#your honor hes my emotional support southerner

[mail-me-a-snail]

yall can have this first while i figure out how to draw delta

#bioshock #bioshock 2 #augustus sinclair #bioshock sinclair #artists on tumblr #digital art #doodle #my art #raptures favorite sea slug #your honor hes my emotional support southerner

[maisiestyle]

"Ned Stark's Precious Little Girl"

Arya is a mix of both her parents. But as her story unfolds, with every new chapter and book, Arya has moved beyond her parents and into a far more dynamic character.

Ned was a role model to Arya, she loved him more than almost anyone (she loves Jon most of all). She holds on to Ned's memory now more than any of his children.

Ned is stubborn, quick to anger, loyal to a fault, and deeply devoted to his family to the point where he sacrificed his honor and died for his children.

Both Arya & Ned had a dislike for Southern culture. Which is double odd considering Ned was fostered in the South: That was never truly his place. Whereas Cat and Sansa are very much creatures made for the South.

Treatment of the smallfolk and not judging those lower than their station... That says a lot about their character, something Ned, Lyanna, Arya & Jon have all shown in the books.

Arya & Ned are similar but different as well. Where Ned was lacking, his ability to not see the truth in the lies around him - Arya has developed beyond that point. Ned was too slow and unyielding until it was too late and he died. Cat was to heedless, prideful, and emotional - that cost her life. At the beginning Arya was a mix of both her parents BUT her journey so far has made her grow and develop where her parents had not. By Book 5, Arya is extremely artful and considerate, patient and willing to face the truth in all its ugliness, adaptable and fluid like water - a changeling. That's how she'll survive where her parents did not.

While Sansa is learning how to flirt, organise a glorified party and remain passive and isolated.

Arya lives out in the open, has escaped death and captivity by her own wits, travelled all over Westeros leaving her memory imprinted on the people she met along the way, and her unyielding desire to never be helpless again which brought her to Braavos. The Sealord of Braavos stood up to a King and his dragons and won - all he did was whisper the "faceless men" and King's Landing yielded - that is true power. Arya will return to Westeros having grown in many ways. But like her father and mother, her family will always be her guiding light.

I love how the Northmen constantly connect Arya to Ned and want to fight for them both:

When White Harbour (a place Arya has visited twice with Ned) hears of "Arya Stark" marrying Ramsay.

“Was ever snow so black?” asked Lord Wyman. “Ramsay took Lord Hornwood’s lands by forcibly wedding his widow, then locked her in a tower and forgot her. It is said she ate her own fingers in her extremity…and the Lannister notion of king’s justice is to reward her killer with Ned Stark’s little girl.” - (Davos, A Dance with Dragons)

~*~

As "Arya" suffers in Winterfell, they connect her to Ned:

"The bride weeps," Lady Dustin said, as they made their way down, step by careful step. "Our little Lady Arya." ... What do you think passes through their heads when they hear the new bride weeping? Valiant Ned's precious little girl." ...

"Lady Arya's sobs do us more harm than all of Lord Stannis's swords and spears.

~*~

The northmen want to fight for Arya:

“Even ruined and broken, Winterfell remains Lady Arya’s home. What better place to wed her, bed her, and stake your claim? […] Let Stannis march on us. He is too cautious to come to Barrowton…but he must come to Winterfell. His clansmen will not abandon the daughter of their precious Ned to such as you. - (Reek, A Dance with Dragons)

[…]

Lord Arnolf shoved himself up, a vulture rising from its prey. One spotted hand clutched at his son’s shoulder for support. “We’ll take [Winterfell] for Ned and for his daughter.” - (The Sacrifice, A Dance with Dragons)

~*~

"Winter is almost upon us, boy. And winter is death. I would sooner my men die fighting for the Ned’s little girl than alone and hungry in the snow, weeping tears that freeze upon their cheeks. No one sings songs of men who die like that. As for me, I am old. This will be my last winter. Let me bathe in Bolton blood before I die. I want to feel it spatter across my face when my axe bites deep into a Bolton skull. I want to lick it off my lips and die with the taste of it on my tongue." - (Dance with Dragons)

#arya stark #sansa stark #asoiaf #anti sansa stans #house stark #game of thrones #gotaryastark #grrmartin #ned stark #braavos #asoiaf art #jon snow #arya

[comradekatara]

Can you go a bit more in depth about your post about Sokka in the Burning Rock episode? You said that it was basically his suicide mission, which I agree with. I'd really like to hear more of your thoughts on it.

okay yeah i mean i'm sure i've covered all these points before extensively because i love weaving a tapestry of sokka's fucked up psychological landscape more than anything in the world, but every so often someone will comment on one of my posts and be like "i think you're reaching i think sokka is the paragon of mental health actually" and i'm just like um. did we not all watch the boiling rock. did we just ignore the apotheosis of sokka's entire character arc. like katara's apotheosis in "the southern raiders" is both very overt and impactful and also, arguably, subtler than sokka's, because they don't explicitly spell out the themes every five seconds, but like. if you didn't watch the boiling rock then you cannot understand sokka. and weirdly enough i also believe that zuka shippers are the biggest culprit of this despite this episode being thee zucchini episode because they somehow still have the audacity to characterize sokka as "goofy sunshine who exists to comfort zuko" when like. the entire point is that sokka is legitimately suicidal here and zuko is doing everything in his power to support him thru what is quite literally a mental breakdown. like their relationship is legitimately interesting i don't understand how people have taken that and made it deeply boring.....but i digress.

the boiling rock is quite obviously sokka at his lowest. the worst thing that could ever happen to him – fumbling a mission that was squarely his responsibility, from its conception to its execution, due to not being able to sufficiently compartmentalize his emotions, leading to the mass imprisonment of most of his comrades, including the men of his tribe whom he idolized his entire life and felt immense pressure to live up to, including his father who he is deathly afraid of disappointing (for reasons that have nothing to hakoda being malicious or neglectful in any way, fwiw), and thus being directly implicated in the failure and the harm caused by said failure – happened. sokka is someone who is especially bad at dealing with failure, because a) he is exceptionally talented, and thus has less experience dealing with failure in both minor and major ways, and thus lacks the emotional resilience developed through the process of struggle and growth that normal people (such as, incidentally, zuko) go through and b) to sokka, whose primary desire at all times is to protect and provide for others in any way he possibly can, for someone else to sacrifice themselves for him constitutes a fundamental disruption to the order. there is a perverse wrongness to kya or yue or hakoda or suki making sacrifices on their own volition, because it means that sokka has existentially failed to protect them by martyring himself. like, he somehow feels so guilty about suki being imprisoned that when azula reveals this piece of information to him, it literally distracts him from his own mission. and mind you, there's absolutely no way sokka could have known or been responsible for suki's imprisonment. but he still feels guilty nonetheless. and azula knows that, knows exactly how to twist the knife to make him break, because, well, it's honestly pretty obvious.

sokka obviously cannot retroactively save his mother or his first girlfriend, but he can save his father and his current girlfriend. in "the awakening" aang says he has to restore his honor after the guilt and shame of his failure in ba sing se (aang is also an incurable gifted kid perfectionist, btw, as is azula. posts for another time...) and sokka repeats zuko's line again in this episode, after experiencing the guilt and shame of his failure during the eclipse. the driving motivation of zuko's entire character, feeling like he has failed in some ontological way and must therefore redeem himself or die trying, is reinforced through aang and sokka's respective experiences mirroring that drive. aang goes out in a storm and nearly drowns to redeem himself in some vague, nebulous way, because he isn't thinking rationally. and likewise sokka, who usually always has a plan and always thinks things through, feels that caution and foresight is pointless, because he came up with a genuinely brilliant invasion plan and it didn't work, so clearly there's something wrong with him (just as he always suspected) and no amount of planning even matters, because he's a capital F Failure and always will be. and so he vows to save his father, as he promised him he would when they parted on the day of black sun, or die trying, because if he can't even do that then what is he good for; at least he'll die a martyr, which to him, is basically his ideal situation. because to sokka, dying as a martyr is basically the highest form of fulfilling his purpose (being needed, protecting people) and so if he dies a martyr, then maybe his catastrophic failure (that is entirely his fault and rests squarely on his shoulders btw) can be forgiven. so his plan is basically just to sacrifice himself for his father so that he can die "redeemed." very normal, rational, healthy behavior, i would say.

sidenote, i also see people claim that "the boiling rock" makes sokka look stupid because why wouldn't he take any of the insanely talented benders to a prison in a giant volcano surrounded by a boiling lake, and it's like. sokka literally admits that he's not being rational, that he doesn't think he's going to survive this, that this is not a good idea. it would go against sokka's entire modus operandi if he brought the children who he feels a deep, presiding responsibility to protect on a suicide mission that he's lowkey hoping will fail (because he not so secretly loves courting death. it's like she's the moon or something). he only lets zuko come with him because he doesn't actually care whether zuko lives or dies at this point. sokka has absolutely no faith in zuko whatsoever (and frankly, why would he, zuko has yet to actually prove himself to him. he didn't even kill combustion man; sokka did) so he has no idea that zuko is actually going to be helpful and supportive in a meaningful way. and frankly, if he had known that at the beginning, or even remotely liked zuko as a person, he probably wouldn't have caved so easily when zuko invited himself to join. if he didn't think that zuko was objectively worse than him and basically worthless as a human being, i doubt he would have let himself be so vulnerable with zuko in the first place. meanwhile zuko is eating it up bc he's like "omg he's confiding in me he's letting me help him we're basically besties" because he doesn't actually know sokka well enough to realize that sokka doesn't actually do that shit with people he remotely respects. shit like "my first girlfriend turned into the moon" and "i had a feeling this was going to be a one way trip" are simply not things that sokka would say out loud 98% of the time. the fact that he is admitting something real is not a testament to the trust he places in zuko, but rather the opposite. sokka spilling his guts (you know, for him) to his resident collateral damage, sokka bringing his lovingly crafted space sword on this mission, sokka not even confirming whether or not his father is actually there beforehand – he's simply stopped giving a fuck, he doesn't care whether or not he lives to see another day, because to him, he has nothing left to lose.

but of course, that also isn't true at all. i mean, for one thing, zuko still needs to teach aang firebending, so he does serve a pretty important function to the group, and zuko simply telling him to do hot squats in his absence does not qualify as significant tutelage. but also, even more importantly, sokka is integral to the fabric of the group. when he's gone for a day in "sokka's master" they literally all just shut down and start complaining about how much they miss him (we don't actually see any b-roll of the gaang hanging around the western air temple because the episode is simply too busy for that, so who can say whether the same thing occurs twice). sokka cannot afford to simply die just because his first plan failed, he still has a major responsibility to his friends. fucking idiot. i've said before that sokka has the emotional resilience of like. a pathetic wet newborn kitten caught in the rain. but like, come on man. i mean, as someone who has also suffered from debilitating perfectionist issues and never had to be responsible for a failed military invasion that cost my people their freedom, i do get it, but still. not his best moment. although there is something genuinely admirable about the fact that after he finds suki, he decides that saving suki is enough, and genuinely does want to succeed in his mission going forward. like his love for suki is one of the only things that consistently makes him happy and makes him forget that his greatest dream in life is to be murdered, and that's so beautiful to me.

the entire point of this episode, by the way, is that sokka is wrong. if that isn't obvious. sokka's entire worldview, that he only has value insofar as he exists to provide for others, and if he fails to protect people in any capacity, he has fundamentally failed to uphold the one reason he even exists on this earth, and thus he does not deserve to exist unless he is bearing the weight of everyone's suffering or otherwise proving his worth through sacrificing himself for others, is um. fucking stupid???? and incorrect. and stupid. the thing is, unlike zuko, sokka can't really point to any one person who taught him to see himself this way. he can't just face his father and tell him that his abuse was cruel and wrong, because hakoda is a good father who has never not supported and believed in and encouraged him, done everything in his power to protect him, loved him unconditionally. hakoda has inadvertently damaged sokka's psyche in various ways, of course, but never with any intention to hurt him. like, ozai tried to kill zuko, on multiple occasions. it's a pretty obvious indicator of the primary source of harm in his life. but sokka is equally if not more Unwell, and there's no one single figure he can blame, because his complex lies within a tangled web of what my best friend fanon calls the "massive psychoexistential complex" of the colonized subject. he is being dehumanized not through interpersonal abuse, but through the violent logic of imperialism. sokka's formative traumas inform his psychology as he understands that he only has value insofar as he is protecting the people he loves (namely his sister) from being murdered by imperialists, much like his mother did. and that logic is continually reified through the violence he is being subjected to, until he truly absorbs the belief that his life has no value on its own, that he is genuinely Less than [human] in some fundamental way. which is obviously deeply tragic, but also lowkey kind of comical because he also happens to be the specialest boy in the world, who literally did come up with multiple working escape plans at the world's most secure supermax on the fly, mind you! but whenever anyone tries to point that out, including piandao literally saying "you're the most exceptional and worthy person i've ever met in my life" sokka is just like "um. that is incorrect actually." like NO ONE should depersonalize themselves and feel that their only value lies in their ability to serve and sacrifice themselves for others, but it's especially ironic that sokka literally does not think he has any value as a human being, and yet he is also objectively exceptional. like, do you understand why i adore this character so much. do you.

anyway. the point of this episode isn't that sokka has worth because he's exceptional, either. that's lowkey the point of "sokka's master," but also a) sokka doesn't really internalize it and b) the more important part of the episode lies in how much the gaang just misses his company because they miss their neurotic control freak big brother who makes bad jokes. but even if he couldn't come up with multiple working escape plans on the fly, suki and zuko still stay by his side anyway because they care about him. they are demonstrating that they would risk their safety and possibly even their lives, in the exact way that sokka is always trying to for everyone else, for him. that sokka doesn't need to be the one who always protects everyone else, and that he isn't a failure for letting people who care about him help him and protect him. and sokka has to accept their help, because suki and zuko are simply too stubborn not to force him into letting them support him. they are standing in a literal maximum security prison in the middle of a volcano and they are still choosing to prioritize sokka's mental health and wellbeing, which is honestly crazy, but also exactly what he needs in this moment. suki has known sokka for what, 3 days maximum? yes they're soulmates but like, girl get up. and in zuko's case, "girl get up" is magnified tenfold, because he literally risked his life to go with him to the boiling rock (also largely motivated by the guilt of not being able to stage his own prison break with iroh, but still!) and let himself get imprisoned despite being the fire nation's most wanted criminal, stayed by sokka's side no matter what including getting thrown into a literal torture chamber for him, jumped across a gaping boiling chasm with no guarantee that he'd survive except for the implicit expectation that sokka would catch him on the other side. like zuko is so fucking pussywhipped and sokka didn't even value him as a human being until like halfway through their entire mission. insane.

in conclusion: "the boiling rock" is a beautiful story of the most mentally ill boy on the planet (he took first place ever since jet died rip jet forever in our hearts), and his two ride or die bitches who he met like yesterday, and also his dad, and a casual homophobe named chit sang, all working together to demonstrate to him why killing yourself is a bad idea in most cases, probably. it's also the story of the most insane dyke drama of all time, but that's for another post (of which i have of course made multiple, most recently, here). i said it's the apotheosis of sokka's arc, and by that i mean it's the most overt acknowledgement of what his fundamental issue is, and the first steps one must take in actually resolving it (namely, accepting help and support from your peers and loved ones). do i think that sokka is magically cured after returning from the boiling rock? no, probably not (in fact, because i'm somewhat sick & twisted myself, i like to imagine that once the war ends, he actually gets worse). but he does seem genuinely happier after they return. and maybe that's just bc kyoshi warrior pussy hits different, but like. he was able to rely on others for help (including mai my best friend mai) who supported him unconditionally and prevented him from simply giving up, and that's so incredibly important. that kind of support is always important, to everyone, of course, but as we've established, it's especially important to sokka specifically, at his lowest (quite possibly ever), in this situation. no one has an obligation to risk their life for someone else, but sokka is something who thinks that his purpose is to risk his life for other people (namely katara), and so for people who really have nothing to gain and everything to lose in standing by and promising not to leave without him, to actually show that they support him unconditionally is huge. if sokka has no fans then i am dead and so is suki zuko hakoda toph aang piandao iroh the mechanist etc etc etc. perfect episode <3

#suicide / #writergracethepanda #asks #analysis #sokka #sokkaxsuki #cinematic masterpiece the boiling rock part 2 #(technically i use that tag to talk about maizulee but swagever) #this post is basically just stream of consciousness unstructured rambling so i hope you find it valuable in some way... #at this point i've given up on trying to do Readings of and make Arguments about sokka #and i'm just rambling. i posted a whole fucking. ACTUAL essay about him yesterday and no one read it #but this is not that. this is. who even knows. it's certainly not an ''essay'' #my thesis statement: i love sokka so much #my body paragraphs: hes a weak willed mentally ill fucking IDIOT #just trust me ok. trust the process

[hisnie]

I hate the way people treat Katara in The Southern Raiders.

The way that people put Aang on a pedestal of someone who can do no wrong makes me hate discussing the show with ATLA fans. I like Aang, but he isn’t the morally good character that he says he is and the fans only prove this.

In TSR, Katara is given the opportunity by Zuko to get revenge against the man who killed her mother.

First I want to start off with Katara’s exchange with Sokka.

Katara asks Aang for Appa to go on the journey with Zuko, he tries to persuade her otherwise and then Sokka tells Katara, “Katara, she was my mother too but I think Aang is right”.

And so Katara says the infamous line, “Well you didn’t love her the way I did.”

This is when people go insane but what Katara’s says is somewhat reasonable. Katara and Sokka have different versions of love for their mother, you can be siblings but still love your parents differently from your sibling. People also never put in perspective that Katara has the view of a child with survivors guilt while Sokka is able to move on from his mother’s death because he is a kid who understands war. From a young child, even in TSR episode, it shows him wanting to fight back against the Fire Nation and him wanting to be involved in the war between his people and the Fire Nation. I also believe that Sokka does feel sorrow for Yue’s death, but isn’t hung up on it like Katara is with their mothers death because he understands that at the end of the day, Yue’s sacrifice was her duty and a product of war. Their mother’s death was an outcome of war.

I love Sokka, but when he says this line:

He’s dismissing her feelings. It’s like he’s saying, “We both lost our mother, but because I don’t want revenge, you shouldn’t either” which isn’t fair to Katara at all. Ofc I don’t believe Sokka meant for it to come out like that but that’s what it sounded like.

But you can also use the fact that Sokka grew up in a sort of toxic masculinity mentality. You can also use the fact that Sokka held his emotions in too about their mother’s death and that was also damaging to him. Which is true, I could support that too.

And my response to that is that you shouldn’t force others to grieve how you grieve.

Katara can’t just forgive Yon Rha like Aang can when it comes to the genocide of his people because they are fundamentally different people with different backgrounds and settings.

Obviously they don’t force Katara to stay on the island and not go on the quest, but they do admonish her and compare her to Jet (which is a lil finicky because Jet did do bad things but also changed towards the end of his life to do good and also help the gang) which is demeaning to who she is. She even defends herself by saying she isn’t like Jet, she isn’t attacking an innocent person, she’s attacking the man who led the raids against her people and killed her mother.

This brings me to my gripe with Aang in this episode and previous episodes. I can’t recall a single episode where Aang acknowledges what happens to her and comforts her. It’s always Katara comforting Aang when he is emotionally distressed. When he learned about the death of his people, when Appa was taken, and when he was questioning his honor of being the Avatar. It’s always Katara comforting him but it’s never really reciprocated back to her.

In this scene, Aang tells Katara that she should forgive Yon Rha and she says, “I knew you wouldn’t understand.”

Because Aang never tries to. It’s either his way or no way. Aang is a pacifist and I respect that, Aang wants to preserve the culture of his people and I also respect that. However, Katara doesn’t have the same views as him. Katara never stated to be a pacifist, Katara never stated to believe in the views of the Air Nomads, so obviously there would be a disconnect between the two of them because they grew up with a different culture and different world views. They also grew up in the different times, Aang grew up in peace while Katara was born during a war.

It’s honestly disingenuous to ask Katara to forgive the man who killed her mother, just because Aang can forgive the fire nation for their atrocities to his people, doesn’t mean she can too. People grieve differently. Katara outburst was bound to happen because no one in the group ever acknowledges her pain. Only person who does is Zuko and although people like to call him a manipulator, he isn’t. He realized that Katara’s hatred for Yon Rha was being directed at him because he is a personification of the Fire Nation in her image. So he stops, learns about what happened, and tries to understand her pain.

It’s also extremely hypocritical for people to get mad at Katara for her outburst against Sokka when Aang yelled at Toph when she chose to save them over saving Appa from the Sandbenders.

People even defend it by saying

Can’t that be the same thing said for Katara?

Also, Aang never apologizes to Toph about his outburst btw. He even yells at the rest of the gang later on during the desert and also yells at Katara, “claiming that she isn’t helping” when she is the only one keeping the group together.

What also gets me is how no one realized that Katara wasn’t going to kill Yon Rha. After rewatching the series a bit, Katara was never going to kill that man. It’s not in her character to and this episode tests her character and makes her better for it.

And the lessons of the episode isn’t “revenge isn’t the way” or smth similar to that, if anything, it’s the fact that you don’t have to forgive your abusers. It’s shown through Zuko, Aang, and Katara. Zuko doesn’t enact revenge against Ozai but he also doesn’t forgive him. Aang has the right to kill Ozai for the death of his people and for the war, but doesn’t. Aang never forgave him though. And most importantly is Katara, she can’t bring herself to kill Yon Rha but at the end of the episode she tells Aang that she can’t forgive him. Aang was wrong, forgiveness can be impossible.

#atla #katara #aang #sokka #toph beifong #the southern raiders #avatar the last airbender

[sin-sidejob]

I will miss brett hand so much his brett-centered episodes are truly my favorites of our 2 seasons. They felt like being faced with a strange picture clear relatability (the brett hand people pleaser episode🥲🥲) Do you have any particular episodes you will miss seeing the most? (I.e episodes of reagan’s family or other character centered episodes)

I initially misread this ask at first and didn’t know what you meant, but after rethinking it I got what you were talking about! Yeah Season 1’s part 2 had some great Brett content. (I liked thinking about these so I probably will come back and add more or revisit)

Episodes I particularly would’ve loved to see:

- JR & / or Rand busting out of Shadow Prison or just Shadow Prison hijinks

- Background on Andre’s family and life — we’ve heard mentions and hints but I wanna’ KNOW, not speculate

- Background on Gigi’s family and life — we know her personality and character, but not what’s behind it, and I’m dying to know

- I’ll just miss JR Anything with JR at all, I will miss my emotional support AARP member

- Alpha Beta getting limbs and maybe, just maybe, wifi access

- CLOSURE ON WHERE ROBO REAGAN IS

- Rafe Masters and Skullfinger’s wedding

- the unveiling of who the council is + Reagan joining

- Glenn with a focus on his family or the relationship he’s got with his daughter + his background (I wanna see him as a southern bubba SO FUCKIN’ BAD)

- Reagan and her mom bonding and maybe recovering their relationship?

- BISEXUAL REAGAN — YEAH, I SAID IT! I’ve been dying to see her with a woman or a femme after the dating episode in part one and Alpha Beta pulls up the results of who’s compatible with her — I saw women WHERE’S THE GIRLFRIEND

- just silly, peculiar bullshit. It’s all so strange and batshit that a n y t h i n g could happen — it’s one of the reasons why I love this show (and why my sona is overpowered like a middle schoolers oc)

- more of Brett and Reagan’s friendship just GOD i love them your honor / i love seeing the golden retriever adhd and the black cat autism friendship play out it’s FUN

Additions Below: (the first several credited to @swimmingcreatortyrant who’s tags on their latest art made my brain explode — plus the alt version of that art on their insta)

- where is Orrin and what is he up to?

- the DEATH ARENA??

- will Ron Staedtler appear again?

#asked and answered #anon #inside job #personal inside job #my inside job #jr scheimpough #jr #reagan ridley #brett hand #reagan #brett #Andre lee #Andre #Glenn #Glenn Dolphman #Gigi #Gigi Thompson #ugh *sigh* rand ridley #tw: rand ridley #rand ridley #HATE THAT MAN

[dani-sdiary]

Story: Learning the Hard Way

How on-brand of me to be ghosted, not by a boyfriend (impossible, as I've never even had one to be ghosted by), but by a professor, on two (2) separate occasions. I'm currently technically a college sophomore in my high school's early college program, so I'm two for two, and hoping to keep up my perfect score next year. As I reflect on the triumphs and sorrows of the first bloom of my youth, I invite you to join me on this journey to seek that elusive bird of innocence and memory.

Dr. #1:

English 101, my very first quarter of college when I was 16. What I had was support: financial, academic, and emotional, but what I didn't have was common sense. I failed miserably and I emailed him obsessively over winter break trying to get an incomplete on my transcript instead of an F. He never replied. In 3 weeks. To any of my 15 emails. It took much longer than it should have, but eventually I got what he was trying to say. By that point, winter quarter classes had started and I added a remedial English class late.

I completely understood: it was winter break, he was with his family, and it's not his job to solve my problems. But all I wanted was a response, whether positive or negative, so that I could move on.

Dr. #2:

Present-day, winter quarter, Math 95, one of my last few graduation requirements. I found out my major's requirements had changed late in fall quarter, and again, spent weeks trying to get in contact with a professor. His class was full, so I was asking him to overload me. When the deadline for professors to add students to their classes was in a few days (three weeks into the quarter), I got my academic advisor involved and asked her to send the professor an email. Still no reply. She said my emails weren't clear enough and that professors usually only responded to emails from their current students anyway.

Finally (around the seventh email), I resorted to (and I'm not proud of this) sweet Southern belle style threats: "Dear Dr. #1, Good morning, sir! This is Daniella Castillo again, I just wanted to follow up on adding Math 95 this quarter. I just checked and I saw that I was removed from the waitlist and that there are now two seats available. My ass would be honored to sit in either of seats, sir. All other Math 95 times conflict with my other classes, so I would really appreciate it if you would please give me your permission to add this class, so much so that I would sacrifice a goat in your worship. I know it is the second week and if you are no longer adding students I completely understand, but I respectfully ask that you please confirm that with me either way so that I can make a plan for my academic future. I know the beginning of the quarter's a busy time for you, my lord, so please let me know what you decide so that Ms. Advisor and I can be out of your fabulous hair! I hope you had a great start to the quarter and I look forward to hearing from you! Happy New Year!"

That worked! He replied: "Go to the advising center. The math department runs all of its permission codes through them." Verbatim, no greeting, no sign-off, and zero Southern pizzazz.

My dad is a college professor and he's literally Jane Bennett, the kindest, most beautiful teen girl in all of Meryton. Yeah, it's a bit (a lot) pathetic, but I sat on his lap while I cried over this. I mean, they were deciding whether or not I graduated. It was weeks of just waiting, ruminating, losing sleep, not knowing what was going to happen to me while trying to keep up with everything else that was going on. I agonized over every email, spent 45 minutes writing two sentences, consulted other people to make sure they were polite and professional and clear enough, re-read them a million times after I'd already sent them, prayed that someone would just give me some information about what was going to happen to me instead of ignoring me. And now, I'm such an idiot that I want to double major next year, and go to grad school, and get a Ph.D. (I hope). Is this my normal for the next 20 years?

College: the best years of your life. Go Titans!

#college #university #student #uni life #school #student life #high school #students #learning #mathematics #math #english #language #language learning #comedy #humour #funny #hilarious #funny stuff #funny post #humor #jokes #lol #funny shit #this is a joke #idk lmao #random shit #haha

[sentincl]

 —  look over there,  that’s adam steele,  an a rank tanker  from knights of rose.  i heard they’re pretty reckless,  but people are saying they’re also charming.  they’re thirty and apparently never seen without their halberd + heavy plate shield. they do have to be careful due to being way too eager to be in battle and not knowing when he's taken enough damage. they sometimes remind me of a laugh that thunders across the room, warm morning sunshine caressing long eyelashes and freckled cheeks, cannonball in the middle of a pool, calloused fingers drumming on tables, a welcome wink with a soothing smile in the midst of chaos .

hello and welcome to my comfort sunshine himbo muse Adam! my intention with this character is to give full on honor and glory i'll be your shield hammer down reinhardt from overwatch, braum from league, karlach from baldur's gate 3 vibes dbsfkbsdkf check out his character sheet?? lmao

Basic Information

Full Name: adam steele

Age: 30

Gender: demi man

Pronouns: he/him

Orientation: pansexual

Rank: a

Class: tanker

Guild: knights of rose

Language(s) Spoken: english

Accent: southern

Physical Appearance

Hair Colour: brown

Eye Colour: brown

Height: 5'11

Usual Expression: a very wholesome, kind smile

Piercings: one in his left ear

Tattoos: one rose on his left tiddie KNIGHTS OF ROSE LET'S GOOOO MESS WITH THE ROSE YOU GET THE THORNS BABY

Health

Physical Ailments: n/a

Mental Illnesses: ADHD

Emotional Stability: 7/10

Sociability: oh he is Out there. He's easy to befriend, he's gonna treat you like one even if that isn't the case

Body Temperature: he's a warm boy

Personality

Positive Traits: confident, courageous, honest, loyal

Negative Traits: gullible, impulsive, reckless

Myers-Briggs personality type: ESFP

Headcanons

He takes the support role to a whole other level If you're on his team he'll bring you up, tell you you're the best at what you do, and if you falter in your spirits even for a second he is there to pick you back up!!

But if you're mean to him or his friends he'll beat u to a pulp ❤️

He's rarely Actually angry tho, it's only bullies that piss him off, and only if it's like, super obvious. Otherwise he sort of thinks everyone is his friend and that is why he has a lot of one sided beef where other ppl can't stand him while he just :3 has flowers and sparkles floating above his head

If you looked behind those eyes you would see No Thoughts. Only wii music.

He's a really good tanker he just always focuses on getting everyone out of harm's way and not really thinking of himself? So he's had a couple of very close calls.

TW DEATH just to add some trauma, his parents were both super famous s rank hunters in knights of rose (yes he is a nepo baby), they both died a gruesome death in battle and he witnessed it :) he doesn't ever talk about it unless someone like... specifically asks about it, but even then he won't elaborate. the interactions usually go like "Wait, you're THEIR son??? Didn't they-- oh..." >:)

oof I'm gonna add more later

#becameintro #tw: death

[arickaandherfictionalothers]

Aricka and Billy adopt Max

(Aricka x Billy, Aricka and Max, Billy and Max)

(Warning: court proceedings, pregnancy test mention)

Summer of 1986:

It had been a grueling year and a half. From saving to hire an attorney, to home visits, to getting paternal rights stripped, to filing the petition, to finally get to this moment.

Aricka and Billy were finally able to adopt one Maxine “MadMax” Eden Mayfield. After today; she’d be Maxine Eden Munson- Billy and Max wanted to take Aricka’s last name, and let the Hargrove name die off. Max hadn’t been able to sleep for weeks, neither did Aricka or Billy. They were all too worried Susan would object, too worried Neil would escape prison. Too worried something UpsideDown related would happen and they would miss the court date.

But finally, at last, the day had come. The three woke up early, since the finalization was in a court in Indy, and quietly got dressed. Max was wearing a dress without argument, since Aricka was able to find some that suited her style, that weren’t overly feminine or girly. The one she wore today was a warm teal, which went down to her knees, and she paired it with black leggings, a white cardigan wrap, black sandals and she pulled her hair up in a bun. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror- she still looked like herself, but she felt more grown up than she had before. She grabbed her bag with her book, sketchbook, and colored pencils before leaving her room.

Aricka was wearing a pair of black slacks, a white cable knit sweater, and black boots. Billy was wearing his favorite red shirt- all the way buttoned even though he felt nervous, black jeans and his nice boots.

As she finished her hair, he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her neck. “You realize after today we’re technically parents?” He asks. Aricka smiles at the thought.

“Good thing Max is such a good kid,” she says. “She does what she’s told when she’s told, she makes good grades and decisions, and she has a solid support system. I think we’re gonna be fine.” She turns around and puts her hands on his shoulders. “You’ve been a great support figure for her since you met her. You’ve always protected her, shielded her even when your methods weren’t the best. You were in survival mode as much as she was, and you never blamed her for anything.” She kisses him once, twice, three times. “We’re all this together, my sweet boy.”

He nods, kisses her once, twice, three times. “I love you,” he offers shyly. She smiles softly back.

“I love you even more.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Max stuck close to Aricka as they walked into the courtroom, Billy’s hand on her shoulder. “Please be seated in the front row, the judge will be in shortly,”‘the bailiff said. Aricka quietly thanked him as they took their seats.

Max gripped Aricka’s hand as they walked into the courtroom, Billy’s hand on her shoulder. “Please be seated in the front row, the judge will be in shortly,”‘the bailiff said. Aricka quietly thanked him as they took their seats. The 15 year old sat between her sister in law and big brother as they waited for the final hearing to begin.

“All rise, the US District Court of Southern Indiana is now in session, the honorable Judge Alan Kerry presiding.”

Everyone stands as the judge enters, and the soon to be family glances at each other in nervous and excited anticipation. “Please have Maxine Mayfield sworn in,”

The judge says. Max stands and approaches the bench as she’s sworn in. “Now, Max- I remembered you prefer to be addressed as such- do you understand why we’re gathered here today?”

“Because my older brother and his wife want to adopt me,” she says with a tremble of emotion in her voice. The judge’s face softens.

“Max, do you want Aricka and Billy to adopt you? To have parental rights over you and to protect you until you come of age, and even after that?”

“Of course I do- they’ve basically raised me since I was nine,” she says.

“Alright. Please be seated.” Max sits and Aricka and Billy hug her close. “Mr. William Munson please approach the bench.” Billy gets up and does as told, swearing in as his sister had. “Now William- is Maxine your half-sister, whose mother married your father?”

“Yes Your honor,” he says.

“And they both have waived their parental rights for Maxine?”

“Yes, your honor,” Billy replies. The judge nods.

“Mrs. Maxwell in your professional opinion, is this the best option for all involved parties?”

“Max loves her brother and sister in law. Yes this is absolutely the best option for all involved parties.”

“Mr. Munson do you want to adopt Maxine Mayfield? To have parental rights for her until she’s of age, and even after that time?”

“Yes,” Billy said. He never thought he’d be a parent so young, but he loved his little sister more than he thought possible. And he knew Aricka did, too. This was what they’d been working toward for three years now. Not a chance of cold feet in sight.

“Please rejoin your sister. Mrs. Aricka Munson please approach the stand.”

The judge asks Aricka the same questions and she answers each one with a firm confidence. “If I may have William and Maxine return to the stand please.” Both of them stand and join Aricka up front. “After carefully reviewing this case, the visit findings and all the required procedures, I am very pleased to announce that I am now going to sign the document which will proclaim one William Dacre and one Aricka Estelle Munson the legal guardians of one Maxine Eden Munson. May I be the first to offer a warm congratulations on becoming an official family.”

The three turn to each other and Max jumps into Billy’s arms, Aricka wrapping her arms around them both, all parties crying and laughing. “Thank you, your honor.” Aricka says suddenly, Max and Billy echoing her sentiment.

“You are most welcome,” he says. “Court’s dismissed! Miss Munson, would you like the honor?” He offers her the gavel, and Max smirks- an echo of Billy’s own- and accepts the gavel, tapping it firmly on the bench three times.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The three burst out of the courtroom together, hands linked as they head to Billy’s Camaro. Aricka gave up her passenger seat so the siblings could have a moment together to talk and process what had happened, smiling as she snapped a Polaroid of the moment. Billy had wrapped an arm around his sister tightly, like she might vanish if he let go. Max was leaning towards him with her head on his shoulder, the two whispering things Aricka couldn’t hear.

Soon they left the parking lot and headed to Max’s favorite fast food place- Wendy’s- and got a celebratory supper. They chatted together and made plans for Max’s official move-in day to the house Billy and Aricka owned. Max was still gripping Aricka’s hand, the latter still with one surprise up her sleeve.

“Well…” she began as she finished her sweet tea. “I know today has been super emotional but I have one more piece of good news to share.” She smiles at Billy. “We’ve been married exactly one year, my beloved. And remember me asking if you’d ever want kids of your own?”

“I said yes if it was with you,” he nods.

“Well….” She pulls a small box out of her purse. “Open it.”

He does and his brow furrows as he takes in the pregnancy test. Then it hits him. “Wait…”

Aricka nods, tears glistening in her eyes. “We need to paint the second guest bedroom my darling. We’re gonna have a baby; and Max, you’re gonna be a big sister-!”

Max absolutely squealed and hugged her sister in law, “I’m gonna be the best sister/aunt ever,” she promised.

“I know, Max. I know you will.”

~~~~~~~

@astralshipper @rosieshipper @hyperionshipping @yeehawselfshipping @letsgofoletsgo @tsundere-selfship @callsign-revenge

#Aricka and MadMax #Aricka and Max #Aricka x billy #we saved each other #gimme gimme gimme a man after midnight #billy my beloved #aricka and madmax 🛹 #madmax 101 dash 🛹

[forever--rain]

I wanted to create a separate post for this, @thebansheeandherboy, because it’s a topic that is near and dear to my heart as a little sister with an older brother. (And this got...LONG. So I've hidden part of it under the cut.)

My brother used to be very set in his patriarchal ways. Certain things were "a woman's job." He was absolutely convinced there was something wrong with every guy who miraculously took interest in me. For a long time, we had a very Sokka-and-Katara-Book-1 relationship. Antagonistic yet fond. Full of conflict yet protective.

As we grew up, he dated some girls who were very strong-willed and courageous. They didn't take his crap. They were my earliest feminist influences and I love them all for it. Without them, I may not have found my voice and become the person I am today. And they changed him, too.

He's very supportive of my independence now. He thinks I kick ass and is extremely proud of who I am, even if we don't always see eye to eye. And as the years have passed, he's learned that my judgement in regard to friends and significant others is pretty good. Sure, I made my youthful follies, but so did he.

Though I know he'll never admit it out loud because it would mean admitting that he likes someone whose views directly oppose his, he actually likes my S.O. and he's glad that we finally found our way to one another. And though I know I'll never hear the precise words, "I like him," I see it in a myriad of little ways which I won't delve into now because it's not pertinent.

"Ever," you may be asking. "What does any of this have to do with fictional characters?"

Well, Sokka learned from strong female influences as well. He shed his misogynistic views and embraced Katara, Suki, and Toph for who they were--strong women. He learned not to underestimate them. I've seen that in real life and I can relate to it.

It's my personal headcanon that Sokka and Zuko become lifelong best friends after everything that happened during the war. Zuko would come to admire Sokka's ingenuity and Sokka would appreciate Zuko's sense of duty and honor. They'd both respect each other's leadership skills and be in constant communication about inventions or laws or anything else under the sun. They'd be good sounding boards for one another. (And they'd also really grow to appreciate each other's senses of humor.)

(Truly, these two are my brotp.)

In a universe where Zuko and Katara get together, I actually see Sokka catching on long before either of them do. Maybe Suki would have to clue him in, but I don't think so. I think he'd catch on to their chemistry at the Western Air Temple during the war. And I think that he'd sit down with Zuko to talk to him after the war. Not in an "over protective big brother" kind of way or anything. He'd definitely just want to thank Zuko for saving Katara's life since she's always been the one to sacrifice for everyone else. He'd make sure to tell Zuko what that means to him and how much he respects him for it. He might even tell Zuko that he's like a brother to him.

That would be the beginning of it, though.

Sure, maybe a part of Sokka would find it weird because it's his little sister and his best friend (and, honestly? I'd find it weird at first if my best friend liked my sibling), but he'd kind of get it. Zuko and Katara push one another. They complement one another. They have a selfless and unconditional give and take that somehow always remains equal. Plus, Sokka knows Katara better than anyone. She's strong-willed and determined. Even if he hated the idea of her and Zuko getting together, that wouldn't stop her. He knows, too, that Zuko has always seen Katara for who she is. Zuko's not once underestimated her. He'll remember when Zuko and Katara went to track down Yon Rha and that memory will reinforce in his mind that Zuko is willing to provide Katara with unwavering support no matter the decision she makes.

And when he notices them looking at each other when the other has no clue, he'll realize he's seen that look before. Katara looks at Zuko the way Suki looks at him. And Zuko might be better at hiding his emotions than Sokka ever could be, but he can't completely disguise the way his eyes go soft when Katara walks into a room. (Don't forget: Sokka trained with Piandao. He has higher observational skills than most people give him credit for.)

And he'd just kind of watch over the years as Zuko and Katara sit in denial and dance around it. But he'd also definitely tease them both about it relentlessly, don't get me wrong! He'd make kissy faces at Zuko behind Katara's back. He'd walk around after Katara mimicking her voice as he says, "Oh, Zuko's so handsome. Zuko's such a powerful bender. Zuko has such nice, shiny hair." (Until Katara bends a snowball into his face, of course.)

Maybe Katara would try dating other people. Sokka would say things like, "You know, this guy doesn't make you laugh. Even Zuko makes you laugh." Or, "This guy can't even sling a boomerang! At least Zuko can wield two swords at once. You should find someone like that." Or, "You should be with someone who's unafraid to give you autonomy and likes your political ideas."

And if Zuko looked like he was about to give in to an arranged marriage, Sokka might step in in a subtler way. "You know, you should find someone who challenges you and inspires you to be a better person. Someone with aspiration who isn't afraid to speak her mind. Especially if she's speaking up for the average person. And you should really try to find someone you love because leading a nation seems like a lonely thing and you don't deserve to be alone."

When they finally decided to try to be together, the two of them would keep it under wraps at first. People might suspect, but there'd be no concrete evidence. Toph would claim she's noticed a difference in the energy between them. And Suki might say Katara's letters suddenly contain a little too much Zuko. But Sokka, ever the skeptic, wouldn't buy into it because his best friend and his sister are dense.

Maybe Sokka stumbles across them snuggled under a tree by the turtleduck pond one day. Or maybe he catches them kissing during the winter solstice celebration in the Southern Water Tribe. And he definitely pulls something melodramatic because, let's face it, he's Sokka. Plus, he just wants to give them shit because he's still Katara's brother and Zuko's best friend and he's obligated.

Afterward, though, he'd track Zuko down. Zuko might try to explain in his usual fumbling manner, but Sokka would just look at him and say, "You know if you hurt her or leave her or if you don't find a way to make this last forever, she'll kill you, right?" And then he'd pull out a flask of Southern Water Tribe vodka, raise it in Zuko's direction and say, "Flameo, hotman. Flameo." And together they would toast to Zuko and Katara's relationship.

(But Sokka would still lovingly give them shit for the rest of their lives.)

#this was so fun to write #thank you for asking me about this banshee!!! #i've never thought that sokka would have a problem with zuko and katara getting together #so getting to put my thoughts into words was fun #zutara #zutara headcanon #zuko x katara #sokka #sokka headcanon #headcanon #water sibs #zuko and sokka are my brotp

[emotions-ew]

A Collection of Queer Country Artists and Songs for anyone who doesn’t feel like there’s country music they can relate to...

There is this idea that country music is like just Republican men singing about beer, and trucks and also Jesus,  and that is kind of fair because loads of it is but there are some cool as hell queer/lgbtq+ country artists. Finding those and finding that representation in a genre of music I was literally raised on kind of changed my life in a tiny way and I wanted to share that.

(This is by no means a comprehensive list and also I’m basing the “Country” part of this sometimes on my subjective opinion/limited music knowledge so yuh please don’t hate me if I get some wrong)

Also link below for a Spotify playlist of my favourite gay/gayish country music, some mentioned in this post some not, (with a title that isn’t obviously gay for anyone who can’t openly listen to gay stuff on their public accounts for whatever reason) so feel free to skip the massive essay and just jump straight to that. And pretty please repost if I missed anyone/ any songs you love.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7KB6PmUxnpkU7lih8Bysvw

Artists To Follow:

Chely Wright

- Right off the bat, Chely Wright is a legend and I’m in love with her. So, in the 90′s Chely Wright was kind of a huge deal. She started her career as a singer/songwriter and released her first album in ‘94, which was critically acclaimed although never reached the commercial success of her later works. By ‘97 she was really hitting her stride, dropping her breakout hit “Shut up and Drive” (a personal favourite of mine) followed two years later by the biggest hit of her career “Single White Female”. Throughout all that Chely Wright was, to the world, a good old fashioned, heterosexual southern gal. Privately it was a bit of a different story. She had public relationships with male country artists, all while pursuing a secret decade long relationship with a woman. 

I hadn’t ever really heard a Chely Wright song until a few years ago so I never knew about her music or career pre-coming out but I do know that even though by the time she came out in 2010 she was by no means at the height of her fame Chely Wright is kind of one of the biggest names in country music to be out and proud (in my opinion) and I love her like an insane amount. I literally play her music in my car when I have passengers just so I can be like “fun fact this singer is actually gay-” and then subject them to a lengthy explanation of her entire career. She came out with an album and a memoir and the album is my favourite of her work because it’s so fucking raw and because I relate to most of it immensely. Anyways Chely Wright went fucking through it in her journey to being her authentic self and now she’s out and proud and married to a woman and they have a family together and I’m a fucking sucker for a happy ending and y’all should add her to every playlist you have. And on top of that her music is genuinely good. Coming out undoubtedly damaged her career but I think that

Brandi Carlile 

- As far as I can tell Brandi Carlile has been out her whole career. I feel like this list is just going to be me saying “I’m in love with her” about a bunch of women old enough to be my mother but in my defence, I am honestly in love with her. She’s been making music since she was like, seventeen, and has had a bunch of massive hits, as a singer, songwriter, and producer. If you want to cry kind of happy tears listen to her performance of “Bring my Flowers Now” with Tanya Tucker. She’s won Grammy’s and CMT awards and she’s done it all as an out Queer woman. She’s also a founding member of The Highwomen, an all-female country music group who released their first album in 2019, comprised of Carlile, Marren Morris, Natalie Hemby and Amanda Shires. I really love this band because they’re four artists who are immensely successfully in their own right collabing, much like the Highwaymen, and their music is phenomenal while also being a fuck you to mainstream country music and their inability to properly represent women in country music spaces. 

She’s been married to a woman (smoking hot and also brilliant) since 2012 and they have two kids together and if you want to cry (again) then you have to listen to her song “Mother” about her eldest daughter. A queer country artist absolutely worth adding to all your playlists. 

Brooke Eden

- As I understand it Eden came out publicly in January of this year. She’s engaged to Hilary Hoover, who she’s been dating since 2015 apparently. I can’t even imagine the pressure that must be on a person and how stressful it would be to keep a relationship secret from the whole world for years and personally I think they’re a cute as hell couple and I wish them literally all the happiness in the world. 

Brooke Eden has a few older songs that I think are really good, my favourite being “Act Like You Don’t”, and while her new stuff isn’t my usual country vibe I am a sucker for literally anything gay and it is legally my gay duty to stream any song that she releases to support my fellow queer. It’s quite different to anything Wright or Carlile sing but I actually kind of love that because it shows that country music of all different shapes and sizes and styles can be sung by queer artists. 

Amythyst Kiah

- Okay so I am a very new listener to Amythyst Kiah, but her music is literally so beautiful it would be a straight up sin to not include her on this list. Her music is country-blues-roots esq (more roots than country, I think?) and her voice is so unique. She grew up in Chattanooga and has been playing music since childhood. She recently made her Opry debut which is fucking awesome. She also belongs to a band called Our Native Daughters, described as “A supergroup of Black women in traditional music”. Their debut album “Songs of Our Native Daughters” did numbers and I haven’t listened to the whole thing but my favourite so far are “Black Myself” and “I Knew I Could Fly” so y’all add that to your playlists along with “Wild Turkey” by Amythyst Kiah because holy hell her voice on that will blow your mind.

Steve Grand

-        The first man to make this list, he should frankly be honoured. Grand has been an out and proud gay man making country music since like 2013, and I have so much respect for an artist who chose to simply never be in, choosing instead to simply write gay ass songs about being in love with men and letting the chips fall where they man. His music is always going to have a special place in my heart and, he’s cute so if you’re into men and music by men give him a google. add him to your playlists, his All-American Boy album is literally just a dozen songs that are perfect to yell-sing along to.

Katie Pruitt

-        Not hugely knowledgeable on Katie Pruitt but her music makes me feel crazy intense emotions and is absolutely gay

 Honorable Mention Artists I haven’t Really Listened to But Who I Know to be gay thanks to google and might be your thing so totally check them out:

Brandy Clark

Ty Herndon

Shelly Fairchild

Lavendar Country

Trixie Mattel

Cameron Hawthorn

Drop any other names of artists or songs you know of 

 Specific Songs That Make Me Fucking Cry or (in good and bad ways (but always in a gay way)) or basically are just gay as hell:

If She Ever Leaves Me; The Highwomen

- So, this album came out about a week before my first (and only) girlfriend broke up with me. The general gist of the song is a woman singing about how her loved isn’t ever going to leave her but if she does it sure as hell won’t be for a creepy man in a bar. A little ironic that I felt I related to it so intensely, considering she did in fact leave me. There’s this one lyric that goes “I’ve loved her in secret/I’ve lover here out loud/the sky hasn’t always been blue” and my girlfriend and I were crazy deep in the closet so I drew her a cute little picture of a grey cloud and on the back I wrote that lyric and I gave it to her and to me it was kind of a promise that one day I’d get a chance to love her out loud and even though I never actually did this song is forever going to make me cry because of the little bit of hope that lyric gave me and the way it’s inclusion on this overwhelmingly mainstream country album made me feel like acceptance was just that little bit closer. 

 All American Boy; Steve Grand

- Definitely one of the first gay country songs I ever heard, and Steve Grand didn’t once sacrifice a scrap of country for the gay. It’s beautiful, it’s a little sad, it’s hopeful. It’s forever going to hold a special place in my heart and the music videos is kind of one of my favourites ever. I found this song before I found myself and the way it made my heart warm should have been a stronger sign than I took it to be. 

Like Me; Chely Wright

- When you love someone you kind of make it your mission to know them in a way that no one else can. This song by Chely Wright is sort of an ode to that, and how even once you lost someone, you’re still going to know every little thing about them. On top of that it sort of speaks to the idea that all these things Wright learned about this woman, she learned in secret and she knew her and loved her in secret and now that they’re gone from each other she’s left with all of this knowledge and all of these questions and no one to answer them. I love the way it’s so slow and the melody and her voice, the way it’s low and a little raspy, make this one of my favourite Chely Wright songs.

The Mother; Brandi Carlile

-        Sorry but a song about being a mother by a queer woman is going to make me cry every time and actually I’m not that sorry. It’s quite a simple song, if any song written by Brandi Carlile can ever be described as ‘simple’, it’s an ode to her daughter. My favourite line is “you are not an accident/where no one thought it through” because it speaks to the fact that in order for queer women to have a kid together they have to want it so damn bad and also I just like the way her voice sounds on that line. This song is also the perfect thing to listen to if you ever for a second feel like being gay/queer is going to stand in the way of you having a family because it absolutely doesn’t have to and if that’s something you want, you can have it. Don’t let people try and convince you otherwise.

Loving Her; Katie Pruitt

-        Unapologetic gay love. Opening a song with “If loving hers a sin, I don’t wanna go to heaven” is a fucking baller move and she went there. The lyrics are beautiful, and her voice is phenomenal. It could be a sad song, about confronting religious repression and grappling with what that means for your love, but instead its triumphant. Katie Pruitt doesn’t give a fuck if you have a problem because she’s going to write songs for her lover.

Jesus From Texas; Semler

-        Not actually totally sure this is a country song, but it has the words ‘Jesus’ and ‘Texas’ in the title so I feel safe including it in this list. Honestly, I don’t really know why I relate so hard to this song. Like, I wasn’t really raised with religion, so I don’t know what it is about this funky little tune that makes me want to sob but there’s something about this tune that makes me want to do whatever the opposite of get up and dance is, but like, in a good way.

Lovin’ Again; Steve Grand

-        Breakup song that ends kind of positively? So good to sing along to at high, high volumes. The idea that losing someone doesn’t have to mean losing yourself and just because you can’t love them doesn’t mean you’re not ever going to love again. But also kind of about how it’s hard to get over someone, I don’t know it’s just good.

Cryin’ These Cocksucking Tears; Lavender Country

-        Jesus christ if this isn’t the coolest shit I’ve ever heard in my life. Sorry but a gay country group formed in 1972 who dropped possibly the first gay themed country album, and this was the title of one of the songs. God I am in love.

 Songs that (to me) are a little fruity or that I just relate to in a gay way:

Picket Fences; Chely Wright

-          Chely Wright is gay but this song came out long before she did and when she wrote it, it wasn’t supposed to be gay which is why it’s in this section and not the previous. The reason it’s included at all is because frankly ma’am, Mrs Wright, it’s a little fruity. And I feel a little bad for joking because honestly to me, the way I hear this song and knowing the context (that Wright was deeply closeted at the time she wrote and released it), it’s kind of just sad. The general gist of the song is Wright asking what’s so great about a traditional lifestyle anyways. It could be read as a woman genuinely questioning why we push that expectation that she’ll have two kids and a husband and a picket fence lifestyle, or even could be read as a woman who’s trying to deflect how much she does in fact want that, you have to listen and form your own opinion. But to me, it feels like a woman who’s desperately trying to justify why she doesn’t want that life not because she can’t have it, but she knows it will never be right for her. I don’t know it’s hard to explain I just feel like this song is a little bit gay even though I’m sure she didn’t intend that.

Sinning with You; Sam Hunt

-          Sorry but this song is gay. Sorry but you can’t write the lines “I never felt like I was sinning with you/Always felt like I could talk to God in the morning” and “if it’s so wrong why did it feel so right” and “But I never felt shame, never felt sorry/Never felt guilty touching your body” and not to mention the opening line of “raised in the first pew/praises for yeshua/case of a small town repression”, and expect to not sit in my car sobbing as I realised that while I never felt like what we did was a sin she absolutely did, and wishing I could have told her that I was sorry for making her carry the weight of both our souls but also that it wasn’t a sin and nothing in the world could feel that good and be that bad and it isn’t right that she had to be so ashamed of something that was just so good. Sam Hunt actually said after he wrote the song that while it was reflection on his own relationship with faith he genuinely hopes that people in the lgbtq community can like find comfort or whatever in his words and like go off king, we stan an ally.

  How do I Get There; Deana Carter

-          This ones easy, it’s about falling in love with your best friend and suddenly realising you want more than just friendship with them. Sorry Deana, that’s gay. In my Deana Carter of like Year 10 I played this song on repeat and screamed along to the lyrics as though singing it hard enough would make her like me back.

#country #country music #music #singer #lgtbqia #lesbian #queer #gay #brandi carlile #brandy clark #chely wright #owns my entire heart #deana carter #country songs #playlist #compilation #steve grand #lavender country #brooke eden #trixie mattel #katie pruitt #semler #gay country music #gay country songs #add to this playlist and this post i want to know everyones favourite country songs and artists who are gay as hell

[muertawrites]

Two Halves - Chapter One (Zuko x Reader)

Word Count: 3,700

Author’s Note: I decided to set this a few years after the war, when Zuko is Firelord. I didn’t want to stray too far from what was canon in the series - what with Katara being the only bender left in the Southern Tribe and also trying not to add extra family members because that always feels weird to me - so the reader in this story is a girl from the village who lost her parents to a raid and was essentially adopted into Sokka and Katara’s family; she stayed behind to watch after the tribe when they left to help Aang, and now, as the chief’s surrogate daughter, is arranged to marry the Firelord to help bring the two nations together. Chaos and sweet, tender romance ensues. This is also going to be a mini series! I have no real plot and no idea how long it’s going to be, but that just adds to the fun of it all. Stay tuned.

~ Muerta 

“You can’t be serious.” 

Sokka, seated beside you, instinctively offers you his hand, which you willingly, eagerly take, gripping it tightly in your lap. You can’t decide if you feel anger or fear; the two mix sourly in your stomach. 

“I am,” Chief Hakoda says. His tone is even, and infuriatingly understanding. It makes you want to scream. “Your presence in the Fire Nation will be key to unite the nations in peace once again. They’ve been closed off from the rest of the world for too long - you’ll be an ambassador for our people.” 

“Then make me an ambassador,” you snap. “Marrying me off to the Firelord is no better than letting him come here and colonize us.” 

Hakoda glowers sternly at you. You shrink back, Sokka giving your hand an assuring squeeze.

“Firelord Zuko has made great strides to restore what his ancestors destroyed in the years since the war,” Hakoda scolds. “He’s an honorable, respectable man. I expect you to treat him as such.” 

You look back up at him, letting out a heavy, defeated sigh. 

“I don’t have a choice in this, do I?” you ask softly. Your voice quivers, revealing the terror behind your rage. 

Hakoda’s expression softens as he stands. He helps you onto your feet, holding you gently at the elbows and looking apologetically into your eyes, one of his hands reaching to brush your hair behind your ear. 

“Just because the war is over, it doesn’t mean the need for sacrifice is,” he tenderly says. “You’ll do great things as the queen of the Fire Nation. I wouldn’t be doing this if I didn’t trust Zuko to treat you well.” 

In Hakoda’s eyes, you see the man you knew as a child, the man who brought you into his family when you lost your own to a Fire Nation raid. You love him as much as you loved your own father, and know he loves you as much as his flesh and blood children; you trust that he would never put you in harm’s way. 

Hakoda leans forward and kisses your forehead, holding you close for a long moment before letting go, breaking contact with you completely. The pain on his face tears a gaping hole in your heart. 

“You leave in three days,” he tells you. “You’ll be in good hands - I promise.” 

Though you know it isn’t for the last time, leaving the Southern Water Tribe hurts so much you think it might kill you. 

You cruise across a calm ocean in a Fire Navy ship; luckily Sokka was allowed to come with you as emotional support, as well as to represent the tribe at your wedding. The presence of Zuko’s uncle is also calming to you, despite how little you know him, and how not long ago you would have considered him an enemy. There’s just something about Iroh that makes you feel safe, and you only hope the same holds true when you meet your husband to be. 

“Zuko sent me to ensure your safe passage,” Iroh told you when you first boarded the ship. “Think of me as your guardian spirit.” 

You stand on the deck, basking in the newly warm weather and taking deep breaths of fresh ocean breeze. The peace of the moment helps you lose yourself, forgetting your fate entirely, if only for a moment. 

“How ya feeling?” 

Sokka sidles up next to you, placing an assuring hand on your shoulder. You reach up and curl your fingers around his, sighing.  

“Awful, now that you’re here,” you tease. 

Sokka chuckles. 

“I could still make good on that promise I made when we were kids,” he offers, wrapping an arm around your waist and pulling you into the side of his sturdy, familiar body. “I don’t think Suki or Dad would be really happy about it, though.” 

You let out a huff of laughter, remembering all the times you used to play together before the war brought you closer; you used to have intense crushes on each other, and Sokka always promised that he would marry you when you both got older - plans that changed when you effectively became siblings. You lean your head into his shoulder, finding comfort in his presence.  

“I’m just scared,” you tell him. “I always planned for great adventure in my life, and to help people, but… this doesn’t seem like the right way. It feels like I’m being taken prisoner.” 

“They say that having too many plans for one’s life keeps one from finding their true potential.” 

You turn, meeting Iroh’s gaze as he crosses the deck to where you stand. You part with Sokka and bow respectfully, trying to hide the embarrassment that heats your skin. 

“I apologize, General Iroh,” you greet him. “I didn’t mean any offense.” 

Iroh tuts at you, placing a hand on your shoulder to gently straighten you up. He meets you with a kind gaze and a soft smile. 

“Fear is to be expected, my dear,” he says. “You can’t have a great adventure without also facing a great fear.” 

He turns and peers out across the water, inhaling and releasing a deep, contented sigh. 

“The weather is lovely today,” he notes. “Why don’t we all enjoy it together, with a pot of tea?” 

And so a tea set is brought, along with a table and cushions, and you and Sokka join Iroh as he demonstrates how to brew the perfect pot of jasmine green, generously serving each cup. He toasts to your being together, and you drink heartily, savoring the exquisite taste of his famous tea. 

“I understand how you must feel,” Iroh addresses you once you’ve all settled. “Coming to a strange country, among people responsible for so much of the pain you’ve experienced; you’re exceptionally brave for doing what is best for your people.”

Iroh takes your hand, cradling it between both of his. 

“I am sorry for how my nation - my family - has hurt you,” he says. “My nephew and I only want happiness for you with us, and we will do all we can to ensure it; I give you this vow among his.” 

He squeezes your hand tightly, and you grip back, accepting his promise. You bow again, lowering yourself so that your face is almost level with the deck of the ship. 

“Thank you, General Iroh,” you reply. “Your generosity means everything to me.”

When you sit up, Sokka places a hand at your back, giving you a comforting smile. 

“Zuko’s a good guy,” he assures you. “I really think you’ll learn to like him.” 

Your arrival in the Fire Nation, much to your surprise, is met with celebration. As your ship pulls into port, army and navy officers in full ceremonial regalia perform displays of their bending, a traditional band playing cheerful, joyous music to welcome you to shore. A procession of military vehicles escorts you through the streets of the capital to the palace, citizens emerging from their homes and businesses to catch a glimpse as your carriage rolls by. The people who manage to see you are elated, if not curious, staring at you with wide eyes and rapt attention; Iroh explains that many of them have never seen a foreigner, as travel to the nation is only just starting to become somewhat commonplace. You’re confronted by the beauty and grandeur of the city - the tall, elegant buildings with their ornate details are far from anything you’ve ever seen in person, even with the rapid development of the Southern Tribe. 

In the palace, you’re immediately whisked away to your own wing, your quarters designated to a set of quaint buildings circling a scenic courtyard. Tradition dictates that, from the time of your engagement, you aren’t allowed to see the man you’re meant to marry until you’re both at the alter; the first few days of your time in the Fire Nation are spent in seclusion, resting off the fatigue of travel and acquainting yourself with the new culture you must now call your own. Though you have to keep your distance, you’re relieved when, on your first morning in the palace, you find a letter on your doorstep, scrawled in a refined, graceful hand and addressed from the Firelord himself. 

Hello, it says, Zuko here.

I wish I could introduce myself in person, but unfortunately, this will have to do for now. Sokka has told me much about you in the years we’ve known each other, and he always speaks of you highly. My uncle is also already enamored with you, and tells me he already considers you family, so I hope this brings as much comfort to you as it does to me. I don’t think I could have chosen a better woman to rule at my side. 

I have to admit that I’m nervous about getting married. I still feel like I’m too young, and still just figuring things out. But I guess if I can lead a country and make peace after a hundred years of war, I can have a wife and make her happy. I hope I do make you happy - I hope we can be close friends and lead the nation strongly together, for the better of both our homes. 

Please write to me if you need anything. Sincerely yours, Firelord Zuko. 

The candidity and awkwardness of his writing makes you smile, your mind at ease being able to put a voice to his name. You decide to write him back immediately. 

Hello, Zuko, you write. 

Your letter has already made me feel much better. Your uncle is a very sweet, very wise man, and I’m thankful that you sent him to watch over me - he makes me feel like I already have a little piece of a home and a family here. Meeting the man who raised you, I have faith that you’ll be a good husband to me. 

I’m very scared because, unlike you, I’ve never led a country or had to negotiate peace - getting married is the biggest responsibility I’ve ever had. I want to help people, though, and if I can help people by leading them out of the darkness of war, I’m very happy to do it. It isn’t as terrifying knowing you’re also nervous; I’m glad we can be nervous together. 

Please write to me as much as possible until the wedding. It would be nice to get to know my husband before I marry him. Sincerely yours, the bride.”

For the following days, you and Zuko exchange multiple letters; you have one waiting for you every morning, receive a reply by midday, and end each night wishing him pleasant dreams. You learn that he’s very intelligent and, though quite subdued, has a sense of humor much like your own. He has a passion for weaponry and the art of combat, as well as for storytelling and music (he tells you that dancing has recently been unbanned in the Fire Nation, and wonders if you’ll be able to teach him any Water Tribe dances; you promise to help as much as you can). The more you write to him, the less daunting the idea of your marriage seems, and you find yourself feeling excited by the idea of finally meeting him. 

The day of your wedding starts early. You’re woken at dawn, fed a breakfast of tea and jook (both prepared by Iroh, and sent on a tray beside a polished wooden box - inside is a traditional hair comb and a note from the old man, explaining that the comb was given to his mother by his father on their wedding day; the gesture sends you to tears), then sent to the palace baths to be buffed  and primed for your wedding attire. 

You’re stripped down and steeped in multiple perfumed liquids, scrubbed with an array of soaps and exfoliants, and washed so thoroughly you think your handlers might have exposed an entirely new layer of skin. They wax every single hair from your body as well; you only attempt to draw the line when they reach your nether area. 

“Please don’t,” you request, firm but not commanding. “I don’t think I’ll need it.” 

The beautician scoffs at you, pushing you back onto the waxing table and forcefully spreading your legs apart. 

“Foolish girl,” she huffs. “Of course you will. Royal marriages must always be consummated on the wedding night - the Firelord will want as many heirs as you can give him, as soon as possible.” 

Her brute words make you sick to your stomach, and as she rips away the hair between your thighs, tears roll down your cheeks from both pain and horror. You want to believe the man who’s been writing to you for the past five days would never force himself onto you in the name of tradition, but it dawns on you once again that you don’t truly know him, and can’t anticipate his actions. 

Once you’ve been wrung out from your time at the bath house, you’re sent back to your sleeping chambers, where you’re pleased to find not only lunch waiting for you, but visitors as well. 

“Katara!” you cry, flying across the room and into her arms. She laughs, hugging you so tightly you can hardly breathe. 

“Oh, I’ve missed you!” Katara cries, whirling you around a few times before setting you back onto your feet. “You already look so beautiful! How do you feel?” 

“I’m terrified,” you tell her, “but so much happier now that you’re here.” 

“Don’t forget me!” 

Aang waves from behind Katara and you shout with glee, greeting him in the same manner you did her. He also crushes himself against you, and when you pull away, you cup his face between your hands. 

“You look older!” you exclaim, squeezing his cheeks. “You grow every time I see you!” 

Aang laughs, pushing your hands away with a pink blush creeping over his nose and ears. 

“I’m a grown man, and the avatar,” he says, teasingly poking your shoulder. “You can’t keep treating me like I’m still twelve.” 

“I can and I will,” you jest, lightly punching him in the stomach. He cackles and puts you in a (gentle) headlock, rubbing his knuckles into your skull to tangle your freshly washed hair. 

“Hey, kids, that’s enough,” Sokka scolds playfully as he enters the room. “Let’s eat, otherwise I’ll be way too tempted by the spread at the reception tonight.” 

Lunch with your siblings is the last moment of relative calm you have before the wedding and its reality truly start to set in. After the meal, Sokka and Aang leave to help Zuko with his own preparations, Katara staying to help you with yours. Your handlers navigate you into your dress, a traditional gown and robes made of many layers of fine silk and embroidered with dragons and native Fire Nation flowers; the train and sleeves fall so far behind you, you worry about tripping or scuffing the fabric. Once you’re dressed, your face is painted white, your features then outlined as if they were being drawn anew into your skin. You hardly recognize yourself once the handlers are finished with you, the anxiety you felt upon learning of your engagement returning with newfound ferocity. 

Katara is the one to style your hair. Keeping with custom, she knots a portion of it atop your head in a tight bun, using the comb Iroh gave you to hold it in place. She then takes the remainder of your hair and braids it into two sections on each side of your face, the way it would be worn in the Water Tribe; she laces each braid with a string of beads from home, crystalline blue totems to ensure happiness and long life hanging at the end of each, contrasting beautifully with your gown. She cries when she steps back to look at you, carefully dabbing at her tears so as not to ruin her own makeup and dress. 

“You’re so gorgeous,” she tells you. “I’m so glad Sokka never married you like he said he would, he would look awful at the alter next to you.” 

You laugh, opening your arms and hugging her tightly, forcing your own tears back for the sake of the effort that’s been put into your costume. 

For the last few minutes before the wedding, you’re alone; you stand outside the doors of the palace’s grand courtyard, flanked on both sides by guards, listening nervously as Iroh (who’s officiating, per his nephew’s request) praises you and recites a poem in your honor. His sentiments are exceedingly affectionate and should move you, but all you can think of is Zuko; what will he think of you? Will he like you as much in person as he did in writing? Was he just pretending to like you for the sake of your union? What if he didn’t think you were pretty? What if, like the beautician said, he forced you to sleep with him tonight, simply because it’s what’s meant to be done? You chew at your nails, biting them so hard that some of them start to bleed. 

Music swells from inside the courtyard, and suddenly the doors before you swing open. You hold your head as high as you can, stepping forward with as much grace as you can manage and beginning to traverse the impossibly long aisle to the wedding altar. You breathe deeply, scanning the group of people standing before it - you see Katara first, and she nods encouragingly, looking like she’s about to cry all over again. Your eyes sweep over to Sokka, standing beside her, and he seems somewhat shocked by your appearance - not that you blame him, seeing as you look like a complete stranger, even to yourself. Iroh gazes at you from the center of the altar, wearing the expression of a proud father that makes you wish Hakoda were there. Aang stands beside Zuko, and you can tell from his face that he was bored by this whole display until you emerged from hiding; you stifle your laughter at his predictable, endearing disposition. 

Finally, your eyes fall on the groom. The first thing you notice is his stare, cutting into you as he watches you approach; his chiseled, angular features have fallen into an awed expression, one that causes a giddy tickle in your chest. He’s tall, slim, with broad shoulders that carry his wedding robes proudly - his clothing matches yours, the only difference being the armored sheath across his chest that signals his status as ruler of the Fire Nation. You’re reminded that his father wore it before him, and a shudder runs through you as you recall all you suffered at his hands; you push it from your mind, climbing the altar steps to stand beside your betrothed. He gently takes your arm, a warm, timid smile breaking across his lips. 

“Spirits,” Iroh addresses the crowd, “we gather before you to join this man, this woman, and our two great nations in a union of peace and prosperity. With your blessing and guidance, their souls will form two halves of a great whole, coming together to foster a new era of love and commitment not just for their people, but for each other. The bride and groom will now recite their vows.” 

Iroh nods towards you, and you lower yourself onto your knees, bowing before the Firelord. You clear your throat, hoping that the entire country doesn’t hear the quiver in your voice. 

“My lord,” you begin, “I give myself to you as completely as I give myself to my tribe. I swear, from this day forward, to walk confidently by your side in all your endeavors, to uphold the honor of our nations and families, and to be a guiding light into the future for every citizen of the Fire Nation. I will be your support, your comfort, and your ally in all aspects of our life together, and will serve you as loyally and dutifully as you serve me.” 

You stand, taking one of the rings that sits upon the altar and slipping it onto Zuko’s finger; his skin is warm, his palms rough, and he shakes as violently as you do. 

“I give you this ring as a symbol of our union, to represent the bond that holds us for all our days.” 

Once you finish, thankful you didn’t stumble over your words or forget them completely, Zuko kneels, mirroring the way you bowed to him. 

“My lady,” he recites, “by my word, I will serve you honorably and affectionately for all our time together. If you should ask for my compassion, I will give it; if you should seek after my heart, I will offer it willingly; and if I should stray from my path, I will follow you back onto it. I vow to you my devotion, and to bring you happiness and freedom. I trust in you the power to lead and govern my people as justly as I do.”

He stands and takes the other ring, delicately placing it as you did his. 

“I give you this ring as a symbol of our union, to represent the bond that holds us for all our days.” 

In most weddings, this would be the moment when the bride and groom embrace each other in a devoted, passionate kiss; instead, Zuko takes your arm and you face the court of respected leaders and diplomats from across the four nations, gripping each other tightly - you hold each other as if you’re the only support the other has to keep standing. Iroh’s typically soft, pleasant voice booms from behind you:

“I present the lord and lady of the great Fire Nation.” 

Everyone in attendance folds onto their hands and knees, bowing as the band once again begins to play. You descend from the altar, your head feeling like it’s floating miles above your body, and exit through the doors you’d been shivering behind only minutes before - this time, with your husband beside you.

#muerta's works #two halves #zuko #zuko x reader #zuko x you #prince zuko x reader #prince zuko x you #prince zuko #prince zuko fanfic #zuko fanfic #zuko fanfiction #prince zuko fanfiction #atla fanfic

[nordleuchten]

what were other friends that Lafayette made during his time in the continental army (others than hamilton and laurens)?

and also, did he pick up some/many fights with others ('cause of diferent opinions or smth) while he was in america? thank youu

Hello Anon,

sorry that it took me so long to answer you, I somewhat misplaced my draft and things went downhill from there. Thank you for our great question though. La Fayette made many other friends beside Laurens, Hamilton, Jefferson and Washington, but many of them are often overlocked. (I copied parts of a previous post that also dealt with La Fayette’s friends, so please be not surprised if some passages may sound familiar.)

La Fayette was the sort of person who made friends easily. He was not a grumpy person, being on good terms with somebody was his default mood so to speak. Some of the lesser-known friendships that he struck up during his time in America were with James McHenry, James Monroe, Henry Laurens, Nathanael Greene and Baron von Steuben for example.

James McHenry first met La Fayette when they both were members in George Washington staff. McHenry later transferred to La Fayette’s staff (March of 1781) and was one of his most trusted aide-de-camps. He often was chosen as La Fayette’s “liaison-officer”. I have three excerpts from letters by La Fayette, detailing his relationship to McHenry. The first one was written by La Fayette to McHenry on February 15, 1781, a few months before McHenry joined his staff:

My tender friendship and affectionate Regard for You, will Not lengthen this letter with Assurances from My Heart While the Heart itself must Be known to You. I intend to write You Again in a few days and with Every Sentiment of Attachement and Esteem Have the Honor to be Yours

Lafayette

The second letter was addressed to General Greene on August 12, 1781, concerning a potential transfer McHenry’s into Greene’s staff.

McHenry is So well Acquainted with My Sentiments for Him that He knows My attachement is independant of whatever Steps He Might take on the occasion. He knows I am not of a temper that finds faults with the Measures of My friends, and that I will ever feel an obligation to the Man who obliges General Greene.

The last letter was written to McHenry on December 26, 1783. McHenry at this point had already retired from the army.

As an ardent lover of America I am glad to Hear of the influence You are said to Have in Congress. As Your most affectionate friend I shall Be glad whenever You Have an opportunity to display Your abilities. If Congress do not send me Any Commands, I shall Most Certainly embark in the spring. If they Have Commands for me, I would Be thrice Happy to Receive You along with them, and to Make with you french and European travels. You ought to Make them charge you with some political commission to Courts in Europe, and I would like going as a volonteer with you. [Manuscript torn; part a line missing] Your family and our friends. Most affectionately I am for [manuscript torn; several words missing].

Lafayette

I showed you this many letters for several reasons. First, McHenry deserves more attention if you ask me. Second, they show not only their emotional relationship but also their professional relationship and illustrate how convinced La Fayette was by McHenry’s merits - and lastly, I like them all and could not decide. :-) Years later, during La Fayette’s imprisonment, McHenry was among the people who tried to help him gain his freedom.

On to James Monroe. Monroe was, just like Hamilton, close in age to La Fayette (actually, La Fayette was older then Monroe by several months) and spoke French. They both moved in the same social circles during the Revolution and had some common friends. It was also Monroe, who, with the backing of Congress, invited La Fayette to visit America once more in 1824/1825. La Fayette received the rights to some land during this visited and later gifted some of this land to Monroe so that Monroe could start paying off his mounting debts. Here is what La Fayette wrote to Monroe on December 19, 1784:

My dear Sir

I Have Received your letter to mr jefferson, and shall very Carefully deliver it. Our old friend Gibbs will give you a Bundle of papers for McHenry which I Beg you will keep for Him untill He Comes to Trenton. To morrow morning, My dear Sir, I set out for Europe, and Before I go, it is pleasing for me once more to assure you of the value I Have By Your friendship, and of the affection and regard I Have the Honor to Be With My dear Sir Yours

Lafayette

(I may or may not have chosen this letter because McHenry also makes an appearance.)

Another friend was Henry Laurens. Laurens was the father of John Laurens and the president of the Continental Congress for some time. He and La Fayette first started corresponding when La Fayette was recovering from his gunshot wound. He wrote Laurens on December, 1777:

I am indeed very importune to wraÏt so long a letter. You'l find me very troublesome, and I make haste to put an end to it by the short assurance of the eternal friendship I am with - Dear Sir Your most obedient servant

(La Fayette had a moment of self-realisation right here.)

Another very dear and very close friend of La Fayette’s was Nathanael Greene. There is a letter from La Fayette to Greene from November 10, 1780 that perfectly captures his feelings. La Fayette wrote:

My dear friend (…)For My friends, My dear Sir, I have No different feelings from those which I experience for Myself. I therefore feel for you, as I would do on My own account was I the Commander of the Southern Army. (…) But Whatever Might be hereafter the Case, Whatever Bad chance (and in our profession chance is Some thing) a Malignant fortune Might throw in Your Way, Be Certain, My dear Sir, that My friendship as well as My esteem for you are founded upon Such a Bazis As Cannot be shak' d By Any Run of Good or ill luck which May subject You to the praise or to the Blame of Common opinions. In all Cases, My Good friend, I am heartly willing to have My fate united to Yours, and By this junction of Stars to have My little share in Any thing Good or Bad that May happen to the troops Under your Command. I Beg you will present My Best Compliments to Your family and Most affectionately have the honor to be Yours forever

Lafayette

In the same letter to Greene, La Fayette also described his feeling for Henry Lee, a member of the prominent Lee family and someone La Fayette met through the army. He wrote Greene:

As I am Sure that My friend Lee will apply for being attach'd to me, I Beg leave to Support the Motion of that officer whom I Love, and on whom I Greatly Confide Both for Advice and execution.

The Baron von Steuben (what a legend) was also counted among La Fayette’s friend. The two of them spend a lot of time together during the Campaign in Virginia. La Fayette wrote to von Steuben on July 16, 1780:

I received, my dear baron, the letter you had the kindness to write me, and I am infinitely appreciative of the token of friendship you give me. (…) The confidence I have always had in your friendship and the new proof of it that you have just so graciously given me, my dear baron, assure me that you will be willing to make efforts and use your influence and authority to get first-rate men. (…) In a word, my dear baron, I put my interests in your hands and, counting on your friendship, I am utterly at ease. (…)I hope I do not need to assure you of my tender affection

This list is by no means exclusively but I think these were the most important friendships for La Fayette. Others friend that could be mentioned was Joseph Reed, William Heath and William Carmichael … now on to the “picking fights part”. No, La Fayette was nobody to pick fights. That was simply not his style. There were disagreements of course, mostly over military and army matters, but these could either be dissolved or La Fayette acknowledged that he was for the most part the more junior and inexperienced person in the disagreement. He was however somebody who was not afraid of letting his opinion be known.

There are for example Generals Gates and Conway, two officers who were involved in what was called the “Conway-Cabal”. There is a bit of a discussion nowadays about the true extent and nature of the “Conway-Cabal” but for people back then, for people like La Fayette, it was a very serious affair. Previously he had been on quite friendly terms with both Generals, even trying to form a deeper friendship with Gates, but after the “Cabal”, their relationships soured. La Fayette wrote the following about Conway in a letter to Henry Laurens on January 26, 1778:

Amongs All the men who could be sent under me Mr. Connway is the most disagreable to me and the most prejudiciable to the cause. I Confess you that love and friendship have alwals been my duties. This last sentiment I feel to the most perfect degree for General Washington. How can I support the society of a man who has spocken of my friend in the most insolent and abusive terms, who has done, and does every day all his power to ruin him, who tries to spend the fire in every part of the army and the country?

La Fayette also manged to almost get into a duel while in America - but not with an American but an Englishman. The British had sent a peace commission to America to probe the possibility of a peace treaty. One of the people they send, Lord Carlisle, insulted France in an open document. La Fayette felt offended on behalf of France and challenged Carlisle to a duel in late September of 1778 - Carlisle refused. The Marquis noted of the event in his memoirs:

In a public letter, signed Carlisle, the French nation was taxed with a perfidy too universally acknowledged to require any new proof. With the effervescence of youth and patriotism, M. de Lafayette seized this opportunity of opposing the commission; and the first impulse of M. d'Estaing was to approve of his conduct. A haughty challenge was sent from head - quarters to Lord Carlisle: the answer was an ill - explained refusal, and the impetuosity of M. de Lafayette was attended with a good result, whilst the prudence of the president was ridiculed in every public paper.

Roughly two decades later he wrote in his mauskripts:

Lord Carlisle refused, -- and he was right.

I hope that I could answer your question and I hope that you have/had a fantastic day!

#ask me anything #anon #marquis de lafayette #general lafayette #lafayette #historical lafayette #letters #1778 #1780 #1781 #1783 #1784 #1777 #american revolution #american history #french history #james mchenry #james monroe #henry laurens #nathanael greene #baron von steuben #duelling #lord carlisle #henry lee #america #france #george washington #john laurens #alexander hamilton #thomas jefferson

[milkacchan]

Request for anon: can I request Present mic and a American exchange student (southern reader if you could??) (Aka her being his favorite student)?? ((Bc I know you have an Aizawa one and all might one))

REQUESTS ARE NOW OPEN!!!

😌😌😌😌 yes.

• His class is your favorite but also your least favorite

• Because you have a natural affinity for english and you ACE the tests but also Japanese is SO HARD

• Anyway from day one, you're his favorite

• he heard you mumble a pun under your breath at something he said then laugh to yourself and he's like

• Yes. This one.

• he is that english teacher

• the ones that kids will flock to if they feel alone

• This man practically becomes dad 2

• and you're so thankful for that because it's someone you can be with

• Anyway it starts with you sitting alone in his class room during lunch

• bc theres no one else to talk to lmao

• Dumb small talk

• that turns into pun contests and dad jokes

"Hey, Mr. Hizashi, did you hear about the kidnapping at school?"

He perked up, "What?! No I-"

"It's okay, he woke up."

• and that was when he knew you were going to be best friends

• You eat in his room a lot

• and when he finally questions it, he feels his heart break a little

"So why do you always eat in here? Not that I mind- just students rather not spend more time with teachers."

You shrug. "I feel better in here, I don't really fit in with my class right now- I don't know them and the prospect of interacting kinda scares me. Besides it's fun in here."

• he's 🥺🥺

• but he totally understands!!! Because he was the same way in highschool. Unsure if he was liked

• and as you do start to really make friends, he see's you in the room a little less but you're still there a majority of the time

• Hizashi also speaks english and he likes talking to you in english Because he can talk shit with you

• Aizawa only understands about 45% of what you're saying

• All might understands a majority though so you gotta watch it w him

• He's a fuckin sNITCH

• "Did you see that?" He mumbles under his breath, his attention still on his paper

"I was going to pretend I didn't- that was awful,"

"Sounds like a plan,"

• Y'all talk- a lot

• father daughter vibes

• you got his number

• Deadass

• "(Y/N)!!! I'M GETTING FOOD! WANT ANYTHING?"

"Whatever is cheapest,"

• He'll absolutely leave to get you something if you really needed it

• Like one time you needed tampons and there were none to be found

• and you admit it to Hizashi (with so much embarrassment) and before you even ask he's running to the store

• Thankfully it was during lunch so he didn't ditch any classes he was supposed to teach or anything

• mans is a god send

• if you dont have enough money to get food or sumn

• he got you covered

• "You're literally going to go broke Mr. Hizashi,"

"No, I am what you call r i c h,"

"You really aren't,"

"Stooop, I'm getting it for you."

• one time you accidently called him dad and you thought you were going die if embarrassment

• YOU DONT EVEN REALIZE YOU SAID IT UNTIL YOU WERE OUT OF HIS CLASSROOM

• Eye contact?? Idk her

• But mic feels honored

• theres the dad trio, Aizawa, All might, and now Hizashi

• They have an on going competition likes dads do, bragging about their kids

• "Did you hear? Young Midoryia figured out his power move,"

"Little late if you ask me, However Shinsou is ready to move to 1A,"

"(Y/N) got the highest score in her class by 10 on the english test we took AND she's cooler than yalls kids,"

• At the sports festival he's cheering for you

• Bitch is SCREAMING

• He's got your back 100% all the time

• He helps you come out of your shell no doubt

• yall are stupid, together.

• yall also vibe, together

• #staying after school to watch a movie in his class

• Occasionally Aizawa will join

• Being close with Hizashi automatically means being close with Aizawa I mean this man WILL protect you with his life

• Even if he denies it

• They're called movie Wednesdays

• because its half way through the week and you definitely want to die by then so it's time for a break

• Aizawa won't assign homework on wednesdays for this reason (even if he doesnt go)

• the rest of class 1a doesnt know

• Sometimes even Hitoshi will join, fam squad

• No, seriously tho

• Yall deadass stay being a family

• Hizashi would 100% adopt you if he could

• HE'LL COPY YOUR SOUTH LINGO

• Like phrases he hears you say? He'll memorize it

• He started saying y'all and all the teachers clowned him but he didn't even care

• He'll also ask a lot about America

• he wants to know as much as he can

• specifically about where you live

• He thinks traditions and certain aspects are cool there

• like piercings? If you have those he'll think its dope

• and he'll ask about the attitude towards them in America

• Dyed hair? Same questions

• he'll def have you in his radio show to talk about it

• starting a podcast??? Maybe.

• okay lets talk about papa bear mode for a sec

• Present Mic, Hizashi Yamada, 100% has a papa bear mode

• it's scary bc he has red eyes

• I'm talking about like yelling at other teachers who yell at you

• Pulling you out of actual first fights (he'll rarely get you in trouble)

• Absolutely wrecking people who try you

• Pulling you out of rubble that one time during training and giving Bakugou the scare of his LIFE

• Like yall thought his mom was scary? Just wait. Hizashi tops that.

• Bakugou is quiet for the rest of the day

• but his papa bear also includes emotional support

• you open up to him more than you've opened up to people at home

• like full on crying in his chest. Maybe bc you were stressed or homesick- but he's there if you ever need it.

• and lastly, reading manga together then talking about it

#present mic #hizashi yamada #yamada hizashi #aizawa x child reader #aizawa x daughter reader #aizawa x hizashi #Hizashi x child reader #hizashi x reader #hizashi x daughter reader #my hero academia #my hero academia x reader

[fayesdiary]

Ooh okay a bunch for the echoes ask game, but no pressure tho: 6, 7, 16, 18, 30, and 35!

So I got a bunch of overlapping questions between all the asks, and while I could just link to the previous answers, I decided to add a different answer on top of it, because why not? 6) What’s your favorite song? This one's a toughie, because this game is full of incredible music and I can't just pick one, but the holy trinity has got to be Heritors of Arcadia, Twilight of the Gods and Lord of a Dead Empire, they're all absolutely chilling! Fate gets an honorable mention for being my fav map track and for conveying so many different emotions so well. 7) What stuck with you after finishing the game? Previous answers: Thabes Labyrinth Is it strange that I can't give you a straight answer? It's like the game as a whole stuck with me, but not a lot of individual moments. Doesn't help that my first playthrough has been years ago and my memory's always a foggy mess.

16) What is a line from the game that stuck with you? "..he's lucky indeed. And yet, who do I have left?" This line from Fernand in the final Rise of the Deliverance map just breaks me, that's basically so much of his character summed up in one phrase. Not to mention that it's the start of his jealousy of Clive and overall bitterness, and it says so much about him in a way that hundreds of infodumps by NPCs or even Clive never could. You were right Rose, this DLC really does feed you! 18) Who’s your favorite VA performance? I'm just gonna quote what @heartfeltstories said in their answer and say Ian Sinclair! While every VA does a phenomenal job for every chracter, Ian Sinclair as Berkut is just unreal and singlehandedly sells him. I once made a joke about him setting his wife on fire for accuracy, because he just goes that much into the role! You can feel Berkut's descent into madness that much mainly because of his performance, and I hope he comes back in future titles! Heck, for all I know he could have a role in Three Houses... It makes me so glad this game introduced full voice acting to Fire Emblem, because had Berkut been in even an older 3DS title his scenes wouldn't have been nearly as intense. 30) What’s your favorite non-canon pair and why? Faye/Celica, absolutely!🌸 They're sickeningly sweet together and everyone making content about them is incredibly talented! Heck, despite it being my favourite pair I can't even exactly say what made me ship them so much besides the amazing fan content, I guess they just clicked? There's something about both of them that really works, and it's a big "screw you" to love triangles or two girls fighting for the man's love, which is always a plus in my book! For a more popular pair and with more base in canon though, I'd say Gray/Tobin! I swear, replaying this game made me realize Tobin's likely gay and in the closet and absolutely has a crush for Gray. There's him saying halfheartedly "yeah, I guess I like girls" before approaching the Southern Outpost and their support together is just ambiguous enough that you could interpret it as Tobin being jealous of Clair, not Gray before letting go and outright saying he would rather keep his best friend over something he can't have.

The two bounce off each other really well, and there's a lot of respect for each other beyond all the teasing! They feel like equals and like they genuinely like each other, which is reason enough to make me like it way more than Gray/Clair, to be honest...

35) What’s an Echoes alt you really want in Heroes? (Fallen, Seasonal, Legendary, everything is fair game go wild) This one is so specific it's never going to happen, but a Duo alt of Duma and Mila as kids would make me SO HAPPY Just the dynamic between both would be incredibly interesting, with both of them still being close siblings but also getting to see them as kids without their responsibility as gods kinda like young Tiki? Imagining Mila with short hair practicing healing magic with her own staff and Duma wearing an oversized helmet and wielding his trident trying to look threatening brings me joy and- imagine the potential interactions with other Heroes! Like, Mila looking up to Celica and Silque as mentors and older sisters (and imagine their reactions to this) and Duma challenging everyone he deems powerful to grow stronger, which would inevitably lead to him fighting the likes of Alm and Berkut? And imagine the heartache their adult selves would go through seeing the two kids being so close and longing for a time when they too were like that before they parted ways forever? Oh, and Naga too since by that point in time they were still in good terms. I wounder if they would befriend young Tiki, too? oh gods I'm starting to imagine them in @iturbide's dragon creche and it's giving me diabethes help me

Just, AAAAAAGH I WOULD DRAW THEM MYSELF IF I HAD ANY ARTISTICAL TALENT I LOVE THEM SO MUCH MAYBE IF I CAN GET MY BUTT OFF I'LL MAKE SOME QUOTES FOR THEM, NO PROMISES THO NOT UNIT DESIGN THOUGH, I COULDN'T CARE LESS ABOUT THAT AND BESIDES DESIGNING HEROES UNITS IS A NIGHTMARE NOWADAYS Echoes ask game

#fire emblem #fire emblem echoes #fire emblem echoes shadows of valentia #fe15 #echoes ask game #ask replies #good-beans #fernand #berkut #faye #celica #faye x celica #gray #tobin #gray x tobin #duma #mila #that duo alt idea came to me at random as always but now i can't stop thinking about it

[baby-grayson]

Sweet Enigma| Part 5

Word Count: 2605

Tags:  @wheezeatmedolans​ @styles-dolan​ @prettyboydolan​ @evergreendolan​ @baby-turtles​ @dolanstacoma​ @kombuchagray​ @not-gbd​ @graysavant​ @someonetogray​ @dolansficsandpics​ @batgirl009 @voguekristens @letsgoget-high​ @crossedbone-kat​ @graysonsdollface​

Ethan sat at his kitchen island, shoveling bites of pancake into his mouth. His phone buzzed so hard it nearly jerked off the counter. He swooped an arm down and caught it before it hit the ground. When he stopped to read the messages illuminating his screen, he once again confirmed his status as the smarter twin.

In a room on the other side of the house, a strung out and angry Sherry typed furiously at her laptop. She ignored phone calls and emails from her agent and publicist. Her nostrils flared at her computer screen while her manicure clacked against her keys. She sneered at the notifications coming in, forcing her to face the images of Grayson stalking into their tiny home with another woman.

From the other side of the room, Calvin Maddox leaned against a wall with a cool gaze. His eyes did not move from his emotional daughter while he spoke into his phone, “You hear me Chip? I want that girl’s name. I want her daddy’s name. I want her mama’s name. I want to know what she ate for dinner last night. And don’t you dare call me back until you know everything.” With a stern finger, he hung up the call and crossed his arms. Sherry turned from her position at the computer, her blue eyes were dark with something mad and disturbed. She gritted her teeth and turned back to finish what she was doing.

Wesley’s voice was choked up when Kate picked up the phone. She felt every one of her organs shake. Wesley’s breathing was uneasy, clearly audible over the phone. She closed her eyes and winced: like she was in pain at the dentist.

He didn’t even bother starting with pleasantries. “Katie—” Her heart broke to hear him say it like that, “What’s going on?” “Wes,” she started, “It’s not what you think,” her words got quicker with each second, “It-it looks—it’s not what it—”

“What am I supposed to think?” His voice was loud and sharp on her ears, “I’m—I’m confused Kate.”

“They’re not telling the truth—” “You’re not telling the truth! Kate! You said you were in Philadelphia! You said you were with your mom! And I look at my phone and see you in Jersey with some guy! Some guy that’s practically married! What am I supposed to think Kate? What am I supposed to feel?”

“I didn’t—I didn’t think—” “Didn’t think what?” Wesley choked on his words, “That you would get caught?”

Kate felt a single tear fall down the side of her face. As much as she had never believed Wesley was the one for her, she would have never pictured hurting him like this. His voice sounded like someone was stabbing him in the gut. In a deep place, she knew Wesley deserved better: not someone who would run off to the East Coast under false pretenses and the remnants of an old romance. She felt messy. She felt dirty. She felt problematic. Wesley was the last shred of her old life left. He was the last memory of a happy girl, with a healthy mom, and a doting boyfriend who never worried about Grayson Dolan.

“I’m done Kate. I can’t do this. Not if you’re going to treat me this way. I-I wish it was different, I really do but…. I can’t be with someone who doesn’t respect me enough to at least tell the truth.”

It pained Wesley to do it, in a deep and emotional place. Seeing those photos of Kate and Grayson forces Wesley to permanently let go of his vision for a future with her. In ten minutes, his entire idea of what his life would look like was erased for a darker picture. He loved her; she lied to him. He wore the stains of the tainted spaces she left in his heart.

And with that, Kate said goodbye to the last shred of her old life. She was, officially, a confused girl, with a sick mom, and no boyfriend but many worries about Grayson Dolan.

Her heart felt tortured: skewered by the events of the past few days. She felt a thousand arrows puncturing her aortas: some of them with Grayson’s name, some of them with Wesley’s, and some with her own because she could not deny that it was her own actions that catalyzed and inflicted her own pain.

And on that day, so many hearts were in pain. Grayson’s heart ached for Kate. He felt existentially disturbed in a deep place. He worried about what his decisions had done to Kate. Half of his mind hated the other half, for worrying more about Kate than he did about Sherry. He paced around his mother’s house, dragging fingers through his hair and playing at the callouses on his palms while he tried to formulate some kind of plan to make everything right.

The ability to do so was stripped from him from the media storm erupted in the winds of Sherry’s announcement.

 Displayed as white text on a black background she wrote: “It is with a heavy heart and so much sadness that I am forced to announce the end of my engagement to Grayson Dolan. Grayson gave me so many beautiful moments and wonderful experiences, but I am moving onto a new, independent chapter in my life. Grayson’s decision to pursue a new direction in his life has offered me the opportunity to enjoy life as a liberated woman. Although I am trying to look at this new point in my life with excited eyes, thinking about all of the horizons that are out there for me: I am stricken by the pain, grief, and anguish of being involuntarily compelled to dispose of any fantasies of the life I was going to create with the man whom I thought was my soulmate. In this time, I am eternally grateful for the love and respect of my mother, father, sister, and all of my supporters.”

 Grayson dialed the phone before the dust settled in his mind. He was surprised to hear Sherry’s voice on the other end, not her recorded voicemail or her assistant.

“Sherry—” his tone landed somewhere between agitated and massacred. “What was that? What did you—” “I should be asking you the same question,” she was calm and pointed. For all of her selfish, greedy flaws: Sherry Maddox never lost her purposefully, Southern composure. The only time she addressed someone with so much as a hair out of place, was when Grayson intruded on her space when he went to pack his bag: he had unraveled her once and he wasn’t going to do it twice.

“So we’re over? You didn’t even have the decency to tell me you were going to—to—to post that? To send that?” Grayson’s meaty fingers clutched his phone with white knuckled.

“Take it as retribution,” she popped her lips before continuing, “For not having the decency to tell me you were running away.” Her jaw cracked over the phone, “With another woman.”

Grayson sighed, “Sherry,” his tone was lighter. “I—I—” Grayson struggled. He wasn’t going to ask for her back. He didn’t want to ask for her back. He didn’t want to be with her. He didn’t even want to be on the phone with her right now. But he was trying to do the right thing, to honor his past commitments and make right his past mistakes. “—I’m trying to be a good man Sherry.”

She laughed. She laughed not with a happy effervescence but with a cold, chilling, mocking breath. “Good man? Since when does a good man leave his fiancé? Since when does a good man travel to the opposite end of the country in the middle of the night to get away from his fiancé? What kind of good man takes up post with another woman sleeping in his bed while his fiancé is stuck in California—trying to explain to her entire family why he wasn’t at their celebration and decided to embarrass her like that?”

Grayson gulped. She didn’t stop. “Tell me. How much of it was a lie? Because some of it had to be? Did you never love me? Did you used to love me? What was I? Some kind of a publicity stunt? Were you insecure that the D’Amelios and the Pauls were more famous than you? Being a run away groom? This is more press than you’ve had in years? Did you know this from the beginning? Was it all fake? Or did something happen and suddenly I was just a device?” “No-“ his voice sounded more like a cry. “To think I actually wanted your children. You don’t deserve to have children in this world, anyone who can leave a path of hurt like that---you’re damn near a sociopath Dolan. I just can’t believe I let you hoodwink me into not seeing it for so long.” “NO!” He screamed into his phone, “I’m not a sociopath Sherry. I did love you. Once. I used to. But things changed. And I was wrong for—for not talking about it. For letting it boil up in me. For thinking that a happy future was a—a good enough reward for a problematic present—but sometimes it isn’t. and it wasn’t for us—for me.” He took a deep breath. “I’m sorry Sherry. I’m sorry I hurt you—you didn’t—you don’t deserve this. I’m going to be sorry I hurt you for the rest of my life. But please believe me when I say I never used you, when I say I never lied to you. I’m not a perfect man Sherry—I’m far from it—but nothing from the past year and a half was an act.” “You must really think I’m a dumb blonde huh?” Sherry’s cool tone was completely juxtaposed to the sound of Grayson’s panting yells, “You are right about one thing Dolan, you will be sorry about this for the rest of your life.” Before he could ask, Grayson heard the dial tone as she hung up their call.

Grayson didn’t notice his mother’s figure leaning against the doorway of the kitchen, but he didn’t flinch when she put a loving hand on his shoulder. His entire, large, beefy body was shaking. He sucked in his top lip and let it flop onto his bottom one with a large breath. Lisa clutched him caringly, “It’ll be okay.”

“That’s what Kate said,” Grayson’s face fell into a defeated picture.

“She’s smart,” Lisa took a seat at the kitchen island with Grayson. He looked over to his mother, finding comfort in her familiar gaze.

Grayson nodded softly, “I’m not.”

Lisa moved her hand to hold his forearm, radiating heat onto his skin, “No, you are. You just need to slow down. To think about what you want.” “What I want?” Grayson’s mouth shortened at the edges. Lisa nodded softly, knowingly, “You didn’t want Sherry. Not in that way.” Grayson lifted in his eyebrows in silent agreement. “Courage is grace under pressure,” she recited from memory, “In our hardest moments, we look to our purest truths.”

Grayson bit the inside of his cheek, “Thank you fortune cookie” His tone was low and deprived of any jest.

Lisa scoffed softly and hit him across the arm playfully, “I’m saying when you left Sherry, you weren’t just leaving her—you were looking for something. Something that is currently upstairs, laying in a ball because her boyfriend just broke up with her.” “Broke up with her?” Grayson had been too preoccupied with his own storm to check in with Kate for the past few hours. Lisa nodded, “It was bad but she’ll make it. The strong ones always do.”

“Am I strong one mom?” Grayson’s voice sounded small leaving his lips, nearly childlike.

Lisa released a breath though her nose and met her son’s eyes, “You are. Stronger than you think. But the only way to prove it to yourself is to get your life in order. And the only purpose who can do that, who can prove that, is you Grayson.”

Grayson Dolan never liked running. He felt like a hamster on a wheel. If he wanted to enjoy nature and feel at one with his surroundings, he would go for a merry walk or a bouncy hike. If he wanted to work out, to drench himself in sweat and manifest his troubles into physical struggle: he had a myriad of options to tone his body.  

On that day, Grayson Dolan took off running and did not look back. The dozens of confusing, conglomerated, and strange emotions he had been feeling propelled one foot to push off and fly while the other met the ground. He felt his mind slow down for the first time in too long while he body quickened. The New Jersey breeze blew through his hair while leaped over a stump and kept going. If it wasn’t for the occasional pebble in his shoe, Grayson would have felt like a bird: soaring in the air without a precise destination. He glided through the air until he figured out what he wanted to run toward. Once he had a goal in mind, he turned around and hustled his way back home.

Kate stood under the shower head, letting a pressurized stream dance over her skin. She lifted her head up, taking in deep breaths as the water washed over her body. She felt her muscles relax for the first time in months. She let her mind go blank, refusing to let negative thoughts ruin this moment for her. She hooked her hands around her neck, rubbing soft circles and feeling a serene calm sound over her entire body.

 The shower had started to steam up, the air was thick was a humid fog. The only audible sound was the whistle of the hot shower head. 

Kate didn’t hear the door close. She didn’t hear the soft sound of clothes falling onto the bathmat. She didn’t even hear the shower curtain move from within her zen state.  Her muscles tenses and then relaxed with the knowledge that the hands wrapped around her waist were Grayson’s. 

He placed a kiss on the side of her neck. She stretched it out, allowing more room for his lips. His gentle fingertips drove deeper into her wet skin. She pursed her lips while she exhaled, nearly moaning as she melted under his lips. 

One of his hands draped down and grabbed onto her thigh, pulling her closer to him at the waist. She bit her lip and smirked, silently wishing he could see her expression while she felt him press hard against her ass. 

She turned slightly and went to meet his lips. 

Grayson pulled back. His eyes darted around the scene and his hands went lip from where they laid around her. Grayson swallowed and took a step back, nearly fell over in the shower. 

He suddenly realized what he was doing. Sure, he was now a free man but Kate wasn’t his woman. He couldn’t just barge into her shower, hold her naked body, slam her against a wall, and do dirty things to her all night.

Hell, the last he kissed her was nearly three years ago. 

Kate seemed to sense his inner turmoil. She stepped toward him and licked her lips, wearing something dark in her eyes. 

She clasped a hand around his jaw and his lips and pulled his face toward her, “Finish what you started.”

#grayson dolan #dolan twins #fanfic #smut #angst #series #ethan #ethan dolan #grayson x oc #kind stranger #sweet engima #story #blurb #concept #chapter #writing #youtuber #internet #romance #drama

[racingtoaredlight]

THE DEGENERATE’S GUIDE TO COLLEGE FOOTBALL TV WATCH ‘EM UPS 2021: WEEK TWO, A MUDDLED AND MAUDLIN WEEK OF MAYHEM IN HONOR OF THOSE WE LOST

RTARL would like to extend our warmest holiday wishes to those who celebrate and, even if you don’t, happy 9/11. Now who’s ready for some FOOTBALL!!!!?!?!

So after two weeks of games that combine to count as only one official week even though some teams have already played twice we have only one real question answered: is Alabama still good? Yes, they are. Everything else is still liquefying vapor.

I am assuming everybody is waiting with baited breath for an RTARLsman but I don’t have anything yet. I guess the not-Master Teague RBs on Ohio State are the frontrunners for now. Or that one guy from that one team who was good. You know who I mean.

Saturday, September 11

Matchup    Time (ET)     TV/Mobile

Illinois at Virginia   11:00am   ACCN

Jeff George won Citrus Bowl MVP for the Illini against the Hoos in his last game as a student athlete before becoming the #1 overall pick in the 1990 NFL Draft. Based on this history it is safe to presume that whoever the QB is for Illinois today will be the #1 pick in 2022.

VMI at Kent State   11:30am   ESPN3

I’m not sure on this but maybe this game is cancelled.

WKU at Army    11:30am   CBSSN

Army is favored by 6. I bet this game is boring.

Norfolk State at Wake Forest    12:00pm   ACCNX

I don’t see a line listed but whatever it is bet against Wake covering.

Indiana State at Northwestern     12:00pm    BTN

This game is an act of terrorism.

Alabama State at 25 Auburn     12:00pm    SECN

Real body bag season starts today, huh?

Youngstown State at Michigan State  12:00pm   BTN

The Michigan State running back is the guy I was trying to think of earlier! He’s pretty good. Not good enough to make me watch this but I will check on his stats every so often.

Tulsa at Oklahoma State   12:00pm   FS1

I bet Mike Gundy has some really salient thoughts on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 and I can’t wait to hear them.

South Carolina at East Carolina   12:00pm      ESPN2

South Carolina is a two point favorite against an East Carolina team that is, per my understanding, not exactly good. So I can only extrapolate that South Carolina is likewise not good.

Pitt at Tennessee  12:00pm   ESPN

Look, I’m not going to pretend this is good television but if Pitt rocks their classic yellow helmets and Tennessee wears non-alternates the colors on the screen will at least be pleasing. The thought of the actual football involved hurts my brain but it’s interesting that the points have gone from a consensus pick ‘em to Pitt -3 over the course of the week. Does Tennessee have any players that are good enough that by missing the game they could impact the gambling that much? Or are people just squaring themselves with the fact the the Vols are really and truly a ruined burnt out hole of a football program? Pound the latter.

12 Oregon at 3 Ohio State  12:00pm   FOX

Losing Kayvon Thibideaux certainly isn’t going to help Oregon but he’s not usually on the field as a run stopper anyway and if Ohio State learned anything last week it’s that they can just run until they feel like throwing a pass. Oregon actually has some legit talent on the d-line besides Thibideaux but the Ducks are gonna be hard-pressed to keep things within two scores here.

Miami (Ohio) at Minnesota   12:00pm   ESPN

If Oregon can’t make a game of it in Columbus look out because this time block is an absolute wasteland. There is scant reason to turn the TV on for the early schedule other than gambling purposes.

Kennesaw State at Georgia Tech   12:00pm    RSN/ESPN3

Georgia Tech probably should have closed up shop after Paul Johnson retired. Either that or just absolutely slathered the football program in dollars. The Yellow Jackets being unable to land any big time recruits while playing in Atlanta is a real mindfuck. They aren’t a AA program playing dress up in a “power” conference they’ve got actual history. I don’t mean to give the impression I want them to be good but I don’t understand how they can be such fodder for so long.

13 Florida at USF    1:00pm    ABC

Remember that year when USF was the best program in the state? Wild stuff. Weird, wild stuff. I know the deal with UF is that they don’t go out of state for contract games but it’s actually kind of surprising they even bothered to keep this trip to Tampa on the schedule. Like the area recruits would probably be happier to go see a game at The Swamp than to kick around their hometown for a pile of shit like this.

Wyoming at NIU    1:30pm   ESPN+

I’m not gonna open the ESPN app for this but if it was on ESPN2 I’d probably check in on it during commercials. Aesthetically pleasing trash with an upside for actual entertainment.

Middle Tennessee at 19 Virginia Tech    2:00pm   ACCNX

Virginia Tech’s home crowd scene was the normie story of last week’s games. People that don’t watch college football were either aghast or frantically waving their blue lives matter flags in response. Us in this space just ate the shame and forgot it happened by the time Saturday’s games kicked off. My theory is that VPI is not actually any good but UNC’s 2020 season was a well-timed fluke and the last hurrah of Mack Brown’s storied coaching career. The Hokies are at home, though, and MTSU is almost certainly not on the same athletic level as the Turkey Gobblers so I’d probably take the home team -20 if I were so inclined to wager on this particular game that is being broadcast on the ACC’s new pornography channel.

Rutgers at Syracuse    2:00pm    ACCN

Holy fuck does this game suck. Reuniting former Big East, uh, rivals (??? does Rutgers have any natural enemies?) in a cross-conference classic betwixt the B1G and the ACC.

Duquesne at Ohio   2:00pm   ESPN3

I don’t think I need to explain to you all the national title implications riding on this game.

Toledo at 8 Notre Dame    2:30pm     Peacock

Just remember that if you subscribe to Peacock you are at the very least tacitly supporting Notre Dame. If for some reason you’re watching this please report back on how many of those defensive pick plays Notre Dame runs. They were doing that shit constantly against Florida State last week and it drove me nuts. I think the idea is that you are so flagrantly illegal so often that the refs grow numb to it and just don’t call it at all.

Robert Morris at Central Michigan     3:00pm    ESPN3

Not to be outdone by the early games, the 3 o’clock set is equally terrible.

Purdue at UConn    3:00pm    CBSSN

I bet Edsall still gets bonuses for stupid shit even now that he’s retired or whatever the official designation was for him no longer coaching.

Boston College at UMass    3:30pm    FloFootball/NESN+

I don’t know what FloFootball is but I know it isn’t anything to do with the state of Florida.

Ball State at 11 Penn State    3:30pm    FS1

It surprises me to see Penn State as only -22.5 favorites. That seems very kind to Ball State. Hopefully I’m wrong and the Ball State Lettermans take it to the Sanduskys.

Murray State at 7 Cincinnati    3:30pm    ESPN+

Practice week continues.

Temple at Akron    3:30pm    ESPN+

Pound the under.

Georgia Southern at Florida Atlantic   3:30pm   Stadium

There is really nothing going on this week.

Air Force at Navy   3:30pm   CBS

Middies vs. Fly Boys in the first leg of the Commander’s Cup on the twentieth anniversary of 9/11. I can’t imagine the amount of emotional manipulation that’s going to make its way onto this broadcast. Normally I watch these games but I don’t think I can do it this year.

UAB at 2 Georgia    3:30pm    ESPN2

Georgia may well be absurdly talented on the defensive side of the ball but I’d be surprised to see them make it through the regular season with fewer than two losses.

5 Texas A&M at Colorado     3:30pm     FOX

This is only interesting if the Aggies spring a leak.

California at TCU    3:30pm    ESPNU

Things most certainly are not looking up.

Buffalo at Nebraska    3:30pm    BTN

Nebraska is in an interesting position because if they buck the odds and end up being good after we’ve all been so ready to see a National Championship-winning coach get fired that would be funny but if they end up being really bad it’s even funnier. Go Bulls!

Mercer at 1 Alabama    4:00pm   SECN

I’ll cry a little if Saban pulls the starters in the first half and the Tide beats Mercer by less than they beat Miami.

South Alabama at Bowling Green   4:00pm    ESPN+

10 Iowa at 9 Iowa State    4:30pmABC

This is not the kind of top 10 matchup I can just sit idly by and let it happen. Your silence is complicity in this monstrous display of modernity.

SC State at 6 Clemson    5:00pm      ACCN

Clemson dropped all the way to #6 and they’ll hang around the top of the polls because they don’t have the toughest conference schedule in the world but my confidence in them is not high right now. I think the new QB is just a guy. He’s talented as hell but I don’t see him being great.

Illinois State at Western Michigan     5:00pm   ESPN3

This is either MACtion or MACtion adjacent and I have only one word for this midwestern trash: abhorrent.

LIU at West Virginia   5:00pm    ESPN+

LIU plays football?

Lamar at UTSA      6:00pm    ESPN3

Downside: You’re watching one of the least important games of the year. Upside: You’re really not missing anything.

Portland State at Washington State    6:00pm    P12N

Washington State was a perfect spot for the stupid pirate fuckhead and his leaving has ruined the program and, eventually, his reputation. Not relevant to this game necessarily but this game isn’t relevant to anything else, either.

Gardner-Webb at Charlotte   6:00pm    ESPN3

Oh, yeah, feel the excitement.

Bethune-Cookman at UCF   6:30pm   ESPN+

Go Cats.

NC Central at Marshall    6:30pm    ESPN+

The hits keep coming.

Houston at Rice   6:30pm    CBSSN

I’ve always had a soft spot for Holgo and for Houston football but somehow I really don’t like seeing him coach the Cougs. This is SWC magic but with no magic. UNLESS! Houston can put up 100. I don’t think they even have the guys to do it but this is Rice we’re talking about here.

Nicholls at Louisiana    7:00pm    ESPN3

Keep the energy up.

North Texas at SMU   7:00pm   ESPN+

I bet is MS621 were still alive he’d be at this game giving Spencer’s boys hell. Sadly he died doing what he loved, curing his COVID by eating ivermectin paste out of a horse’s butt. R.I.P., friend. Neigh to you wherever you are.

Southeastern La. at Louisiana Tech   7:00pm    ESPN3

Even the low tier stuff is geared up for annihilation. This is a bodybag week for all time.

Memphis at Arkansas State    7:00pm    ESPN+

Memphis getting less than a touchdown against Arkansas State seems like easy money but I have no real concept of either of these teams just yet. Maybe the end is nigh for the Tigers glory years? I sure hope not but it’s possible.

NC State at Mississippi State    7:00pm     ESPN2

This game should be as fun as a parents funeral.

Southern Illinois at Kansas State   7:00pm      ESPN+

Over the past week I experienced derision for referring the the guys in purple and silver as “Kansas State” instead of “K State” and that stung because it always surprises me that anybody cares about them enough to have a strong opinion about them.

Stephen F. Austin at Texas Tech    7:00pm    ESPN+

Shrugs

15 Texas at Arkansas    7:00pm   ESPN

Let’s see if Texas is ready to run with the big boys of the SEC! Arkansas is given a decent shot to win this game and that makes the “15″ next to Texas appear extremely suspect in my eyes.

Texas Southern at Baylor    7:00pm   ESPN+

This week Texas Southern is the people’s champion.

Texas State at FIU   7:00pm    ESPN+

Oh, Butch, why have you done this to yourself?

Western Carolina at 4 Oklahoma      7:00pm     PPV

All the Westen Carolina fans are buying this PPV to see their guys score 40.

New Mexico State at New Mexico    7:00pm     Stadium

I looked up the historic rivalry last year to figure out why it was played early in the season instead of at the end but I’ve forgotten and don’t feel the need to look it up again. I figured out how to watch Stadium on my TV but I also forgot that and don’t feel the need to look it up again.

Appalachian State at 22 Miami (FL)  7:00pm   ESPNU

My gut tells me Miami is probably legitimately about the 14th best team in the country but I still would never advise you to bet actual money on the Hurricanes. Are they 9 points better than App State? Easily. They should win by 20+. Are they liable to fuck around and lose or scrape out a win in the final seconds? Absolutely. Let’s fuckin’ go.

Morgan State at Tulane    7:00pm    ESPN+

A lot of people learned to love the Green Wave last week but it’s hard to keep that going with their schedule. Don’t forget them later in the year when the CBSSN glow is really shining.

Liberty at Troy   7:00pm   ESPN+

Liberty -4 is maybe my surest advice of the week. If Malik Willis is as good as his press the fake school should have this game on ice early.

Eastern Michigan at 18 Wisconsin   7:00pm    FS1

I find Wisconsin’s losing effort against Penn State last week to be a personal affront against me and all of nature.

Eastern Kentucky at Louisville    7:00pm   ACCNX

I think this game being broadcast at night on ACCNX means they’re playing naked.

Grambling State at Southern Miss    7:00pm    ESPN3

This is the kind of game that belongs on an app.

Hampton at Old Dominion    7:00pm    ESPN3

This is the kind of game that belongs on a well-worn high school football field.

Austin Peay at 20 Mississippi   7:30pm     ESPN+/SECN+

This is a pretty big OOC game for an SEC team.

Georgia State at 24 North Carolina    7:30pm    RSN/ESPN3

One of several GSUs, I think this is the one I most hope emerges victorious this week.

Idaho at Indiana   7:30pm    BTN

Wait, wasn’t Indiana like #10 last week? What the hell happened to them? No, don’t tell me. Seriously, don’t.

Missouri at Kentucky     7:30pm    SECN

When the SEC hits 24 teams the “S!E!C!” chants are gonna seem really stupid.

Howard at Maryland    7:30pm    BTN

There’s no official line for this game but I hope the Bison can pull off the upset in this classic local rivalry game.

Jacksonville State at Florida State    8:00pm   ACCN

Still shaking my head at FSU icing their own kicker. Jesus, Norvell. Get your shit together.

McNeese at LSU     8:00pm      ESPN+/SECN+

LOLSU was my lock of the week last week if you’re considering taking gambling advice from me.

Washington at Michigan    8:00pm    ABC

UDub lost to a 1-AA team last week and now they have to go on the road and beat Michigan. Which seems inevitable, to be honest.

Cal Poly at Fresno State    10:00pm    CW59

The murder rate will continue to increase as the day progresses. I always kind of like it when a local broadcast shows up on the sheet. So pretty much none of us have legal access to this game. It makes it more special.

San Diego State at Arizona    10:00pm    P12N

Pac-12 Network is similar to CW59 in that almost nobody in the country has legal access to their broadcasts. If you’ve read enough of these posts you are aware that SDSU is my weird very deep backup team. I don’t have a reason to align myself with the school or program, I just tend to enjoy watching their games.

Vanderbilt at Colorado State     10:00pm    CBSSN

This is an abomination.

21 Utah at BYU     10:15pm    ESPN

This is a lowkey fun rivalry. I’m pretty sure I write the same thing every year but it’s still true. Go Utes.

Stanford at 14 USC     10:30pm    FOX

I think USC could win a national championship and I’d still be baffled that Clay Helton is their coach. Of course, they won’t win a national championship as long as Clay Helton is their coach but they apparently won’t ever get embarrassing enough to fire him, either.

Idaho State at Nevada    10:30pm    Stadium

This is the lowpoint of the week’s schedule and you have to stay up late to watch it on a network that only exists as an app or as part of a hidden unlockable download-only level of cable subscription. This is the beauty of the college game.

UNLV at 23 Arizona State    10:30pm   ESPN2

Herm Edwards figured out the trick to looking good in the Pac-12 without having a particularly great team and I can’t make up my mind if I’m rooting for him to keep sliding on that rail or to fall off it. I think I’ve come around to rooting for him but it’s a very dynamic and fluid situation.

Hawaii at Oregon State   11:00pm    FS1

Hawaii gets to play at their normal time for a game against the bottom of the barrel of the Pac-12 but they’re an 11-point underdog. If you’re ever going to take Hawaii, this is the stars lining up for you to do it. It’s still a big “if” but I’m saying there’s a chance.

#college football #football #Tv watch em ups #rtarl watches tv #gambling #9/11 #two decades after 9/11