#im not even editing the last section im done with this nonsense

[the-rolling-libero]

Pulling Down the Sky: How Heaven’s Arena Grounds HxH

I’m going to do some necessary meta right now and it’s going to explain why I like Hunter x Hunter so much; basically, it’s able to continue after the first arc, and it’s able to do so in a cohesive and natural way. This, I believe, is almost entirely a result of how the Heaven’s Arena arc is carried out. Can I talk about this? no? cool! 

The Hunter Exam is easily the freest arc we get. There’s breathing room in how the story can be told, because the world hasn’t really been established yet. Are there flying spider eagles? Sure! Can there be a swamp that exists purely to deceive you? Hell yeah. Is it possible to have A, B, C, X, and its cousin, Y? Why not? -- and that’s really the question that lives in the Hunter Exam Arc. When there’s no reason ‘why’ things should be a certain why, Togashi has the ability to ask that question as much as he likes. Why not? It’s the height of HxH’s fantasy feel, bright, whimsical, and just all around a fun place to be. 

That’s not to say that there’s no darkness or rules in the arc at all; the character’s base personalities and abilities are laid out here, as well as some basics about the world itself, especially in Trick Tower and Zevil island. What we discover through this arc, though, are mostly the roles that people play within the world rather than the “rules” of the world. The Hunter Exam arc exists within a bubble, so we don’t really get to know this world for a while. We don’t learn the ‘why’ or ‘how’ of anything; in the Hunter Exam Arc. I would argue that as we’re thrown into the story, we see the effect of this world upon our characters, whereas in the Heaven’s Arena arc, we see the cause. 

The Heaven’s Arena arc acts as a grounding arc in several ways; by ‘popping the bubble’, so to speak, and planting us in a real world setting (although the arena is still somewhat isolated, I’ll concede, compared to York New), by establishing rules (especially in regards to Nen), and by taking down Gon and Killua a notch-- and this, in particular, is especially important to creating sympathetic characters. 

The Setting of Heaven’s Arena

This is the view we get of Heaven’s Arena; it is not clean or brightly colored or sleek, as many of the buildings we’ve seen up to this point are (Whale Island, Trick Tower, the airship etc.) It is monochrome and bulky. What stands out are the various parts stuck together like some steampunk frankenstein monstrosity, reaching out into the sky. This is as close as we get to the Tower of Babel, and it’s pretty ugly. Does this have symbolic meaning about how as people in this series try to reach higher things just get uglier and uglier? Maybe. Maybe it’s just a nasty building. 

But it does have a gritty, street feel to it, like it was picked up and tacked together cell at a time. We see once we get into the arena itself that that’s not necessarily the case, that the rooms higher up are actually quite nice, but we also see the stark division that exists in the Hunter x Hunter world: the weak and the strong; the poor and the privileged; background faces vs The Characters. 

The upper floors are what we’ve already seen to an extent in the hunter exam, the world where the best live. But we see the streets-- the normal world-- for the first time now, and how it interacts with that upper echelon. These streets aren’t a great place to be if you’ve got enemies up high. Where is the law, when Zushi (below floor 100, therefore not elite) is abducted? Where is law when people are broken in their nen ‘baptisms’ when they reach the 100th floor? Where is rule of law when Killua threatens the lives of several 100th floor occupants? Nowhere, because, honestly, what are the police going to do? As we’re introduced into the world of nen and get to more closely observe the interactions between the common and the elite, we begin to realize how horrifically unfair this whole world is, and how self contained and unregulated the sphere of Hunters really is. 

The idea of self policing and vigilante justice will prove hugely important in upcoming arcs. This is why all Hunters must have basic combat skills, as is said in the 2nd hunter rule; fighting is an essential part of what it means to be a Hunter, because there is no one else to defend you should someone dangerous (and with nen, who isn’t?) decide to go after you. There is no calling the police. Can you imagine trying to take someone like Illumi to court, who could manipulate judge and jury without a second thought? The civil system of laws that we common people know cannot exist within the Hunter system as it is presented in Heaven’s Arena. This kind of lawlessness will feed into the cowboy-style justice that Gon delivers, based not on any strict code but on what feels right according to his personal morality. That’s...concerning, considering how stable powerful hunters tend to be (read: not at all).

It’s one of the things that leaves such broad swathes of gray morality left for our characters. For instance, later in the case of Kurapika. We see that the police cannot do anything to stop the Phantom Troupe from attacking the auction. Neither can the Mafia. So in order to get justice, Kurapika must take on a vigilante role and commit murder. If not justice system is in place, is it truly murder, or an execution? Who has the right to make those decisions? Hunters are absolutely terrifying both in their enormous power and lack of civil restraints on that power. They can do pretty much anything they like, as long as they’re either a) strong enough to fight any challengers (Ging), or b) generally approved of, so they go unchallenged (Kurapika). This tiny, elite society with exclusive access to many resources and very little oversight has only the flimsiest of rules, and those rules do little to protect the common person. Hunters are not allowed to hunt each other, but everyone else is fair game. Great! When you’re faceless man #7 walking down the street, you’ll be really glad that Hunters operate by such strict rules right before getting accidentally blasted sky high as collateral. 

The difference between the regular world and the Hunter world is made abundantly clear, as in this arc, Killua and Gon make that transition and go through all the accompanying shocks. 

The main shock is, of course, nen.

Nen, Rules, and Expansion

It’s been remarked upon before that nen is the ‘magic’ of this world, and it brings with it an essential component of popular shonen anime-- the ability to expand. Most series that involve fighting will bring in a fantasy component at some part, because as cool as punching and kicking are, after awhile, they tend to get boring. Every arc, and in some cases, every fight brings new revelation to the character’s abilities. Part of this shows growth in the characters. Part of it is largely just entertainment value-- if every fight brings something new, then we’re always kept guessing. You’d be hard pressed to find an anime that does this better than Hunter x Hunter, in my opinion, because it circumvents one of the most problematic aspects of this trope: the miracle cure. 

Often within this idea of constant expansion is a sort of deus ex machina, a last minute discovery of the power or object that lends our protagonists new abilities. It’s the miraculous evolution halfway through a fight, the stumbling upon the artifact that just barely lets them use the next level of their powers. Due to the nature of nen in Hunter x Hunter, this is almost impossible. 

And when it is, there’s serious consequences. 

This version of Gon is the one that gained power quickly and recklessly. Or consider Gido, severely handicapped as a result of having undergone nen baptism-- another form of gaining power quickly and recklessly.

Let’s instead examine how the Heaven’s Arena arc establishes the concrete, but encompassing rules of nen. Being one of the reasons that Hunter x Hunter stays so dynamic, nen has fairly simple and well followed rules. These rules are sometimes expanded on, but they’re never really broken in an ‘aha’ moment by anyone-- there’s no, ‘but what you did not know was that--’ scene where the rules are twisted in half by a villain. Nen exists as it exists, in a sensical and almost instinctive way. 

Wing explains nen to be a manifestation of will-- something that our two protagonists have in bucket loads. Therefore, it makes sense that they’re prodigies; past experiences have proven that Gon has exceptional willpower (the fight with Hanzo still fresh in the viewer’s memories) and that Killua possesses strength of mind equal with that of his body (extensive torture that he reacted to nonchalantly). Nen takes great discipline, and that’s what makes it immune to miracle cures; beyond the initial burst of power our leads get, they’re placed in a world where power normally takes years to attain. Though they’re exceptional, it slows their growing to a sustainable rate-- more on how nen affects Killua and Gon later, though. 

Nen gets a lot of exposition in this arc, it’s true. Some of it may feel overmuch at times (and let’s be real hxh adores exposition) but it’s all necessary. It sets clear, firm boundaries of what nen can and cannot do-- within those boundaries, a lot is possible, but not everything. And there’s a price for everything that nen brings. 

Heaven’s Arena grounds nen within rules, and creates a solid foundation for the characters building their abilities. They first must master the basics before moving on to some of the really spectacular abilities that their hatsu lets them develop, and cleanly transitions the world of Killua and Gon from the mundane to the magical. After Heaven’s Arena, nen is a given. Without this introduction, both they and we, the viewer’s would have been surely lost. Can you imagine the York New arc bogged down by explanations of nen all the time? The Heaven’s Arena arc is the beach for nen’s ocean-- though it must be kept it mind that even this shore has its sharks. It presents the basic level of nen in a way that is both gently immersive and high stakes simultaneously. Not once do we doubt the seriousness of the fights that happen in Heaven’s Arena. Gon’s life is legitimately at a risk because of the learning curve that nen offers; that too is important for how Heaven’s Arena progresses the story.  

Killua and Gon

When our protagonists enter Heaven’s Arena, they raze the competition. I mean, it is actually comedic how easily Gon and Killua tear through their early matches, advancing up to the 100th floor in no time at all. This is how things have been throughout the series so far; Gon and Killua are exceptional, the kind of rookies that pass the Hunter Exam without real difficulty (barring one or two unpleasant situations). So far, we’ve seen that they’re on another level from the common man, but we haven’t yet seen what that level looks like; Heaven’s arena opens our eyes. At the same time that it grounds us in what the real world looks like, it also shows us by merit of contrast what the nen-user’s world looks like; the view from the 100th floor. For the first time, Killua and Gon are weak, and it’s the best thing that Togashi could have done for our characters. 

This is especially relevant to Killua’s character, whose struggles have been for the most part internal. We’ve not seen him break a sweat in a physical situation ever (I personally count his fight with Illumi as mental). But with nen, suddenly he’s as much a beginner as anyone else, as weak as someone ‘naked in the snow’. We can finally root for Killua now as a protagonist rather than a distant-but-badass supporting character. We get to see him grow and improve; but first what’s necessary is to tear him down to the ground and plant him there like Heaven’s Arena does. There’s no tree that grows without roots. 

Meanwhile, Gon’s doing the same thing, growing and fighting at a pace with Killua. Not only is this significant because it’s the first time we’ve seen Killua have anything close to a peer, but it means that Gon and Killua grounded together. The inherent inequality of their relationship was presented throughout the hunter exam arc. It’s most evident in the scene where rankings are revealed for the final exam and Gon is listed far above Killua. Killua’s jealousy reveals a narratively-unsustainable truth to the viewer: Killua is much stronger than Gon, even if he lacks in that fundamental trait of likability. The Heaven’s Arena arc sets them side by side, creating a more sustainable dynamic for their friendship. 

Going forwards, this means that we can empathize with their struggles as they fight to grow stronger. While Killua’s distant prodigy and Gon’s wild-child routine are fantastic and fun in the Hunter Exam arc, people like to see a protagonist experience something familiar, even if the framework around it isn’t. Everyone’s gained a skill through hard work, experienced both the frustration and incredible rewards of when it pays off, the human experience of growth; that’s what Heaven’s Arena is to the characters of Gon and Killua: a chance to be human for the first time. 

Now that they can start from the bottom, they have somewhere to go. The grounding of this series gives it room for expansion, a direction for the personal development of the characters, and a world for all of this to take place in. What’s important to take out of this arc is that it situates the rest of the series. York New may be in many ways more active and exciting-- I certainly enjoy the development of Kurapika’s arc in York New-- but it rests heavily on Heaven’s Arena. Just like supporting characters are essential to a good story, so are supporting arts. Respect Heaven’s Arena. Appreciate Togashi. Wait for hiatus to end.  

#hxh #hunter x hunter #hxh meta #gon freccs #killua zoldyck #OOF THIS TOOK A WHILE #lol no one's going to read this because it's too long but idgaf #important meta #mun speaks #if u want to understand how i think about hxh this is it lmao #in essays #im not even editing the last section im done with this nonsense #sorry if it turns to shit but enjoy my meta

[btsillegal]

Farfalla - Park Jimin

Summary: “I set her free and my farfalla came back to me.”

Word Count: 4,235

Pairing: Park Jimin x Character 

Characters In this Chapter: Kim Taehyung, Anabel Anderson

 I’ve tried and I don’t know how to be without you.

Oh, yeah... Why’s that?

Because you consume me.

Im on my way..xx

The rain fell down the busy streets of Seoul as I continued to lay down in my bed thinking of what would soon become of me. He never managed to leave my mind, my thoughts. The thought of him had a special control over me, it weakened me.

For the past month I have spent thinking of him and how he decided to just end things. It was crazy, I didn't understand him. Everything he said to me that night didn't make sense to me, it was plain confusion to me. He was so determined and sure of what he spoke, at first I simply thought he must have been drunk for him to speak such nonsense. But I was wrong. Never giving me a chance to speak or defend myself from the names he called me was unforgivable. If he really thought that of me, and would even consider myself capable of doing that he was wrong.

He didn't deserve an explanation, nothing from me, so I left just like he wanted. Leaving him with those final thoughts of me, it was worthless of me to show him wrong when he felt so sure of himself. I was done. I was done with him. The past months I spent with him are now forgotten, nothing but worthless memories that are now in the trash.

Flashback

"C'mon just tell me where were going!" I exclaim sitting un-patiently in the car. This was really starting to annoy me especially looking at the fact that he had also placed a blindfold to cover my eyes.

"No! Its a secret."

"Well can I at least take off the blindfold?"

"Anabel, I already told you that you may take it off when we get there." It was worth a try, right?

"Well are we almost there?"

"Yes, almost." he answered me and took hold of my hand, caressing the side with his thumb. That always made me feel so calm, just the feeling of his touch gave me chills and made me feel safe.

"That means I can take off the blind fold!" I cheered taking the blindfold off of my head but it seems to me that it was still not time yet for me to take it off.

"Anabel it wasn't time yet!" he whined.

"It had to come off any time soon anyway." I defended and turned to my side to look out the window. Immediately I knew we were out of the city and out close to the country side as I saw huge fields.

"Well we are here now." Jimin spoke parking the car of to the side and stepping out of the car to open the door for me. I stepped out and took his hand that was stretched out for me to take, I took it and he guided me to where we would be going.

My attention was set on the beautiful sunset that was seen over the city, as its final rays hit that gave us sunlight. Then Jimin motioned my attention towards a tree where a picnic was prepared under its shade. It was lovely.

Not to forget all the candles that were set around and lights hanged on the tree, giving it a romantic look.

"You did all this?"

"Yeah."

His action made me so happy that he would take time out of his day to do this, he was truly incredible and knew how to make a first date unforgettable.

I looked up at him and smiled, he was just truly amazing for doing all this. I couldn't believe he would go trough all that trouble for me, not even thinking it a second time I kissed him wrapping my arms around his neck.

It took him a while to realize what was going on that once he realized it he started to deepen the kiss and wrap his arms around my waist, pulling me in closer to him.

End of flashback

I stood from my bed and walked towards the bathroom, turning on the water from the sink as I watched it fall rapidly. Leaning towards the sink I splashed some water into my face, closing the handle on the sink I took a good luck of my reflection that was on the mirror. I was a complete mess, I couldn't not allow myself to come so low of myself especially for a boy. A tear slowly started to fall down my cheek, quickly I wiped it away and then set both hands resting on the sink as I continued to look at my reflection. Suddenly I felt the urge of more tears threatening to fall, I was not going to let that happen. Turning my back I walked back to my room and headed straight for my closet.

I need to distract myself from all this, pulling out a black lace dress and a pair of black heels from my closet. I quickly set them on my bed and sat on my vanity chair, taking a deep sigh I then started to do my make up and hair. I will not be staying home another night yet alone I will go out and have fun, distract myself from him.

*

The next morning I woke up with a huge headache, my head was killing me. Guess thats what happens when you have to much to drink, whoops. Slowly sitting up from my bed I turned to look at the clock, it read 10:36 am. It was still to early for me to be up especially with a killer headache, I let myself fall back into bed and just stared at the ceiling. Minutes must have passed by that I never came to realize that I had fallen asleep once again.

My sleep didn't seem to last long as just moments later I was awoken when I received a call, It was my father.

Hello

Anabel! Sweetheart, how are you?

Im good dad, what about you?

Im good as well, I have some great news!

What is it dad?

I have negotiated a deal with a fashion company in Seoul and will be flying up there tomorrow morning.

Thats good news dad!

Yes it is, Im finally going to be able to see you.

Yes and I cant wait. Call me as soon as you get to the airport, I want to be the one to pick you up.

Of course

Well who did you manage to make a deal with?

Oh thats a surprise

Please dad tell me! I start to beg

No 

c'mon tell me dad! Its not fair. You have to tell me.

He laughs You are just going to have to wait till tomorrow to find out.

But I cant wait! don't I at least get a hint

Fine, if it will make you happy then fine you get 1 hint.

Yay I cheered

Well I will say that it is your favorite brand of clothing line

What? No it cant it be! Any other company but that one please. How can this be?! No, there has to be an explanation.

Aren't you exited sweetie?

Uh yeah, sure dad.

Of course I wasn't. Not if it meant my dad working with him. This had to be some weird Karma shit! Yes it had to be. Why is it that of all clothing line companies he just happened to now be co working with Kim Inc.

 I have to go and finish my packing. I will see you first thing in the morning, bye now.

Bye Dad.

flashback

The sun rose happily over the city, the sun rays reaching trough my rooms windows signaling it was time for me to wake up. The morning followed my regular morning routine; brush teeth, shower, get dressed and then eat a simple breakfast.

There was not much to do today expect all I knew was that my favorite clothing line was having a sale and I had to be there. I was going to get this cute short length black lace dress I have been having my eyes on now for a while. If all goes well today was going to be a good day.

Once I was finally dressed and had eaten my breakfast I headed down where a taxi was waiting for me. I was so exited to be getting this dress, it was a limited edition and I was not going to miss this chance to finally have it. I swear if a crazy bitch tries to get it out of my hands I will rip her head off! In just a few minutes we had arrived at the mall and I quickly rushed out of the taxi forgetting to pay the taxi driver. Rushing back I paid him and then continued my way to the store, this brand was really big here in Seoul as well as all around the world. This clothing line was known as Kim Inc.

And it is my favorite clothing brand.

When I arrived at the store there were already a couple of girls waiting outside the store ready to go in and make a rush to gather the clothing they wanted. I tried making my way to the front but it was no use these girls were animals, pushing me back to my spot in the back. I decided to give up, besides the real fight was not out here but inside the store.

A hour had past by and more girls had gathered right behind me, suddenly a faint voice was heard. I turned to where the commotion was coming from and saw a nervous shy girl making her way to the front of the store. She must be the worker who is going to open up. As soon as she reached the front she tried to get the crowd to calm down and give her some space to open the door,but it wasn't working.

Struggling to open the door she finally did manage to open it and as soon as she did all the girls suddenly rushed trough knocking the poor girl down to her feet. I knew I should too rush in to get myself the dress before they were all out, but I could not leave the poor girl to get stepped on. I extended my hand out for her to reach and she nervously smiled at me and took it.

"Thank you." she said to me and retrieved her hand back scrubbing the dirt off of her skirt. She seemed rather a bit of a shy girl, her hair was put up in a nice but with loose blond strands that framed her nice slim face.

"Those girls sure are crazy right?" I smiled at her, taking a look inside of the store as two girls fought over a pair of heels. She chuckled "You bet! Maybe they are related go Taz." I laughed at her comparison agreeing with her, but hey that would be me too if I hadn't stopped to help her.

"Well you better get in there if you want to get something." she instructed me and I did as she said and ran into the store where my dress awaited me. Once I caught sight of the section the dress was in I quickly smiled in relieve as to see there was still a dress left.

I took hold of the dress and checked the tag to see the dress size and to my luck it was my size, I sigh in relieve and once I was relaxed enough another grip took hold of the dress and started to pull in the opposite direction. Quickly I kept a tight grip on my dress and pulled it back towards my chest.

"Excuse me, I had this first." I tell the person that is on the other side of the rack pulling on my dress trying to get it out of my hands. Though they didn't seem to care they continued to pull on my dress and ignore the fact that I had just spoken.

"Hey! I had this dress first. Back off!" I shouted a bit louder starting to get angry, I am not going to loose this dress. it will go home with me even if it means I have to tackle this person to the ground.

"Why don't you just back down sweatie there no chance of you getting this dress." the person spat at me, still holding onto the dress I walked over to the side they were on to come to face with them. There stood a tall blond girl, she was rather pretty not ugly at all.

"Excuse me, why don't you shut that mouth of yours and get your hands off my dress." I told her raising my voice and pulled the dress more in my direction. The blondie then had a shocked expression all over her face with her mouth sprung open.

"Trust me Im sure we can both agree this dress will look better on me." was her remark back towards me, I was not going to let her talk to me like this. I pushed her off with my right hand as she fell to the ground and let go of her grip on the dress. I smiled and stuck my tongue out at her then turning my back on her and started to walk towards the cash register.

It seemed she too was not going to let this go that she leaped onto me knocking me off my feet falling to the ground with her over my back trying to get the dress off my hands. Turning on my back she fell off of me and I started to get on my feet but she grabbed me by the hair and pulled me back to the ground. Soon enough we were going at each other fighting over the dress that even a crowd had started to form around us.

Well I hope they enjoy the show Im about to put on for them, because this is something I am going to enjoy doing.

A few minutes had past and this stranger and me were still going at it fighting over the dress, though soon enough as we were pulling it back and forth from each other I noticed it had a stain.

Bummer.

Noticing I decided to give up, there was no way I was going to get that stain off so I might as well let her have it.

"Fine you can keep it."

"Thats what I thought, they always give up going up against me." she bragged feeling so powerful and the decision I had just made.

"Whatever." were my final words to her and I walked off to look at another section. Stupid her to have not noticed the stain.

Currently in the shoe aisle I found a cute pair of black heels that I liked and was planning on getting them. Putting them back in the box I stood from my seat and walked over to the cashier, where miss bitch had just finished paying for the dress.

Looking at me with a pitiful look she said these final words to me "Better look next time" letting out a laugh at the end as she took her sassy ass out of the store.

"Ugh what a bitch" I murdered to myself and walked up to the register, it seemed I must have not whispered it soft enough to myself that the girl from earlier overheard me.

"Tell me about it."

"Girls like her get off my dam nervous." I complained setting the heels on the counter.

"I totally agree with you." taking the heels and scanning the box she turned to look at me and asked if this was all I would be buying. I nodded my head in response.

"Im Anabel." I introduced myself with a smile on my face, she smiled back and introduced herself "Im Amanda."

"Nice to meet you."

"Are you sure this is all you are getting I mean we are having a sale?" Amanda asked placing the box of heels in a bag.

"Yes, Im sure. I was planning on getting a dress but they were all out, and the last one that was left I had to fight for it. But unfortunately there was a stain on it so I gave it up." I explained to her.

"Im sorry, I wish there was a way I could make it up to you. It all my fault, you would have gotten your dress if it wasn't for you helping me."

"No its fine, I couldn't just leave those girls to run all over you." I told her and suddenly her face brighten up with joy as her stare looked over towards the entrance.

I turned to look towards the direction she was looking at and spotted a tall handsome man wearing a black suit.

Amanda quickly walked around the counter and towards the man who was walking in her direction, could it be her boyfriend?

As soon as he was in front of us both I caught a better glimpse of him and I could see how perfect his brown eyes reflected in the light. I wanted to run my fingers trough his long  brown hair and feel his soft looking pink lips against mine.

Gosh Anabel! What are you thinking?! You don't even know this man.

"Taehyung." Amanda called him, that must be his name. He frowned "Ms.Collins I have told you to address me as Mr.Kim when at work." he reminded her.

Wait? What?! Did he say Mr.Kim as in Mr.Kim the owner of Kim Inc?! It cant be!

"Yeah whatever. Listen I have a huge favor to ask of you." she grinned, he only gave her a curious look as to why the sudden urge for this favor.

"Depends on what it is."

"This here is Anabel." she began to say stretching her hand out directing his attention to me, I nervously smiled and did an awkward wave.

"She helped me this morning when I opened the store and the girls had knocked me down, anyway it was my fault she was not able to get what she came for. I was hoping maybe you could take her down to the main building and have her pick out anything she likes as a thank you." she finished explaining to him.

"Amanda I-"

"C'mon! Please" she begged "You owe me one and this is how I want you to pay me back."

"Fine."

"Yay." Amanda cheered jumping up and down with happiness. I was unsure of what had just happened so I kept silent and waited to see what would occur next.

"Perfect, now Anebel if you could please go with Mr.Kim he will take you to the main building where you will be able to pick anything of your liking." she instructed me explaining what was going to happen.

Im not so sure I want to go, I mean I just met this girl and she seemed really sweet and all but to make me leave with a stranger. Yeah no thank you.

"Uh.."

"Oh and don't worry about the shoes those are on me. Bye! Now off you go you two!." Amanda took her hands and gave me and Harry a small push towards the doors.

Mr.Kim turned to look at me and spoke with a deep raspy voice "Ladies first." and guided me out the store doors and out to the car.

The car ride with Mr.Kim had been mostly quiet, I was not so sure as to what to say since Amanda had just tossed me onto his care. It was just so sudden, neither one of us was expecting this to happen. None of us had spoken since we had gotten into the car, this was completely awkward for me I was not sure whether I should say something or keep quiet.

I spoke up.

"You don't have to do this you know" I told him a bit shyly afraid as to what he might say.

"Its fine" he answered me, not making any eye contact what so ever.

Soon we had arrived, the driver parked the car in front of a building then stepping out to open the car door for us. As it was my turn to step out of the car I noticed Mr.Kim extend his hand out for me to hold. Our eyes made eye contact which made me nervous just to have his eyes focused on me, unaware of what was going on trough his ind at the moment.

Lost in my thoughts I must have not been paying very much attention that when I stepped out i lost complete balance of my body causing me to fall forward. Trying to catch my fall I grabbed the first thing that came to my reach; Mr.Kim’s hand. Taking a firm hold he then took me from my waist and helped me regain my balance, his touch sending chills across my body.

Once I was standing nice and tall there he was standing there still looking down on me , his eyes staring straight at me. This time I looked back up at him, staring into his beautiful brown eyes trying to find a signal that could help me tell what he was thinking. Though I did not figure it out, he but only cleared his throat and I closed my eyes looking down as to our hands were still in hold.

Quickly I let go of his hand and snapped into reality as to what was going on. What just happened? Did I seriously just almost fall in front the famous Mr.Kim. Ugh only you Anabel would make a fool of yourself.

"Thank you" I said to him.

"You are welcome" he answered me "Next time watch your step" I nodded in agreement. Turning on his feet he started making his way inside the building, I followed quickly behind. The doors opened as soon as we were in reach revealing a very luxurious first floor.

I looked around as I followed Mr.Kim, there was a very nice lobby off to the side and a cafeteria just to the left. Further up ahead was a desk where one was able to ask for information I suppose. The lighting here was very nice, the building seem to have been decorated with much white, grey and black. The walls were of glass I suppose, I was a bit confused seeing as how we were able to look out into the street but once outside. You could not see what was going on inside the building.

Mr. Kim than came to a complete stop and pressed a button on one of the elevators. He stepped in and I followed right after him, the small trip up was rather awkward with the elevator music playing. Once we reached the 7th floor and the doors opened a floor full of clothes was revealed. There were clothes on every corner, shoes, handbags etc it was like a giant closet.

He turned to look at me and spoke "Which dress were you interested in?"

"Um well its a black dress consisting of a body whose top is a silk chiffon corset, black lace and a transparent skirt below." He only nodded and started walking again, confused I quickly started to follow him.

He came to a stop where there was a large rack of black clothes, and started to look trough it.

"Here" he said and placed the black dress in my hands. I smiled at the sight of the dress as I was finally able to get my hands on it.

"Thank you so much."

"Don't mention it, Im only doing this because Amanda asked."

Hmm it seems that maybe Mr.Kim has a crush on Amanda, or wait could they be dating each other? As far as I know he is single.

"How about you try it on?" He suggested, I nodded and smiled at him.

"Um but where do I try it on?"

"Follow me."

He guided me to the back of the room where there were 5 dressing rooms, I walked into the first one that had the curtain opened meaning it was available. Quickly I got undressed and tried on the dress. It was beautiful, I could not believe I finally owned this dress after 4 long months of trying it was finally mine.

"Did it fit well?" Mr.Kim asked from the other side of the curtain.

"Yes" I answered.

"Well lets see it then."

Wait what? Does he really want to see how this dress looks on me? I have to admit I would feel a bit embarrassed if he does not like how his dress looks on me.

"Uh okay." I stepped out of the dressing room and stood nice and tall for him to see me in the dress.

*

End of flashback

AUTHORS NOTE

THIS STORY WAS INSPIRED BY THE FOLLOWING VIDEO

FARFALLA TRAILER

PLEASE GO CHECK OUT HER VIDEOS!

#armiesnet #park jimin #jimin #bts #beyond the scene #bangtan #imagine #jimin imagines #v #kim taehyung #fan fiction #jimin fanfic #jimin scenario

[deadcactuswalking]

REVIEWING THE CHARTS - CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: 9th December 2018

Geez, today was a busy week. Before we talk about the top 10, however, let’s just get the massive elephants out of the way.

CHRISTMAS NONSENSE

It’s the festive season and one way people celebrate the holidays is by listening to its music – usually, Christmas music, of course, and since I review all returning entries that I haven’t talked about yet, sigh... There are seven of these so I’m going to go as quick as possible, but just bear with me throughout this section because I really don’t like Christmas music all that much. Let’s just get it over with.

#39 – “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” – Brenda Lee

This is “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree”, a song written by Johnny Marks and released in 1958 in the US, being left on the shelf for four years until its release in the UK in 1962. In 1963, it peaked at number-six and has since re-entered due to digital downloads, with one of its highest recent peaks being number-seven last year. It’s pretty inoffensive rockabilly, with some nice very-50s guitar licks coming in throughout, and some decently-sounding production, but really it’s not anything of internet until that sax solo. That solo is freaking gorgeous, and I’m glad it’s there, because otherwise this would just kind of fall to the wayside. Not sure I like Lee’s voice on here, it comes off as a bit nasal, but it’s not a big deal. It’s alright, I guess. I expected to say RIP here since she was popular such a long time ago, but no, she’s still alive and kicking. Good for her.

#36 – “Merry Christmas Everyone” – Shakin’ Stevens

Now this is where it all breaks down into dread. This song by Shakin’ Stevens is Godawful, mostly because of how painfully manufactured the whole thing is. It’s overproduced Christmas music that is just jolly feelings and nothing else. Those horns that kick in after the first verse are pretty cool, but Stevens doesn’t sound great here – or at least I can’t tell because he’s drowned in reverb – and the choir might as well be a computer for all I care. Also, the sax solo was cool the first time in Brenda Lee’s track, but here it’s just trite, especially when you add those shooby-doo-wops over it. This track was initially the Christmas number-one for 1985, and I understand why, but does it really have to come back every year since 2007 – for over 60 weeks in total? Oh, it peaked last year at #10 too. Let’s hope this upwards trend doesn’t continue.

#35 – “Santa Tell Me” – Ariana Grande

Now for a more recent one from arguably the biggest popstar in the world right now, with her 2014 song that actually failed to chart in the Top 40 initially until last year at #29, and that’s its peak so far... whilst I’ve never been a fan of the cleaner, refined Ariana Grande records, I do have a soft spot for this one. That melody is infectious and the sleigh bells complement the synth bass in a way I didn’t think they would, and it’s not like the drums are all that overpowering here, although a trap skitter would have worked better here (yeah, I know, not something I say often). It’s surprisingly romantic and sensual for a song with Santa in the title, actually, although it’s about men who have wronged her. Anyway, Ariana kills it but what else do you expect from a song from her at this point? It’s a good track, although the final chorus with the choir is really cluttered, just saying, it’s messy.

#30 – “It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas” – Michael Bublé

This here is Michael Bublé’s cover of traditional Christmas classic written in 1951 by Meredith Wilson, and it’s not great. Obviously, I mean, it’s Michael Bublé, ever since “Haven’t Met You Yet” he’s been utterly useless seasonal radio fodder. Bublé never really sounds bad but he never sounds interesting, and this production isn’t doing him any favours. It’s sickly sweet strings and brass for the most part, with some piano added in there for good measure, after what seems to be way too long of just airy synth, string and guitar noise – that’s really out of place, guys, why is this on the single edit? Ah, what else to say? Oh, right, nothing.

#26 – “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” – Band Aid

Oh, I know it’s Christmas time, alright, this song won’t let me forget it. I could ramble on about how preachy and awful this charity single is but other people have done it better. I just have four short things to say – 1.) this was the most popular song in the UK of the entire 80s. Yikes. 2.) This is the worst thing the Boomtown Rats have had any involvement in. They’re such a great band, hell so are Culture Club. How do Boy George, the Boomtown Rats, Ultravox, Phil Collins, U2, Kool & the Gang, Sting and Duran Duran make something this awful? They’re all absolutely fantastic musicians in their own right. 3.) That synth that kicks in after a while is pretty ugly, not gonna lie, and is unfitting for the condescending Christmas charity single angle they’re going for here – mostly because that’s what it really is. 4.) We’ve remade and reissued and re-entered this song too many times. Let it go, Britain. Please. We’re begging you. It’s for a good cause, and I appreciate how much money it’s raised, but it’s also garbage.

#18 – “Fairytale of New York” – The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl

They use the word because it was the 80s, it’s not meant to mean homosexual and it’s not used in that context – albeit still a negative one – and the climate of Ireland, especially the Celtic punk scene, wasn’t exactly going to care about dropping that slur in their Christmas single. It should still be censored, though, I mean, black rappers saying the N-word is morally okay, but we still mute those, right? Anyway, this is one of the best songs I’ve ever heard. It starts with a beautifully elegant piano melody, with the lead singer of the Pogues, Shane MacGowan, mumbling his way through his verse, but instead of people like Future or Lil Baby, there’s still a lot of sincerity there, I feel, and a lot of soul is put into expressing the lyrics here in the raspy tone that I absolutely love. I’m not going to talk much about the story here mostly because I’m not going to go in-depth, but it’s about a typical love story going awry at some point due to a betrayal. Oh, and the moment the Celtic traditional instruments come in is one of the best moments in music – ever. Kirsty MacColl sounds so lovely here, and the harmonisations in the chorus are fantastic. That flute solo is gorgeous, and the juxtaposition between “you’re a bum, you’re a punk, you’re an old s--- on junk, lying there almost dead as a drip on that bed” and the cheerful instrumental is just hilarious to me, especially since right after “Happy Christmas your a---, I thank God it’s our last” is immediately followed by the bombastic drunk sing-a-long chorus. The third verse is also such a great back-and-forth, man, I can’t even bring to words how much I admire and adore this piece of music. This is the best song I think I’ve ever talked about on this show, by far, but it could have easily not been close if “2000 Miles” by the Pretenders returned this week. We’ll just hope for next week, I guess. Rest in peace to Kirsty MacColl, gone much too young.

#14 – “Last Christmas” – WHAM!

Finally, we have our last Christmas song for this week’s holiday REVIEWING THE CHARTS special. It’s an anti-climactic end, to be honest, because I’m pretty indifferent to this song. It’s pretty 80s, to be fair, so I’ve got to like some of the cheesy falsetto vocalisations from the late George Michael at the start, as well as those repetitive synths that keep themselves from sounding awful by having those sleigh bells and pretty damn nice keys covering them. That chorus is iconic, but the rest of the lyrics are just forgettable. Honestly, it’s a good background song and it’s a well-written, catchy pop track with Michael putting in some good vocals throughout, but, it’s nothing special. Nothing but respect to George Michael, though, rest in peace, he’s a pop legend over here.

Christmas Conclusion

The best Christmas song on the charts right now is easily “Fairytale of New York” by the Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, but an Honourable Mention goes to Mariah Carey for “All I Want for Christmas is You”. Yup, that’s still here, we’ll get to that in a second. Worst of the Week goes to Band Aid for “Do They Know it’s Christmas?” You should be ashamed, Bob. Dishonourable Mention is going to Shakin’ Stevens for “Merry Christmas Everyone”. Other Christmas songs you should check out are “Christmas in Harlem” by Kanye West, Teyana Taylor and CyHi tha Prynce featuring Musiq Soulchild (heck, check out the longer version if you wish), “2000 Miles” by the Pretenders, “Stop the Cavalry” by Jona Lewie, “Christmas Lights” by Coldplay, “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” by Tyler, the Creator and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” by DMX. Yes, those last two actually exist. Now, this Christmas section has taken longer and is longer to read than about half of my normal episodes, so I think we should get straight into...

Top 10

Well, this all feels a bit more familiar. “thank u, next” by Ariana Grande is still at the top of the charts five weeks in, and it doesn’t really seem to have much competition.

Ava Max, however, is making a surprise run for the top, up four spots to number-two, with “Sweet but Psycho”. I wouldn’t exactly be complaining if this hit the top either.

“Without Me” by Halsey is up a spot to number-three.

We have a new entry from the most recent X Factor winner, Dalton Harris, with a cover of Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Christmas classic “The Power of Love”, featuring James Arthur. I guess awful Christmas songs aren’t going away for that long, huh? Obviously this is Dalton’s first top 10, and Arthur’s fifth.

“Thursday” by Jess Glynne is down two spaces to number-three.

Up a whopping 28 spaces this week to number-six is, you guessed it, Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You”. This isn’t its first top 10 turn, and it’s not its peak, but still impressive to reach here nonetheless.

This means “Woman Like Me” by Little Mix featuring Nicki Minaj is down five spaces to number-seven.

“Rewrite the Stars” by James Arthur and Anne-Marie has actually gained nine spaces, surprisingly, and to my dismay, to number-eight, becoming Arthur’s sixth and Anne-Marie’s fifth.

Oh, and if you wanted even worse news, up an even larger 29 spaces is “KIKA” by 6ix9ine featuring Tory Lanez, becoming both their first (and hopefully for 6ix9ine, only) top 10 hit at number-nine. I like the song, but I don’t like Tekashi, to say the least.

We have another new entry at #10 this week with “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart” by Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus. This is Ronson’s sixth top 10 hit and Cyrus’ fourth (yeah, I thought she had more too).

Now, instead of separating what happened on the charts into Dropouts, Climbers, Returning Entries, Fallers and such, let’s separate into two sections: “What Survived” and “What Suffered”.

What Survived

What survived means essentially everything that still managed to chart this week, and I’m actually surprised by how much power some of these songs have. Going in reverse order, I have no idea how “Arms Around You” by XXXTENTACION, Lil Pump, Swae Lee and Maluma managed to cling on despite a 17-space fall to #40. “Promises” by Calvin Harris and Sam Smith is down 16 to #38, “Baby Shark” by Pinkfong is down four to #37, “Empty Space” by James Arthur is down 10 to #34 (why did James Arthur of all people have the strength to stay during the avalanche?), “Hold My Girl” by George Ezra is down eight to #33, “Shallow” by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper is down 27 to #32 (considering both streaming cuts and Christmas bloodbath), “Leave a Light On” by Tom Walker has returned to #31 for some reason, “when the party’s over” by Billie Eilish is down seven to #28 (again, surprised this one’s still here), “Taki Taki” by DJ Snake, Ozuna, Cardi B and Selena Gomez is down eight to #27, “1999” by Charli XCX and Troye Sivan is down 11 to #24, “Polaroid” by James Blue, Liam Payne and Lennon Stella is down 11 to #23, “Let You Love Me” by Rita Ora is down eight to #22, “Better” by Khalid is down five to #20, “Sunflower” by Post Malone and Swae Lee is down seven to #16, as is “ZEZE” by Kodak Black featuring Travis Scott and Offset right next to it at #15, “Funky Friday” by Dave and Fredo is down five to #12, and everything else that’s currently charting is either simply not notable (a drop or climb less than four spaces), in the top 10, a new arrival, a Christmas re-entry or in the top 10. Jesus. Now, what’s gone?

What Suffered

This is a little nicer name for what’s dropped out in the absolute onslaught of Christmas music and new arrivals (all returning and new entries this week total to 12 songs that weren’t on the chart before). This week was an absolute bloodbath, and these are the murder victims. Former #1 “Shotgun” by George Ezra is out from #30, “Advice” by Cadet and Deno Driz is out from #28, “AirForce” by Digdat is out from the #20 debut, “Mo Bamba” by Sheck Wes is out prematurely from #27, “This is Me” by Keala Settle and the Greatest Showman Ensemble is out again from #36, another former #1 “Eastside” by benny blanco, Halsey and Khalid is out from #31, “Happier” by Marshmello and Bastille is out from #32, “I Found You” by benny blanco and Calvin Harris is out from #29, “MIA” by Bad Bunny featuring Drake is out from #35, “Always Remember Us this Way” by Lady Gaga is out from #39, “Goodbye” by Jason Derulo and David Guetta featuring Nicki Minaj and Willy William is out from #40 and finally, “Back and Forth” by MK, Jonas Blue and Becky Hill is out from #37. I’d say it’s time to move onto the New Arrivals – but before, I’d like to say that the BBC redesigned their UK Top 40 page, and it looks pretty cool. Anyways:

NEW ARRIVALS

#29 – “MAMA” – 6ix9ine featuring Kanye West and Nicki Minaj

Of course, DUMMY BOY only had a stunted tracking week last week, so we have the effects of the album this week. This is 6ix9ine’s third top 40 hit in the UK, Nicki Minaj’s thirty-seventh (yeah, I know, it’s insane), and Ye’s even crazier forty-third, and to be honest, it’s inoffensive, which is something I’d never thought I’d say about a 6ix9ine song, but, hey, it is what it is. Murda Beatz’s production is pretty cool for what it is, and I do like the eerie synth loop. 6ix9ine’s delivery is lazy and boring – and I still think we shouldn’t let rappers say they kick women out of doors – but he doesn’t last long so when Kanye comes in with that “man, oh my God” refrain it gets so much better. I’m so used to Kanye West’s pop-culture rambling, social media criticism/obsession, somehow relating to women nonsense he brings to nearly every single verse he does recently that I’m used to it, it’s just something I’ve heard before delivered relatively comedically. Nicki’s refrain and verse actually has some work put into it, unlike the dudes’ bars, so yeah, I appreciate that, although her delivery and cadence is exhaustingly blunt and straightforward, to the point where it’s just kind of tiring. There’s some decent wordplay there, I guess. This is okay enough, and pretty much top-tier Tekashi to be honest. “KANGA” also featuring Ye is even better, though.

#17 – “Going Bad” – Meek Mill featuring Drake

Meek Mill and Drake working together is something I expected to happen anyway. Meek and Drake have seemingly squashed their beef and have relaxed after the “Back to Back” situation and their popular 2015/2016 beef that revealed a lot about Drake, specifically his ghostwriting from Quentin Miller, and eventually stressed Meek’s relationship with Nicki enough for them to break up as a result. Oh, and you better believe they mention “back to back” because of course they do, it’s the only funny wordplay they can conjure up, apparently. This is Meek Mill’s first ever top 40 hit in the UK (congratulations) and in stark contrast, Drake’s forty-fifth (yes, even more than Kanye), and his thirteenth just this year (probably and hopefully his last), and it’s mediocre. I didn’t know what to expect because I’ve never really cared enough about Meek to listen to him, but an out-of-tune piano absolutely demolished by some bass while Drake spouts off with stuff like “I got more slaps than the Beatles” isn’t exactly the best first impression. Is there a chorus here, or not? I can’t tell, everything’s just kind of the same until the ad-lib break that’s long enough for Genius to count it as an entirely different section of the song than in Meek’s verse. It was “Interlude” when I looked but it might be “Post-Chorus” now. Yeah, it should be clear I don’t care enough about this song. I do like Drake’s delivery in the hook, though, it’s pretty energetic, but not enough to save it.

#10 – “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart” – Mark Ronson featuring Miley Cyrus

So, yeah, I like this. It starts with some beautiful strings right before Miley Cyrus fades in with her country twang that I’m starting to really appreciate, and those guitars come in to complement her and the deeper bass that I like the addition of, it really contrasts the otherwise pretty light production, that seems to be dramatic but kind of unfitting for the lyrical content about how the world can hurt you but heartbreak is the worst possible thing, because despite the beat’s melodrama it’s too upbeat to really work here, I feel. Ah, well, the hook is pretty memorable, and the orchestral stings is just one little barely-noticeable production quirk that I can talk about, seriously, Mark Ronson puts so much effort into crafting these songs over the years, it’s pretty great. It may be a bit too repetitive and slow for my taste, but, yeah, I can dig this. Good song, just not much to say about it.

#4 – “The Power of Love” – Dalton Harris featuring James Arthur

The girl gets Leona Lewis, the Scouse dude gets Kaiser Chiefs, yet the WINNER gets James Arthur?! Really, James Arthur? Poor dude. You must know you’re an amazingly talented singer when you get James Arthur put on your song and you still make a surprisingly decent winner’s single, hell, even win in the first place. Arthur is such an awful vacuum of talent, I was scared Harris would be affected by this but no, even with my half-bothering with the show this year I can tell he’s been consistently great, and he’s definitely not bad on here either, although the production has no unique charm to it and is just plastic Syco production as you expect, with James Arthur bringing an above-average performance (this means still pretty bad) with his moaning and straining that just pains me to listen to. Seriously, James, let’s have a cactus-to-man talk and let me teach you how to not sound like my dead cat who just popped some Xanax.

Conclusion

Worst of the Week goes to Dalton Harris and James Arthur for “The Power of Love” – at least “Going Bad” has some energy and legitimate soul to it, although Meek Mill and Drake still get Dishonourable Mention. Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus take Best of the Week home for “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart”, and hell Kanye and Nicki made “MAMA” bearable enough for them and 6ix9ine to get Honourable Mentions. See ya next week, where we’ll probably see a few more Christmas songs. Delightful.

[invisible-immigrant]

An Immigrant in Minnesota

I was compelled to write this in part due to recent political events and in part due to a recent personal event. As an Immigrant living in the USA I hear many things in the media about why I am here and what all the problems around immigration are.

But here is the thing I have been given a glimpse of exactly what people think about immigration in this country, not just the frothy mouthed pundits on right wing TV or those who stand on street corners and howl at the moon but regular ordinary people, many of whom are generally decent folk.

I get this perspective in part because a large section of people does not think of me as an immigrant. First of all, I’m white, secondly, I was born and raised in England so I speak the local lingo as it were. Because of this people drop their guard around me and say things that they would never say in front of people who “look like Immigrants”

Some people however do realize I’m and immigrant and say things anyway, the following is a list of all the things I can remember that have been said to me or said in my presence, and I have lived my whole time in the USA in St Paul, Minnesota ….the liberal heartland…..I’ve broken it down into subheadings.

Things I’ve been accused of as an Immigrant

: My kids get free college ( they don't )  : I got free College ( I didn't, the semester I studied in the US I had to pay out of states rates) : I get free housing ( I wish)  : I have stolen housing from Americans ( nope )  : I have stolen jobs from Americans ( literally impossible to steal a job)  : Obama paid me to move here ( like the president met me at the airport with a brief case full of cash ....I also moved here in 02 under Bush….he didn’t pay me either )  : Obama paid me to vote ( I’m a permanent resident and not allowed to vote. getting caught doing so could get me years in prison)  : I'm a welfare burden and cause taxes to go up cos of all the free money I get ( I've never claimed any welfare, immigrants can’t claim any benefits for the first 5 years and only 6 % get cash welfare )  : I was paid to come here and work for cheap ( this doesn't even make sense, I’m pretty sure being paid to work is called having a job) : I'm a communist cos all Europeans are communists ( Whut)  : I only came to America for the lifestyle ( yes because Europe is a cultural wasteland)  : Immigrants steal American women ( I only took one I promise ) : I'm not really an immigrant because I’m white ( ?!? )

 Things Immigrants don’t understand about America

: this is a Christian country and Immigrants don’t understand that ( this isn’t a Christian country it has a majority Christian population but no official state religion, in fact a state religion would be unconstitutional) : Immigrants don’t understand how Democracy works ( you know Democracy is an ancient Greek word right and it’s all over the world ) : Immigrants don’t understand the constitution ( neither does 95% of the natural born population including most in government) : Immigrants don’t understand this is the land of freedom and opportunity ( THAT’S.WHY.MOST.COME.HERE) : Immigrants don’t understand what it means to be American ( this is just hyperbolic nonsense) : Immigrants don’t understand we are a country of laws ( there is literally a whole page of the immigration application asking about any criminal background/activity even if you are a Nazi war criminal, which seems oddly poignant right now) : ( my personal favorite ) Immigrants don’t understand fundamental American things. Like baseball (think about that when watching all the central Americans, Cubans and all the others running around the field)

Things that should be done to Immigrants (about to get dark, brace yourself)

: sent back to where they come from (generic and blah, it gets more imaginative, hold on) : Sent back to Mexico (sweet free trip to Mexico, can I bring the wife and kids) : Sent back to Africa (make up your mind. I thought we were road trippin to Mexico) : Put on a boat and then torpedo the shit out of them (dude we already on a boat leaving ….the torpedoes aren’t necessary, really) : Made to serve in the Military and sent to war to weed out the weak ones ( is that what you really want, military trained, battle hardened immigrants everywhere?) : made to work for the government doing hard labor jobs ( this country already tried that , there was a war about it and everything) : Strung up from the street lights along the freeways ( told you it was gonna get dark) : Fed to the Zoo animals ( almost certain some of those animals are herbivores) : Lined up against a wall and shot ( not as imaginative as the zoo animal guy but still effective)  : American women who marry foreigners should have their mongrel children put down and should be given to american men so they can know what a real men feel like ( wowza i actually dont have a witty comback for this)  : Made to follow Jesus ( he goin to Mexico too?)

 This stuff used to make me really angry, some of it still does, some it is so ridiculous it makes me laugh, I used to respond with emotion but now for the most part I now respond with information. Many of the people who said these things didn’t do so out of malice as much ignorance, the exceptions of course being all those in the “things that should be done to immigrants” category.

Many presented their comments as though this was the way the world worked, like my kids getting free college because I’m an immigrant. This was said to me just a few days ago and was part of the inspiration for this post The person who said this genuinely believed that was the case, that it was policy, he heard it on the radio. For people like this I can usually present actual fact and show them where they are wrong, many are shocked that their belief was false, a few have doubled down and accused me a lying. a few less have apologized. then there are the other for whom their beliefs about immigration are affirmation not information, it is true because they believe it and it is the reason their lives are unhappy “I can’t get a job because immigrants have stolen them all “these people are all but unreachable and exclusively the source of all the comments where people are on a boat to Mexico being fed to zoo animals. These people I walk away from, the only other option would be confrontation and as much as I would want to being deported for felony assault is not on my to do list.

* edit 6-25-18* my last paragraph says i just walk away, and i used to , i really did. last week a person at work declared “there are too many foreigners in america” “ its like being overrun with vermin” im done walking away , i have no civility for people who dont see people like me as human,and the number is increasing, their behavior more brazen. being nice is over,its time to stand and fight.