#showing their moments that parallel from college to the league

[cementcornfield]

oh my godddd even the LEAD UP to the brunch scene 🥹🥹🥹

[toadyboi]

There is a post about What If Ramona Flowers Had To Fight Scott's Evil Exes by @emptyjunior, and I wanted to expand on that because I feel like I have some really good ideas, and I want other people to have access to them because I know that I'm not going to do anything with them

I think it would make sense to swap other things about the plot, because part of the story is that Ramona is new and mysterious (partially because of her being in scott's dreams), and also that she moved to Toronto to get away from her final evil ex (gideon) and start fresh. So in a swap AU, I would have it take place in the US (probably NYC because that's where Ramona was living before she moved). Scott is an aspiring musician who just moved to NY to get away from the toronto music scene and more specifically his exes, and works as a pizza delivery boy or something

Ramona would need a hobby to take the place of scott's band, and I think it would make sense to put her on a roller derby team with Roxy because ramona wears roller blades in both the comics and the show, and Roxy is drawn wearing roller skates in the comic.

we would need more people to be Ramona's Friends, and the two options (IMO) are to either move the characters that are scott's friends/surrounding scott to be ramona's friends, or to make up OCs to be ramonas friends. I would opt for the former, simply because then I can use characters that already exist but either would work.

I think that the League would be Knives' idea, because in the comics she was really bitter about the breakup between her and scott, but then Wallace can be the one who orchestrated a lot of it so that he can be the final battle.

the battle order could maybe be Knives -> Lisa -> Natalie/Envy Adams -> Kim -> knives again -> Wallace. Knives goes first because she's freshly broken up with and blind with fury, so it can get played off a little the way mathew patel's battle did in the comics. then we go mostly in chronological order, to continue paralleling moments from the comics (famous actor, "hey jsyk the person in that band with my ex is the person you'll have to fight). I don't really know what to do with kim, but I feel her energy could be similar to that of roxy's

There's a gap where it would make sense to have a 5th battle. it could be alternate timeline ramona as suggested in the original post, but i think it would make sense to have knives have a training arc off screen and come back for a second battle, during which she tells ramona her issues with scott. this could be the cheating thing and maybe also a "he just used me as a rebound/to get over envy"

And then there's wallace. I that in this AU, scott and wallace do something in collage, but it's "just experimenting/messing around" and then them being roomates culminates in a series of one night stands with heavy romantic undertones (maybe all while scott is dating knives!!) and this is the final straw for wallace who has been pining for scott since college

This of course leads back to the league being the idea of Knives (who was cheated on and ghosted and rightfully angry) but orchestrated by both her and Wallace (because wallace knows more about scotts past and would be better able to connect with the other exes, and also has enough built up emotion to be a fina battle)

[local-pal]

ARCANE AND LEAGUE OF LEGENDS LORE SPOILERS AHEAD.

Don’t read this if you haven’t read League’s lore before and don’t wanna get (possible) spoilers for Arcane.

     This is pure unadultered copium, but I can't stop thinking about Arcane and how they made Jayce's story kinda parallel Viktor's lore (https://universe.leagueoflegends.com/en_US/story/champion/viktor/) specially with 'nobody believing in him', just like no one believed Viktor had created Blitzcrank when a professor presented him as his own [1]; and his hearing for using magic and endangering citizens which could have resulted in vanishment from Piltover, just as Viktor (likely) had a hearing with the 'college masters' where they censored him for violating human rights on free will which did result in him getting expelled and vanished [2], two moments which seem to be pivotal in his arc. Side note: what hurts the most about the first parallel is Viktor was actually willing to risk everything he has to prove their theory (which Jayce had laid the groundwork for), without, as he says, neither a namesake nor a patron to back him up; but Jayce did not defend Viktor's claim of having creating Blitzcrank despite Viktor having specifically asked for his help [3]. bro.

     [I'm gonna be very honest here and admit that I'm kinda mixing and matching parts of the lore with parts of Arcane. They changed a bunch of stuff about these two (I think the most out of all the characters?), so this just might not be accurate at all. Off the top of my head:

1. How they met (at a Progress Day party vs. Viktor going to examine Jayce's laboratory's remains).

2. A TON OF THINGS ABOUT HEXTECH. I'm not an expert on League's lore so take this with a grain of salt, but from Jayce's story it is implied that hextech was already a thing when he started at the academy [4]. In-lore, he does experiment with a Shuriman crystal which contained massive amounts of energy [5] (which sounds exactly like the one they use in Arcane), but he ended up using a shard of it for his hammer and not much more. He didn't even get the crystal himself [6].

3. Jayce being a massive fucking dick. Seriously, I remember hating lore-Jayce so fucking much. I was firmly on Viktor's side just out of spite lmao. Arcane Jayce seems to not be as unfriendly as his lore counterpart is (at least for now), and actually doesn't mind explaining himself or interacting with people. He actually seems to show emotion and not be an arrogant little dude.

4. Jayce's mom and everything that happens to both of them in the snow straight up wasn't in the lore.]

     Where am I going with this fucking long-ass ramble? I wonder what they are gonna change in the story. I'm so fucking curious about it. We know the ending's not gonna be pretty, because they'd have to change Viktor's entire character if it was. But I do find it very interesting how they had Jayce have this hearing and I'm wondering if he's gonna rat Viktor out in Arcane, since he now knows what it feels to be a disgraced scientist with everyone questioning your intentions and sanity, experimenting with supposed forbidden or illegal artifacts/knowledge/whatever with the purpose of saving lives... which was what Viktor was doing when he got expelled.

     I just kinda hope it won't be as sad as I think it'll be. I feel they are gonna change a bunch of stuff, but I have no idea if this’ll make their eventual fight less or more sad. As I said, it’s pure unadultered copium.

[1] "When Viktor returned to Piltover, weeks later, it was to find that Professor Stanwick had held a symposium on Blitzcrank and presented Viktor’s researches as his own. Viktor lodged formal complaints with the masters of the college, but his impassioned claim that he had designed Blitzcrank fell on deaf ears."

[2] "Jayce reported the incident to the college masters, and Viktor was censured for violating basic human dignity - though, in his eyes, his work would have saved many lives. He was expelled from the college, and retreated to his old laboratory in Zaun, [...]"

[3] "He turned to Jayce to verify his claims, but his fellow student refused to speak up, further widening the rift between them, [...]"

[4] "... Jayce took the offer, and spent most of his early years constructing potential hextech devices and designing transformable multi-tools for Piltover’s working class: [...]"

[5] "Something inside the crystal called to Jayce. No, more than that – it sang to him. He couldn’t explain why, but he knew the Shuriman gem still held mysteries yet to be discovered. He spent many months running every variety of test on the crystal."

[6] " ... Clan Giopara’s explorers discovered a raw, blue crystal deep within the Shuriman desert."

[rhetorical-ink]

Haikyuu!! Observations:  Chapter 372 and 395 Parallels

** SO. MANY. SPOILERS. BELOW **

Have I established that Furudate is master class in terms of narrative? The parallels in Chapter 372 and 395 of Haikyuu!! are stunning, and need to be discussed.

First off, though, is the establishment of a timeline. Because this final arc has been a mess to make linear sense of...I have no clue how the anime will handle this, other than putting title cards in every single flashback to keep us on track!

For starters, the Ushijima flashback in Chapter 395 happens nearly TWO YEARS before the events of Chapter 372. We get this evidence because at the start of Chapter 395, we have this shot of Ushijima: 

Not only does it establish he’s 19, but he’s not on the Schweiden Adlers, yet. He’s in his debut year, playing for the Japan national team. I wonder if he made the switch to play because Hoshiumi joined the Adlers, or Kageyama? And then, in Chapter 372, when we get his selfie reaction -- MORE ON THAT BELOW -- we see that he’s 21 and on the Adlers. So two years difference in those flashbacks in 395 vs. 372, and a total of FOUR years’ difference between the events of Chapter 395 and the present Haikyuu!! timeline. Simple to keep up, right?

So, if the current timeline is November 2018, then it’s around 2014 when Chapter 395 happens. Hinata is considering doing Beach volleyball in his second year, as evidence below, and Oikawa has already joined the Argentinean League right out of high school, which will get brought up below, too.

Okay, getting on track now that we’ve established the timeline -- the first major parallel is Iwaizumi meeting Ushijima,  similar to Oikawa and Hinata meeting in Chapter 372, only, of course their meeting is so nonchalant and chill, versus Hinata and Oikawa’s dramatic sand reunion: 

BUT HERE, my friends, is where the parallels of Hinata/Oikawa/Iwaizumi/Ushijima create a magnificent Venn Diagram of Narrative Magnificence! You have parallels of:

* TRAINING TO GET BETTER *

Hinata went to the beach in Rio to train in beach volleyball to become a more well-rounded trainer. 

Ushijima went to California to get advice and practice training with his father’s foreign league team, much like Oikawa did with joining the Argentinean League...

* TRAINING WITH YOUR IDOLS * 

Oikawa establishes in Chapter 372 that he immediately went to Argentina after high school because he wanted to play under the guidance of Jose Blanco, the famous Argentinean setter that he idolized as a kid and still very much respected as a young adult and player. He ALSO, and this is important, establishes that he was going to break into the foreign leagues to get stronger anyway, and that his overall goal is to make it into an Olympics-playing team some day. Given that Hinata’s encounter with Oikawa happens in 2017, he’s been playing with Argentina about three years at this point. 

But THEN, we also have Iwaizumi, who back in 2014, went to California after high school to go to college at USC-Irvine in California. His whole reasoning is that a famous Japanese trainer works with the volleyball team there and that Iwaizumi has been a huge fan of him and his published work. He also wants to major as in Sports Science, as we the audience are led to believe, to become a Physical Trainer and intern with the author, Takashi Utsui, once he graduates college. 

And of COURSE, there’s the reveal then that Iwaizumi’s actual idol in real life is also the real-life father of his team’s long rival, Ushijima himself. It’s worth posting this reaction alone. Iwaizumi, you beautiful dork, you. If Oikawa ever saw that face, though...

It’s also worth noting at this point that clearly Oikawa and Iwaizumi keep in contact, as evidence in his conversation with Ushijima. I have to say, this chapter showcasing Iwaizumi as the peace-keeper; able to be friends with both Oikawa and his hardest rival, Ushijima, is fantastic. It calls back to when Oikawa was making fun of Hinata outside the bathroom, and Iwaizumi chided him for it. Iwaizumi is just an honest, straightforward, nice guy. 

Well....Nice to a point. Let’s all revel in the fact that it was IWAIZUMI, y’all, who started this selfie war. Keep in mind, this was 2014 when he and Ushijima supposedly sent the selfie to Oikawa of themselves. And then, three years later, Oikawa pays them all back: 

The final parallel, interestingly enough, with Oikawa and Ushijima, who admits that he has hit a wall and has to move forward to get stronger. Revealing that just maybe, he’s not quite the “genius spiker” that Oikawa pegged him as. That maybe he really is just a normal guy that got “lucky” in terms of the father that helped protect his unique attribute of being a “south paw” and, like Kiyoomi in Chapter 394, was lucky to have those around him that he did to help foster his strength as a player. 

Basically, Furudate has given us so much to work with in showing how these characters, who seem so fundamentally different, have so much more in common that we realize at first glance. It’s so masterful to see these moments of set up and payoff happening with so much satisfaction for the reader. I love it.

OH, and of course, I wasn’t going to leave you all without this little set of notes from Chapter 395: 

* Tendou in this chapter wasn’t current time skip Tendou. It was 2014 Tendou. So technically, we have no clue what his hair looks like now -- though he’s fabulous either way!  So there’s that.

* It’s shown at the end of the chapter Ushijima’s father watching him play from California. We also see, since it’s 2:20 am there, that Iwaizumi is asleep, still in California, too. If it’s 2018 currently in the series, it means that Iwaizumi did graduate college, and has been interning for Utsui for likely a year, now (because it showed he was a sophomore in the flashback):

@tatakunara-orerumade​ and @hopipp​ have already posted my headcanons ahead of me, but basically -- if the Olympics happen in 2020, a year and a half from now, that’s plenty of time for Iwaizumi to take his Bachelor’s in Sports Science, internship knowledge from working under his idol Utsui, and make it back to Japan to be a physical trainer for the same team as Ushijima, and more importantly for my shipping, fangirl heart, potentially Oikawa at the Olympics. It would be a beautiful payoff for all the set up these chapters have given us, and a beautiful wrap-up for the series. If we don’t actually get to see the Olympics happen in Haikyuu!! though, you better believe there’s going to be fanfiction about this. *runs off to write* 

[honestlyhufflepuff]

Predictions/Wishlist for the SU finale today:

We find out what was in the chest in Lion's mane.

As the chest was open in the movie, but not acknowledged, it probably revealed some more unsavory stuff about Rose that Steven repressed at the time he found out about it.

However, now that Steven has done some unsavory things as well, he will turn back to the contents of the chest, and reflect on the duality of who she was (and who he is).

Steven learning to forgive Rose will be parallel to learning to forgive himself.

Steven will have another flashback to Pink or Rose's memories as he grows increasingly dissociative with the present.

Greg and Barb chemistry pleassssse

Greg, the Gems, and the Diamonds all owning their parts in messing Steven up and validating his pain.

Time skip in the last ep with healing, smiling Steven and cute Connverse interaction? Maybe a Connverse kiss??? Please, Rebecca, just give them that.

Wormy boi corrupted Steven (is that even a prediction at this point lol)

Everyone fighting the worm monster, thinking it hurt Steven, without realizing at first that it also IS Steven. This would be such a good allegory to mental health conditions, as a lot of times others (intentionally or not) treat the symptoms of mentally ill loved ones as something to be feared rather than something to be addressed with openess and compassion.

Steven moves away from Beach City.

Steven goes to college. He's resentful about missing out on the school experience, but he's a smart kid, so it's not like college is closed off as an option! I don't think he'd go to whatever that worl'd equivalent of an Ivy League University like Connie probably will, but I could easily see him starting off in community college and then transferring to a state school to get a music degree or something.

Steven makes TubeTube videos again.

Steven has a villain/angst song.

Steven sings a reprise of "Change Your Mind."

Little Homeworld gets destroyed or partially destroyed.

Greg finally moves out of that damn van like how is that thing even still running it's gotta be at least 25 years old...

Rose's portrait gets destroyed, or Steven finds a place to display it that he's at peace with. Either way, I don't think it's final resting place is Lion's mane.

Jasper starts a fighting dojo in Little Homeworld.

EVERYONE gets therapy. There will be new psych specialities and certifications in gem culture.

Priyanka and/or Doug hug Steven.

Hell, everyone hugs Steven.

More crazy powers revealed from Steven.

Steven gets a normal, human job. It's what helped the Homeworld gems adapt to life on earth, so it may be nice for him, too!

Setup for Space Pirate Lars spinoff series (I know it's a longshot, but just let me hope).

Hey guess what, Spinel is also Not Ok.

Seriously, Spinel minimized her own pain the moment the Diamonds showed up and there's no way she's not still doing that.

It's what she thinks she has to do in order to not be abandoned.

Like, I think she is making progress, but she's not as well as she tried to present in Homeworld Bound. And it will be good for Steven and her to acknowledge that.

Emerald, Bluebird, and mean Lapis make a reappearance.

Jasper arc completes with Jasper honestly articulating her emotions.

Jasper and Steven fuse (that would be so toxic, but I am morbidly curious).

Any new fusions? Final chance gems, so mash it up while you can.

Blue gets more people high.

Steven definitely breaks more bones.

Steven's organic jacket gets ripped to shreds in the corruption process.

Everyone cries. Steven, the gems, Connie, the entire fandom. Everyone.

I probably missed a lot of possibilities, so tell me your predictions! I plan on reblogging tonight to see which of these came true!

[lovelylogans]

what are your favorite episodes of gilmore girls?

ooOOOOOOH GREAT QUESTION i’ll break it down season by season:

season one

pilot. i mean, obviously. it sets them all up so well, character-wise; plus, you can tell some episodes in season one that were filmed shortly after the pilot vs a while later, just bc of emily’s differing hair lengths

the lorelai’s first day at chilton: introduces such great characters (paris, madeline, louise) and also is such a great way to continue the transition into learning about this world

rory’s birthday parties: god. just. the stark difference between emily and richard’s world vs stars hollow...... the found family of practically all of stars hollow showing up to rory’s home party...... “lorelai’s right. i don’t know my daughter at all.”...... God

forgiveness and stuff: like, gOD. a masterclass of acting especially from kelly bishop and lauren graham; it hits so differently after edward hermann’s actual passing. luke and lorelai’s relationship displayed on what he’d do for her. lord!

paris is burning: paris................ the Beginning of turning from enemies to friends...... plus, like, you get to see some of lorelai’s commitment issues, which plays out throughout the entire series (sometimes To My Great Aggravation)

concert interruptus: the bangles 🥺paris and rory 🥺

christopher returns: i mean. you see the dynamic between rory and christopher, lorelai and christopher, and emily, richard, and christopher, which just paints such a clearer picture of what lorelai’s life might have been like back then. PLUS, emily being soft toward rory; it’s one of my fave relationship moments for them, and i kind of regret taking that line from her and giving it to christopher in wyliwf.

star crossed lovers and other strangers: the same way we get to see emily and rory, we get to see richard and lorelai; also, you can see how lorelai’s commitment issues might have inadvertently affected rory in this. plus i love love LOVE the backstory of the stars hollow lovers festival, i wish they’d repeated it in later seasons!

emily in wonderland: i really wish you’d gotten to see the effect of learning about lorelai and rory living in the shed play out more than a one-episode arc, i really wish we did, but like. emily bishop, once again, acting her damn heart out. phenomenal.

season two

the road trip to harvard: you get to see the beginnings of how rory leaving for college might affect lorelai, plus you get to see rory in her ivy league habitat. luke getting so suddenly, “inexplicably” cheerful when he hears that lorelai’s not marrying max. and at the very ending emily being sympathetic to max. bless it.

nick & nora/sid & nancy: first jess ep. “dodger.” what else is there to say. points off lorelai tho for immediately losing it at jess when he snarks at her, when, like, that is your move, lorelai, you should recognize that?

presenting lorelai gilmore: rory stepping more and more into her grandparents’ world in a way lorelai never wanted to; though i don’t ship christopher and lorelai, their dance scene is adorable. plus, emily and richard fighting a bit and the beginnings of richards (seasons long!) arc about his journey with his work.

the ins and oust of inns: MIA. you get to see mia for the first time! lorelai and sookie having a fight is :( but you get to see lorelai’s turmoil over actually leaving the inn. emily coming to see mia! luke yelling at the town over them being rude about luke! lorelai coming to his defense! rory telling jess off and jess wordlessly fixing luke’s toaster in silent apology!

the bracebridge dinner: GOD. love it. the horses and carriages! the absurd historical acting! emily and richard! rory and jess! luke and lorelai! it’s fantastic!

a-tisket, a-tasket: I LOVE THIS EPISODE. some of the town absurdity that was just A Plus. “it’s not like she’s shipping off to ‘nam!” is a great line. jackson proposing to sookie! and poor lane........

there’s the rub: emily and lorelai, seeing how great they could get along, but seeing how either of them wreck it just when it’s getting a-okay. god. it’s just such a great microcosm of their relationship.

dead uncles and vegetables: luke......... Luke. lorelai and rory and jess all rallying around him in their ways, and stars hollow by extension. even tho they were pretty shitty at first, they, like. managed to make it up to him in the end.

lorelai’s graduation day: GOD LAUREN GRAHAM, KELLY BISHOP, AND EDWARD HERMANN KILL IN THE GRADUATION SCENE!!!!! i ADORE that shot of the three of them, gets me every single time!!! the only thing i dislike about it is rory accidentally missing the graduation bc....... :/. like. i really like jess. but. come on.

i can’t get started: sookie’s wedding!!! her freaking out over the cake so much in her dress is So Her, she looked so pretty omg! plus, if the spa ep is a good microcosm of emily and lorelai, this is a great microcosm for christopher and lorelai. plus!!!! RORY AND JESS FIRST KISS!!!!!!

season three (look, full disclosure, seasons 3/4 are like. my faves. so)

haunted leg: gosh. lauren graham kills it in that last couple scenes. plus! kirk asking lorelai out on a date is hilarious! emily and lorelai’s lunch at luke’s going So Bad! and i know that not a ton of people like the francie chilton student politics intrigue subplot isn’t great for some people, but i do think that the potential was Great and there are definitely some really good scenes that arose from that subplot, so

take the deviled eggs... like. just. a great blend of town insanity (patty’s new boy, the town loner pitching a protest no one knows the reason behind) and lorelai and rory bonding (by deviled-egging jess’ CAR) and just!!! yes!!!!

they shoot gilmores, don’t they?: i mean. come ON. what list would be complete without this? literally every single favorites list has this episode on there. the dance marathon is the perfect example of town insanity! lane and dave getting their bonding! that little luke and lorelai moment about having kids! that scene of rory crying into lorelai’s shoulder!

a deep-fried korean thanksgiving: i love the whole “three thanksgivings” thing. Can Relate, Do Understand. i think that lorelai freaking out at rory for applying to yale is definitely a contrived subplot (i mean. she was never going to apply to only harvard. ma’am.) but i do like seeing sookie, and luke and jess, and just.... Yeah

dear emily and richard: our ONLY flashback ep! while i do think that only lauren graham can really pull lorelai off, the actress is, like, fairly decent (young christopher, however, does not really fit) and you just! yeah! you get to see them back in their youth and FINALLY get the context of how lorelai ran away!

the big one: like! yay paris! lorelai’s reaction (”i’ve got the good kid!”) is Gross, Frankly! it’s gross and bad! but also poor paris 🥺but!!! rory helping to comfort her afterwards!! richard falling asleep in the middle and having No idea of what just went down is also inexplicably hilarious to me!

those are strings, pinocchio: i mean. it’s the graduation episode. God. i just???? god. it’s such a great episode, there’s so many great moments, i just. 🥺

season four

the lorelais’ first day at yale: a great little titling parallel to chilton, but also, rory panicking when lorelai leaves is like. such a Thing ya know??? i just. yeah. i really like that ep it’s a nice introduction

the festival of living art: one, this show won its only emmy bc of the makeup, so that alone is great. uh, kirk being so adversary to the guy who plays judas is god tier humor! plus! sookie and jackson having their baby!

ted koppel’s big night out: THE FOOTBALL GAME EPISODE! i actually kind of love it, but more the first half than the latter; it’s such an emily and richard way to prepare for a football game, you know? and then meeting pennilyn lott! igniting the arc of emily and richard having doubts about their marriage which has Acting! Moments! but this also has jason and lorelai’s first date, which i Dislike, bc i Dislike Jason Very Much.

nag hammadi is where they found the gnostic gospels: seeing jess come back into town and you get to see how unfinished things are between him and rory..... the luke angst..... Yes.

the incredible sinking lorelais: a very realistic part of college, imo, in which you feel overwhelmed and anxious and EVERYTHING SUCKS NOW CAN I JUST CALL MY MOM, though i wish they’d set it up a bit more and followed it longer than an episode, and also that rory hadn’t gone to dean; but also, trix, and richard standing up to her, which!

scene in a mall: idk i just love this episode? seeing emily in her shopping element; seeing her break down in that way; seeing how shopping is like, one of her Only ways to execute power, and how she’s kind of jealous of lorelai’s career bc she was born into a generation where the only thing it was really acceptable for her to do was cultivate a husband and a nice house; plus!!! that last bit of emily and richard and the apples at the table just BREAKS your heart!!!

girls in bikinis, boys doin’ the twist: SPRING BREAAAAK which is so unexpected for paris and rory and therefore very funny. you get to see madeline and louise again—i actually really love their characters, lmao! paris and rory kiss! just! yeah!

tick, tick, tick, boom!/afterboom: another “idk i just enjoy it” episode. richard and floyd coming to a head; kirk’s easter egg hunt; seeing little davey. however i have some Words for rory because lindsay deserves better??? i understand that she could get a part time job but also MIND YOUR BUSINESS?????? dean’s the one taking classes! that’s an unnecessary expense! he has two jobs!! he’s allowed to take a pause!!! also i can’t believe i’m forced to defend dean right now!!! fuck asher, tho, but yay! breaking up with jason!!! yay breaking up with jason!!!!!!

luke can see her face/last week fights, this week tights: i can’t, okay??? i literally had to. the beginning of jess’ (admittedly mostly off-screen) development arc! luke and the self-help books! the absurdity of the renaissance wedding! the WEDDING DANCE!!! 

raincoats and recipes: truly an episode has never gone from such a “FUCK YESSSSSS FINALLY” scene to a “FUCK NOOOOOO WHAT ARE YOU DOINGGGGGG” but honestly it’s just. it’s Such a fantastic episode like i can’t

season five

written in the stars: their first date 🥺the horoscope 🥺”i am in, lorelai. i am all in.” 🥺 HER GOING DOWNSTAIRS IN JUST HIS SHIRT 🥺 HIM YELLING AT THE TOWN ABOUT HOW IT’S THEIR RELATIONSHIP AND NONE OF THEIR BUSINESS 🥺🥺🥺

we got us a pippi virgin: literally the concept alone of “nearly coming to blows via bop it” is great. also luke being like “rory is like pippi!” and showing off what a high regard he holds her in 🥺

emily says hello: LITERALLY so many great little things about this episode. emily deciding she wants to try dating! rory and christopher snapping at each other! KELLY BISHOP’S ACTING AFTER THE DATE WHEN SHE CLOSES THE DOOR ON HIM AND BURSTS INTO TEARS!!!!!!!

women of questionable morals: the dog. 

wedding bell blues: HUNDREDTH EPISODE couldn’t NOT make it on here, so here it is!!! luke and lorelai looking at each other when she’s next to the aisle! luke and christopher both yelling and logan—AcTING! also emily being so manipulative even on her second wedding day, it’s just So classically her, and kelly bishop and lauren graham in the final scene is just. Mwah!

so... good talk: rory literally stepping into lorelai’s shoes for a dinner and being the one to snap at emily and richard is Such a role reversal for her but honestly whenever it does happen i actually really enjoy seeing the dichotomy between the grandparents seeing rory as their perfect little second chance and lorelai seeing her as her mini-me and how rory walks the line between each. AND THAT ENDING KISS SCENE BETWEEN LUKE AND LORELAI????? I CAN’T?????

pulp friction: LORELAI CONTINUING TO ICE OUT EMILY AND RICHARD!!!!! the yelling scene at the diner!!!! plus seeing the chilton skirt come out again was nice imo i too have reused private schoolwear

season six (the season, admittedly, i have watched the least)

we’ve got magic to do: the outfits of the dar bash. paris’ sudden dedication to the proletariat. emily’s rant to shira. that is all

twenty-one is the loneliest number: them finally starting to talk; “this is luke, my soon-to-be-stepfather”; the pastor scene is also just. hilarious. but also so very richard and emily

let me hear your balalaikas ringing out: lorelai’s emotions toward paul anka being sick Oof and luke and the soccer team lmao but also JESS RETUUUUURNS!!!!! RORY SNAPS OUT OF IT!!!!!! FINALYYYYYYY!!!!

friday night’s alright for fighting: literally the montage of all of them intercut with fighting and them sitting in silence while the other two yell in the background to them laughing is just. Peak gilmore

this turned out..... even longer than expected lmao

[collectsfallenstars]

The First Time They Saw Each Other, Really Saw Each Other

*Kim GoEun x Lee Minho Fanfiction **Based on an interview where they were asked what their lasting impressions of each other were.  LMH answered it was their first scene together in the BBQ Chicken restaurant and KGE answered it was seeing LMH at Gwanghwamun Square. Also included in this fic is their time in the BIFAN Awards 2015 when they barely knew each other.

The first time he saw her at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in 2015, he didn't even recognize her. Stage lights and camera flashes had turned her sleek white dress almost into a sunbeam and he found it hard to look. But then he also found it hard not to look as her left leg peeked through an almost dangerous but still tasteful slit up her thigh as she walked to her seat. She moved with an almost easy sensuality, as if she wasn't even aware of it, and it contrasted so much with the bashful way she kept her eyes on the ground, bowing slightly to every person she passed by. He remembered clocking her as, "Cute. Must be a new actress, " and then turning to speak to the person who had tapped on him on his right shoulder. She had ended up sitting two seats away from him. And that was that.

Halfway through the awards show, he was startled almost out of his seat when they announced Kim GoEun as the recipient of the Special Mention for the Best Actress Category for "Chinatown", and the girl he had marked as "cute new actress" started getting up from her seat. He had seen "Chinatown" with his friends a few months ago and he could clearly remember the young teenager who had played the feral little debt collector/killer. Her performance had looked so effortlessly intuitive and he could clearly recall how he even told one of his friends that the kid was going to go places someday.

He leaned forward, turned his head and tried to stare at her as discreetly as possible. He couldn't comprehend how she had gone from that little ragamuffin in "Chinatown" to this beautiful young woman. As an actor, he should have been used the transformation that actors and actresses go through when occupying a role but hers was just extraordinary. He was at awe and just a little bit intimidated with what she had achieved in such a short time. He made a mental note to look up her work and watch them in his off time.

People around them had started congratulating her and he could see a little flush creeping sweetly up her round cheeks. And when she glanced over at his direction, her eyes met his briefly and he had smiled at her, trying wordlessly to convey how amazing he thought she was in her movie. But then she had quickly looked away and smiled at the ground. It was almost endearing how she had tucked errant strands of her hair behind her ear before gathering her dress so she could walk up to the stage.

He could also, very clearly, remember the flash of heat that ran up spine when she had turned to face the stage and he saw the back of her dress. There was none. Well, there was, but it looked like someone had cut it out to make way for her angel wings. The delicate line of her spine was exposed, flanked on both sides by her shoulder blades where her angel wings could have been and it continued down her back until the sweet curve of the bottom of her spine had thankfully disappeared back under fabric once more. He swallowed hard, crossed his legs, and attributed the heat to the stage lights.

So 4 years later when his sister had told him that after his military service, he was going to be at helm of a Kim EunSook drama with Kim GoEun as his leading lady, his entire being had buzzed with electricity. EunGyo. HongYi. IlYoung. Hong Seol. Ji EunTak. He had seen them all and he wondered what it would be like to see all those characters collapsed into a single existence when he meets her again, for the first time.

The first time she saw him, she didn't see him at all. Back in college after finishing "Eungyo," she was just a normal student enjoying normal everyday things like going out for barbecue, chicken, beer, movies, and the occasional tv drama. "The Heirs" had created such a huge buzz in 2013 that she had felt compelled to watch it.

And that's when she saw him, Kim Tan, golden and glorious under the California sun on the opening credits of "The Heirs." It was almost embarrassing how quickly her face had heated up after only a few seconds of watching him surf. She had always loved the beach, that was for sure. But she had never seen Kim Tan on a surfboard in the beaches she had gone to. Droplets of ocean water hanging from the tips of hair falling over his forehead, eyelashes, nose and lips were all it took for Kim GoEun to understand why Lee Minho was in a league all on his own when it came to star quality.

But he was never Lee MinHo to her. He was Kim Tan, the California surfer. Kim Tan, the lonely misunderstood heir who would fight to the bitter end to keep his love. Kim Tan, who stole kisses with a donut. Kim Tan, who opens his arms wide and closes them around his girl and makes her feel like no one else in the world mattered. He was, quite possibly, the biggest crush of her entire young life.

So when only a few years later at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in 2015, she had been seated two people away from him, she hadn't known what to do with herself. She knows she was there for two awards but she can only remember staring at the floor and trying very hard not to look over to her right because her Kim Tan was there. She was there as an actress so she should at least try to act like one and not some tween with a big crush. And she had been good, managing to avoid openly staring at him by avoiding eye contact with absolutely everyone.

But when they called her name onstage and everyone around her had started to congratulate her, it had been impossible not to look. She chanced a glance at him when someone on her right side had murmured congratulations. She could swear their eyes met for the briefest of moments but she couldn't be too sure. She had felt her face heating up from embarrassment and had to turn away before he could notice. Not that he would actually be looking at her but mostly for her own dignity and self-preservation.

She doesn't remember how she got up the stage but she did. She was proud of the work she had done, she was. Four movies as a main character was no easy feat. But this night will forever remain in her mind as the night she first saw Kim Tan.

But the first time she met Lee Minho was a different story altogether.

She was older at 29 years old, no longer the blushing college girl who was unsure as to what path to take. She had thrown herself into acting, embracing her path at full throttle because if there was one thing that passing of her beloved grandmother had taught her, it was that she only had one life to live. So when she had been offered the unconventional role of Lt. Jeong TaeEul, a blunt, pragmatic detective who falls in love with a monarch from a parallel universe, she didn't even think twice before saying yes to Kim EunSook, the woman who had given her the bright loving light of Ji EunTak. And when she was told that the monarch she would fall in love with was Lee MinHo, she merely threw her head back and laughed heartily, remembering the silliness of her early years in the business. She was different now.

And so, when the main cast had gathered together in Kim EunSook's office on day in July of 2019 and she had taken the opportunity to get to know them a little bit. She knew she was going to miss the first Table Reading as she had not yet wrapped up with the filming of her musical, "Hero." It had been easy to spot his tall handsome form, even from the corner of the room.

"Sunbaenim!" she cried as she rushed over to him, bowing and shaking his hand while smiling brightly up at him. "Kim Tan the handsome heir, I finally meet you! I had the biggest crush on Kim Tan when I was 22! I'm your fan! Thank you for making my dream come true!" Then she gave him two thumbs up and started shaking them near her face.

Lee MinHo had burst out laughing at her dorky but nonetheless adorable introduction. He had a strange laugh, Goeun thought, but liked the sound of it anyway. It was the kind of laughter that started in the belly and knocked around in the chest, his whole body shaking in an effort to contain it. She liked his kind of laughter, she decided as she craned her head up to look at him.

When his laughter had subsided, his hand went up to wipe some of the tears that had formed in the corners of his eyes and caught the edge of the black baseball cap she had worn that day. It tumbled out of her head and fell to the floor. But before she could even bend to pick it up, he touched her gently on the shoulder and shook his head a little. Then he crouched low, swiftly snatched her black ball cap from the ground and got up.

She held her hands out to receive it but to her surprise, he brushed off whatever dirt it caught from the floor and placed her ball cap back on her head. It slid on easily but she could still feel how his hands made sure it was snug. Then he placed his hands on her shoulders, bent a little to look at his handiwork. She found herself turning her face up to let him see it was okay. He really, really had the most beautiful pair of deep-set brown eyes. Seeing them up close caused a little riot in her but she held it together.

Then he caught a few strands of her hair that was flattened against the left side of her face and smoothed it behind the delicate shell of her ear.

"There, perfect."

Then, a megawatt smile.

And 29 year old Kim GoEun felt like someone had tugged her heart back into her 22 year old self.

"Ah, I'm afraid the Kim Tan you know is old now," he said ruefully, his eyes holding a little bit of his earlier laughter. "I don't think it's your dream that came true though. I believe it was mine, GoEunsshi. I have wanted to work with your for a long time now."

With great effort, she tugged her heart back to her 29 year old self and forced her pulse to stop ringing in her ears. She had prepared for her role as thoroughly as she always did. But she hadn't prepared for this, for him being like...this. How did his co-stars not fall at his feet all the time? No one had warned her that he would be this effortlessly magnetic. How was she going to last 7 or 8 months of the onslaught of his charm without making a fool of herself?

She smiled back at him, told him, insisted actually, that it really was more her dream that came true. But in her head, she ran a mantra that would be her armor for the long months to come, "A smile is just a smile. It does not mean more. Do not want more." With that, she gave one last bow to him and flitted off to Woo DoHwan. And that was the last that Lee Minho would see of Kim GoEun for the next few months.

It was November when he finally saw her again.

He had arrived at the set a good 30 minutes before shooting began. It was a booth tucked away in one corner of a BBQ Chicken branch, right against a glass wall. He took his seat and tried to settle his racing mind. On hindsight, it had probably not been a good idea to marathon all her movies and her two dramas before this first shoot. Watching Kim GoEun's growth on film and tv had only driven home the point that she was out of his league.

He had never been an insecure actor. He just knew his strengths and used them to his advantage. He also knew what he lacked and had tried his hardest to make up for them. And if he couldn't, he would avoid putting himself in a situation where he would be forced to show a weak hand. But after watching Kim GoEun work with legends like Lee ByungHun, Jeon DoYeon, Kim HyeSoo, and Gong Yoo, he had come to the conclusion that he had absolutely nothing to offer her that she hadn't gotten before from all the other actors she had worked with.

So he sat there in BBQ Chicken, fiddling with his thumbs in trepidation. And then, almost as if by gravity, his head turned to the side and through the glass wall, he saw her white van roll to a stop out on the street. She stepped out, her gait light. She had been made to wear outfits that seemed to swallow her up, tennis shoes, baggy jeans, loose fitting black polo shirt, and topped by a long moss green winter coat.

But for all her character's visual heaviness, her delicate round face looked lit from the inside with the light of a thousands stars. He had seen this light on her when she was Ji EunTak and couldn't comprehend where she had hidden it when she was IlYoung. He watched her shove her hands in the pocket of her coat as she half jogged, half walked to the entrance of the restaurant. Almost as if she felt his eyes on her, she turned her head to search through the glass wall for him and when their eyes met, her face broke into a smile so wide it that he found himself smiling back at her just as wide. She waved at him excitedly before finally walking through the entrance.

He stood up and hurriedly pulled out her chair for her. He heard a giggle before she spoke, "Sunbaenim, such a gentleman!"

The production team had changed her hair. Gone were the soft straight strands his fingers had touched underneath her ball cap on the day they met in Kim EunSook's office. They had given her bangs and waves, like Hong Seol in "Cheese in the Trap," but had stayed away from a harsh change in color. He wondered if her hair was still just as soft.

"You didn't have to do that, though. We're not on a date!"

Her light easy manner was so easy to respond to. So he tipped his head to the side, looked at her askance and said, "Ah, but Lee Gon and TaeEul are."

One eyebrow curved up as she folder her arms across her chest, a light smile on her face. "But TaeEul is paying for the meal, right? How is that a date, sunbaenim?"

He pouted and put a hand on his chest in mock hurt. "I'll be giving you an entire Kingdom. That should count for something, right?"

She pouted right back at him and reached out to tap him on the side of his arm. "TaeEul doesn't need kingdoms, Pyeha. She needs chicken and beer." She scrunched up her nose at him and added, "Better luck next time, yeah?"

Outwitted, he accepted defeat and playfully hung his head in shame. Then he peered at her through his bangs that flopped boyishly on one side of his forehead and smiled at her warmly. They had fallen into their roles so easily in the first few minutes that they had been together, as if Kim EunSook had written them into the characters instead of the other way around. He had a feeling that playing this role would change his life, he just didn't know how.

Then they moved into rehearsals and the shoot for the first BBQ Chicken dinner scene and he was given a front row seat to the show that was Kim GoEun. She chose to change the inflection of her voice first, using the sound to command the rest of her body with. Gone were the sweet, teasing tones of earlier and in its place were the short, clipped tones of an annoyed Lt. Jeong TaeEul. Sometimes she would move in a more boxed manner, like a boy, and it worked so well with her too big clothes. He was so busy observing every little movement she made, tracking all the changes, even as he threw his lines back at her, that he didn't notice that the real show was staring at him in the face.

When the cameras started to roll and their assistants had drawn back, they were left in their own corner of the restaurant. There was nothing between them now, no script in hand obscuring half their faces, no PA hovering about and brushing back strands of hair, nothing except for a table full of chicken and beer.

The AD clapped his hands together to start the scene and both he and Kim GoEun sprung into action. Where he sat just a little straighter, more stiff, she had slouched into her chair and began digging, no, stabbing into the chicken.

"Why aren't you eating?"

Round cheeks full of food and one hand with a fork buried into a chicken leg, she had looked at him dead in the eye with such force that he was taken aback, offended for both himself and his character that this woman suddenly had more authority than he and Lee Gon combined. He held her stare for a few quiet seconds, and then surrendered to the way his body wanted to respond to Lt. Jeong TaeEul's thinly veiled threat.

He dropped his eyes and stared at the chicken like petulant child.

"I don't eat food that wasn't tasted beforehand."

It was in this moment that he understood the power that Kim GoEun held with just her eyes.

He had never been an actor that used instinct and intuition. He had always found it too loose. He liked the discipline and control of studying a character, anticipating a co-actor's action and preparing three different responses to it. Acting for him had always been a mental exercise. But for the first time in his career, he did something he never thought he would do – he let go. And it only took one look in Kim GoEun's eyes to teach him that there was still something more he could pull from inside him if he just learned to let go.

This was probably how he had developed the habit of openly staring at her. It did strange things to him and he couldn't understand how looking at her face, and into her eyes, could connect him to parts of himself he never knew he had access to. As an actor, of course. So until she notices and tells him to stop, he decided he would catalogue every detail of her face, peer into her eyes and let them take him to places he had never been inside himself.

It's not as if she doesn't stare at him too. She does, and just as openly too. It's just that she stares at him at the same time as everybody does. So no one notices. Like that time in Gwanghwamun Square when Lee Gon and Jeong TaeEul meet for the first time, she had stared at him while traffic stopped on both sides of the road because everyone wanted to see Lee MinHo riding an immaculate white horse and dressed like a real life prince.

She drew herself back amongst the crowd of onlookers as Lee MinHo rode Maximus onto the square with the an unworldly grace. When the director instructed him to pause and take in his surroundings, she took the same instruction but focused her gaze solely on the man who had always been Kim Tan to her, but something about the way he looked now, sitting atop this majestic horse in such a regal manner, told her that it was time to let go of Kim Tan and let this man in.

She was off to his side so she was sure he wouldn't see her. It was cold that night so she had jammed her hands into the pockets of her black coat. He didn't look like the cold touched him. He didn't look like anything could touch him, sitting so tall on top of an already large animal who followed his every command. Backlit by the traffic lights and brushed by a gentle breeze, his dark brown hair framed his face in a soft curtain. It was a delicious contrast to the sharp lines of his dark thick eyebrows, tall sharp nose, high cheekbones, and down to the strong curve of his jawline. His broad shoulders was made even broader by the midnight black velvet jacket he wore that was embellished with gold filigree on the high collar and cuffs and gold buttons that ran down on both sides of the lapel.

This must be what little girls feel like when they dream of Prince Charmings, thought Kim GoEun. Because that's exactly what it felt like to look at Lee MinHo in the middle of Gwanghwamun Square – a dream. And she was a little scared that if she spent too much time in this dream, approximately 7 months of it, then she might never wake up from it. Or want to.

The breeze blew a little harder and she shivered. She drew her coat tighter around herself and bounced on the balls of her feet. An AD signaled to her and regretfully, or maybe just a little relieved to have a reason to, she turned away from watching Lee MinHo to begin preparing for their scene together.

She paused mid-step. Her heart beat, just a little erratic. She had just realized that tonight, she had not been looking at him as Lee Gon, but as Lee MinHo. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, exhaled, and said to herself, "It does not mean more. Do not want more." Then she opened her eyes, cleared it of the fog she herself had created, and marched with sure, measured steps towards this beautiful man with a white horse.

"Sunbaenim, you looked so handsome with Maximus!"

[arcticdementor]

I’m going to describe your least favorite politician: Everything they say goes viral. The establishment despises them, donors can’t influence them, and the media can’t tame them. They’ve ignored the traditional rules of politics and now, politics will never be the same. Their success is a threat to America.

…

Okay, one more thought experiment. I’m going to describe an industry. Then, you’re going to guess which one I’m talking about. You have three choices: commerce, education, or politics.

Since World War II, the industry has been relatively stable. The big players haven’t changed. They’ve built relationships with financiers and journalists. Until recently, the industry structure looked like it would exist forever.

But now, things are changing. Within the industry, the pace of change is quick. When people talk about the industry, they talk about madness and uncertainty. Weird things are happening. The future is uncertain. The establishment doesn’t control the industry like it once did. The establishment’s decline is giving rise to a new breed of internet-natives, who are following a new playbook that the establishment cannot compete against.

Commerce, education or politics: Which industry am I talking about?

The answer: All the above. Yep, you read that right. The exact same thing is happening in all three industries.

…

I’ll show how the shift from information scarcity to information abundance is transforming commerce, education, and politics. The structure of each industry was shaped by the information-scarce, Mass Media environment. First, we’ll focus on commerce. Education will be second. Then, we’ll zoom out for a short history of America since World War II. We’ll see how information scarcity creates authority and observe the effects of the internet on knowledge. Finally, we’ll return to politics and tie these threads together.

…

America’s biggest Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) companies are losing market share. Across consumer goods industries, brand loyalty is dying. The percentage of affluent consumers in the top 5% of household income who can identify their favorite brand is in sharp decline (see Figure 1).

The reason is simple: brands are about trust and signaling. They’re a substitute for incomplete information. When information is scarce and asymmetric, consumers flock to trusted brands. But in many parts of the economy, when consumers have reviews at their fingertips, they no longer defer to brands when they make a purchasing decision.

…

By creating unlimited shelf space and reducing information asymmetries, power in the internet age is shifting from suppliers to customers. The world is increasingly demand driven. Customers have more choices than ever before. They can buy anything, at any time. Through the internet, brands can serve a long-tail of unmet consumer needs, which weren’t served by big box retailers. Small direct-to-consumer brands are popping up left and right. Their products go beyond their utilitarian purposes and reflect the identities of people who buy them. From dairy-free yogurt, to anti-razor bump grooming products, to the assortment of milks (oat, almond, skim, soy, coconut, rice, hemp, plant, cashew, macadamia, hazelnut, pea, flax, peanut, walnut) so large that you need a rolodex to keep track of them all, the products themselves differentiate these upstart brands from incumbents.

…

Like a fish in water, we’re unaware of the integration between our education system, the corporate structure, and our media environment.

Education flows down from the needs of employers. Companies outsource their recruiting efforts to universities, who gauge the quality of applicants on their behalf. Employers benefit, but students pay the price in time and debt. Accreditation is a signal of competence, so HR directors save time and money by restricting their applicant pool to graduates from top-tier universities. Ivy League graduates, for example, passed a quality bar which made them attractive to employers.

…

The system wasn’t always so crazy. Historically, there was a strong correlation between the reputation of the university and the quality of its education. Limited by the reach of their words, before the internet, top-tier professors could only teach hundreds of students at a time. Since professors couldn’t record or distribute their lectures, students had to witness them first-hand.

…

Paradoxically, as college degrees become commoditized, the cost of acquiring them continues to rise. Since 1991, tuition has increased by more than 300%, according to the US Department of Labor’s “tuition and school fees” component of the Consumer Price Index.

Tuition isn’t rising because professor pay has increased. Instruction costs accounted for only 28% of cost increases from 2000 to 2010. Faculty salaries have not risen proportionally to these tuition increases.

Colleges can stagnate and it doesn’t matter. The value of education can only be measured on a long, multi-decade time cycle. Even then, the success of alumni is a result of a multitude of factors, which are difficult to isolate and account for. Since there’s no way to measure the quality of an education, universities are gauged by superficial optics such as sticker price, acceptance rates, and questionable rankings systems.

As their monopoly on information disappeared, colleges justify their existence with increased amenities. Money that isn't spent is re-allocated to other departments, so there’s no incentive to save. Expensive new initiatives present a problem: as long as money is available, it will be spent; as long as it is spent, total costs will increase. These incentives trickle down through the organization, causing costs to skyrocket.

We’re bankrupting our students. The percentage of student borrowers with $20,000 or more in student debt has doubled over the last decade. Half of those borrowers don’t begin paying off principal until they’re 35. Student debt is a full-blown national crisis.

…

Due to the information explosion, society’s faith in institutions is corroding.

The grand hierarchies of the Industrial Age are in decline. Large institutions used to be like a Swiss army knife, equipped with tools for any scenario. They tackled problems forcefully and shouldered the responsibility of society’s greatest challenges. High-achieving college graduates dreamed of working for big companies such as AT&T, Ford, and Dow Chemical. Instead of leading a small business, people felt that serving as a cog in a large, industrial machine offered a higher point of leverage.

…

The tide has shifted and people don’t trust authority like they used to. The same institutions that once commanded so much American praise have lost their edge and versatility. They look less like a Swiss army knife and more like your grandma’s dull, rusty, 19th-century butter knife. They’re slow and stodgy, bloated and inefficient.

Political risk is growing in parallel. The rumble of instability is louder and louder each day. Threats of revolution are visible around the world, at a faster and faster rate.

…

No individual illustrates the media’s all-encompassing influence better than Walter Cronkite. “The Most Trusted Man in America” served as an anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years. Cronkite’s nickname was rooted in fact. According to The Quayle Poll, a survey which measured trust in public figures, Cronkite sat at the top of the list and was the only newsman to appear on it. Everybody else on the list of trusted people was a politician. Yes, you read that right. Times have changed.

…

What does "The Cronkite Moment" say about politics in the age of broadcasting?

When information sources were limited, we traded truth for coherence.

Trigger warning: the media was never truthful. There, I said it. To be fair, the media didn’t actively deceive the public either. Rather, a small number of editors and journalists had outsized influence over public opinion, and naturally they had blind spots. Their errors of omission included Kennedy’s affairs, Johnson’s corruption, and Reagan’s dementia. News editors were like high priests, standing in front of an obedient society, perched upon a pulpit, made strong by a direct line to millions of Americans.

As the three letter outlets waved their batons, the masses responded like sheep. In pursuit of social cohesion, the range of opinions were kept artificially narrow. Even when media outlets disagreed with each other, they operated within an implicit set of assumptions and a narrow range of acceptable opinions. Media moguls had more than money; they had power. Absolute power. Even when inaccuracies were reported, consumers couldn’t respond at scale.

…

During the 20th century, as the world became more complex, information flows simplified.

Like a coxswain yelling to his team of obedient rowers, leaders controlled the dissemination of information and determined the movement of the entire group. Even as global population skyrocketed from 1.6 billion in 1900 to 6 billion in 2000, media driven cohesion kept the group together. Millions of people moved in near-magical synchronicity. Stroke! Stroke! Stroke!

…

Narrative control is no longer monopolized. The arbiters of truth have fragmented. Millions of people, historically constrained by the reach and spread of their ideas, can theoretically reach anybody in the world with an internet connection. The truth has always existed, but until recently, we haven’t had the means to uncover and distribute it.

…

The shifts we’ve outlined so far can be seen in the changing of the guard from Encyclopedia Britannica to Wikipedia.

Even as Wikipedia gained traction, only a small percentage of people thought Wikipedia stood a chance against Encyclopedia Britannica. These skeptics were informed by precedent. Since the Egyptian Library of Alexandria , knowledge had been monopolized by institutions and certified by authoritative people who separated fact from fiction.

…

Britannica was costly to use. It was heavy and hard to search through. There were many volumes, and owning them all was prohibitively expensive. Carrying a Britannica dictionary felt like lifting weights at the gym. If you could carry all of them, you deserved a gold medal at the Olympics. The information inside the covers was expensive to transport, so the encyclopedias cost a pretty penny. Due to its ubiquitous brand recognition, Britannica had the final word. Everybody trusted it.

Wikipedia is the opposite.

It’s free, not expensive; digital, not analog; crowd-sourced, not editor-driven; continually updated, not fixed forever. Britannica is organized by subjects, Wikipedia by hyperlinks. Britannica is organized in alphabetical order. Wikipedia is a web of references with no beginning or end. Wikipedia is made by the people, for the people. It’s a collective memory machine where knowledge is accessible to everybody with a smartphone. All of Wikipedia — yes, every single article — can be saved for offline access, right on your smartphone.

…

Rather than controlling speech itself, people can control speech by determining the limits of acceptable conversation. As Noam Chomsky, the father of modern linguistics said: “The smart way to keep people passive and obedient is to strictly limit the spectrum of acceptable opinion, but allow very lively debate within that spectrum....”

Before cable, the limits of acceptable speech were enforced by political parties, who, due to their incentives for mass appeal, encouraged political centrism. With the stroke of a pen, small groups set narratives for the masses. Every town has one or two newspapers and three TV stations — all centrist, pro-business, and respectful of authority. Newspapers and television stations monopolized the distribution of information within their local territory. Through their power, they built social cohesion by eliminating diverse opinion and creating a shared intellectual ground for citizens.

…

Political parties are bigger than the people who work for them. They are a set of relationships and a well of tactical knowledge. They consist of partisan media members, advertisers, donors, associations, interest groups, consultants, and of course, politicians. Political parties built intimate relationships with donors to fund their advertising efforts. Local organizations, such as churches and labor unions lead get-out-the-vote efforts.

…

Voter interests were a means, not an end. In exchange for voter support, political parties ensured the election of their politicians by building relationships with editors, journalists, and media executives.

Now, that’s changing.

The media’s monopoly saw its first cracks with the rise of cable, and now, due to the internet, the Mass Media environment is going to crumble. The internet — where everyone can find, select, edit, and distribute content — has already left its mark. The Overton Window has been shattered. The media is no longer a barrier against diverse thought and opinion. Extreme opinions, which were once squashed by the Mass Media environment, can survive on the internet, where a viral message can spread to every corner of the globe.

…

As power shifts from a small mass of powerful constituents to a large mass of individual voters, politicians serve the voters directly instead of the needs of their political parties, where voters were just a means to an end. As the balance of power shifts away from political party affiliates to communication maestros, donors can no longer dictate political outcomes.

Every new medium of communication produces a chain of revolutionary consequences at every level of politics. Like a mountain range long in the distance, despite the hazy details of a future difficult to interpret, we can see the general outlines. The influencers of today are the politicians of tomorrow. Candidates with reach have organic built-in distribution, access to owned data and organic customer insights, and lower get-out-the-vote costs. Media savviness will be an essential skill for political success.

How people look and speak will be crucial to their success, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the politicians of tomorrow look more like celebrities than traditional politicians.

…

The 2016 Presidential Election was our waking up moment.

Trump has exposed the media’s weaknesses. As an observer, I was struck by the disconnect between what the media reported and the feelings of Americans on the ground. The media played one game. Trump played another. Trump’s campaign was loud, colorful and aggressive. Like a circus, eyes were glued to the show. Donald Trump invested little in traditional advertising, de-legitimized major media outlets, and connected with voters directly. Even as he invested less in advertising than Clinton or his Republican opponents, he dominated the media coverage and received unprecedented levels of attention. His apparent shortcomings helped, not hurt, his candidacy. Attacks benefited his campaign.

The media was caught in a Catch-22: cover Trump and he’ll win the election; ignore him and you’ll lose viewers and revenue. Media businesses thrived during the election. The rate of growth for New York Times newspaper subscriptions increased ten-fold over the previous year. Cable news viewership exploded during the election, which boosted ad revenue.

…

In short, as the amount of information exploded, the media — with business models built for an environment of information scarcity — engaged in a Faustian Bargain. Naval Ravikant said it best: "The Internet commoditized the distribution of facts. The ‘news’ media responded by pivoting wholesale into opinions and entertainment."

To be sure, I don’t want to ascribe too much weight to Trump’s election. I’m conscious of the human tendency to ignore probabilities in hindsight and wrap a narrative around every event, with a bias towards recent ones. With that said, I am confident of this: President Trump would not have won under the old Mass Media laws of media and politics. Trump's win was made possible by the shift from information scarcity to information abundance. People are overwhelmed by the volume of information and contradictions between media outlets.

…

People who scapegoat Jack Dorsey and Mark Zuckerberg miss a fundamental truth. Twitter didn’t happen to politics. Facebook didn’t happen to politics. The internet happened to politics. The shifts are structural and until we understand that, we can’t have an intelligent conversation about the state of the world. The common narratives, which are exaggerated by the media’s incentive to sensationalize the news, blind us to the real problems that plague society.

…

Big institutions, whose dominance once seemed eternal, are on the brink of collapse.

The explosion of information has undermined and obsoleted the 20th-century organizational model. Big brands are losing market share. Big universities are going bankrupt. Big political parties are splintering and losing their control over the political narrative. In their wake, small businesses who connect with audiences and serve the unique needs of consumers are thriving; digitally-native universities who can educate, entertain, accredit, and find work for students will blossom; likewise, politicians who can bypass the media and connect with voters directly are commanding attention, influencing policy and stepping into office.

[pelikinesis]

Carrying

Somehow, League of Legends has existed for over two decades. So it’s not only cliché, but obscurely passé to say that when I did play League, I very quickly and consistently developed a bad attitude towards it, and I am far from alone in falling into such a dynamic.

I wonder about people who are known to flame and rage and grief and all of that when a game didn’t go their way. In one sense, it’s little more than a virtually-mediated temper tantrum. There’s sometimes a response of, “If this game pisses you off so much, why do you keep playing it?”

But much like The Fast and the Furious franchise, if you look past the spectacle, you realize it’s really about family. At least, it was for me. But I didn’t have Vin Diesel growling the underlying theme to me over the course of what will ultimately be over ten movies, which is somehow another entirely true statement.

I should probably explain. When you hop onto solo queue in League of Legends, you get randomly matched up with four other people, and have to try and work together to achieve your mutual goal of defeating the other team, when the in-game tutorial is hardly even fractionally sufficient to teach you the strategy and skills you need for victory to be achieved rather than stumbled into. The only consolation is that the enemy team must contend with that same steep learning curve.

So like many team-oriented games, there’s the concept of one player developing the ability to carry the rest of their team to victory, despite whatever shortcomings or purposeful sabotage your allies might exhibit. There are streamers out there who have garnered substantial fanbases specifically because they are able to do this, and try to impart that capability onto their viewers by showing them how they do it.

It would be interesting to do a survey and see how common this is, but a part of my mind fixated on the idea of carrying my team because my family was dysfunctional. My dad was dead weight, then toxic, and his behavior only became worse as the years went on, and I watched my mom try and make up for his destructive behavior and corrosive attitude. In our own ways, my sister and I also had to try to make up for his abuse and neglect as we grew up.

Despite the many differences between family dynamics and League of Legends, I suppose there were few other emotional parallels in my life; group projects in school occasionally drew out this sort of thing too, if there was one person in the group who didn’t contribute or something like that. Now that I think about it, one time in college I took charge of a group presentation because I was the only one who experienced little stress in doing public speaking, and the satisfaction of helping us succeed was rather affectively similar to carrying my team to victory in a game of LoL. 

I didn’t notice that League was, on a structural level, designed to trigger people whose emotional development had been mangled along the lines that mine had been, because I didn’t even know I had triggers. I habitually filed such episodic manifestations under “I have emotional problems sometimes lol” and generally just tried to work at improving at the game instead of improving myself, because I’d never been given guidance on how to do that.

The sheer magnitude of the emotional deficit behind those tantrum-esque moments wasn’t something I could really comprehend, let alone attempt to tackle on my own, because the only tool in my psychoemotional toolbox was shame. I suppose that trying to get better at League was the closest thing I could get to trying to improve as a person at the time, as sad as that may sound. I could understand how to evaluate and attempt to raise my skill within a game, even one as complex as LoL, because you can watch how other people win games and listen to their explanations of doing various plays, or their mindset when it comes to laning or jungling and such, and then attempt to apply that to your own play.

But there really isn’t anything like that for daily living and socialization. Well I mean there’s therapy, but League of Legends is free and therapy isn’t, and I received a lot more social support for getting into one, but not the other. 

[jbuffyangel]

The Wedding: [Olicity] Arrowverse 6x08 Review (Crisis on Earth-X)

Notes:

This will be the first of two reviews. This review covers only Olicity. I will discuss pretty much everything else in the second review. I thought this would be easier for readers to pick and choose what content they are interested in. Stay tuned for Review #2.

This is a gif explosion. It will crash your app. Nothing I can do. Open in a browser.

This is very long. Get comfortable.

IT HAPPENED. THE OLICITY WEDDING TRAIN HAS REACHED ITS DESTINATION. 

I've been talking about Olicity getting married since the Berlanti interview where he said, "... but there aren’t alot of superheroes who are married." I think the opening question was where Olicity goes to dinner. That was his answer. Work on that poker face, Greg.

We have discussed and theorized this day for YEARS. So much emotion and expecation has been poured into it. So, what did I think of the final result? Well...

Let's dig in... 

Olicity (and a little bit of other people)

It may be B*rry and Ir*s’ wedding, but Olicity is the dramatic focus. 

Source: @songbin

Things kick off with a cute start as Ir*s and Felicity talk to their men over the comms. 

None of our superheroes have RSVP’d for the wedding. There is no truer struggle than this when it comes to wedding planning. 

Source:  westallenolicitygifs

Oliver is one of the guilty parties, but Felicity gets his act together. Although, if both Oliver and Felicity are in the wedding party there’s really no need to RSVP. Felicity bought a bridesmaid dress. You can never wear those again. She’s coming, Ir*s.

One of the things I appreciate most about this crossover is their commitment to checking off Olicity Wish List. Oliver and Felicity ride the Ducati into Central City together. 

Source: @thatonekimgirl​

OLICITY ON THE MOTORCCYLE. IT’S THE DREAM. Yeah, it’s a far away shot. I don’t care. I’ll take it.

While the ladies are getting their nails done, Ir*s pops the question to Felicity. Hehehe. Not that question, but a vitally important one nonetheless: Are Oliver and Felicity next for a walk down the aisle?

Felicity essentially uses the “it’s not the right time” excuse because of all the crisis:

City is always under attack

Oliver is being indicted

Oliver is focused on spending time with his son who is still mourning the loss of his mother

I love how sensitive Felicity is to William. She doesn’t want to appear like she’s trying to take the place of his mother in any way. Granted, it's a solid list. I will give Felicity that. But there's always a list. They are superheroes in Star City. There's always going to be a thing.

Source: smoak-and-mirrors

However, as Felicity sips her champagne, and the ladies toast Ir*s’ impending nuptials, there is a look on her face. It’s not just about timing. Something else is going on here.

Oliver is getting a tux with B*rry, who is worried about jamming ten years of love into one vow.  He's already at 38 pages single spaced. This pretty much sums up B*rry All*n.

Oliver looks so fine in a tux even B*rry is overcome by the hotness. This pretty much sums up Oliver Queen.

B*rry being forced to acknowledge Oliver's undisputed hotness pretty much sums up their friendship.

Oliver tells B*rry not to worry because Mr. Queen is a cool cucumber. Yeah right, give it ten minutes. Oliver tells B*rry that when he looks into Ir*s’ eyes the words will just come.

Of course, we know Oliver is remembering his failed wedding with Felicity. His impromptu, but profoundly honest and heartfelt vows encapsulated everything Felicity means to Oliver. The wedding may have been a rouse, but the vows were the deepest truth Oliver holds in his heart. A truth that remains to this day. Felicity is Oliver’s always and what he wants, more than anything, is a chance to be hers.

As far as B*rry and Oliver scenes go this one is my favorite. What bonds Oliver and B*rry is a mutual respect and understanding. They each carry the weight of the world on their shoulders. It creates a safe zone for each man to share their thoughts and feelings because they know the other will understand.  

Over the years the primary focus of these talks has become about love. There is a connective thread between these men and their great loves through all the crossovers. 

Source:  westallengifs

It began in the coffee shop with Oliver telling B*rry to let Ir*s go because he had to do the same with Felicity. Now these men are talking marriage. It’s a wonderful bookend to the evolution of both their love stories.

Oliver, of course, is thinking about marrying Felicity. It’s all he’s thought about since he fell in love with her. For so long, Oliver didn’t believe that life was possible. However, if he could attain the impossible then it would be with Felicity. She has always been, and will always be, Oliver’s dream. Felicity is the girl you marry. It’s never been about dating for Oliver.

“Looking at her, he saw marriage, a house, lazy Sundays, date nights, babies, sleepless nights and first steps, little league, dance recitals, spelling tests, family vacations, driver’s licenses, college tuition…grandchildren. Oliver saw A LIFE.

He doesn’t want to die. He wants that life. He just doesn’t know how to have it. He doesn’t know how to live it.” (Arrow 3x02 Review)

Now the dream is a reality. Oliver has the life he never thought possible. It’s not just about survival for him anymore. Oliver knows how to live because Felicity taught him how.  Felicity is the reason... she is all his reasons.

“…I get to be like everybody else. I get to make my own decisions, have my own life, do whatever the damned hell I choose. Now here's the good part, so you listen close. What I choose is you. You're who I want to wake up with and go to bed with and do everything in between with. I get a choice now. I get to choose. I choose you… “ Denny Duquette, Grey’s Anatomy

Oliver chooses Felicity. He will always choose Felicity. She is the only person he wants to live this big, beautiful, complicated, dangerous and exciting life with.

When the time is right. Umm…. WHAT? 

Listen boy, you are on my last nerve. I reject the “right time” excuse completely. THERE IS NO RIGHT TIME. You run around in leather pants, a mask and shoot criminals with arrows, Oliver. Your extracurricular is very... extra. There will always be some crisis these two will face. What matters is today and the future you will build tomorrow. PUT A RING ON IT.

Source: feilcityqueen

B*rry All*n is apparently standing in for me. Thanks for the assist B*rry. This almost makes up for being one of the main causes of the Olicity breakup in Season 4.  It does not in any way make up for erasing Baby Sara. You are still on my shit list for that one Allen. I don't care how much Ir*s likes you.

B*rry asks Oliver a very simple question:

Of course, Oliver cannot contain his smile or the exuberant joy loving Felicity Smoak gives him. This man was once a closed off, brooding, angry and deeply wounded human being. Now he's a rainbow of love, hope and happiness. Oliver Queen is a friggin Care Bear. He wants to shout it from the roof tops.

Source: eka-darville

Love. It’s all that matters. It’s the reason we get out of bed in the morning. It gives us something to fight for. It gives us SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR.  That was a hell of a speech B&rry. John Diggle would be proud.

Source:  valeriemperez

Joe gives a beautiful toast to B&rry and Ir&s at the rehearsal dinner. 

“So, B*rry, Ir*s, thank you for showing me how to love again. For showing me that love is the most important thing we have.”

Source: westallenolicitygifs

As much as the speech was about B*rry and Ir*s, it is also about Oliver and Felicity as the camera not so subtle pans over to them. Oliver is inspired by Joe’s speech and B*rry’s advice, so he decides to propose. Thatta boy Oliver. Go get her.

It does not go well.

Let’s start with the positive? We’re going to look on the bright side friends because that's how I roll. First, there is a beautiful parallel to Oliver asking Felicity out on their first date. 

She told him then to speak from the heart and it gave Oliver the courage to ask her out. Felicity says those words again (in reference to Joe’s speech) and it gives Oliver another shot of courage.

Source:  westallenolicitygifs

Second, Oliver is the cutest cute to ever cute with his nervously rambling and hedging around the big question. Gone is his cool and confident, "the words will just come."

Source:  fellicityqueen

He mans up though. Now we're rolling.  You can do it Oliver!!!!  He doesn’t pull Felicity up on stage, with Christmas trees and bended knee, but the second proposal packs emotional punch because this boy loves her so much. 

I understand about the ninjas Oliver and you are forgiven for not kneeling. Mostly because you break out Felicity’s middle name during the proposal and it is romantic as hell. 

The whole tone of the scene is exactly like the first time Oliver asked Felicity out. This is the perfect full circle moment.

Until Oliver gets shot down.  

Source:oliverfelicitygifs

OUCH. 

This is painful to watch, adorable babble notwithstanding.

“I’m not understanding what’s going on here.”

“Are you framing this for a “but?”

“This might come as some surprise, but I’m physically incapable of talking about anything else right now.”

They have switched bodies. Oliver is now the Felicity in the relationship.

Felicity doesn’t feel they need a piece of paper to declare their love and commitment to one another. Oliver agrees, but he wants crab cake and toasts too. He’d also like to declare their commitment to one another in front of all the people they love- legal style.

Felicity’s reversal on the subject of marriage is as surprising to me as it is to Oliver. I wasn’t expecting Oliver to propose this early on in the crossover, but I definitely wasn’t expecting Felicity to say no. Oliver is insistent they talk about it now and it eventually leads to Felicity shouting, “Oliver I don’t want to marry you!” and EVERYONE HEARS. 

Oh God, this is cringe inducing second hand embarrassment. Oliver sort of laugh/cries and it sounds like a strangled puppy. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD MAKE IT STOP.

Felicity makes it absolutely clear she loves Oliver, their life AND WILLIAM. This has nothing to do with not wanting to be part of this family. She absolutely does. Felicity wants to be committed to Oliver, but she rejects the concept of legal documentation.

So, first we get “it’s not the right time” and now it’s “we don’t need a piece of paper.” 

It’s certainly a woman’s prerogative to change her mind and it’s fine if Felicity rejects the institution of marriage – it’s not for everyone.  However, Felicity’s reasons are wildly divergent in nature. “Not the right time” connotes “maybe someday” while “we don’t need a piece of paper” has a forever sound to it. Someday and never is a pretty wide gap. Felicity probably didn't want to discuss with Iri*s the reason she rejects marriage the day before Ir*s' wedding. However, neither of these reasons sound like the truth to me.

“Love is Emotional” by Neil Finn

A face in the crowd is watching me

Don't you forget that love cannot be

Taken for granted you'll have to believe it that's alright

But I never seem to work out how it ends

And I think it's almost never making sense

And it's hard to control

'Cause love is emotional

Supergirl knows how to pick song lyrics. Damn.

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

Angst city. The writers managed to make B*rry and Ir*s’ “happily ever after” equally about Oliver and Felicity. That's just... neat. Treats for everyone!

Oliver and Felicity cannot hide how they feel about each other despite the angst. The minister’s words apply to Oliver and Felicity as much as they apply to B*rry and Ir*s. Once again, the camera pans over to them as the minister says, “These two people deserve to be together.” The minister wins Walter White.

Oliver “I Have No Chill Please Make All the Babies with Me” Queen stares lovingly at Felicity. 

Source: @songbin

He longs for the moment he can stand up in front of all his friends & family and declare how much he loves this woman. It’s a familiar look. He’s been longing for this for awhile.

Unfortunately, the minister gets zapped incineration style before B*rry and Ir*s can get to the declaration part of the ceremony. Ugh. Nazis ruin everything. I hate them. Ir*s is 100% done. Preach it sister.

All the heroes jump into the fight immediately, except for Oliver. He gets Felicity to safety first. 

Source: teamolicity13

FOREVER OTP.

As the team regroups and tries to formulate a plan, Oliver wants to take a moment to talk to Felicity.  Despite the madness and impending doom of Earth-X Nazis, Oliver wants to face their problems head on. He doesn’t want to wait. THY NAME IS CHARACTER GROWTH. 

Oliver Queen, my son, is so grown it makes me weep.

This is not the Olicity of Season 4 who pretends there isn't any problems between them. This is not the Olicity of Season 5 who pretends they aren’t madly in love with one another. This Olicity faces their issues head on without breaking up. Ya know, like an adult relationship.

What I have always loved about this couple is they talk about what marriage means to them. They discussed it back in Season 4, when Oliver was hesitant to propose. He didn’t know how to be a vigilante and have a functioning relationship. It was Felicity who convinced him otherwise. 

It was Felicity who believed with her whole heart they could have it all. 

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

Oliver reminds Felicity of this fact and desperately wants to know what has changed. Dude, same.

It's not Oliver specific. Felicity doesn’t want marry anyone.

Source: captainheroism

Uhhh... it kind of feels Oliver specific, honey. He agrees with me and immediately reminds Felicity she didn’t feel that way two years ago. Felicity immediately reminds Oliver that after accepting his proposal she was shot. Everything is great now.  Why change it?

Now this feels like the truth. THIS I understand. Felicity Smoak is scared. She is absolutely terrified. She uses a poker analogy with Oliver, “Let’s just stand pat with the cards that we’re holding.” Felicity doesn’t want to risk their relationship. When Felicity looks back on their engagement she views it as an ending, not a beginning. A sentiment she will repeat to Ir*s later.

She is right. When Oliver proposed they were already over. 

They were over the minute he chose to lie about William. 

I know Felicity is saying it’s because she was shot, but actually they handled that pretty well together. What tore them apart was all the lying. Felicity doesn’t want Oliver to feel like this is about William, because it’s not. She loves William. So, she points to the gunshot wound and paralyzation for the "sky is falling" comparison. It doesn't change the fact that the lies, being shot and paralyzed are all one big ball of pain.

To be frank, as much as I love the proposal in 4x09, it has always been tainted because Oliver was lying to Felicity when he proposed. 

Her beautiful and heartfelt speech about what marriage means pretty much fell on Oliver’s deaf ears. (Yeah I know there was an ultimatum. Don’t @ me. We’ve gone over this. It was still wrong.) So, I can’t help but feel that some of the rejection and embarrassment he felt after Felicity said no is warranted? 

If Felicity knew Oliver lied to her about something so monumental as William, she would have never said yes in the first place. As exhibited by Felicity giving back the ring and calling off their engagement when she did find out. No, wait. She did give Oliver some wiggle room to redeem himself, but then he sent his son away without discussing it with her. That sealed his fate. I feel very Obi-Wan about it.

Have Oliver and Felicity worked past all these issues? YES. 5x20 dealt with all of these issues. Oliver faced the darkest parts of his soul to understand why he has significant trust issues. 

Felicity understands why Oliver lied. 

Oliver knows it was wrong to lie. (That vow he has kept.)

They’ve learned from their mistakes and built a stronger, more trusting, foundation. As exhibited by facing their issues head on. However, that doesn’t eliminate the element of fear.

If Felicity was really against the whole concept of marriage she wouldn’t hear a peep from me. However, Felicity is making that decision from fear. She doesn’t want to draw another card because it might ruin everything. She’s playing it safe. Anytime Felicity has something wonderful something awful comes along to ruin it. Well, yeah pumpkin. You are on a TV show. That’s how this works.

So, Felicity has decided not to rock the boat. She’s almost being superstitious. Not marrying Oliver Queen is tantamount to knocking on wood or throwing salt over her left shoulder. If they just keep things the same then she can keep all the wonderful. It’s like Felicity is standing on the edge of a cliff with Oliver. He’s ready to jump, but she is content to stay frozen in that spot forever.

Oliver doesn’t want to remain frozen. He wants to move forward. Marriage is important to him. It does mean something. He knows the future is uncertain and bad things always seem to happen, but that’s even more of a reason to marry Felicity. Oliver is ready to live his life and that means getting married. He wants to stand up in front of all their friends and family and promise always.

Felicity promises always. She promises it then and there on the steps.

Oliver has been hoping for a second chance,  but it’s not coming in the form he expected it to. This is all she can give though. Oliver has her heart, but there’s no legal document declaring it. Felicity asks Oliver to respect her decision and he agrees,

but is it enough for him?

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

No, because he emotionally unloads on B*rry and Ir*s five minutes later. 

Source:  westallenolicitygifs

Oliver knows there’s something else behind Felicity’s decision. To be fair, she doesn’t put it her reasoning as eloquently as she does with Ir*s a few moments later. 

Source: felicitysmoakgifs

However, because Oliver is the dumbest oak tree to ever live he decides Felicity doesn't love him as much as he loves her.

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

Lord boy. You try me.

B*rry and Ir*s, who are standing in for our usual anchor couple Dyla (and doing a solidly awesome job), tell Oliver he’s a bunch of nonsense. 

Unfortunately, Felicity walks in at the exact wrong moment. 

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs

Oh god. Another cringe inducing moment of second hand embarrassment. My babies. This is so awful. Make it go away.

Felicity wants to do the talking thing again, because apparently the first time didn’t take. 

Source: westallenolicitygifs 

Sadly, Oliver reverts to form. He needs to get his head in the game. No time for discussing their relationship now. Sigh. Season 6 evolved Oliver was nice while he lasted.

So, Oliver leaves for battle thinking Felicity doesn’t love him as much as he loves her (re: oak tree). But Oliver is right about something. There is more to this.

Source: valeriemperez

In one of her greatest speeches ever, Ir*s tells Felicity she also fears the unknown. So much that it gives her nightmares. What helps her get through it is B*rry being next to her.  Ir*s, you are nominated for the #1 Olicity shipper. Diggle is tough competition, but you have a shot. My girl won’t quit until these two are married.

Ir*s is also right. This time it’s different. Oliver and Felicity’s past has built them as much as it has broken them. Felicity’s fear is absolutely understandable as was Oliver’s two years ago. But loss, pain and crisis aren’t without purpose. It teaches us how to lean on one another, trust, compassion, humility, and what is most valuable in life. It makes us hold on to the happy moments and reach for more every chance we get. Crisis shows us what we are living for. It makes us cherish peace. The unknown will always exist. Bad things will continue to happen to Felicity and Oliver, but that’s true for any of us. That’s just life. If they face it together with grace, honesty and trust – they can get through anything.

This is a monumentally large impasse or at least it feels like it. Felicity doesn’t believe in marriage and Oliver does. It’s not unlike Maggie and Alex’s differing opinions on children. So, are we headed for another break up?

No. The writers are just jerking our chain one last time. That said, this storyline isn’t without purpose. It’s simply the last hurdle before Oliver and Felicity say “I do.”

But first, we need to survive some really disturbing imagery. Oliver poses as his evil Earth-X doppelganger to infiltrate the Nazis and find a way home. Earth-X Lance is a Sturmbannführer, a major in the SS, and he decides to test if this is the real Earth-X Oliver. So, he brings in the Earth-X version of Felicity. Oh... it gets worse.

Sturmbannführer Lance tells Oliver to execute Felicity for giving her rations to the work camp children. It’s as horrible as it sounds. I don't love this imagery. I understand why it's triggering for some. I also understand why it may anger others. I will discuss my opinions on the Nazis plot in the second review. For now, I'll just say this. As disturbing as this scene was, it can also serve as a reminder we are one breath away from our greatest loves being our greatest enemy. We enjoy so much freedom in the United States, but it’s fragile. It only takes a moment for hate to separate us from those we love. Thus, we must remain ever vigilante.

It also delivers a pretty emotional scene that propels Oliver to some signficant realizations.There is no universe where Oliver Queen would kill Felicity Smoak. Even though Oliver knows it’s a test, he lets Felicity go and reveals his identity to Sturmbannführer. Luckily, Oliver doesn’t need a weapon. 

Oliver starts kicking some Nazis ass (YES! MY MAN) and finds Felicity hiding once the fight is over. This is a familiar scene. It’s very reminiscent of 2x07 and 3x01,

except Oliver’s face is one Earth-X Felicity has learned to fear. 

Oliver reassures her the same way he would reassure HIS Felicity. 

He finds that quiet, gentle, loving and soft tone. The special voice he uses only for her. Oliver repeats the word that always quells the fear inside Felicity, “hey," and repeats it in a mantra like a lullaby. 

Oliver gives Felicity a gun and tells her to run. Before she goes Felicity asks Oliver why he’s doing this. He tells her, in a very Earth-X Oliver way -

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

However, Oliver is not talking about himself. He’s talking about Felicity. She is the strong and Oliver knows Earth-X needs her.

This is the point in the story I think the lesson starts to dawn on Oliver. He loves Felicity more than life itself. He believes in her fundamental goodness. Yet, here on Earth-X, Oliver is presented with a doppelganger version of Felicity. This version of Felicity is no different than his. She is brave, selfless, kind and strong. The same cannot be said for his doppelganger - or even Laurel's or Tommy's.

That's not to say there isn't an evil Felicity out there somewhere in the 53 earths (Although the writers are going to have to show me actual evidence. I refuse to believe it otherwise.) 

But that doesn't really matter now. Oliver is on Earth-X and on this earth he is a HORRENDOUS person. Yet, Earth-X Oliver is a person who loves deeply. Who is willing to sacrifice anything for the woman he loves. Oliver sees parts of himself in the fuehrer and that is disturbing on many levels.

Oliver Queen recognizes his darkness more than anyone else. Yes, there is innate goodness in this man, but he very easily could have gone another way. If Oliver never met Felicity Smoak (or Diggle) he would have become a monster much like Prometheus. Oliver's entire Season 5 journey was built around this realization and deeply rooted fear.

It becomes blindingly clear to Oliver as he stands in a world consumed by hate. We all have good and evil inside. What separates us are the choices we make and what we do with the gifts we’ve been given. Dark Arrow is corrupted by Overgirl as much as she is corrupted by Dark Arrow. Their mutual darkness feeds one another. It is a grotesque display of “love.” But if Dark Arrow had fallen in love with Earth-X Felicity? Then maybe his soul could have been saved. But he didn't. Dark Arrow chose anger and hatred instead. And a love fueled by it. However, our Oliver did meet Felicity. 

He chose to love her and that has made all the difference in his life.

Felicity and Ir*s are facing off with their own set of Nazis in an attempt to save Supergirl. I would absolutely watch a show just with these two. This is fantastic television.

Source:  felicitysmoakgifs

Reverse Flash (yeah, he's back. AGAIN) 

is about to cut out Supergirl's heart, but the entire lab goes dark. Felicity has locked them out of Star Labs with an encrypted code.

Reverse is going to kill Felicity if she doesn't give up the code. Felicity is a hero down to the marrow and is prepared to die if it means saving Supergirl's life. 

Source: https://twitter.com/caitybettlotz

Iri*s fights and screams against the Nazis guard, desperate to free herself. She's trying to save Felicity before Reverse Flash kills her. It makes me emotionally thinking about it even now.

Supergirl refuses to let anyone die for her. She insists Felicity give up the code. When she does we see that Oliver is in her every thought.

When Felicity comes face to face with Dark Arrow she refuses to hand over Supergirl. This time Felicity doesn't back down and tells Evil Earth-X Oliver, in no uncertain terms, to fuck off.  

Source :sssssssim

It is a GLORIOUS speech given by the hero who inspires us all. Be gone haters. My girl is a QUEEN.

OUR Oliver arrives with an arrow to Overgirl’s throat just before Dark Arrow is about to shoot Felicity. When Overgirl begins to influence Dark Arrow there is a flicker of fear in Oliver's face. He is prepared to kill Overgirl if necessary to save Felicity’s life. Oliver also knows Dark Arrow is prepared to kill Felicity to save his wife. So, Oliver offers him a peaceful solution instead of threats. The team will help save Overgirl's life if Dark Arrow let's Felicity go. In the face of immense hate, Oliver offers compassion. It’s enough to make Dark Arrow hesitate, which gives Reverse Flash the chance to zip in and whisk them away. I hate that guy, but this works in our favor for the time being.

What happens next is straight out of fan fiction. I do mean this literally. I’ve read scenes like this verbatim. The only thing missing was a field for Oliver and Felicity to run through. 

This is the hug to end all hugs.

Felicity immediately apologizes. She’s been afraid from the moment Oliver left that he would die thinking she doesn’t love him. As for Oliver, well our big dumb oak tree, finally removed head from ass and realized Felicity’s issues with marriage have nothing to do with not loving him enough.

Felicity is safe. 

That’s all that matters to him. 

She is all that has ever mattered.

Oliver wants to be with Felicity. He wanted it then

and he wants it now.

Some things never change. But some things do. Oliver was an immovable object in the past. 

He refused to compromise with Felicity and held to his rigid beliefs. It cost him happiness.

It cost Oliver HER. 

Now, Oliver has learned he can have a life with Felicity. More importantly, he’s willing to compromise to get it. Oliver Queen bends.

He’s grateful to do it. It is even more clear to him now what a gift it is that Felicity is in his life. She has made all the difference. Felicity makes him a better man and that's what is important. Oliver doesn’t care about getting married anymore. Being with Felicity is more than enough. It’s everything.

See? Nothing like a little crisis to clarify what’s really important. Also, we get an official “in the hood” kiss. Check that off the list too! IT. IS. EPIC. Thank you Stephen and Emily for not holding back. It’s everything I dreamed and more.

The hood is up and the mask is on. Yet, the man shines through. Oliver is every bit the Green Arrow in this scene. A complete and fully formed hero. It's been a long road, but he's finally found the balance between his two selves. What's more, Oliver knows Felicity was the path to that balance. She helped Oliver find the light in the dark. He has become every bit the man and hero Felicity deserves. And that's why Oliver Queen finally deserves her.

The beauty of the Arrowverse is every show is built on love stories. Whether it’s Oliver and Felicity, B*rry and Ir*s, Kara and Alex, Snart and Mick – the central motivation for each character is love. Not all love stories are romantic in nature, but that doesn’t make their power to influence any less. “Crisis on Earth-X” exemplifies this absolutely perfectly in the relationship between Professor Stein and Jackson.

Stein eventually succumbs to his injuries (to save Jackson’s life). In his final moments, Stein recognizes the fragility of life. Death comes for us all eventually. Life is but a fleeting moment, a blink, in the scope of the universe. Stein uses his last breath to thank Jefferson for their great adventure.

Source:  fatedxdestiny

This is a father saying goodbye to his son. Martin wishes Jefferson a long life filled with love. In the end love is all that matters. Stein is able to go because he knows he lived a good life. He used his time on Earth to create, to help and to love. Professor Stein left the world a better place than he found it. His final gift is to give Jefferson the same opportunity.

There is such beauty in this spontaneous wedding and fulfills so much of what Professor Stein wished. His wish isn't just for Jackson. It is for B*rry & Ir*s and Oliver & Felicity too. It is for all of us.

Source:  valeriemperez

Life is but a blink and all that truly matters is love. Find something to live for and LIVE FOR IT. Grab hold of life with both hands because it’s gone sooner than we can imagine. Don’t wait for the right time because now is all we have. Live a life full of joy, adventure, friendship, selflessness, compassion and love. Don’t let fear control you. You will be a better person for loving and for being loved in return.

The fragility of life is true for all of us, but especially for heroes like W*stallen and Olicity. Each couple tried to plan the perfect day and find the right time. Those things don’t really exist in their world because their lives don’t belong fully to themselves. There is always a crisis. There will always be a reason to wait, which is exactly why they shouldn’t. When the opportunity presents itself they need to seize it.

The way this wedding unfolds is almost symbolic for the journey Olicity went on the last two years. Everything looked perfect on the surface in Season 4, but in reality Oliver and Felicity were not dealing with their issues. Their “fake wedding” was manifestation of what went wrong.  The vows were absolutely real, but they didn’t quite know how to live them yet.

The beauty of this wedding is that it’s spontaneous, even a little messy, and real. Oliver and Felicity's relationship has never been wrapped in a neat little bow. Their road was rocky and even a little messy. It was also real. They’ve dealt with all their issues and know how to live those vows. The image of the wedding may be imperfect, but the reality behind it is not.

Felicity realizes this and it’s why she proposes to Oliver. More importantly, Felicity confesses the fear she’s held in her heart for as long as she's known Oliver Queen. 

This is the fear that controls Felicity. It’s what drives her away from Oliver. It’s the reason she didn’t want to get married. But Felicity isn’t going to let fear control her anymore. It's like she's been holding her breath and finally exhaled.

The ace up Felicity's sleeve is Oliver Queen. She believes in him. Felicity saw something special inside of Oliver from the moment she met him. 

She saw a light. Underneath all the lies, charm and bravado was a beautiful human being too wounded, angry and scared to be seen. 

But Oliver couldn’t hide from Felicity. Her goodness brought out his. Felicity harnessed Oliver’s light 

and what reflected back to her was more wondrous than she could have ever imagined.

Felicity may not know the future, but her belief in Oliver and their love, is what holds her course steady through life. It is a leap of faith, but with Oliver by her side it is one Felicity is ready to make.

Whether you elope or spend a year planning your wedding, there comes a point where every couple just has to… jump. All the planning and promises can’t account for the unknown. There are no guarantees in marriage. It's always a leap of faith in the end. There does come a moment though when you realize this is it. This is the moment you are going to jump. You are going to marry this person come hell or high water.

There was a blizzard on my wedding day. I was in the dress and I remember feeling such relief when I heard my husband arrived at the church. I honestly didn’t know if anyone else was going to make it. My mother said to me, “Does it matter?” And… it didn’t. As much as I love my family and friends, I couldn’t account for the unknown. You have this voice inside your soul telling you,  “No. This is it. I am marrying this person TODAY. “ And you jump.

Keep in mind their life together began with Oliver hesitating. 

Oliver was waiting for life to be perfect and THEN he could be with Felicity. And he lost her. Truth be told, Oliver’s hesitation has cost him Felicity more than once.

It’s different now though. He’s a man who wants to seize life and hold on tight. Oliver doesn’t hesitate. (Well, except for Felicity to clarify her feelings on marriage because he is legitimately confused.) 

There is no question in his mind. The time is now. This is the dream Oliver always wanted 

and he’s not going to let the moment pass him by.

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

Personally, I am very happy the writers didn’t try to top the vows in 4x16. Oliver and Felicity even reference their perfection. We really only needed to make this official – legal style. After Felicity’s heartfelt proposal and “I’m afraid of losing you” speech, Oliver does feel compelled to offer something in return.

Oliver told B*rry once he’s looking into Ir*s’ eyes the words will come. He was speaking from experience. The words came to Oliver in 4x16 and they come to him now. 

He recalls the most important part of his vows and repeats them to Felicity. 

Their latest crisis proved to Oliver, once again, how true they are. Why are these words so important? Because they encompass the entire show.

Oliver is a better human being, man and mask, for loving Felicity Smoak. That’s the ballgame folks. This is why Oliver Queen becomes a superhero.

He is almost so overcome with emotion that he can barely get the words out and Felicity smiles happily back at him, with tears in her eyes. They know what a miracle their love is and they are going to live that miracle every day.

And the man who saw them through everything; the man who told Oliver the kind of love that lasts forever

and to be on the lookout for;

the man who watched, smiled and waited;

Source:  littlegirlinvisible

the man who encouraged Oliver to grab hold of happiness

and wouldn’t put up with any of his bullshit;

the man who said what we were all thinking;

Source:  littlegirlinvisible

the man who fought Oliver’s stubborness and fear when Felicity was too tired and hurt to;

the man who played referee; 

the man who was always there to listen

or tell Oliver he’s a big, dumb oak tree;

and the man who taught Oliver life is about more than survival;

is the man who marries them.

Source: oliverfelicitygifs

It is gorgeously simple, honest and earned moment for these two characters. 

Source:  oliverfelicitygifs 

This is the wonder of a hero's journey. 

After all the trials, loss, pain, angst and frustration we arrive at a beautiful destination. And then a new story begins. Oliver and Felicity's journey isn't ending. It's only just begun.

Source:  felicitys

“Lives Entwined” by Matthew Mayfield 

Make me a man Show me how to fight Take that woman Make her my bride Show us the new meaning of lives entwined I am in love I am in love I am in love with you But we've got bigger things to do Chase a new life on the heels of a newfound train Take on the world with a girl and a new last name Fight for you This I can do When we've both grown tired and covered in scars I won't give up on your heart Please don't give up on my heart

It took almost 30 years for one of my beloved couples to not only get married, but for me to be able to watch the marriage. It feels longer.

Oliver and Felicity are married and I am filled with a peaceful satisfaction. Stories can truly go anywhere. A smile turns into an EPIC love. A guest star becomes the female lead. The unthinkable evolves into canon. And lightning in the bottle guides the way out of the dark.

We are all Diggle.

Stray Thoughts On the Double Wedding

Source: valeriemperez

Consider this an addendum to the review. It wouldn't be an Arrowverse wedding without a little controversy. This controversy has been brewing for awhile. Some are very angry about the double wedding. Unsurprisingly, I am not. Primarily because of the message the writers are trying to send.

It’s not about a day, or a dress or the cake or the venue. Don't get me wrong, those things are all wonderful and meaningful. I squealed with delight when I saw Ir*s walk down the aisle. There will be extensively more squealing when Olicity eats cake and drinks champagne dressed to the nines.

But what really matters is the MARRIAGE. This is about wanting to spend the rest of their lives together. These couples can always find a reason to delay because there is another crisis. That's what it means to be a hero.

This is why B*rry and Ir*s have absolutely no problem with Oliver and Felicity jumping in on the love fest.

If you want to be upset about the double wedding that's fine. Who am I to tell you otherwise? However, a couple getting married in the FOURTH SEASON is a rare gem. I'm too busying dancing on sunshine for W*stallen to be crabby about how any of this went down.

Primarily because I'm not crabby about how any of this went down, but that's neither here nor there. Let's look at this logistically.

Yes, absolutely the Arrowverse could have married both of these couples in separate ceremonies on their own shows. It makes complete sense. Except, it leads to guest star appearances. Otherwise we'll be wondering why Oliver isn't at B*rry's wedding? Or how come Ir*s isn't a bridesmaid? Stein went to W*stallen's wedding, but he can't make time for Olicity? And so on. 

Inevitably, this means most major cast members in the Arrowverse have to cross over to Arrow and The Fl*sh. I think this crossover requires herculean effort logistically and they aren't going to do it more than once. The actors and crew would strike.

We’re already screaming about Thea, William, Donna, Joe, Cisco, etc. So, they just said the hell with it. Nobody was there except the couples and Diggle. But that’s what elopment/justice of the peace is (B*rry and Ir*s’ plan) and Olicity always wanted a small wedding. 

Could they have split both weddings out over two years? Sure! Except, that's the same crossover storyline two years running. Keeping the storylines fresh and new is all part of the crossover gimmick. 

Even if they did decided to split it out then which couple goes first? Whoever is first immediately casts a light of prioritization and "more importance."

What if only one couple is married in the crossover and the other is married in a regular episode? If they marry Olicity in crossover (the biggest episode for every single show in the Arrowverse FOUR YEARS running) then the W*stallen fans feel slighted. It's like saying Olicity is more important than W*stallen. And vice versus.

So, both it is. One crossover. One time. To me, the focus of this event was about balance.  Everything went down on a (reasonably) even keel.

Both W*stallen and Olicity had their perfect and traditional weddings ruined by outside forces.

Neither couple was married on their own show. Legends of Tomorrow was like Camp David in this scenario or Switzerland if you prefer.  

Each couple had their moment in the sun to say their vows. Olicity already did theirs in 4x16 with a little extra added in for good measure during the ceremony. W*stallen slayed their vows in the park.

Source: westallengifs

Each couple had a spontaneous, Diggle officiated, ceremony.

W*stallen was the solid anchor couple, while Olicity provided the dramatic angst.

BALANCED. No couple was more important than the other. This was like my mother dividing out the chocolate bar with expert precision between me and my two sisters. WHO DO YA LOVE MORE MAMA? NOBODY. I LOVE YOU ALL THE SAME.

Speaking as an Oliciter, since they are my OTP, I especially love the message this ceremony sends. Oliver and Felicity are not the comic book couple. Arrow diverged from "comic canon" and went a different direction because that's what worked best for the show. Lord almighty have they received flak for it.  

Marrying Oliver and Felicity next to the king and queen of comic book canon, B&rry All&n and Ir&s W&st, says both love stories are valid. Both love stories are important. Both love stories are EQUAL.

B*rry and Ir*s chose to get married on the spot because they recognized the fragility of life. They just came from a funeral of a man who used his last words to say, "Life is fragile. LIVE FOR LOVE." You know Jefferson passed that on to his friends. It's a little ridiculous for them to say to Oliver and Felicity, "Hold up! Only our life is fragile! We need to live in the moment, but not you two. You two have to wait. Diggle can marry you tomorrow. Fingers crossed nothing happens until then! Best of luck!" 

Especially when Ir*s and B*rry spent the better part of the crossover focused on convincing Oliver and Felicity to get married. THEY SHIP IT HARDCORE.

Let's talk about the fragility of life. All four characters thought at one time or another they were going to die. Or, even worse, they were going to watch their loved one die. Felicity almost had a hand put through her chest! Oliver and B*rry were almost shot by a Nazis firing squad! Ir*s had bullets flying all around her in a COUTURE WEDDING DRESS. That is Monique Lhuillier for godsake!!!!! Have some respect! They all nearly lost their lives and that's just a regular Tuesday for them.

This is probably my favorite reason why the wedding took place at the same time.  From the moment B*rry All*n became a superhero he has looked to Oliver Queen for guidance. That guidance was never just about tactics. It was about love too. And Oliver... had some pretty spectacularly awful advice in that department.

He needed to learn from B&rry as much as B&rry needed to learn from him. Not just how to be a better superhero, but how to be a better man. 

Each crossover has shown the emotional progression (and missteps) of these two men. They both found a way to let go of their painful past. 

They both found a way to their great loves. 

Source:  dailydcheroes 

In some respects, they did it together. 

At the very least Oliver and B*rry understand each other's lives like no one else. Ir*s and Felicity understand each other's lives like no one else. 

These couples are bonded through heroism. Marrying them together, each couple being equally happy for the other, is a beautiful display of friendship. And friendship is where both of these love stories began.

Thank You

On a personal note, I want to say thank you to everyone who joined in the fun the last few years. You all very patiently read and entertained all my theories on when, where and how this wedding was going to happen. I was pretty much always wrong, but the train kept on chugging. You all made the wait a lot more bearable. Looking forward to enjoying the rest of Olicity's story with you. I will stop screaming, "BUT THE BOUQUET!!!" now.

Disclaimer: Any gifs on the blog are not mine. If you would like a gif removed from my reviews, please message me. Crisis on Earth-X episode gifs credited.

[jennifer0724anderson]

Watch Football Online with Optus Sport

Uefa champions league highlights youtube - Ajax 1, Roma 2: Europa League Match Recap - Chiesa Di Totti

It was pretty standard fare for the opening 10 to 15 minutes, just two clubs delicately trying to get a feel of one another, uefa champions league highlights youtube to find some inefficiency to exploit later in the match. Dzeko, who was a somewhat surprise starter given Borja Mayoral's record in this competition, made his presence felt during this phase of the match, firing a low, skimming effort wide of the left post and then, moments later, slipping past the defense to run onto a looping header at the right post only to be crowded out by the Ajax defense.

Roma's best chance of the first half came in the 17th minute when Roma forced a rather harried clearance from the Ajax defense. With the uefa champions league highlights youtube worming its visit our website uefa champions league highlights youtube to Bryan Cristante, Roma's number four blasted company website shot from 25 yards out, forcing Ajax keeper Kjell Scherpen into a stretched save—and I mean stretched ; he was completely parallel to the ground.

Okay, back to the injuries. In the 23rd minute, with Leonardo Spinazzola uefa champions league highlights youtube down the left flank, Edin Dzeko slipped into the center channel, giving Spinazzola a target clear as day to feed the Bosnian into a one-v-one with Scherpen but Spinazzola hesitated and the chance went wasted.

In the run of play, uefa champions league highlights youtube was tough to tell why Spinazzola hesitated, but it soon became clear when Spinazzola pulled up lame seconds later, clutching at his hamstrings. After receiving treatment on the touchline for a few minutes, Spinazzola gave it the old college try but simply couldn't solider on and was replaced by Riccardo Calafiori in the 29th minute.

The ensuing 10 minutes were pretty even, but let's get to the real point of interest from the first half Only, in this instance, the ball drifted, giving Klaassen a clean look at goal.

If you side with Diawara, you likely believe that Mancini didn't do enough to attack the loose ball, giving Klaassen a veritable free pass toward the goal.

If, however, you're on Team Mancini, you lay the blame and Diawara's feet for hanging him out to dry with such a listless pass in the first place; he either needed to hit it harder towards Mancini or not hit it at all. And if Mancini rushed towards the loose ball, he could have potentially given Klaassen room to dribble past him. Champions League top scorers Igor Mello 1 min read. Even Dike can't believe uefa champions league highlights youtube remarkable rise James Benge 10 min read.

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OS Fitness. Thirsty Thrusts with Jose Virtual Playground.

Pellegrini, Ibañez and Lopez the Heroes in Roma's 2-1 Win Over Ajax

Shows View All. Fantasy Premier League View All. Shorts View All. With Uuefa set to face retired mixed martial this post Ben Askren at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, and live on pay-per-view, on April 17, DAZN News uefa champions league highlights youtube his two boxing matches and unpacks the memorable results and highlights that came with them.

However, they might as well have been slotted in as the main event, as they cultivated more intrigue than the headliner itself. The shorter Gib came out charging Paul with a very unorthodox style, crouching and trying to advance forward to land punches. Paul quickly computed the weirdness Gib was presenting him with and countered it with a right hand to the temple for a flash knockdown just one minute and seven seconds uefa champions league highlights youtube the fight.

[hope-for-olicity]

Fabulous Olicity Fanfic Friday - October 27th, 2017

Happy Friday! So this is my attempt to both thank awesome fanfic writers for their amazing work and offer my recommendations to anyone who is interested. Here are the fantastic fanfic stories I read this week! They are posted in the order I read them.

Blood Hands multi-chapter by @dust2dust34 - When new Bratva business comes to Starling City, it brings Oliver’s past with the brotherhood into sharp, ugly focus. But when it strikes too close to home, endangering the one person he never wanted that darkness to touch, he finds out his and Felicity’s pasts are more tangled than he could have ever imagined. (Set between 2x06 and 2x07) http://archiveofourown.org/works/3628926/chapters/8013672

First Impressions multi-chapter by @entersomethingcleverhere - Modern Pride and Prejudice AU: “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a young woman in possession of a great intellect must be in want of job that requires its use.” But Felicity Smoak seemed stuck in the quiet beach town of Hertfordshire forever. Will the handsome summer tourist and his snobby best friend save her from another season of boredom or will Oliver Queen’s stuck up attitude make Felicity want to strangle him before it’s even over? LOVED THIS!! http://archiveofourown.org/works/6033276/chapters/13834785

Dangling Soons by @smkkbert - Three years ago, Oliver dangled maybes on Felicity. Now, they seem to be dangling soons on each other. http://archiveofourown.org/works/12430644

Untitled by @smoaking-greenarrow - Prompt: Something fluffy where Oliver is exaggerating an injury because he likes Felicity giving him attention? http://smoaking-greenarrow.tumblr.com/post/166581873459/can-you-write-something-fluffy-where-oliver-is

"Next of Kin" 6x03 Spec fic by @millennialfangirl - 6x03 speculation and spoiler fic http://millennialfangirl.tumblr.com/post/166592837038/next-of-kin-arrow-6x03-spec-fic

Love and Little Cupcakes multi-chapter by @xtina-lynn - Felicity loved sweets so much that she paid no attention to her love life. Until Thea Queen came into her store wanting fabulous cupcakes for her sixteenth birthday. http://archiveofourown.org/works/12400539/chapters/28216053

If Loving You Is Wrong (I Don't Want To Be Right) multi-chapter by @smkkbert - They live in a society where the Ministry for Procreation decides who you get to marry. Once you get the letter with the contact details of your partner, you are supposed to marry within few months. Sexual relationships with any other partner are forbidden, even before you receive the contact details. Everyone who disobeys that law will be punished brutally.  Oliver and Nyssa have come to terms with that. Although they are married, Nyssa can secretly be with Sara, and Oliver can do whatever he wants to do. When Oliver decides to make changes, he falls madly in love with Felicity. Therefore, his life takes a pleasant turn because although they cannot publicly be together, at least they can be in secret. Things soon get complicated, though, when Felicity receives a letter that shall change her life. http://archiveofourown.org/works/11847900/chapters/26747613

First Night Oliver is Without Felicity by @marytagus - For work motives Felicity went to Central City that morning to come back the next. It's the first night since they are together that Oliver doesn't have Felicity by his side. http://archiveofourown.org/works/4835801

Black Smoak multi-chapter by @sammieathome - A mission gives Oliver the opportunity to finally see Felicity in Goth. http://archiveofourown.org/works/4296990/chapters/9737001

"I'm More Scared of Living a Life Without You" by Lilliclementi93 - After five months of adjusting, Oliver and Felicity talk about their relationship. Things are not as simple as they seem, and they must decide if they want to be together or not. http://archiveofourown.org/works/12446644

Redemption multi-chapter by @vaelisamaza Oliver returns for being with the League after five - this story gets better and better - you should be reading this! http://archiveofourown.org/works/9107518/chapters/22278866

Hidden mutli-chapter by LittleMissMint - Felicity is three months pregnant and hasn’t told anyone... (to be set as an AU parallel to Season 6) http://archiveofourown.org/works/12453663

Time for a Story multi-chapter by @smkkbert - This fic shows Olicity and their life as a (married) couple with family. Although Olicity (and their kids) are the protagonists, other characters of Arrow and Flash make appearances. YOU NEED THIS STORY IN YOUR LIFE. http://archiveofourown.org/works/3912157/chapters/8757172

Alarms, Latkes, and Complication by Weareallstoriesintheend - Oliver and Felicity are neighbors who have never met, but cooking disaster brings them together. http://archiveofourown.org/works/5537855

(Don't) Let Me Go multi-chapter by @emmilynestill - Felicity told him to let her go, but even when Oliver tried, it didn’t seem to be something he was capable of. In the end, there would be nothing in the world Felicity was more grateful for. Weaving in and out of the final four episodes of Season 5 and beyond, follow Oliver and Felicity’s emotional journey back to one another, one step at a time. http://archiveofourown.org/works/11591223/chapters/26051715

Red Looks Good On You by starrnobella - Finding out Oliver has never been trick or treating, Felicity takes it upon herself to give him an experience he'll never forget. http://archiveofourown.org/works/12458037

I Have Never Been Disappointed With You Before by @mrsgreenworld - Post 6x02 Now that Diggle is the Green Arrow what can it mean for the team? http://archiveofourown.org/works/12431826

What Happened in Vegas multi-chapter by @juleswritesallwrongs - It's all fun and games until you wake up hung-over and married to a stranger. Five years ago Oliver Queen and Felicity Smoak made a drunken mistake that could never be corrected. After years on a hellish island he comes back as a man on a mission only to find out that what happens in Vegas doesn't always stay in Vegas. (Season One Rewrite) http://archiveofourown.org/works/2697512/chapters/6037037

As Easy As Falling multi-chapter by @charlinert - Felicity has just received tragic news when she meets Oliver, I believe there is hope, highly recommend but you will cry but not every chapter! http://archiveofourown.org/works/8035363/chapters/2254234

Pieces of Always multi-chapter by @so-caffeinated and @dust2dust34 - Life continues after Forever is Composed of Nows. Ongoing non-linear collection of family moments for the Queens. http://archiveofourown.org/works/8220479/chapters/18840356

Thursday multi-chapter by @someonesaidcake - There is something about the girl next door that Oliver Queen is only now noticing... Felicity is moving to college just down the road from where Oliver is a senior.  He suddenly becomes very protective of the girl next door.  Thursday night dinners might not ever be the same again. This story gets better and better! http://archiveofourown.org/works/10688658/chapters/23670255

Killer Frost Smoak multi-chapter by @tdgal1 - Felicity is with Barry during the particle accelerator and becomes Killer Frost. How does she handle this and does she tell Oliver? http://archiveofourown.org/works/8654356/chapters/19846777

Someone Else's Sky multi-chapter by @punchdrunkdoc - Oliver Queen, the Starling City Vigilante, moves out of his family home into a small apartment. But he has an unexpected roommate. A 'Just Like Heaven' AU http://archiveofourown.org/works/6231124/chapters/14276926

// @almondblossomme // @emmaamelia95 // @mel-loves-all // @oliverfel4 // @green-arrows-of-karamel // @coal000 // @miriam1779 // @memcjo// @captainolicitysbedroom // @tdgal1 // @spaztronautwriter // @lalawo1// @quiveringbunny // @quant-um-fizzx // @thebookjumper // @vaelisamaza // @myhauntedblacksoul // @lovelycssefan // @laurabelle2930 // @wrongshipper //

[markwatkinsconsumerguide]

Consumer Guide / No.97 / Oxford Mail journalist Andy Ffrench talking books and records with Mark Watkins.

MW : Tell me about yourself...

AF : I’m Andy Ffrench and I live and work in Oxfordshire. I’ve been a newspaper journalist for over 30 years and I’ve been lucky enough to work for my current paper, the Oxford Mail for over two decades.

I live with my wife and three children in Abingdon. When I’m not working I enjoy playing old records, watching football – I had to give up playing when I kept getting injured – and reading crime novels. Ian Rankin’s Rebus thrillers have always been a favourite as it’s a great way to be in Edinburgh without actually visiting. There are lots of fantastic crime writers out there – Cara Hunter and Olivia Kiernan are both Oxford-based authors, so I have enjoyed interviewing them about their latest stories.

I’ve bought hundreds of second-hand books over the years and love going to Hay-on-Wye where there must be about 40 different bookstores – such a big variety and you can lose yourself for days there. It’s been a family tradition over the years to camp there for the Hay Festival and it’s been a big thrill to see and meet some of my favourite authors and performers over the years including Clive James and Billy Bragg.

MW : How did you get into record collecting?

AF : I started buying records when I was a kid – I was probably about 10 when I bought my first single, Brian and Michael’s Matchstalk Men – it’s not cool to say that but of course I bought Oliver’s Army too and Blondie’s Sunday Girl so my choices were varied.

From quite a young age I got hooked on hearing a tune on the radio – usually Radio Luxembourg – and then going to the record shop later to buy the single. In those days back in the late 70s singles would only cost about £1 and if I skipped school dinners I could buy the latest Two Tone release, or David Watts by The Jam.

Funnily enough, 40 years on you can still pick up singles for £1 a go, or maybe even 50p each, in charity shops, record shops, or the market and the thrill hasn’t gone of picking up a great Motown tune, or I Can’t Explain by the Who, for almost nothing.

So, singles remain my first love when it comes to vinyl and at some point I graduated to LPs – I’ve got hundreds of singles and hundreds of albums and from time to time I sell a few albums because I know more will be coming and I don’t want the house to feel too overcrowded.

The first album I owned was Parallel Lines by Blondie and that still gets a play followed shortly after by ELO’s Discovery.

MW : What are some of your favourite items in your collection?

AF : The albums I played at university : so Rattlesnakes & Easy Pieces by Lloyd Cole; Infidels by Bob Dylan; This Is The Sea & A Pagan Place by The Waterboys; Steve McQueen by Prefab Sprout;  Love by Aztec Camera AND The Wishing Chair & In My Tribe by 10,000 Maniacs – must be among my favourites, PLUS the records I bought before I went to college.

I’ve still got the singles I bought when I was a kid – Madness, The Jam, Costello, The Undertones and I’ve even written my name on some of them!

Also, favourites are records that have been given to me by record dealers or by fellow vinyl lovers on Twitter such as this guy (Jim McCormack) in Scotland who sent me his spare copy of Sulk by the Associates when I mentioned I had owned it once and lost it over the years.

MW : ...still seeking?

AF : The chase is sometimes better than the kill if you enjoy buying second-hand records in record shops – I very rarely buy online.

I’m still in the market for a vinyl copy of Dylan’s Oh Mercy and Last Of The True Believers by Nanci Griffith – and a lot more – some are albums I have lost or sold over the years. I’m looking forward to returning to Riverman Records in Oxford when it reopens – that’s my favourite.

http://www.rivermanrecords.co.uk/

MW : You mentioned books at the start of this Q & A, so who are your favourites?

AF : Anything by Ian Rankin, Cara Hunter, Olivia Kiernan, Graham Greene and Haruki Murakami.

MW : What's the allure of buying second-hand books?

AF : As previously said, I love going to Hay-on-Wye and there’s a place in Derbyshire called Scarthin Books which I would happily go back to. 

http://www.scarthinbooks.com/

You can lose yourself in these places and always come out with something good. Picking out first editions for 50p or £1 in charity shops and then selling them on can be fun and it’s do-able if you’ve got a good eye but it’s pretty time-consuming.

MW : Have you ever found any interesting inscriptions in your book purchases?

AF : I’ve got a copy of part of Graham Greene’s acclaimed biography by Norman Sherry which is signed by the author’s wife. I got her to sign it when I landed an exclusive interview with her about 20 years ago – I’m keeping that one!

MW : Football is also a passion of yours...

AF : I’ve watched a lot of football games over the years and once had a Newcastle United season ticket for the Gallowgate when I lived up there in the 1990s.

Also, spent a lot of time watching Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park when I worked on the Wirral. Don’t get to so many games now but love watching Champions League on BT Sport with my sons.

MW : How are you finding the current lockdown / social distancing restrictions due to coronavirus?

AF : As a journalist I can work from home most days. It’s difficult and I would much rather be in the office or doing interviews face-to-face ; putting together a daily paper is a team game, but we are all trying to manage as best we can in the crisis which I hope will be over soon.

One way to alleviate the tension is to continue posting records on Twitter and talking to like-minded vinyl obsessives.

I’ve been doing that for about a year now and it’s such a lovely online community of guys and women out there who have the same interest – it’s very rare that anyone gets snippy on there.

I have tried to start something called “Singles Sunday” which is pretty self-explanatory. It’s led to some amazing singles collections being brought down out of the loft. The thread each week really takes off and I’m seeing picture covers I’ve never seen before.

It’s one day at a time at the moment but playing the records and sharing them on Twitter definitely helps.

There’s also an online radio show by a guy called Simon Philo on Radio Free Matlock I really enjoy called the Sweet Spot which plays power pop – think Back Of My Hand by The Jags.

https://radiofreematlock.co.uk/

 (c) Mark Watkins / April 2020

[hiphopandtheirishquestion]

Year Zero

The first rap album I really got into was Public Enemy’s Yo! Bum Rush the Show. Till then, it had mostly been one off singles and compilations. Public Enemy also conformed more to the traditional format of a band. Nothing as clichéd as guitars and a drummer of course, but they far were more than a DJ and a rapper. Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Professor Griff, the S1Ws and Terminator X... PE! And in June 1988 they were coming to Dublin.

PE dressed all in black, bar Flav who liked red tracksuits. The S1W’s (Security of the 1st World) were their military wing, and it was said they carried Uzi Sub-machine guns on stage. Chuck D was the front-man and was angry. He wanted revolution yesterday. He was asked if he was playing a game. No, he said, ”We’re not playing any game. Everything else is a game. This is the un-game".

I liked that. The Ungame

They were playing in McGonigles off Grafton Street, so the Def Road Massive (all two of us) made our way to the big smoke. But we made sure to get into character first. TV programmes like Rapido suggested whistles were an essential accessory for any self-respecting b-boy. And being PE, we thought plastic Uzis would be a nice touch, something that didn’t help our 17-year old chances getting served in  a pub.

Going to Dublin to see your first out-of-town concert is a rite of passage for us culchies. The fact that mine was a rap band from New York, one that most of my schoolmates would not even have heard of, gave it added weight, at least in my book. I had seen Dublin punks Paranoid Visions and The Human League in Waterford - both great experiences in their own way.  But this was different.

Public Enemy, hip hop, was mine. I could leave the other meatheads back in Tramore CBS to headbang to Quo or Van Halen or whoever they fucking liked. To the extent that any of them even knew who PE were it would have been to dismiss it as not being music. Good. Keep it that way. I’ll have my “music” you have yours, you dopey shower of cloth eared, black-shoes-and-white-socks wearing, In the naaaaaaammme of luuuuvvvvvvv singing along with, shit-for-brained bastards.

There - that told 'em.

The day began with a hip hop hors d'ouevre. PE were performing on the grounds of Trinity College that afternoon. I turned up at college green radiating as many rebellious vibes as I could, because I, of course, was a kindred spirit, coming from the crime and poverty riddled slums of Tramore.

The Golden Horde came on first. They played fast, thrashy punk music, and were great. PE - less so. They began by asking everyone to do the peace sign. We half-heartedly followed suit. The whole ‘throw your hands up in the air’, crowd participatory thing is one of the more questionable aspects of the live rap experience. Particularly in the middle of the afternoon, to a crowd of mostly curious onlookers as opposed to actual fans. The punks who had been enthusiastically stage diving ten minutes previously began drifting away, muttering ‘what the fuck is this shit? or words to that effect. And they had a point.

When PE eventually got round to playing some music, they played one song, a tuneless Bring the Noise. It didn’t bode well for main event. Bring The Noise is a banger. If that sounds shit, what hope for the rest of the gig? Perhaps the setting was wrong but I hoped it wasn’t a sign of things to come. I didn’t want to spend the whole night being bequeathed to 'say yeah, throw up the peace sign, say yeah, say hell yeah', do anything really except jump around, pump my fist a bit and, in the words of Mantronix, get stupid.

In was all worth it though. Brief set over, PE left the stage and happily mingled with the handful of fans there, belying their reputation as serious, humourless militants. I came away with the inside of my jacket signed Tx (Terminator X), Flavor Flav, PE #1 (Chuck D) and S1Ws (Professor Griff). Was this the musical wing of Louis Farrakhan, the black racists who believed white people to be devils, the angriest group in the world? Lovely chaps to a man - but I looked forward to furious anger later that night.

And so to McGonigles. The music pre-gig was a revelation. I knew a track called The Terminator from a mixtape I had secured somewhere. It  sampled Arnie and The Darleks ‘ex-ter-min-ate’ mantra. Here, it made sense. The Terminator would not rest till he had taken out all ‘wack MC’s’. Chuck D had once said that rap was meant to be played loudly, not on your headphones. I now knew what he meant.

In truth, I had no idea what went on at a rap gig. Another song I loved was The Manipulator by Mixmaster Gee and the Turntable Orchestra. ‘Turntable Orchestra cut it up!’ went the refrain, before a wordless chorus of scratching. PE consisted of a quite a lot of people. Only Chuck, Flav and Terminator X had clearly defined roles. Was everyone else on stage scratching up records like a turntable orchestra? I held out some hope that this would be the case (it wasn’t).

Between the pre-gig tunes and a roomful of hip hop starved fans, McGonigles was hopping by the time the band came onstage. And despite being a bit short, involving quite a lot of between-song preaching and a dodgy sound system, it was utterly brilliant. Life-changing, even.

Nothing could diminish the impact of seeing a rap band, and my undisputed favourites at that, up front and personal for the first time. The S1Ws stood on either side looking menacing. Flav did a dance with a bunch of clocks around his neck. Terminator X stood behind the decks, huge PE logo at the front, looking cool as only a hip hop DJ can.

The quality of the sound, the fact that it took me about two minutes to even recognise Rebel Without A Pause, was irrelevant. It was a hip hop love in, and PE could do no wrong. Perhaps the Irish crowd associated with the underdog, or with the sense of standing up to a perceived oppressor. At one point, someone handed a tricolour on stage. This kind of mawkish, come-on-foreign-rock-star-say-how-much-you-love-Oireland nonsense usually makes me want to puke. But here, it was powerful.

Chuck took the flag and told us how lucky we were to have it. We’d kicked the Brits out and were independent (the words may have been different but that was the sentiment). They, on the other hand, as black Americans had nothing. No flag, no homeland, nothing. As a speech for oppressed minorities it was up there with Pearse’s graveside oration.

If there’s a defining moment in 80s Irish hip hop culture then this gig was surely it. Schoolly D and London Posse had played in Dublin, but it was PE at McGonigles that marked year zero for the new generation of B-boys and girls. Eamon Carr saw historical parallels.

‘The Clash in the exam hall in Trinity and Public Enemy in McGonigles, it’s a bit like 1916 in the GPO. We were there! There are so many others who wish they were or think they were there’.

Eric Moore, or DJ Laz-e, old skool hip hop head and DJ at RTE Gold, was another of the lucky ones.  “I remember you couldn’t breathe. It was so packed. I was only just sixteen and it was the first concert I’d ever gone to. I’d lied and said I was staying at a friend’s house. And it wasn’t like I was drinking or smoking or anything. Hip hop was my only vice.”

Unsurprisingly, considering his pedigree as a Breakdancer and soon to be champion DJ, he was never going to rock up with a mere whistle and plastic machine gun in the line of accessories.

"I had a pink feather going through a rope gold chain – I thought this is really Zulu Nation. And all my friends were in character too. We wanted to be different. We were like punk rockers. We were obsessed with this shit".

Eric’s Clondalkin crew went on to do great things in the Irish hip hop world, the likes of Sherlock, Tron, Mek and Cutmaster Jay, all of whom were in McGonigles that night, cleaning up at national DMC DJing championships over the ensuing years. The Def Road Massive, alas, remained steadfastly underground. Deep, deep underground.

As did hip hop generally, at least in Waterford in 1988. But that didn't mean we weren't right - a conviction my grandfather and the other 1916 rebels also held 82 years previously. And there would be no need for MC James Connolly to call on his followers to 'raise the roof' – the guns of the British army would see to that.  

[jccamus]

My semester with the snowflakes~

My semester with the snowflakes~ https://ift.tt/2sSRZoH

My semester with the snowflakes~

In May of 2019, at the age of 52, I was accepted to the Eli Whitney student program at Yale University.

I am the oldest freshman in the class of 2023. Before I was accepted, I didn’t really know what to expect. I had seen the infamous YouTube video of students screaming at a faculty member. I had seen the news stories regarding the admissions scandal and that Yale was included in that unfortunate business. I had also heard the students at Yale referred to as “snowflakes” in various social media dumpsters and occasionally I’d seen references to Ivy League students as snowflakes in a few news sources.

I should give a bit of background information. I was an unimpressive and difficult student in public schools. I joined the military at 17 and spent close to 26 years in the US Navy. I was assigned, for 22 of those years to Naval Special Warfare Commands. I went through SEAL training twice, quit the first time and barely made it the second time. I did multiple deployments and was wounded in combat in 2009 on a mission to rescue an American hostage.

Every single day I went to work with much better humans than myself. I was brought to a higher level of existence because the standards were high and one needed to earn their slot, their membership in the unit. This wasn’t a one-time deal. Every time you showed up for work, you needed to prove your worth.

The vetting process is difficult and the percentages of those who try out for special operations units and make it through the screening is very low.

In an odd parallel, I feel, in spite of my short time here, the same about Yale.

After receiving my acceptance email and returning to consciousness, I decided to move to Connecticut and do my best in this new environment. Many people have asked me why I want to attend college at 52, and why at an Ivy League institution like Yale? I could have easily stayed in Virginia and attended a community college close to my home. Well, based on my upbringing in the military, I associated difficult vetting process’ with quality and opportunity. I was correct in that guess. More importantly though, I simply want to be a better human being. I feel like getting a world class education at an amazing institution like Yale will help me reach that goal. Are there other places to get a great education? Of course, but I chose Yale.

My first class of the semester was absolutely terrifying. I don’t know if it was so for the kids in my class, but it damn sure was for me. It was a literature seminar with the amazing Sterling Professor of Comparative Literature, Professor David Quint. He is an amazing human in that he has dedicated his life to literature, and he knows what he is talking about. The discussion was centered around the Iliad. I had read a bit of the Iliad in the middle part of my military career and decidedly didn’t get it. Listening to Professor Quint demonstrated exactly how much I didn’t “get it.” The other students looked like children to me. Hell, they are children, but when they speak, and some of them speak english as their second language, they sound like very well-spoken adults. My Navy issued graduate degree in cussing wasn’t going to help me out here. These young students had a good grasp of the literature and although they lacked much experience to bounce it off of, they were certainly “all in” on trying to figure out its underlying meaning.

At one point, I said; “hey, I’m just an old guy sitting here with a bunch of smart people, but I think….” And they all smiled, some of them nervously because I was essentially an alien. I was an old dude with tattoos all over his arms, and a Dutch Shepherd service Dog brandishing a subdued American flag patch on her harness, sitting next to him. Professor Quint later approached me and said “hey, don’t downplay your intelligence. You are smart as well.”

I thought, I’ve got him fooled! Turns out I didn’t fool him at all when I turned in my first paper, but that is another story for another time.

After a few classes, I started to get to know some of my classmates. Each of them is a compelling human who, in spite of their youth, are quite serious about getting things done.

One young woman made a very big impact on me. She approached me after class one day and said; “I am really glad I can be here at Yale and be in class with you. My grandfather came to Yale and when WWII started, he left for the Navy and flew planes in the Pacific theater. After he came home, he came back to Yale, but he couldn’t finish. He locked himself in his room and drank and eventually had to leave, so I feel like I am helping him finish here at Yale and I’m doing it with a veteran, you.”

I was surprised and quite emotional. Exceptionally emotional. She went on; “I can send you a photo of him!” and I told her I would love one. That evening she sent me this photo of her grandfather.

I used to read stories about men like him and they are heroes to me. Clearly her grandfather is a hero to her as well, and she is going to make him quite proud. This connection with a WWII vet through his amazing granddaughter is a gift. One of many I receive on an almost daily basis in this amazing institution. I think it’s worth taking a moment here and acknowledging that this thing we now call “PTSD” has always been around and some of us veterans escape it while others, like me and likely this gent in the airplane, felt the sting of it.

One day in another lit class, I brought up a book I’d read a long time ago called “Taxi Driver Wisdom” by Risa Mickenberg, Joanne Dugan and Brian Lee Hughes.

After that class a couple of the students approached me and explained that their dads were cabbies when they first came to the United States, and that their fathers had told them that the things they sometimes heard from people in their cabs were amazing.

Think about that for a second. These students are first generation Americans. Their fathers immigrated to this country and started out by being taxi drivers. Now, their children are attending college at Yale University. I’m a patriotic man and those are the stories that help me understand how, in spite of the seemingly endless stream of negativity surrounding it, the American Dream is still alive and kicking. It makes my heart sing every time I see those kids.

Let me address this “snowflake” thing. According to the “Urban Dictionary” a “snowflake” is a “term for someone that thinks they are unique and special, but really are not. It gained popularity after the movie “Fight Club” from the quote “You are not special. You’re not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You’re the same decaying organic matter as everything else.”

I hear the term occasionally from buddies of mine who I love, they say things like; “how are things up there with the liberal snowflakes?”

Let me assure you, I have not met one kid who fits that description. None of the kids I’ve met seem to think that they are “special” any more than any other 18–22-year-old. These kids work their assess off. I have asked a couple of them to help me with my writing. One young woman volunteered to help me by proof-reading my “prose” and, for the record, I believe she will be the President someday. I recently listened while one of my closer pals, a kid from Portland, Oregon, talked to me about the beauty of this insane mathematics problem set he is working on. There is a young man in our group who grew up in Alaska working on fishing boats from a young age and who plays the cello. There is an exceptional young woman from Chicago who wrote a piece for the Yale Daily news expressing the importance of public demonstrations in the light of a recent police shooting. She and I are polar opposites. I am the “patriarchy” at first glance, and she is a young black woman who is keen on public protests. Not the type of soul I generally find myself in a conversation with. We come from different worlds and yet we both read classic works with open hearts and minds.

We recently met with a prominent writer from a think tank who is researching the state of the humanities in the university setting. There were four of us students, two other young men, the young woman from Chicago, and me, the old guy. As the younger students started to express their thoughts, the young woman (truly a unicorn of a human) used the word “safe space” and it hit me forcefully. I come from a place where when I hear that term, I roll my eyes into the back of my vacant skull and laugh from the bottom of my potbelly. This time, I was literally in shock. It hit me that what I thought a “safe space” meant, was not accurate. This young woman, the one who used the phrase, “Safe Space” isn’t scared of anything. She is a life-force of goodness and strength. She doesn’t need anyone to provide a comfortable environment for her. What she meant by “safe space” was that she was happy to be in an environment where difficult subjects can be discussed openly, without the risk of disrespect or harsh judgement. This works both ways. What I mean is, this young woman was comfortable, in this University setting, wrestling with things like the Aristotelian idea of some humans being born as “natural slaves.” She was quite comfortable in that space. The question was, how comfortable was the 52-year-old white guy in that discussion? Did it make me uncomfortable? Yes. I’m grateful for the discomfort. Thinking about things I don’t understand or have, for most of my life, written off, is a good thing.

Being uncomfortable is KEY in this world of ours. Not altogether different from the world of special operations, where the work needs to be done, regardless of weather or personal feelings. The climate in this educational institution is one where most students understand that there HAS to be a place where people can assault ideas openly and discuss them vigorously and respectfully in order to improve the state of humanity. I’ll call that a “safe space” and I’m glad those places exist.

Here in the “Directed Studies” program, instead of “tuning in” to our favorite self-confirming “news” source, we are given a timeless text with heavy ideas and then we throw them out on the floor and discuss them with people who have, as I mentioned earlier, made these works and their meaning, their vocation.

In my opinion, the real snowflakes are the people who are afraid of that situation. The poor souls who never take the opportunity to discuss ideas in a group of people who will very likely respectfully disagree with them. I challenge any of you hyper-opinionated zealots out there to actually sit down with a group of people who disagree with you and be open to having your mind changed. I’m not talking about submitting your deeply held beliefs to your twitter/facebook/instagram feeds for agreement from those who “follow” you. That unreal “safe space” where the accountability for ones words is essentially null. I have sure had my mind changed here at Yale. To me there is no dishonor in being wrong and learning. There is dishonor in willful ignorance and there is dishonor in disrespect.

On veteran’s day, there was a great scene on cross campus. A bunch of American flags had been placed there and I stopped on my morning walk to class and took photos of my dog in front of them and sent them to my friends. Later at some point during the day, a young student placed a glove with red paint on it on one of the flags as she wanted to demonstrate her displeasure with something…I’m not quite sure what.

That same afternoon, some of my fellow students from “Directed Studies,” after a lecture, gave me this:

It is a card thanking me for my service to our nation. I was humbled and amazed.

These hardworking kids are very kind and thoughtful. A far cry from the picture that is often painted of them.

One of my Professors, a Professor of Philosophy, told me once “a good leader is a bridge builder.” Professor David Charles is a man who has been teaching bright young people and some slow and old ones like me, the most difficult subject for me, at Oxford and now Yale. He’s been doing this for over 30 years. He is extremely humble and very kind, in addition to being brilliant. I’m motivated by his words and I want to build bridges and lead, in some small way, a new conversation where we stop pointing out the perceived differences in each other, or this group vs that group, and start pointing out similarities. We don’t need more condescending friction in humanity. We need less. One step in the direction of less societal friction is to seek commonalities. Another step, and one that is sorely needed, is respect.

Now before you think I’m preaching, please know that I come from a place where I was distinctly the opposite of this ideal. I looked for reasons to disregard the opinions of those I didn’t respect. I discounted the ideas of people I felt like hadn’t earned the right to share what was in their mind. Particularly when it came to national security issues, I felt that if you hadn’t taken a gun into combat, I didn’t give a damn what your opinion was.

I’d like to count this as my first brick in attempting to build a bridge between the people here at Yale and those like me before I arrived here. We need everyone who gives a damn about this American experiment to contribute and make it succeed. We humans have much more in common than we have different. Thanks Yale, for helping me to become an aspiring bridge-builder at the age of 52,

In our welcome speech at the beginning of this semester, with all of us Freshman sitting in Woolsey Hall, me sitting next to another veteran, one who’d served in the 82nd Airborne, President Salovey said;

“There is so much we do not know. Let us embrace, together, our humility — our willingness to admit what we have yet to discover. After all, if you knew all the answers, you would not need Yale. And if humanity knew all the answers, the world would not need Yale.”

Now back to that bridge. I need to figure out how to actually build one. Good thing I’ve found a place where I can get help. If this place is peopled by “snowflakes” I’m proudly one of them. I’m a snowflake with a purple heart.

Peace-

https://ift.tt/2QdexIX via Medium December 23, 2019 at 07:10PM

[2700fstreet]

THEATER / 2018-2019

SHE A GEM

STUDENT GUIDE

Written by Josh Wilder Directed by Paige Hernandez World Premiere Kennedy Center Commission

Teacher and Parent Guide: She a Gem

“When one of us makes it, we all make it. That’s the whole point of being a gem.” —Jaleesa

So, What’s Going On?

Tick-tack-tick-tack-tick-tack—the sound of twin jump ropes spinning up a cyclone makes a joyful noise for three girls on this side street in South Philadelphia. Krystin, Jaleesa, and Amber are practicing to show off their Double-Dutch skills at the upcoming neighborhood block party. They’re aiming for a special prize: to be a “gem,” a special figure of love and leadership within the neighborhood. Double Dutch, though, is way more than a game for the trio of friends, who live together in the foster home of Topaz, or Ms. T. It connects them, binds them, and creates a shared strength to celebrate, handle disappointment, and face any and every challenge.

Krystin, the team’s captain, especially faces some tough decisions. With her 18th birthday just days away, her time in Ms. T’s foster home is ticking down. Where will she go? Should she stay in school and shoot for college? Does she have a chance of turning Double Dutch into something more? Choices, self-doubts, and fears weigh heavy on her as she faces a transition from a caring environment to a future of unknowns.

Into the mix comes Symone, a pregnant teen from North Philly who brings her own Double-Dutch and stepping talents to the group. Right from the start, she and Krystin clash about who’s the better jumper and being forced to share a room. Yet, as they begin to polish their routine and settle their frictions, they start to see more clearly who they can be—but only if they can work and stick together. It also becomes clear that Symone is not there merely by chance. She carries ties to the neighborhood’s past, a mystery that affects the girls, their sisterhood, and the whole community.

“One of the themes of the play is the idea about how we have the power to choose or make our own families,” says the play’s director, Paige Hernandez. “How we work together to develop confidence and build self-esteem even when the odds are stacked against us.”

Think about…

Gems are precious or semi-precious stones. How do gems function as metaphors in the play? What are ways gems show up in the play’s dialogue, chants, and other parts of the show?

How do each of the girls change during the course of the play?

Who’s Who

A neighborhood double-dutch team who live together in a foster home:

Krystin, 17 Jaleesa, 16 Amber, 16

Symone, 17 a new girl from North Philadelphia Topaz (Ms. T), foster mother Ms. Mary, never seen…eccentric and mysterious, the O.G.gem

Check this out…

Professor Kyra Gaunt, PhD, is an ethnomusicologist at the University at Albany in New York. In this video interview, she shares some of the history of jump ropes and the unique culture of Double Dutch in urban African American communities.

You can also find a Q & A interview with Professor Gaunt in the Adult Guide.

A Short History of Double Dutch

Who were the first kids to ever jump a rope for the fun of it? You’d have to take a time machine back thousands of years. Various clues lead to Ancient Egypt and China. From there, it eventually skipped its way to Europe and the Netherlands, and the Dutch are credited with bringing it to North America in the 1600s. One of their jump-rope games evolved into “Double Dutch,” and American kids and teens have been turning twin ropes ever since. Girls in particular took to it, aided by a shift from long dresses to skirts with pantaloons around 1800.

Double Dutch really took off in the 1940s and 1950s, especially in northern U.S. cities. For many African American girls and young women there, Double Dutch became much more than a game. Using clotheslines, braided rope, and even super-long phone cords, they took it onto the streets where girls might jump from morning till night. The tick-tack-tick-tack of the ropes laid down a beat not only for jumping but for rhymes and game songs that became part of the tradition. Often turned away from guy-dominated sports, girls doing Double Dutch transformed jump roping into a realm all their own. They introduced moves, etiquette, chants, and traditions that passed from girl to girl and generation to generation.

In the 1970s, a couple of New York police officers, Ulysses “Mike the Cop” Williams and David Walker, sought to use this love of Double Dutch as a tactic to keep teen girls off drugs and out of trouble. Walker created the American Double Dutch League (ADDL), and for a while McDonald’s restaurants sponsored local and national Double-Dutch tournaments.

The competition could be intense. Teen girls were pushing what was possible between the ropes. They introduced back flips, handstands, and other acrobatic moves that were shared back and forth between them and breaking, the dance style of Hip Hop; and not by accident. Hip Hop and Double Dutch of the 1970s were developing side-by-side in the neighborhoods of New York, Baltimore, Chicago, and other U.S. cities, and the two gladly sampled from each other.

Today, Double Dutch has diverged onto two distinct paths. For the more competitive, it is an intense competition featuring uniforms and judges, becoming a sport that has spread worldwide. For others, “street Double Dutch” continues as a neighborhood tradition that binds together girls and women—especially African American girls and women—in a powerful, joyful tradition that brings together rhythm, song, dance, teamwork, and friendship.

Check this out… “Double Dutch is very present in my life,” says She a Gem’s Double-Dutch coach, Ebony Ingram. “I use it to learn about myself. It teaches a lot about persistence and fighting through pain. That’s part of it. You love it so much you’re never going to stop.”

then think about…an activity or passion you love so much you’re willing to keep going even when it causes pain, even when the going gets tough.

The word grit stands for perseverance, drive, and courage. Together with friends, identify people you know—personally or as public figures—who have overcome obstacles and demonstrated grit in pursuit of their goals. What common habits or traits do they seem to possess?

Discuss your favorite book or movie with others. Usually, the protagonists face their biggest challenges and most hopeless moments just before they succeed. Why are we attracted to such stories and characters?

The African Tradition of Scarification

She a Gem echoes some African ancestral traditions, like membership in a tribe or community, says the show’s director, Paige Hernandez. “The strongest parallel to Africa in the play is the idea of scarring,” she says. “It confirms identity, like a tattoo. It shows that you are part of a lineage. It can also be symbolic of your age and status in your given community.”

In parts of Africa, Papua New Guinea, North America, and elsewhere, ritual scarification has been an ancient practice, similar to tattoos in other cultures, as Hernandez notes. Under the guidance of their elders, different groups make superficial cuts in specific patterns. Ash or pigments may be inserted in the cuts before they heal as scars. For some groups, it has been a form of body art that marks them as a member of their family or community.

For some women and men, getting scarred could also be a rite of passage. It might mark life-changing moments like the death of a child or bravery in battle. It represented their ability to not just endure pain, but to demonstrate they had spiritual strength and a willingness to sacrifice for the community. However, the practice of scarification in many cultures has been in decline in recent generations.

Scarring as a symbol shows up in She a Gem. Scars are specifically borne by women who become gems, like Ms. T. At one point, Jaleesa says,

There’s this scar that [Ms. T] has on her face that nobody can miss it. It starts here and it goes all the way down to here. Like its some kind of sign. I asked Ms. T one day what happened and she just looked at me and said, “I got it playing Double Dutch. “That rope cut your face like that?” “No,” she said.

Think about…

Scars are both symbols and a theme in She a Gem. For the characters with scars, how did they get them? What might they represent?

What are reasons people get tattoos, piercings, or dramatic forms of permanent body art? What aspects of their identity are they trying to communicate—to themselves as well as others?

Write a short piece about how your friends signal their allegiances through language, clothing, hairstyles, music, or other means? Then, take it a step further: How do leaders of the group indicate their status?

Setting the Scene for She a Gem

A play’s setting is everything that appears on stage—scenery (background), furniture, and props. “It’s often the first thing in a production that the audience sees,” says Deb Sivigny, who designed the set for She a Gem. Sets can be realistic or fanciful, complex or simple—it all depends on the production needs of the play and the creative vision of director.

She a Gem takes place on a side street in South Philadelphia. Sivigny wanted to get a feel for the neighborhoods there to help her create the “onstage Philly” where the action happens. Unable to visit in person, she instead went for “Google Walks” down South Philadelphia streets using Google Maps (google.com/maps). She snapped “photos” of the buildings and row houses, seeking details that would help her bring the community to life.

She began sketching, using her imagination to create not just a look but a feel. She then rendered the set in model form so she and the director, Paige Hernandez, could view it in three-dimensions.

What to Look and Listen for

Compare what you see onstage with the following photos, sketch, and model from set designer Deb Sivigny’s development process.

Caption: Images from Google Maps.

Caption: Concept sketch for She a Gem. Credit: Deb Sivigny

Caption: Digital Rendering for She a Gem. Credit: Deb Sivigny

Check this out…

Set designer Deb Sivigny says, “My job is to interpret where words can’t go.” What are experiences you have had that require something more than words to express them? What are other art forms that tell a story “where words can’t go?”

Then look and listen for…

The uses of color in the set, costumes, lighting, and language.

The phone lines arcing above the stage, and what they resemble.

The three onstage buildings in She a Gem. What does the set and its buildings tell you about the neighborhood and the changes it has seen?

Projections on the set and its buildings. Consider what these projections represent and how characters interact with them.

The use of music, rhythm, and chants, and what they reveal about the girls and their relationships.

The sound of thunder and specific moments when it occurs during the play.

When the actors interact with each other and when they speak directly to the audience. How do the characters’ monologues differ from their dialogues?

Similarities and differences between the sounds, moves, and ideas of Double Dutch and Hip Hop.

Then think about…

At the beginning of the play, Krystin says: “What does Double Dutch mean to me? Freedom. Jumping inside this whirling circle of danger; of hurt; of pain. Getting to dance with all that. I think it’s brave; and ‘if you wanna be brave then you gotta get off them ends and jump!’” What might Krystin be seeking freedom from? What represents freedom to you personally? What does it mean to be brave—not like in action movies, but in real day-to-day life? How are freedom and being brave related?

Double Dutch takes serious teamwork. Besides turning and jumping, what are ways the girls demonstrate teamwork in other aspects of their lives? How do you demonstrate teamwork in your life?

What conflicts arise among the characters? What causes them, and what are ways the girls deal with them?

What are ways different generations connect and communicate during the play?

The play speaks to the power we have to make our own families. What does family mean to you? What does it mean to “make our own families” as we grow up?

Take Action

Be a Gem

Several gems are mentioned in the play: amber, diamond, ruby, pearl, onyx, jade, opal, jasmine, etc. Do some research on precious and semi-precious stones. Which one (or more) do you feel a special connection with? Why? Name it, explain it, and share your thoughts in writing, or with family and friends.

Take a Virtual Walk

Different views offer different perspectives. Input your home address or the address of your school in the Google Walk feature on Google Maps and take a tour of the streets and neighborhood. Look for things you’ve never noticed before and write them down along with thoughts and feelings. Share them with your family and friends.

Design Your Neighborhood

Give your neighborhood the set-design treatment like Deb Sivigny did for a South Philadelphia neighborhood in She a Gem. Imagine you were going to represent your street, community, or school onstage. What buildings, trees, streets signs, or other physical details would you include? Turn loose the artist in you—take photographs and draw sketches or maps. Consider creating a model of your set where your personal story is taking place.

Jump!

Has it been a while since you’ve jumped rope? To get into the swing of She a Gem, find your old rope or unwind a length of clothesline. No need to go all Double Dutch if that’s not your thing. But see what it feels like to jump again—on your own or with friends. One of the beauties of jumping rope? All you need is some space and a little rhythm and your body comes alive.

Double Dutch Chants

Silly, funny, creative—Double-Dutch chants make their own music. Try them out with your friends!

“Rollercoaster” Down, down baby, down down the rollercoaster. Sweet, sweet baby, I’ll never let you go.

Shimmy, shimmy ko-ko pop. Shimmy, shimmy, pow! Shimmy, shimmy, ko-ko pop. Shimmy, shimmy, pow!

Grandma, Grandma, sick in bed. She called the doctor and the doctor said.

Let’s get the rhythm of the head, ding-dong. Let’s get the rhythm of the head, ding-dong. Let’s get the rhythm of the hands (clap clap). Let’s get the rhythm of the hands (clap clap). Let’s get the rhythm of the feet (stomp stomp). Let’s get the rhythm of the feet (stomp stomp). Let’s get the rhythm of the hot dog. Let’s get the rhythm of the hot dog.

Put it all together and what do you get? Ding-dong, (clap clap) (stomp stomp), hot dog. Put it all backwards and what do you get? Hot dog, (stomp stomp), (clap clap), ding-dong!

“Cinderella” Cinderella dressed in yella, Went downstairs to kiss a fella, Made a mistake and kissed a snake. How many doctors did it take? 1, 2, 3, … (Jumper counts until she misses.)

“Miss Susie” Miss Susie had a baby, She named him Tiny Tim. She put him in the bathtub, to see if he could swim. He drank up all the water, He ate up all the soap, He tried to eat the bathtub, But it wouldn’t go down his throat.

Miss Susie called the doctor. Miss Susie called the nurse. Miss Susie called the lady with the alligator purse.

In came the doctor. In came the nurse. In came the lady with the alligator purse.

Mumps said the doctor. Measles said the nurse. Hiccups said the lady with the alligator purse.

Miss Susie punched the doctor. Miss Susie kicked the nurse. Miss Susie thanked the lady with the alligator purse.

“She a Gem” by Josh Wilder

CHALLENGE! CHALLENGE! 1... 2... 3... 4... 5... 6... 7... 8... 9... 10 – GIRL CAN YOU MATCH THIS? FOOT! AND BOUNCE! AND HOP! AND TURN! AND CRISS! AND WALK!

HEY BABY BABY WHAT DO YOU SEE? WHEN YOU WALK DOWN THE STREET DO YOU NOTICE ME? JUST LIKE THE EARTH’S ROUND JUST LIKE THE SKY’S BLUE THERE’S A BEAUTIFUL GIRL OH, YOU SEE HER, TOO?

SHE A GEM SHE A GEM SHE GOT A CUTE FACE SHE GOT THE BEST SNEAKS HER STYLE’S THE BEST TASTE SHE WALK THROUGH YA DREAMS LIKE A MOVIE SCENE HAIR LAID BILLS PAID JUST WAIT AND SEE

LADY ON ONE FOOT! (jump on one foot) LADY ON TWO FOOT! (jump on two feet) THROW ‘EM UP (raise hands) GETT’M UP THROW ‘EM UP GETT’M UP

IF YOU WANT A GEM YOU GOTTA SEARCH THE SEAS THE MOUNTAINS AND THE CLOUDS THAT’S WHERE WE BE PRECIOUS PRETTY HARD TO FIND FLAWLESS ROYAL IT’S OUR TIME TO SHINE

ONE! Like a diamond! TWO! Like a ruby! THREE! Like a pearl! FOUR! Hey girl! FIVE! Stay alive. SIX! Onyx. SEVEN! Go to heaven EIGHT! At the gate! NINE! She fine! TEN!

Get Your Write On

Read the Double Dutch chants above, paying attention to their rhythm, rhyme, and humor. Write your own and try it out with your own rope-jumping or step routine.

Professor Kyra Gaunt, PhD, talks about “memories in objects.” For her, holding the ends of the ropes triggers memories of jumping Double Dutch as a girl. She says such objects can be things like favorite toys or jewelry, but also books, songs, sounds, or anything that helps us remember significant moments in life.

Interview…an older person about a “memory object” in her or his life. What is it? Where did it come from? What is its story?

Write about…a “memory object” in your life. What memories does it bring up? What does it mean to you? What feelings does it trigger?

Write…a piece of fiction. Imagine finding an important personal “memory object” 50 years in the future. Describe it and the memories it triggers for you, and how it connects your fictional future with your present. Or considering writing the story from the object’s point of view.

Go Deeper/Learn More

If you’re not up to speed on the ins and outs of Double Dutch, check out Stan’s Pepper Steppers “Double Dutch Basics.”

Watch competitive Double Dutch and be amazed.

Read some truth about the early ties between Double Dutch and Hip Hop. “Double Dutch’s Forgotten Hip-Hop Origins.” By Lauren Schwartzberg. Vice. March 31, 2015.

Foster care, including group homes, are part of a government system to take care of children and teens who cannot live with their families, for whatever reason. Curious about the program and how it operates? Check out:

Group homes: “Giving Group Homes a 21st Century Makeover” by Teresa Wiltz. June 14, 2018. The Pew Charitable Trusts.

Foster care: “Foster Care”; Child Trends.

EXPLORE MORE

Go even deeper with the She a Gem Performance Extras.

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Writer: Sean McCollum

Content Editor: Lisa Resnick

Logistics Coordination: Katherine Huseman

Producer and Program Manager: Tiffany A. Bryant

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She a Gem is part of the Kennedy Center's Human Journey representing Identity.www.kennedy-center.org/humanjourney

The Human Journey is a collaboration between The Kennedy Center, National Geographic Society, and the National Gallery of Art, which invites audiences to investigate the powerful experiences of migration, exploration, identity, and resilience through the lenses of the performing arts, science, and visual art.

David M. Rubenstein Chairman

Deborah F. Rutter President

Mario R. Rossero Senior Vice President Education

Bank of America is the Presenting Sponsor of Performances for Young Audiences.

Additional support for She a Gem is provided by A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation; the Kimsey Endowment; The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation; Paul M. Angell Family Foundation; and the U.S. Department of Education.

Funding for Access and Accommodation Programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by the U.S. Department of Education.

Major support for educational programs at the Kennedy Center is provided by David M. Rubenstein through the Rubenstein Arts Access Program.

Kennedy Center education and related artistic programming is made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts.

© 2019 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts