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buttdumplin · 30 days

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I’m still on the latine reader train and fucking of course I had to do one of their baby’s ears getting pierced. The boys all react a little differently, but boy, are they amazing fathers.

cw: poly 141, gn!reader, latine reader, piercing mentioned but not described, baby is nicknamed Bug word count: 3k

It’s not something you’d spend a lot of time thinking about, getting your baby girl’s ear pierced. Hell, it wasn’t something you had a hard opinion on even before she came into your lives. But one day, something stirs in you. She’s around 5mos old, trying her hardest to roll over in the center of a nest of pillows her fathers have piled up around her, when you make the call. And while your partners are all understanding and loving, Kyle is the one you approach.

You plop down on the couch next to him, pulling his arms around you to make him hold you. Testing the waters, you spread small, quick kisses on his cheek. It’s a clear gauge of his current mood, and it has him squinting down at you. Not judging, more curious. He knows you’re about to drop something.

“I’m thinking about getting Bug little golden studs.”

“That would make a lovely heirloom for when she gets older, something she can keep on her.”

“No, I mean la voy a llevar down to the piercer this week.”

His arms stiffen around you, and his lack of immediate response makes you turn to look at him. Kyle’s eyes are locked on the baby, his face perfectly neutral in a way you know he’s mastered for his job, like this was also somehow a threat to national security, to life as he knew it to be.

“Vida mía… are you sure?” concern finally creeping in to scrunch his eyebrows.

“Yeah, I’m worried arracadas would snag on something as she’s learning to move more.”

It’s his turn to look at you, and all Kyle finds on your face is the stillness of peace that comes with having made a decision.

“We’ll wait to tell the others,” he knows better than to ask and it has you throwing a big, beaming smile his way. All he can do at this point is return your kisses and ask you to share a link to the shop you want to take your baby girl to.

You got to bed excited that night, thrilled by Kyle’s support. He, on the other hand, stays up late hidden in the bathroom, digging up as much info as he can on the shop to make sure it’s a reputable place. He’s reading every single review folks have left on both the individual piercers and the place itself, and he’s pinching in on every picture to zoom in and look for even the smallest sign of something wrong. A single picture of misaligned piercings would be all that it takes from him to call it all off. But he finds nothing. No skeezy people in the shop, no questionable client pictures, and the shop even has their health and safety certifications on proud display. Well, at least it seems like you chose a good shop.

The next day, Kyle is driving you down to the shop, hands tight on the steering wheel. He wants to be there. He has to be there. Pleased with all his digging and research on the shop, he holds Bug and coos down at her as you run through the details with the piercer. He’s straining his ears like never before, just to try to catch the piercer saying a single thing that sounds off so he can haul you both out of the shop and back home. But again, everything checks out.

His voice is low and rough as he says, “I’d like to hold her as you do it, if that’s alright.”

You know he’s just trying to look out for Bug, trying to maintain some type of control in this terrifying moment, so you just kiss his shoulder and nod at him. Kyle doesn’t say much else. He sits still with his little girl in his arms, eyes wider than usual, taking in every detail he can.

Are the needles and jewelry sterile? The piercer’s pen marks look even on her little ears. Are the piercer’s hands shaking? This close to her little face?

It all happens quickly and nearly painlessly. You’re pretty sure Bug only cried out from how tense Kyle’s arms got as the needle came closer, scared just from sensing his fear. As the piercer finishes cleaning off your little girl’s ears, you hear Kyle release what must have been a held breath. The strain around his eyes immediately warns you of the blistering headache he just gave himself.

You take his hand gently, “All done.”

He nods shakily and presses a kiss to the top of Bug’s head.

He’s never been so proud of his baby girl before. She faced off with something sharp and pain, and she barely batted an eye. Even after, it was almost like nothing had happened. Bug went back to babbling away in an attempt to talk to the piercer, who was kind enough to carry on a short conversation with her. It makes his heart swell with an unbelievable amount of hope. She’ll be able to face the entire world itself by the time she’s grown.

Kyle spends the drive back home in the backseat, looking for any signs of discomfort as your little girl sleeps, her little hand locked around his finger, his smile completely stuck on his face.

Simon is the only one home when you get back. He sits in the living room, putzing around with all of Bug’s toys and rugs, clearly waiting for you to get home and preparing for some play time. There aren’t any Baby and Me classes that day, at least as far as he knows. So it must have been something else that pulled you from the house.

He greets both you and Kyle with a soft kiss and a little hum, then reaches for the carseat, “How’s our sweet girl?”

Her gurgles answer him, and she gives him a big gummy smile as he pulls her from the seat. You and Kyle slowly move to put the key and car seat and jackets away, keeping a careful eye on Simon. He lays his baby girl down in his lap, helping bicycle her little legs with big, tender hands. And everything seems fine. Simon is clearly happy to be spending time with Bug again, and you and Kyle both let out a not-so-subtle sigh of relief. The sound of it, unfortunately, is bigger than it should in the room, taking up all the space left open by Simon’s absolute silence. Your eyes go wide and meet Kyle’s, his own reflecting the slight worry in yours, and you both sit on either side of Simon.

“Cariño, are you alright?” you plant a kiss on his cheek, Kyle’s arm finds its way around Simon’s back.

Now that you’re next to him, you can see the little quiver of his lower lip and the tears gathering on blonde lashes, eyes locked in on the little golden studs. His stuttered breathing is the only thing to break the silence.

“She’s so little,” he chokes out, “It must have hurt her so bad.” His tears finally fall as his fingers hover near the baby’s ears.

Kyle presses himself against Simon’s side, “Oh, sweetheart. She’s alright, just look at how happy she is to be with you now.”

“Le dolió más a Kyle than it did her, and he just held her through the whole thing.”

Simon immediately remembers all the times he’s held his baby girl as she’s gotten her shots, how she’s squirmed and cried til she was purple in the face, and he takes another stuttering breath, “What if it makes her scared of jewelry, what if she comes to associate it all with pain?”

You can’t help but smile a little at the stark differences of the picture before you. Simon’s big frame hunches over the baby and his large, scarred hands gently hold her, his face growing ruddy as more tears fall and he starts to sniffle. Meanwhile Bug is wiggling away happily as she lays against the warmth of his thighs, little fists swinging around, feet kicking excitedly at the sound of Simon’s voice.

“I think she’ll be glad she won’t have to heal those piercings as an adult,” you say, carefully wiping his tears away.

Simon chuckles at your comment, taking a tissue from Kyle to clean up his nose, “Yeah, I suppose it is easier now since she’s still sleeping on her back.”

“Plus think of all the jewelry we’ll get to buy her as she grows, toda chipleada.”

Simon gives a full laugh at that, his hands returning to bicycling Bug’s legs. His chest moves with the deep breaths he finally allows himself, his little girl’s infectious smile catching on his face too. What a beautiful, softhearted man he is. He turns to give you each a kiss on the forehead as you and Kyle lean against him, “I’ll have to start tucking away some more money for that then.”

By the time he’s bringing Bug down to the ground to get her moving and playing with her toys, his tears have stopped. A few sniffles pop up every now and then, but he’s smiling, his big, brown eyes warm with love as he plays with her. Simon slowly moves to lay down next to her, mimicking her as she lays on her tummy, his head resting against his folded arms. His eyes flick to her ears every now and then, as if he’s trying to keep an eye out for a potential reaction. But the more pressing matter turns out to be how hard her little hands grab at his face, pulling at his lip until he’s giggling too. He doesn’t flinch a single time. He never will, not with his loved ones. They’re the people he trusts with his entire being.

Johnny’s the next one to come home, arriving just a couple of hours later. He comes in the door to find you’re all working on setting up lunch: Kyle is on table duty and sets out drinks, you’re finishing up shoving doritos into the sandwiches, and Simon is still in the living room with baby Bug. Johnny smiles so big his face hurts a little. There are few things he loves as much as just seeing his little family. He could have the single worst day at work, but coming home to yall? That fixes his entire world.

He stands by the door, where he can see all of you, and throws his arms out, “My loves, my dearest ones, I am home.”

You all turn to smile at him. Normally, you’d all come up to greet him with a kiss. It’s a cute little ritual he’s come to love. But you’re all understandably occupied, so it’s his turn to make rounds. He steps to you and Kyle in the kitchen first, pulling you both into his arms so he can place light, lingering kisses to your mouths.

“Feeling your lips against mine once again has righted the world,” his big declarations of love will never truly end, but yall well know just how ecstatic he is to be home again. He’s quick to steal a couple of chips from you, shoving them into his mouth before you can reprimand him. Kyle receives a quick swat to his bum and he chases after Johnny a couple of steps, mirth lighting both their faces.

Johnny jogs over to join Simon on the floor, giving him a careful kiss as well.

“Our sweet Bug, trying so hard to roll. What a perfect little-”

And you know he’s clocked it. The sunshine gleaming off her little studs catches his eye.

“What’s this?” he rises back to his feet, eyes darting to each of your faces.

Simon is the first to try to address his concern, “She’s alright, love. Watch, she’s moving about like nothing happened.”

“No. No. She’s too small to be dealing with this,” Johnny’s pacing the room, hand in his hair as his eyes continue to bounce between your faces. He keeps looking down at his baby girl, the little gold in her ears still shining, her happy little babbling only stopping as she tries to pull Simon’s finger into her mouth. And still, Johnny paces.

“It’s perfectly safe for her age, and the shop was of the highest quality,” Kyle says, stepping into the living room as Johnny continues to wear a track into the carpet. The technical reassurance has him pausing for a moment, the hand clenched in his hair relaxing a fraction.

“But why?” Johnny’s voice climbs a little higher. He’ll never shout at any of you, but the emotion has to come out somehow. “She’s so young. This could have waited.”

More and more questions and rationalizations sprout from his mouth as his pacing picks back up. He brings up his sisters, he brings up his ma. None of them got piercings until they were much older. Then they could pick what they wanted and where. He briefly mentions consent, worried that this means he’s also overstepped as a father. And at one point he just says the word “baptism” and lets out a long groan. Still, he paces. His eyes turn electric with the sheer need to understand. He’s spiraling.

“Johnny, it’s cultural,” you cut through his rambling. It stops him in his tracks.

“Cultural?”

You give him a nod, and his shoulders ease down from their tense clench.

“Well, why didn’t you say so? We’ll have so many cute options for her once they heal,” he says with a smile once again adorning his face, plopping down to join Simon and Bug. “Is there a sandwich for me too, or should I make my own?”

You let out a breathless laugh, the boys look up at you from the floor, smiles toothy and proud.

Kyle covers his face with his hands for a moment, mumbling something to himself before going back into the kitchen, “Yeah, we already have one for you, you brat.”

When Price arrives home, he lingers by the door for just a moment, taking in all the sounds of his family chattering and giggling away. He’ll never say it out loud, at least not unless he’s directly asked, but the sound alone of all of you happy and healthy and safe rejuvenates him, adds another 5 years to his life every time. He smiles a little to himself as he puts his shoes into the rack, mindful of where he stores his pack too. You’ve been kind enough to help figure out a system to keep all their shit straight and easily accessible for coming and going, and he tries to reinforce it so much with the other boys that he’s not about to fuck it up.

He’s still smiling as he joins the rest of you in the living room. Price is expecting the usual big smiles and lunging for hugs, but instead, he’s met with all of you trying to talk over each other. Kyle’s on the floor with Simon, both with a hand to help Bug sit up, and you and Johnny are shoving and trying to push the other behind. He can make out Johnny saying the word “cultural” over and over again, but the rest is jumbling together.

Price raises a single hand, immediately silencing the room, “You can all explain what exactly is going on, one at a time, but first I will make my rounds.”

He makes his way around the room, carefully bending for a kiss from each of you. Truly, of all the rules yall have put in place, this is one of Price’s favorites, the greeting smooches for everyone when they come in the door. It gives yall a chance to reconnect, and it really helps him settle back into the peace of his role as a father and partner. He gets to focus on his family in these moments, and he wouldn’t trade that for the fucking world.

As he picks Bug up to give her her own little smooch, the commotion starts again, making him raise his hand once more. He looks over his sweet little girl, taking in her excited little noises and smiling in return.

“Gold looks beautiful on you, Bug,” he murmurs as he gives her another smooch, enjoying the little squealing his facial hair causes.

You let out a little whoop and the rest of the boys give a joyous little cheer as well, immediately launching into how they can use this new development to best spoil their precious Bug. And that’s all there is to it. At least in that moment.

Later on, as you’re all getting ready for bed, you notice Price is still in the nursery. He’s messing with the baby monitor, turning it on and off a couple of times to check the battery, bringing it in as close to the crib as he can. All he needs to do is tap on it to check the mic to complete a full system check. And just as you’re about to call him to bed, he does just that. He turns at the sound of your chuckle, his face so pink you know it’s spread all the way down his neck.

“You bought the top-of-the-line monitor, remember, corazon? Todo ese dinero on fancy walkie-talkies,” you press the words against his chest as he holds you close.

“Can never be too sure.”

A couple of hours later, you’re trying to untangle yourself from the too-warm cuddle puddle and all the entangled legs when you notice Price is no longer in bed. But you hear it before you get too far in your search for him, his gravelly voice humming a song through the baby monitor.

You walk into the nursery to spot him on the big rocking chair, his legs up and reclined as possible, Bug sleeping against his bare chest.

“She’s wounded,” he croaks as you run your fingers through his hair, “she needs her daddy to heal.”

You don’t bring attention to the way his voice is choked up with tears, “Claro que sí, papi.”

“You were her age when you got yours?”

“I was younger.”

“And it didn’t hurt?”

“Never.”

He goes quiet, relishing the feeling of her little back rising and falling under his hand as she breathes.

“Can we take her to the guest room? Sleep with her? At least for tonight?” his nervousness seeps into his voice as he asks.

You grab the baby monitor with you as you walk him towards the guest room, just so the boys don’t panic when they wake up. Thank god yall regularly maintain the guest rooms, it makes settling the pillows and bedding much easier this late at night.

Price shakes his head when you motion towards the center of the bed for him to lay Bug down. Instead, he climbs in alongside you, keeping a sleeping Bug on his chest.

“Just for tonight,” he whispers, “Just for tonight.”

In the morning, Kyle’s voice wakes you, “I don’t know how Bug does it. She sleeps better through his snoring than any of us.”

AN: Once again, HUGE fucking shoutout to @mikichko for encouraging this and also giving us Price's precious line of "she's wounded, she needs her daddy to heal." I can't thank you enough, Kiko.

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sansxfuckyou · 7 months

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Long Ass Road

Summary: Kennedy wants to go on a road trip, Claire wants to go skating, they both agree Canada is the only logical option.

Warnings: swearing, suggestive themes

Authors Note: I'M SENDING THOSE LESBIANS TO CANADA FOLKS, they aren't actually in Canada though, this is just the road trip portion. crenny fans that are lesbians, come get your juice, if I'm still holding on for the free day I might actually put them in Canada. hope ya'll enjoy

"Are we there yet?"

The inevitable question, and you know what, Claire is proud of Kenny for waiting six hours into their road trip to ask it.

"No, Kennedy, we are not in Canada," Claire answered with as calmly as she could, her grip on the steering wheel tightening a bit.

"You know what would make this trip better?" Kenny asked as she sat up in the passenger seat a bit more. She briefly glanced to the back of their van, stowaway seats stowed away, a mattress lay on the ground with their stuff piled in a corner.

Claire took a turnoff to a stray road, a quieter one, "What?"

"If we had dicks," The abruptness throws Claire from her focus entirely.

"And why would that make this road trip better?" Her words come out with shock laid on thick, and the road is quiet enough she can turn to just stare at Kenny.

The blonde shrugged, "Road head."

"You have playboys, you can hop in the back and hope we don't get pulled over if you're horny," Claire offered, "I don't want you getting off in the front seat."

"I was joking," Kenny said as she leaned forward onto the dashboard, "Unless..." She reaches over to place her hand on Claire's thigh.

The ravenette swats away Kenny's hand, "There will be no fucking until we cross the border."

There's a loud groan, "You are zero fun, can we at least sleep in a skeezy motel and get room service?"

"Dude," Claire said in an exasperated tone, "No, we agreed to sleep in the trunk to save money."

"Why did we decide on that?" Kenny asked as she slumped back against her chair and pressed her feet to the dashboard.

"Cause we're fucking broke," Claire said, "And we want to have enough money to be able to buy something from Canada while we're there."

"How long is the trip anyways?" She pulled out her phone to check the time. A picture of her, Kylie, Cartman, and Stacy was her lock screen. Claire may be the love of her life, but she will always hold room for the homies above all else.

"We're a quarter of the way through," Claire answered with mere moments before laying onto the horn. She swung her head out the window to glare at whoever decided to swing in front of them, "Watch the road jackass!"

Kenny just sighed dreamily, "You're hot when you tell people off."

"Thanks," Claire answered with before simply flooring it, "We should've started the trip sooner."

"Why?" Kenny asked.

"Cause we're gonna be sleeping in our car, in America," Claire said with a groan of annoyance.

Kenny shrugged, "Might be nice."

"I doubt it," Claire said.

-/-/-/-

"You were right Kenny," Claire said as she tossed aside the wrapper for her burger and leaned on the cushions propped against the sliding door.

"About what?" Kenny asked as she nibbled on some fries and pushed herself against Claire, an arm slung around her shoulders.

"Sleeping in the van," Claire said, "Or just, being in the van, with you, it's nice."

Kenny gives a hum as she reaches for the blanket, "Yeah, it is."

"What do you think about the road so far?" Claire asked.

"It's a long ass road," Kenny answered with.

Claire laughs, it's a giggle snort that Kenny knows she's self conscious of, "Well, yeah."

"How long is this trip anyways?" Kenny asked.

"Twenty four hours total, we got eighteen or so left," Claire said as she rubbed Kenny's upper arm.

The blonde whines, "Seriously?"

"That's just part of the fun," Claire said, pressing a kiss to the mussed locks of blonde.

"I can't wait till we get there, play ice hockey, get Tim Hortons, have some fun," Kenny said.

"And not get attacked by geese," Claire tacked on, "That would suck."

-/-/-/-

When Kenny wakes up the car is moving and Claire is already in the drivers seat. Eyes locked on the road and firmly set on her task of inching forward in gridlock traffic.

Kenny gives a long whine as she rolls over to the other side of the van, crashing against their backpacks and curled in a blanket.

"Kenny, you're awake," Claire said as she looked up to the rear view mirror to glance at Kenny.

"Barely," She answered with as she sat up and crawled closer to the front, "Can I have some coffee?"

"Go for it," Claire said, "We won't be moving for a while."

Kenny took a swig of the brew, she furrowed her brows in dismay, no sugar. She dropped back down to the mattress, "This sucks."

Claire shrugged, "It happens," She sat up a bit more, "Oh wow, crash."

"A pile up?" Kenny asked groggily, sitting up as she spoke.

"It's pretty smoky, I'd say at least three cars," Claire answered with, "Couple hours till shit starts moving."

"Then come back here and make love to me," Kenny whined rather playfully.

"No. Traffic could clear up and I do not want someone to look in through the window and see my ass," Claire said as she gave Kenny a gentle glare.

"Fucking, fine, be that way," Kenny huffed out before climbing into the passenger seat, "How long have you been on the road for?"

"Couple hours, glad you slept love," She leaned over to press a kiss to the tip of Kenny's nose.

"Thanks for driving," Kenny answered with as she returned the motion.

#crennyweek2023 #sp crenny #craig x kenny #kenny mccormick #craig tucker #south park #south park fanfiction #writing #fanfic

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stevishabitat · 2 years

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I'm a big fan at heart. I often feel the pull to cross the line from respect for a person's work to hero worship. I *want* the people who make/do my favorite stuff (actors, authors, directors, athletes, music artists) to be awesome people, and I always want to believe the best about people anyway.

But I also know that people are people. And I've watched a lot of people who do stuff I love take swan-dives into really disappointing behavior. Especially when it comes to cis-het white folks and cis-men in general... I have to hold them at arm's length. Expectations are - unfortunately - quite low.

Racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, abuse, greed, arrogance, and general selfishness are rampant parts of culture. Celebrities are not immune, and because of their influence, their trespasses tend to scale larger than other folks.

I generally try not to look too closely at the personal lives and quotes from celebrities. I don't need to see that interview that caught them on a crappy day and they came across kind of like a jerk. Or the paparazzi shot that made them look skeezy. Or that really bizarre tweet that they probably should have kept to themselves.

But as soon as I hear from a marginalized group that so-and-so has done/said a hurtful thing, I try to bypass my instinct to get defensive and LISTEN.

I don't fully buy into cancel culture, but I often do need to take a break from someone's work after I find out they've said/done something harmful and haven't made an effort to make things right. In some cases, I'm just never going to look at their work the same.

#Not a vagueblog #not about anyone in particular #Just something I've been thinking about

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jennawynn · 10 months

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Enterprise 2x24 First Flight

It cracks me up when they use the same actor to portray themselves but 20 years younger and they just... brush their hair differently. Like all those wrinkles will be ignored because his hair is brushed forward instead of to the side.

Hey that waitress is from Army Wives. I love recognizing people from other shows. Oh and David Carradine... who I am just realizing is different from Keith Carradine who was the president in Madame Secretary. And not only are they not twins, they're half-brothers. They're so similar!

Enterprise 2x25 Bounty

Oh goodie. Another skeezy decon scene featuring T'Pol...

oooof course pon farr...

Enterprise 2x26 The Expanse

So it's not just the Enterprise, but humanity as a whole that is sparsely populated?

This is such a... bloodless show. There's like 3 wars happening and nobody ever dies. Even the Klingons are fighting to disable ships instead of destroying them. Even criminals fighting to avoid going back to prison, willing to die and supposedly willing to kill, have their phasers on stun by default. And it's not just about violence. There doesn't seem to be any consequence to hardly anything that happens unless it is specifically to set up an event that... cancels out the consequences of an earlier event.

Well, all except the 3rd gender sex slave that died of suicide to teach Trip not to try to free slaves.

The Borg assimilated some folks and the Enterprise killed them. Then there was the wisps- their whole ship was destroyed. That actually felt off to me. They didn't try to help the wisps, didn't try to fix the problems with the ship or find them another ship or world to populate. They almost went straight to destruction. That's all I can think of, though.

Heh I say it's bloodless and there's a video of Vulcans attacking each other like it's a PG-rated Event Horizon...

I suppose there was also 1 (one) recurring consequence as of the last episode- Archer's escape from prison. Now the Klingons have sent bounty hunters and birds of prey after him... but took them long enough.

This episode is making me eat all my words. They just destroyed a Klingon vessel that was attacking them.

#chronotrek

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adobe-outdesign · 2 years

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Have you give your thoughts on the impidim line?

I gotta say, this line is probably one of my favorites from Gen 8. First, it's really nice to have a fairy type with really old school fae inspiration (it's not the only line that does this, but definitely the most obvious and successful). And secondly, I love some goblins, and these guys are delightfully skeezy. An Impidimp can and will break into your house solely to push all your furniture two inches to the right, and that is delightful.

In terms of design, Impidimp has a perfect expression, and the bat-shaped face markings really help its facial features pop. I also like the small upturned nose with the single nostril, as according to the 'dex they breathe in negative energy from people as a food source. I always think it's cool when Pokemon have unconventional, well thought-out food sources, and having that be reflected in the design is great.

The only thing about Impidimp (and Morgrem, but we'll get to that) is that it's one of those Pokemon that i can't help but feel I'd like better if it was rendered in Gen 1's more detailed style. I don't mind the newer style or anything, but when a Pokemon breaks down into perfect shapes like this it's a bit harder to see it as a living thing. Just a less perfectly circular head and defined knees probably would've done it, but that might also just be a personal thing.

Also, as a minor nitpick, I don't really think the hair is needed. It makes just as much sense for it to start off bald as it having a small amount of hair, and it doesn't really add much (though it being shaped like a bat's wing is fun at least).

I think Morgrem's my favorite out of this line. If Impidimp is mischievous than Morgrem is a fucker, and I love it. This definitely looks like something that would literally and metaphorically stab you in the back. While Impidimp doesn't look as slimy and Grimmsnarl looks more feral, Morgrem has the ideal gremlin energy.

It also has cool pikestaff-esc prehensile hair, which leads into its evolution. It's also a nod to redcaps, a kind of English goblin--both fits with the fae theme but also the region, and shows how much research went into this line.

As much as I like it there are a few weird things anatomy-wise that really bug me still. The arms seem like they're supposed to be skinny considering how Grimmsnarl works, but they also have defined muscles. Which is it? If they're skinny, don't have them cinch in at the elbows like that. I'm not sure what that random divet on the chest is, and it's also weird how noodly the legs are compard to how defined the arms are. And I know that's stuff most people might not notice, but it's what ultimately holds this A-tier line back from being an S-tier for me.

The only other thing is the colors. It's split half pink and half green to transition between its evos, but there's no reason for the color change within the design, and it's too jarring to work as markings. I'll get into this more with Grimmsnarl, but I think the entire line could've gotten away with being all-pink, and then you wouldn't need the green to begin with. But as a whole, this is a solid middle-evo that both transitions well and is unique, which is really all I ask of my middle-evos.

First, I should probably acknowledge that some Jewish folks have said this design is somewhat antisemitic due the combo of green skin, long nose, and curly dark hair. I'm not Jewish so I can't offer much insight there, but it is unfortunate. It kind of goes back to what I said earlier about keeping the line entirely pink, as then you'd at least be avoiding one of the questionable attributes. It's not Jynx levels of unfortunate and I highly doubt it was intentional, but still.

Anyway, while I may prefer Morgrem for its Fucker(TM) energy, Grimmsnarl is a great final evo. The way the prehensile hair forms fake muscles over the body is really cool, as is the more orc-like appearance. The fake muscles fix the anatomy problems I was having earlier, and even the colors are better balanced here. I'm also a fan of those funky outside-facing teeth.

The only single thing that I don't care for is those two green stripes on the torso. i can't place why, but they don't sit right with me. I think it might just be that it's a weird place to show the hair parting. I feel like the hands should've been exposed like the feet are and then the torso should be covered rather than the other way around.

The g-max form does what it needs to, basically filling everything in with more hair. I like how this emphasizes the pink diamond on the chest and the way the hair goes back up behind the head is also cool. However, I'm not huge on the legs; they're a bit too long, and end up making it a bit more humanoid than I really care for. It's good for what it is though.

So overall, this is a great line of terrible little goblins. I just wish the anatomy was a bit less funky and the colors were more unified/less antisemitic, but at the end of the day I'd definitely let these guys break into my house and move my furniture two inches to the right.

#impidimp #morgrem #grimmsnarl #pokemon #pokemon reviews #also this is the review I moved back from yesterday I'm not doing any other asks

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lesbiansforboromir · 3 years

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Impossible LotR Quiz Answer sheet with explanations!

As an addendum, since people have been doing the quiz I’ve seen a few mistypes and awkwardnesses that are my own fault so I’ve corrected them. This means some people got a higher score than was shown, know that when I looked over your answers I saw your actually right answers and fully appreciated them! It’s good to not that the ‘fill in the blanks’ questions will not take two words in one space, so I’ve had to get creative with how I apply two named folk like Mardil Voronwe, or people who have numbers like Hurin I.

I would also like to say, to everyone talking about how they’ve never read the Silmarillion, this quiz is very purposefully almost entirely based outside of the Silmarillion. This is Appendices stuff! Indeed there is only 1 question even tangentally related to elves in here, this is by design.

@magaramach, @brynnmclean and @apojiiislands asked to be tagged in this! Answers under the cut.

Q2. Who was Dora Baggins in relation to Bilbo Baggins? - Second cousin on his father's side Dora Baggins is a very elderly woman who was the daughter of Bilbo’s father’s brother. She likes writing people a lot of unsolicited advice! THIS WAS WRONG AND SAID FIRST COUSIN FOR SO LONG AND I AM DEEPLY SORRY FOR IT.

Q3. How many pairs of biological twins are mentioned in the whole of Arda's timeline and what races do they belong too? - 2 for men, 1 for elves and 3 for half-elves Fastred and Folcred, Haleth and Haldar (men) Amrod and Amras (elves) Elured and Elurin, Elrond and Elros, Elladan and Elrohir (half-elves) Now, admittedly Elladan and Elrohir are never actually described as twins. However they appear completely identical and have the same birth date, so it is assumed.

Q4. Baldor is who the skeleton scratching at the door used to be. When Aragorn and co pass through the paths of the dead they find a skeleton clawing at a door to the mountain. It is finely dressed and described as mighty and was later essentially confirmed to be Baldor, the eldest son of King Brego of Rohan, also called Baldor the hapless, who foolishly wandered into the paths of the dead on, apparently, a dare. (the answer to this was originally Brego because of a foolish typo from me, many apologies!)

Q5. When was the Ondonóre Nómesseron Minaþurie written? - During Meneldil's reign. “Enquiry into the Place-names of Gondor” was a text written by settled numenoreans about their new kingdom during Meneldil’s reign, who was the first sole King of Gondor after both Anarion (his father) and Isildur had perished.

Q6. Farmer Maggot's particular friend was Tom Bombadil It is stated that Farmer Maggot sometimes peacefully passes through the Old Forest to go and meet Tom Bombadil, who very much enjoys his company. However! Those who answered Merry or Pippin still deserve excellent recognition, Farmer Maggot was indeed fond of Pippin and respected Merry greatly.

Q7. What was the office of the Steward originally created to do? - Keep the Tradition of Isildur When Romendacil I went to war in the east, he realised that if he died then the secret of the Tradition of Isildur would die with him. Hence he wrote it down in a sealed scoll and gave it to a trusted confidante, to be given to his heir if he should perish. This tradition was maintained by further kings and those trusted confidantes became the Stewards of Gondor. This, admittedly, is a more suggested progression than explicit, but it’s a Impossible evil quiz so :) Q8. What was the 'Tradition of Isildur'? - Remember where Elendil was buried. Elendil had been secretly entombed in Calenardhon, supposedly the midpoint between Gondor and Arnor. This was a hallowed space for only Kings at first, but in later years when the Stewards came to rule Gondor they also were permitted the secret. Cirion had the remains moved when Calenardhon was gifted to the Eotheod to eventually become a part of the Kingdom of Rohan.

Q9. At the time of Pelargir's founding, is the world flat or round? - Flat. Pelargir was founded as a ‘Faithful Numenorean’ haven on the river Anduin. Therefore it was built before Numenor’s destruction in the Akallabeth, the reason for which being that Eru turned the world from flat to round.

Q10. Which of these monarchs were indolent and had no interest in ruling? - King Atanatar I - King Narmacil I - Tar-Vanimelde King Atanatar I ruled during Gondor’s richest generation and seemed to believe that meant he didn’t need to put any work in. Narmacil I, his son, didn’t want to put any work in, but he at least assigned his nephew, Minalcar, as ‘Karma-Kundo’ or regent during his reign. So he at least did something to keep the country going. Tar-Vanimelde had no interest in ruling and allowed her husband to do most of the governence. This backfired when she died and he organised a coup against his son to hold power.

Q11. When looking back on the Ship-Kings of Gondor, King Tarannon Falastur began the invasion of Harad and expanded Gondor's borders, King Earnil-I finally took Umbar but died at sea shortly afterwards, King Ciryandil spent most of his reign trying to defend Umbar and died in it's seige and King Hyarmendacil defended Umbar against seiges for 35 years before making war upon all Harad and claiming Harondor as a province of Gondor, ending the line of the Ship Kings.

Q12. What happened during the reign of King Romendacil II? - I don't know! Nothing? Yes I know this is particularly evil of me but Romendacil II was originally called Minalcar, yes the same Minalcar who became REGENT of Gondor due to Narmacil’s indolent nature. Minalcar indeed did everything else listed as answers to this question, but none of them happened during his reign as king. Indeed, his reign was said to be peaceful and we have no real information on it, so technically saying we don’t know, and suggesting nothing happened, is actually the most correct answer :)

Q13. Who succeeded Tar-Telperien of Numenor? - Her nephew, Minastir Tar-Telperien was a lesbian Queen of Numenor who never married and never wanted too and did an excellent job and I love her. Her nephew built a tower to mope in about how much he wanted to be an elf. They are not the same. Absolutely terrified about what Amazon could do to her.

Q14. Whilst his brethren, the nazgul, were attacking the Prancing Pony, The Witch-King was waiting in the Barrow Downs and probably had a really nice time. Not much to this! Witch King was chilling with the Barrow Wights.

Q15. Which of these characters are described as 'beautiful' at least once in the Lord of the Rings? - Galadriel, Denethor, Eowyn, Frodo, Elanor, Celeborn, Boromir Yes, Arwen is never described as beautiful, but Denethor is :)

Q16. We all love Boromir II, select the similarities he and Boromir I did NOT share. - Renowned relationship with the Rohirrim. - Destroyed the Bridge of Osgiliath - Feared by the Witch King - Retook Ithilien. - Had a brother. In case you’re wondering, yes, I love both Boromirs. But this question is a fun highlight of how many similarities Boromir II has with his namesake. These are the only things they didn’t both do. Although! Boromir I’s son was Cirion who allied with the Eotheod and created Rohan in the first place, the Uruk-Hai destroyed the Bridge of Osgiliath in Boromir I’s lifetime, Boromir II was PROBABLY feared by the witch-king we just don’t know, Boromir II held Ithilien and Boromir I had two elder sisters like Denethor II did.

Q17. Hey, did you know that, from Boromir I's war with the Uruk-Hai of the Morgul Vale, Gondor didn't know peace until Sauron's death on the 25th of March, 3019? Hah hah! How gut wrenching is that? About how long do you think it has been since Gondor knew peace then? Hey wait does that mean Boromir I's valiant victory that came at a personal sacrifice was the beginning of Gondor's wars and then Boromir II's valiant sacrifice was the end- oh god... oh fuck - 550 years To everyone who answered the crossed out answer,,, you’re correct in my heart. You get bonus points. Also hey! What the fuck :)

Q18. Who was Borondir? - The rider sent to find Eorl who made it to him after starving himself for two days but who then rode to the Celebrant with Eorl anyway and died in that battle. Literally couldn’t love this fellow more. Big Hirgon energy. A hero of Gondor for time immemorial.

Q19. The Ruling Stewards, from first to last (with their numbers typed as so Turin-I Hurin-II etc), were as follows; Mardil ; Eradan ; Herion ; Belegorn ; Hurin-I ; Turin-I ; Hador ; Barahir ; Dior ; Denethor-I ; Boromir-I ; Cirion ; Hallas ; Hurin-II ; Belecthor-I ; Orodreth ; Ecthelion-I ; Egalmoth ; Beren ; Beregond ; Belecthor-II ; Thorondir ; Turin-II ; Turgon ; Ecthelion-II ; Denethor-II ; and for like two seconds ; Faramir ; Alrighty, we had a bit of a fight in my discord about this but eventually I did relent in agreement that Faramir IS... very briefly... legally considered a RULING Steward. Ruling Stewards being Stewards that ruled a Kingless Gondor. But! With Aragorn RIGHT THERE is just seemed very redundant. Still! I’ll allow the pedant to win out, ten minutes is still a Ruling Steward. ALSO! I decided that having an extra box for the ‘voronwe’ part of mardil voronwe was just mean as it set everyone’s answers off kilter, so I removed that. ALSO for all of those calling me a bastard for adding this question, @illegalstargender was the one who requested it! I wasn’t going too!

Q20. The Stewards, despite ruling through very tumultuous and violent periods, were often known for boring things (because they simply ruled better than the Kings did, I said what I said) But what boring thing was Steward Turin I remembered for? - Being the only monarch of Gondor that married twice This skeezy bastard really did marry a second time during his OLD age just to father a son. I can only imagine what a dreadful cultural and social effect this had on this prude country. It’s so unnecessary! He had daughters, many of them! One of them certainly had a son before he did. He was just being a controlling arse, down with Turin I!!!!

#my quiz

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seat-safety-switch · 3 years

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If you've never worked in a Christmas tree lot over the holidays as an impressionable youth, then consider yourself lucky. Or not so lucky, because doing so has likely allowed you to escape the kind of harrowing circumstances that build character. Circumstances which I will now describe to you, with the tale of Stan, the lifer.

Working in a Christmas tree lot is sort of like working in the circus. Because you can only plausibly sell those trees around the holiday season, it makes sense that you would only work for a month or two every year. It seems impossible that anyone could ever be considered as a "lifer," but some die-hard folks show up, no matter what, whenever the big lumber operations start looking for cheap labour around March. Stan was one of those people, relying on demand for trees in order to feed his need for Christmas cash.

Since most people are only exposed to the "retail side" (skeezy dude in a fenced-off portion of a Canadian Tire parking lot, trying to pressure you into taking a half-dead tree) they tend not to think of the immense amount of logistics involved. A bunch of people get paid for turning that tree from a living thing into a dying thing, and then moving that dying thing into said skeezy dude's lot. Like I said, though, we worked in the sales lot, Stan and I.

Our boss - if you could call him that - was a bit of a workaholic. Also an alcoholic, depending on the time of day. He had his fingers in so many other small-ball businesses just like this one that it was difficult to focus on any specific business. I suspected that if he actually could pay that level of attention, he could probably elevate one of them to billion-dollar status. Just not this one, because I doubted it could even make the payment on his shitty Lexus. Stan, as the most senior worker there, and one who showed up every year to sell, usually took over most of the management duties.

Without the management pay, of course, but he had a deal going with the guys who would deliver to us. Since they were also fellow lifers, a few trees "fell off the truck" every year, and landed in the corner of our lot. Stan'd sell them for himself, and pocket the money that would otherwise go to our absent manager. This, he told me later, was the universe's way of rebalancing the inequity that caused him to work at a Christmas tree lot every year since 1989.

I, myself, only worked there one year, to make money for “college” (turbochargers.) Stan’s example warmed my heart, however, and it also warmed his heart, when the entire operation was taken over stem-to-stern by Albanian mobsters who kept much better notes than our boss did. And, I should add so as not to discredit them, took really good care of their Lexii.

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lastsonlost · 5 years

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So I was half-right.

Instead of misogyny it's Nazis because of course it is.

If you spend a lot of time in certain Extremely Online corners of the internet ecosystem, you’ve likely stumbled onto #NoNutNovember, or just #NNN for short. An annual challenge encouraging men to refrain from masturbating (or even, for many, having any sex) for the month, No Nut November was initially created as a parody of internet-borne phenomena such as the Ice Bucket Challenge or Movember, skewering the silliness of viral internet challenges along with the more extreme claims made by proponents of NoFap, an anti-porn subreddit with half a million members. (According to one of the moderators of the NoNutNovember subreddit, /u/yeeval, the subreddit has no connection to NoFap, though the two are often conflated.)

For most participants, the challenge is essentially an excuse to shitpost, as well as tweet memes skewering some of the more exaggerated purported benefits of abstaining from masturbation. But there are many who take it seriously, with at least 52,000 people as of this writing diligently documenting their day-by-day progress (and setbacks) on the subreddit r/NoNutNovember. Per /u/yeeval, “I’d say 90% of the posts are from people actively participating and also there’s the occasional fallen member who stays on the subreddit for the community and laughs.”

On its surface, No Nut November is a fairly innocuous challenge: while it may seem silly to abstain from masturbation for virtually no reason, some of the memes are pretty funny, and a month of abstinence (whether it be from sex or masturbation) certainly isn’t going to kill anyone. u/yeeval says the goal isn’t to demonize porn or masturbation per se, but to prompt men to examine their own masturbation habits and whether or not they’re healthy. “In my opinion, most originally participate in NNN for the meme aspect of the challenge but as the days go on people begin to see how big their porn or masturbation dependency is,” he says.

"Neither of those things are bad or immoral in themselves but just like any outlet can become excessive in times of depression and loneliness.” Yet it would be naive to ignore that there’s significant overlap between the general anti-porn ideology behind NoFap — and, to a degree, No Nut November — and that of the far right, which has increasingly coopted the movement. (NoFap’s website states that, with the exception of a small number of users who may abstain for religious or moral reasons, they do not have an anti-masturbation stance.)

Because the challenge is associated with abstaining from porn, some people associated with the movement have taken the extra step of harassing adult performers on social media, giving it an additional layer of troubling implications. “In the past [No Nut November] has always been like, ‘Oh, look at this ridiculous thing some people are participating in,'” says adult performer and director Casey Calvert. “This year, people [in the industry] are talking about, ‘Oh, actually this is connected to the far right and maybe we shouldn’t just be saying hahaha, No Nut November.'”

A new meme brings these implications into sharp relief. Coomer is a reference to a meme of an unkempt, skeezy-looking bearded man in a white tank top with vaguely Semitic features, accompanied by descriptive text like “doesn’t even know anything about politics,” “extremely aesthetic right arm (huge muscle),” and “has never heard of NoFap"

It’s been circulating on 4chan for the past year, but Alex Hawkins, the vice president of the porn tube site xHamster, says he started seeing it in the replies on his company’s Twitter feed back in September, when presidential candidate Andrew Yang tweeted about limiting access to pornography. At first, “we didn’t really know what it meant and thought it was funny,” he tells Rolling Stone. Then, in late October, the coomer resurfaced thanks to a Twitter campaign led by a user named TeapotLad, in which users vowed to change their avatars to the coomer should they fail No Nut November. PewDiePie shouted out the campaign in a recent YouTube video, as did far-right YouTuber Paul Joseph Watson, who is perhaps best known for being one of the many extremist figures, including Milo Yiannopolous and Alex Jones, to be banned from Facebook. “No Nut November and the Coomer meme represent a deeper meaning,” he said in a tweet. “Porn is evil. It literally re-wires your brain and causes erectile dysfunction. Take the pledge. Don’t be a Coomer.”

The term has also been used in the context of “OK coomer,” a play on the “OK boomer” meme, in response to tweets critical of No Nut November or masturbation abstinence in general. “It’s positioned as this epic battle between the weak beta masturbators and the strong, alpha NoFappers,” says Hawkins.

Like most memes, “coomer” carries with it more than a tinge of irony, and it’s not always easy to determine whether it’s being used flippantly or to actually deride men who masturbate. But the implication is clear: masturbating is an urge that should be resisted at all costs. David Ley, PhD, a clinical psychologist and sex therapist who studies pornography and mental health, saw the meme after he tweeted his criticism of No Nut November, referring to it as “a creepy little smorgasbord of insecurity-driven hate with anti-Semitism, misogyny, and homophobia all rolled up in one,” he tells Rolling Stone. (Ley has partnered with the cam website Stripchat to do AMAs about sexual health, and plans to appear in one debunking some of the myths associated with No Nut November.)

The idea that there are significant health benefits from abstaining from masturbation is partially based on the (primarily internet-propagated) theory that semen retention is linked to an increase in testosterone and male virility, an idea that has been widely debunked. For the most part, however, the idea that masturbation is somehow feminizing is “rooted in extremely antiquated ideas of masculinity,” many of which are also promoted by far-right groups, says Ley. The Proud Boys, for instance, a far-right extremist group known for its propensity toward violence, has long advocated for its members to abstain from masturbation on the grounds that it boosts testosterone and makes them more appealing to women; indeed, founder Gavin McInnes gave a shoutout to NoFap in a 2015 article for the far-right publication Taki’s Magazine. (The organizers of NoFap have strongly refuted any connection to the Proud Boys.)

An even more extremist version of this far-right anti-masturbation philosophy has been promoted by David Duke, the former head of the Ku Klux Klan, who has propagated the conspiracy theory that Jews dominate the porn industry and use pornography as a way to control white men. On far-right threads on the encrypted messaging app Telegram, this sentiment is fairly widespread. “Jews not only control most of the pornography industry, they also rely on the goyim to maintain a routine of ejaculation in order to stay docile and non-violent,” one comment reads. Another shared a viral Pornhub tweet poking fun at viewers who’d failed No Nut November, writing, “the Jew mocks you as they poison the minds of millions.” (Pornhub is owned by the Canadian company MindGeek, the CEO of which, Feras Antoon, does not appear to be Jewish, even though there are numerous 4chan /pol/ threads speculating as such.)

This anti -Semitism is also often accompanied by healthy doses of homophobia and racism as well: on these threads, you’ll frequently see users deriding men who masturbate to heterosexual porn, on the grounds that being aroused by another man’s penis makes you gay (even if said penis is depicted going into a vagina). And because mainstream porn often features white women paired with black men, there’s also a virulently racist element to much of this discourse, such as the suggestion that interracial porn is intended to steer white women away from procreating with white men and toward men of color.

The irony of this strain of the anti-masturbation movement is that, while it’s ostensibly intended to fight the larger porn industry’s attempts to brainwash and emasculate white men, anti-masturbation ideology has historically been used as a tool by fascist figures to gain social control. Cultural stigma associated with masturbation, combined with the fact that pretty much everyone masturbates, invariably leads to a lot of men “developing a lot of internal shame,” says Ley. “And that makes them open to manipulation and social control.” As an example, he cited the National Socialist Party in 1930s Germany, which strongly discouraged Hitler Youth members from engaging in masturbation. Because anti-porn and anti-masturbation movements tend to be comprised of young heterosexual males, they could potentially be viewed by some on the far right as ideal recruitment grounds. The fact that something like No Nut November appears to be a joke on its face “appears to serve as this interesting front door recruiting kind of strategy to bring folks into this deeper, much more insidious and shaming movement,” says Ley.

Of course, it goes without saying that not everyone who participates in No Nut November or NoFap is a white supremacist or religious fundamentalist, and that the founders of these groups explicitly reject any suggestions of overlap between the two communities. u/yeeval says he has seen no hint of any anti-Semitic or misogynistic commentary on the subreddit, chalking any suggestions of Jewish porn conspiracy theories to “someone trying to make a bad / overtly offensive joke.” “NoNutNovember isn’t a political movement. We are not anti-porn. We are not anti-woman. We are not anti-masturbation or anti-sex,” he says. “In its most simple form NoNutNovember just a fun internet challenge that has grown in popularity due to many memes that circulate the internet…However, I also think that the reason that it has become so widespread is that it has given many the opportunity to look within themselves and realize that they might be relying on masturbation and porn for comfort.”

The coomer meme is also, at least inherently, apolitical, says Alice Vaughn, host of Two Girls One Mic, a podcast about porn tropes. “The concept surrounding ‘Coomer’ is neither right nor left politically. The urge to shame those with higher sex drives is nothing new, and is a subject many are uncomfortable with, especially adolescents (which is predominately 4Chan’s user base),” she says. But the rise of “coomer,” with its distinctly conservative implications about male sexuality, would seem to refute that the anti-masturbation movement is totally innocent or entirely intended in jest. The fact that it’s often used in the context of “OK coomer,” a play on a meme intended to skewer boomers’ criticism of Gen Z, also indicates that this is primarily a youth-driven phenomenon. When you consider how younger generations have typically adopted a more healthy, progressive view of sexuality than previous ones, this doesn’t make a lot of intuitive sense — but it actually tracks with current data, which indicates that younger generations are having less sex, Ley says.

Usually, this phenomenon is attributed to male millennials and zoomers (members of Gen Z) spending more time watching porn, and to an extent this may be true; when it comes to determining the effects of pornography viewing on male sex lives, research is somewhat mixed. But it’s also just as likely that sociocultural factors like economic unrest and fear-mongering abstinence-only education have also played a role in these declining sexual activity rates. “We’ve spent decades telling these young kids be afraid of sex, and that only hereto monogamous sex is OK and moral,” says Ley. “Now all of a sudden they are really conflicted about sex and their own sexuality.”

That said, there’s also an awful lot of men who are not participating in No Nut November in earnest, and many more who aren’t participating at all. In an email to Rolling Stone, Pornhub vice president Corey Price said that traffic is virtually unaffected by No Nut November, and few of the adult performers Rolling Stone spoke with said that they hadn’t seen their engagement go down considerably during the month either. Considering that annual Pornhub traffic numbers are in the tens of billions, if there is indeed a wider porn conspiracy to sap men of their virility, that conspiracy appears to be working pretty well. But for those who are participating in the challenge, and may have stumbled along the way, Calvert has a comforting message: “I personally think No Nut November is very silly,” she says. “Not masturbating for a month does not make you a better man or a stronger man.”

............

Let me see if I got this straight.

Porn is evil

And not fapping makes you a racist homophobic Nazi

Did I... Did I fucking miss something?

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imagine-avengers · 4 years

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Biker Part One- Bucky Barnes Series

1/10 This is part one of my Biker Bucky series. The other parts can be found on my masterlist once they come out! This is mainly a filler chapter as there isn’t much Bucky in it, but I promise the following chapters will!

Brooklyn seemed like a nice city, but everyone living in the suburb of New York knew it was anything but good. Safe, yes, but not a place where you could be out after sundown on your own. There were multiple rival biker gangs that hung around Brooklyn, one being Hydra, the worst of the worst, they had gangs all throughout the United States, mostly New York and California, they were known for human trafficking, drugs, and arms dealing. They were run by Johann Schmidt, a skeezy older man. Then on the opposite side of the spectrum there was the group called the Howling Commandos, led by two men, Steven Rogers, and James “Bucky” Barnes, more commonly known as The Captain and The Winter Soldier, both men were terrifying in their own ways. Steve took care of the business side of things and was better with people than James, whom was the muscle and took care of the more physical side of the business. The Howling Commandos weren’t criminals per say, more so a cleanup crew or a group whom tried to stop others from doing wrong things. Yes, the group had killed people, but never innocent people, mainly Hydra’s people. They dealt with a lot of charity work, from the homeless, orphans, and even veterans.

For Elizabeth Smith, Brooklyn was the only place she could ever imagine living, it’s where she grew up. Elizabeth went to the same school as the leaders of the Howling Commandos and was even friends with them. After her best friend Peggy began dating Steve, she was somehow pulled further into the life, especially once they hit high school. Growing up Elizabeth and Bucky became close, eventually the two began dating and in the biker world that immediately put a claim on Elizabeth, thus no one messed with her. Bucky and Elizabeth were inseparable until after the death of Bucky’s father, the original leader of the club, besides Steve’s old man who died years prior, once he died, he left the club to Bucky and Steve. With the new wave of responsibility Bucky began spending all his time managing the club and the bar, never having time for Elizabeth, which killed her seeing as they had talked about wanting to start a family after being together for so many years.

After months of distance between them, and a death threat from Hydra, Bucky broke up with Elizabeth saying that he no longer loved her. That very night Elizabeth had packed her things and left town, not to return for five years. Five years can change a person, in five years Elizabeth had finally graduated college with a nursing degree and began working at a hospital in Washington DC, only to be laid off a few weeks ago.

Driving through the busy streets of New York wasn’t something Elizabeth ever thought she’d be doing again, but after losing her job weeks ago she realized she had to make the move back home. With reluctance, Elizabeth had called her brother and asked to move back home to the house they had grown up in. After her parent’s death, they were never able to sell the house, so when Elizabeth had to move back home, her brother agreed to let her live there as it was left to both siblings.

Pulling up to the suburban house made Elizabeth smile. The house looked the same as it always had, from the tan shingles that lined the house, the bay window in the kitchen that had the same small splotch of yellow paint on it from when her mother decided to paint the kitchen yellow. To the messed-up window on the upstairs bedroom, broken gate that caged in the front yard, that had broken after a drunk fight between Bucky and her brother Adam. It was home. As Elizabeth climbed out of the car, she noticed the for-sale sign that her brother had put up ages ago, for a house that never sold. Taking the sign out with a huff she tossed it onto the small porch. Next she glanced four houses away to where there was a group of motorcycles parked outside the house of Steve Rogers.

Elizabeth turned back around and began unloading things from her car and the U-Hall she had. It took her about an hour to unload everything from her car and bring it inside. In the meantime, all the bikes from Steve’s house had disappeared only leaving his. Still having all the stuff in her U-Hall she decided to head back out to grab some of the smaller stuff.

“I see you bought the Smith’s house.” A voice spoke as she was bent going through a box in the U-Hall.

“Is it really buying the place if it was left to me Stevie?” Elizabeth asked not turning to the man at first until grabbing the box she had been going through and giving the blued eyed man a smile.

“Lizzie?” Steve asked as she hopped out of the truck.

“The one and only. How’ve you been Steve?” She asked as Steve leaned behind her and began grabbing a few boxes before following her inside the house.

“I’ve been alright. What are you doing back?” Steve asked setting the boxes in the middle of the living room with all the others.

“Lost my job, been five years, figured it was time to come. Not like I really had anywhere else to go. Adam has a family in Manhattan, and my folks are gone, luckily the house never sold.” She stated with a sigh as she set her own box on the kitchen counter.

“Well it’ll be good to have you around, you should come see Peg, and Emma, god you haven’t seen her since she was three.” He stated and Elizabeth shrugged.

“I dunno Stevie, I don’t think I wanna get involved with my old life again.”

“Lizzie.” Steve sighed. “You and I both know that you’re already involved by living here. I live four doors down, Bucky’s my business partner, my brother, my best friend, Emma’s Godfather, you’re bound to run into him. You’re Peg’s best friend, Emma’s godmother.” Steve and Elizabeth headed back towards the truck. “You’re involved in our lives,” Steve grabbed a box from the truck. “Not to mention, you’re still claimed by Buck.” He mentioned while motioning to the small tattoo that was on her wrist. “And I’m sure his name is still inked on your shoulder.” Steve chuckled as Elizabeth blushed.

“Shut up Steve.” She mumbled stopping at the back of the truck. “I think we might need some help moving this stuff.” She motioned towards the furniture she had.

“I can get your mattress tonight and tomorrow I can have some of the guys help me move everything else.” Steve offered.

“Thanks Stevie.” She smiled slightly. “I’d appreciate it. Is uh, is James going to be at your place today?”

“Nah, he’s in Queens handling business with Nat and Clint, why?”

“You think Peg would mind me dropping in for dinner?” She asked as Steve carried the mattress inside and set it in her bedroom.

“Not at all, she’s making roast.”

“Oh my god, Sunday roast! Yes!” Elizabeth cheered.

The two finished grabbing the boxes Elizabeth would need before heading over to Steve’s house. Entering the almost identical exterior looking house Elizabeth grinned seeing the brunette cooking at the stove.

“Steve you’ve been gone for three hours. You said you were going to meet the people whom moved into the Smith’s place.” Peggy raged on causing Elizabeth to hold back a laugh. “Tell me they’re assholes so I can feel better that it’s not Elizabeth living there.”

“Peg.”

“No Steve, that house has been on the market for years! I can’t believe it finally sold and we haven’t heard word from Lizzie.” Peggy huffed. “I can’t believe she just left and never called to let us know she was okay, what are we supposed to do Steve? Wait around for her to come back? What if she never does!?” Peggy was ranting now, and Elizabeth knew it was time to say something.

“God Peg, didn’t know you missed me so much.” Elizabeth teased causing Peggy to drop the spoon she was using to stir gravy as she turned towards Elizabeth. “Hey Peg.”

“Lizzie.” Peggy covered her mouth before moving towards her best friend. “Oh my god, tell me it’s you, tell me you moved home.” Peggy rambled hugging the small redheaded girl.

“I moved home Peg. Missed you too much love.” Hugging Peggy back, Elizabeth smiled at Steve. “Tell me everything I missed. Where’s my goddaughter?” She looked around and heard the patter of little feet coming down the stairs.

“Aunt Lizzie!” Emma screeched once she hit the bottom step and noticed her Aunt, she was identical to her mother except for the blue eyes she bore.

“Emma.” Elizabeth turned to the girl and embraced her. “Hi Sweet Pea.” She grinned at the girl. “My gosh you’ve gotten big. What are you now, eight? My gosh you’re too big.” Elizabeth smiled before hearing the patter of more feet, her eyes glanced to Steve who grinned as a little boy, blonde hair and blue eyes, the spitting image of Steve showed up at the bottom of the stairs. “Oh my.” She pulled away from Emma.

“Lizzie, this is James.” Peggy stated causing Elizabeth to look at Peggy. “When I went into labor at seven months, Steve had been in California, Bucky was here with me, he delivered James at the club, we couldn’t make it to the hospital, Bucky saved my sons life.” She mentioned as Elizabeth moved towards the boy.

“Well hi James.” Elizabeth knelt by the boy. “I’m your Aunt Lizzie.” James stared at Elizabeth for a minute before grabbing her hand and mumbling something about legos before leading her to the living room. Steve could have sworn he saw Elizabeth shed a tear.

When dinner was over and the kids were in bed, Elizabeth had been sitting on the front porch with a beer and drinking with Peggy.

“You know he still loves you?” Peggy asked.

“I find that hard to believe Peg.” Elizabeth stated taking another drink from her bottle. Peggy took the chance to change the topic.

“You’ve always been good with Emma, and JJ warmed up to you quickly.” She mentioned. “You ever thought of having your own kids?” Elizabeth stared out at nothing for a moment before downing the rest of her beer and setting the empty bottle next to her.

“There’s a ten percent chance of me ever having kids Peg.”

“Don’t say that,”

“I have Poly-cystic Ovarian Syndrome Peg, have for a few years. I have a ten percent chance of getting pregnant and about a five percent chance of actually carrying the baby to full term, I gave up the idea of having kids a long time ago.” She mentioned.

“Love.” Peggy touched Elizabeth’s arm. “What’s going through that pretty head of yours?” Elizabeth took a moment before looking at Peggy.

“I was pregnant when I left.” She mentioned. “I miscarried before I even knew I was pregnant.” She stated. “There were complications with it, I had a cyst in my ovary, and it burst. I was diagnosed not long after. I was in a bad place when I left and that put me farther in a hole. I had no one.”

“You had us love, you know that.” Peggy stated as Elizabeth looked back at the stars.

“No, I didn’t Peg. Bucky is Steve’s brother, always has been, I couldn’t come back, it hurt too much. I was better off on my own. The longer I stayed away, the easier it got, until I could pretend this part of my life never happened, the only reminder I had was my tattoos and the old leather jacket that I never had the heart to get rid of.”

“Bucky may be family, but you are too.” Steve’s voice came from the front door.

“Thanks Stevie, but we both know Bucky came before me.” Elizabeth stood from her spot on the porch. “I should go, I have unpacking to do. Thank you for dinner Peggy. I’ll call you. I’m only a few doors down.”

“Don’t be a stranger love.” Peggy hugged the girl. “Steve, walk Lizzie home.” Peggy kissed her husband’s cheek before heading inside the house, both beer bottles in hand. Steve led Elizabeth towards her house, the silence welcomed them both.

“I’ll be by tomorrow morning with a few of the guys.” He stated. “That way we do this before Buck gets back.”

“I appreciate it, really Steve I do. I don’t plan on making a habit of asking you guys for help,”

“Lizzie.” Steve touched the girl’s arm as they got to her porch. “You’re a Howling Commando, you’re Buck's Old Lady,” Steve teased pushing her arm slightly. “You’re family, you call, we come. You of all people know that.” He stated. “I expect to see you around, you know what’s expected of you because you’re Bucky’s Old Lady, but first, I’d have a conversation with the man, he still lives in the house. We have Saturday Barbecues there, you should try to make it this week, everyone would love to see you. Or come to the bar, or even the clubhouse, but after you talk to Buck, okay?” Elizabeth nodded as Steve hugged her.

“See you later Stevie.” Elizabeth entered her house where boxes were spread out. Grabbing a bottle of wine, she moved about and began unpacking boxes whilst drinking her wine straight from the bottle. By three am she had passed out on the living room rug, the wine bottle empty next to her.

#biker bucky barnes #biker bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes series

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holbyconfessional · 5 years

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Holby City S21 E31 - Things My Mother Told Me (and other tales)

Oh my. It’s been quite some time since I last posted my thoughts on an episode. This has mostly been due to some Holby City storylines that I found a little tough to swallow, and the fall out kind of impacted on Casualty too. But, I have still been watching (although sometimes saving several episodes and binging together rather than watching as they aired). The question is - do I restart these musings of mine? Or lay it all to rest?

Whatever happens, I feel compelled to jot a few thoughts from tonight.

Firstly, I don’t care what they’re telling me, Bernie Wolfe is NOT dead, until I see a body (or at least until some cast member does!). Currently, in my head canon, she was held at gunpoint by some enemy insurgents, forced to remove her body armour before being marched off at gunpoint to a secret base, where she is now being kept as a POW, until such time as Serena leaves HC. At this point, she will make her miraculous escape and return just in time to head off into the sunset. NOTHING you can say will make me believe differently. Just saying.

All the above makes Alex’s statement tonight that she was the love of Bernie’s life to be particularly galling. I have seen various folk saying Alex can’t be trusted and she’s lying, etc. FWIW, I think she’s telling the truth as she’s choosing to see it. I can understand why she and Bernie might have ended up together. As much as we all feel we know Bernie and Serena better than anyone, at the end of the day they are characters owned and created by the HC writing team, and if they think Bernie would never have been able to settle down and live a suburban life with Serena, as much as it galls, we have to accept that that is their vision. And frankly, even if Serena was the one great love of Bernie’s life - we don’t all get our happily ever after, many of us do have ‘one that got away’, and we do have to settle for good enough. And to my mind, Alex would be the perfect partner for a non-tameable Bernie. (Before anyone yells at me, my Bernie is totes happy sitting round the fire with Serena every day til she’s 95...) I’m just saying I get that she’s not ours. She’s theirs, to do with as they will.

Also, massive, proud LGBT Berena fan that I am - I also respect that essentially, Berena have NOT been treated differently to any other couple in the show. Folk seem to think that lack of representation in general media means that they should be seen to be living happily every day. Doesn’t work like that. That’s not true representation, that’s singling out a LGBT relationship for special treatment. I think that Berena have been handled the same way every. single. other. couple in the show have too. And that’s true respect. (Though I STILL totally hate it, and wish they could indeed have been shown to be happy every single day forever). But realism just won’t abandon me.

Final word on Berena, I really actually want to like Alex. But goodness me, was her character skeezy the last couple of episodes. Her handling of Cameron showed the total opposite of respect to Bernie’s memory, and the final scene with her and Serena - <shudder>. For a moment, I actually thought she was going in for the kill...

Next, I will move on to the intial reason I stopped reviewing - Dom. Please understand, I appreciate adoption is a very emotive subject, and furthermore, I totally agree that Carole should have told Dom from an early age about his adoption. BUT - I have not been able to stomach the way he has been treating her since he found out. She may not have given birth to him, but she’s wiped his bum, soothed him when sick, taught him to ride a bike... apart from actually growing him, she is more his mother than anyone else could ever be, and I couldn’t stand the way he was treating her. I know he’s a huge fan favourite, and I don’t hate him, but I do see him as I always have (and now more than ever), as the most self absorbed, spoilt little brat ever. He really does think the world should revolve around him, as he’s repeatedly shown in his relationship with Lofty, and continues to show with his interactions with Carole and now Ange. Therefore, I applaud tonight for finally, first Hanssen, and then Ange, opening his eyes to how unreasonable he was being toward Carole.

Briefly on to my reason for not starting to review again after Dom stopped me (!!!). Evan. I literally struggle to watch scenes with Evan in them. He has made my skin crawl from the moment he appeared in show, and I’ve considered stopping Holby all together until he’s gone... (hasn’t happened yet, though). I know his abuse is reasonably hot on the heels of Isaac’s, but whilst I hate and in no way condone what Isaac did, for some reason I’m finding Evan’s manipulations so much more insidious and frankly scary. I know we have a long run to go yet before Chloe is out of his clutches, but by goodness, I hope it goes quick. Side note - I also know Ange doesn’t seem to be a popular character. But I can’t for the life of me work out why. She is an AWESOME mother - to Chloe. She might not be prioritising Dom, but whilst he’s her flesh and blood, he’s barely more than a stranger, so to my mind, it’s totally reasonable. Especially since she IS there for Dom. Just not ahead of Chloe. She’s also an awesome doc. Imagine being an NHS patient faced with waiting lists? Wouldn’t you want an Ange doing some overtime with volunteer staff so you could be helped quicker??!!

Brief mention to Cameron (and Nicky). Poor, poor Cam. I hope this storyline ends well for him. His treatment of Nicky is pretty shoddy after their one night stand, but heck, girl, did you expect different? You know what state he was in, you know how he feels about Chloe. I hope they don’t make Nicky into too much of a victim over it, because she’s not stupid and it’s not a shocker when he’s drowning that deep in grief...

Finally, Ric. Is this the big mistake that’s going to kick off a big storyline? And whether it is or not, seems like only yesterday that Ric was jailed over some supposed mistake which had some secret reason behind it, PLEASE don’t be going down the same route again. That’s just tired. Give Ric something interesting to work with that doesn’t involve malpractice. Please!!!!!

#Holby City #BBC Holby #cameron dunn #berena #Serena Campbell #Bernie Wolfe #alex dawson #Ric Griffin #nicky mckendrick #ange godard #Chloe Godard #dom copeland #carole copeland #Ben (Lofty) Chiltern #Henrik Hanssen #evan crowhurst

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andihowl · 5 years

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Polyamory is queer.

Or rather, Polyamorous folk are queer if they self-identify as such.

Below, I’ll be explaining why any attempt you make to deny that is by definition gatekeeping, and why you need to stop. This will be added to / updated as I talk to more polyamorous folk and hear more of their stories. This is not a debate, I will liberally use my block button, I’m just sick of repeating myself over and over in group after group because polyphobic assholes think they can throw polyam folk under the bus and we won’t say anything. Read. Think. Do better.

Given the shared premises that “queer” is being used in it’s non-pejorative, reclamative usage as an umbrella term representing sexual and gender minorities who have been marginalized and oppressed as a direct result of their identities, and that gatekeeping members of it is an inherently shitty thing to do (goodbye swerfs, terfs, aphobes, etc.), the main reasons I see for people denying polyamorous folk into queer spaces, or into queer discussions generally read like this:

why are we even having this discussion, omg, wtf, gtfo

it’s only used by skeezy heterobros who are looking to get a second girlfriend

it’s only used by skeezy “bi” couples who are unicorn hunting

there are oppressive countries around the world who are practicing polygamy and that’s certainly not good

it’s a kink

it’s a choice

it’s a practice, not an identity

it’s a relationship dynamic, not a sexual orientation or gender identity

everyone wants to be polyam anyway, it’s not an oppressed class.

I'm personally polyamorous, and I don't see it as an identity

I'm uncomfortable with cis-het-allo folk claiming the term queer

These arguments can be categorized more or less into the following main sections:

The Disregard

why are we even having this discussion, omg, wtf, gtfo

By disengaging conversation about this, you are preventing the growth and learning of the community, and you need to knock your shit off. Only through critically assessing our own behavior and the behavior of the community with which we engage can we ever hope to make ourselves, and our world, any better.

The Bad Actors

it’s only used by skeezy heterobros who are looking to get a second girlfriend

it’s only used by skeezy “bi” couples who are unicorn hunting

This is one of the weakest arguments against this, and one of the quickest debunked. Simply put, all identities have bad actors. I've certainly interacted with gay men who haven't taken no for an answer. I've certainly met bisexual people who have used their sexuality as an excuse to cheat on their partners. Just because bad actors exist within a community, does not invalidate the entire identity. You cannot hope to have such a diverse group of people from such diverse backgrounds and upbringings and mental health statuses and economic statuses and expect them all to behave and think the the same homogenous way. Not all gays are alike. Not all trans folk are alike. Not all polyam folk are alike. Deal with it, move on.

Conflation

there are oppressive countries around the world who are practicing polygamy and that’s certainly not good

it’s a kink

Polyamory =/= polygamy. Stop conflating the two. Polyamory (when referring to the practice) is the egalitarian ethical practice of non-monogamy between consenting adults. Polygamy is an authoritarian tool used by patriarchal societies to oppress and silence women, most often without consent. Stop conflating, and move on.

Also, Polyamory is not a kink. To call something a kink, you are tacitly and wilfully admitting that the behavior in question is and should be seen as deviant in society, and derives sexual pleasure out of that deviancy. Polyamory is not, at least not in any healthy relationships I've seen, practiced in such a shameful manner. If you're equating the two, maybe you should address your own underlying phobias regarding polyamory rather than gatekeeping others.

The Choice

it’s a choice

it’s a practice, not an identity

it’s a relationship dynamic, not a sexual orientation or gender identity

These are a bit trickier of a discussion. No, the United States, nor any other country offcially recognizes polyamory as a valid sexual orientation to be protected under federal law. And yes, some people feel they opt-in to a "polyamorous lifestyle". There have been studies conducted on this, and while many respondents to do not classify their polyamory as an orientation, many others did respond saying that they felt they were wired that way, that they felt they were that way since childhood, that monogamous relationships always felt wrong for them.

The polyamory community houses both types of folk, those who feel it's a lifestyle, as well as those who feel it is deeply engrained. As polyadvice writes (specifically toward other polyam folk):

Is polyamory an orientation? Why do we care? Why are we so caught up in whether the way we love other people is a way of being or a way of doing? Why do I get this question so often, and why are we all so invested in the answer?

If you experience your polyamory as an innate part of your self, as something you are rather than something you do, great. It’s part of your orientation. We can split semantic hairs and say it’s a “relationship orientation” as opposed to a “sexual orientation.” Some people don’t experience it that way, and that’s fine too.

What’s not fine is if we start fighting about it and make it some big political or identity-political issue within the [polyam] community. Because you know what? The rest of the world doesn’t care nearly as much about the nuances of our definitions. They’re prepared to deny us health insurance, child custody, media representation, hospital visitation, and plenty else regardless of whether we sort this out amongst ourselves. If we start turning on each other, there’s no one to have our backs.

Simply put, it's none of your damn business if it's an orientation or a choice. Even if it is a choice, as Michael Carey with Slate wrote:

We are all human first. Everything else—nationality, sex, race, orientation—is secondary, and irrelevant to our fundamental rights. As Brian D. Earp recently argued in “Future Tense,” even if homosexuality becomes a choice, mutable under pharmacological “treatment,” it should still be regarded as part of the normal range of human behavior. We should agree on the principle that anyone pursuing consensual, loving, respectful relationships, forming happy families, and participating productively in society should be welcomed, not ostracized in the name of irrational, ossified stigma.

Not Oppressed

everyone wants to be polyam anyway, it’s not an oppressed class.

Hooooooooold up there partner. Y'all gotta be kidding me. Let's put aside the fact that one of the most common thing's polyam folk hear when they come out to people is "well, that's nice, but I could never do it myself". Let''s put aside the comments/sneers of "so you just sleep with whoever you want?", or the automatic assumption that polyam folk are sluts/skeezes/sex-addicts/cheaters.

The fact of the matter is, for someone who is polyamorous, there are no legal protections for them, whether they be for housing, employment, or medical care (in any of the 50 United States or any other country that I'm aware of). That means if someone is outed at work, they can be fired on the spot for that reason. They can be kicked out of their apartment, lose their home, or be denied medical coverage because of it. Polyamorous relationships are not recognized as valid spouses in hospital situations, they cannot receive tax benefits for their relationship, and they are routinely denied next of kin rights and inheritance. Loss of child custody is common, as family courts do not recognize polyamory as a valid responsible child-rearing environment (which experience and common sense can tell us otherwise)

It's bad enough that Ann Sweeny argued in 2010 in favor of legally expanding the definition of sexual orientation to include polyamory to help protect polyam folk against these kind of grievances (you can download the original pdf argument at that link, it's a long but interesting read). An excerpt:

... polyamorists risk custody loss, workplace discrimination, loss of friends, alienation from their families, and ostracism from spiritual and other communities as a result of revealing their polyamory. In addition, their children often face discrimination at school. Indeed, in one study, nearly half of [polyam] respondents reported having experienced prejudice as a result of their polyamory. Additionally, Emens has noted that the “social hostility [against relationships involving more than two people] sustains various legal burdens on polyamorists, including two-person marriage and partnership laws, adultery and bigamy laws, [and] residential zoning laws.” Furthermore, Rambukkana documented negative reactions to the formation of an on-campus polyamory group that included the university newspaper’s public ridicule of the group on the basis that the group was comprised of “a bunch of ‘culty’ sex maniacs” and the suggestion that the group was a “recruitment machine” that sucked people in “‘with promises of sex and more sex.’”

She goes on to argue:

These forms of discrimination are considerable, and they have the potential to impose severe, indeed devastating, burdens on individuals who espouse polyamory... The many ways that monogamy (as represented by marriage) is privileged under the law, while non-monogamy is burdened, demonstrate that non-monogamous persons, including polyamorists, are oppressed under an “organising principle of inequality” and therefore that they meet Cooper’s test for extension of legal protections.

Honestly, go read that article. It lays out a lot more than I could ever hope to properly summarize here, and outlines pretty succinctly why polyamory is an oppressed class.

What goes for me goes for everyone

I'm personally polyamorous, and I don't see it as an identity

First off, wonderful! Thank you for being polyam and for demonstrating your courage and representation in a world that wants to erase you. Full stop.

Second off. It's fine if you don't feel like your polycraft is inherently part of your identity. That's allowed. Many Nonbinary folk don't feel trans describes their experience; many gay men don't like to use the term queer. That's fine, that's your biz. That doesn't mean that holds the same for everyone else, though, and you shouldn't be limiting the voice and power of others because you have enough privelege to disregard opression you may experience. They do deserve a voice, they do deserve rights, and you consistently chiming in saying "Well I don't" isn't helping the conversation, it's distracting and beside the point.

One person's experience with a community is not necessarily representative of an entire identity's experience with it, and you don't get to claim the right to silence the voices and experences of others in your community.

The Personal Appeal

I'm uncomfortable with cis-het-allo folk claiming the term queer

Well, I'm sorry you are uncomfortable. Honestly. It sucks. However dealing with an expanding and inclusive community is and should be uncomfortable. It should force us to ask questions we didn't want to ask. It should make us rethink things we once thought were firm and held dear.

But just as -allo was added to cis-het bring light to the added axis of identity and oppression that is the asexuality spectrum, it's about time we added -mono to that, to bring to light the fact that being polyam, and being polyam + other identities, brings with it unique problems and unique pride that is deserving of attention, and deserving a seat at the table.

Included Links and Additional Resources

CW: some of these links use the nickname "poly" for "polyamorous" rather than "polynesian". Inclusion here is not an endorsement of that kind of usage, as I have tried to refrain from that usage here and in my everyday conversation. Additionally, I have replaced its usage in the above quotations with [polyam] to prevent further crawlers linking to it.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-polyamorists-next-door/201610/is-polyamory-form-sexual-orientation

(http://polyadvice.tumblr.com/post/114048167048/this-might-be-a-question-you-get-often-but-is

https://slate.com/human-interest/2013/10/is-polyamory-a-choice.html

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1632653

https://everydayfeminism.com/2015/10/polyamorous-excluded-queer/

https://polyinthemedia.blogspot.com/2013/12/dan-savage-is-poly-queer.html

https://www.autostraddle.com/six-queers-on-polyamory-and-identity-419254/

#polyam #polyamory #queer #gatekeeping #don't @ me #i will block you

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necklesslapras · 6 years

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Howdy, Folks. I’ve been meaning to write about this for a while - some of this here may seem a bit obvious, but I waste so much time staring at bootlegs that spotting Oly stuff is no trouble for me, I don’t know how obvious any of this would be to the average layman.

So - Olyfactory is a company that makes bootleg plushies. They also sometimes go under the name OnlyFactory, or just Oly. I’ve only seen them make Pokemon and My Little Pony plush, but there’s a chance they make other series stuff that I haven’t noticed.

My number one tip when it comes to bootleg spotting is “If something looks wrong, it probably is.” Most official Pokemon plush, Pokecenter especially, have a pretty high standard of quality - even if they’re cheapo ones made from bad material, they’re usually on model. This means that if something seems off about a plushie - janky embroidery, weird colors, wrong shape/inaccurate design - you can safely assume that it’s a bootleg and move on. Also, don’t buy from ebay, just as a general rule. However, Oly’s plushies have a slightly higher standard of quality than the average bootleg, so some people may see them and not realize what they are. I’ve seen vendors at cons try to pass them off as legit products.

Full disclosure: all of this info comes from personal observation, I’m no expert.

How To Spot Them

Oly’s plushies tend to have a pretty distinct look - lots of embroidered details, heavily stuffed, the same type of fabric - to the point that if you know what you’re looking for, you could easily identify an Oly plush with just a glance. But, that’s not really much help to you guys.

The easiest way to see if it’s Oly is to check the tag.

Pretty obvious, I know, but this’ll usually only help you if you’re seeing the plush in person, like at a con. In online photos, they usually remove the tag or arrange it so the tag is out of view. Some pictures will still have the back of the tag in view, though, so you can use that.

I’ve seen them use a different tag for some MLP plushies, but all of the Pokemon ones I’ve seen had this tag. Don’t use this as the only indicator of its legitness, because this one’s pretty easy to obscure.

There’s another indicator that can be used to spot them online:

You see the green “12 inches” symbol in the corner? That’s a dead giveaway that it’s a fake. I suppose it’s possible that brands might use that symbol, not just Oly, but anything that has it is definitely a bootleg. Also, 12 inches seems to be the standard size for Oly plush, but I’m pretty sure there are exceptions.

Of course, none of this will matter if someone has pictures of a legit plush and sends you an Oly instead (RIP Murphy) but as long as you follow the “If it seems shady, it is” rule, you hopefully won’t run into that.

So what’s the big deal?

“But if they have a higher standard of quality, what’s the big deal?” you ask.

Look, I can’t go and crucify anybody for buying Oly stuff. I know there are some collectors out there that don’t care that Oly stuff is bootlegs. Heck, I own one of their plushies myself, and used to have a decently high opinion of them. But, as I’ve seen more and more of their plushies, I’ve come to dislike them for two reasons: for one, just because they’re highER quality, that doesn’t mean they’re actually high quality, and for two, they’re a bunch of dirty rotten art thieves.

Like I mentioned earlier, Oly plushies have a tendency to be very off model. For example:

I was going to show some more egregious examples, but all of the pics I had intended to use seemed to have disappeared. But, just search “12 inch pokemon plush” on ebay for a while, I can guarantee you’ll find some laughs.

But, the biggest reason I don’t like them is on account of design theft. A while back I was searching around and found this:

This plush, which was labeled as “Alolan Scrafty”. At first I was pumped, and thought, “Ah, kickass! They’re coming up with their own designs, going off rails like the mirages of old. Good on ya’, Oly.”

This lasted for all of five minutes before I googled “Alolan Scrafty” and realized they had just stolen the design from somebody on deviantart.

Oly has several plush like this, that are alternate designs of real pokemon. This was the only one I could find an original source for, but I can only assume that the other designs are stolen as well.

This is the point where I really started dislike Oly. Bootlegging copyrighted characters is bad enough, but now they’re stealing from fanartists? That crosses the line from skeezy to straight-up scummy. So if you’ve noticed me taking the piss at Oly on this blog, this is why. (Well, this and the Murphy incident [RIP Murphy] but the art theft came first.)

So, there it is. I’m just kinda putting all of this down as it pops into my head, so I may have missed a few things, but that’s the gist of it. Happy collecting. Or not. Whatever works for you.

#i might maybe do more of these guides if people like it #but oly is the one brand i know a lot about #idk what else i can say except 'find out what a product is supposed to look like before you buy it'#and 'please for the love of all that is decent dont buy from chinese ebay sellers'#bootlegs #bootleg pokemon #bootleg guide #neckless lapras #pokemon #this was not proofread even a little bit #Olyfactory #oly #onlyfactory

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kingfallshistoricallibrary-blog · 6 years

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Episode Four: Wolves Gone Wild

[Podcast Theme]

[King Falls AM music]

Ben: Top of the hour here at King Falls AM, at 660 on the AM dial. And we’re live here on this crisp King Falls evening. It’s a full moon, and you know what that means so be careful out there. It’s 4 am on the dot and as per instructed by Merv, the station manager, we will be-

Sammy: You’re really gonna play that?

B: Oh, look who’s talking again, everybody, Sammy Stevens, ladies and gents.

S: Very funny, Ben. You know we’ve played this apology enough, lets just get back on track, how about it?

B: Gotta do it.

*tape starts*

S: Hello, this is Sammy Stevens, and I’m sitting here with Ben Arnold, your cohost of King Falls AM *record scratch*

S: No! We aren’t doing this Ben.

B: Sammy, I’m gonna have to file a report if we don’t play this apology at the top of every hour.

S: Write it up.

B: I don’t want to!

S: Then don’t!

B: Sammy? Can we talk about this? Folks, we’re just gonna take a quick break for-

S: No break, no apology, you wanna play that tape?

B: No, but we have to.

S: Fine. You know what, we’ll do this one live kids, and uh, boy are you in for a treat.

B: I don’t know if I-

S: So there’s a note on the board when we came in. We’re to record an apology to you, the dear listeners and residents of King Falls.

B: Merv simply asked that we apologize for...creating a controversy at the 55th annual-

S: We talk about the news here. Relevant subjects that affect this town. What we don’t do, *wry laughter*, what we would never do, is apologize for trying to cover a breaking news story. A dead body at a public event that King Falls AM is covering is news.

B: Maybe Mayor Grisham went a little overboard kicking us out, I’m not saying he-

S: If I owned the station, if I owned the station I’d go after him. I mean, why isn’t Merv mad at Grisham, why is this on us? Have you even met Merv, Ben?

B: Yes. I mean, not in person, but, look, we have a show to keep on track. In a few minutes we’ll be speaking with both of the winners of the 55th annual bass tournament.

S: How about this, how about we open up the phone lines and talk about how the good Mayor Grisham is strong arming the media- *static*

Announcer: This Sunday evening at 7pm, we say goodbye to long time host of King Falls Sewing Corner, Esther Rollins, the way she would have wanted us to.

Esther Rollins: Talking about life, talking about love, and crocheting a mean doily while we’re at it.

A: While we will all miss Esther’s sweet stitchery tips and needlepoint mastery, we’ll miss Esther even more.

ER: We’ll darn your socks and maybe even darn your men to heck while we’re at it.

A: We’ll reminisce and play clips from Sewing Corners illustrious 24 year run. As well as a live music tribute from Esther’s favorite band.

*heavy metal music*

ER: Oh I just love these boys. All Possible States. Always remember, bad times never last, but badasses certainly do. We’ll see you soon King Falls.

A: Hopefully not too soon, Esther. 7pm, this Sunday. Help us say goodbye to King Falls most bitching granny.

*heavy metal music*

B: I didn’t cut you off Sammy!

S: Real mature, Ben.

B: You were looking right at me, I didn’t even touch the board. And you know Esther Rollins was slated for 4:32 am. I’d never-

S: Oh, okay, it must have been General Abilene, right?

B: You know he’s in Sweetzer Forest. Sheesh. Can’t we just take some calls, you’re killing me. Line six.

Cecil: Benjamin Arnold, Mr. Sheffield here. Why’re you on the radio?

B: Crap, bass tournament winners were scheduled for two minutes ago, uh, I’m gonna call the other.

S: Oh, so we can talk about the tournament, we just can’t talk about the dead body.

B: Sammy!

S: Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Mr. Cecil Sheffield to the show, cowinner of the 55th annual King Falls bass tourney.

B: It’s great to have you Mr. Sheffield.

C: It’s good to be talking to you fellas too. Ben, how’re your grades holding up this year?

B: Uhh...I’ve, *nervous laughter* I graduated already, several years ago.

C: No more late papers this semester Mr. Arnold!

S: Yeah Ben, no more late papers.

B: For those of you who don’t know, Mr. Sheffield was my history teacher at King Falls high school. Shouldn’t he be retired by now?

C: *singing* Rising mists, the gold and orange, grandly into the blue, reaches our dear alma mater-

S: *clapping* There you have it folks, Mr. Cecil Sheffield, winner of this year’s King Falls idol.

C: Go Falls! I really love talking to you guys.

B: And we...love talking to you.

S: How about we talk about the big win at the tournament, huh, you split the grand prize, $500 and a bass boat, is that correct?

C: Oh, it was awesome. Standing up there at the podium with my good friend Hershel. I’m happy to share the prize with such a great man. I haven’t gotten a chance to use the new boat-

B: And we’ve got Hershel Baumgardner.

S: Sorry to cut you off, Cecil, Hershel you’re live on King Falls-

H: You usurping, unsportsmanlike, son of a b**** filth. I know all of you were colluding against me this year. It’s a conspiracy!

S: I’m sorry, what now Mr. Baumgardner?

H: You know exactly what I’m talking about, big city!

B: We actually don’t Mr. Baumgardner.

H: Don’t mouth off to me you conspiring little bag of d****!

S: Hey, hey, Hershel, no one is conspiring against anybody here! You should be happy right now, this is what, your fourth time winning the tournament? Granted, lets be honest, the cadaver should probably give this one an asterisk.

B: 1989, 1992, and now back to back titles in 2014 and 2015, you're the first ever to have four titles!

H: Well, when you put it like that...I guess...I never thought of it that way...I was just so red faced about someone poking a hole in the bottom of my boat right after I caught my last fish. Old Cecil wouldn’t have come close if some boob stain hadn’t messed with my damn boat.

B: Kingsy got you!

H: It wasn’t Kingsy. That serpenty little b***.

C: Is that Hershel? How you doing buddy? I miss you. Why you don’t answer when I call?

H: Cecil! You cheating dog pecker, I’d knowed it was you that sunk my battleship, you couldn’t stand to have me win all by myself this year, you limp d*** drunkard!

B: Uh ha, we’re gonna have to ask you to watch your language, Mr. Baumgardner.

H: Now you listen here you motherf******- *dial tone*

S: Hello?

B: Sorry, Sammy, Merv’s already not happy, lets not have the FCC join him.

S: You know you’re getting real good with that dump button trigger finger tonight Ben. B: I told you I didn’t dump you. Hershel, yes, but not you.

S: You, *laughs*, you were so right about this full moon tonight Ben.

B: This is a nightmare.

S: Hey. I’m sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have gotten so fired up.

B: You and Hershel both. You know how hard I work on this schedule? Don’t...puppy dog eye me, Sammy!

S: Hey, I’m just trying to ice this apology cake buddy.

B: 6:20, you buy me a stack of pancakes at Rose’s Diner, and we’ll call it even.

S: Sounds like a plan. So, you’ve heard our story King Falls, now let's hear-

B: Good grief, we’ve got line two, he’s in a panic.

S: Aren’t we all? You’re on the air with Sammy and Ben, what can we-

Archie: No time for pleasantries, I need the law!

B: Sir, uh, 911 is probably your best bet.

S: Or maybe tweet Troy and #kingfalls911, I dunno.

A: You silly Sally’s, I’ve already called the deputy is on the way, but I’m having a terrible night and I don’t appreciate the two of you making it worse.

B: Wait, is this Archie Simmons?

A: The one and only.

B: Is there something wrong down at the Pomchi Palace?

S: Pomchi? What the hell is a pomchi?

A: Oh my god, read a book Sammy

B: It’s a dog breed, half pomeranian, half chihuahua.

S: Oh. So, Archie’s a professional dog breeder?

A: Best bitches in the tristate area!

B: That’s their motto.

A, to the dog: That’s a good baby, daddy loves you. Oh, what’s that, that angry mean werewolf violated you? Don’t you worry, daddy will make him pay!

S: Did he just say werewolf?

A: You bet your bottom dollar I did.

S: Ben, I...I can’t.

B: Tell us what’s going on, Archie.

A: Well, I live off of route 72, damn near out of town. It’s usually nice and quiet except for those damn trashy rednecks and their trailer park every damn Saturday night.

B: But, tonight it’s not nice and quiet?

A: Hell no! I woke up to the most god awful squalling. I mean, it sounded like a freight train hit a barrel of screaming billy goats. Half a step below a damn eight *** bottle rocket.

B: That is vivid.

S: Dare I say, was it a half man half wolf?

B: Good job Sammy.

S: Please don’t encourage this.

A: It was so terrible a noise. I thought I might have dreamed it, but then I heard it again.

S: Go on.

A: So I threw on my slippers and went running towards the back of the house. And I’m scared, because I just paid, well I paid a bundle, for a couple of these new pomchi bitches. So I’m worried that maybe Rufus, that’s my labradoodle-

S: Labrado-

B: Labrador poodle mix.

A: Dammit, google it fellas, and keep up! I’m worried that Rufus has maybe snuck in the backyard and roughed up the new pomchis, so I rush towards the back, and Rufus is in the Florida room, just a growling mind you, so it wasn’t him. So I burst open the back door and what do I see?

B: What, uhh, what did you see?

A: I see a half man, half dog bent over hunching the hell out of my $2400 Princess Von Barktooth.

B: Not Princess Von Barktooth!

S: Okay, so you run outside in your slippers and you see some skeezy pervert and he’s got your dog.

A: In the biblical sense! But the man was a werewolf.

S: Are we really talking about wolfman werewolves here? I’m sorry, Ben.

A: You shouldn’t be sorrying to Ben, he’s not the one who’s been sodomized by a damn man wolf. And now I gotta stay up all night watching the princess and dealing with the law. Lord knows I’m worried that leads to long term emotional distress or worse. And we can just throw out winning the Westminster trophy. That was not in our five year plan!

B: I have to...what was the five year plan?

A: Princess Von Barktooth is supposed to fall in love with another purebred pomchi who sweeps her off her feet, holds open all the doggy doors for her, and shares all his treats. Isn’t that right little princess? *barking*

S: This is just silly. I mean, it was obviously just a creep with serious issues, not a mythical-

A: Are you calling me a liar? *howling in the background* I saw that abomination with my own two baby blues.

B: Sammy likes to look at these paranormal events from all angles, Archie.

A: Well the angle that I saw it at was a g-d crime against humanity and dogmanity alike. The beastman looked at me, evil in his eyes, and desire in his heart, tossed my princess like a ragdoll, howled at the moon like the wretched demon that he is, and scampered off.

B: Uh, Archie, have you had issues with the werewolves before?

A: Oh my gosh who hasn’t? Old Dylan ‘Hillbilly’ Baxter used to pepper buckshot those chicken thieving shapeshifting sons of bitches.

S: Brass tacks here, is Princess Von Barktooth okay?

A: Needless to say, we’re more than a bit shaken by this turn of events.

S: Have you looked into silver bullets? Ebay, Amazon Prime?

A: You come out here the next full moon you sassy Sally, and I’ll show you more werewolves than you can shake a d*** at. *sirens in the background* Oh, I just heard deputy Troy pull up, I gotta go boys. *hang up sound*

B: Uh, thanks for letting all of us know that there’s been some activity on the wolf front Archie.

S: This is just too much. Look, stay safe Archie, listening public. I’m not saying that there’s werewolves on the loose-

B: There are.

S: Ben. Everyone stay safe, there’s definitely something in the air tonight.

B: Oh no. Sammy, can you take line one?

S: Do I even wanna ask?

Finn: Sammy! Ben! It’s bad. It’s real bad, y’know?

S: Are you alright, Finn?

F: I didn’t even see him coming! Must have ran headlong into the truck on my blind side.

S: Who did? What’s going on?

B: Finn hit a dog, off route 72.

S: You’re f***ing kidding me.

F: This poor little guy, I feel so bad, y’know? Actually, he’s not that little…

B: Finn, are you still in your truck?

F: Oh yeah, but I stopped it when I hit the fella. I’m shaking something awful here.

S: I think you should start the truck up and just keep on moving.

F: I think he’s still alive. I’m gonna have to do the right thing and check this out Sammy.

B: Sammy’s right-

F: I’m outside the truck, heading back towards the pooch.

S: Get back in the truck Finn! Uh, y‘know, because it could be a coyote or something, not a were, y’know.

F: Oh my, this poor fella don’t look too good. This looks, WHOA NOW!

B: Move your maple loving ass Finn!

F: It’s too late, running at me boys! What f***?

S: Finn? Finn?

*wolf noises, Finn struggling, more noises, and a howl that is soon echoed in the distance*

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thesinglesjukebox · 6 years

Video

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BLUE OCTOBER - I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY

[6.00]

Who wouldn't be happy with laser eyes?

Joshua Copperman: Blue October has one of the most fascinating, personal trajectories of any band, their sound entirely dependent on what's happening with Justin Furstenfield's life. Only fitting that they've made some of the most beautiful pop music I've ever heard ("Into The Ocean") and some of the ugliest, if not downright worst ("The Flight"). After a back-to-basics record and a detour into soft rock, he's landed at acceptance at last. That title is sincere as hell, and the new-wave beat is a great fit for them - "I Hope You're Happy" arrives somewhere not far off from the When In Rome-inspired "Into The Ocean", and it's one of Blue October's best songs in a decade. Justin finally sounds grounded after a career of both creative and personal instability, and there's very little of the passive-aggressiveness that colored even his sweeter songs in the past. His voice has always been intense, which normally makes his happier songs jarring (especially the almost creepy "Home") but he slays his performance here. It's amazing how a band most know for a couple of nearly-forgotten mid-2000s hits can have this rich a history, but it makes this return to form all the more rewarding. [7]

Will Adams: "Hate Me" gave me the wrong impression of Blue October; it wasn't until I discovered their Imogen Heap collab from the same album that I recognized their soft rock potential. "I Hope You're Happy" finds a middle ground. Justin Furstenfield's voice is still gravelly, but when paired with the driving, synth-kissed production, he manages to give sincerity to the central sentiment. [7]

Alfred Soto: Guess what? I'd never heard "Hate Me" until last Tuesday. With its title callback to Elvis Costello, "I Hope You're Happy" is a model of coiled rancor. The mix -- as wrinkle-free as a shirt on a mannequin -- helps songwriter Justin Furstenfeld's cause. [7]

Maxwell Cavaseno: Have you ever wondered what in the world The National would sound like through a Ric Ocasek filter, and was less "middle-aged dad resents his slow slide into domesticity" and more "skeezy divorcee stares a little too long at someone two decades younger in misguided yearning"? Well folks, have I got the song for you... [6]

Nortey Dowuona: Flat, banal, nasal. Drifting, boring synths, near invisible guitars, rigid, caged drums, whinging singing. If this is sincere, it's bad. If this is sarcastic, it's worse. [2]

Julian Axelrod: I've always steered clear of Blue October, assuming they were just aggressive dude rock in the vein of Staind or Stone Sour. So I was pleasantly surprised to hear a soaring, wounded power ballad that sounds like Kings of Leon covering Huey Lewis & the News. Like most rock hits in 2018, there's more than a little Antonoff in its DNA. But unlike most rock hits in 2018, it's a decidedly masculine breakup ballad that doesn't feel vindictive or cruel. [7]

[Read and comment on The Singles Jukebox]

#Blue October

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jillmckenzie1 · 4 years

Text

Tempest in a Teapot

Cuties is streaming on Netflix

Take a seat. Better yet, make a nice, hot cup of tea, pull up your nearest fainting couch, and get ready for some information that is sure to blow your mind. Ready?

You sure?

Okay…here goes. *takes a deep breath*

Americans are really, really stupid when it comes to both art and nuance. An example is the kerfuffle that sprang up regarding The Last Temptation of Christ. It all began with the 1955 novel written by Nikos Kazantzakis that examined the life of Jesus. Specifically, it posited the concept of Jesus briefly succumbing to temptation while on the cross and imagining a normal life. One that involved sex, love, and a family.

As you might imagine, a certain stripe of Christian was very angry with the book. This anger turned to incandescent rage in 1988, when Martin Scorsese adapted the novel into an excellent film. Now, you would think people who were taught the Gospels, to live with a love for others, to turn the other cheek, you would think those folks would either try to see the spiritual message inherent in Last Temptation* or love the people they disagreed with in brotherhood.

Nope! Thousands of people called for the film to be banned. Television evangelists denounced Scorsese. In fact, Scorsese received numerous death threats which, unless I missed big chunks of the Bible, is antithetical to the message of Christianity. There was even an attempted terrorist attack on a theater in Paris. A group of radical Catholics (Yes, seriously) set off an incendiary device that wounded thirteen people.

So based on the preceding paragraphs, I must think that conservative Christians are a bunch of gullible nitwits, right? Well…no. As much as I’d like to take a moment to clown on the right-wing outrage machine, the fact remains that both liberals and conservatives tend to live in a black and white space when it comes to artistic expression, and that space is not where nuance lives. Don’t believe me? Let’s talk about the new film Cuties, and why the controversy around it is mostly nonsense.

Amy (Fathia Youssouf) is eleven, and she has just moved from Senegal to a neighborhood in Paris. Things are very different for her. She’s in a new place with new customs and new faces, and she’s expected to help care for her two younger brothers. What about her parents, you might ask? That’s where things start to become complicated. Her mother Mariam (Maimouna Gueye) is already struggling to keep the children stable in their new home. Mariam tries to live as a righteous Muslim woman and feels pressure from her Aunt (Mbissine Therese Diop) to do better. The pressure gets worse when she receives a phone call from Senegal and the news that her husband has taken a second wife.

This is all an enormous amount for Amy to process. She needs support, and unfortunately, Mariam doesn’t have the bandwidth to provide it. So, she seeks out a support system elsewhere, and boy howdy, does she find it. A pilfered smartphone introduces her to social media and the endorphin rush that comes from likes and comments.

A chance encounter at school pinballs Amy’s life in a radically new direction. She meets the Cuties, a group of girls in her grade. They are her neighbor Angelica (Medina El Aidi), the snarky Coumba (Esther Gohourou), and the combative Jess (Ilanah Cami-Goursolas). The Cuties move through the world with the kind of bulletproof self-confidence that only exists within tweens and rich, white men. Their goal is to enter and win a dance competition, one that emphasizes barely-there costumes and dance moves that are…well, let’s go with “suggestive.”

The realization hits Amy like a thunderbolt. The Cuties are everything she isn’t and like nothing she’s ever seen before. At least, that’s what she thinks. How to get in with the cool girls? Proving yet again that the internet was a mistake, Amy dives online and immerses herself in videos. Her plan is to imitate the moves of dancers much older and copy their routines, routines that are wildly age-inappropriate. They don’t just push the envelope, they rip through the damn thing. It’s all in service of social medial likes, realizing a vague dream, and learning that actions have consequences.

A number of prominent individuals have accused Cuties of either being child pornography or sexually exploitative. Senators Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley railed against the film. An op-ed in the conservative website The National Review wrote, “Thus, whatever their artistic intentions, in making a social commentary about the sexualization of children, the filmmakers undeniably sexualized children.” Christine Pelosi, daughter of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, tweeted, “Cuties hypersexualizes girls my daughter’s age, no doubt to the delight of pedophiles like the ones I prosecuted. Cancel this, apologize, work with experts to heal your harm.” It was all outrage, but it never came from a place rooted in liberal or conservative ideology. It was only reactionary.

By now, I imagine you’re probably thinking, “Don’t keep us in suspense, is Cuties offensive trash that comes straight from the Second Circle of Hell?” No, but it is designed to make viewers feel uneasy.

Director Maimouna Doucoure has made a clear-eyed and nuanced film about the raging desire of a child to fit in, and the poor decisions they can make that blow up in their faces. She knows exactly what kind of film she’s making; one about perspectives. When the girls practice their routines, we hear pulsing pop music as they emulate what they have seen elsewhere. I’m not sure they’re fully aware of the meaning of these suggestive dance moves, but they know on a subconscious level that they have raw power. However, watch the same routine later when adults observe. You’ll see some skeezy guys who are into it, but far more adults who are repelled and appalled. In the end, the gaze of the camera is entirely dependent upon context. There are also tiny moments of surrealism that pop in and out, such as a dress that Amy is given to wear at her father’s wedding. Watch how the shape and color of the dress slightly changes depending on Amy’s mood. It’s filmmaking that’s smart and subtle.

Doucoure based her screenplay on her own experiences as a refugee, as well as eighteen months of research regarding how social media influences the behavior of children and young teens. More relevant is her prior experience as a girl. The script is a coming of age tale in which Amy bounces between the expectations of her culture and religion to be a submissive wife, an onslaught of online images lacking in context, and the age-old growing pains we all go through. She ultimately wants to find her people and her place in the world while simultaneously wanting to rebel against the world she’s growing up in. The tragedy is that she makes decisions from the perspective of a child and is judged as an adult.

I think I was most impressed by the natural and honest performances that Doucoure was able to draw out of her cast.*** The younger actors do solid work, and I was particularly impressed with Fathia Youssouf as Amy. She’s asked to do some extremely heavy lifting from an emotional standpoint, and whether she’s about to break from pressure or giggling as she crams gummy worms into her mouth, she always feels believable. The stealth MVP of the cast is Maimouna Gueye as her mother Miriam. She has an astounding scene where she takes a phone call and learns of her husband’s decision to take another wife. Gueye’s tone of voice is all business on the phone. We can only see her feet as she hangs up the phone. For a moment there’s only silence, then we see her feet shaking as she sobs.

You’ve probably heard a variation of the old saying that depiction doesn’t equal endorsement. Odds are that the vast majority of people hysterically shrieking over Cuties either haven’t seen the film or are reading it in the most shallow manner possible. Cuties made me extremely uncomfortable. Since it’s a critique of society’s rampant sexualization of children, it’s supposed to.**** Maimouna Doucore’s film is intelligent and nuanced, and I fervently hope that her next project is viewed with more open-mindedness. Odds are, it won’t be.

*Whether you agree with the central message of the film or not, consider that the central message is that initially Jesus profoundly does not want to take the suffering of the world entirely within himself. He wants what everyone else wants, but decides to sacrifice himself anyway. That’s far more inspirational and relatable than a savior entirely free of doubt.

**While the film isn’t exploitative, holy hell is the advertising! Someone in Netflix’s marketing department made a series of Very Bad Decisions. You can read more here.

***It bears mentioning that there was a child psychologist on-set during the shooting, as well as officials from France’s child protective services.

***In fact, I think Cuties is far less offensive than some of the odious reality TV programs like Toddlers and Tiaras.

The post Tempest in a Teapot first appeared on The Denver Guide.

from Blog https://ondenver.com/tempest-in-a-teapot/

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