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dlstmxkakwldrlarchive · 6 months ago

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the og nuanced ot4 takes anon here, you know... there are so many sides to this its such a mess

because on one side, i do think that ot4s deserve the right to exist in this fandom peacefully and there is nothing wrong with being an ot4 if you're not being malicious about it (and like the 2017 scandal aside there are so many reasons why you could be one, i went through a period of just dropping kibum for a year bc man has consistently pissed me off with his actions for an extended time myself), because yeah - at the end of the day they're just a bunch of men and they're meant to be bringing some light into your boring life, not upset you. so blocking/hating on accounts solely based on the fact that they don't post about a member is kinda wild to me, some of them are just existing peacefully and dealing with liking the group despite not really being on board with everything it offers, and thats okay. it was a difficult year for us all. and i wanted to say i agree with the take on how the iwol and kwols perceptions are much different on this, as someone who exists on both sides of the fandom i see both angles of the conversation and its definitely a much wider gap than many of us realises

but obviously there is also the dark side of this which is just targeted harassment some of them engage in, and i genuinely don't understand how you can be an ot4 at all if one of the members makes you feel this hateful - like they totally ignore that their bias literally associates himself with the person they despise, how do you live like this??? i genuinely cant get it. like picking at random here but imagine biasing minho and despising jinki, how can you stay in this fandom if the man you love so much enables this horrible person? but at the same time i cant even be mad at them i think they need therapy huh

then there's also, i think twitter enables a culture of harassment and it is not possible to escape it unless you leave the platform, and id advise anyone who is disturbed by the constant drama there to just deactivate. you can get your updates from insta, or anywhere else really. it makes your life so much better, i promise.

also on another note jinki rly should not be opening his own fanmail, i was watching that video and thinking of how high the possibility of really dangerous things being sent to him is with how deranged these girls get, but also i think the hate might end online for a lot of them. idk i just feel like weve never properly processed 2017 as a fandom and it makes me sad

and i keep thinking how certain i am that jinki would get funeral wreaths sent to sm if it were a thing in 2017, and how fucking disgusting itd all feel a few months later.

ill stop the yap train, apologies for the essay /L

idk if this will feel like im watering down your point, but 😭 i feel like this is the same argument we do when we discuss solo stans like im fine with them and i think it's natural that every member has them since they're also soloists but i feel like not everyone deciding on solo stan is really fine with x member still being associated with shinee and shawols and yk all of the implications that come with it just like i feel like ot4 don't. and we're discussing those! and yk in the context of twt too. like, i agree i also think that platform has a unique type of hatred that got maximized recently because of the ceo change, too, and kpop stans are yk pests so it's only natural that we got at this point but its something you only find there tbh.

while i know there are silent ot4, i don't feel like talking about them even if I'm not against ppl distancing from x member bcs bringing them up feels like a shut down the ppl who are like trying to address the harassment and etc that comes from the (other) ot4s. honestly, i feel like ppl blocking eo in shawoltwt is good actually 😭 and i dont see it as something that is shocking or idk

#and if i say they act like that bcs they dont see jkmt as their own persons like i feel like they don't really value their opinions too #tm got blasted when he said he wanted to cb as five during one of his concerts in 2017 and there are a couple of theqoo articles that resen #jg for being close to jk like sigh #i think they stay ot4 and fan of jkmt bcs they genuinely think they can force their ideas on them ? idk...#and honestly yeah i dont feel like it will never go that way like in the first 2018 concert they wanted to pull something just to end up #doing nothing so 👍🏽#asks #anon #answered #this is honestly all over the place but you get it #shawoltwt #long post

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bookwyrminspiration · 4 years ago

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oh gosh this is like the fourth ask ive sent you in maybe a few hours, but now im wondering how bronte was treated when he manifested as an inflictor. like. from what we know, there have been no other inflictors before or after bronte (until sophie) and like. it mustve been...pretty wild to develop an ability whose sole purpose is to hurt and inflict pain onto others in a society that is completely averse to violence.

and also i had a though recently- what if elves werent always averse to violence? weve had hints dropped that elves have done some pretty wild shit (i think theres a mention in a book somewhere that insinuates elves have a lot of power and have used it in battles before) and now im wondering if the damage caused by elven abilities getting out of hand led to the matchmaking system (in the way that the matchmaking would ensure that the "no violence" gene passed onto more people- and maybe it was even entirely artificial?) although im not too sure about that one.

BUT BACK TO BRONTE, i find it really interesting since like...i mean, people mustve done some studies on him, right? like, theyre not just gonna let a threat....wander around or something. especially depending on the age he manifested (and i dont think sophie unnaturally manifested her inflicting, so it seems to be brought upon by emotion and stress, which means that he couldve manifested at like. literally any age. i mean sophie was, what, really young? idk where im going with this since sophie's inflicting is artificial but yeah) so im just. what did they do????? i mean, there had to be something bronte was basing his lessons for sophie off of, so im assuming either he or others did some looking into how inflicting works, but honestly all the scenarios i can think of for that are. uh. kinda really awful?

idk where im going with this but. yeah. huh. thats a weird thing to think about. and something were never getting answers to. thats fun.

- pyro

(also it is very late so apologies for any misspellings and stuff!)

welcome back, pyro my beloved!! you're welcome to send as many asks as you want whenever you want--your insights are always fascinating

i feel like inflictors and mesmers might be treated similarly in elven society--grady did mention an interaction he had with Bronte where he received some advice about his ability once--because they hold a certain level of coercive power over others. it's like they're treated like a threat just because they have the potential to be one. the same way people assume grady mesmerizes others to get whatever he wants, they may assume Bronte would hurt anyone who doesn't give him what he wants, if that comparison makes sense

as for him being the only inflictor, we're left with the option that either he really is the only one, or there was someone else once who has since bit the dust, kicked the bucket, flown to close to the sun, some other strange idiom for dying. both have a lot of negative implications, but I'm gonna stick with the "he's the first and only" one for rn.

also, you're idea about elves not always being averse to violence prompts a lot of thought! what were they like before that? were there more volatile, destructive abilities? what was the world like back then that necessitated those abilities? what happened to those people and their abilities--i'm assuming they're dead now. and since elves are now averse to violence, those abilities are like dead abilities (like dead languages), as no one has them and no one will have them ever again. they're bodies couldn't handle it anymore.

kinda ties into the idea of matchmaking--although instead of the "no violence" gene I think they might've also tried to specifically keep the really powerful abilities from being passed on, things like Bronte's inflicting that appeared to be rooted entirely in violence. or! idea: what if there was something so horrific that happened as a result of elven violence that it permanently changed how they perceive it, becoming an instinctual need to get away from it. my brain is trying to relate this to the uncanny valley effect, like how it's this instinctual discomfort.

if i'm remembering correctly, sophie naturally manifested her inflicting when she was nine, so as long as bronte was stressed enough--and he wasn't living during a time of peace. i don't think the treaties had been established yet--he could reasonably manifest even younger. and this is an ability no one has seen before! here is this elven child, this small kid, just absolutely loosing it and hurting everyone around him. i think the only way Forkle got Sophie to stop was by inflicting back on her, but there wouldn't have been anyone able to do that for Bronte. I can't imagine he likes his ability, every time he's used it it's hurt someone. it was probably trial and error to teach him, maybe even him just abandoning what others were saying--because no one else had a violent ability and could understand--and just figured it out on his own. i'm fairly sure the knot of threads under the ribs trick Sophie uses is one Bronte developed himself, so I've just always thought he was using personal experience to teach her.

i also don't know where I'm going with this, but bronte as a whole is a very interesting character! there's so much about his backstory we don't know and probably never will. just inflicting as a whole stands out as an ability because it just doesn't make sense for an elf to have. if i don't stop now i never will, but those are some of my Thoughts !!

#the elves said they demonstrated power through their wealth essentially i think #that's what oblivimire was for (i don't think i spelled that right)#both through the threatening outward appearance and whatever they kept inside #maybe people #but i think the idea of powerful elves is also intriguing #oh that reminds me of vespera. what if the powerful elves were just elves gone wrong?#there's so much to that too #pyro you are excellent #kotlc #keeper of the lost cities #long post #quil's queries #pyrokinetic-loser #councillor bronte

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stardustpinkart · 4 years ago

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Sooo Handmaids tale. Im rather liking were its going, FINALLY. Having une recaptured all the time is gettign repetive, we already have seen her making a disturbance in Gilead. Infact others before her really, like that one who blew up a building with herself and a few commanders in season 2?

She’s done some amazing things the biggest getting all those kids out, now we finally get to see her hopefully on the other side, the resistance(which has its problems too but), yeah, how long can we watch her just being tortured, the actress says so herself, as a red lady?

Theres other people part of the resistance who hate this just as much as the maids, like Esther? When I read about her character I thought, because of how they painted her, unhinged, messed up, she’d be a young wife brainwashed into all this, agreeing her place is as a babymaker. Like those young girls who fled england to be tterrorist wives?

But to me, she feels like in many a regular 14 year old girl :) She doesent want this, she wants what other girls want at her age. She is a lil messed up BUT in a way thats understandable. Shes victim of constant rape and abuse, passed around like a blow up doll to a bunch of filthy men, her own husband old enough to be her grandfather. And I feel also like shes trying to seek a mother figure in June. She probably feels like her own parents betrayed her. No doubt put her IN this situation(familys are the one who decide your husband for you, you have no say), and even if she said anything or cried, they would say its her godly duty or ignore her. Remeber Enid’s father, turned her in, and shows no remorse or even regret over it?

I cant help but like Esther :)

Some people are saying stuff will happen like the “Testamnets”, Gilead will exist for another couple of long years, Hannah will be there untill shes like twenty... I dont think thats neccesairly true.

I do see they TAKE obvious bits and peices from the book sequel, but its not word for word. It said Aunt Lydia was a judge for example, weve already seen she used to be a school teacher in the tv world, who it seems got involved in all this partly out of spite. Agnes who Hannah seems loosley based on had no memory at all of her real mother, etc.

Hannah seems to go through her own series of events diffrent canonly from the “book Agnes”. She seems old enough to have memories of life before, her mother, meeting June secretly in season 2, her Martha killed etc.

And as for baby Nicole she was raised by a mother and father in the book(I forget there names). But it would seem Moira and Luke would be her caretakers in the tv, mainly cuz shes June’s child. This is there way of helping her.

Not to mention some characters get more of a filled out role than there book counterparts for example. Ofglen commited suicide in the first book. Here, we know her name, Emily, and shes one of the lucky ones who escape.

SOOOOO I dont think it’s gonna be the same canon of the Testaments at all. It might be closer in some ways, it might be totally diffrent.

I think with Moira and Emily venting also, that was just it. Venting, they dont really mean it. They KNOW why June’s staying, for Hannah. Theres no real need to say it outloud. Piont out the obvious, there just getting crap off there chest. Thats my opion anyway

I am sad a bunch of the handmaids were killed but at the same time it seems sadly realistic?Casaulties of war, not everyone is gonna come out of this, or have a happy ending. How many jewish families met a sad fate in WW2? Its just a roll of the dice.

It’d be nice though if some more of the handmaids join the resistance with June and Janine, I do enjoy seeing all these fed up ladies band together where they can(theres several examples over the course of the series), to fight against this. The country looks like its preparing for war and I hope these women whos rights have been taken from them, can be a large part of it.

I also hope that season 5 is the last one. BECAUSE there getting to a climax, dont drag it out too much and ruin whats been a great show. Dont go Walking dead route(the whole whisperers things was so choppy, WHY werent the good guys more vigilante when they knew a threat was out there, already put there friends heads on pikes. The comic version was so much better). I hope they will focus on bringing down Gilead, its all bubbling up, people cant take anymore, lets see that rage there feeling turn into action.

I hope it has something of a happy ending. No doubt people are gonna be effected, cant just go back to there old lives, but can find summin im sure? It might take time but, hope. Walking Dead the Comic had a suprisngly uplifting hopeful ending, so why not this?

#the handmaid's tale #the handmaids tale spoilers #handmaids tale #the handmaids tale season 4

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shhh-no-ones-home · 6 years ago

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back to you bill s preston esquire x reader

+++++++++

what up this is being posted on my birthday so heres my birthday present for you all lovelies lol

request from @ringa-starr

"Based on the song lips of an angel by hinder."

the other girl isnt one of the princesses, we just gonna kinda pretend they arent part of this, cause it would be like a groupie from the other band they are touring with.

i know its not exctly what you asked for but hope you like it anyways and thanks again for requesting, sorry they always take so long. if you end up not liking it i, as always, am glad to rewrite it in a different direction.

Song: lips of an angel by hinder

tag list: @cynic-spirit +++++++++

i sat on my bed and twirled the phone cord around my finger. i laughed quietly again.

"of course not bill, he doesnt know ive been talking to you. just like whoever that girl that has been calling your name for the past half hour doesnt know your talking to me."

"why are we playing these games again babe, we both want each other, why are we kidding ourselves?"

bills voice rang through my ears. he was right. wed been talking to each other since before he left for his bands first official tour.

"bill i love my boyfriend, if you cant say that about whoever that girl is i dont know what to tell you."

i laughed again as he sighed into the receiver.

"look, all im saying is we should give each other a fighting chance. break up with your boyfriend by the time i get home and we can go have a nice date together. just the two of us."

i unwound the cord from my finger, watching the color come back to the now red imprints.

"ill think about it bill, but im not making any promises."

i looked down at the floor, holding the phone a little looser, knowing the conversation would be ending soon. it was almost show time after all.

"you dont have to, i just want you to know that i love you, you dont have to feel the same but ill be waiting for you till i get home. and i promise we wont have this same conversation every night."

i smiled to myself.

"dont lie to yourself bill, weve had this conversation the last three nights."

he laughed and my smile got wider. oh who was i kidding? i really did love him back.

"youre right, so i guess i dont make any promises either. but its almost showtime, so ill talk to you tomorrow. i miss you y/n."

i frowned a little, winding the cord around my finger again.

"i miss you too bill, ill talk to you tomorrow."

"bye."

he said.

"bye."

i said back, waiting for the line to go dead. it was a couple seconds before it actually clicked off and i sighed. i dropped the phone back onto the base and jumped when my boyfriend knocked on my bedroom door.

"hey babe, you ready for the movie?"

i nodded as i stood up, slinging my purse onto my shoulder.

"yep, all ready to go."

°°°°°°°°°

i jolted awake to my alarm going off. it was the last day of the wyld stallyns tour and bill had asked me to come to the show. i wasnt sure at first but i guess id sort of made up my mind when i ended things with my boyfriend. i really did love bill back and it took missing him and talking to him on the phone every night for two months to actually realize that. i rubbed my hands over my face before throwing my blankets off of me and walking slowly to the bathroom. it was late morning but i needed to shower and get ready for tonight. it was an all day affair after all.

---

i got out of the cab and walked quickly to the back door of the venue. bill had mailed me a backstage pass and a letter of instructions for the venue. it was simple, just flash my pass to the door man and head to their dressing room. when i got into the venue i looked around with wide eyes. there were many dressing rooms and even the man at the door couldnt point me in the right direction. i sighed before taking off down the hallway, trying to look into each room and read the papers taped to each door. none of them said wyld stallyns or bills name though. i rubbed my arm nervously, then i heard giggling. i followed the sound and stood in the doorway of the room, in it was bill and ted laughing along with a tall blonde girl that was only half dressed. i knocked on the door frame and bill looked up at me with wide eyes before smiling just as big.

"you made it!"

he called as he stood and walked quickly to me, wrapping me in a hug.

"of course i made it, i wouldnt miss it for the world."

he let me go and took my hand in his, pulling me into the room.

"y/n this is..."

he stared at the girl for a second and she rolled her eyes.

"angel, im with the head band. im dating the bass player."

i nodded and shook her hand.

"its nice to meet you, i think."

then ted smiled widely at me, opening his arms to give me a hug."

"its good to see you again dude!"

i laughed at him.

"its good to see you again too ted."

i turned and watched angel leave before sitting on the small couch next to bill.

"are you guys ready for your last show? how have things been so far?"

they both nodded excitedly.

"things have been great, we open every night and the crowds have been loving us."

bill was practically beaming with pride.

"yeah, its been most excellent."

i looked up at ted in time to see them both do the guitar thing, making me laugh.

"Well I'm glad you two have been having fun."

Ted went to say something when someone else came and knocked on the door.

"Dude we gotta re-check your guitar. One of the strings snapped."

Ted made the most disappointed face I'd ever seen before running out of the room.

"Aw man, that's the third one this week. It feels like we've been going through strings like drinking water."

Bill shook his head and shifted in his seat. I frowned looking down at my watch.

"I hope he gets that fixed in time, the shows getting ready to start."

Bill stood up and started pacing around the room.

"It'll be alright babe, he's pretty good at it by now."

He winked at me and we both laughed. I rubbed my hands on my jeans nervously.

"Hey Bill."

He stopped and put his hands on his hips.

"Yeah?"

I bit the inside of my cheek.

"I broke up with my boyfriend."

His eyes for wide. He was shocked at first but then a smile slowly crept to his face.

"Really?"

He asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, I didn't wanna tell you but I called it quits a while ago. I've been thinking more and more and I really do like you and I really do wanna take you up on that date offer. If it still stands that is."

He nodded quickly, coming back and sitting next to me in the couch.

"Of course it does babe, I've been waiting to go on a date with you for what feels like forever."

I smiled widely at him before kissing his cheek.

"Then I guess it's a good thing this is the last show of the tour."

I winked at him and he blushed, taking my hand in his and squeezing it. He had a goofy grin on his face.

"Yeah, I guess so."

He leaned a little forward.

"Y/n I feel like I've been waiting forever. Can I finally kiss you?"

I nodded slowly, leaning into him.

"Yeah bill, or course you can."

His gaze flashed to my lips for a second before he pushed forward and kissed me gently. When he pulled away he rested his forehead against mine and we both smiled like idiots at each other.

"I love you y/n."

I kissed him again, quickly.

"I love you too bill."

#wattpad #x reader #bill preston #bill s preston esquire #bill and teds bogus journey #bill and teds excelent adventure #imagines #one shots #request #179

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aspiestvmusings · 6 years ago

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CM S15: JJ & REID SPOILERS!

Here is the first SPOILERY photo (of JJ & Reid) from the (double episode) Season Premiere of the finale season, S15 & the accompaning spoilery article.

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

The CM S15 premiere is titled: “Under the Skin”

Photo of a JJ & Reid moment:

PS. Please don’t “freak out” based ONLY by this photo....if you were not a fan of the S14 “plot twist ending”. We still do not know what happens next after that S14 finale & how they will handle it. All we know is that it will be talked about & explored..in the S15 double-episode premiere.

And this photo, though maybe suggesting one thing, might be misleading. It could very well be that one or both of them just almost got shot...again. Or...that after the timejump & long “awkwardness”...that we know is coming in S15...they are finally back to “normal” & talking...aka they got their best friend back...after the awkwardness since that Truth or Dare confession. This moment, to me, looks more like best friends (reuniting) happy to see each other...than romantic moment.

I’m noticing three things mainly:

1. JJ holding/covering her neck with one of her hands. I’m wondering why. Did she get grazed by a bullet? Did she get hurt somehow during arresting a suspect? Did she just fall and/or got hurt by branches, while chasing someone?(they are in the woods, after all)

2. The way they are positioned... it looks like Spence is either making sure his best friend is OK and/or helping her up or down (after she’s fallen, from somehwere). The way his hands are extended...to help her stand.

3. Their looks: That, to me, does not seem like a romantic moment between a couple. More like a “reunion” moment between two best friends. So adding this to the spoilers weve gotten, I’d guess that this is after the timejump (many months since the S14 finale events & confession)...and the awkwardness between the two. This is where and when they make up & get back to speaking terms. And to this looks most like two people happy to get their friend back, to get back to “normal”. And I am guessing that soemthing that happens during a case (in the woods) leads to this “reunion”.

+ This picture and this shot was definitely chosen on purpose as the promotional image. And this angle was specifically chosen... to also include JJ’s hand & that piece of jewelry. Because we know this image is from the S15 opener (double-episode), and we know that the S14 confession will be addressed in the episode(s), so...

I know many fans were upset after the S14 finale, but I was and am still in the waiting position. I want to SEE how thestory goes on & what they did with the plotline...before I decide if I like it or not (no matter which direction they take it). Also... I was never against a romance between the two. I did not expect it...now...after where they had taken the characters over the years, but... all is not ruined, and if done well (for network tv standards) it could be great.

Know what the most interesting, and in many ways best way of them dealing with this whole confession would be (possibly would be accepted by the most fans?) ? IF they’d not take anyone out of the equation. People are upset that either Will or Reid or JJ, of the new girl, Max, would get hurt...but... WHAT IF... no-one does? What if they don’t remove anyone from the marriage, but just add? What if they’ll do a poly romance/family storyline instead? I’m doubtful that this network show would do it (though Elementary kinda did...for one of it’s eps) This is just to show you just how many possible options there still are. And most of the scenarious do not involve anyone breaking up any marriages etc... like the over-freaking fans think. Based on some past scenes & spoilery pics.

Also.. WHAT IF... JJ’s line that “maybe she’s a better liar than we think/know” was actually a reference to soemthig related to her marriage? Maybe she’s a better pretender than we know? Maybe, in reality, her marriage isn’t going as well as it seems on the outside? Or maybe she’s even pretending at home? I mean... they have showed Will sometimes not being happy about being a stay-at-home dad & JJ being away a lot...on dangerous work. And though each such pisode has ended with them “happy”, maybe things aren’t as they seem. Or maybe things have changed. I mean...this show (like every cop-show) loves to use the “spouse becomes unhappy with their cop-wife/husband, because they’re always working & never home..etc”... so... I think it is possibe they’d do something like this here, too.

I’m just trying to think of the most likely scenarious...ones that will “hurt” the characters least...IF the show would actually go on a “Jeid” route. And this (next to Will dying) would be the least “hurtful” to everyone. Most respectful to each party. Because if JJ would move on...some time after Will has gone... that would be acceptable to most. And if they’d reveal that JJ/Will marriage hasn’t actually been fine...for some time (maybe she’s better pretender than we all thought? And maybe her house wasnt being painted, but they were just taking a few days break...in that ep when her mom came to visit? Maybe all is not as it has seemed?)...and they’d separate (in a friendly manner)...after she/they reveal the truth? Also...in that case... both of them moving on (while still both being involved in the kids lives) would be acceptable.

SOURCE: TV LINE

#SPOILER #CM #CMspoiler #CMspoilers #JEID #JENCER #Spencer Reid #Jennifer Jareau #JJ x Reid #Reid x JJ #JJ x Spence #Spence x JJ #JJ #Spence #CRIMINAL MINDS #SEASON 15 #CM S15

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jiminthestreets-bonesinthesheets · 6 years ago

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A Magic Kingdom Love - CH 2

Title: A Magic Kingdom Love

Fandom: Supernatural

Pairing: Destiel

Tags: fluff, just so much fluff. It gets a little heated at one point but that’s it.

Summary:

This is based off a picture I saw on Pinterest (which I’ll post below) with this prompt attached…

“An AU where Dean and Cas are both working for Disney and have been cast as the very first gay princes. And at first they hate each other but it’s hard to pretend you’re in love all day for sweet, shy kids, and then not makeout under the bridge of the magic kingdom castle.”

AO3 Link

Masterlist

A/N: If anyone is interested in being tagged in future destiel fics let me know :) enjoy!!

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

Chapter Two:

Two days passed agonizingly slowly for Dean, but Friday finally came and he now found himself standing in a large changing room. He had been given his prince costume fully equipped with a cape and even a crown, then sent to hair and makeup where they put the finishing touches on his princely look.

When he was finished, he was told to head back to the dressing room and wait for Ellen, and was now standing in front of the large floor length mirror, slowly turning and looking himself over. That's when the door opened and Ellen walked in.

“Hey, Dean.”

“Hey, Ellen,” he turned to her with a smile, arms open for a hug, “how's it going?”

“Great!” She squeezed him back. “You're early, but I’m glad to see you’re excited about the job.”

“Yeah,” he chuckled, “I was a little over excited this morning and I left way to early, sorry.”

She waved him off, “Don't be sorry, we love it when our staff enjoy their work. Now come on, it's time to meet your partner.”

With a little skip in his step he followed Ellen out of the dressing room and through the halls of the building.

They ended up in another room where his Uncle Bobby was standing with another guy having a quiet conversation. The guy was dressed in casual blue jeans and a loose fitting plain t-shirt. Dean hadn’t seen him around here, but there were so many people working here, Dean may never know them all.

“Hey, Bobby,” Dean walked over and clasped his uncle on the shoulder.

“Dean,” he gave him a nod then turned to speak to Ellen.

Dean took a few moments to glance around the room, looking for the girl who was to play his princess, but so far it was just the four of them in the room. Maybe she was late or getting into costume.

“Dean,” his uncle gave him a nudge and pulled his attention back to the group, “I’m talkin’ to you boy, pay attention.”

“Sorry, Uncle Bobby,” he moved to stand within the group, “what were you saying?”

“This is Castiel,” he turned and gestured to the dark haired man.

Dean reached over and shook his hand with a smile, then turned to Ellen as she spoke.

“Alright,” she clapped her hands together, “let’s get Castiel into costume and makeup, and then we’ll get you two started with this orientation.”

It took a second for Dean to process her words, but when he came full circle and realized exactly what she was saying, he was sure he must have been mistaken. “You two? Are… are we both meeting out princesses today?”

Ellen looked to Dean with a furrowed brow, “Didn't your uncle tell you? Castiel is going to be your partner.”

“You mean, like… together?” He looked between Bobby and Ellen. “Two princes?”

She nodded, “We’ve been asking our visitors for some feedback on the parks characters and the biggest complaint weve been getting is that we don't have any LGBTQ representation. So we decided to start with you two as our first ever gay princes. If this goes well then we have plans to launch a lesbian couple in a few months, and then hopefully continue to represent the community even further.”

“I…” Dean stuttered and suddenly found he couldn’t say much else.

Ellen stepped up to him, calm and collected as she asked, “Are you still willing to do this job, Dean? We need you to be able to work this at your best and make it seem like you two are really in love, like true fairy tale characters would be. So I need to know now if you can do that?”

Dean thought for a moment, then locked eyes with her as he answered with confidence, “Yeah, yeah I can do it. I want this job.”

“Good,” she gave him a pat on the shoulder with a relieved smile, “once we get Castiel all set in costume, we’ll explain the expectations and take you two on a quick tour.”

~~~~~~~~~~~

Dean , Ellen, and Bobby waited about twenty minutes for Cas to get all done up in his costume and makeup. When he finally came back into the room, hands fumbling clumsily with the last button on the top of his jacket, Dean had to admit that the guy looked pretty damn good. Maybe this wouldn’t be so hard.

Dean watched the guy for a moment still fighting to get the last button done up, and walked over to him with outstretched hands, “Here, I got it.” he did up his last button for him, then smoothed a hand down his chest and stood back. “You… you look good man, really handsome, definitely prince material.”

Dean flashed Castiel a wink and a smile, hoping to get a good reaction out of him, but was slightly disappointed when all he got was a curt nod then the guy turned away. Dean didn't really know what to think of it or if it even meant anything, but he didn't have much time to dwell on it either as Ellen started the orientation.

“Shall we begin then,” and everyone turned to face her, “now, since you two boys are our first ever gay princes, it is very important that you play your rolls well. We want our actors to represent the community as best as we can, clear?”

Both boys gave her a nod, then Bobby stepped in.

“You boys will work Wednesday to Sunday with Monday and Tuesday off, and weekends are our busiest days. When you get here you head straight to costume and makeup then you spend most of the day walking around the park together.”

“While you’re out with the guests you’ll be expected to hold hands, hug, take pictures with the visitors, and on occasion you will have a kid that asks you to kiss.” Dean swallowed hard, suddenly finding butterflies invading his stomach, while trying with all his might not to look at Castiel’s reaction as Ellen continued, “That's fine, some of the kids think it's cute to see their favourite characters kiss. We just ask you don't go too overboard, especially in front of the younger ones, a little peck is fine.”

Dean found himself unable to hold back any longer and turned to look at Castiel. He could not, for the life of him, gauge his reaction at all. He was so stone faced, standing beside Dean with his arms crossed and his eyes fixed on Ellen. Dean wasn’t even sure if he knew Dean was still in the room.

“Other than that,” Ellen spoke again, regaining Dean’s attention, “we have events every once in a while that you will be expected to attend as our ‘special guests’ along with the other characters in the park. For example, in a couple of weeks we have our annual evening birthday bash for Mickey’s birthday. All the characters will be attending, there will be fireworks, and special pricing which means it will be a full house. Once we announce you two, everyone will want to see you at the birthday bash, happy and in love. Does that work for you two? The occasional evening shifts and events?”

Dean quickly nodded then looked to Casitel for his answer.

He also nodded, then ground out in a gravelly tone, “Yes, I am able to do that.” Dean found himself letting out a sigh of relief.

Ellen smiled, seemingly relieved herself and clapped her hands together, “Good! Now that’s pretty much it. If you have any problems while you’re out in the park there are always plenty of security guards around, so you can either speak to one of them or they can walkie myself or Bobby. Good?” They both nodded their understanding and she turned and lead them out of the room. “Alright then, let’s go on that tour!”

~~~~~~~~~~~

The tour itself took almost three hours and they hadn’t even begun to make a dent in the park. Instead, Ellen showed them the areas where they would be spending most of their time in costume and left the rest of the park to be explored on their own time. As they went she shared a few facts about the park, introduced them to a few other fairy tale characters on their way including Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty and Prince Philip, and Donald and Daisy Duck. Dean couldn’t believe it!

And as they continued on with their tour, Dean noticed that they were getting a few curious stares from kids as they walked by. He waved to a few and smiled, most just turned shyly into their parents legs, and they continued on by. But it made Dean all the more excited to officially start the job and make these kids smile as Prince Dean of the Magic Kingdom.

As they began to come to the end of their tour, near the Magic Kingdom Castle itself, Ellen stopped for a moment to explain the course of the next few days. “So, we aren’t going to just plop you two in with the visitors. We first have to promote and then announce your arrival in a big event. Over the next week we will start doing just that. Our promotional team will announce a new couple moving into the Magic Kingdom on the website, all over the park, commercials, internet ads, it will be all over the place. They will also announce the construction of the castle that you two will be ‘living in’ while you live in the Magic Kingdom. All the other characters have castles, so it's only fitting that Prince Dean and Prince Castiel have their own too.”

“We get our own castle?!” Dean’s eyebrows nearly shot into his hairline.

“Absolutely,” Ellen nodded, “the new Wonder Castle will be your new home, and it will come with new attractions, the whole nine. Then once the promotional team has done all of that, next Friday we will have an event that anyone with general admissions can attend around late afternoon where we will officially introduce you to our guests. The event will be held here at the Magic Kingdom castle. I will announce you with Bobby, and then the two of you will step out to join us on the balcony and maybe even say a few words. After that you’ll join the crowds below and take pictures, meet the other characters, press will be here. It will be a huge event and a true test to whether or not you two can really do this job.”

Before anyone else could say anything more, a kid ran up and tapped Dean on the leg. He looked down to see a little red headed boy, still holding onto his pant leg, looking up at him with wide eyes.

Dean turned from the group and knelt down with a smile, “Hi there, what’s your name?”

“Andrew,” he replied around the thumb in his mouth.

“Hi there, Andrew, I’m Prince Dean.”

“Andrew!” A woman, also with bright red hair who Dean assumed was his mother, came running over, “Andrew, I told you not to interrupt them.”

The kid merely looked up at her with apologetic eyes and Dean smiled up at her, “It's fine, ma’am, no harm done.”

“I’m so sorry,” she waved her hand at all of them, “he’s just so curious.”

“It's really no trouble,” he smiled once again at the mom and then turned his attention back to the kid, “is this your first time at Magic Kingdom, Andrew?”

He shook his head, “Me, Mommy, and Daddy come here a lot.”

“That’s great!” Dean exclaimed, “It's a wonderful place to be!”

The kid nodded, then asked with furrowed brows, “Are you new? I never seen you before.”

“Yes, I am new. This is my first time here.”

“And who’s that?” The kid pointed a finger at Castiel behind him.

Dean turned to follow his finger, then turned back to Andrew, “That’s Prince Cas, we’re moving into the new Wonder Castle together once it's built here at the park. Our friends are just giving us a little tour of our new home today.”

The kid watched them for a minute, looking back and forth between Dean and Cas, then looked back to Dean and without any hesitation asked, “Are you two in love?”

Dean smiled at the kid, and his mom shrieked in embarrassment, “Andrew! You can’t just ask people these things!”

The kid turned to his mom, “But Uncle Tom and Uncle Henry are in love.”

His mom didn't know what else to do but bury her face in her hands, her skin tone now matching the vibrant shade of her hair.

Dean couldn't help but laugh as Andrew turned back to face him, patiently waiting for an answer to his question. “Well, Andrew, you’re right. Prince Cas and I are in love.” Dean turned back to Cas and held out a hand to him, raising his brows to Cas as a hint to take his outstretched hand. When he finally took it, Dean pulled him a little closer and the kid looked up at Cas and waved.

“Hello,” Cas waved back.

“This is great!” The kids mom stepped forward, “My brother is married to a man, Uncle Tom and Uncle Henry like Andrew said, I’m glad to see that your park is representing that part of the community. My brother will be thrilled!”

“If you’re interested, we’ll be having an event to officially announce it next Friday,” Ellen said, “we’d love to have all of you there.”

“I will let my brother and his husband know and we will all be here next Friday!” She smiled at all of them, then put a hand on her son’s shoulder. “Say bye, Andrew, let them finish their tour.”

“Bye, Prince Dean.”

“Bye, Andrew, I hope I see you on Friday.” The kid nodded. “Can I get a high five?”

He slapped Dean’s hand, gave Cas another wave, and then ran off with his mom.

Cas and Dean watched the kid leave, then turned to Ellen and Bobby who were both smiling at them.

“Well done, boys,” Bobby nodded at them, “I think you two will do just fine if you keep it up, just like that.”

“I agree,” Ellen then turned and waved them on, “come on, let’s get you two back inside and out of costume for the day.”

Once inside and back in their regular clothes, Dean and Cas met back with Ellen and Bobby in one of the back rooms. Ellen praised them once again on their work today in the park, and told them when to be back next Friday, then both her and Bobby left them to continue their own work for the day.

When it was just Dean and Cas in the room, the air suddenly felt a little tense and Dean for the first time found he didn't know what to say. Which he himself found extremely odd, but he tried anyways.

“So, uh… good-good job today, Cas.” He just looked over at Dean, same stoic expression on his face as he’d had all day. “You look really great in your costume, very prince like.”

Cas just looked to the side and still didn't say anything. Dean wasn’t sure if maybe he was going overboard, or if the guy was shy, or maybe he wasn’t into being the second half of a gay relationship, but Dean tried again anyways.

“Hey, maybe we should swap numbers so we can get to know-” Dean didn't even get to finish his sentence before the guy was all but running past him out of the room, “each other… right.”

Dean just shook his head, grabbed his jacket, and left.

~~~~~~~~~~~

When Dean got home he found Sam in the same place as last time. On the couch, laptop balancing on his legs, chewing on the end of a pen clearly lost in his law studies.

When Dean closed the door Sam snapped his head away from his laptop and immediately started throwing questions at Dean. He wasn’t even halfway out of his jacket before Sam was shouting, “How’d it go?! Did you meet your princess?! Do you like her?!”

“Well,” Dean started as hung his jacket then joined Sammy in the living room, “it's not quite like that.”

“What do you mean?”

“I am one half of the parks first gay royal couple,” Dean leaned back in the chair, not making eye contact, “I have a prince instead of a princess.”

“That’s great!” Sam nearly shot his laptop off the couch in all his excitement, “And it's great to know that the park is representing the LGBTQ community.”

“Yeah it's great,” he agreed, “I just don't know why Uncle Bobby didn't tell me what I was signing up for before the interview.”

Sam gave him one of his patented bitch faces, “Maybe because he thought you’d be more mature about it then you’re currently being.”

“It's not that, Sammy, not even close.” Dean waved him off with a face of his own, “It's… it's the guy, Castiel. He’s kind of a dick. He doesn't talk much, I haven't seen him smile yet, I don't know how he’s gunna be with the kids, and I don't know if it's me that’s making him like that or if he’s just naturally that stoic. Maybe he just doesn’t like me. I even tried to suggest we swap numbers so we can maybe get to know each other a little outside of work, and he just blew me off. Ran right past me and left the park.”

“It's only been one day, Dean, give it some time,” Sam gave him a small smile, “maybe he’s just shy, I'm sure he’ll come around.”

“I hope so,” Dean replied as he rubbed at his chin, “I don't wanna lose this job.”

“Uncle Bobby wouldn’t let anyone fire you, unless you did something really stupid.”

“But I don't want him to lose his job either, especially not because I have an uncle in a high place,” Dean ran a hand through his hair, making it stick up, “that hardly seems fair.”

“Let’s not jump to any conclusions yet, just give it some time and see what happens.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

“So,” Sam asked trying to change the topic slightly, “do you start tomorrow?”

Dean shook his head, “We have a week off before we start. Over the next six days, the park is going to advertise that a new couple is moving into Magic Kingdom, then next Friday there will be an event where they announce our arrival, and we walk out onto the balcony of the Magic Kingdom Castle to greet the parks guests.”

“Wow,” Sam whistled, “it's all planned out I see.”

“Yeah, Bobby and Ellen run that place well, and speaking of,” he leaned forward in the chair, “are you gunna come to the event next Friday? You get a free seasons pass as well as free admission to any special events like that, because your my brother and you live with me.”

“Yeah!” Sam nearly screamed, “I will definitely be there!”

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

A/N: So there’s chapter two, chapter three will be out soon!!

Tags: @kitsunecastiel @florenciareiser @soulmatchortega

And I’m gunna tag the people who liked the post for the first chapter, if you don’t want to be tagged just let me know :)

@humanlady28 @sugarbae128 @deeutdutdutdoh @willastar23 @quillsandink-writes @avokind @theninthdutchessofhell @bbotts9797 @supernaturalbaesduh @deanwithhisimpala @afrostycatblr @deanssidechick @mishka-the-angel-of-saturday @thekingofgreenapples @say-it-aint-so-bro @idontwantpeopletoknowmyname @markpellegrincs @pooffa @magicalmess93 @all-time-fall-out-panic-pilots @myessenceconsistsofdeadmemes @petertingle3000 And thanks to @princessjimmynovak I have been informed that the art was done by the lovely @purgatory-jar and the original post can be found right HERE! So everyone should go check them out and give them some love for the awesome art!! <3

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theliberaltony · 5 years ago

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via Politics – FiveThirtyEight

Welcome to Pollapalooza, our weekly polling roundup.

Poll(s) of the week

Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, leads President Trump in most national polls, and surveys conducted even this far out have tended to roughly resemble the eventual general election results, as FiveThirtyEight’s Geoffrey Skelley explained in an article this week. Of course, national polls measure the national popular vote, which is really only indirectly related to who will win the White House — Democrats have won the popular vote but lost the Electoral College in two of the last seven elections and could do so again in 2020. U.S. presidential elections are really a contest of states.

So what’s going on in the states? We thought it was worth taking a look at that question now, as April featured some high-quality, state-level polling (though not a ton of it1). It also happened to be the month when the general election came into sharper focus: It’s now clear who the Democratic nominee will be and that the novel coronavirus pandemic will be a major part of the campaign.2

Here’s what we learned looking at every state-level poll conducted in April:3

Biden’s leads narrowly in several key states

Several polling firms released surveys of Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin in April. Former President Barack Obama carried all four states in 2012. Trump flipped all four in 2016 (as well as Ohio and Iowa, neither of which has much recent polling.) And Biden appears to lead in all four now. (North Carolina, which has gone Republican in both of the last two cycles, was also polled pretty often in April, with Trump and Biden looking basically tied there.)

The presidential race in key states according to early polls

Average margin in states where at least 3 polls were conducted in April

State Number of polls Biden Trump Average Margin North Carolina 5 47% 46% D+1.0 Wisconsin 4 48 44 D+3.3 Florida 4 47 43 D+3.5 Pennsylvania 5 48 43 D+5.4 Michigan 8 49 43 D+6.1 U.S. 50 48 42 D+6.4

Includes polls conducted partly in March 2020 but finished in April. Polls that released results among multiple populations were included only once, counting the narrowest sample — registered voters over adults, and likely voters over registered voters.

Source: Polls

This data highlights a few things. First, at least at the moment, Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are very close to the national tipping point — so they’re likely to be among the more determinative states this November. Second, the former vice president’s lead nationally is big enough to carry these states. This is important — if Biden wins all of the states Hillary Clinton won in 2016 plus any combination of three of these four, he would be elected president.

But crucially, Biden’s margins in these states are slightly smaller than his advantage in national polls. It’s worth thinking about the race at the state level in these relative terms because there’s still so much time for things to shift. If Biden’s lead nationally narrowed to 2 to 3 percentage points, these states would likely be much closer, if not lean toward Trump. Also, as The New York Times’ Nate Cohn wrote recently, Trump is likely to look stronger when pollsters start limiting their results to “likely voters.” Most of the April surveys in these four states were conducted among registered voters or all adults, two groups that include some people who may not vote in November.4

In other words, this data suggests Trump may have an Electoral College advantage again — he could lose the popular vote and win the election. Of course, this data also suggests that if Biden is winning overall by a margin similar to his advantage now, Trump’s potential Electoral College edge really won’t matter.

Biden polling particularly strong in Michigan and Pennsylvania

It’s not worth making too much of small differences among states — we don’t have a lot of polling and things will likely shift between now and November anyway. But it seems pretty clear Biden is doing better in Michigan and Pennsylvania than Florida and Wisconsin. Fox News, Ipsos and Public Policy Polling all recently polled several swing states. All three found Biden had a larger lead in Michigan and Pennsylvania than in other swing states they surveyed (Florida for Fox, North Carolina and Wisconsin for PPP, Wisconsin for Ipsos.)

The race is unclear in other Trump 2016 states

Outside of the five states I discussed above, a recent poll of Arizona was great for the former vice president, while he wasn’t looking as strong in a survey of Georgia. But I would be very cautious about states in which we only have one or two recent polls. So please keep that caveat in mind, but here are all the states for which we got polls in April — even the ones with just one poll:

Polls of early states show Biden leading

Average margin in states where at least 1 poll was conducted in April

State Number of polls Biden Trump Average Margin Utah 1 32% 51% R+19.0 Indiana 1 39 52 R+13.0 Mississippi 1 38 49 R+11.0 Georgia 1 46 48 R+2.0 Texas 2 46 48 R+2.0 Ohio 1 45 44 D+0.7 North Carolina 5 47 46 D+1.0 Wisconsin 4 48 44 D+3.3 Florida 4 47 43 D+3.5 Pennsylvania 5 48 43 D+5.4 Michigan 8 49 43 D+6.1 U.S. 50 48 42 D+6.4 New Hampshire 1 50 42 D+8.0 Arizona 1 52 43 D+9.0 Virginia 1 51 41 D+10.0 New Mexico 1 52 40 D+12.0 Washington 1 52 39 D+13.0 Connecticut 1 47 34 D+13.2 New Jersey 1 54 38 D+16.0 New York 1 65 29 D+36.0

Includes polls conducted partly in March but finished in April. Polls that released results among multiple populations were included only once, counting the narrowest sample — registered voters over adults, and likely voters over registered voters.

Source: Polls

I do think Biden could win Arizona, but that’s based more on Democrats’ winning a U.S. Senate race there in 2018 than the recent OH Predictive Insights survey that showed Biden with a 9-point lead in the state.

It’s also unclear in Clinton 2016 states

It’s likely that Trump and Republicans will target Maine, Minnesota, Nevada and New Hampshire in particular — looking for an upset in states Democrats could overlook because they might assume Biden won’t lose where Clinton won four years ago. Trump narrowly lost in those four states in 2016.5 Maine, Minnesota and New Hampshire are states in which a disproportionately high percentage of the electorate is non-Hispanic white voters without college degrees, an electoral bloc in which the president was especially strong in 2016 and could make even more gains in 2020.6

But we just need more polling to get a sense for how these states are shaping up relative to the country overall. All we have is one recent poll from any of these four states — a survey showing the former vice president ahead by 8 points in New Hampshire. Biden’s prospects would be brighter if he ends up outperforming Clinton among non-college whites, making these states less Republican-leaning relative to the country than they were in 2016.

Other polling bites

Among registered voters in New York, 32 percent said they personally know someone who has died as a result of the coronavirus, according to a new Siena College Research Institute poll, compared to 67 percent who said they did not. That first number is higher among the state’s black (48 percent) and Latino registered voters (52 percent), as well as those who live in New York City (46 percent.)

About 37 percent of American adults said they had a positive view of capitalism, compared to 41 percent with a neutral view and 21 percent who viewed capitalism negatively, according to a new poll from the left-leaning firm Data for Progress. Socialism is less popular, at 18 percent positive, 44 percent neutral, 38 percent negative.

More than half of American adults said their employment status had been negatively affected by the COVID-19 outbreak, according to a recent Gallup poll. The effects included a loss of income (26 percent), hours being reduced (15 percent), being temporarily laid off (10 percent) and losing their job permanently (2 percent). Of the adults who were surveyed who live in households with incomes below $35,000, 68 percent said they had experienced at least one of these four negative effects. Among those in households with incomes over $90,000 per year, 49 percent said they had experienced at least one.

30 percent of American adults said they thought Trump was kidding when he suggested that scientists study the idea of people injecting disinfectants into their bodies as a way to fight the coronavirus, according to a recent YouGov survey. The majority of Americans (54 percent) did not think Trump was joking. There was a clear partisan split: 68 percent of Republicans said the president was kidding, compared to 16 percent who said he was not and another 16 percent who said they were not sure.

Black adults (28 percent) were more likely than Hispanic (13 percent) or non-Hispanic white (9 percent) adults to say they know someone who has died from COVID-19, according to a recent Axios-Ipsos survey. People in the Northeast (25 percent) were more likely to know someone who has died of the virus than those in the South (12 percent), Midwest (8 percent) or West (7 percent.) Democrats (15 percent) were more likely to know someone who has died than Republicans (8 percent.)

A recent Washington Post/University of Maryland survey found 65 percent of American adults supported temporarily blocking immigration to the U.S. during the COVID-19 outbreak. (Trump recently enacted a temporary halt to the issuing of green cards, although the pollsters who conducted this survey did not refer to the president’s announcement in their question.) Republicans (83 percent) and independents (67 percent) overwhelmingly favored this idea, while Democrats were split (49 percent supported it, 49 percent opposed it.)

Relatively few registered voters (31 percent) said they thought Trump is “honest and trustworthy,” according to a new USA Today/Suffolk University poll. But Trump gets higher marks on standing up for American interests (53 percent of voters agreed with this notion), knowing how to get things done (51 percent), being a strong leader (45 percent), working with foreign leaders (45 percent) and caring about “people like me” (39 percent.) Biden was rated the highest by voters on being able to work with foreign leaders (64 percent said they agree with this notion) and was ahead of Trump in three other measures as well. But voters weren’t that confident that Biden is a strong leader (43 percent) or can get things done (48 percent.)

A total of 67 percent of adults said they thought COVID-19 would “significantly disrupt” Americans’s ability to vote in November’s elections, according to a new Pew Research survey.

Trump approval

According to FiveThirtyEight’s presidential approval tracker, 42.9 percent of Americans approve of the job Trump is doing as president, while 52.4 percent disapprove (a net approval rating of -9.5 points). At this time last week, 43.4 percent approved and 52.6 percent disapproved (for a net approval rating of -9.2 points). One month ago, Trump had an approval rating of 45.8 percent and a disapproval rating of 49.7 percent, for a net approval rating of -3.9 points.

Generic ballot

In our average of polls of the generic congressional ballot, Democrats currently lead by 7.7 percentage points (48.0 percent to 40.3 percent). A week ago, Democrats led Republicans by 7.6 points (48.1 percent to 40.5 percent). At this time last month, voters preferred Democrats by 7.8 points (48.9 percent to 41.2 percent).

#IFTTT #Politics – FiveThirtyEight #politics #538 #Perry Bacon Jr.

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hinge · 16 days ago

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Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

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isitgintimeyet · 6 years ago

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The Ties That Bind

Thanks for all your feedback on the first chapter. I loved reading it all! I hope you enjoy the second chapter.

Once again thanks to @mo-nighean-rouge for the beta

Chapter 2 : A Recreational Activity (well, a few)

The power of a glance has been so much abused in love stories, that it has come to be disbelieved in. Few people dare now to say that two beings have fallen in love because they have looked at each other. Yet it is in this way that love begins, and in this way only. -Victor Hugo, Les Misérables

Jamie groaned and hoped that the banging inside his head would stop soon. This was the problem with drinking wine. Generally Jamie tried to steer clear of ‘grape’ and stick to ‘grain’. However, last night, he had supped copious quantities of both and now was suffering the consequences. He stretched his hand out hoping to find a glass of water and possibly even two aspirins left on the bedside table by his more responsible alter ego yesterday. There they were. Gratefully, he sank back onto the pillows and waited for them to do their work.

Parts of his alcohol-induced dreams came back to him… miles and miles of hotel corridors and he was chasing, chasing... a woman with the most gorgeous legs he had ever seen. He kept chasing her, but she wouldn’t stop and she wouldn’t turn round. A flash of wild dark curls and…

The banging in his head seemed to be louder now. “Unca,” a cross little voice added to the general cacophony. “Unca, get up now. Mam says now. ‘Tis beckfast and then ‘wimmin’. Mam says.”

Jamie forced himself out of bed. Fastening the towelling bath robe, he opened his door. His little nephew rushed past him and started jumping on the bed. Jenny stood in the doorway, her eyes darting all round the room.

“I go ‘wimmin’ with ye, Unca, wiv Spideyman shorts. What ye shorts, Unca?”

Jamie sighed and looked at his sister. “She’s no’ here. She didna stay. Nothing happened.” He grabbed Wee Jamie round his middle, lifting him high up in the air. “And who said I would take ye swimmin’, ye wee fishie?”

“Mam said so, she did.”

Jamie gently set his nephew on his feet. “Aye, well, yer mam makes an awfa’ lot o’ decisions fer the men in this family. But I guess I canna refuse, no’ if I ken what’s good fer me.”

**************

Claire lay on one of the day beds next to the swimming pool and wiggled her toes, admiring the newly applied scarlet polish. She set aside the copy of Hello! she had been skimming through and turned to Geillis.

“This was such a good idea of yours, G. Total battery recharge today… and we’ve even had the whole pool to ourselves. I don’t reckon we’ll be seeing any of that wedding party any time soon. Not if last night was anything to go by.”

“I am rather full of brilliant ideas,” Geillis agreed. “Although I feel we may have missed an opportunity last night. So many men...”

“... And no doubt so many wives and girlfriends!” Claire interrupted.

“Och, well,” Geillis dismissed Claire’s interruption. “Guess we’ll never know.”

“Anyway, so I’ve a body wrap, then hot stone massage in twenty minutes. I’m going to head into the sauna for ten minutes first. You coming?”

“Aye, may as weel. I don’t reckon there’ll be anything worth hangin’ round here fer today.” Geillis gathered up her belongings and followed Claire into the sauna.

**************

Jamie sat in the male changing room, blowing up his nephew’s armbands (Spider-Man, obviously a theme here) while Wee Jamie hopped excitedly from foot to foot.

“Now, afore we go in the pool, are ye sure you dinna need a wee? Ye ken what I told ye, as how if ye wee in the pool, the water turns bright blue?”

“Nah, Unca, c’mon now. Wanna go ‘wimmin’.” The little lad pulled his armbands up, grabbed Jamie’s hand and headed for the door. “C’mon, c’mon.” He paused and stared intently at his uncle. “Ye no Spideyman shorts?”

Jamie looked down at his blue checked board shorts and tried to look sad about this. “Sorry lad, I’m too big fer such a fine pair.”

As they entered the pool area together, Jamie looked around. It was totally deserted, which, Jamie thought, was hardly surprising based on the amount of alcohol that had been consumed the day before. An abandoned magazine lay on one of the day beds.

Wee Jamie pointed to a small passage way on the other side of the pool. “What’s ‘at?”

“Ah, nothing for ye. Just the sauna... it’s awfa hot and no’ fer children and the girls’ changing room is down there too. That’s definitely no’ fer us lads, eh?”

Following Jenny’s instructions to “wear the lad out, we want him tae sleep in the car going home,” Jamie stayed in the pool, playing with his nephew until he noticed the lad’s eyelids start to droop. He scooped him up and carried him back to the changing room, intending to just wrap him in a towel and leave the tricky drying and dressing to Jenny.

Wee Jamie held tightly to his uncle’s neck. “You fib, Unca. Ye did. I wee’d and I wee’d but no blue.”

Jamie chuckled. God, he loved this little lad something fierce and maybe someday, God willing...

**************

Claire picked up the two whiskies from the bar and made her way to the table where Geillis was sitting. The pub was quite empty at the moment, just a handful of people, like them, having a quick drink after work before heading home.

Geillis looked Claire up and down appraisingly. “Ye ken I love ye, Claire, but could you no’ wear something a bit, weel, more alluring when we’re out?”

Claire gazed down at her old jeans and plain black tee shirt. “G, I’ve been on my feet in theatre for the past 8 hours. I’m so knackered, you’re lucky I managed to change out of my scrubs and into this! Besides, however can I compete with your alllllluuure?” She drawled the last word out jokingly. “Maybe you have the allure for both of us? I can be your duff.”

Geillis raised a quizzical eyebrow.

“Designated ugly fat friend.” Claire explained with a smile. “According to the movie, every friendship group has one. You and me, we’re a friendship group, ergo, I must be it.”

“Claire, ye may be many things but fat or ugly never.” Geillis said, “Yer hair’s a wee bit wild, mind. Do ye no’ fancy a Brazilian blow dry?” She ran her fingers over her sleek strawberry blonde locks.

“And here’s me thinking a ‘brazilian’ was about a different part of my anatomy altogether!”

Geillis smiled, then a serious expression crept over her face. “But, Claire, ye dinna think ye’re fat or ugly really, do ye?”

Claire stared at the beer mat on the table, her fingers picking at it, ripping it into tiny shreds of paper. She really thought she’d outgrown that nervous habit.

“Well, no, but, it’s difficult to explain. Frank...” She could hear Geillis tutting at the mention of his name. “Frank had certain… er, expectations of how I should be. How I should behave, how I should look. The disapproval on his face if I took an extra roast potato, ordered dessert, poured myself another glass of wine. There was always someone younger, more self-controlled, thinner. So, for a while I tried to become the person he wanted me to be. I tried to see myself through his eyes and I saw the fat arse, the lack of control, the not-really good enough...”

Geillis leaned closer and gently placed her hand on Claire’s. “Thank God ye got out of there. That wasna a healthy place tae be, Claire. Ye know ye’re worth a lot more than that.”

“I know. And I am joking about that duff business but occasionally, old habits are hard to break. That’s why I’m not after a serious relationship. I’m not sure I’m ready to let someone see me as I really am.”

“But a fling will do ye no harm at all. It will do ye the world of good, let ye see how another man treats ye. In fact, we need a list. A checklist. When ye’re in theatre, ye dinna start cuttin’ till ye know everything is in place, all the boxes are ticked. So we make a list of what ye want and ye dinna start, er, flingin’ till a man ticks all the boxes.”

Claire finally put the mangled beer mat down. “A list, really?”

“Aye, it’s scientific, ye ken.” Geillis picked up her bag and rooted around for a piece of paper. Finding an unused paper napkin, she smoothed it flat on the table, extracted a pen from the depths of her bag and sat poised ready to write. “Ok. Point one…” She scribbled something down quickly.

“Come on, Let me read it.” Claire laughed, turning the napkin round. “Must look good in, and out of, a kilt. G, you have a one-track mind.”

“Och, it’s a fling we’re talking about, ye only need one track, I reckon. So, what about point two?”

“Well, I may as well play along. Point two must be no complications.”

Geillis obligingly wrote that down. “Next point. Enjoys a drink. Likes to let his hair down.”

Claire took the pen from her friend and added another line. Geillis read it upside down. “Really, it’s a fling ye’re after. Ye’re tellin’ me if they dinna like the X-Files, that’s it? Is that a deal breaker?”

“What can I say? The heart wants what the heart wants.”

“Fine, but I’m adding this one then. Fancies ye as ye are. No changing ye.”

The pub was starting to fill up. Most commuters had already made their way home, to be replaced by those heading out for the evening, coming into the pub for a quick drink before their evening plans properly began. Even on a drizzly Thursday evening, it was getting to be standing room only. Claire noticed several people eyeing their table enviously. She drained her whisky glass and stood up.

“I think that’s me done for this evening. Any more and I’ll have to be put to bed right here. I’ll just pop to the loo and meet you outside, G.”

As Claire crossed the room to the toilets, Geillis started to gather her stuff together to leave.

Immediately a woman rushed to the table, plonked herself in one chair, and stuffed her bag on the other chair. She eyed Geillis, willing her to hurry up and be on her way. Geillis ignored her and continued rifling through her bag, her movements deliberately slowing. Eventually, Geillis decided she’d had enough of the game, turned away and walked to the exit.

**************

Geneva caught Jamie’s eye as he moved away from the bar, drinks in hand, and pointed to the seats she had found for them. He sat down, taking a deep slug of his whisky as he put Geneva’s vodka, lime and soda on the table next to a tatty old napkin.

“Someone’s shopping list, no doubt.” Geneva dismissed it with a wave of her hand as Jamie picked it up and carried on telling Jamie about the difficulties in trying to find the correct colour for a new bedroom throw. “...Not really a teal, but not quite a cerulean colour either…”

Jamie knew his role in this. It was just to nod and murmur appreciatively at appropriate points in the story. That gave him time to think… unfortunately. Thinking made him realise that Jenny had been right three weeks ago at the wedding. Geneva was not the one, he didn’t need to try again just to see. And she did talk utter shite.

He groaned, which Geneva seemed to take as indication of his deep interest in her tale of home furnishing trials and tribulations. He should never have slept with her. He hadn’t intended to but last night, as the blood left his brain and migrated south, he had lost the capacity for rational, coherent thought and had followed his baser instincts. Which had been a very bad idea.

Jamie glanced at the napkin he was still holding. Straightening it between his fingers, he began to read. A woman with long strawberry blonde locks suddenly leaned over and gently took the napkin from his fingers.

“Thanks, it’s fer scientific research, ye ken.”

He watched as she walked to the door, to her waiting friend. Her friend with the long shapely denim clad legs and mad curly hair and her face, so full of life with sparkling eyes he longed to dive right into.

“What an odd thing to want.” Geneva interrupted his contemplation. “That couldn’t have been scientific research. On a used napkin. Some people are just strange.”

Jamie felt his breath catch in his throat. Jenny had been right - he recognised it. What to do now?

#outlander fanfic #outlander fan fiction #modern AU #Jamie Fraser #claire beauchamp #the ties that bind #chapter 2 #fluff #bit of angst #first time writing #sorry i dont know how to add links to previous chapter here

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writings-of-a-hufflepuff · 6 years ago

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Silver Wings In The Moonlight

Fandom: Dunkirk

Pairing: Collins x Reader

Warning: N/A

Writer: @imaginesofeveryfandom aka @hufflepuffing-all-day-long

Summary/Request: Based off Anne Shelton’s ‘Silver Wings In The Moonlight’: Jack finally comes home after the war is over.

Notes: No Gender Pronouns used, neutral partner terms, but marriage is mentioned just in case that’s off putting.

Jack Collins loved flying. You knew that form the moment you met him. That he loved flying with everything in him, that it brought a thrill to him, as much as it scared him. He once told you that he felt the same way about you. That he loved you, you thrilled him, excited him, but that you scared him as well. That he was scared of how much he loved you, scared of leaving you to go fly in the war...that it was all a rather scary thing, being in love that is. You found it funny that he thought falling in love was as scary as fighting in the war.

You would always share him with his love of flying, you knew he’d be torn between the two and you never asked him to stop flying, to finding a safer job in the war...because that wasn’t fair and because ultimately you knew that he’d never stop you doing what you loved, no matter how dangerous, so what right did you have of doing the same.

You had just hoped, much as the familiar Anne Shelton song went, that eventually his love of flying, of his silver wings, of his plane, would bring him home safely. That he’d survive every single encounter and that you’d finally get to live in a world without war together.

Demobilisation was a long process, however. When the war in Europe was announced as over, won, done, completed, everyone had been happy, excited, overjoyed knowing that so many could finally come home even with the war in the pacific still ongoing. You were rather lucky that demobilisation of the Royal Air Force was a rather quick affair compared to the hundreds of thousands of men in the Army or Navy. You had known that Jack would be stationed at a nearby air base, that he’d be home...because while you knew he’d stay in the RAF post-war, you also knew without the war on he’d have more time for you, more safety, and you’d actually get to fall asleep in his arms for once.

When you finally got the letter telling you he was coming home it was the biggest relief you’d ever felt. Knowing you’d see him again.

Dearest Y/N,

This is a short letter compared to our usual exchanges, but i’m writing to let you know that i’ll be home soon. They’re stationing me back nearby now that the wars over. Giving me leave too, three whole weeks!

I’ve missed you with all my heart, as much as I love flying it is horrible being away from you. It will be great to be able to see you and fly again rather than having to choose between the both of you.

I always told you i’d make it back, even though I know you’ve worried every day for the past six years. It seems so strange that after six years we’re finally done with this bloody war.

Forever yours,

Jack

It had been brief considering his usual letters spanned two or three pages, but you’d understood why. He was coming home and why write about things that were happening when he could simply talk to you again, hold you in his arms and tell you every funny story, every sad happening, every moment that you’d missed over the six years of war.

You hadn’t a date for his arrival, but every day you made sure the house was perfect. That it was clean, that you had a good stock of tea, that you had enough to make a nice meal. It was the little things you wanted him to come back and not have to worry about going down the shop or clean up a tiny bit of mess. You wanted him to be able to come in and just hold you. For hours. Without any responsibilities or things to worry about. You’d spent six years with rare leave dotted here and there. A few days often at most to spend time together. Now you had three weeks. Three weeks and he’d be working nearby, perhaps able to live at home and go to base each day.

You’d been reading the paper when you heard the door unlock and open, close shut, and the sound of a familiar voice call down the hallway, “I’m home!” You’d been so excited you dropped the paper on the floor and rushed out of the living area, not stopping until you’d almost launched yourself at him for a long awaited hug.

He still smelt the same like carbolic soap and the aftershave he always used. He still felt the same, solid, warm, arms wrapping around you and pulling you tighter as he buried his face into your shoulder.

“I’ve missed you.” You mumble it into the blue of his uniform, not wanting to pull away even for a second to talk to him. Letters allowed you to talk to him, but the physicality of having someone there? Nothing could replicate that. You couldn’t simply get a hug any time you wanted, a kiss on a cheek, a hand on the small of your back. The physicality just didn’t translate the way words did.

His grip tightens on you and you can hear and feel him take deep breaths, contented ones, taking in everything that surrounded him. “I’ve missed ye too, love...so much.”

You pull back, only enough to see his face. He looks the same. Blonde hair, cut short back and sides, long on the top, combed over neatly. Blue eyes that are so soft and kind, eyes that helped you fall in love with him. Soft smile, the type of smile that still managed to make you flustered and just a little bashful. He hadn’t changed much, older, certainly older. You both were. You’d first started dating when you were barely in your twenties. Now you were in the latter part of that decade of your life. You’d spent so much time apart, writing letters, keeping your relationship going.

“I can barely believe you’re actually here...finally...six years.” You press your forehead to his, close your eyes, taking in the feel of him, the smell of him, the presence of him once gain.

“Well, ye better believe it. I’m not goin’ anywhere anytime soon.” You open your eyes again, scan his face briefly, before pressing your lips to his. A little chapped and slightly unfamiliar after so long apart, but still Jack. Still the soft press of lips, the sweet hum of happiness from his throat before he pulls back and smiles down at you.

You’re not really prepared for him to sink to one knee, mostly because you’re still finding it hard to believe that he’s finally back, that the war is over and he’s finally back. So its rather something else to find him sinking to one knee.

“I don’t have a ring yet...I was going to wait till I found one, but we’ve waited six years and I just want to marry ye finally. I spent six years without ye and you’re the best partner I could ever ask for. You’ve put up with me for six years, without me help around the house, with me shitty handwriting. Will ye marry me?”

Its not something you really have to think about after so long, because you’ve already thought the answer before today, thought of this possibly happening a million times. You decided that if you could survive being away from him during a war, then you could manage the trials of married life. Of a life during peace time.

“Of course I will, Jack” You pull him back to his feet and grip him in a tight embrace once again. You don’t really need a ring or something fancy or a big speech, the fact that he’s here, that he’s alive, that he wants to marry you, that is enough.

“I love you.” You cup his cheeks in your hand and meet his eyes. You want to make sure he knows just how much you love him, that after everything you still love him the same as when you first fell for him. It hasn’t mellowed, hasn’t dissipated. Its still as strong as ever.

“I love ye too, sweetheart.”

#readerinsert #reader insert #dunkirk imagine #dunkirk #dunkirk reader insert #collins dunkirk #collinsxreader #collins x reader #collins/reader #collins / reader

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angrylizardjacket · 7 years ago

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Holding Court In A Crown {Roger Taylor}

Sequel to And All The Queen’s Men {Roger Taylor}

A/N: 3630 words. Giselle is fun to write and I love her. Another article style, based off of many conversations between @ginghampearlsnsweettea and I. Let me know what you think.

[And All The Queen’s Men ‘verse masterpost]

HOLDING COURT IN A CROWN - GISELLE TAYLOR in conversation with Vogue UK about her fashion evolution through the decades. (Published June, 1991)

When stepping into the Taylor home, it becomes immediately apparent that this is a home in which public image has always been very important. Gold and Platinum albums alike line the front foyer, shining reminders of the achievements of both artists who reside here. It’s surprisingly modern, hardwood floors and large windows that allow light to stream in, though the house itself is smaller than one might expect. Giselle herself greets me in the front hall, looking carefully casual in a flattering, warm yellow summer dress, that hits just above her knees, and a pair of matching yellow slip on shoes.

I’m lead through the house, past closed doors, one of which I’m told is a personal recording studio, into a open-planned kitchen-dining area. It’s a strange marriage of two aesthetics, no pun intended, the German-inspired open planned living with the dark counters, appliances, and features that make the space feel a little smaller, though it comes together to make something modern and chic, and perfectly suited to both Giselle and her husband’s images.

“Roger’s with the girls,” she tells me, referring to her daughters, pouring us both a glass of water in some of the fanciest crystal glasses I’ve ever seen, “not that he wouldn’t jump at the chance to talk about his “fashion choices”,” her air quotes, not mine, “but I thought I’d spare you the half hour argument about the wine stain, and all the other, sundry fashion choices of mine that he likes to take credit for.”

Giselle herself admits that she’s always been very fortunate in terms of fashion, “I mean, I look good in everything,” though there’s an air of self deprecation about it, “Actually, I’ve had a certain liberty with my work attire that not a lot of people have, unless you’re in the entertainment industry.” What began with a rented cocktail dress bloomed into one of the most influential fashion timelines of the 70s and 80s.

Beginning her career in an establishment modeled after American prohibition-era speakeasies, Giselle started off wearing cocktail dresses rented from the pub itself. “I actually did start off as a waitress, but for that you just had to provide your own black pants and white top, you know, wait-staff attire.” When the pub’s regular singer leaves, Giselle auditions to be her replacement, “they were just grateful I could fit into her dress, I could lipsync for all they cared.” Except, as well all know, Giselle can sing, and begun to make a name for herself in the community that frequented the pub.

Pulling out a polaroid of herself and music industry giant Ray Forrester, she shows me the only proof she has of the dress that started it all. It’s a rather ill-fitting, wine-coloured, sateen slip dress, it looks cheap, and according to Giselle, “it itched like crazy, it was cleaned once a week, and I was just glad that I was the only singer, some of the members of the jazz band had interchangeable costumes.” We both shudder at that, and she puts the photo on the counter.

As soon as she was given some modicum of control over her wardrobe, she took full advantage of it. Without a coherent aesthetic solidified by the release of her first album, Giselle admits she used the tour for Velvet Roses to experiment with both fabrics and styles. I personally have always favoured the midnight blue, velvet bouffant-style dress she wore during her stops in Belfast and Paris, but she goes on to praise the white, silk slip dress she had during her stop in West Berlin.

“Silk! Oh the silk, I dream about that dress sometimes,” she laughs a little, and now that we’ve begun to discuss her tour outfits, she leads me upstairs, “at the time it was the most comfortable thing I’d worn… ever; being able to work, to perform in something so luxury? It was a blessing.”

Her closet, at least the closet she stores her tour garments in, is separate from her bedroom, and locked. She’s got the key in her pocket, prepared, of course, for the interview, and as we step in I can hear the hum of a dehumidifier, and feel the chill of the air conditioning.

“It’s my one real extravagance.” As she turns on the lights, we’re greeted to the sight of a room, approximately four meters deep and half as wide, lined with railings that are practically stuffed with garment bags of varying sizes, and the end of the little room has a built in area for her jewel toned and bejewelled shoes alike. Three mannequins pose in the ample amount of space in the centre of the room, each wearing one of her most iconic outfits.

Each section of the racks around the side are carefully labelled by year, and it takes only a moment for Giselle to go through the section labelled 1971 before she’s pulling that same white dress from a garment bag. It still looks pristine, and when she offers for me to feel it, I understand what she’s saying.

“I’ve always tried to keep a very high standard in term of the materials I wear,” it was the first part of her aesthetic identity that was formed. “I’d never really had access to luxury on this scale before; I’d lived in sweaters and jeans for most of my [university] days; I was one of those girls in the little skirts and beaded tops at clubs- I lived my life in gogo boots every weekend of my first year.” Apparently she still has her favourite pair in the back of her personal closet, but seems hesitant to show me.

When asked what prompted her aesthetic shift, she reveals her passion for luxury stage-wear was only part of the decision. “I’d go on stage in silk pyjamas like Hugh Hefner if I could, but it’s not my brand.” Forrester was a big motivating force behind her solidification as the picture of elegance.

We get to the first of the mannequin dresses now, the fitted, black, off the shoulder cocktail dress, shining with sequins and beads, a perfect frozen reminder of her performance on Top of the Pops. To see it in person, still pristine, I get hit with just a hint of nostalgia, as does Giselle herself it seems. Marvelling at it with arms crossed over her chest, I’m granted a closer look at what was quite possibly the most iconic outfit of the 1972 lineup on the hit British musical program. The gloves themselves are more intricate than first imagined; what was assumed to just be red glitter is actually hand stitched, red sequins from the tips of the finger all the way to the wrist where it fades to chunky, red glitter, glued on and somehow width standing the test of time, to then dissolve into fine and sparsely scattered red glitter from the mid-forearm to the elbow. The beads and sequins on the dress itself are affixed with barely noticeable, shiny red thread, that gives the dress dimension up close. Giselle cites Gothic Romanticism as an inspiration to add depth to her jazz-bar persona, as well as the theatrics of musical theatre, going so far as to called the dress the ‘Merry Murderess’ despite the fact that the musical Chicago premiered almost three years after the dress’ initial debut.

Despite this look being regarded as one of her classics, and therefore setting the standard for her public image for the years to come, there’s no denying that Giselle didn’t enjoy experimenting with her outfits.

“I’ve never technically worn pants on stage,” as we move further into the room, she begins to pull various garment bags from the racks seemingly at random, “skirts, skorts, shorts - which some might argue are close enough - dresses, and even full jumpsuits, but never actual pants; I’ve always been worried that they were too masculinising for my act.” Moving on to the rack labeled 1975, she pulls out a particularly slim bag, and from it she pulls a pair of shorts made of what looks like liquid gold, but I know is made of velvet, with suspenders to match. It hangs over a sheer, flowing, cream crop-top with bell sleeves.

This outfit is cited as the first time she had deviated from her skirts and dresses, though the outfit itself is still exquisite and has an air of regality. “I was in Phoenix in ‘74 when I wore this; I’d had it included in my repertoire for the Hand Held Heart tour in case it became especially hot, which, being Arizona in the summertime, it was.” It’s here we start to see the influence of other artists bleed into her work; the occasional feathery flamboyance borrowed from Elton John, the avant-garde pattern and makeup work popularised by David Bow, and of course, the extravagance and glitz of Queen’s Freddie Mercury.

“You always have to specify that it’s [Freddie Mercury],” she’s very serious on this point, holding up her iconic, short, incredibly sheer white, long-sleeved fitted dress, marbled with red sequins to protect her modesty. It’s reminiscent of the red and white shorts Mercury had been known to favour on tours. “The others, while, yes, they could be well dressed on occasion, [Roger Taylor]’s lime green jeans aside, they never had the flair or audacity that Freddie had to be truly influential.”

After recording a cover of Queen’s Jesus for her third album, Giselle entered into an unofficial partnership with the band, which she tells me included a collaboration with Mercury himself on their costumes.

“I’d spent a long time trying to merge my style and my musical origins with modern aesthetics; I worked very closely with a designer, since it’s not technically my strong suit.” She pauses for a moment, and we make our way to the mannequins again, this time to the second, a floor-length, evening-gown style dress in lilac, capped sleeves, looking as though it’s tie-dyed with blackcurrant glass beads instead of fabric dye. “Getting to collaborate with the band was easy enough; I did talk with [Jim Beach] regarding the use of the song, but he ultimately he ruled that it was up to them, and so once that connection was established, I actually asked Freddie to help me with some tour outfit designs.”

People often assume Giselle is referring to her team contacting Queen’s lawyer, but she goes on record now to explain that it’s not true. “I’m a lawyer, my own lawyer, and I also work for several big-name bands in the music industry today. EMI picked me up halfway through my final year, but I still continued to go to [university], and I did actually intern under (sic) [Beach] while writing my second album. “ I’m assured that she had just regular suits in her personal closet; three, in grey, black, and cream, well fitted, ‘but not why you’re here’ she adds with a self-deprecating smile.

The lavender and blackberry dress was one designed by Mercury himself, the pale lavender representative of elegance and femininity, while the darker blackcurrant is used to bring depth to the dress the same way Giselle’s unwavering, calculated persona brings depth to her performances. It was Mercury’s idea to interweave the two in the tie-dyed style, keeping Giselle’s traditional aesthetic through the glass beads and the cut of the dress.

As we continue along the timeline, it’s clear to see the effect Mercury had on Giselle’s stage wardrobe, the use of geometric patterns coupled with bold colours, and more glitter and sequins than you can shake a stick at becoming more prominent throughout the late 70s, somehow still managing to keep in line with her traditional aesthetic simultaneously.

“I refuse to wear print.” She’s adamant about it when the possibility of wearing a garment like Mercury’s vest with his cats painted on it comes up. “Geometric doesn’t count; the texture in my wardrobe is always going to be,” she pauses for a moment, searching for the right word, fingers brushing through the fur of the fur-cuffs of a long-sleeved purple velvet number, “diegetic.” She settles on, and it’s clear what she means; patterns on her clothes are always wrought through beads or diamonds or fur or other things attached. “It’s the reason I have it locked, [Lilith Taylor, 7] has left the ‘indiscriminately grabbing things that feel nice’ stage a few years ago, but Rosie [Rosemary Taylor, 4] is just at the tail end of it. They’ll have free reign of this place one day,” she looks around at the fashion legacy she has built for herself, she wears an expression of pride, though it’s more focused on her daughters than the clothes themselves, “but for now I want to keep choking hazards and expensive furs out of danger.”

Around the very end of the 70s to the beginning of the 80s we see a return to form, with the resurgence of her form-fitted cocktail dresses. “There was a lot of change happening in my life at that time, and as much as I enjoy experimenting with my looks, it helped me feel secure to know I was in what was objectively my strong suit, pun not intended.” According to her, she’d just begun seeing Roger Taylor, and she used her fashion choices to exercise control in her life that she felt she was losing.

“My private life has always been very private, now here I am with the man who trashes drum kits and throws TVs out window; I was so afraid that every time people took a photo of me, or even looked at me, they’d think I was compromising my morals or integrity - which I’m not, and I wasn’t then.” She quickly clarifies. “Our personal history is not void because of where we are now, but Roger and I have also changed as people, and we’re allowed to have our feelings change. I’m honestly a little offended people think I we would have gone through all we did for mere publicity.”

Speaking of Roger, I’m a little surprised her wedding dress isn’t one of those on the mannequins, but I understand her choice, and we’ll certainly get to that soon. Her wedding dress sits at the back of one of the racks, carefully distant from any of the year labels. As she removes it from the garment bag, she gives it a softly nostalgic smile, brushing the fabric gently. “This should really go in my own closet.” It’s unlike most of her other outfits here, such a pale cream it’s almost white, floor-length and sleeveless with a Roman-inspired cinched waist topped with what I hesitate to even call ruffles, their drapings so loose it’s reminiscent of curled hair rather than a traditional ruffle. The material is so soft and light that even on a hanger it looks a little ethereal. It’s simple, elegant, and the very sight of it brings joy to her face.

“’81.” The year is surprising, as is the revelation she shares about how they celebrated their tenth anniversary a few months prior. Putting the dress away, we move to the early eighties, and it’s almost cyclical the way we’re brought back to the ‘Merry Murderess’ aesthetic with the lineup from her ‘The Bend Before The Break’ tour.

“Everyone and their mother seems to have read the article [All The Queen’s Men, Rolling Stone, 1985] and figured out I was in a shaky place at the time; it’s again about having that modicum (sic) of control. Part of me reverted to portraying myself in the way when I felt like I was at the height of control in my relationships and career. It’s a pretty aesthetic,” she gently pulls a velvet, wine-coloured cocktail dress from the rack, giving it a gentle pat, “it made my stage presence feel good, honestly.” It doesn’t sound bitter, but she puts the dress back.

Apologising for a moment, she explains the large gap between ‘82 and ‘84, with her Finally, Sunlight tour. “After coming home from the [The Bend Before The Break] tour, I took some time to myself; I was, of course, still writing, but I couldn’t really perform or make any big public appearances after like, July in ‘83, because I was quite pregnant, and, again, I’m a private person.” The Finally, Sunlight tour is known for two things, Giselle wearing gold, silver, and copper, in any and every way she could, and the Atlanta Breakdown.

“I wore metallics because Finally, Sunshine is about my baby girls, and they are so precious to me.” As was made clear in the Rolling Stone article, Giselle and Roger lost one of their twin daughters to illness in Autumn of 1984, though Lilith survived, it took a devastating toll on the couple. Moving past that, we’re finally brought to the crown jewel of the collection; her Live Aid dress.

It’s almost the antithesis to the ‘Merry Murderess’, though it shares a similar neckline and off-the-shoulder style. The Live Aid dress, which Giselle calls ‘Queen Midas’ for reasons I’ll get into later, has a white, crushed velvet bodice with an inbuilt corset, and basque waistline. Beneath the waist is a enough layers of thin and flowing georgette to become completely opaque, like a waterfall from the waistline, the colours fading from a bright, sunshine yellow at the hip, to a rich, sunset orange by the knee, and finally to a smokey, warm-toned charcoal where it brushes the ground, with gold jewels dotted around the bottom and creeping almost to the knee in some sporadic places, reminiscent of embers in a fire. Her gloves are white velvet, and just like with the first of her most iconic outfits, it’s gold sequinned fading to actual glitter and diamonds.

“I took a hard look at where I was and what I had achieved, and... whether or not I can help it, I effect people, through my music, my actions, through what I wear, and can be a double edged sword. Sometimes it can hurt, or I can hurt others by saying or doing the wrong thing, but sometimes I find myself wanting for nothing; everything I’ve held close has turned to gold. I wanted to show that, to be able to be a part of something that gives back to the world where it’s given me so much.”

With all her most well-known outfits having been covered, there’s one more that comes to the top of my head; the jacket of 1980. The tabloids had a field day with her choice of wardrobe as she stepped out of a car with the rest of Queen wearing a salmon and green floral, double breasted suit jacket, with silver buttons and silver stilettos, with sheer, thigh high white socks held up by a garter belt, hair fashionably messy, but makeup pristine. The deviation from her usual pristine image had shocked both paparazzi and public alike, however the daring outfit had quickly been lauded as one of her best, many publications who ran photos even citing it as the entertainment industry’s hottest innovative look of the decade. Even since it has stood the test of time, and has been attributed to the rise of patterned and bold suit jacket purchases by men and women alike, with the outfit have been cited as inspiration for more than one celebrity’s red carpet look.

Now, however, something, possibly amusement, possibly annoyance, crosses her face, and she tells me it’s not here. The jacket is Mercury’s. “We were on our way to a party being hosted by [Elton John], and I’d only been with Rog for a few months at this point; so we’re in the back of the limo with the other [members of Queen] and Roger’s spilled his wine on my nice, white cocktail dress.” It seems like a bittersweet memory, and she reminds me of her earlier comment about the ‘wine stain argument’. “In hindsight, everything worked out, but at the time I was absolutely livid; very nearly killed him in that backseat. Poor [John Deacon] literally had to drag me off of him. [It] took both him and Freddie to hold me back when Roger got out once we arrived, and they had the driver circle the block again so I could change into Freddie’s jacket, which he so kindly lent to me.”

From her tone, and her following comments about how her husband likes to bring it up, it seems as though it’s a well worn argument of how Roger Taylor enjoys taking credit for the look, though Giselle doesn’t seem like she enjoys giving him the satisfaction.

“My image has always been about how much I can control what people see of me, and to have that control taken away by a careless action, it really hurt. A man like Roger, in the entertainment industry, is never going to face the kind of scrutiny that I do, it’s the reason you’re here at all, talking to me about fashion rather than say, how difficult it is to be a practicing lawyer in the music industry while raising two beautiful daughters. And I still write music on occasion. But people remember what you show them, how you present yourself; my tour wardrobe is a reflection of the persona I let interact with the world, and it’s beautiful, and a legacy that will probably outlive me to some extent.

“Do I regret any of my fashion choices? I don’t really have the liberty to, do I? And either way, they’re part of the reason I’m where I am today; I made a niche for myself that was built initially on my aesthetic, if I’m being generous, so I suppose I’ll always be grateful to it.”

#roger taylor #roger taylor x oc #roger taylor imagine #bohemian rhapsody #borhap #bo rhap #queen #borhap imagine #the angry lizard writes

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freshlyjuicedbeetles · 6 years ago

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Under Her Wing - Drakgo fic

Shego is instructed by Dr. Director to teach Kim a thing or two. Set after Graduation but in 2019 verse.

TAG LIST (based on who interacted with my tag list post. If you were added by mistake or not added at all, please let me know!)

@sweet-or-sarcastic // @anavrp // @sophiecooper18 // @random-emerald-thoughts // @benjimators // @marvelousavengfulslytherin // @littlevirago // @evielovesfood // @dianenguyenbjh // @brianaisontheinterwebs // @saultnpeppah // @poisonivy123

Shego sat bored with her legs kicked up on the lab table as she watched her husband meticulously extract DNA from the toe of a Spinosaurus. For what he was going to use it for, she wasn’t entirely sure. She was just there to make sure he didn’t blow himself up. She was just his bodyguard/sidekick/liaison/mostly unwilling secretary, not his science partner. This was a guy who looked up to Doc Brown rather than Hawking.

Her phone buzzed in the pouch strapped to her leg. Things were slow that day, so she decided to take a peek. It was an email from Facebook saying she had a message on her old public profile, one she had not used since she was a hero with her brothers. Her curiosity piqued, she opened Facebook and signed out of her current, private account. She tapped the side of her phone as she tried to remember her old password. After a few tries, she got in.

Her inbox with inundated with old and recent messages. She paid no attention to past messages from fans who were upset that she turned evil, edgelords who were threatened by a strong woman, and recent messages that praised her from turning her life around. The first message was just too shocking. It was from Kimberly Ann Possible. It read:

“Umm, hi Shego. This is Kim Possible. I don’t know if you even check this profile anymore. Dr. Director wanted me to get in contact with you, but she didn’t really tell me how lol. She wanted me to ask if you could do some training with me?”

“NO!” Shego yelled, standing straight up, her phone creaking in her grasp.

Drakken flinched, “You made me break the helix!” He whined.

“Dr. Director wants me to train Kim Possible.”

“Eww,” Drakken grimaced.

“I’m not doing this. I’m not some babysitter.” Shego exclaimed as she stormed off for Dr. Director’s office.

“Go get her, babe,” Drakken said, his mind more focused on his work.

Shego breezed past the security and barged into Director’s office, stunning the guards with her plasma. The burly men crumpled to the floor in a twitching heap.

“Ah, Mrs. Lipsky, I was wondering when you’d force yourself in here again and maim Ethan and Reid.” Director replied calmly, only glancing up at the scene “Was it last week you came in here like a bull in a china shop because we switched your husband’s lab time or was it the time before that?”

“I am not working with Kim Possible.” Shego seethed, leaning over Director’s desk and staring straight at the other woman. Director did not look up from her paperwork. Shego slammed her hands down, causing a hairline crack to form between the women.

“Did I ask?” Dr. Director countered.

Shego scoffed. “You know, this isn’t working for me. I think I’m done here.” She said as she threw her ID badge on Director’s desk and turned to walk out.

“So, you’ll give up all the comfort we’ve given you and your husband? Your home, your records totally expunged, his lab and all the resources he could ever want or need? You two are a ‘package deal’ as I believe your very own agreement states? If you leave, so does he.”

Shego stopped in her tracks.

She wouldn’t take that away from Drew. Not when he was getting the recognition he always wanted.

She turned on her heel. “I’m only staying because I haven’t gotten to use the bazooka yet.” She said through gritted teeth, pointing menacingly at Director.

“She’ll be on your doorstep at 8:15 tomorrow morning.” Dr. Director said as she threw Shego her ID badge to her.

~*~

Kim Possible didn’t get nervous about many things. She took down villains before she could even vote without a trace of fear. Today, as she drove to the address Dr. Director gave her last night, Kim Possible was nervous.

Secretly, Kim idolized Shego when she was younger. She remembered seeing Shego and her brothers on TV and followed her dutifully on what little social media existed back then. When Shego left Team Go, Kim was heartbroken, and her stomach dropped the first time she saw Shego working with Drakken. When Team Go broke up, Kim decided to take up Shego’s mantle when the opportunity presented itself. Now that Drakken and Shego went good or more likely, neutral, maybe she and Shego could be friends in the future? Kim still couldn’t wrap her mind around the fact that she was going to be trained by Shego because it was Shego the hero Kim looked up to for many years and it was Shego her sworn enemy at one point.

Regardless of it all, Kim knew today would be interesting.

~*~

Meanwhile, Drakken took sleeping seriously. It’s where he got most of his ideas. When the doorbell rang at 8:00, he was not a happy camper. He groaned like a wounded animal, not even noticing Shego’s absence in bed. He haphazardly threw on a robe and stumbled down the stairs and opened the front door.

“I’ll take three Thin Mints, two Samoas and three Tagalongs,” Drakken said, yawning, handing what he thought was a fifty-dollar bill. It was really dog treats and lint.

“Um, no,” Kim said sheepishly, gently pushing his hand away. “It’s Kim…Possible? I’m here for Shego…”

Shego came down the stairs in her signature green and black catsuit.

“That’s what you’re wearing?” Shego asked, eyeing the teen up and down.

“Yeah? We’re gonna work out, right?” Kim was dressed in a tee shirt, leggings and sneakers, her red hair pulled back from her face.

Shego sighed and shook her head, “Fine, it’s whatever. Next time, wear what you’d wear on a mission. If it’s gonna be in the way, we need to know. It has to be able to perform.” She chided.

Kim felt silly for making the mistake. Shego even used her ‘teacher tone’ on her from when she substituted for Kim’s teacher. “Okay. Will do.”

Shego physically moved her half-asleep husband out of the way. “Well? Let’s go. I don’t want this to be an all-day thing.”

“Oh, uh, can I drive?” Kim asked, beaming.

A beat passed of Shego just staring at Kim in disbelief.

Shego turned to Drakken, “I want to be cremated.”

“I want Thin Mints.” The mad scientist lamented as the women walked to the car parked at the curb.

Janice was gawking at Shego as though she never saw a female body before. Shego gave a sarcastic wave.

“Who’s that?” Kim asked as they put their seatbelts on.

“The worst neighbor in the world,” Shego replied, putting sunglasses on. She flashed Janice a killer smile as they pulled out of the neighborhood.

It had already been decided for them that they would train at GJ’s onsite gym. Shego started Kim on stretches and a five-minute run, correcting her form here and there alongside her. Shego knew it was likely that Director was watching but it didn’t bother her. She was doing what she was supposed to do.

The timer on Shego’s phone went off and they slowed to a walk. She went over to a wall of equipment and took a padded strike shield and held it up.

“Let me see you punch,” Shego instructed.

Kim squared herself and threw her best one.

“No! No! No!” Shego exclaimed like a director with a cast who forgot their lines. “Who taught you to fight, your grandma?”

Kim didn’t know whether to confirm that her grandmother had indeed taught her a thing or two.

“Harder, you’re not going to hurt me,” Shego instructed. Kim wasn’t sure if she was trying to comfort or insult her.

For a period of time, Shego refined Kim’s punches and kicks.

“Now, I want you to try to take me down and restrain me.”

Kim charged at Shego, tackling the older woman to the floor. Shego knew that she had to let Kim learn, but that didn’t mean she went down easily. She was able to shake Kim off and roll away. Shego stood, about to jump away, when Kim got her in a headlock.

“Tuck your thumb in you idiot!” Shego said grabbing Kim’s four other fingers by one hand and Kim’s thumb with the other. “Do you know how easily I could rip your thumb off?”

Shego shrugged Kim off. “Again.” She ordered.

Shego let Kim get her into a headlock, this time with proper placement. They wrestled and tackled each other until Kim grabbed Shego’s hair, thinking she’d instantly surrender. Instead, Shego pushed back into Kim’s grasp, rather than wrench away. Kim stumbled allowing Shego to escape.

“I will give you props for going for my hair.” Shego said, “I should probably start putting it in a bun. If anyone tries it with you, do what I did and push into it. You’ll knock your opponent off balance usually or lose hair if you try to pull away.”

“Right,” Kim nodded.

Kim was about to ask Shego if she wanted some water, “Hey Stepha-“

Shego immediately tackled Kim to the ground. “Do not call me that. I’m still Shego to you.”

“Okay, fine,” Kim replied, pushing Shego away.

Kim grabbed them each a bottle of water. The two sat in awkward silence on the mat.

“Who taught you all this stuff? Did you just learn on the go?” Kim asked.

“I’ve had a trainer since I was 16,” Shego answered, taking a drink.

That made sense, Kim thought. Around that time was when Team Go debuted. They must have had some training before their first mission.

Shego stood and went to get the First Aid pack and CPR dummy from the equipment wall.

“Are you going to teach me CPR?” Kim asked excitedly.

“You don’t know First Aid and CPR?” Shego asked skeptically.

“No…” Kim said, her face red with embarrassment.

“Oh my god, you’re more behind than I even thought. Do you just leave after you blow up someone’s lair? What about the populace surrounding it? What happens if you have to do search and rescue after a natural disaster? You’re a hero. You should know this stuff. It’s not all stopping heists and whatnot.”

“I’ve never done anything like that…”

“I have!”

Kim was beginning to get a greater understanding of Shego. What kind of things has she seen? Kim wasn’t going to pry and knew Shego wouldn’t tell her anything if she tried. Kim remembered that Team Go doubled as first responders at times. Kim had a vivid memory of seeing Shego being airlifted over the wreckage of a collapsed building to look for survivors on the news, her green and black feet dangling over the rubble. Shego couldn’t have been older than 17 at the time. Who pushed her into such a traumatizing and adult situation?

“Look, let’s forget about the past for right now or we won’t survive this. Truce?” Kim asked.

Shego only nodded but took Kim’s hand and pulled her up.

Kim smiled and took Shego’s leather-clad hand. It was a start; a small start, but a start nonetheless.

“Do you know how to properly headbutt someone?” Shego grinned, wickedly.

#Kim Possible #drakken #shego #drakgo

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