, princess!”

I let out a snort. Whoever that pet name is directed at needs to shut that down immediately. I mean, ‘princess’? In this economy? Please. I need off this block ASAP.

“Hello? I’m talking to you, angel!”

The voice sounds closer now, and my eyes squeeze shut. Oh god, this person cannot be talking to me, can they?

Princess? Angel?

The sheer absurdity pushes me onward, and I do not spare a single glance in the direction where the inane greetings originated. Alas, I barely make it two feet before a tall figure screeches to a halt in front of me, panting like he had just run a marathon.

I blink as I take in the very boy who just crossed my mind a minute earlier. Kim Seokjin looms over me, chest heaving and smile gleaming.

“Cupcake, hello!” his smile grows wider, “Why didn’t you answer me? I was talking to you.”

My brain is trying to wrap itself around the unfathomable phenomenon I’m currently witnessing. The host club president is beaming down at me like I’m the last custom Rolex ever made. His white t-shirt that probably costs more than my rent stretches across his shoulders in a way that has to be illegal.

A bead of sweat drips down my back between my shoulder blades. I don’t have time for this attractive detour; I only have time for a long sip of iced water and a seat under an air conditioning vent somewhere deep within the recesses of the quiet library.

“Were you?” I shrug, looking over his illegally broad shoulder and plotting my escape, “I didn’t realize, considering my name isn’t princess, angel or cupcake.”

I inwardly cringe at my tone. I have a tendency to be irritable when the weather is hot, and it seems like today is no exception.

Seokjin stares down at me, his cocky expression wavering for a split second before snapping back into place. “Well, tell me your name then, sunshine, so that I may cordially invite you to the host club’s latest summer extravaganza!” His dark brown eyes sparkle as he remains seemingly impervious to my building ire, beaming down at me.

“No, thank you,” I shake my head decisively and attempt to sidestep around him.

None of my friends are on campus for the summer, and there is no way I'm going alone to a party full of strangers. That just screams bad decisions, just like the time I willingly ate the dining hall’s “Mystery Meat Special” during my second semester.

Seokjin cuts off my path yet again, and my scowl intensifies as I glare up at him, “Could you move, please?”

Seokjin gapes back at me, “D-don’t you want to come to our party?” I stare at him with eyebrows raised. He continues at a higher decibel, “Don’t you know who I am?”

The nerve of this boy. My eyes scrunch shut as I send a quick plea to anyone out there in the universe to send me patience and then internally count backwards from ten.

“Yes, I know who you are, Kim,” I finally say, completely exasperated, “And no, I still don’t want to go to your party.”

Seokjin is gobsmacked, looking like he’s seen a ghost as he stands before me open-mouthed. For a second, I allow myself to indulge one more time in his attractiveness, my eyes wandering along his toned torso, his muscular arms, his high cheekbones, his messy brown hair.

And then he bounces back, snapping his fingers, “Aha! I know what this is. You’re playing hard to get! Okay, I can play along with you, sunshine.”

It’s my turn to gape at him this time, watching as he mumbles to himself about how I must want him to beg for me and how he would just love to do so. I’m about to put a stop to this madness when he spreads his arms wide and announces loud enough for the entire block to hear, “Sunshine, please, attend our party! My heart longs for your presence, and I will only be happy if I can have your arm in mine next Friday night...”

I’m honestly beginning to worry about the boy in front of me. Is he completely unhinged? Am I being Punk’d right now?

Seokjin prattles on, “So, my sun, my moon, my stars, will you please do me the honor of joining me for a night of fun courtesy of the host club? No guest has yet to be disappointed and—!”

I finally just reach up and cover his mouth with my palm, steadfastly ignoring how plush his lips feel against my skin. “Kim Seokjin!” I hiss, “I promise I am not playing hard to get. I simply do not want to go to your party. Now, please, for the love of god, let me walk by you in peace.”

Loud bursts of laughter sound immediately after I finish speaking, and I whip around to locate the source. Two boys jog over to where Seokjin and I are standing on the pavement. Their laughter doesn’t subside with their approach. If anything, it grows louder.

“Oh, come on, pres,” the pink-haired boy who I know to be Park Jimin jeers, his melodic giggles punctuating each word. “Is this how you plan on handling your first rejection?”

My eyebrows pull together in confusion as I turn to face Seokjin, only to find him lying dramatically on the lawn in front of his house with one arm throw over his face.

“Go away, Jimin,” Seokjin groans, ripping out a handful of grass and throwing it at the other boy. Obviously, he doesn't calculate for the wind and sputters when the grass blows back in his face.

“Boss, you’ve really hit a new low,” the blue-haired boy - Kim Taehyung - grins as he looks back and forth between me and the over-the-top performance happening on the lawn. All Seokjin does in return is flip Taehyung off, seeming to have learned from his grass-throwing lesson.

Well, there’s no need for me to stay a second longer within this realm of crazy.

I turn on my heel and head off towards the library, renewed in my desperation for the relief of blissfully cold air.

Alas, I don’t get too far before the two boys with colorful hair are in front of me - each with an arm thrown over the other’s shoulders.

“Well, well, well… I must say,” Taehyung drawls.

“You’re quite an intriguing little thing,” Jimin cocks his head, looking me up and down. I try in vain to steel myself against the heated assessments both boys are giving me.

I’d heard a lot about these two - most of it being completely outlandish and borderline unbelievable. Do they really do everything together?

It’s as if that thought is written all over my face as the smirks grow on the faces of Jimin and Taehyung. “If you don’t want to come to our party for Jin-hyung…”

“Will you come for us?” Taehyung finishes Jimin’s thought, and I am almost certain that he intended for that question to be as suggestive as it sounded.

Before I can even attempt to answer, Seokjin launches up from the ground and barges in between the two boys. “Yah! That is no way to speak to a lady! Have I taught you nothing? Don’t you fools remember lesson number fifty-two on being a good host?”

“We didn’t say anything inappropriate, pres,” Taehyung shrugs, looking pleased with how riled up the older boy is growing. His pink-haired counterpart grins, “If anything, you’re the one with the dirty mind, twisting our innocent words into such filth.”

It’s as if Seokjin is struck by lightning - his shock turning him pale as a ghost before the redness overtakes him. I cannot tell if it’s due to embarrassment or anger. All I know is that I need to bounce.

When Mt. Seokjin finally erupts, I slink away and practically jog across the street to campus. Ah, free at last...

a/n: this is part one in my host club series! originally i was going to make this a giant one-shot but i figured i would just break it up into smaller pieces so that i could get some content out uwu

#bangtanhq #bangtanarmynet #btsbookclub #btsnoonanet #btswriterscollective #btswritingcafe #ficswithluv #kpopuniverse #ksmutclub #kwritersworld #networkbangtan #bts x reader #ot7 x reader #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #bts fic #bts

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wevegottogetaway · 3 years

Text

Thanks fo’ saving my ass (Part 2)

There is a part 3 coming, I think these two deserve the...culmination, but I wasn’t sure if I could have it ready soon enough. Stay tuned for more, hope you enjoy! x

Part 1 - Part 3*

It starts with a resounding bang. A back curving over maple hardwood; taut muscle stretching soft cotton fabric; twin jades squinted in concentration; a shoulder blade protruding briefly for one swift determining movement. Red, blue, yellow, purple, orange phenolic resin scattering across green worsted wool like a dozen pinballs simultaneously kicked in various directions.

It ends with the deep echo. A ball falling into emptiness before meeting rock-bottom; the release of a soft withheld breath; firm flesh unflexing with satisfaction; two sets of glossy eyes meeting in a knowing look. "Nice break, Styles. Stripes it is," y/n happily comments once Harry leans back from the pool table.

Gibson’s is full of rowdy chatters, tipsy laughs and fulsome smiles. Strangers bonding for a night of undiluted carefreeness, clicking drinks after merry drinks in honor to their new ephemeral best friends. All sorrows have been forsaken on the coat rack at the entrance, hung in insouciance, leaving nothing but good spirits to sit at the tables and loiter near the bar. Everything about this place is warm and nurturing, a cosy embrace after a tedious day, a home for the people that lets them nurse bottles and wounds alike, and sees them leave later on, cheerful, relaxed and healing. It took but a second for Harry to understand why y/n is so fond of the place and he was not surprised to find her on a first-name basis with the barmaid, the two of them catching up on life while she was preparing the drinks.

Now, fifteen minutes in, they’ve happily made their way to the vacant timeworn pool table at a secluded corner of the bar, drinks and grins in toe. The space is only lit up by a single lamp hanging from the ceiling, casting daedal shadows along the walls and across the table’s carpeted surface. The subdued light and music crooning in the background make for a suggestive atmosphere, air thick with limitless curiosity and enticing promises.

The corner of Harry’s lips quirks in a wry smile and a bold glint takes residence at the crease of his eyes; the telltale sign of a burgeoning idea brewing up in his cheeky mind. "What’dya say we make this a lil more interesting?" The offer is served with a raised brow, a hand on his waist, and one foot perched on its toes over the other as he leans against the cue.

From across the pool table, y/n is quite endeared at the sight but her response comes out in fake offense,"oh I’m sorry, am I boring you already?"

"Quite the opposite actually." His head tilts the slightest bit to the side, gaze unwavering from her face in a mission for persuasion.

Her lips grimace as she tries to suppress a betraying smile to no avail, "fine, I’m listening."

He grins victoriously at her inability to keep a straight face, his limbs dislodging from his casual pose. "We take turns," his motions at the space between them. "F’we pocket, we get to ask one question. No bullshit answer, jus’ the truth." His eyes are wide as he gauges her response.

"A question, huh?" she takes her time to contemplate the proposition just to watch him squirm in impatience. "Damn, for a sec I thought you were about to suggest strip-pool." She sends him a playful look as she walks the length of the table to step closer to him and have a better look at his chiseled features.

"I mean, m’totally down but might be a bit unfair on your part," his eyes briefly trail down her body in silent conveyance of her single-piece attire. He’s got much more material to shed before exposing skin than she does.

"Wouldn’t you like to know." The suggestive retort has Harry’s stomach churn with humid passion, the question of just how many layers she’s wearing exactly, playing with the most lascivious parts of his brain. "Not that it matters, you’d be butt-naked before you’d get a nip-slip."

"Overestimating yourself?"

"Just giving you fair warning," she shrugs in nonchalance running her fingers along the edge of the table, "so you know what you’re getting yourself into."

When she lifts her head back to connect their gaze again, she finds him biting at his bottom lip to contain his signature smirk, "no worries there, darlin’. M’all willing." He almost punctuates his retort with a salacious wink but decides to save it for a more opportune time. Something tells him he’s in for a long evening, not that it’s any cause for concern. Like he said, he is very much consenting to anything her heart desires to do to him.

"Good to know." Y/n quips back with a smile before leaning on her hand resting upon the pool table. "What’s your question then?"

For a moment, Harry forgets he just broke the rack and successfully sent a plain purple ball in one of the table’s pocket, taking him one step closer to victory and granting him one question as per his own proposition. He quickly gathers his reeling thoughts before settling on an easy inquiry, fingers fiddling with the desire to sketch every bit of her character. "Right um, do you have other hobbies besides playin- or should I say, winning pool?"

She wants to slap- or should she say, kiss the smug look off his lovely face, but her answers airs in the same level tone she employs at work, "yes I do."

It’s not enough for Harry’s archeologic curiosity though. He’s barely dusted off the ground beneath his feet to reveal the hint of new groundbreaking findings; armed with sieves and brushes, he is eager to dig a little further, "and what might those be?"

However, y/n is quick to rebuff him, "uh uh, that’s two questions."

Indignation soars through his straightened posture, as he cries out a faint ’what? no!’ and her own ego grows two size at her cunning deceit, "gotta up your game if you wanna keep that perky bum intact, Styles."

Earlier words resonate in the confines of his outfoxed mind then, you can kick my ass at that game of pool as promised, and he tries really hard not to think about the promise following them. Instead he counterattacks in obvious diversion tactic, "that’s twice you’ve mentioned my ass in the past 5 minutes, perhaps I should read into it?"

"I guess you’ll have to wait and see," she lithely deflects as she grabs her own cue with a determined look etched upon her face, "my turn now."

With powerful strides, y/n navigates around the table to position herself at the most promising angle for a score of her own. Once she has both her target and the cue ball in firing line, she tunes out every last bit of stimulus encompassing her; the muffled sound of the music, the sticky oxygen filling up her lungs with sensual tension, the charming presence of the beau intently ogling her every move.

It barely takes her a couple seconds of intense concentration before a sharp thump is bouncing off the table and piercing through the air. The shot is so accurate, clean-cut, vigorous yet graceful and elegant all out once, Harry finds himself mesmerized by her skills more than the subtle form curving out from her bent posture.

The satisfaction is evident in her traits as she straightens up to face him, a pleased rictus forming at her lips. She doesn’t let any suspense unfurl before she cashes in her prize, "so what’s up with the muffin deliveries? You a stress-baker or summat?"

It’s a puzzle that’s been boggling her mind for while now; ever since the first time she watched him gallivanting around the office, handing out kindness and freshly baked goods for the small price of a friendly smile; it’d been a reoccurring thing ever since. The recollection has Harry’s cheeks warm up to a bashful shade of vermillion at the thought of admitting the reason behind his action: he’d bake a basketful of cakes just so he could give her one without exposing himself. Being straight forward with his infatuation may have been unfeasible at the time, but there was nothing against inconspicuously indulging the sweet tooth he knew she had, right?

"I dunno, just like seein' people smile, and everyone likes a good muffin, right?" His answer teeters on the ledge between veracity and evasion, the genuine ‘they were all for you’ being replaced by a less naked truth.

Y/n nods at his answer and waits until he is about to aim for another shot to voice her musings out loud, "mmm, they are quite delicious." Her attempt to distract him turns fruitful when his ears perks at her sultry voice right as he pointedly knocks the white ball with his cue. It’s off by an inch but a near-hit doesn’t help assuage his frustration, "fuck."

"Oh bummer. Guess you’ll have to pass," y/n can’t help but to tease him.

And the pout on his lips does nothing to quell her amusement, "bollocks, you distracted me."

"I did no such thing," she denies before taking his place at the table. The odds are in her favor, a perfect alignment offering itself to sink the blue striped ball right into the closest pocket. And because y/n never misses a clear shot when she’s handed one, that’s exactly what happens. Tucking the cue back at her side, she mulls over the hundred questions titillating her mind and settles for another pass at him,"is this suit the most extravagant you own and if not, what are the others like?"

Harry scrunches up his nose at yet another dig taken at the expense of his clothes, his voice pitching a halftone higher than usual, "hey, s’nough outta you, leave my suits out of it." There is a pout puckering at his lips and y/n giggles at his theatrics when he brings his hands to his chest in a protective gesture. This man and his suits…

"Somehow I don’t believe you give a single fuck about people’s opinion on your fashion choices."

"Very true. But I do value your opinion." For a brief moment, humor and wit give way to vulnerable sincerity as the two of them lock eyes over the pool table. A shy smile graces y/n’s lips, her heart faltering at his sweet sentiment before Harry gently breaks the consuming stare-off, "well, if you’re lookin’ fo’ more extravagant, I actually have a canary yellow flared suit that goes with a violet dress-shirt." And just like that, they found their way back to confidential banter.

"Damn, now I have to see it."

"One day if you’re lucky," this time he does wink at her, and this time he doesn’t let her enchantress juju distract him from the task at hand. As soon as the balls vanishes from the table, the question flies out of his mouth, "do you really find my suits obnoxious?"

Y/n pauses at the inquiry and tries to read into his eyes. She inspects the bright emeralds for any unsuspected insecurities and when she finds none, she sends him a simple smile, "I love them. I just enjoy too much your reactions when I give you shit about them." Her chuckle tugs at Harry’s lips, before she lets honesty flooding past hers, "you got such a great sense of who you are, Harry, it just shows in the way you dress. I admire that, don’t let that go."

Interiorly, he’s heart is jumping in somersaults at possibly the kindest compliment someone’s ever granted him, the fact that it came from her only sending his beating organ into more acrobatics. Exteriorly, he returns her tender smile and mutters a timorous ‘thanks love,’ before watching her pocket another ball.

This time she doesn’t have to mull it over, "why did you wait?"

"Huh?"

"When we kissed earlier, you said you’d wanted to do it for a while. Why didn’t you?"

Her words are bare of any reproach as they both lean on their side against the table, inches apart from each other. It’s a fair question; one that she doesn’t really own as the word could have easily tumbled out from his mouth instead. It’s him on the spot though, and while he didn’t quite expect to broach such hazardous matters over a game of pool, he appreciates the openness of their bond. "I dunno, you always seemed so attached to boundaries at work, always so professional, I didn’t think you’d want me to make a move."

"I secretly did," she whispers.

"Yeah?"

"Mhm."

Goosebumps race down Harry’s arms as he takes in her confession and the way her teeth are nipping her lips into a darker shade of pink. His eyes are drawn to them, the urge to close the gap and have her moaning in his mouth growing harder and harder to ignore, "fuck that’s sexy. You’re sexy."

The praise washes over y/n like a cold shower after a scorching day at the beach; startling shivers at first, golden skin tingling, and then all-encompassing relief. She loves how unfiltered he is with her, baring his thoughts to her just as they come, no editing, no secret agenda, no diffidence. Just her pure effect on him plastered across his beautiful face and candy-coating his words with a thick oozing layer of honeycomb syrup.

Leaning the slightest bit towards him, she tempts him with a near-kiss, almost dipping her lips in exquisite spongy fudge, but stops just as their breaths starts blending in one hot mess, "your turn," she purrs against his lips tantalizingly, before stepping away.

Harry looks like he is now the one in need of a cold shower, eyes pinched closed as he tries to compose himself, "right," he clears his throat. It takes him a bit more time to regain enough focus to make a successful go at the game, but once he’s got a good hold on the cue, a stable breath and a clear view of the shot, he takes it with ease and fortune.

As soon as he straightens up, he erases the distance between them, a determined look hardening the subtle lines of his face. "Did you ever think about me like I thought about you? At work, did you ever see me pass in the hallway and it took everythin’ you had not to follow me and kiss me senseless in the copy-machine room while no-one was watchin’?"

"Fuck. The thought might have crossed my mind once or twice," y/n confesses in batted breath. It’s clear the scenario isn’t so much a fabrication of his mind made on the spot as it is a confession of his own experience, and the thought has the air in her lungs going scarce, as though she’s reached the apex of Mount Everest.

Harry isn’t fending off the heated tension much better, fingers twitching around his cue as he’d rather have her underneath his fingertips instead. He takes one look at the ceiling to stave his yearning some and draws in a deep breath."This is killing me," he whimpers while his lips skim over he skin of her forehead. "Go on, take your damn shot so we can be done with this game."

"It was your idea," she reminds him wryly. All of it, really; coming here, playing pool, playing 20 fucking questions, this heated hodgepodge of salacity and virtuous adoration is all his doing.

"I miscalculated."

"Poor you," y/n gently mocks is disgruntled attitude before scoring another ball, or as she likes to regard, another question, another opportunity to further tease at his already crumbling countenance, "what about you, Harry, do you ever think about me? At work… or otherwise?"

She already knows the first half of the answer and only voiced the double-entendre to rile him up, so she’s quite stunned when he whizzes, "too fucking much fo’ my own good."

The pained expression on his face is almost comical for y/n, she can’t resist probing at his despair, "me too." He groans at the flowing visuals he can’t ban from his filthy mind before she gestures towards the pool table in a gentlemanly way, "and that’s your cue," they both share a chuckle at her silly pun.

If Harry wasn’t so lost in a whirlwind of lustful thoughts, he would revel in the way their intellects seem to dovetail on all fronts; humor, banter, seduction, sincerity, nothing is lost in translation, they seem to talk in the same love language. From teasing digs and dirty innuendos to play on words or heartfelt confessions, they know exactly which frequency to tune in.

"Fuck, I can’t see straight," he laughs as he misses a shot for the second time, and y/n quickly takes over his spot around the pool table. Settle, relax, aim, breathe, shoot; another point to her flawless record. She turns to him, looking intently at his blown irises to stir up the flame already inhabiting them, "was it good?"

"Mind-blowing," he answers without unlocking their eyes, and the whole conversation is starting to get to her too. Her thighs rub against together, knuckles turning white around her cue as she tightens her grip and Harry has to bite his lips to contain a moan. He tries to distract himself by taking his turn in the game, and burst out in laughter when he pockets the ball and y/n cries out, "blue ball in the pocket! I feel like their might be a subliminal message somewhere but I can’t quite put my finger on it"

Once they regain their breath from laughing, tears of joy actually peeling from the corner of their eyes, they go back to staring at each other. It’s Harry’s turn to ask a question, and the anticipation had y/n fidgeting under his consuming gaze. She expects him to bounce back on the previous question, but to her surprise he decides to take a different route, "tell me darlin’, if I were to kneel at your feet and look up that pretty dress right now, what color your lil panties would be?"

The question sounds boyish really, yet instead of rolling her eyes at him, her core clenches around emptiness at the thought of having him between her legs right this moment, "can’t answer that, sorry."

"Oh come on love, you gotta say. Them’s the rules," Harry tries to coax the answer out of her but she’s not budging.

"Sorry, Harry. I’d tell you if there was anything to tell." His eyes widen at her lewd implication, the revelation of just how many layers away she is from being in the nude, coming into light. Damn, he would have gotten much more than a nip-slip.

"Fuck me, I need to sit down for a mo’."

She laughs at his dramatic response before picking up her cue, "you do that, in the mean time…" The rest of her sentence is cut short as she positions herself at the pool table, and the next sound cutting through the humid atmosphere comes from the ball falling into its target.

"Jesus, do you ever miss?"

"I don’t play to lose, Styles," she quips back. "Now, what’s your biggest fantasy? Aside from shagging in the copy-machine room, that is."

Harry takes one step closer, gently backing her against the table with one hand encasing her at either side of her waist. As he towers over her, his ardent look ignites a fire at the pit of y/n’s stomach, flame licking all the way up to her heart and down to her toes. Her core throbs before the words fall out of his supple lips like maple syrup on a stack of fluffy pancakes. "Right now? Bend you over this pool table and have my way with you."

"In front of all this people?"

"What d’you think is stoppin’ me from doin’ it right now?"

"Manners?"

The retort earns her a deep chuckle, as he shakes his head in disbelief, "fuck y/n, I lost my manners the moment you kissed me."

The raw admission sends a shiver down her spine, before she regains her full bearings and pushing his cue against his chest for him to grab, "your turn."

Barely moving from his spot nestled against her, he successfully sends the ball down the drain and doesn’t waste any time before asking in the same sultry voice, "favorite position?"

‘Why are y’asking?"

"Future reference," he announces confident.

"Well in that case, kinda like this…" she brushes against him as she bends over the table, ass jutted out on one side, before adjusting the angle of her cue and aiming for the pocket, "…when everything aligns and it just sinks…" bam, she propels the sphere in one strong hit "…right through." She finishes her demonstration with a score and a suggestive smile, only but one ball left for her to obliterate; the eight ball. "Are you ready to lose, Styles?"

"Dunno, is that your question?"

"Yes. I got everything I want to know already."

"Then I don’t fucking care about losin", s’not the game I wanna play anymore," he trails a finger down the skin of her back, goosebumps erupting at his touch. He is stopped by the tip of her cue pressing at his chest, slowly pushing him back from her space, and his hands meet this air in surrender. She’s got a wicked smile on her lips and a title to uphold after all, "last shot, make it count."

Harry takes the shot hastily, half expecting another miss, but the solid yellow ball disappears into the table’s corner in a vibrant crash. Eyebrows raised and shallow breath, he pivots back towards her, "please tell me this is turnin’ you on s’much as it’s turnin’ me on?"

"Yes," she rubs the exposed skin of his chest, eyes leaving his face to trail down his torso. "I’m just better at hiding it," she brings her lips to his ear, "physically or otherwise apparently." Then she leaves a loud smack on his cheek and goes around the table to sink the last ball standing in the way of her victory. In true y/n fashion, she completes a faultless round with one last graceful hit that leaves Harry transfixed by her dexterity.

"Damn, you are the queen of pool, I’m bowing down to you. Any final question?"

She lays the cue down on the table before coming up to him, "Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Take me back to my place?"

His head falls back on its neck, eyes closing in deliverance, "fuck yeah." This whole night may have been the most intense and rousing foreplay he’s ever experienced, he can’t wait to deliver good on his own promise.

➪ Masterlist

#harry styles writing #harry styles fic #harry styles fanfic #harry styles one shot #reader insert #friends to lovers #coworker!harry #harry styles fluff #creative writing #part2 #flirting

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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Kung Fu: Inside The History of a Martial Arts Classic

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It’s been a long journey for The CW to snatch that Kung Fu pebble from the master’s (Warner Bros.) hand, but the new reboot of Kung Fu could not have come at a better time.

Issues of diversity and representation have been at the forefront of our cultural conversations for years now. The rise in Asian hate crimes – nearly a 150% increase in 2020 – has made #StopAsianHate a frequent trending topic on social media. For The CW to launch a show with a Chinese leading actress and a largely Asian cast right now makes a bold statement for inclusivity that lives up to the network’s longstanding slogan “Dare to Defy.”

What’s more, Kung Fu is promoting itself as an Asian family drama which could fill a newly opened gap. Two wildly successful Asian family sitcoms just went off the air – ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat ended its six-season run in 2020 and Kim’s Convenience announced that their final episode after a five-season run will be April 13, 2021 (In the wake of Kim’s Convenience, CBC is launching a spinoff series, Strays, following the character of Shannon Ross, the only white actor credited in show’s opening). This leaves the door wide open for Kung Fu to capture fans of Asian family dramas. Plus it’s The CW, a network that thrives on soap opera-esque dramas.

CW’s reboot is a complete reimagining of Kung Fu, but what of the legacy of the original franchise? Will this new version bring honor to the Kwai Chang Caine a.k.a. Grasshopper? The original Kung Fu series was groundbreaking in its own way. The show garnered critical acclaim including three Primetime Emmys and two Golden Globe nominations. Even though David Carradine’s Kwai Chang Caine would be called out for whitewashing today, with its heavy reliance on Daoist philosophy, Kung Fu provided many Americans with their first taste of many aspects of Chinese culture, especially Shaolin martial arts. It also had the largest Asian supporting cast of any show for decades to come.

The Shaolin Temple Days

When the original Kung Fu premiered in 1972, it was the right time too. The pilot was such a big hit that the network decided to show it again (remember this was long before the invention of VHS – back then your only chance to see a show was to watch it when it was broadcast). However, the second showing was preempted by President Richard Nixon shaking hands with Chairman Mao Zedong. China was opening its bamboo curtain to America at the same time Kung Fu was telecast.

Kung Fu ran for only three seasons on ABC and yet it holds a special place in the hearts of its long standing fans. Kwai Chang Caine was a barefoot half-Asian mendicant monk from the Shaolin Temple who travelled the old west in search of his long-lost half-brother, Danny Caine (Tim McIntire). Caine was a wanted man because he took revenge. He killed the Emperor’s nephew who killed his beloved blind master, Master Po (Keye Luke). Beyond casting almost every Asian actor in the business back then, Kung Fu had an astonishing list of guest stars like Gary Busey, Jodie Foster, Harrison Ford, William Shatner, and many others.

The Chinese Connection: Bruce Lee Vs. Kwai Chang Caine

For decades, it was rumored that Kung Fu was ripped off from martial arts legend Bruce Lee. Lee had written a treatment that was remarkably similar – a story of Chinese immigrant martial arts master who landed in America during the Wild West era. However, in the definitive biography Bruce Lee: A Life, biographer Matthew Polly uncovered substantial evidence that Warner Brothers already had Kung Fu in development prior to Lee’s pitch. Nevertheless, Lee’s daughter, Shannon Lee, claims that her father auditioned for the part of Caine and was rejected because, ironically, he was Chinese. She went on to develop her father’s treatment into Cinemax’s Warrior (another recent show with a predominantly Asian cast that was cancelled last year).

After the original show ended, Carradine returned to the iconic role of Caine several times. In 1986, Kung Fu: The Movie aired on ABC, reuniting Carradine with Keye Luke and introducing Caine’s estranged son Chung Wang. Even more ironic, Chung Wang was played by none other than Bruce Lee’s son, Brandon Lee.

Warrior: The Historical Inspiration for Dylan Leary

By Gene Ching

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How Batman: Soul of the Dragon Pays Homage to 70s Kung Fu and Bruce Lee

By Gene Ching

Kung Fu: The Movie was a steppingstone towards a spinoff series attempt, Kung Fu: The Next Generation, with Brandon Lee playing Johnny Caine. Carradine was not involved in this series. Set in modern times instead of the Old West, Johnny Caine was the great grandson of Kwai Chang Caine, but not the Kwai Chang Caine of the original series. The TNG Kwai Chang Caine was named for his great-grandfather – Carradine’s original character – and played by David Darlow. Brandon Lee was cast as both Kwai Chang Caine’s son and his great great great great grandson. Kung Fu: The Next Generation was not picked up. It was only telecast on an unusual short-lived TV showcase called CBS Summer Playhouse, which ran failed pilots every week. Six years later, Brandon Lee died in a tragic on set accident while filming The Crow.

Twenty years after the original series, David Carradine reprised the role of Kwai Chang Caine, or rather the grandson of Kwai Chang Caine, also named Kwai Chang Caine (not the father of the TNG Kwai Chang Caine because the failure of the pilot removed it from canon). That was the first real reboot of the series – Kung Fu: The Legend Continues. Set in modern times again, Caine was paired with a new son, Detective Peter Caine (Chris Potter). The series ran for four seasons, logging twenty-four more episodes than the original.

After that, Carradine never returned to Caine. He went on to promote martial arts with his book, Spirit of Shaolin, which he wrote in 1991, and some instructional Kung Fu videos that he made in the mid-90s. Carradine was never able to completely shake being typecast by the iconic role of Caine. Over the course of over 200 roles, a few more Carradine parts echoed Grasshopper. Fans were delighted to see him play the flute as Bill in Tarantino’s Kill Bill films (the flute was Caine’s signature accoutrement). Tarantino also referenced Kung Fu in Pulp Fiction when Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) tells Vincent (John Travolta) that he plans to walk the earth like “Caine in Kung Fu.”

In 2008, Carradine played “Crane”, a martial art monk just like Caine, in Kung Fu Killer, a two-part mini-series for Spike TV. Carradine claimed that the role was based on an actual historical figure, which he alleges is how the production worked around Warner Bros.’ copyright on Caine. But Carradine was never able to provide the name of that historical figure. He believed that Crane and Caine were ‘diametrically opposed’ but aside from being more violent (in one fight, Crane knocks an opponent so hard that his spine graphically bursts out of his back) viewers are hard pressed to separate them. The series was slated to have three more installments, but those never happened.

The Barefoot Journey to The CW

Kwai Chang Caine had to walk a lot of rice paper before the character could become this new incarnation of Nicky Shen (Olivia Liang) for CW’s reimagining of the franchise. The first major talk of reboot was back in 2011 (on Halloween no less). Bill Paxton (Aliens, Predator 2) was in talks to direct a screen adaptation. John McLaughlin (Black Swan, The Patriot) was tapped to write the script. The production was from Legendary Entertainment and plans were being made to shoot in China. Paxton said they had intended to follow the original story more or less – Caine ventures across the American West of the 1870s in search of his birth father instead of his half-brother. Paxton claimed that his new production would enrich the scale and grandeur to the level that the show always deserved. This was to be feature films under Warner Brother’s Chinese cooperative venture, Legendary East. As the project developed, other writers who became associated with the reboot film included Cory Goodman (Priest) and Rich Wilkes (xXx)

In 2014, Baz Luhrmann (Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!) was in talks to direct Kung Fu for Legendary. If the deal had been signed, Luhrmann planned to rewrite McLaughlin’s script. Paxton died in 2017 but his name had faded from talk of the reboot prior to his passing.

In an unexpected twist, Universal announced that it was opting Kung Fu for a feature length film in early 2020. At the helm is none other than stuntman-turned director David Leitch (John Wick, Deadpool). Leitch has also been attached to a remake of Bruce Lee’s Enter the Dragon (another property with a long history of attempted remakes). However, since the initial announcements, there’s been no information on the further development on either project from Leitch.

On the TV side of things, Fox grabbed Kung Fu in 2017 for a new series. Greg Berlanti (Arrow, The Flash) came on board to produce with Wendy Mericle (Arrow, Desperate Housewives) penning the script. This incarnation was the first mention of changing the gender of the main protagonist. The new lead was to be Lucy Chang, a Shaolin nun. Instead of being set in the Old West, she was to be living in the 1950s. And instead of searching for her half-brother, it was her kidnapped child.

In a successive treatment, Lucy was set in modern times. She was to inherit her father’s Chinatown Kung Fu school, only to discover that it secretly operated as a center to help those in desperate need. Lucy was partnered with a Korean War veteran named J.T. Cullen. The reboot moved to the CW in 2019 with Christina M. Kim (Blindspot, Hawaii Five-0) taking over as writer and producer and Berlanti still attached as a producer. The story is reimagined with Nicky Shen as a young Chinese American woman in contemporary times, who leaves to find herself at a monastery in China, and then returns to her family in America.

In the pilot, there’s no explicit connection given between Nicky and Kwai Chang Caine so far (save for the quick appearance of a grasshopper). Kung Fu is a complete re-imagining, so all bets are off. But as the season progresses, who knows what references and homages are possible? Reboots thrive on their Easter eggs nowadays, and even if Nicky isn’t within the Caine bloodline, Kung Fu will be well served by tucking some call-backs to the original show.

Will Nicky have to walk rice paper and snatch pebbles from her master’s hand? Will she get those classic Shaolin Dragon and Tiger forearm brands? If she does then perhaps Kung Fu will be the right show for its time while still honoring what came before it.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Kung Fu premieres on the CW on April 7, 2021.

The post Kung Fu: Inside The History of a Martial Arts Classic appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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animepopheart · 5 years

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Pokémon Detective Pikachu and Getting off (or on) the Train

Trains play a heavy role Pokémon Detective Pikachu—they come and go in key points in the narrative. Sometimes Tim Goodman, the young man at the center of the film, boards a train; other times, he chooses not to. His decisions not only lead to physical closeness or distance from his father, Harry Goodman (recently missing and presumed deceased), but toward or away from emotional intimacy with him. A train ride means a decision to love and forgive, or to harbor bitterness and resentment.

After receiving the call about Harry, whom he refers to by his first name rather than as “Dad,” Tim boards a train to Ryme City under the pretense that he’ll pick up his father’s assets. Peculiarly enough, he doesn’t appear to want to do anything of the sort; instead, he seems to be there to inspect his father’s life since the two became estranged. Later on, Tim admits the true purpose of his journey: to say “goodbye.”

It’s a difficult experience for Tim—not only is he going through the trauma of losing his only surviving parent, he’s also forced to deal with the abandonment he feels, the lack of love he’s experienced from Harry, these things he’d avoided for so long. Tim has struggled with hurt and bitterness toward a father who he believed cared more about detective work than about his own son. He’s not wrong to feel that way—Harry drowned himself in investigations after the death of his wife (Tim’s mother), and though he offered his son a chance to join him in Ryme City, he apparently did not make further overtures after being denied, after Tim decided not to get on that train as a boy.

The story at work here isn’t groundbreaking—it’s a common experience of workaholic dads unable to process their own emotions, unable to be the caring parents their children need after tragedy strikes.

It’s also the stuff of fictional tales. In Clannad and its sequel, Clannad After Story, a similar situation develops when main character Tomoya is raised by his father after the death of his mom. The abandonment here is not physical, but similarly emotional. Tomoya’s dad isn’t able to provide the support he needs; he creates bitterness in Tomoya through his lack of social and job stability to provide for his family and by physically abusing his son. Tomoya is present with his dad, but if he could have taken a train somewhere else, he perhaps would have chosen that alternative.

It’s easy to feel for both Tim and Tomoya, two victims both of tragedy and neglect. But Pokémon Detective Pikachu and Clannad takes us perhaps somewhere unexpected by explaining to use that despite what are at best missteps (and at worse, abuse) by the fathers, they actually do love their children. It’s a lovely thought, but a hard pill to swallow when one realizes that the victims were little kids. In Detective Pikachu, while we eventually see Harry’s sacrifice and know through other characters of his devotion to Tim, we just don’t have enough time to fully buy it; we’re still left with the question of, “Well, what about the lack of parenting for the last 10+ years?”

Clannad, which spans nearly 50 episodes and the better part of a decade, can more fully address the love of a flawed father—and it does so from the perspective of Tomoya, who is by the time of resolution a father himself. Unlike his own dad, Tomoya doesn’t outright physically injure his child, Ushio—though for all we know, his dad hadn’t done that yet by this time in life either—but he has abandoned her to be raised by his in-laws and, like his dad, turned to alcohol. Later, when forced into spending time with his daughter, Tomoya encounters his grandmother, through which he finally understands the sacrifice of his dad: Though he failed profoundly at every aspect of being a father—he was too weak to be a necessary rock for his son after the death of his wife—Tomoya’s dad gave everything he had, as limited as it was. Of the little he had, Tomoya’s father gave his son everything.

Tomoya is of course shook because he realizes that of all he has, which is abundantly more than his father, he has given Ushio nothing.

This moment in the series always brings me to tears because I feel like both Tomoya and his dad—unwilling to try enough with my own children like the earlier, and profoundly insufficient like the latter. I want to love better. And just like these two, I need forgiveness when I fail.

Though only clumsily expressed in the movie, Pokémon Detective Pikachu makes the same argument: Often the “bad” dads really do love their children, if imperfectly, if poorly. When we were kids, we couldn’t see our parents in this light, with all the nuances of needs and issues and challenges—the world is far too black and white, our needs too great. But what I’ve learned is that even into adulthood, our vision is limited: It’s so very hard to understand parenthood if one hasn’t been there. Without empathy and experience, it can be difficult to forgive for the wrongs done against us.

But it’s not impossible.

At the end of Detective Pikachu, Tim is about to board a train and return to his home. But left once again with the decision of whether to get on or off, he goes against the flow, against the path of his life—one blazed by his father’s neglect and by his own anger and avoidance. This time, Tim makes the choice to love by not boarding the train, by deciding to stay with his dad.

For Tim, it took a great adventure, a little bit of magic, and a second chance for him to choose forgiveness. It would be wonderful to be taken on such a path toward forgiving a loved one that’s hurt us deeply, but ultimately we might only be left with only one or two shared pieces of Tim’s journey: a ticket to ride and the promise that grace and forgiveness brings us to what we all need—a better destination.

—

Pokémon Detective Pikachu is now available for purchase on Amazon. Clannad can be streamed on Hulu or purchased on Amazon.

#pokemon detective pikachu #pokemon #detective pikachu #clannad #parenting #blog

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champsays · 5 years

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“Adam” The Film And It’s Problematic Implications

Okay, so first of all — YES IM LATE TO THE PARTY! Apparently there’s a film called “Adam” that is coming out this summer based on a YA novel written by a white lesbian woman that is supposed to be super groundbreaking for the LGBT+ community. I’ve never heard of the book or the film until recently because of some backlash I saw on twitter. I didn’t wanna join the band wagon without being properly informed so I did my research and I must say that the backlash surrounding this film is completely just and warranted.

The novel written by Ariel Schrag is about a cis, white teenage boy who has bad luck with girls so when he goes to visit his lesbian sister in New York, who is at the moment dating a transman, he decides to pretend to be trans so he can bag himself a hot lesbian. He does this after being mistaken for trans and decides to run with it. He falls hard for the “hot lesbin girl” and in one scene they even have sex where he actually uses his real penis to penetrate her even though she thought it was a strap on. He goes to a Trans Camp where he eventually feels bad about his actions and confesses to the girl. But for some reason she’s not as mad and even says that ‘it’s okay because she imagined him as a real a boy anyway.’ A lot more happens but that’s the summarized version.

Despite the backlash, some movie executives thought that it would be groundbreaking to make this novel into a film and here’s why that’s a huge mistake. How many Hollywood movies have we seen where a White, Cis male has infiltrated the safe spaces of a marginalized community for personal/sexual gain and then eventually learns how these actions are problematic? We’ve seen this same story play out plenty of times on screen but now that LGBT allyship is trendy in Hollywood, the powers that be thought they were doing something groundbreaking and pushing the envelope by making this highly offensive film.

First of all, the fact that the original novel was written by a lesbian just goes to show how education on trans identity is very scarce even in the Queer community and we have to do better in that regard. But how many times do we need to see a white boy using real issues to get laid on screen? This could have easily been a story about an actual transman coming to terms with his identity in life and in romance. But instead lets create a story where trans is essentially a costume. Hell, a story about the main character’s sister would have been more interesting and more authentic to the author’s personal experience. It also proves that just because you identify as being apart of the LGBT+ community, it doesnt necessarily mean you are qualified to tell stories about all of our experiences.

Now besides the highly problematic narrative and offensive nuances, the writer literally tries to romanticize a rape scene. In the book, the main character tells his lesbian girlfriend that he is using a strap on to penetrate her but in fact he uses his real penis. The girlfriend didnt consent to that which is, by definition, RAPE. Make no mistake, when engaging in any sexual activity and one party decides to go a step further without the consent of their partner that is considered rape. Not to mention the horrible implication that trans men arent real men. Or the fact that lesbians can be “fixed” by having sex with a ‘real man’. That’s right! In the book, the girlfriend of the main character ends up getting a cis boyfriend. Does this make her bisexual or has she decided to be completely hetero? We really dont know but the implication is not okay, especially for this to be a YA novel. If you marry that idea with how impressionable young adults can be, smells like a recipe for disaster.

I can’t continue without saying that there are actually straight men who prowl gay bars hoping to connect with a “hot lesbian” to convert her back to liking “real men”. I’ve personally encountered men with this exact mindset so to fantasize this very problematic behavior into a book AND movie just perpetuates the notion that gayness/queerness/trans identity is curable.

I perused through youtube to find a few videos and interviews of the filmmakers talking about the movie amidst the backlash and the director Rhys Ernst is surprisingly one of the directors that works on the critically acclaimed show “Transparent”. As popular as that show is and as talented as Jeffrey Tambor is, the show is still riddled with its own issues by allowing a Cis White man to play a trans person eseentially taking a job away from an actual trans actor. An issue that even Jeffrey Tambor ironically shed light on during his acceptance speech after winning a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his performance in the role.

One would think that in an industry where LGBT+ stories have been scarce for so long that we should rejoice in the small triumphs. On the surface, this film is being paraded around as artistic genius amplifying the voices of the trans community and employing those who belong to the community in front AND BEHIND the camera. We should be applauding this right? WRONG. This story is essentially about the trans community through the lens of a selfish, insecure, sex crazed straight man and we are tired of seeing that portrayed on screen. I looked on IMDB and it says that this film comes out in August and I’m sure it will have a strong marketing campaign that will be wrapped in a beatiful bow of romance, inclusion, and acceptance but don’t be fooled.

We live in a climate where standing up for what’s right is frowned upon. Where people mistake using your voice as another cry for political correctness. You even have people saying this new generation is “too sensitive”. Well I beg to differ. We are not sensitive at all. We just choose to not be as passive as our parents and grandparents were. We have decided to not apologize when we tell you how we want to be treated. And if that’s an issue for you, take it up with God or whatever higher power you choose to believe in. I’d rather be politically correct than completely deaf and oblivious to the experiences of a marginalized people — and that’s what Champ says!

#adam #adam the film #ariel schrag #rhys ernst #lgbt #lgbtqia #transgender #transphobia

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thewellzine · 4 years

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High Fidelity, Racial Ambiguity, and the Myth of Universality in Film and Television

By Amber Delgado

I rarely binge watch television shows, I try my hardest to avoid it. I go to the movie theater pretty regularly—the ease of entering a specific viewing space to consume a story where I know I’ll receive a beginning, middle, and end typically within a two- and half-hour time span (to include trailers) is efficient for my busy millennial lifestyle. With the advancement of streaming services within the past decade, television series are getting better, more “diverse,” more abundant, and simultaneously longer in episode length and shorter in number of episodes within a series. I avoid binge watching for two reasons, the first being due to the capitalist society I’ve been brought up in; it makes me feel like a lazy, worthless blob of a human being to have sat or laid still for hours on end looking at a screen. How dare I spend that much time being unproductive? The second is that these shows, the good ones at least, are so damn tempting to binge they practically require it. The next episode button counting down in the right-hand corner basically taunting you as the music of the quick credits plays in the background. A black screen with white text pops up and you’re stuck with that immediacy to decide: should I continue being a worthless blob or finally go to the gym? Because I can at times have an addictive personality, I always go in for the kill when I occasionally find a show that I enjoy.

I hadn’t heard much about the new Hulu adaptation of High Fidelity starring Zoe Kravitz until about a week ago, through Instagram. I believe someone I follow shared in their Instagram story a promotional photo that Zoe Kravitz took for the show. Due to my years long crush on Zoe, I looked further into what exactly this show was about. I had never heard or seen the original film High Fidelity, adapted from the novel by Nick Hornby. So I was interested to check it out, and on Saturday night after returning from the gym and starting some laundry, I decided to attempt to watch only a couple of episodes.

In the opening scene of the first episode Zoe Kravit’s’ character Rob, is breaking the fourth wall in tears about the breakup with her boyfriend Mac. It really draws you in. (I personally haven’t seen much Zoe Kravitz has acted in. I’m aware of her most recent role in Big Little Lies, but was never too interested in giving that a watch; take that with a grain of salt because again, I’m not watching much television generally compared to the average person). The acting in this scene, and also how stunning Kravitz is, instantly pulls you into the series. Rob replaces the main character played by John Cusack in the original film adaptation. While I was watching the show, I found myself Googling more about both the novel and the film, and scanning reviews for more context regarding the show.

Little to no surprise, I read multiple headlines claiming how groundbreaking it is to have Zoe Kravitz replacing a white male lead. What was surprising for me however, is how in the ten episodes, the character Rob—played by Kravitz, a Black woman—rarely acknowledges her identity and rarely has dialogue with other characters in the show. I enjoyed High Fidelity for its incredible costume design; lighthearted moments; the comedic champion who carries the show, breakthrough actress Da’Vine Joy Randolph (who has one of my favorite character introductions in television history);and its nostalgic and fun soundtrack. Where the series falls flat for me is unfortunately through the writing of the main character, Rob. I want so badly to like her and root for her; I see a lot myself in how she shows up (or doesn’t) in relationships. I enjoy newer series giving complexity to female leads in terms of romantic relationships. Being shown the representation that women don’t always have their shit together, we can be confused, we can seek multiple partners, we can hurt people and don’t always conform to the predetermined, hetero-patriarchal assignment of care-giving nurturers, we can crave sexual relationships and pleasure without seeking long term commitments.

This review is me wading through something I’ve constantly been thinking about. A couple of months ago, while having a conversation with a friend of mine who is a cis-het white filmmaker, we discussed him writing in characters that are people of color within his scripts. And got into disagreement about representational writing and universality. He was arguing that there are certain stories and emotions that transcend race and identity. And also, that not all television and film consisting of Black and Brown characters have to directly be attached to their identity, they can just be “everyday people with everyday stories doing ordinary things.” This is what the writing of High Fidelity feels like to me. I suspect a predominately white writers’ room casting a Black woman lead character in replace of this story about a white man who owns a used record store.

My discomfort around Rob’s character are in the writing; I’m not arguing for a monolithic representation of Blackness and Black womanhood or a script that consistently states that Kravitz is a Black woman. I don’t think that Rob isn’t written “Black” enough for me to enjoy. Moreover, I feel when Black characters in television and film are written through the lens of universality, so much context of living life as a Black person is lost. That type of representation is one we cannot afford to lay to rest when Black people can never “put down” their Blackness and while white supremacy remains entrenched within the foundation this country was built upon. White people need to understand that Blackness can never be detached from our everyday lives, both white people who are consuming media and culture and those creating it who want to have a fun diversity party.

The myth of universality serves white supremacy, white people having the historical advantage of defining rules and building institutions. I can’t help but associate a yearning for universality with objectivity. The argument of make this “neutral enough so everyone can enjoy it” undeniably has historically served and prioritized whiteness. This always brings me back to the amazing Toni Morrison quote which I feel directly addresses the myth of universality:

“I never asked Tolstoy to write for me, a little colored girl in Lorain, Ohio. I never asked [James] Joyce not to mention Catholicism or the world of Dublin. Never. And I don't know why I should be asked to explain your life to you. We have splendid writers to do that, but I am not one of them. It is that business of being universal, a word hopelessly stripped of meaning for me. Faulkner wrote what I suppose could be called regional literature and had it published all over the world. That's what I wish to do. If I tried to write a universal novel, it would be water. Behind this question is the suggestion that to write for black people is somehow to diminish the writing. From my perspective there are only black people. When I say 'people,' that's what I mean.”

Rob lives in Crown Heights in Brooklyn, and a majority of people she dates and hangs out with are white people, with the exception of her brother and her co-worker and friend, Cherise, who she seems to have a complicated relationship with. I think this show is able to literally write off Rob’s Blackness, due to Zoe Kravitz being a lighter skinned, almost racially ambiguous Black person…which has long been in discussion within how Black people are represented in media. Major production houses and casting companies are most comfortable seeking Black actors who confirm the loose curl pattern, light skin preference. Even Zendaya has acknowledged her awareness of her career being due to how she looks, and how she looks being preferred by the industry. What does it say that in the year 2020 we have the nerve to celebrate representation when so many of the Black actors getting work have all these same physical attributes? Where is the diversity, really?

Lastly, like in the film and the book, Rob goes through her top five worst breakups of all time, and seeks to contact them as a means for understanding why her relationships are failing. As she goes through this list, four out of five partners are white people. I myself, being biracial and growing up middle class, understand firsthand how their specific experiences can lead to a Black person ending up in predominately white spaces. However, these contexts are never presented for Rob in the story of her character; the series treats, as natural, that a Black woman just happens to have always had a bunch of white people in her life…and that needs no explanation as to how? This is particularly hard to take in throughout the series as she consistently disrespects, undermines, and ignores her only Black woman friend and employee, Cherise. At times, outside of her Black most recent ex-boyfriend, Mac, I questioned if Rob really cared to have any Black people in her life, which wouldn’t be difficult to do living in New York City. Why were the writers content with making those decisions? It was enough to have a Black woman lead and one Black supporting character—the diversity box is checked and then the rest of this cast can be mostly white.

Rob feels so flat to me; there was potential in this remake but it feels the writers were striving for the clout of having a Black female lead without actually writing a Black female lead. I’ve also had a similar feeling about the 2019 film Waves, starring Kelvin Harrison Jr. and directed and written by a white man. When watching the trailer for Waves, I felt like I had no idea what it was about, and after a Google search and seeing that the film was written and directed by a white man with a predominately Black cast, I instantly lost interest. I did follow through on seeing it out of curiosity, and for me it was my least favorite film of 2019.

At this point, I’m sure you’re asking yourself, especially if you’re a white person, “So what, white people can’t write in characters they don’t have a lived experience of? Isn’t that art? Can’t I be free to make whatever I want?” White people don’t need my approval to create, or much less do anything. White people have been doing whatever they want to since the beginning of this land mass (see colonialism). What I am saying through this review, is that if you expect a hoorah for your forced universalism via pre-approved Black and Brown bodies that you call diversity, we’re gonna continue to see right through that. So hire some Black and Brown writers, there’s plenty out there.

#amber delgado

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beneaththetangles · 5 years

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Pokémon Detective Pikachu and Getting off (or on) the Train

Tomoya is of course shook because he realizes that of all he has, which is abundantly more than his father, he has given Ushio nothing.

Try not to cry. I dare you.

But it’s not impossible.

-----

Pokémon Detective Pikachu is now available for purchase on Amazon. Clannad can be streamed on Hulu or purchased on Amazon.

#Movies #Anime #Pokemon #Pokemon Detective Pikachu #CLANNAD #CLANNAD After Story #Pocket Monsters #Harry Goodman #Tim Goodman #Tomoya Okazaki #Naoyuki Okazaki #Ushio Okazaki #Parenthood #Fatherhood #Forgiveness #Grace #Articles #Author: TWWK

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setepenre-set · 6 years

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Can u recommand some good books pls?

I DEFINITELY CAN!

(I’ve divided them up into categories, and included a short summary of each, so that you can choose more easily, and put the list under a cut, since it’s fairly long.)

Comedic Fantasy With Emotional Center

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett (part of the Discworld series; everything in the Discworld series is excellent. main characters of this one are a god stuck in the form of a tortoise and his last believer.)

Hogfather by Terry Pratchett (Discworld. Death has to take over the duties of discworld’s version of Santa Claus in an attempt to keep the world from ending.)

Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett (Discworld. Death gets fired and decides to live as a human—as near to human as he can, at any rate. eventually he has to battle the New Death to save the discworld.)

Guards, Guards! by Terry Pratchett (Discworld. Sam Vimes, leader of the disgraced and dying Ankh-Morpork City Watch, regains his self-respect and his interest in life as he works to solve a mystery of who is summoning a dragon and killing off citizens of his city.)

The Bromeliad by Terry Pratchett (small ‘nomes’ live secretly in this world, hiding from humans. the perpetually out-of-his-depth and put-upon nome Masklin finds himself in charge, tasked with leading them to safety and finding their way home.)

Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman (an angel and a demon tasked with seeing that apocalypse happens as scheduled decide to try to avert it instead. completely and utterly fantastic.)

Long Dark Teatime of the Soul by Douglas Adams (murder mystery involving Norse Gods, record contracts, and the Ultimate Bubble Bath.)

The Thirteen Clocks by James Thurber (novella told like a fairy tale, full of wordplay and beauty and fun. this one just absolutely shines.)

The Gates by John Connolly (young boy, his dog, and an extremely minor demon try to stop the end of the world.)

The Infernals by John Connolly (sequel to The Gates, featuring the same characters.)

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (a young lady is cursed to be old, decides to become cleaning lady for a wizard rumored to be dangerous but actually just vain, overdramatic, and irresponsible. so very fun and romantic.)

Farmer Giles of Ham by J.R.R. Tolkien (a local peasant finds himself unwillingly roped into facing a marauding dragon.)

Comedy

All of the P.G. Wodehouse books, particularly the Jeeves and Wooster series (wonderfully fun and lighthearted comedy set vaguely between the edwardian era and the 1920’s. Rich, cheerful, and kindhearted Bertie Wooster has a habit of accidentally getting engaged to girls he has no desire whatsoever to marry; his clever valet Jeeves gets him out of trouble every time.)

With One Lousy Free Packet of Seed by Lynne Truss (hilarious and surprisingly touching at the end. lots and lots shenanigans. really fun.)

Romantic Comedy

Cotillion by Georgette Heyer (romantic comedy, fake relationship, regency era.)

When a Man Marries by Mary Roberts Rhinehouse (romantic comedy with a stolen jewels mystery plot. cast of characters stuck in a house together.)

Romance

These Old Shades by Georgette Heyer (historical romance with intrigue and comedy. The main character crossdresses and, to me, reads as genderqueer. The love interest is basically a villain who accidentally becomes the hero. I LOVE IT.)

Her Every Wish by Courtney Milan (regency romance novella. hero is bisexual. subplot about bicycles being scandalous. this is the one that I have Roxanne give Megamind in Code: Safeword.)

The Countess Conspiracy by Courtney Milan (regency romance, the last in the Brothers Sinister series, all of which are good. main character reads as autistic. her love interest is younger than she is; they’ve secretly presented her groundbreaking scientific work as his, so that people will take it seriously.)

When a Scott Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare (regency romance; main character has social anxiety and made up a fiancee years ago to get out of her impending social season. but now a man with the same name has shown up claiming to be this fiancee, and intending to marry her.)

Mystery

Behold, Here’s Poison by Georgette Heyer (1920’s murder mystery with comedy and romance. The characters are wonderful.)

Caribbean Mystery by Agatha Christie (murder mystery featuring elderly heroine Miss Marple, who seems fluffy and harmless but is really a sneaky, nosy, and terribly sharp woman. I love her.)

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie (murder mystery featuring detective Hercule Poirot. intricate and enjoyable.)

Death Comes As the End by Agatha Christie (murder mystery set in ancient egypt. both the mystery and the historical features are extremely well executed.)

Difficult to Categorize

Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Story by Leonie Swann (A group of sheep decide to solve the mystery of who killed their shepherd. Funny and moving. The point of view is amazingly well done.)

Watership Down by Richard Adams (A group of rabbits set out on a journey to establish a new home. The worldbuilding and characterization are fantastic.)

Kiln People by David Brin (science fiction mystery. amazing worldbuilding. One of the main characters is a robot who, due to a slight malfunction, has developed a personality and will of his own.)

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion (A love story set during the zombie apocalypse, between a young woman named Julie and a zombie known as R, who isn’t quite as dead as zombies are supposed to be. Horrifying and romantic and uplifting.)

Dreams of Sex and Stage Diving by Martin Millar (Main character Elfish is basically the living embodiment of ‘fuck you’. She’s a guitarist on a mission to claim the name Queen Mab for her—just at present nonexistent—band from her ex-boyfriend Mo.)

Keturah and Lord Death by Martine Leavitt (a young woman in the medieval era gets lost in the forest and nearly dies. When she meets Death, though, she convinces him to postpone her demise—she claims that love is stronger than death, and he tells her that if she can prove it by finding her true love within one day, he will spare her life. Full of joy and sorrow and love.)

The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury (A group of children go on a fantastic trip through time with a mysterious man called Moundshroud in an attempt to save the life of one of their friends. Fun and dark and beautiful.)

The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson (An epidemic wipes out all of the adults in the world. Ten year old Lisa Nelson bands together a group of survivors and shapes them into a new society, with her at its head. Satisfying.)

Fantasy

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (Gorgeous worldbuilding, kidnapping, romance, magic, and adventure.)

The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle (The last of the Unicorns goes on a quest to find out what happened to the rest of her species. Fun and frightening and hauntingly beautiful.)

Transformation by Carol Berg (The Emperor’s New Groove for grown-ups. Formerly a magician and currently a slave, Seyonne finds new meaning in his life when he and careless, proud Prince Aleksander work together to defeat the demonic forces that threaten the kingdom. Slavery and freedom, loyalty and friendship. Intricate worldbuilding.)

War For the Oaks by Emma Bull (Urban fantasy. Eddie has just broken up with her boyfriend, and, in the process, broken up the band they both played in. She has enough problems of her own, without getting dragged into a war between the Seelie and Unseelie courts of the Fae.)

Young Adult Fantasy

So You Want to Be a Wizard by Diane Duane (Young adult fantasy adventure. Preteen protagonists Kit and Nita journey into a terrifying shadow world to fight a dark entity. One of my favorite depictions of magic of all time.)

Which Witch by Eva Ibbotson (The Great Evil Wizard Arriman has decided to take a bride! The members of the local witches’ coven are invited to a contest—whichever witch performs the most dark and wicked act of black magic will be Arriman’s bride. The young witch Belladonna is absolutely smitten with Arriman, and desperately wants to win the contest. The only problem is that Belladonna is a white witch.)

Megamind: the Novel by Lauren Alexander (A little darker and a bit more grown-up than the movie; still incredibly fun. It features additional scenes from Megamind and Roxanne’s developing romantic relationship.)

Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde (Teenage Kerry is in the wrong place at the wrong time, and ends up being taken captive by a group of people who are holding another person captive as well—a young man they insist is a vampire. Kerry thinks they’re crazy, and helps the boy escape…but it turns out they were actually right. And now she’s being held captive by a vampire on the run.)

Young Adult

Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going (Depressed teenage protagonist Troy almost commits suicide, but is stopped by a homeless teenager named Curt, who is also a local punk rock legend. Curt convinces Troy to form a punk band with him, featuring Curt on guitar and Troy on drums…even though Troy can’t actually play the drums. funny and angry and deeply moving.)

The Undertaker’s Gone Bananas by Paul Zindel (Thriller. The misfit teenage protagonists are convinced that their neighbor murdered his wife, even though no one believes them. They set out to prove it.)

Older Children

The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Bernard (Recently orphaned, the disagreeable young Mary arrives at her uncle’s house—a house full of secrets and mysteries.)

A Little Princess by Francis Hodgson Bernard (Young, precocious, and strange Sara Crewe is sent to boarding school. When her father dies unexpectedly, leaving Sara a penniless orphan, the Headmistress forces Sara to work as a servant. Strength in adversity, the power of imagination, and an eventual happy ending.)

The Egypt Game by Zilpha Neatly Snyder (A group of children secretly play at being ancient Egyptians in a deserted lot. This one really captures the dangerous, wild, and intense feeling of childhood.)

Running Out of Time by Margaret Peterson Haddix (adventure with young girl as heroine. genuinely creepy and exciting and so clever. my great-grandmother loved this one, too.)

The Witches by Roald Dahl (Young boy and his grandmother happen upon a convention of terrifying, evil witches.)

The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischmann (Spoiled Prince Brat and his whipping boy Jemmy run away together, much to Jemmy’s annoyance. Adventure and friendship.)

Trapped In Death Cave by Bill Wallace (An adventure story with a secret map, a hidden cave, and an evil plot.)

#books #book recs #Anonymous

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jmsa1287 · 6 years

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In the Ballroom Culture Drama 'Pose,' Stars are Born

Hello! I wrote about the upcoming new FX series “Pose,” which explores the drag ballroom scene of the 80s and was co-created by Ryan Murphy.

A scene from “Pose.” Photo credit: FX

It's hard to write about "Pose," the new drama about '80s ballroom culture debuting Sunday on FX, without discussing the story around the show.

"Pose" made headlines last year when its co-creator Ryan Murphy (one of the most prolific showrunners today, known for co-creating "American Horror Story," "American Crime Story," "Feud," "Glee," and much more) revealed the series will have one of the biggest casts of transgender actors and LGBTQ people of any scripted TV show. Ever. Murphy, who is openly gay and said he'd donate all the proceeds he earns from "Pose" to LGBTQ organizations, has made a conscious effort to hire women, people of color and LGBTQ people in front of and behind the camera, thanks to his foundation Half.

That a show as diverse as "Pose" exists feels like an accomplishment in of itself. To get a show with a cast of actors who are primarily trans and people of color leading a prestige drama series is something to behold. It's 2018 and there have never been so many shows on the air at any given time, but stories highlighting the experiences of trans people are rarely explored, never mind the focus of a TV show. "Pose" is a platform to a number of fresh faces and new voices, creating a space where stars can be born.

Set in 1987 in New York City, the series follows the thriving ballroom scene in uptown, juxtaposing that life with the rise of Trump-era capitalism in Manhattan. With its diverse cast, "Pose" is incredibly specific, sometimes playing like "Paris is Burning" fan-fiction (this is meant in the best way possible). "Pose" also looks like nothing else on TV - it's full of life and, most importantly, color. A terrible trend with prestige TV is the cold and dark color pallets many showrunners often use (Murphy has been guilty of this, too) - navy blues and steely greys have come to signal that This Show Is Important, but actually make things flat and boring to look at. "Pose" is the complete opposite, embracing every color of the rainbow - bright reds and yellows pop on screen during vibrant and dazzling dance-offs. It may be a small detail, but its one that makes a huge difference.

For how groundbreaking "Pose" is, at its core, it's surprisingly quite conventional. The show is a family drama of sorts, as it showcases how queer people, especially those rejected by the ones they love, can come together and choose their own family, forming unconditional bonds. As with any family, those bonds are tested at times, but overcoming obstacles only bring them closer together. The family drama is one of TV's most reliable and relatable forms of storytelling, but there's something rebellious in the way "Pose" utilizes this tried and true format.

"Pose" also begins on a handful of clichés we've seen time and time again in LGBTQ cinema. In the first 20 minutes of the pilot, someone is diagnosed with HIV, while another character comes out as gay and is beaten by his father and kicked out of the house by his mother. But "Pose" isn't a movie, and isn't constrained to a two-hour time limit; in fact, episodes clock in at a full 60 minutes, with the pilot totaling a whopping 78 minutes. Fluid running times may feel daunting, but they allow directors and writers to flesh out these familiar tropes and take them to places that movies cannot.

At the heart of "Pose" is MJ Rodriguez, who plays Blanca Rodriguez. It's a major breakout role for the enchanting newcomer, who oozes star power and commands every scene she's in. Unsatisfied with being a member of the House of Abundance, led by the towering Elektra Abundance (Dominique Jackson), Blanca decides to break free and start her own house. The move sparks a vicious rivalry between the House of Abundance and Blanca's new House of Evangelista. Becoming a house mother isn't easy, and Blanca enlists her own ragtag crew, including aspiring dancer Damon (Ryan Jamaal Swain), fellow ballroom scene competitor and sex worker Angel (the stunning Indya Moore), and others. She's got the support from the ballroom scene's magnificent emcee Pray Tell (the wonderful Billy Porter), who is ready to assist Blanca with costume construction and life advice.

The supporting cast of "Pose" round out the show's lived-in and felt world. The vulnerable Angel is the connecting thread between the ballroom world and the Trumpian life in Manhattan - she's involved in a relationship with Stan (Ryan Murphy veteran Evan Peters), a New Jersey family man, married to Patty (Kate Mara), and a new hire working for Donald Trump's business (lol). His boss Matt (James Van Der Beek, doing his best Christian Bale à la "American Psycho") is a live wire and is the epitome of what many in the drag/trans community desire at that time. Still, the Peters and Van Der Beek stories don't feel necessary or particularly exciting through the four episodes of "Pose" provided for review, though that could easily change later in the season.

Viewers will enter "Pose" through Damon, who Blanca takes in after spotting him dancing on the streets of New York. Her motherly instinct is to push him into dance school, which splits Damon into two versions - the one competing in the underground ballroom scene, and the one experiencing a life some of his closest friends will never see. It's a fascinating journey, but the handsome Swain's wide-eyed performance doesn't always connect, which is a problem because he is the show's avatar at times.

Your mileage of "Pose" will vary, depending on how soapy you like your dramas. There are Big and Powerful Speeches, show-stopping dance-offs and devastating moments in "Pose" that can feel pandering to LGBTQ viewers, but the show maintains a nice pace and never lets up being engaging and entertaining.

The show tackles a number of heavy topics, too, ranging from the AIDS epidemic of the '80s, gender confirmation surgery, socio-economic class, and much more. But "Pose" doesn't feel dated when handling delicate issues. The writing and the performances are strong, assertive and confident, taking on discussions of sex, health, and identity with an admirable frankness. It also finds fascinating ways to take on modern issues within the LGBTQ community. In the second episode, "Access," one of the most provocative moments comes when Blanca and a friend, Lulu Abundance (Hailie Sahar), who is also trans, face discrimination by cis white gay men at a popular gay bar. After being berated with transphobic language by the bar's manager, who kicks the pair out of the establishment, Blanca tells him, "This isn't over!

"It was over before it started," Lulu tells Blanca. "Everybody needs someone to make them feel superior. That line ends with us though. The shit runs downhill, past the women, the blacks, the Latins, the gays until it reaches the bottom and lands on our kind."

It's a powerful moment that rings as true today as it did in 1987. And it's a sentiment that is rarely discussed among the gay community - forget portrayed and expressed with nuance on a mainstream program airing on a premium cable network like FX.

Murphy expertly directs the first two episodes and co-writes them along with Brad Falchuk and Steven Canals, both of whom are credited as co-creators. "Pose" lifts off, however, when they take a step back, allowing trans activist Janet Mock and "Transparent" writer Our Lady J to pen episodes. Authentic voices unsurprisingly lead to earnest and heartfelt results, making "Pose" a fiercely fascinating show that revels in how daringly conventional it is.

#pose #tv #drag #fx #ryan murphy #ballroom #voguing #vogue #lgbt #lgbtq #culture #dance #evan peters #queer #trans

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capricious-soldes · 7 years

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Seriously stop.

The reason I left tumblr untouched for awhile is because all of you girls on here that fetishize the absolute fuck out of any show, movie, book, play, musical, whatever that has any skinny white boy in it. Always fucking shipping the shit out of random characters and watching shows for the wrong reasons.

All of you on here are fucking wetting your panties over the IT movie, but don’t give a flying fuck about the book or any actual canonical information from the movie or the book. You only care about the skinny little 14 year olds and how fucking gay they are in your sicko fantasies.

You don’t fucking care about stranger things for its impeccable, groundbreaking story and writing. You only care that Finn Wolfhard is a cute little white boy and you only care about the sexual fantasies you can write about next.

You call yourselves fans of these movies and shows but when it comes down to it, you only care about the shit you WANT to care about, that being who is fucking who. PENNYWISE THE FUCKING CLOWN you’re shitting your pants over JUST because Bill Skarsgard played him. If some 40 year old, overweight black man were to have been cast as Pennywise, NONE of you would be so fucking obsessed to the point where it’s actually disturbing.

Don’t get me wrong, I adore IT and Pennywise because it is a deliciously creepy absolutely horrifying story that was executed perfectly in the movie and the book. But I know where to cross the line when it comes to my interest in these characters. I don’t draw or support fanart of weird sex scenes or humanizing Pennywise. He’s MEANT to be a monster. Monsters are not supposed to be relatable, and personally I think you’re doing a giant disservice to Stephen King and his portrayal of Pennywise because you decided that he was cute under all that makeup. He’s an interesting monster, but he is not cute and he is not human.

You preteen girls on here ruin everything and I’m fucking tired of it. Appreciate shit, but don’t make it suck for everyone else.

#fuck you all honestly.#i fucking hate this website #it #it 2017 #stranger things

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superbeitmenotyou · 5 years

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youtube

Al Penn and Kieffer Sutherland in designated Survivor on Netflix The admiral of the united states can’t capture a smash.

His rating within the polls as he runs for re-election is shaky. contributors of assembly bang him as an “adulteration admiral.

” His campaign manager pleads with him to focus more on getting re-elected, besides the fact that its capacity taking part in dirty towards his opponents. And his smiling affectation alongside a businessman and the multi-millionaires -year-old wife has sparked an immense uproar. Troubles also accost the admiral’s guys and women.

His arch of personnel is preoccupied along with his biologic-absorbed spouse who has relapsed. His Latino carnality-presidential opts for is grappling with the sharp focus on his indigenous id. And the president’s transgender sister-in-law has been receiving loss of life threats. this is definitely not the White condominium of admiral Trump.

it is the White House of “unintended president” Tom Kirkman, the reluctant flesh-presser played by means of Kieffer Sutherland on the centre of ‘distinct Survivor,’ which has returned for an RD division on Netflix afterwards actuality annulled through ABC. The demonstrate has gone through a makeover with a beneath division, a brand new showrunner and a whole new autograph group of workers that has injected the sequence with more principal storylines.

The rebooted ‘distinctive Survivor’ is among the aboriginal examples of Netflix rescuing a broadcast network collection that had been dumped. The alive provider also picked up ‘Lucifer,’ which become alone by means of Fox after three seasons.

but whereas ‘Lucifer’ in its just-launched fourth season largely keeps the tone and vibe of the community version, ‘designated Survivor’ is clearly distinct.

- NEAL BEAR | got the ambassador “here is a series about these days,” says got ambassador and new showrunner Neal Bear, whose credit include ‘ER,’ ‘below the dome’ and ‘law & order: particular Victims assemblage.’ He also happens to be a paediatrician. Bear says he desired to deliver one of the vital situation-oriented flavours from his past suggests to ‘designated Survivor.’ The ball can also have the same White condominium atmosphere and a few contributors of the customary forged, however, the plots are more contemporary, framed within the arena of a political campaign. The accent is rawer, with profanities that might on no account be accredited on advertisement TV. actual documentary photos with precise Americans discussing considerations corresponding to infant marriage and the prohibitively excessive can charge of prescription medicine had been amid into the demonstrate.

“There are so many issues that I wish to explore that I will be able to explore with this Belvedere,” Bear says in an interview at a cafe close his Brentwood domestic. With simply a number of exceptions, advertisement network suggests, he says, have moved far from exploring topics consistently tackled by means of those groundbreaking dramas, together with gun control and abortifacient.

“I can’t see the networks accomplishing these sorts of suggests now,” he says, “because their company mannequin is appealing to the widest variety of individuals viable without offending them. I don’t believe you get that variety of mighty storytelling that we used to do, that I was able to do.”

the brand new ‘designated Survivor’ has introduced some frequent faces to the solid together with Anthony Edwards ‘ER’ as Mars Harper, Kirk man's chief of body of workers; Julie White ‘Transformers’ as his take-at-any-cost crusade supervisor Lorraine Simmer, and Lauren Holly ‘wooden Fences’ as Harper’s opioid-addicted wife Lynn Harper.

At its amount, ‘designated Survivor’ is a character-pushed exploration of what can occur when a baby-kisser who is dedicated to public service is verified by his own very own ambitions.

“We wish to ask the query, ‘Can Tom Kirkman bathe in a muddy political stream and never get soiled?’” says Bear, his phrases abounding at a quick-fireplace tempo as he becomes extra aflame in anecdote the display. “We see him go down and bottom ward and bottom ward. It’s an apologia of our instances — can a man of dignity, honour and integrity preserve those values in nowadays political local weather? It’s a big fight.”

Sutherland, who is additionally an executive ambassador, says in a phone account that he becomes overjoyed with the collection’ new artistic course, stepping into areas that had fabricated admiral at ABC a little bit squeamish.

“Neal had an extremely potent feel of what he desired to do,” Sutherland says. “We may lean into an extra useful feel of what became happening on the White condominium. I am actual beholden to Netflix for that.”

within the collection at the start created with the aid of David Guggenheim, Kirkman, a low-level cupboard member, becomes an administrator in arch after the president and pretty much all individuals of Congress are wiped out in access at the Capitol right through the accompaniment of the abutment address. apart from depicting the pain of Kirkman, his wife Alex Natasha Cellphone and their two infants as they regulate to their new role as the first family, the exhibit also incorporated an artifice revolving round hard-bitten FBI abettor Hannah Wells Maggie Q, who discovers there’s a frequent conspiracy in the back of the explosion.

The ball turned into a brusque about-face for Sutherland, who denticulate with critics and admirers with his portrayal of bent agent Jack Bauer in ‘.’ instead of searching down nefarious guys and extenuation the world, Sutherland traded Bauer’s gun for a swimsuit and scholarly glasses.

That dramatic about-face from Bauer attracted Sutherland: “It was a captivating chance to do a show about a good guy, and even if he and his household could be able to sustain their moral compass and appropriateness being befuddled into the admiral. It provided loads of alternatives to talk about in reality vast considerations and remember on some level why the bureaucracy of executive makes what looks glaring to the relaxation of us — the correct component to do — so complicated. you could see politics through a more innocent prism.” however ‘designated Survivor’ in its aboriginal two seasons turned into often an afraid mix, leaping amid the White house studies and the action-aggressive abstruseness artifice driven via Wells.

Bear says he was pitched the series within the aboriginal season, however, became it bottom ward afterwards speak me with producers who had developed the drama.

“I remember asking, ‘What’s the conspiracy? where does it go?’” he recalls. “individuals couldn’t retort some of these questions. I study the pilot and concept it turned into interesting, but changed into worried it wasn’t the correct show for me again. having completed network TV. for -ordinary years, I discovered it extra limiting as time progressed.

”Sutherland acknowledges that he also acquainted the exhibit every now and then fell brief all the way through the first two seasons: “there have been instances after we struggled to attain its competencies. Kirkman became practically a sufferer, put in an unwinnable situation.” behind the curtain problems and artistic adjustments also created difficulties. A circulate of showrunners got here and larboard. Viewership trailed off, peculiarly within the Nd division, and ABC passed on a renewal.

Peter Minelli, the arch method administrator of film and TV. for e One, the flat and creation business behind the collection, says, “In both seasons, we could t locate the correct showrunner. however, we found that in Neal, who has done a masterful job. And it’s the variety of serialised exhibit that Netflix wanted.”

Switching up the theory — accepting Kirkman run for re-election as an independent — was key to moving the tale ahead. “we are able to take on the correct and the left,” Bear says with a smile. “nobody is secure from our keyboard.”

“The second you originate with a campaign, Tom Kirkman has made the choice to regain vigour,” Sutherland says. “It’s well-nigh a click on towards him — he wishes this now. You need to look at the explanation of why.”

“For each Neal and I, it turned into an interesting place to launch,” Sutherland continues. “We see the effects of him actuality president for years. The look for energy — why do you desire it and what are you going to do with it?”

Kirkman is additionally a widower — his spouse changed into killed right through the d division in a site visitors accident. Sutherland says he changed into dissatisfied, but not devastated by using ABCs choice to now not adjustment an RD season.

“We had a pretty good relationship with ABC for years,” Sutherland says. “With a community, it’s never about one distinct exhibit. It’s a whole band-up for a whole night, so there is a thousand explanation why something may additionally now not determine. It wasn’t as lots of a disappointment as you may suppose.”

Furling that optimism became the realisation that ‘designated Survivor’ and Sutherland have a major international fan spoiled. while ABC most effective had the American rights to the sequence, Netflix had the foreign rights and saw the cost in deciding upon up the series. Sutherland additionally appreciated the conception of a ten-episode division — the sequence on ABC had episodes within the first division and in the Nd.

besides exploring Kirk man's own experience, Bear had a laundry record of concerns he wanted to explore: voter indifference, the high can charge of drugs for all times-bullying diseases, world abating, how the gene-modifying expertise CRISP should be would becloud very well be acclimated as a biological weapon.

“I instructed Kieffer I used to be going to give him a transgender sister-in-legislation and solid Jamie Clayton, who was on ‘Sense’ and is an auto aerialist,” he says. “I gave Lauren Holly’s persona an opioid dependency — I definitely wanted to get into the groups that aftermath them.

I needed an HIV fable showing two African American homosexual men in adulation, and what it’s want to be ephemeral. That’s in no way been executed on TV. before.”

abiding cast affiliate Adam Canto, who performs countrywide safety adviser Aaron shore, is termed as Kirk man's carnality presidential working buddy. “He’s the primary casual Latino vice presidential applicant,” Bear says. “He’s seen through the crusade supervisor Lorraine as actuality Latino enough. however, issues get a bit dicey when his girlfriend Isabel Elena Ovary is a little too Latina. That’s an activity to show people off. That occurs in the back room the entire time. We desired to include the truth of that.”

Maggie Q is additionally abiding by the series, however, her persona has been kicked out of the FBI. She’s now a CIA investigator who begins looking into the possibility that an enemy force is using CRISP in a bio-agitation campaign.

remaining at the centre of the collection, although, will be Kirkman. “Inherently the audience might be acclaim for him, in the course of the crusade and the concessions and selections hell must accomplish,” Sutherland says. “It’s going to place his morality and appropriateness in the query. And the audience will delay until the end to peer if he can come back from that or now not. That’s a fascinating ball to me. It’s so simple as that.”

Don’t omit it! DESIGNATED SURVIVOR is streaming now on Netflix.

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god-hunter · 7 years

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X-Men: Gold #1

This was very good. Maybe not quite as groundbreaking as Prime, but for a new direction, I can definitely say that Guggenheim has got it covered.

[Spoilers and thoughts]

Right off the bat, you’re not gonna like what I’m gonna say.

I was so annoyed to see that Kitty cut her hair. Why? What’s the point??

Less hair does not equal strength. At this point it’s a really stupid cliched trope that nearly EVERY female character falls into and I’m kinda sick of it. And before anyone goes off toting that I’m a misogynist prick, let it be known that I only bring this up because Kitty’s always had an iconic look with her long hair in a ponytail. And we were JUST re-introduced to her as such in Prime. If they really wanted to take this new direction with her look, they could’ve made a point of her doing that in the Prime issue. They showed just about every other transitional aspect in that regard...

But anyway. That’s a minor annoyance.

This issue starts with Kitty, Old Man Logan, Nightcrawler, Colossus, Storm and “Prestige” investigating an issue with Terrax right at the heart of New York City.

[...Prestige? The name threw me off on the character re-cap page, but it’s explained later that it’s Rachel Grey, which made me feel better. Because at first I was hoping and expecting Rachel Grey. Then they throw a new name at us, and I got scared, because you never know with Marvel.]

So. Terrax is terrorizing the city for reasons unknown to us. I should’ve said that the very first thing we see before this, is someone toting Mutant Hate on the news. Someone who seems important. A Ms. Lydia Nance. I’m sure we’ll be hearing and seeing that name more in this book.

But back to Terrax. Its unexplained why or how he got there, but the action is pretty great. Storm tornadoes him away, clashes him with a bolt, but damage was done to a nearby building, which is about to fall and crash onto another building, hurting hundreds of innocents.

Kitty makes an impressive call to have Kurt teleport her up to the top of the building, where she can phase the entire place [and presumptively its inhabitants], so that when the building crashes down to the ground, it actually goes THROUGH the building and no one is hurt.

Logan and Colossus aided in this process too. Logan taking on Terrax in mid-air and Colosses helping to hold the building from falling, probably softening the landing.

A whole crowd of people are now outside and staring at them in fear.

“You know, if the Avengers or the Champions were here, they’d be cheering right now.” Rachel throws in her 2 cents.

Kitty addresses the crowd and asks if everyone is okay. A little girl speaks up, and the mother immediately says, “Don’t talk to it, dear.”

I loved Kitty’s reaction. “’It’? Really?”

Then she tells all of them, “I think the word you’re searching for is ‘Person.’ ‘Human being,’ even. If you’re feeling charitable.” “...You’ve never exactly trusted us... and I know that to the extent you ever [had], we have a long way to go to rebuild that trust. But we’re starting today.”

I really appreciated that. And I love that back-sass. Definitely missed that.

[Now... I would be remiss not to mention something shitty in the art, done by Ardian Syaf, since its all over Tumblr today. But apparently Kitty’s head was placed very close to the word Jewelry, which kind of only looks like the word “Jew” is prominently featured. Also the number 212 on the store seems to take significance.

[Neither are things I noticed, but this is where I will sign on to something being amiss, for real.]

In the very next scene, the X-Men are once again playing Baseball, only this time it’s at Central Park, and I’m beginning to realize that maybe this is a thing the X-Men do in their downtime after all. So maybe there was something to that last game in Limbo after all...

But Piotr is up at bat and wearing a very strange white shirt that reads QS 5:51. I didn’t understand it at first, and Tumblr blew up about it today, mentioning that this, and the 212 and the Jew thing are all references to the Quran. That all of this is some sort of Muslim warning or something.

[I’ll be honest. I didn’t read the post. I was disgusted that a Muslim Artist would do such a thing in the first place, and I just kinda... don’t need to read on any of the hate. Marvel apparently made a public statement saying that this artist is receiving disciplinary action and that future prints of the book will not feature this at all.] - But holy shit man. How crafty do you have to be to get passed the editors in the first place? That’s fucked up man. These guys are giving you work. Don’t be subtley passive aggressively political. What the fuck is that??? I just want to read an X-Men comic and enjoy it.

And of all issues, it had to be the most important Restart Issue?? ...This guy’s an asshole. And his art is good. [I never mention artwork in reviews unless I really don’t like it.]

So... after/during the Baseball game, some lawyer guy comes looking for Katherine Pryde, and he slams her with legal paperwork, regarding their communities relocation to Central Park.

[Logan was being really annoying here btw. I kind of hope Guggenheim fixes his voice for Logan.]

“I signed about a Phone book’s worth when the Mayor agreed to let us relocate here.” Kitty said. Oh good. So they didn’t just teleport in and expect to just.. inherit the territory.

So she reads the booklet and asks what it is.

“Just an invoice. For the first, six months’ lease payments as well as property taxes for the parcel you’re occupying.”

She frowns. “This is for Eighteen Million Dollars.”

“This is Central Park.” He smiles. “Arguably, the most valuable residential real estate in the entire World.”

Her eyes widen with fear and shock. [I kind of liked this realism a lot actually. But I have no idea how they’re gonna get that kind of money or funding. They’re gonna have to do a really good job with the public or something. We’ll see.]

I did enjoy Logan’s quick, “Want me to claw him?” to her. It added much-needed levity to the moment.

That night, Storm and Nightcrawler have a nice bit of downtime. They’re watching that asshole Lydia so-and-so taut off her mutant anti-trust.

“The more things change, the more they stay the same...” Kurt says.

Storm decides to quote Magneto and says that, “The past is prologue.”

Kurt corrects her and says that it’s Shakespeare. Then he asks what she means.

“That, perhaps we’re returning to our roots... Perhaps, after all the trials and tragedies, we are returning to what we were.”

“Outcasts?”

“Heroes.”

I enjoyed that. There was a little bit of her getting down on herself about IvX. As Lydia brings up the fact that the world is unsure of the long-term effects of their war against the Inhumans, Storm feels like they’ve not only lost the war, but they’ve lost any sort of good reputation they might have had.

It was refreshing to see Rachel train with newer students, Armor and.. a stone guy. [I forgot his name.] She explained why she’s going by “Prestige” now, which I really appreciated. And it seems that they will go by new code names too. Kitty wants everyone to move forward, not backward. That’s pretty cool.

Kitty has a moment in her office, where she’s trying to go through files and work. Narrative moments of self-doubt or just being in awe of it all occur. I appreciate this. Then Piotr walks in and asks her to have dinner. I love that she worries about this internally and then tells him that she doesn’t want to eat with him.

“I mean, as friends sure. Always. No problem. But you didn’t mean as friends, right?”

[Yes! Thank you.]

She tells him she moved on, but she’ll always love him. [The difference here than with Jean and Scott, is that Piotr and her HAD their past. Multiple times. And they’re both adults. Jean... just knows a past that occurred between them. And she’s fucking young and all over him. Then saying, not interested when Scott makes a move? That’s bullshit man. It’s very Teenager. And that’s why I reacted the opposite way, when this same exact thing happened between her and scott in the last issue of All-New X-Men.]

Thankfully, this awkward moment gets interrupted by Rachel, who tells them that someone’s attacking the city.

Kitty feels both relieved and like the worst person ever for hoping for that sort of out.

They take the Blackbird Jet over to the UN Headquarters in Manhattan, and teleport directly to whoever is causing the problem. It turns out to be a 5-person team, in which I only recognize Pyro and Avalanche. And a fire-woman tells them, “We’re the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.”

-To Be Continued-

Aw man. Well, here we go.

Thrust into a new thing.

I like it. I wouldn’t say any of the outlying conflicts are groundbreaking. We’ve seen this kind of politics before in Fraction and Gillen’s run a lot. Probably Bendis’ too.

I do like the newness of Kitty making a conceited effort to have the Public know and Trust them though. And I’m definitely looking forward to a day where this public looks to the X-Men and actually asks for their help and appreciates them!

We saw it in San Francisco very early in Fraction’s run. So much that it almost didn’t make sense at first.

I’d kind of like to see that level of respect happen in New York. But I would appreciate if it was gradual, if Guggenheim took it in that direction.

Looking forward to X-Men: Gold #2.

But I’m looking forward to X-Men: Blue #1 more. That’s coming out this next week.

#X-Men Gold #Issue 1 #Marc Guggenheim #Marvel #NOW! 2017

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news-mashable-yahoopartner-blog · 5 years

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Fear and Loathing in 2018: How Hunter S. Thompson would vote today

There are two times in my life when I felt Hunter S Thompson, the infamous gonzo journalist who wrote Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, had missed out on something big. The first was in 2000 when my then boss and Time Magazine editor Walter Isaacson invited Thompson (who had just contributed a cover story) to join us on a reporting trip to Burning Man.

Thompson had never been, and was curious — but balked at the last minute when he learned the event wouldn't let him bring any of his precious guns. He died 5 years later. I often wonder what the ultimate freak writer would have made of the ultimate freak festival.

SEE ALSO: Hunter S. Thompson's weed is coming to pot shops soon

The second regret is one I've held for the past two years. I really, really wish Thompson had been around to see — and to help us see — the Trump presidency. After all, he was the writer who most clearly understood what had happened the last time the presidency fell into authoritarian hands.

His love of guns aside — because democracy was more important to him — it's not hard to see HST providing a major boost to the Resistance had he lived long enough.

That became clear on reading Freak Kingdom: Hunter S. Thompson's Manic 10-Year Crusade Against American Fascism, which published last week — and is one of the most important books of this election season. Despite the word "Trump" not appearing in it once, it is somehow present on every page.

Author Timothy Denevi's stated goal is to reclaim Thompson from the drug-fueled caricature of him, best represented by Johnny Depp in the movie version of Fear and Loathing and by Uncle Duke in the long-running comic strip Doonesbury.

(He is only partly successful in this goal, as Thompson starts the book getting hooked on Dexedrine thanks to a doctor, and ends it getting hooked on cocaine thanks to an editor. Still, the point stands.)

Instead, Denevi wants us to get to know the serious writer. The one who saw atavistic authoritarianism deep inside the modern GOP on the day it lurched into being. The one who spent the next decade trying to sound the alarm with half-funny, half-fictional, all searingly true prose.

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The extreme conservative wing of the GOP first made itself known at the 1964 Republican convention, and Thompson was there in the pit of the Cow Palace in San Francisco for presidential candidate Barry Goldwater's acceptance speech. This was where the party base's champion proudly declared his "extremism."

At that word, the sea of white male delegates around Thompson started screaming and literally pounding their bodies against chairs.

The young reporter was terrified, and at the same time perversely fascinated by this primitive display. What was it in the soul of America that could bring forth this sea of unthinking support for Goldwater, a man who wanted to threaten Soviets with nukes while rolling back Civil Rights reforms at home?

"I was thinking, 'God damn you Nazi bastards, I really hope you win it,'" Thompson wrote to a friend, "because letting your kind of human garbage flood the system is about the only way to really clean it out."

He would soon learn to be careful what he wished for (kind of like Susan Sarandon in 2016). Although Goldwater didn't win, his followers laid the groundwork for the modern GOP. Besides, the thing he had glimpsed, that savage chunk of the American heart, turned out to be everywhere in the 1960s.

Hell's Angels in the 1960s: the Alt-Right of their day.

Image: Alan Messer/REX/Shutterstock

Thompson saw it again when he wrote the book that made him a star, Hell's Angels — the same sense of aggrieved and violent victimhood, the rage that was soon to be unleashed against Vietnam war protestors, was present in the 1960s blue-collar bike gang.

"Their real motivation is an instinctive certainty as to what the score really is," Thompson wrote. "They have banded together with a mindless kind of loyalty and moved outside the framework, for good or ill."

These days, they'd be on Reddit.

He saw this same dark spirit in the old South when he wrote his groundbreaking gonzo article, "The Kentucky Derby is Decadent and Depraved." He saw it in the casinos of Las Vegas that preyed on suckers, which was his ultimate metaphor for the future of the American Dream.

He saw it in the police state that Chicago became in 1968 for the Democratic Convention, where Thompson was clubbed by cops in riot gear simply for observing their beating of protesters. And of course, he saw it in Richard Nixon, the opportunist who had introduced Goldwater that day in 1964, until Nixon finally crashed and burned with Watergate exactly 10 years later.

Fight from the inside

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Nixon's election in 1968 radicalized Thompson, but his immediate instinct was to work within the electoral system. Like many Resistance members 50 years later he decided to run for office himself, almost unseating the reactionary sheriff of Aspen, Colorado, partly in the hopes of stopping Aspen from becoming the elite resort it now is.

Thompson also started reporting on stories like the Chicano Civil Rights movement in Los Angeles. The only reason Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas exists? Thompson needed a place he could talk off the record with Chicano lawyer Oscar Acosta without fear of being bugged by the LAPD (which literally had a "conspiracy division" to infiltrate the movement). Where better than a long drive to Vegas with the top down?

On a second trip to the city, which Thompson blended into the first in the book, the pair charged straight into the savage heart of American authoritarianism by attending a police convention while fueled by booze and pills.

(Thompson was too paranoid to smoke the giant suitcase of weed Acosta abandoned when he left, fearing Nevada's repressive drug laws; maybe that's a third regret, that he didn't live to see a weed-friendly Vegas.)

Thompson vs. Trump

HST would have been horrified to see what happened in 2016. The political journalist who opposed Nixon and everything he stood for with every fiber of his being would not have taken kindly to a GOP president who was even more venal, who lied more frequently, who actually looked more like his Ralph Steadman caricature than even jowly old Tricky Dick.

But goddammit if Thompson wouldn't have been the ideal journalist for this moment. There are almost none whose writings have aged this well. (Certainly not Bob Woodward, the Watergate reporter who got so played by the perpetrators of Stupid Watergate that he thought backing the murderous Mohammed bin Salman in Saudi Arabia was a good idea.)

SEE ALSO: Bob Woodward's Trump book is bad, boring, and bogus

HST would have seen through every ounce of Trump's bullshit in a nanosecond, and told us why. He wouldn't have let that guff about voters with "economic anxiety" stand. His columns would have been more essential than any iteration of the Daily Show.

Having seen the Nixonian nightmare earlier than anyone, knowing the playbook better than anyone, Thompson could have been the de facto leader of the Resistance. Perhaps, given his Aspen campaign experience and his frequent musings about running for Senate, we'd be electing this ultimate iconoclast to federal office today.

Or maybe not. Maybe Thompson would be too focused on chronicling the twists and turns these supremely strange times ("when the going gets weird," he famously wrote, "the weird turn pro" — which is exactly why I thought he'd love Burning Man).

But here's what is certain: at the very least, as the author of a book on the 1992 election that described politics in its title as Better Than Sex, Thompson would tell us to get off our asses and vote.

"I believe he would be voicing with a kind of clarion call not just that our system is fragile but that it’s up to us to protect it and contribute in a manner that protects and upholds Jeffersonian democracy," his son Juan Thompson told Rolling Stone last year.

For those who know how to read his work, HST still is voicing that clarion call.

The question is: are we listening?

WATCH: Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No. It's an inflatable Trump baby flying around London

#_author:Chris Taylor #_category:yct:001000002 #_lmsid:a0Vd000000DTrEpEAL #_uuid:4be2d87d-6dd1-3728-a26b-dc1b4d41d2c1 #_revsp:news.mashable

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