#emancipation both in.. life and career

[hotvintagepoll]

Propaganda

Marlene Dietrich (Shanghai Express, Witness for the Prosecution, Morocco)—Bisexual icon, super hot when dressed both masculine and feminine, lived up her life in the queer Berlin scene of the 1920s, central to the 'sewing circle' of the secret sapphic actresses of Old Hollywood, refused lucrative offers by the Nazis and helped Jews and others under persecution to escape Nazi Germany, the love of my life

Sophia Loren (Marriage Italian Style, Houseboat)—Major Italian star, first actress to win an Oscar for a performance not in English (for Two Women (1960)) and later when Roberto Benigni won an Oscar in 1999 he jumped over the chairs towards the stage going "Sophia Sophia!!" because he was running towards Sophia Loren and said he cared more about her than the Oscar, that's the effect she had on people. She was big in the 60s already even though she gained a lot more notoriety after that. And I mean. Can we take a moment and just.

This is round 6 of the tournament. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage woman.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

Sophia Loren:

She has maxed out all her stats: beauty, elegance, sensuality, she's got it all. her mesmerizing eyes, her sensual mouth, her sharp face shape, her everything is so striking and unlike any other beauty in films. she was also voted the world most beautiful woman when she was freaking 65

im submitting her in honor of my dad bc she was the first celebrity crush of his he ever admitted to me and my sister :) and he was right. shes so pretty

OSCAR WINNER. Worked with some of the hottest leading men in Hollywood but remained faithful to her husband whom she had a loving marriage with till he died (even though Cary Grant almost tempted her once, it's complicated)

One of the most well-known sex symbols of the Golden Age of Hollywood, and unlike some unfortunate others, she seems to have been pretty well at peace with occupying that status. She made assertiveness and a tempestuous temper seem glamorous, and although she's famous for side-eying Jayne Manisfield's cleavage, honestly? She's one to talk.

Absolutely, drop-dead sexy, also a hard working, extraordinarily talented actress who didn't shy away from the less glamorous roles to gift us some gritty, memorable performances

Submitting this on behalf of my dad, who knows nothing of tumblr or this blog, but I remember being a kid watching Houseboat while my mom thirsted after Cary Grant, dad thirsted after Sophia Loren, and I was excited that they lived on a boat. Anyway, she's extremely beautiful and was an international star, doing a ton of movies in Italy before being recognized in the US.

JUST LOOK AT HER Y'ALL

Very smart and beautiful, the characters that she played (I mean those in the movies that I put in the previous question) are as strong and determined as her which I think adds to her hotness.

Global superstar and my late grandfather's long time movie star crush and for a man as quiet as he was, and as hopelessly devoted to his wife as he was, the fact that I know that means she was EXCEPTIONAL.

Big in the chest, snatched in the waist, pretty in the face 😳

Sexy, beautiful, deep. A real star.

Her performance in "Man of La Mancha" is just so very captivating. Dubbed as "the Italian Marilyn Monroe", she looks beautiful in any movie and at any age.

Forget the exotic sexpot of her Hollywood films and go back to her Italian career: sparking with Marcello Mastroianni as the woman who drives him mad and outwits all his fumbling attempts at macho posturing in their early films, and showing a tender side in their 1970s films. Sophia isn’t self-conscious about who she is or her beautiful body: she enjoys being herself and she wants us all to enjoy ourselves too.

She starred in films as a sexually emancipated persona and was one of the best known sex symbols of the time. She is a great cook and her filmography is immense.

On the misattributed quote that Sophia owed everything to spaghetti: 'Did you actually say the quote frequently attributed to you, "Everything you see I owe to spaghetti"?' "Non è vero! It's not true! It's such a silly thing. I owe it to spaghetti, no, no. Completely made up."

Marlene Dietrich:

ms dietrich....ms dietrich pls.....sit on my face

its marlene dietrich!!!! queer legend, easily the hottest person to ever wear a tuxedo, that hot hot voice, those glamorous glamorous movies…. most famously she starred in a string of movies directed by josef von sternberg throughout the 1930s, beginning with the blue angel which catapulted her to stardom in the role of the cabaret singer lola lola. known for his exquisite eye for lighting, texture, imagery, von sternberg devoted himself over the course of their collaborations to acquiring exceptional skill at photographing dietrich herself in particular, a worthy direction in which to expend effort im sure we can all agree. she collaborated with many other great directors of the era as well, including rouben mamoulian (song of songs), frank borzage (desire), ernst lubitsch (angel), fritz lang (rancho notorious), and billy wilder (witness for the prosecution). the encyclopedia britannica entry im looking at while compiling this propaganda describes her as having an “aura of sophistication and languid sexuality” which✔️💯. born marie magdalene dietrich, she combined her first and middle names to coin the moniker “marlene”. she was a trendsetter in her incorporation of trousers, suits, and menswear into her wardrobe and her androgynous allure was often remarked upon. critic kenneth tynan wrote, “She has sex, but no particular gender. She has the bearing of a man; the characters she plays love power and wear trousers. Her masculinity appeals to women and her sexuality to men.” in the 1920s she enjoyed the vibrant queer nightlife of weimar berlin, visiting gay bars and drag balls, and in hollywood her love affairs with men and women were an open secret. she was an ardent opponent of nazi germany, refusing lucrative contacts offered her to make films there, raising money with billy wilder to help jews and dissidents escape, and undertaking extensive USO tours to entertain soldiers with an act that included her a playing musical saw and doing a mindreading routine she learned from orson welles. starting in the 50s and continuing into the mid-70s she worked largely as a cabaret artist touring the world to large audiences, employing burt bacharach as her musical arranger.

First of all, there are those publicity photos of her in a tux. Second of all, I have never been the same since knowing that she sent copies of those photos to her Berlin lovers signed "Daddy Marlene." Not only is she hot in all circumstances, but she can do everything from earthy to ice queen. Also, she kept getting sexy romantic lead parts in Hollywood after the age of 40, which would be rare even now. She hated Nazis, loved her friends, and had a sapphic social circle in Hollywood. She also had cheekbones that could cut glass and a voice that could melt you.

Her GENDER her looks her voice her everything

“In her films and record-breaking cabaret performances, Miss Dietrich artfully projected cool sophistication, self-mockery and infinite experience. Her sexuality was audacious, her wit was insolent and her manner was ageless. With a world-weary charm and a diaphanous gown showing off her celebrated legs, she was the quintessential cabaret entertainer of Weimar-era Germany.”

The bar scene in Morocco awoke something in me and ultimately changed my gender

"Her manner, the critic Kenneth Tynan wrote, was that of ‘a serpentine lasso whereby her voice casually winds itself around our most vulnerable fantasies.’ Her friend Maurice Chevalier said: ‘Dietrich is something that never existed before and may never exist again.’”

"Songstress, photographer, fashion icon, out bisexual phenom (notoriously stole Lupe Velez and Joan Crawford's men, and Errol Flynn's wife, had a torrid affair with Greta Garbo that ended in a 60-year feud, other notable conquests including Erich Maria Remarque -yes, the guy who wrote All Quiet on the Western Front- Douglas Fairbanks Junior, Claudette Colbert, Mercedes de Acosta, Edith Piaf), anti-Nazi activist. Marlene was a bitch - she had an open marriage for decades and one of her favorite things was making catty commentary about her current lover with her husband, and her relationship with her daughter was painful- but she was also immensely talented, a hard worker, an opponent of fascism and the hottest ice queen in Hollywood for a long time."

"She can sing! She can act! She told the Nazis to fuck off and became a US citizen out of spite! She worked with other German exiles to create a fund to help Jews and German dissidents escape (she donated an entire movie salary, about $450k, to the cause). She looks REALLY GOOD in a suit. If you're not convinced, please listen to her sing "Lili Marlene". Absolutely gorgeous woman with a gorgeous voice."

Gifset link

"Bisexual icon and Nazi-hater. Looks absolutely stunning in the suits she liked to wear. 'I dress for the image. Not for myself, not for the public, not for fashion, not for men'."

"would you not let her walk on you?"

[dewitty1]

Fic Recs Wrap Up April 2024♡(੭ˊ͈ ꒵ˋ͈)੭*･:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*☆

Mirror Mirror by epiphany_dex

Harry’s new year starts with a bang when he encounters Draco Malfoy at the Ministry Ball. Rec Post

(Never) Let Me Go by maraudersaffair @maraudersaffair

Harry and Ginny are married, but she abandoned him for her Quidditch career overseas. He is lonely and desperate for love and very interested in sleeping with a man. Then, one night at a party, Draco Malfoy whispers in his ear: Do you want to leave with me? Harry knows he should say no, especially since a scandal would ruin his chance at becoming Head Auror, but Malfoy is entirely too fit to pass up the opportunity. Rec Post

Another Mind Game by May_May_0_0

Harry’s occlumency reveals his disturbing home life which sets off a chain reaction that cannot be undone. Snape finds himself begrudgingly caring about the bespectacled boy, Harry discovers what it’s like to have adults who care, and Hermione finds herself becoming an accidental crime lord. Draco Malfoy is very much along for the ride, in all senses of the word. Rec Post

Dragons Don’t Know Paradise by teacup_tai @teacup-tai

In 2004, when Remus spends two scary weeks in the ITU due to complications of pneumonia and his HIV condition, Sirius walks around the house like a ghost and Harry finds comfort and strength in Draco through a chat in an online LGBT forum. Harry falls for him, but Draco has a lot of secrets and, before long, will need to come clean—even if he believes that no one is able to understand a dragon. Rec Post

Stalking Harry by orphan_account

Harry Potter is the most eligible bachelor in the Wizarding world. Draco Malfoy is a disgraced ex-Death Eater with emotional baggage and a bit of a crush. Rec Post

Through His Eyes (I Am Set Free) by Shewhxmustnxtbenamed @shewhomustnotbenamed

Harry and Draco have a telepathic connection that remains unexplained in both the Muggle and wizarding worlds. Draco is assigned a mission by Voldemort to locate and capture the Boy Who Lived– the trouble is that they don’t know anything about him. While Draco struggles to gather information on this mysteriously absent hero, he and Harry start communicating again for the first time since they were kids. Harry continues life as normal until he discovers information which compels him to abandon his ordinary Muggle life with the endeavor to rescue and emancipate his only friend– even if that means bartering with his own life. Rec Post

A Private Reason for This by Femme (femmequixotic) @femmequixotic

When the wife of a star politician in the Scottish Ministry turns up dead just outside Hogsmeade, Draco Malfoy and his murder investigation team are called in from the Edinburgh Auror force to find her killer. What DCI Malfoy doesn’t expect, however, is to have an ex from two decades past end up in his murder room, endangering not only his case, but also his heart. Rec Post

Consequences of Redemption by ominousflags @ominousflags

When Draco makes an impromptu decision to rescue Harry Potter from Malfoy Manor, the two find themselves completely alone and facing the looming climax of the war against Voldemort. Harry must start from the beginning with Draco–and starting over has more consequences than either of them anticipated. Rec Post

Double Trouble by multiverse_of_fanfic

Four years after the War, Draco is stuck in a dead-end job, paper-pushing his life away. Until one day, after a security breach in the Ministry, he receives an offer he can’t refuse. Thrown back into a world he thought he’d left behind, Draco must wrestle with his Death Eater past as well as his inconvenient — and forbidden — feelings for an annoyingly level-headed Harry Potter.

Will he manage to come out unscathed like he has most of his life, or will it all come crashing down? Rec Post

Here are a few more fics I've read recently that y'all might like to check out as well!(ノﾟ∀ﾟ)ノ━☆ﾟ･*:.｡. .｡.:*･.*･｡ﾟ*:・ﾟ✧

Weapons of Massive Consumption by SanderVanSunshine @sandervansunshine

Eight years after the war, Harry Potter lives a life of hedonism: raging parties, huge impulse purchases, and seemingly no worries. But it's Draco Malfoy—former Death Eater, lover of blueberry muffins, and bane of coffee shop workers—who starts to wonder if it's all a front, if something's actually terribly wrong with him. Why else would Potter ask Draco, of all fucking people, to write his biography?

What We Left Behind by peachydreamxx @peachydreamxx

Harry's recovering from an injury. Malfoy's recovering from heartbreak. Beaten down and bruised, Harry takes up Malfoy's offer to stay at his secluded seaside cottage in Dorset. It'll be good to get away from it all. It's only for a few days, and it's only so he can heal. Nothing else. Digging up past feelings will only make matters worse, and besides, Malfoy doesn't feel the same way. Does he?

Take You Home by lq_traintracks (lumosed_quill) @lqtraintracks

Everybody’s a little fucked up after the war, Draco especially. What starts as hate sex after a night out, eventually turns into something else, something more like comfort. And even though his friends all tell Harry he’s just being used, all Harry’s doing is making sure Draco gets home in one piece. He’s not falling helplessly in love.

Vipera Berus by Justlikewriting

Everything was fine. Draco resided at the Manor, made a decent living selling potions and most of his customers actually kept coming back despite his last name. Hence, Draco was fine. He really was. So what, if he was still waiting.

Title & Possession by Kbrick @kbrick

Harry Potter’s life is going well in the aftermath of the war. Sure, his house is dark and run-down and might hate him (while his house elf definitely hates him). But other than that, things are good. Except, yeah, okay, Hermione and Ron are no longer on speaking terms. Worse, they keep trying to get Harry to pick sides. But otherwise, Harry couldn’t be happier. Well. Except for the fact that Ginny is being super weird about their relationship and never wants to have sex or talk about the future. But other than that, Harry is perfectly fine, thankyouverymuch. At least, he is until Draco Malfoy sues him for ownership of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Then Harry really isn’t fine at all.

( •ॢ◡-ॢ)-♡ I hope you enjoy these fics as much as I have! Happy reading, y’all! xoxo Carey  (◍•ᴗ•◍)♡ ✧*💜💙💚💛❤💗💕💖

[holy--milk]

TGCF modern AU

I should be working on my master’s thesis right now, so in the typical me fashion I’m devoting my time and energy to making up silly TGCF fic scenarios instead fdshjdsjdshjds

Xie Lian meets a teenager at a bus stop at night who introduces himself as San Lang and tells him that he ran away from home after a fight with his family and now has nowhere to stay. Naturally, Xie Lian is like “No way you’re spending the night in the streets” and brings him to his cheap ass flat.

They live like that for a few days, with Xie Lian spending most of the day at work while San Lang takes care of his run-down flat for him by doing repairs (he turns out to be quite handy) and cleaning because he wants to do something nice for this nice weirdo that took him in. In the evenings, they have dinner and chill together, with Xie Lian coming to appreciate the teenager’s company more and more.

It goes on like that for a while until one day, when they go grocery shopping together, San Lang gets cornered by a shady-looking man with an eyepatch who starts going on at him for “throwing a tantrum like a fucking child and running away”. Seeing this, Xie Lian immediately intercedes and tells the man to leave the kid alone or else—

The shady man just kinda stands there dumbfounded, looking at this unassuming guy half a head shorter than him, acting as if he’s both willing to and capable of whooping his ass right there in the cereal aisle at a supermarket. Then he leaves without saying anything.

On the way home San Lang is being uncharacteristically quiet, and once they arrive back at Xie Lian’s flat he admits that that was his elder brother – Hua Cheng – who’s been taking care of him in place of their parents. He also tells Xie Lian that the reason he ran away from home in the first place was them having a fight over San Lang’s “laziness” and lack of ambition.

It turns out that their parents were neglectful and abusive, so at the age of 16 Hua Cheng emancipated and moved out with his two younger brothers (the other one being E’ming) in tow, eventually getting custody over them. It was pretty hard for the three of them in the beginning, but in a few years Hua Cheng somehow managed to land a good job that allowed them to live comfortably (San Lang never asked what exactly he was doing because he lowkey suspected it was some shady business).

Despite his background, over the years San Lang came to rely on his brother’s steady income and enjoy a “rich kid” lifestyle, not giving much thought to his education and future career. Eventually Hua Cheng, who had had to work hard to provide this kind of life for him, blew up and accused him of being a selfish lazy asshole, so San Lang got mad at him and ran away.

In the end, San Land admits that was childish of him and, while Hua Cheng can be an overbearing asshole sometimes, ultimately he’s always been a good brother to him, so it was shitty of him to run away and make him worry. He texts Hua Cheng to pick him up and goes back home with him.

Xie Lian feels that he’s going to miss San Lang, whose company he’s come to enjoy over the past few days but agrees that that would be for the best.

However, when Xie Lian comes home the next day, he sees the familiar man with an eyepatch waiting near his apartment building. Hua Cheng approaches him and apologises for causing a scene the previous day, then offers to pay for the inconvenience of having to host his brother. Xie Lian refuses the money, saying it was no trouble at all, but invites Hua Cheng in.

Hua Cheng accept the invitation and the two of them have a little chat over tea. Hua Cheng complains about San Lang acting more and more rebellious lately and slacking off at school, making his grades suffer. He says he wants San Lang to get into a good college for better chances of getting a well-paying job afterwards because it’s not like he’ll be there forever to provide for him.

In a sudden bout of inspiration, Xie Lian offers to tutor San Lang on the subjects he struggles with at school. He may not be a teacher but he was a top student in both school and college, and since he and San Lang already have a good relationship, he believes he’ll have easier time getting him to listen and put in effort.

(The real reason is, he wants to keep spending time with San Lang, who he thinks is a smart and capable kid.)

(He also may or may not be intrigued by this Hua Cheng.)

Hua Cheng, although doubtful at first, ends up accepting his offer.

I still need to figure out where it would go from there, but in the end Xie Lian and Hua Cheng end up spending time together and falling in love in the typical Hualian fashion (obviously Hua Cheng ends up being a massive simp). San Lang and E’ming are torn between pushing the two of them together (because they want Xie Lian-gege to be part of their weird little family!!!) and fighting with Hua Cheng for Xie Lian’s attention and affection.

[denimbex1986]

'When it was announced that Andrew Scott and Paul Mescal would be starring as lovers in All of Us Strangers, a film written and directed by Andrew Haigh, fans were buzzing on social media about what the combination would deliver. This was no surprise: Andrew Scott – already a celebrated actor from roles such as Moriarty in Sherlock, the ‘hot priest’ in Fleabag, and Gethin in the incredible 2014 film Pride – and Paul Mescal (Normal People, Aftersun) are the definition of queer catnip. Under director Haigh’s masterful eye, the end product is an enthralling exploration of what it means to be queer in today’s Britain. Even ahead of its general UK release, the film has already made an impact and literally shifted the language we use about gay/queer representation on screen.

Haigh – acclaimed for past feature films Weekend and 45 Years, as well as HBO series Looking – has crafted a tender examination of love in the shadow of shame. An enigmatic dive into the pain and pleasure of finding affection in another man through the constrictive confines of emotional isolation, All of Us Strangers excels on so many levels.

The premise: forty-something Adam (Scott) meets Mescal’s twenty-something Harry, and the pair begin a love affair that has Adam revisiting his childhood home and conjuring up the ‘ghosts’ of his dead parents. And no, that’s not a spoiler, it’s just the opening scenes of a film that examines a love affair between two gay/queer men of disparate ages whose very different life experiences have brought them unexpectedly together. What happens next? Well, that’s for you to discover in a movie theatre near you. Essentially, All of Us Strangers is one of the most enthralling films of the 21st century to explore British gay identity, and Scott delivers quite possibly the performance of his career to date, one that dances between visceral suffering and emotional vulnerability.

Here, Scott talks to Attitude about bringing his character Adam to life on screen, working through shame, and the power of sex as a means of communication.

Cliff Joannou: A good place to start is to say that I really related to the film. I grew up in Croydon not long after director Andrew Haigh did, so the environment and era that it was set in really resonated with me.

Andrew Scott: You’re joking me.

For real. Even that shot with you as your character Adam walking through the Whitgift Shopping Centre, I was like, ‘Oh, that’s a little bit close to home.’ That’s exactly what it looked like when I was a kid. What resonated most with you in the story? For me it was very much the setting and location, being a young child in the UK after the worst of the AIDS crisis.

I suppose it was the dynamics within the relationships, that was what I found most authentic. And there’s two storylines within the movie, and both of them I found to be really, really beautiful and very actable. The scenes between Adam and his parents are genuinely extraordinary. And what’s so lovely is when I was in LA after the film had come out, and audiences had started to see it, and I’m really getting such a strong sense that people really do appreciate the nuance of the film.

I think the chief value of the film, for queer audiences particularly, is that it recognises that the dynamic within families isn’t always necessarily as dramatic, perhaps, as it is portrayed sometimes in stories about coming out, in the sense that it’s not fully embraced acceptance and nor is it outward rejection, but for a lot of queer people it’s somewhere in between, so that brutality and intolerance and doubt can exist alongside real love within families.

Absolutely. I like how frank the conversations are between Adam and his parents. I also like how early the conversation about Adam’s sexuality comes up with his parents.

What I love about that scene is that he doesn’t want to come out to his mum, he doesn’t want to have a coming-out scene. He’s a man in his forties, and he’s lived a life on his own for 30 years, so he wants to tell her about himself, and that includes, of course, him being gay, so he tries to be offhand about it, but also, I think my challenge was to show that he deeply cares what she thinks as well. And when she starts to be loud and wrong and reveals some prejudice in her questions, it enrages him.

But I think that exists alongside a real deep need for her to accept him, too. I think that scene is just so beautiful because it’s something, of course, that he’ll have thought about given the fact that he lost his parents 30 years ago. One of the things that I find really moving is when people talk about having lost their parents and never having come out to them before they died. I’ve talked to 60-year-old men who say, “I never got to do that.” And I think that really takes up a lot of people’s time.

Did you discuss with Andrew [Haigh] any of Adam’s wider backstory or did you create one for yourself? Where had he been in that time in between?

Not with a huge amount of detail because I suppose I thought of what benefit was that going to be. There were certain things I sort of thought about a little bit, but my biggest challenge, and all of our challenges, was to make those scenes as authentic as possible. We shot in Andrew’s childhood home, and that was such a brave thing for him to do. And I felt very much that if I were to think about any backstory, I wanted to think about my own; I wanted to bring my own stuff. To bring not necessarily my own biography, because it differs a huge amount from the character’s, but certainly my own emotional biography, as I call it.

It feels like such an extraordinary privilege to be able to play a character like this. And I wanted to give as much of myself because it was cathartic for me. I never thought that I would be able to watch a film like this, let alone be at the centre of it, so I wanted to be able to take that opportunity to express myself in some way. Why pick an imaginary backstory from somewhere else? I wanted to bring as much of myself as I could, because I feel like that’s what the audience is going to relate to the most.

There’s a bit early in the film when Adam meets his parents’ ‘ghosts’ for the first time, and he says, “Everything’s different now.” It’s such a powerful line as it highlights the character’s inability to let go of the past because doing so means he has to confront his present unhappiness.

Yes, exactly. Well, I suppose one of the best things that you can do as an actor is to say things to feel one thing but to say something else. That’s always what you want as an actor. A lot of the real interesting lines in the film are where people are saying one thing but meaning something else. When Adam says, “Everything’s different now,” I’m not sure that he fully believes that. He believes it in some way. But one of the things that I really love about the story is when Paul’s character of Harry talks about his estrangement from his family and he’s somebody who’s in his twenties.

I’m not sure the generational difference between Adam and Harry is the most interesting thing about the film. I think one of the big changes, of course, is the presence of Aids, when Adam would’ve been growing up. I certainly know that the shadow of Aids was very looming when I was growing up in the nineties. And, of course, that’s going to affect the way we think about sexuality in the sense that we’re going to feel like we’re going to be punished for being physical or for expressing love.

There’s another impactful moment where Adam says, “I thought if I fucked anyone I’d die.” It took me a while to get my head out of that space and allow my sexuality to be something that I enjoyed and recognise that it was not a threat to my life. How was your journey to finding peace with your sexuality?

Oh, it’s one of the wonderful things, the emancipation from that. I feel so incredibly… I suppose I just enjoy being gay so much on so many levels, I think it’s such a wonderful thing to me. It’s an extraordinary gift to my life and just to be able to see the real beauty in being gay is completely wonderful. The older I get, just the more I feel so lucky to have been born gay and that pervades my life in the sense of all my friendships. I have so many amazing queer friends in my life now that I just adore.

What’s very sad for some of us is that we avoid those kinds of people when we are shredded in our own shame. To be around other gay people highlights something that you don’t want to see, but when you do want to see it, it becomes completely wonderful. I feel such a huge sense of camaraderie with other queer people now, and without sounding too hippy about it, I feel like I just want to spread that love and positivity in our community because we’ve come such a long way, and it’s important that we are kind and look out for each other and celebrate how uniquely different and how fucking wonderful that can be.

That’s beautiful. I remember when I was younger and less comfortable in my identity, I avoided going to Pride, I felt it was a little bit too in my face. Now as I get older, I go there with my nieces, and we watch the parade, and there’s a tremendous sense of healing that comes with being around the community. And the broader the community gets, the more all these letters in that ever-expanding acronym stand out, the more beautiful it gets.

When I see two people of the same sex holding hands walking down the street, I’m like a little weirdo. I’m smiling at them. They’re like, ‘What’s that dude smiling at us for?’ Because I just think it’s so wonderful. It’s easy what you say about everything is different now. It’s something that I always feel when people say, “Oh, it’s 2024, you’ve got to get with the times.” I always find that preposterous because, and I mean this so vehemently, that different forms of sexual identity and gender identity have existed since the beginning of humanity. They have existed and will always exist until humanity ends. In 2084, they’re going to look back at us and think, ‘My God, those people were so old-fashioned.’ Sexuality, that’s not a fashion, it’s a natural state of being.

When I watch the relationship between Adam and Harry, there’s no point at which you feel like the sex scenes are being played for the audience’s titillation. It is one of those kind of rare sex scenes that actually drives the narrative forward, that it is important to the story.

Sex is just communication, isn’t it? It’s just physical communication rather than verbal communication. And what needed to be communicated is how I think we see Adam as somebody who hasn’t been touched by anybody or touched anybody in a long time, not just sexually, but he needs affection from his parents, and he needs love and sex and affection from his lover. And I think just seeing that tentativeness and the way Paul plays a character who’s a bit more sex-positive, so to speak… Their communication is really strong in that scene. I’m so proud of it. I really am because I feel like they represent the characters so beautifully.

How did you arrive at that point of playing those scenes in that way?

We didn’t over-rehearse it. We knew that those scenes, particularly the early ones, had to have a sort of frisson. And we had an intimacy coordinator, which can be very helpful for the simple reason that if you’re able to talk to somebody about your fears or what you want to show, what you don’t want to show, or what you think it should be and what the narrative of the storyline is, you have that base of safety. It actually makes you feel like you can do whatever you want. Because frankly, you just know that if there’s something that you don’t like, you’re contractually protected, and it won’t end up in the movie.

Andrew [Haigh] is really good. Sometimes when you do sex scenes, it can be like, ‘Oh my God, D-Day.’ And you are a bit nervous, of course, because you take your clothes off in front of strangers, but he’s like, “It’s just another scene,” so you don’t want to overdo it. But chemistry is a really interesting thing. You’re basically just listening to see what the other person is doing physically in the same way you would in a dialogue scene. And you can talk about that as much as you like, but until you’re actually there, it’s not alive in that way, so it’s just about listening, but just listening with your body, basically.

There’s a line in the film where Adam tells Harry, “Things are better now, but it doesn’t take much to feel the way that you felt.” Is there an instance where you remember, ‘Oh, that’s the first time I was made to feel shame?’

I don’t think that there is one particular point, but I do think if we could erase the assumption in our society that everybody is straight until proven otherwise, it would make an enormous difference to people. And by that, I mean that we don’t say to our six-year-olds, “You’re going to marry a princess, and have you got a girlfriend?” I remember when I was a teenager and people said, “Have you got a girlfriend?” I would say no, and I wasn’t necessarily lying, but you feel like you’re lying by omission.

For me, what happened is that you desexualise yourself slightly. And I think that what happens for a lot of teenagers is that there’s a conspiracy of silence around you, and that is a lonely place to be. And I think that’s where we become very hardworking, that we pour our energies into something completely different in order to correct what we imagine is a flaw in our character.

Some people go the opposite [way], where they become self-destructive; you can be super hardworking and incredibly ambitious, or you can just completely go off the rails. You think, ‘Well, I have been rejected, so I’m just going to go crazy.’ It affects our psychology in so many different ways. It may not necessarily be something that’s actually happened to us; it could be just forecasting what you think might happen, and that forecasting happens when we read about prejudice or other horror stories. The way the media talked about gay people when I was growing up was absolutely disgusting and fearmongering, and I still think we have to be very careful in not just the media, but in the way that we consume media and what we stand for. That we call out that kind of cruelty and intolerance. Language matters.

When we read the opposite, when we read positive things or see representation on screen, when we see ourselves, we think, ‘Oh, well, we can forge a way in the world.’ That’s why I think a movie like this, it is so incredibly important because it’s incredibly compassionate and tender, but it also doesn’t erase the fact that it’s painful and it can be lonely being gay. And there’s a certain thorny path that we all have to go to in order to find love, not just in another person, but in ourselves.

The clip from the Hollywood Reporter where you talk about the use of the term ‘openly gay’ went viral and has likely changed the way we refer to out queer actors in future forever. What went through your mind when you saw the reaction to that?

There’s something about that phrase that makes me uneasy about what it implies. Particularly now. You don’t put ‘openly ’in front of most attributes or characteristics. And I think we should maybe look at retiring it. And I know I’m not alone in that. The response to the clip reflects that. I do understand that historically we need a word to recognise the fact that there are sometimes people that are gay but for whatever reason aren’t able to be open about it. I totally get that. And so, I just feel the word ‘out’ does that. It’s just simpler. It does the job, and with less implications.'

[3rdeyeblaque]

Today we venerate Ancestor "Phillis Wheatley" on her 270th birthday 🎉

Her masterful talent & revolutionary use of words in poetry, spawned her storied success in becoming the first Afrikan descendant poet to be published in U.S. History.

I place quotations "Phillis Wheatley", because that was NOT her name. "Phillis" was the name of the slave ship that robbed her of her home, dignity, & identity. "Wheatley " was the name of the European slaver who "owned" her. Both names are a lie (as are many of ours today) forced upon her as a reflection of her circumstances. I feel compelled to emphasize this as the dark truth of our history & how it presently affects us generations later, is consistently ignored. Sadly, we will never know her true name. Yet she remains a shining example of how Black excellence always perseveres despite circumstance or any interruption to our history.

Born in Senegal/Gambia, "Phillis Wheatley" was just 8 years old when she was kidnapped and sold into Slavery. She was taken to Boston, MA where she was purchased by the Wheatleys as a hand servant. Even at such a tender age, "Phillis Wheatley" showed exceptional intellectual promise. At the Wheatley's instruction, she learned to read Greek & Latin. At age 12, she discovered Alexander Pope, who she'd begin to model her own literary work after. She was first published at age 13 when her work was featured in a Rhode Island newspaper.

As her prominence grew, the Wheatleys sought a publisher to release an anthology of her work. They pursued her publication in England. There, she garnered the interest of many & the support of a Countess, who was a pro-abolitionist. A publisher approached the Wheatleys with interest, but demanded proof that it was indeed "Phillis'" work. Shortly thereafter, a literary trial unsued. A young "Phillis Wheatley" endured 18 White male arbiters in Boston who were tasked with validating her work; none in the U.S. believed that an enslaved young Afrikan woman was capable of articulating her thoughts into such impeccable work. Of course, she proved them all very wrong. 11 months later, "Phillis Wheatley's" 1773 anthology was published.

Her work was deeply attuned to the societal issues of her time; from Slavery to the Abolition Movement, to the warped irony of the European transplants writhing to escape their British dominants in the wake of the Revolutionary War. Though her classical eurocentric literary training emanated from her work, it never diminishing her voice. Her masterful use of allegories - drawn particularly from Greek mythology- affirmed her perspective as an enslaved Afrikan Woman. Due to her growing popularity & growing wealthy patrons, John Wheatley caved into the pressure to emancipate her. With her life as her own for the first time in her life, "Phillis Wheatley" sought to pursue a career in writing poetry. However, the Revolutionary War quickly redirected the financial resources of her wealthy patrons on both sides of the Atlantic.

"In every human Breast, God has implanted a Principle, which we call Love of Freedom; it is impatient of Oppression, and pants for Deliverance." - "Phillis Wheatley"  

We pour libations & give her💐 today as we celebrate her for her perseverance & revolutionary words, and elevate her in healing. May be remembered for her truth spoken through the power of words & the truth in her identity.

Offering suggestions: libations of water, read/share her poetry, & foods/music from Gambia/Senegal

*Note: offering suggestions are just that & strictly for veneration purposes only. Never attempt to conjure up any spirit or entity without proper divination/Mediumship counsel.

[fromtenthousandfeet]

Anon again, thank you for trying to allay my fears of a "Jimin desert." That was what you were trying to do, right? By raising the specter of another JK collab and album?

Gee, thanks. 😉

But your comment about Pdogg I did find controversial--and interesting. To me, FACE is a perfect album. I can't think of anything I'd want differently--except for it to be longer, of course.

But MUSE... we don't know yet. The concept photo this morning gives me hope, though. (So exciting!)

It's just that I already know there are two songs on MUSE I would probably skip after repeated listens. I don't skip ANYTHING on FACE. But then, I love the intense, the dramatic, and the misery. So that's on me.

In any case, do you have an idea for a different Jimin production team? He seems so comfortable with them and they work together so well. And Jimin is so loyal.

And he doesn't have anyone pushing/encouraging him in a different direction. Or perhaps he does, and we just don't know about it.

Thanks for the discussion!

Haha! Anon, were you looking to vent without comment? I'm sorry. I hate being on the receiving end of unsolicited advice, so please forgive me. But you and I both know more JK content is on the horizon because no way they invest so much into his solo career and then say nah, forget it.

I love a controversial conversation, so let's chat about Pdogg and why I don't want him on Jimin's future music team. Sorry, this is going to be long.

Let's talk about FACE first. Like you, I really love the album. There are three songs that feel strong and complete to me -

Interlude: Dive. A fascinating opportunity to be a fly on the wall on a day in Jimin's life. We go from mundane activities of daily life to the euphoria of being on stage and adored by fans to suddenly being deeply and utterly alone. Powerful.

Like Crazy. To me this is the most "complete" song on the EP. The synth pop sound goes so well with the concept of losing oneself in pleasure and vice. The lyrics are good, the use of Jimin's voice is good, and the music composition is interesting. Initially I was sort of put off by how often Blvsh and Chris James seemed to take credit for this song, but I suspect they have a right to.

Letter. This song is such a beautiful representation of what Jimin is capable of as a songwriter and as a singer. It's straight out of a romantic movie from the 1970's. It gives hints of Gordon Lightfoot, Jim Croce, and Cat Stevens. I love the strings, the acoustic guitar, the harmonica, the waves, but especially Jimin's soft, breathy whisper-like vocals. It's just a lovely love song.

I like the rest of the songs on the EP, too. I think Jimin's lyrics and vocal performance effectively convey anger and betrayal, loneliness, and eventually self determination and emancipation. Where I think the three songs fall short is with composition. They feel incomplete and a little amateurish. Set Me Free Pt. 2 is powerful and moving, but the song is too repetitive at the end. The performance, on the other hand, is unmatched.

Jimin is many things. He's an astonishingly talented dancer. He's a master of the stage. He's a great singer with a voice that drips with emotion when used correctly. But what he is not, is a trained composer/musician. This is a-ok, but it means he needs a great team of musicians to provide him with well written and fully realized compositions to match his fascinating narrative song-writing style.

I'm throwing out this example because I'm going to see Still Woozy in concert in a couple of weeks. Even if this isn't your style of music, just note how well all the instrumentation works together, how seamlessly the background vocals enhance the song, and how the tongue-in-cheek ad-libs and samples make the tune pop. Oh, and Sven (Still Woozy) records his music in his garage, not an ultra fancy music studio like Pdogg's.

I've spent a lot of time this week listening to Lie, Filter, Serendipity, and Promise. In all four of these Jimin solo songs, the compositions are so good and match the lyrics so well. Jimin's voice is used to the fullest, really relying on the power of his lower register and his techniques like growls and vocal runs. His high notes are used sparingly but poignantly. But when I listen to Closer Than This or SGMB, the compositions are just so flat. Where is Jimin's precious lower register? And what weird distortion are they doing to his voice on SGMB? Somebody is dropping the ball on these songs and I'm not ready to blame Jimin.

This reaction video strikes me as a fair review of SGMB. It's a fun, happy song, but there's basically no hook. It feels like missed opportunity. The track video is so well done, though. Jimin's creativity and charm really shines.

Like SMFpt2 and CTT, this song is repetitive. The refrain in the marching band horn section at the end is repeated 7 times. Yes, I counted.

In summary, the things that don't thrill me about Jimin's solo songs:

Too many high notes, not enough lower register and use of his vocal techniques.

Not enough background vocals or poorly done background vocals. Someone should go to jail for the bg vocals in CTT.

Overly simplistic compositions that lack tension and have too much repetition.

Jimin obviously feels comfortable and safe working with Pdogg and the rest of the SGMB crew. but I hope he eventually follows in RM's footsteps with RPWP (yes, he's on everybody's shit list today), hand selecting musicians and composers to work with who will push him out of his comfort zone and encourage him take risks.

It's really a pity that Jimin didn't get to see the response to FACE before he started recording MUSE. He's made several comments along the way that indicate he's really focused on making music that he believes will please the fans. In reality, what resonates with the fans is honest, sincere, vulnerable songs, like those on FACE. Not all songs need to be depressing, of course, but the sooner he gives up on being a people pleaser and instead hones in on the art of songwriting, the better his work will be.

Okay, thanks for sticking with me through this long post. Believe it or not I'm actually super excited to hear the rest of MUSE and I'm keeping an open mind.

[pronoun-fucker]

Archived link

Johnny Depp and ex-wife Amber Heard have finally settled their defamation claims against each other — putting an end to the most bitter Hollywood divorce in modern times.

The pair’s lawyers have thrashed out a deal which will see Heard’s insurance company pay Depp $1million.

But, in an important victory for the actress, there are no restrictions about what she can talk about in regard to the case and she has accepted no guilt, MailOnline can reveal.

The pair have been locked in a bitter legal battle on both sides of the Atlantic over the last six years after Heard alleged she was a victim of domestic violence during their 15-month marriage.

A courtroom in London found in her favour, but a second case in Fairfax, Virginia, this year came out on Depp’s side.

The actress, 36, was ordered to pay $10million in compensatory damages and $5million (later reduced to $365,000) in punitive damages following the six-week case, while Depp, 59, was told to give her $2million by the same courtroom after Heard countersued for defamation.

The pair’s legal teams have been locked in discussions to avoid the pain of a bruising third trial after Heard filed an appeal. A deal was finally made over the weekend with both sides agreeing to put out a statement today at 2pm GMT (9am ET).

‘Amber is now looking forward to moving on with her life as she planned to do six years ago,’ a source close to the actress told MailOnline.

‘She wants to put this unfortunate episode behind her and turn to what she loves in life: her career, her family and her causes.’

In the bombshell statement posted on Instagram by Heard, she said ‘my life as I knew it was destroyed’ by the court cases.

She added she had lost all faith of getting justice in the American legal system, comparing it to her treatment in the UK courts, and claimed that her former husband had won in the Virginia courtroom because of a vote ‘for popularity and power over reason and due process’.

Having already sold her LA home to help fund the legal action, she didn’t want to risk losing even more. This settlement means her home insurance company will take on the payment to Depp.

‘I make this decision having lost faith in the American legal system, where my unprotected testimony served as entertainment and social media fodder.’

The full statement reads: ‘After a great deal of deliberation I have made a very difficult decision to settle the defamation case brought against me by my ex-husband in Virginia.

'It’s important for me to say that I never chose this. I defended my truth and in doing so my life as I knew it was destroyed. The vilification I have faced on social media is an amplified version of the ways in which women are re-victimised when they come forward. Now I finally have an opportunity to emancipate myself from something I attempted to leave over six years ago and on terms I can agree to. I have made no admission. This is not an act of concession. There are no restrictions or gags with respect to my voice moving forward.

'I make this decision having lost faith in the American legal system, where my unprotected testimony served as entertainment and social media fodder.

'When I stood before a judge in the UK, I was vindicated by a robust, impartial and fair system, where I was protected from having to give the worst moments of my testimony in front of the world’s media, and where the court found that I was subjected to domestic and sexual violence. In the US, however, I exhausted almost all my resources in advance of and during a trial in which I was subjected to a courtroom that in which abundant, direct evidence that corroborated my testimony was excluded and in which popularity and power mattered more than reason and due process. In the interim I was exposed to a type of humiliation that I simply cannot re-live. Even if my US appeal is successful, the best outcome would be a re-trial where a new jury would have to consider the evidence again. I simply cannot go through that for a third time.

'Time is precious and I want to spend my time productively and purposefully. For too many years I have been caged in an arduous and expensive legal process, which has shown itself unable to protect me and my right to free speech. I cannot afford to risk an impossible bill – one that is not just financial, but also psychological, physical and emotional. Women shouldn’t have to face abuse or bankruptcy for speaking her truth, but unfortunately it not uncommon.

'In settling this case I am also choosing the freedom to dedicate my time to the work that helped me heal after my divorce; work that exists in realms in which I feel seen, heard and believed, and in which I know I can effect change.

'I will not be threatened, disheartened or dissuaded by what happened from speaking the truth. No one can and no one will take that from me. My voice forever remains the most valuable asset I have.

'I’d like to thank my outstanding appellate and original trial teams for their relentless hard work. I want to thank everyone who has supported me and turn my attention to the growing support that I’ve felt and seen publicly in the months since trial, and the efforts that have been made to show solidarity with my story. Any survivor knows that the ability to tell their story often feels like the only relief, and I cannot find enough words to tell you the hope your belief in me inspires, not just for me, but for all of you.

'Thank you. See you soon.’

Depp is expected to put out his own statement imminently.

While former Pirates of the Caribbean star Depp has attempted to restart his career, it is clear that the ongoing litigation has had a huge effect on it, including the actor being fired from the Fantastic Beasts franchise after the London court case.

Earlier this month, when his name was on a longlist of music which could be Brit Awards winners, there were reports that female musicians would boycott the event if he was on the shortlist.

Heard, meanwhile, has become so worried about her safety that she felt forced to leave America with her daughter Oonagh and is now living in an unknown country.

Her career has also taken a huge knock thanks in part to a vicious social media assault on her, although earlier this year she filmed independent movie The Fire and remains a part of the Aquaman 2 film which is out next year.

Last month an influential Open Letter campaign involving more than 200 domestic abuse campaigners and organisations hit out at the ongoing attacks on Heard saying: ‘Much of this harassment was fueled by disinformation, misogyny, biphobia and a monetized social media environment where a woman’s allegations of domestic violence and sexual assault were mocked for entertainment.’

The actress has pledged to continue to be a voice speaking up for women’s rights.

The vicious court battle between Heard and Depp stunned the world, drawing back the curtains on the shocking drug taking, alcoholism and violence in one of the most famous and seemingly glamorous Hollywood unions.

Depp, once one of the world’s highest paid actors, admitted to problems with both drugs and alcohol during the proceedings while Heard revealed how their love story had turned so sour.

In one of the most talked about allegations of the court case, she was accused of defecating on his side of the bed which led to her being nicknamed ‘Amber Turd’.

The pair met in 2009 when Heard auditioned for a role in Depp’s film The Rum Diary but they only got together in 2012, when they were promoting the film.

By then, Depp’s 14-year-relationship with Vanessa Paradis, the mother of his two children Lily-Rose and John Christopher was over while Heard had also split with partner Tasya van Ree.

They married on February 1 2015 but the actress filed for divorce on May 23 2016, obtaining a temporary restraining order after claiming that Depp had physically abused her during their relationship.

In August 2016 the pair reached a $7million financial settlement and Heard withdrew her request for a domestic violence restraining order.

Their joint statement said: ‘Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile but always bound by love. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain. There was never any intent of physical or emotional harm.’

In April 2018 MailOnline columnist Dan Wootton, writing then for The Sun, asked, ‘How can JK Rowling be ‘genuinely happy’ casting wife-beater Johnny Depp in the new Fantastic Beasts film?’

Later that year Heard wrote an opinion piece for The Washington Post saying she had been abused, but never naming Depp as her abuser.

The actor decided to sue in both cases. The London libel action was against The Sun’s publisher News Group Newspapers and Wootton but Heard joined the team when the case was heard over three weeks in July 2020 at the High Court.

The judge, who sat without a jury, ruled that Heard’s evidence was ‘substantially true’, that the actor had assaulted his wife in 12 of the 14 alleged incidents and had put her in fear of her life.

Depp’s attempt to appeal the case was turned down and so all was riding on the American case.

Filmed and watched by a huge global audience who commented on every sigh and every facial expression. The case was viciously debated on social media for six weeks and, by the end, both of their reputations had been shattered among the counter allegations of lies, abhorrent behaviour and violence.

Top media lawyer Mark Lewis said: ‘While the two main actors paid amounts that would make an English lawyer blush, a golden ticket was given to billions of people to watch dirty sheets being washed in public.

‘The case ground on to the point where both parties must have realised that the only winners were the lawyers, the entertainment was for the onlookers and the losers were Ms Heard and Mr Depp, both of whom leave the case financially much worse off.

'Now they have the support of those who have always supported them, the hatred of those who already hated them while the baffled are scratching their heads at a legal settlement that can mean anything you want it to.’

[crowsandmurderbackup]

Tags and Verses

NATHAN ROYAL SCOTT

Nathan  ✖ (Aesthetics)

Nathan  ✖ (Thoughts)

Nathan ✖ (Character Development)

Nathan  ✖ (Crack)

Nathan ✖ (Headcanons)

Nathan  ✖ (Photos)

Nathan  ✖ (Verses)

BIOGRAPHY:

Nathan Scott was raised to never want anything, as the son of Dan and Deb Scott. But, life wasn't always perfect. He knew his father had a bastard so, and he hated the kid, because he existed. He knew they were only several months apart, and he just hated him. It wasn't like they traveled in the same circles though. Nathan was popular, head of the basketball team, propular girlfriend. But, that didn't mean he didn't make him miserable when he could.

It wasn't all easy though. His fa her was obsessed with his basketball career, since the time he could dribble a basketball. He wasn't stupid. He knew it was more about his dad, than it was about him. His family was pretty much crazy.

His life got even crazier when his 'brother' joined the basketball team and he made his life hell for it, only easing off, when he promised Haley James he'd ease off, if she tutored him. He'd made a bet he could get with her. But, he hadn't expected her to make such an impression on him. Everything kind of changed, after that.

His parents decided to divorce, and sick of them trying to put him in the middle, he emancipated himself. He and Lucas get along on off weeks, and he and Haley, well that was another story. It was normal to get married in high school, right? Everyone said he changed, and maybe they were right...until she left and went on the road. He reverted to before and even when she returned, he was hard on her, and Lucas both.

Eventually, he worked it out with them all, but things are never easy with his life, and he didn't always make the best choices. But one thing was good, for sure and that was holding his baby son for the first time, on his graduation day.

In college, he went all-American and nearly lost it all a few years later, when he went through a glass window, and hurt his back. But over time, he got it back, and with the support of his family, finally made the NBA. But sometimes, dreams changes and ability to hold his family becomes more important.

[PLOTTED AU THINGS ARE AVAILABLE. THIS IS JUST HIS GENERAL BIO]



VERSES: 

I have never had a dad who wished I was a stain on a bed sheet

Nathan Scott, younger son of Dan Scott, or if you ask Dan or Nathan, only son of Dan Scott, is pretty much the star of the Tree Hill Ravens basketball team. He's popular, has an attitude, and has been known to bully people. The thing he hates most: the existence of his father's bastard son, Lucas. What Nathan didn't anticipate was his effort to get under Lucas skin after he joined the team, to change his whole life.

I already know my future

The last thing that Nathan would have imagined a year ago, is that he would be married, and that he and Lucas would be friends, and even brothers? But, he's trying to navigate it the best he can, and deal with basketball. But, the pressure from his dad hasn't gone away, despite being emancipated. Being married this young isn't as easy as it looks, and there's this asshole singer who is giving him a bad feeling, who seems to be 'helping' Haley.

Like a man possessed

Married or not, he still didn't always handle things the best, and well, neither did Haley. First, she went on tour, and he went completely off the deep end. But, it just got worse. He was self-destructing and fast. She reappeared the night before he left for High Flyers for the summer, and he didn't know how to handle it, so he didn't.

The roots are still there. It just takes time.

Senior year is starting. He is Captain of the Tree Hill Ravens. His game is looking better than ever. Everything should be going great, except it wasn't. He still was married, and...he didn't know if he wanted a divorce...wanted to be married...wanted to punch Lucas, or drive another race car into another wall. He'd tried reverting to the old Nathan Scott before, and it hadn't really worked. Now, he was trying to co-exist in the same town as Haley, who kept saying she wasn't going anywhere. But, he didn't know if he could trust her. He and Lucas were still at odds, despite the fact that deep down, he knew it wasn't Lucas' fault that she'd left. He was slowly letting her back in, but it would take time, among other things. This year would be one he would never forget though, one of loss, pain, and new life.

All-American

Getting into college wasn't easy for Nathan. The mess with point shaving, to try to pay back Dante, had made him unappealing to Duke, and so many other schools. If it wasn't for Whitey, he wouldn't be playing ball anywhere. He wound up playing for Whitey, with Lucas as Assistant Coach at Gilmore University, while he and Haley worked to balance school, life and raising their baby, James Lucas Scott. Eventually, Nathan transfers to University of Maryland, College Park, where he was a First-Team All American.

I am not good at being vulnerable.

During the next several years, Nathan continues to work towards the NBA, even getting a shoe deal. It is looking like he is going to be drafted to the Seattle Sonics, but it all changed when he got into a fight, that led to him getting thrown through a window, and losing feeling in his legs. He felt like everything had been taken from him, and he started drinking all the time, depressed. Over time and realizing he needs to be there for Haley and Jamie, he is able to stand up and try to work his way back, even working with a troubled teen on Lucas' basketball team. But, things never stay easy in his life and his comeback was difficult, as was his life at home, due to problems with the nanny, his father and many other things. He tries to face things as a family, but sometimes, things are hard.

I got called up.

After trying slamball and nearly injuring himself again, Nathan makes the D-Team Charleston Chiefs. He faces yet more adversity, as the player with the current #23 tells him that he's not just going to let him walk on the team. He butts heads with a couple of the players, but eventually, he finally gets his call up to the Charlotte Bobcats, finally making it to the NBA.

You have saved me so many times.

Life as an NBA player is not a bad life to have. Nathan Scott worked hard to get there, and it's nice playing in Charlotte, since he gets to be close to family, unless he's on the road. His agent has become like family and he really likes being a Bobcat, and likes watching Jamie grow. As he gets closer to a contract year, he's not hearing what he wants to hear and he's starting to get worried about it. It doesn't help that some woman is claiming to be pregnant with his child. His father manages to get her to admit she's lying, but even in the midst of everything, Haley's mom dies, and at the last moment, Clay gets him a contract to stay in Charlotte and overjoyed at Haley being pregnant, he doesn't initially tell her that the doctors think he doesn't have that much time left, with his back.

I will be leaving the game of basketball.

After Clay is shot, Nathan leaves camp and he tells Haley about his back. He wants to try to be an organ donor, even if he is not a match. He makes the hard decision to put basketball behind him. Once Clay recovers, he helps him with the new agency, and tries his hand at being a sports agent, and turns out to be a pretty good one. Life seems to be okay, even without basketball, well unless you count, getting kidnapped and nearly murdered. He was able to make peace with his dad, who died saving his life. But, he thinks it all might be okay. He's got a great family, and he doesn't hate this sports agent thing, but maybe, he'll take a vacation for a bit.

Someday is today.

Life continues in the Scott home, as Jamie and Lydia grow up. Nathan continues to work with Clay, and Nathan proves to be a good, loving father, and hasn't nearly gotten murdered recruiting athletes again. When his son passes his scoring record, he's proud of him.

FACECLAIMS: 

James Lafferty

[erigold13261]

The scary part of your amazing Failed Revolution AU is that all of these terrible things are plausible consequences to their CANON actions. So if B2J never stepped up to revolt, everyone would’ve spiraled out of control. (Yes there are some creative liberties taken but still. B2J do fix problems that the NSRtists never could be done themselves in the end in canon.)

I can see where you are coming from, but it does depend on certain things. The reason the revolution failed in the AU is because of certain butterfly effects from the past. That means things are different in both AUs even if B2J never start a revolution.

OG universe would have Vinyl City be in a perpetual loop of blackouts, but the artists would still be content and even friends with each other. The environment is a lot less toxic, heck the most toxic person in the OG universe would probably DJSS just because he acts like a dick to everyone but that's just him being himself and not necessarily them targeting the people around them with bitterness and hostility.

The Sayu Crew would be happy as emancipated minors living together, Remi and Eve have a good relationship, Tatiana is nicer and actually cares about her employees, Neon J and 1010 are a family unit, and Mama and Yinu are loving and protective of each other.

All the Megastars in the OG universe are pretty much friends, or at least happy to be coworkers with each other. They help each other and are basically a big family. Which is why they are blind to the plight of the people, they want to keep their power and family in check.

The problems of NSR as a company wouldn't be fixed, but the charters and their relationships are fine. NSR would survive for a long time as a dominant force, but still with blackouts every now and then. Political corruption is still rampant, but it is not as easily viewable by the average citizen because the relationships of the Megastars are not getting in the way of the city's ability to run properly.

For the Failed Revolution AU, characters have slightly different personalities so B2J not doing the revolution leads to a different outcome.

Firstly, hatred and fear of robots/1010 is not an issue. So 1010 are fairly fine without the revolution (still not totally fine, there is still a highly toxic work-family life/internal relationships going on, but at least they don't have outside forces also against them).

Neon would probably not be fighting as hard to try and get 1010 out of NSR since the environment does not get so toxic as before. He would just casually be trying to find ways out of their contract with NSR. His drinking and physical ailments wouldn't worsen, but they would still be there. Possibly that would be something that would come up in the future as a problem for them.

Eve does not see Zuke get hurt, she has no idea where he is and so her mental health stays in the same place. She still does not go to therapy, and has no reason to try and change her outlook on life, but at least she is neutral to basically everyone around her. Heck she might even become friends with some of the other Megastars if given a small push (maybe by Yinu or Remi trying to reach out to her).

The Sayu Crew don't have any worries about what they should do with their lives without that wake-up call that their careers could be taken away from them. They would just grow up with NSR and leave their families to live with each other once they are of age to do so. Sure they would have some sever trauma from living with shitty families, but they make it through life and grow with the company.

Yinu and Mama happily make music, basically in their own world. Yinu would still be spoiled and bratty, but not as hostile to people or angry at the world. Her and the Crew could end up being friends in the long run. Mama would not be as protective (still she'd keep Yinu away from Neon because of his drinking) and she would not have any injuries so if they wanted to leave NSR then Mama would be able to since she could get a different job to support the family.

DJSS would probably end up getting fired at some point. His personality in this AU just does not mesh well with anyone and his work ethic would just slowly decline until Tatiana could no longer ignore it. The only reason he and Neon become close in the end was because of the Failed Revolution, so without that the two just spiral down their own rabbit holes of self detriment.

Tatiana would not have a reason to put pressure on her artists, or unknowingly pit them against each other since the revolution never happened. She would still not be as kind, but the environment would be much more like a workplace than a family. She would be more willing to fire people who are not keeping up with the music output (like DJSS) and getting new charters to fill their roles.

So this means that without the revolution, this AU would still have NSR for a longer time, however, it would fall into the same problems as the OG version where the people are being ignored. And this is mostly because of Tatiana's coldness and thinking she knows what is best instead of the company members being blinded by how good their lives are like the OG universe has it.

Both universes have their problems. One was able to fix a lot of them with the revolution, while the other had their problems compounded by the revolution failing. Honestly, I don't even think the problems would have been solved in the Failed Revolution AU if the revolution somehow DID succeed. It would just cause a whole new mess of problems for a lot of the artists (mainly Sayu Crew and 1010 I think).

It's amazing to think how much the butterfly effect can change things, or how changing a few characters reactions/personalities a tiny bit can change the outcome of a whole situation.

[geracaoalpha]

Artist Spotlight: Ryan Frame

Alphaa.io is pleased to welcome visual artist Ryan Frame to our network of creatives!

Frame was born in South Africa and is based in Los Angeles. He incorporates body paint, human subjects, water, and photography to create surreal yet intimate portraits.  Learn more about Frame in our interview below and check out his works on Alphaa.io.

Where are you from? 

Ryan Frame: I was born and Raised in Johannesburg South Africa, then lived in Cape Town from 18-24 and then moved to LA where I have lived since 24. I am 30 now.

What is your background?

RF: I have been working in the motion picture industry throughout my entire professional career, which led me to move to Los Angeles. There, I studied for my MFA at UCLA's School of Theater, Film, and Television.

How did you get started in your artist career? 

RF: As I became more involved in the motion picture business I begun feeling frustrated at how long things take for a creative vision to materialize. It was through this creative frustration that I searched for more immediate ways to express myself. I gravitated towards body painting because I have always been fascinated by the originality of how this medium combines naked skin, paint and photography. The immediacy of this art form gave me an emancipation from the long drawn our process of making films.

Any exciting upcoming projects in 2023? 

RF: I’ve been experimenting with underwater photography and testing paints and powders that will enable me to achieve it.

What excites you the most about technology (NFTs, Web3 blockchain etc) right now? 

RF: I think the promise of NFT technology is well suited for fine art for three reasons. First is that it provides provenance for these works as a certificate of authenticity that cannot be manipulated. Second is the ability for the creator to participate in secondary sales in perpetuity which I find most exciting. Third, I believe NFTs should ideally be accompanied by the original works. Although some can exist on their own, the value of art is the ability to appreciate it in person.

What inspires you? 

I get inspired when I observe life's contrast through witnessing my hopes and dreams against another person's pain and suffering, or my own pain and suffering against another's hopes and dreams. Seeing creation and destruction both in a natural context is another source of inspiration. I like to choose locations for my photoshoots in places that highlight the beauty of natural landscapes or places that carry a heaviness to them through political or religious affiliation. 

How did you get in touch with Alphaa.io and how would you see the relationship growing this year? 

RF: I met Manu at an event several months ago where she saw my work and invited me to apply. I would like to see our relationship become one where Alphaa.io represents my work to its clientele for sale.

What are you currently working on?

RF: I’m currently in Cape Town until the end of February. It’s summer here so I’m using the opportunity to create a series featuring local muses and landscapes. We’ll see how it comes together.

Anything else you want to add?

RF: Just that I recently started becoming more public with my work in the past year. It took some courage to come out because I wanted to build up enough works before I shared with whoever might find them pleasing.

[celluloidandthecity]

An Early History of Detective Fiction (Part 3)

Agatha Christie ‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’

While it is true to say that Agatha Christie never approached her work from a feminist viewpoint, or indeed never seemed to ‘buy in’ to the feminist doctrine, her mark on the canon of detective fiction cannot be understated.

Again, the historical context of the release of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, and its subsequent reception can be considered as important to an understanding of the text, and the conventions of detective fiction in this era. The novel also constituted a remarkable break in form and convention, which I’ll look at in due course.

Between Collins and Christie, there is a tremendous leap forward both in time and the conventions of the genre. This was what Julian Symons calls ‘The First Golden Age[i]’, which was dominated, as in the late Victorian era, by the short story, and by male authors such as GK Chesterton and R Austin Freeman.

From this point we can chart the rise of the novel as opposed to dependence on the short story, which can be attributed, as with the Victorian sensation novels, with a rise in availability of literary works to the masses, and with the time available to read them. Says Symons

‘The emancipation of women, which took place during the [First World] War played a large part in the creation of a new structure in domestic life, particularly in Europe, through which women had more leisure, and many of them used it to read books’.[ii]

Christie’s first novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles (1920) was published at just the right time to capitalise on the availability of this demographic. It was also the first novel to feature her Belgian detective Hercule Poirot. In his fastidiousness, he was neither a Dupin nor a Cuff. But Martin Priestman, in Crime Fiction: From Poe to the Present (2013), notes that ‘while traditional British attitudes could be relied on to regard a French accent as inherently absurd, the role of the gallant little Belgium in the recent Great War added a more positive element.’ [iii]

It can be considered that Christie’s career continued without much distinction until the appearance of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd in 1926. She was one of a group of detective story writers publishing books at this time, all based around the same conventions, notably Dorothy L Sayers with her Lord Peter Wimsey stories, and Anthony Berkeley with his Roger Sheringham tales.

The mystery writer and Catholic priest Ronald Knox even went so far as to devise a list of ‘ten detective story’ commandments in the early part of the twentieth century, which writers of detective fiction should follow as an informal framework to protect the ‘purity’ of the genre.  Among these were the commands ‘no accident should ever help the detective’ and ‘The stupid friend of the detective, the Watson, must not conceal any thoughts which pass through his mind.’ With The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Agatha Christie tore straight through the fabric of this convention, and set a new standard for innovation in the genre.

The beauty of the moment of revelation in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is that it is entirely unexpected and really set a template for writers to be unconstrained in terms of structure, and of form. Readers up to this point felt familiar with the detective novel format – the country setting, the consulting detective, the locked room mystery, the conservativeness of the characters. The reader above all trusts the man of position, the doctor who is narrating our tale, and has earned his position of trust via his positioning as an agent of good in his profession. As Martin Priestman says

‘The ‘least-likely’ game took a step forward which, for some critics, threatened the whole basis of the genre by breaking one of its cardinal rules: that the narration itself should be free of suspicion.’[iv]

Christie is very careful – at no point does Dr Sheppard lie to the reader. The reader, with perhaps an overfamiliarity with detective story conventions, such as those laid out by Knox, are taken in completely.

In her introduction to the set text edition of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, the writer Laura Thompson states that Christie detractors, those seeking to diminish the powers of her innovation are missing the point entirely. It is her very simplicity that makes these moments so devastatingly impactful.

‘For they fail to grasp the essential point about Christie’s simplicity, which is that it is entirely intentional, and indeed as deceptive as the narrator of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

Dr Sheppard never outrightly lies in his narrative, but he leaves us certain trails of breadcrumbs as clues, which are the parts we instantly reread once we’ve learned the secret to see how the facts of the case passed us by completely, particularly this passage

‘The letter had been brought in at twenty minutes to nine when I left him [Ackroyd], the letter still unread.’[v]

The evidence is in plain sight, now we know the secret, but this was a work of such originality at the time that it would never have occurred to us to pursue the thread.

Conclusion

Although I stated at the beginning of this essay that I was going to have to be careful not to recite a full history of the development of the detective novel in the English language, it has been necessary to provide a decent amount of historical context to highlight the achievements of each writer I have explored. With Edgar Allen Poe, I had to look at the ways he had innovated, by comparing his achievements with what had gone before – including the examples of Oedipus the King and John Godwin’s Caleb Williams. The detective force was in its infancy when Poe was writing, and he deserves credit for working largely blind of what the force would be capable of and what the police would bring to the table in terms of skills and direction, which seemingly wasn’t much, judging by the way police investigation in The Murders in the Rue Morgue is floundering until Dupin involves himself in it

The bumbling official force is something that was a common thread from Poe, through the local inspector in The Moonstone, and the local police in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd.

An area where the texts differ is in their engagement with social issues of the day. Collins is by far the most socially engaged of the three writers I’ve explored. At least directly. He infuses The Moonstone with issues of Empire (represented by the three Brahmin), with an exploration of class difference (the storyline between Franklin Blake and the unrequited Rosanna Spearman) and even feminism in the strong-willed Rachel Verinder.

Indirectly though, it’s possible to read The Murder of Roger Ackroyd as a commentary of a ‘lost generation’ as a legacy of the First World War, as some critics have discussed. Though we can’t read Christie as a feminist, it doesn’t mean that she wasn’t conscious of issues of equality in the wider world.

It has been interesting to see how historical context has shaped three very different authors, and my exploring the texts in date order has allowed me to engage my reader in the narrative development of the genre, and how historical context has shaped and guided convention, form and structure, rather than being divorced from it as in the premise of the initial question. The narrative approach has been useful to me in presenting my ideas on how texts are conceived, and how they are brought to the market. All of the texts I have explored have benefitted from changes in society around the time of publishing – the expansion of lending libraries, and the socioeconomic factors that have enabled the dissemination of works of fiction on a mass scale to previously untapped markets – women readers and the working classes.

By engaging with the social issues and the historical context of each of the works – such as the Industrial Revolution and how that changed society and its reading habits - I’ve been able look in detail at how these details give extra life and meaning to the work, and how these changes feed into elements of form and context, and helped shaped the detective novel throughout history.

[i] Symons, p. 90

[ii] Symons, p. 116

[iii] Martin Priestman, Crime Fiction from Poe to the Present, Northcote House, 2013, p. 21

[iv] Priestman, p.21

[v] Agatha Christie, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Harper Collins, 2013, p.44

Bibliography

Ackroyd P, Poe: A Life Cut Short, Vintage, (2009)

Christie P, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Harper Collins, (2013)

Collins W, The Moonstone, ed. by Francis O'Gorman, Oxford World’s Classics (2019)

Knight Stephen, Crime Fiction 1800-2000: Detection, Death, Diversity, Palgrave Macmillan, (2004)

Poe E.A, The Selected Writings of Edgar Allan Poe, ed by G.R Thompson, Norton Critical Editions, (2004)

Priestman M, Crime Fiction: From Poe to the Present, Northcote House Publishers, (second edn 2013)

Pykett L, The Sensation Novel: From The Woman in White to the Moonstone, Northcote House Publishers, (1994)

Symons J, Bloody Murder, Pan Books Ltd, (1994)

Towheed S, Reading Wilkie Collins ‘The Moonstone: Readership, Form & Context, p. 11, (2022)

Whalen T, Average Racism: Poe, Slavery, and the Wages of Literary Nationalism, from The Selected Writings of Edgar Allan Poe, ed by G.R Thompson, Norton Critical Editions, (2004) pp. 921 - 941

[maximumphilosopheranchor]

Security concerns and commercial interests attracted the Ottomans to the region. In particular they were interested in slaves. The slave trade had always been important in the region’s economy, but it now became dominant. The Ottoman Empire, whose Islamic laws allowed the enslavement only of non-Muslims and encouraged the emancipation of slaves, was always in need of free labor. The Noghays and the Crimean Tatars responded to the demand, expanding their slave-seeking expeditions to the lands north of the Pontic steppes and often going much deeper into Ukraine and southern Muscovy than the frontier areas. The slave trade supplemented the earnings that the Noghays obtained from animal husbandry and the Crimeans from both husbandry and settled forms of agriculture. Bad harvests generally translated into more raids to the north and more slaves shipped back to the Crimea. All five routes that the Tatars followed to the settled areas on their slave-seeking raids went through Ukraine. Two of them east of the Dniester led to western Podolia and then to Galicia; two on the other side of the Southern Buh River led to western Podolia and Volhynia, then again to Galicia; the last passed through what would become the Sloboda Ukraine region around Kharkiv to southern Muscovy. If the demand for cereals led to the incorporation of the Ukrainian lands of the sixteenth century into the Baltic trade, their connection to the Mediterranean trade was due largely to Tatar raiding for slaves. Ukrainians, who constituted an absolute majority of the population of the steppe borderlands north of the Black Sea and moved into the steppes in search of grain, became the main targets and victims of the Ottoman Empire’s slave-dependent economy. Ethnic Russians northeast of the Crimea were a close second. Michalon (Michael) the Lithuanian, a mid-sixteenth century author who visited e Crimea, described the scope of the slave trade by quoting from his conversation with a local Jew who, “seeing that our people were constantly being shipped there as captives in numbers too large to count, asked us whether our lands also teemed with people, and whence such innumerable mortals had come.” Estimates of the numbers of Ukrainians and Russians brought to the Crimean slave markets in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries vary from 1.5 million to 3 million. Children and adolescents brought the highest prices. The fates of the slaves differed. Most of the male slaves ended up on Ottoman galleys or working in the fields, while many women worked as domestics. Some got lucky, but only in a matter of speaking. Talented young men made careers in the Ottoman administration, but most of them were eunuchs. Some women were taken into the harems of the sultans and high Ottoman officials. One Ukrainian girl known in history as Roxolana became the wife of the most powerful of the Ottoman sultans, Suleiman the Magnificent, who ruled from 1520 to 1566. Her son became a sultan under the name Selim II. Under the name of Hürrem Sultan, Roxolana sponsored Muslim charities and funded the construction of some of the best examples of Ottoman architecture. Among these is the Haseki Hürrem Sultan Hamamı, a public bathhouse not far from Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, constructed by the best-known Ottoman architect, Mimar Sinan. In the course of the last two hundred years, Roxolana has figured as the heroine of novels and a number of television dramas in Ukraine and Turkey. To be sure, her life and career were the exception, not the rule. The Tatar attacks and the slave trade left deep scars in Ukrainian memory. The fate of the slaves was the subject of numerous dumas – Ukrainian epic songs that lamented the fate of the captives, described their attempts to escape from Crimean slavery, and glorified the men who saved and freed slaves. Those folk heroes were known as Cossacks. They fought the Tatars, undertook seagoing expeditions against the Ottomans, and, indeed, freed slaves from time to time.

Serhii Plokhy, The Gates of Europe: A History of Ukraine

[writer59january13]

Yours truly embarks on wild goose chase after elusive pot of gold

alternately titled: incorrigible lottery dreamer big plans to relocate self and spouse

to some tropical island paradise by the dashboard light

(the above line credited to musician named Meatloaf) upon arrival of Stanley steamer. When my ship comes in loaded and laden with precious cargo from busy ports far and wide captains trumpeting their arrival donning sunglasses traipsing incognito yours truly spied at merchants wares cast dark shadows

from the outer limits at noontide. A fool's errand finds me emptying out billfold, while being gagged and bound with a blindfold

My blood runs cold My memory has just been sold My angel is the centerfold steaming with madness analogous to exhaust or intake manifold, especially as the winnings increase ninefold videre licet building castles in the air courtesy precarious scaffold

tumbles down into a bajillion little pieces untold. Paradise visage and eyes a bulge with dollar signs whets imagination with Mega Millions ticket bought for potential wealth overtakes rational self with delusions of grandeur caught allow, enable and provide flirtation with fate to experience rich draught envision emancipation proclamation and utter premature ejaculation from penury a distant battle fought

expect the usual outcome after next drawing to yield monetary naught temptation for instant millions eagerly sought human foible to reach until life lesson taut for elusive pot of riches streak of universal desire and tacked clear of shoals, where hand to mouth hardscrabble existence wrought. This poor man's pipe dream nsync with the milkmaid and her pail, where fanciful notions pluck me out being day late and dollar short essentially pennilessness in the extreme story of mein kampf fortune teller also known as Zoltar speaks machine said contraption did foredeem substantiated, kickstarted, corroborated... courtesy an archenemy Joaquim (fiend nixed) and his tall sidekick Kareem both rogues could shine figurative longerbeam and discern mine ill fate, Meanwhile creative endeavors and linguistic pleasure thru the literary attempt suitably with my poetic side

third eye blind (living a life of total focus on the empty, finite lusts of the material world, instead of on the promise of eternal realms of life hereafter) palliative, yet less rewarding versus garnering large sum of money would be a dog send

delivered by one blessed angel in disguise redemption and salvation assuage temptation considered thankful find with challenges or commiserate and complement via words of positive kind feeble attempt where words synchronize readers may espy hidden puns within this rhyme lined to pry poem or prose from mind deliberate semblance to communicate and extract idea from cranial rind analogous how stitcher doth tightly wind a tapestry of rich and royal hue. No..no...no...DON'T GET CLOSE cuz, yea...yea...yea... I suppose mailing altruistic donation would be the safest lagniappe bet, where over exposure would most likely NOT infect thee, though these really quirky, phony (funny) germs can be inhaled across transmission wires thru the nose or data packets

bounced off satellites as telecommunications specialists worth while (and/or) even if I fall precautions taken even extreme measures such as cryogenics, (where an individual ideally after they die) doth get froze, nonetheless this communiqué must be heeded cuz most effective,

and best assimilated before one takes a doze essentially (non fatal) lottery mania flow within my entire being from head to toe fungus infected what this old rattletrap specs castles in the air akin to a house of cards careering into scattered mess (resembling 52 pickup), thus unknown reader

dune hot dare casinos, gambling halls, horse racing, et cetera lest ye contract an immobilizing, yet fearless innocuous diagnosis, buffer in themselves with aspirin do sing glaring bug eyes, plus affecting a hair styled, and swiftly tailored demeanor accompanied with Scrooge

(tiny timid lee)

intimating lurching, and ogling qua monopolistic greed

expending every last red cent indeed finding one impoverishing themselves

at reo wagon light speed, especially after getting flying high courtesy stone temple pilot buzzfeeding me with weed.

[bluejaysandblackbats]

If There’s Nothing Missing In My Life…

Fandom: DC Comics, Superfam

Summary: Newly-emancipated popstar and child actor, Conner (screen name: Lucky) navigates high school and stardom on his own.

Chapters: 7/?

Characters: Conner Kent, Lois Lane, Roxy Leech, Rex Leech, Lois Lane, Clark Kent, Hillary Chang

Additional Tags: Highschool AU, Celebrity AU, Exploitation, References to Depression, Conner Kent Needs a Hug, Conner Luthor, Lex Luthor is Conner’s Parent, Self-Confidence Issues, Teen Angst, Angst, POV First Person, No Powers AU, Conner Kent-centric, Bisexual Conner Kent, POV Conner Kent, Protective Lex Luthor, Child Celebrity AU

Chapter Seven: Hidden Hills

I got a room somewhere else for the night, so I wouldn't have to face Rex's wrath. When I got up the following morning, I dressed up and took a Lyft to an old burger spot. That's where I wanted to meet Clark and Lois. They were early. "Hi, Lucky," Clark smiled. I greeted them both with hugs.

"How's your kid?" I asked. Lois and Clark had a little boy. I think he was from the same place Clark and his cousin were from. They'd only had him for a short time.

"He's doing alright. Thank you for asking," Clark replied.

I remembered something and glanced down at my menu. "I'm not taking advantage of being emancipated... I know there've been rumors, but I'm not trying to do anything wild or out there," I explained, "So if you're worried about that... I promise you don't have to be."

"Oh, we know that. We're more concerned about your well-being... How are you doing?" Lois asked.

"Well, I'm adjusting to the new place... I'm okay," I replied.

"I meant—."

"The whole being adopted thing... That's what you're asking me about?" I whispered. They nodded. "Off the record... I wanna know who they are. I don't want anything from them. I only wanna see them."

"Well, don't you think-... Finding out that you're adopted is a huge thing, Lucky. Don't you want to take some time to figure out what that means for you?" Clark asked. I took a sip of my drink. I knew he meant well because he was adopted too, but I still had my feelings about it all.

"I don't know... What if I wait too long and lose my chance to meet them? It's bad enough that I have to wait until wintertime to find out their names," I replied. Lois and Clark nodded. "But the truth is, I think they're already gone... I wanna be hopeful, but maybe they're not around anymore." I tried to rationalize with myself. I don't think Clark and Lois were trying to judge me, but I felt I had to justify my feelings.

"Lucky—."

My phone rang. I thought I'd turned it off, but I remembered I used it to order a ride. "I'm so sorry... I probably have to answer this," I apologized.

I took my drink and stepped outside to answer the phone. "Turn your location back on! What's wrong with you?" Rex hollered. I rubbed the back of my neck. "Huh?"

"Where were you?" I asked in a much softer tone than Rex deserved at that moment. "She practically tore me apart in that interview, and none of the questions had anything to do with the album."

"You're just paying—."

"Not to sound arrogant or anything, but I've already paid my dues. I've been in entertainment for twelve years, and in all that time, I've never felt this violated after an interview... Kelley practically accused Lex of threatening me into silence—."

"Save your outrage for your tell-all after a few stints in rehab and a mental health break," Rex replied.

"Funny," I scoffed.

"Not funny. Your trainwreck era is crucial to building your new adult image. I'm waiting for you to be at least eighteen, but I think if you can act your way through—."

"What is wrong with you?" I raised my voice without meaning to. "I'm not doing any of that." Suddenly, I was worried about the aftermath of that interview and what it would mean for my career.

Clark came outside and asked if I wanted to order anything. I muted myself and turned to him, trying to conceal any signs of distress on my face. "Hey, sure... I'll have the seven with fries. I'll be right in... And please don't pay. I've got the bill," I whispered. Clark smiled at me.

"You don't have to do that," Clark chuckled, "The burgers are only two bucks."

"I know, but I insist," I replied.

"Earth to Luck!" Rex yelled. Clark went inside to order our food, and I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"I'm not going—." I unmuted myself. "I'm not ruining my reputation so people will take me seriously. Don't you think that's ―I don't know― counterproductive?"

"Suit yourself. What are you up to right now?" Rex asked.

"Nothing bad... I'll be at the airport tonight. Don't worry," I replied before hanging up. I knew I'd have to make it up by accepting an interview elsewhere soon. I dreaded being interrogated and jested at like I wasn't a real human being.

I walked into the restaurant and sat at the table. "You okay?" Lois asked. I perked up and nodded.

"Oh yeah, my manager was pestering me about making my flight tonight," I replied, "Not that I'd miss it on purpose or anything. I've got school Monday."

"School," Clark announced like he remembered something. "How do you like it so far?"

"Everyone's been nice to me. I think I made a friend or two, but I'm not sure yet," I answered.

"It'll happen," Clark replied, "Do you feel like the curriculum is any different?"

"Um, I feel weird sometimes because it's not self-paced anymore... I'm ahead, so I'm in classes for seniors," I answered, "But I'm in PE with kids my age... So, it's not as weird. Also, there's not as much time to ask questions during class because everyone else has to share the teacher... Oh! And this girl laughed at me for it, but I was super shocked to see how many kids attend high school. High schools are packed to the gills with people. It's nothing like tv."

Clark and Lois smiled. I liked their smiles. They never made me feel weird or dumb, or out of touch. They genuinely showed interest in everything I had to say. It made me want to talk to them for hours. "It sounds more exciting than overwhelming," Lois replied, "That's great. I was worried it'd be a lot for you to handle. Public school in an entirely new state can be a culture shock for anybody."

"No, I like it. I mean, it's so different from anything I've ever experienced, but I love that I get to be around people my age. It's helping me figure out my normal," I explained. I didn't want lunch to end. It was the first time in months that I could open up and talk about the things that excited me. The waitress served us, and I dug in. I hadn't eaten since the interview.

After I ate, I got a text from Rex telling me to turn my location on. I ignored it, paid for the food, and apologized to Lois and Clark for ducking out so fast. I got a ride back to the hotel and turned my location on once I reached my room door. Rex swung the door open. "What are you wearing?" Rex asked.

"Sweats and a t-shirt... I left my clothes here, remember?" I asked as I pushed past him. "Can we book an earlier flight? I wanna beat the package I sent."

"What?" Rex asked.

"I wanna get home before my package does. I sent myself something in the mail," I explained, "And I'm sick of the scenery here."

Rex ran a hand over his face. "I'll have Roxy do that right now," Rex replied. I went through their door to my adjoining room, showered, and changed into something of my own. I hated Rex sometimes. He made me feel guilty for reacting. I buried those feelings deep down because it was easier than dealing with everything.

[denimbex1986]

'Fleabag star Andrew Scott opened up about the important role acting had on his coming out journey.

In a recent interview with The New York Times, the beloved talent gave insight into his acting journey and how it helped him break out of his shell.

“I genuinely think that acting helped me. When I was a kid, I started doing elocution lessons because I had a really bad lisp,” he explained.

“She sells seashells,” I had to say that 17 times a day. So they sent me to elocution, which was boring, but eventually, it was speech and drama classes. I was so shy and terrified, but then someone would say, “Get up and do an improvisation,” and some of me felt [free].”

In addition to his blossoming confidence, the openly gay actor admitted that acting led him to embrace his sexuality.

“[I felt] free and loved it. And then I practiced it a little bit more and then started doing it as a job. When I was 18 or 19, I was playing gay parts, but I wasn’t out,” he continued.

“A lot of people within the industry were queer, so I was surrounded by them and then, bit by bit, started to feel confident.”

While Scott has come a long way in accepting his identity, he admitted that it “doesn’t take much” for his confidence to falter.

“I think an awful lot, if I’m honest. I’m happy to be able to say that to be emancipated from shame has been genuinely the biggest achievement of my life,” he added.

“For a long time, I have felt very comfortable with myself, but it doesn’t take much to go back there – something a taxi driver can say still wound you. If he might say, ‘You’ve got a wife?’ You could go, ‘No, I don’t,’ or is that sort of a lie by omission?”

Scott’s recent comments come a few weeks after he opened up about his career beginnings and being advised to keep his sexuality a secret.

“I was encouraged by people in the industry who I really admired and who had my best interests at heart, to keep that [to myself],” he revealed to British GQ.

“I understand why they gave that advice, but I’m so glad that I eventually ignored it.”

While Scott doesn’t regret coming out, he admitted that talking about his sexuality can be “exhausting” at times.

“Sometimes I find the prurient nature of the way of the way we talk about it a little bit exhausting. It’s both very important to talk about, and sometimes I feel like I wish we didn’t [end] up talking about it,” he explained.

Aside from his coming out journey, Scott is set to appear alongside Paul Mescal in the highly anticipated LGBTQIA+ drama All of Us Strangers.

Based on the novel Strangers by Japanese novelist Taichi Yamada, the film follows screenwriter Adam (Scott), who navigates a new romance with his mysterious neighbour Harry (Mescal).

However, things take a surprising turn when Adam comes across his dead parents (Jamie Bell and Claire Foy), who “appear to be living just as they were on the day they died, 30 years before.”'

[muskokafarm]

Muskoka Farm Pre Training Facility

The 280-acre horse spelling and training facility is located near national parks and surrounded by natural bushland. It is the perfect setting for fine-tuning race horse care.

The Thoroughbred breeding industry makes a significant contribution to Australia’s economy and supports thousands of jobs. This world class breaking/pre-training, spelling and agistment operation is for sale via expression of interest closing Monday 9 May. To know more about Pre Training, visit the Muskoka Farm website or call (02)45663106.

The thoroughbred breeding industry makes a significant contribution to Australia’s regional economy, with stallion fees and sales profits being the major contributors. It also supports thousands of jobs. However, the industry is not without its problems. One such issue is horse breaking. Horses must be broken properly to avoid behavioural issues in later life.

Muskoka Farm is a state-of-the-art horse spelling and pre-training facility located in Wisemans Ferry, New South Wales. This world-class equine establishment can accommodate 200 horses and features five stable barns, 58 stables, and 63 day yards. It also has a two-bedroom guest house and a large outdoor pool. It also has a 24-hour helipad and quarantine facilities.

The Muskoka area, along with Haliburton and Kawartha Lakes, is a popular cottage country in central Ontario. The area is dotted with many villages and towns, as well as resorts and hotels. The region is home to 1,600 lakes and has an excellent network of roads.

Located near national parks and surrounded by natural bushland, Muskoka Farm is a world class horse breeding and training facility. Designed by acclaimed architects, the 280 acre property is able to accommodate up to 200 horses. It is equipped with five large stables, a 24-hour helipad, a lap pool, and an AQIS quarantine facility.

The horse spelling and pre training facility is known for its exceptional care of racehorses. Its facilities include a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which is believed to accelerate the healing process by providing horses with 100% pure oxygen.

The facility also has a large grass ring, a sand ring, and an indoor arena. There is a full range of dressage obstacles for both the novice and experienced rider. There are dozens of day yards, as well as a spa and outdoor swimming pool. The farm is also home to one of the country’s top trainers, Bob Lapointe. The property is currently for sale through Inglis Rural Property.

After a career in business and off road racing, Bob Lapointe turned his focus to the horse world. He has built up a successful breaking operation, Muskoka Farm, which is now for sale via expression of interest. The 280-acre property offers a range of state-of-the-art thoroughbred training facilities. These include a 2400m crusher dust track, a 2000m grass track for pace work, and an equine pool.

The facility is also home to a number of ancillary structures, including a barn, five stables, 58 stables, a two-bedroom guest house, outdoor pool, 24-hour helipad, and sea plane mooring. The equine complex is surrounded by natural bushland.

Muskoka Farm has a reputation for producing the nation’s top gallopers. Its Group 1 winners include Emancipation, Marauding, Diamond Shower, Sir Dapper, Bint Marscay, Circles Of Gold, and Dance Hero. The facility is a short drive from Randwick and Rosehill racecourses.

With an outstanding four-bedroom double-storey homestead overlooking the arresting Hawkesbury River and with a private jetty/pontoon, large outdoor pool, helipad, two-bedroom guest house and facility manager’s house, the property has accommodation for up to a staff of 12.

The state-of-the-art spelling and training facility at Muskoka Farm is constantly evolving its approach to horse care. The 280-acre property is situated near national parks and is surrounded by natural bushland. It is the perfect place to raise a race horse. To know more about Pre Training, visit the Muskoka Farm website or call (02)45663106.

The farm has five stable barns with 58 stables and a high-tech treadmill. It also has a number of day yards and 63 individually fenced spelling paddocks. It is a favorite of the nation’s top trainers. Located in Gunderman, it is easily accessible and offers a range of facilities. The property also has a fully-equipped veterinary and breeding operation. Interested parties should contact Inglis Rural Property by Monday, May 9 to register their interest in this one-of-a-kind offering.