#i mean we're not huge but we're iconic enough. people know US

[jesterlaughingstock]

In my sign language learning endeavour sometimes i watch these videos of city names and oh my god like 70% of those cities are the most random middle of nowhere towns that I never heard of before in my life

[thesiltverses]

I wanted to let you guys know how important this story has become to me in light of the war in Israel. There’s no way you could have intended this, but your meditations on the callous disregard for human life in favor of capitol and the way governments side with power over their people are hitting me so hard it’s unreal. Carpenter in this recent episode worrying about the idea that people are just people who still choose to ignore and perpetuate horror made me legitimately tear up.

Thank you very much - that's really kind of you and it genuinely means so much to hear it.

Yeah, that line really whacked me back in the face when I was working on the sound design, too. (It really helps that Méabh so magnificently captures the quiet, angry, wondering humanity of Carpenter so well in that moment.)

It's a very minor thing in the wider context, but it's been swimming in my head all day and all night; yesterday we had the Prime Minister of the UK briefing to the press that it is inherently "provocative and disrespectful" for people to march through London for a ceasefire in Palestine during WWI's Armistice Day next weekend - because the "sanctity of the day" must be protected.

On one hand, that feels a breathtakingly obvious and cynical strategy to defame, misrepresent and (I think crucially) exogenise dissent against the government's foreign policy.

But it also feels, in a way that I hope we've always been clearly trying to yell about with TSV, like a real symptom of how deeply fucked-up our country's narrative-building around itself truly is; the bewilderingly successful extent to which strong, emotive, reassuring stories delivered from positions of authority continue to be used as a cover for base hypocrisies, inhuman cruelties, and selfish interests.

And the invocation of "sanctity of the day" to mean "pure and unchallengeable supremacy of a century-old war in our hearts, minds, and newspapers" really speaks to that. (I guess it feels like an inverted version of that Dr Strangelove quote, doesn't it? 'Gentlemen, you can't fight in here, this is the War Room.' / 'Armistice Day is no time to call for peace.')

Our media and political classes can lead a call to worship the 110-year-old icon of peace, the half-fled and semi-religious memory of it and the comforting traditions and rituals surrounding it-

-and they can use that icon, in turn, as a weapon to condemn hundreds of thousands of their own citizens from all faiths and all backgrounds who are marching for peace right now (while continuing to ignore the three-quarters of the population who want them to call for a ceasefire).

They can use that icon of peace to callously dismiss the lives and livelihoods of Palestinians suffering right now under a brutal succession of atrocities, and to downplay Western complicity right now in allowing those atrocities to continue unchecked, all in favour of the reassuring idea of showing respect for and paying silent obeisance to a ghostly Tommy soldier in a Brodie helmet with a plastic poppy tucked into his lapel.

A man who was sacrificed, and who must be forever remembered for his sacrifice.

If the superstructure is big and loud and hungry enough, maybe we won't pay too much attention to the screams coming from the base.

Anyway, to find a grace note - we know that we're writing often quite bleak and cruel stuff at a very bleak and cruel time. And while we of course didn't intend a direct comparison to current-day events, it really means a huge amount to hear that someone's finding it meaningful rather than, as we often fear, just too much of reality. So thank you again very much.

[9leaguesofmirrors]

My Favourite Steve Characters

It's September 1st, also known as Steve Pemberton's birthday! I did one of these lists for Reece's birthday, and I wanted to do one for Steve too because I feel like not enough people talk about his amazing acting

These are in no particular order

Tony Martin - The Interrogation Of Tony Martin

This film was originally on Channel 4 and can now be found on Netflix. It's a verbatim piece about the true story of Tony Martin and why he killed two young boys that intruded on his home. Steve manages to be both cold and unsettling and surprisingly sympathetic in the role, everything he does is subtle and refined to produce an incredibly realistic performance

Trevor - Love's Great Adventure

I don't think I'll ever stop singing the praise of Love's Great Adventure, people overlook it because it doesn't have a dark twist but it's honestly one of the best episodes of the entire series! Steve Pemberton delivers such a raw performance that it left me wishing there was a spin-off series! The entire episode is beautiful, and Trevor is a huge part of the reason; I could praise Steve's ability to dig up such pure, unbridled feeling in every character he plays for ages!

Dr Bessner - Death On The Nile (2004)

I'm a sucker for a good Agatha Christie, especially Poirot, so finding out that Steve Pemberton was in one of the remakes made me very excited - and, as always, he delivers. Dr Bessner is a character which may end up fading into the back of people's memories, but Steve Pemberton managed to make every scene he was in very entertaining. It goes to show that he knows how to pull focus without taking away from other cast members, a credit to both his dedication and kindness

Len - Bernie Clifton's Dressing Room

I mean, he won a BAFTA for this one, that says it all! When we first meet Len, he's portrayed as a sweet, funny man with plenty of charisma. However, as the episode continues, Steve manages to show this façade break more and more until we see to the core of a man that's ruined his life and lost his way. Steve managed to perfectly portray Len as a flawed character while simultaneously making the audience sympathise with him and want him to get the help he needs

Galen - Thinking Out Loud

NOBODY can deny Steve Pemberton's range, not after watching Thinking Out Loud. He's positively frightening as Galen, using stillness and a measured delivery to create an unnerving character - at one point, he leaned forward and I actually jumped backwards!

Pauline Campbell-Jones - The League of Gentlemen

This list wouldn't be complete with the iconic Pauline Campbell-Jones! Steve's comedic timing and delivery skills makes her one to watch, but there are also moments where we see another side to her that's unexpected yet surprisingly heartwarming. Yet another example of Steve's fantastic range giving even the most comedic characters depth

Joe - The Last Weekend SPOILERS BELOW

Like Thinking Out Loud, this episode has a very controversial ending. But I want to step away from that for a moment (might make a post about it at some point, I'm not sure) to appreciate how incredible Steve was in it

At first, you sympathise with Joe; he has to deal with having a terrible illness and, on top of that, his partner doesn't exactly treat him that kindly. Steve's ability to pull at the audience's heartstrings really comes into play here... but, even before the big reveal, there are subtle moments where you get the sense that something isn't quite right

And that ending! Steve completely transforms and we're left with a Joe Madison that we've never seen before - and hope we never see in real life! It's perfectly sinister and 100% one of his best acting moments in the series

Of course, these are just a few of his roles and, like Reece, he's a real chameleon that can truly play any part (even if, sometimes, it's just Pauline). Benidorm is on my watch list so I'll be getting to that as soon as possible! I hope Steve's career continues to be full of opportunities!

[crazykuroneko]

I understand the urge to speculate but I feel like we need to be more concerned about whether AMC will be sold for parts soon (as many industry insiders think is inevitable). AMC+ is not expected to survive the streaming bloodbath that's for sure. s3 has not even been greenlit and honestly after the way Bailey departed I'm not going to assume Jacob is a 100% given either.

They got great numbers from their latest TWD spin-off show btw. And even though AMC will be sold to another company, it doesn't mean they'll drop IWTV or Immortal Universe. Sometimes I feel people forget how huge and iconic Vampire Chronicles and Lestat are. We're talking about the universe who defines a big part of modern vampires' lore, whose rights have been fought for by multiple studios for god knows how many years (I may not be a book reader, but I was there following any updates about the show, including that nightmarish Jared Leto to play Lestat era 😭)

I feel like I will keep repeating the same things about Jacob/Louis' future, but i don't know about you, I love and enjoy life. So far, the show itself, while it's not wholly perfect, doesn't disappoint me. Maybe I'll turn out to be wrong later idk. But the thing is it's "later", a problem for the future. I'll focus on the present and play around with the possibility of the future and don't go down with the doom-posting. Because personally, I don't see any use of that. My life is bleak enough, I need some positivity in the fandom. Cheers 🍻

[encyclopika]

Animal Crossing Fish - Explained #229

Brought to you by a marine biologist on our last foray into freshwater...

CLICK HERE FOR THE FISH EXPLAINED MASTERPOST!

We're starting to come up to the actual end of this series for the foreseeable future. Since Pocket Camp continues to put on Fishing Tourneys and Goals Events that feature imaginary fish to fit their themes instead of actual species, I'm slowly running out of things to write about. So, today will be our very last freshwater fish - the Redtail Catfish.

The Redtail appeared in AC Pocket Camp for the February 2021 Catfish Goals event along with its cousin the Tiger Catfish, which we've covered. I must say, the icon for this one is spot on!

We have covered catfish before, as they are pretty prominent throughout the AC series. (If you want to check them out -> 1, 2, 3). There's a good reason for that. Siluriformes, the Order catfishes belong to, is one of the most diverse fish lineages. With thousands of species in both fresh and saltwater environments, they have a very wide distribution on every continent and ocean besides Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. Catfish are most recognizable by their extra long barbels (the "whiskers") which they use to feel and smell throughout their environments, which can have low visibility, as well as compensate for most species' poor eyesight to begin with. However, not all catfish have barbels like this and are instead scientifically categorized by features within the skull and swim bladder. Either way, you know a cat when you see one. Catfish boast perhaps the widest range in size, too - from tiny, parasitic species to massive giants that have sparked legends in the areas they are native. Though the Redtail Catfish (Phractocephalus hemioliopterus) isn't massive enough to have garnered legends, it is still one of the largest catfish out there, topping almost 6 feet (2 meters), though 3 feet (1 m) is more common, as an adult.

By George Chernilevsky - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=97291562

Catfish are voracious eaters and will snack on anything they can get their mouths around. They are typically bottom-dwelling fish but many species are known to swim throughout the water column looking for prey. Sometimes that prey may even include humans if given the opportunity and at the right size. Redtails themselves were one species blamed for hundreds of deaths during the Sobrel Santos II accident on the Amazon River in the '80's, in which 500 people went into the water and only 178 were rescued. Redtails, as well as other large catfish species in the area are thought to have dragged people underwater. These are not lazy fish by any means. They are powerful swimmers and deserve our respect.

Despite their huge size, experienced home aquarists attempt to house this fish in their homes. Because Redtails get so big and they have no problem eating anything in front of them, they require at a 1500 gallon tank all to themselves. If you need an idea of how big that tank is - a grown man could snorkel in one.

And there you have it. Fascinating stuff, no?

[the-firebird69]

This is the team we look a little like it and we're bigger but faster stronger but this is what we look like and we have costumes that are almost identical these are iconic symbols in the united states. This is where our son grew up these are things that he knows he sees his characters coming to life and for what is very exciting to him it's over the top and he's isolated and not doing anything like it and it's going to be in so much shock that nobody would be able to talk to him we don't want this to continue do people are boneless little assholes and you're being complete jerks and they're going to be a problem you're going to have to leave what you're doing and saying is absurd we need to leave alone if you have a problem tomorrow accepting this idiotic device we're going to jam it down your throat meaning you are going to have to accept payment from him to send it back and they're going to kill you he knows that the label has a return system and you have them in there and you saw you do it you didn't even look at the number keep saying this stupid s*** to us and we're going to come pick you up and you won't be in any movie I don't know what your problem is or what's wrong with you you're going to learn because all your people will be dead and it's not the image that you want to uphold but it's too late isn't it

Not for you you're so arrogant we're actually very angry you're acting so badly you don't do anything you're populous is gone down probably tonight by 4% and pretty soon you'll be down to zero off Island and you won't be anybody cuz the island will go in minutes it's absurd what you say okay absurd you're you're completely wrong and really throughout the ages you've been wrong quite often so it's nothing new I guess

This is a coveted symbol. It's what we believe in it's how we behave it's how we act you do go outside the lines a bit and here we do a little bit too to cover it and it's nice to see how but we do value each other and we trust each other and we do work together all the time and we do protect each other at least you guys do that in the movies it is very intense emotionally you can't handle what's going on it's time to become friends again and you see what was wrong and who is doing it and you start going after them very hard in the in the movies you're fighting Max I need to do okay you would have done a lot better if you didn't just sit here harassing Us in him going along with Mac who wants to get rid of you that's absurd and you should be chastised and your agents of shield should reprimand you and tell you you have to get back to the training center so you don't huge assholes to everyone and your bums like when your version of Thor gets real fat and is drinking that's what he's doing now and that's all he's doing he's a waste of time you have to show the agency no shield going to the Betty Ford clinic to pull him out of there

Frank Castle hardcastle

It's quite a mouthful I'll tell you what though it's real it's supposed to be heroes and leaders and images for people who are yours instead you're s*** bums destroy yourself cuz you're idiot took oh no he got one program from the Giants and it was fed to him how absurd

Duke nukem Blockbuster

I don't care how many times you ask me Trump I'm the master programmer and you fell for his trick and it's an evil plot that JC has oddly enough we know about it and we did do it on purpose and you're a moron

Zues Hera

He said the above and I'm helping and you're absurd you're so absurd we have to get rid of you cuz you're just stupid yeah you Trump and you're going back to court and you have to go there every day or they going to go to a criminal court Hera

Do a lot to say we're going to announce more later he needs to get some rest but really you more luck are getting pounded in the cities your bases in the Western hemisphere are almost gone I think it's 80%. And that's what they're saying you're very large bases you have one left the rest are burning and will be blown soon your large bases in the Western hemisphere you have five left inside of I think 30 and the restaurant fire and half of them will be blown in moments you had about 300 medium and 200 are gone 50 or on fire and would be blown shortly and you're down to about 4 million small we anticipate you having 2 million tomorrow and that's it the rest will be gone just 2 million small bases if that others are attacking now and it's a huge group and you're still trying to attack the four groups and now you're trying to attack us so it's five pretty soon you'll probably trying to attack the max for decimating you and everybody else is sitting there you start attacking them you're morons we think you're going to lose 2% there and 2% in the cities and 2% attacking us that you might be down to around 5% or 6% by tomorrow morning and you'll probably still just keep diminishing try and run your terrorist plan and boy you trying to cut the fat that's what you say it is all the time and you're not respected and when you're doing the avengers movies you're trying to get devices to try and run your terrorist movie actually your plan and yeah it's no fun at all and it's not fun for us and your stupid as hell who told you why it wouldn't work and you're dumb

Olympus

They're like trillions of devices and we were the major Force disarming them and now you're going to talk about a few million if that as if it's going to be wicked easy and you are going after yourselves which is utter nonsense he also say that you're populist was stopping it I'm going to interview your own corks and tell you what they think of that they're busy playing video games

Zues Hera

We're out here dying so you can try and threaten everybody the stuff that wasn't working and we don't even know about it we thought he was not saying there's so many devices I started getting involved and I stopped there's a whole bunch of us that we're doing it we know what he's saying almost everybody was hit almost every device collected if not it wasn't working you people are nuts I'm sick of you you're so stupid program let me see there was you have and it's a trick and you're saying that all these it's just ucav program damn it all you're afraid to have it printed because it's not what it is no that's not what it is you're a loser and you're a liar bja you guys got screwed by JC and Mary you're going around screwing with everyone it is just the biggest embarrassment I've ever seen

A cork

[fnaf-hereafter]

Questions I'm answering before they're asked!

Will this blog follow me back?

No. I've stated in the bio that it's a side blog and cannot follow other blogs. I have enough accounts, I decided to utilize the sideblog feature for this one.

Is this account run by a minor/adult?

Adult. I'm doing this in my free time which means things will be slow, and also I'm one person. The only other human who has access to this blog is a friend I asked to help me proofread before I post chapters up. That being said, please follow Tumblr community guidelines... But do know this blog is Five Nights at Freddy's. It's an AU with OCs of mine. There will be gore warnings, injury warnings, death warnings, etc. Read this AU fic responsibly please.

Since this is a side blog, is there an account connected to it? Another blog? Is there a Discord server?

Technically yes, but I'm keeping my actual main blog off of this one for now. No, I'm not being secretive, I just don't want people to think I'm doing this for internet fame. I honestly don't expect this to get big. But I have a Twitter and Instagram I'm using to promote this blog, they're both under the "FNAF Hereafter" name, so they'll be easy to find.

As of writing and pinning this post I'm also waiting on an invitation to make another account to AO3 so the chapters can be posted there. Yes, I'm picking AO3 for the tagging system and filtering.

And for that last part... like I'm saying, I don't expect this to get big. I'm a huge nerd trying to share their excitement over a game they've loved since they were 18 but only just now developed a full AU for with other people. I'm a nerd sharing my OCs and headcanons and ideas. But if those who follow this blog decide they want a Discord server to easier see updates or something, I'm more than capable of I can get a small mod team on it.

Will there be art or just writing? And do you have designs for the canon characters?

Ahah, oh boy yes there will be. I've actually posted the lineart for several canon characters and OCs on my main Twitter before! And for any of my friends seeing this, you've seen the colored icons of the main cast. Eventually everyone, including all the background characters I'm naming, will have lineart designs at the least. There's a few scenes in my head that I really want to draw out, but they'll mostly be pencil and paper as that's what I'm still used to after 16 years of making art.

Is this blog just for posting the fic and art?

Actually it's going to be an ask blog as well! But one thing to keep in mind is the characters will be at different ages, levels of knowledge and experience, and stages of memory regarding events, depending on what chapter we're on! FNAF 1 versions will know different things than the FNAF 2 versions and so on. But once the first chapter is up, I'll make sure the ask box is open and y'all are free to ask away!

What do you mean when you say things are going to be out of order on purpose?

My version of the FNAF timeline is VERY skewed from what a lot of people think of it. I'm also interjecting some plot ideas in at different points (example; not all games are in my AU and not all characters have the same role or are even present!). But I'm writing the chapters out based on what game they came from and when that game released. So FNAF 1 is first, then 2, then 3, etc. But that won't be the official order of things due to how my timeline is set up. Eventually I will put out how my timeline is organized because I'm not Scott Cawthon and y'all aren't MatPat.

If we have questions for you specifically is there a character for that?

For one I have like, 5 personas that I use. For two I have a self insert who has a stand-in for this AU. For three, yeah, cause the idea of a narrator character that y'all can interact with is funny as hell to me.

That's all for now, this pinned post may be replaced or edited in the future, but be on the lookout for the first act and first chapters! They are currently in progress!

[missmayrin]

How We Met

Summary- MC finally makes it back to earth, but there's a problem... The prince's are here to..

Toa x OC

Told from Toa's POV

(With an mc named Avary)

********

My eyes fluttered open to a light pink bedroom. It wasn't huge but seemed big enough to fit at least 5 people. Glancing around the room I noticed that Avery and the other S ranks were also here.

"THIS IS MY ROOM-"

Avery suddenly exclaimed. We all stared at her like she was crazy. But that would mean we were on earth wouldn't it? We couldn't be on Earth, she didn't know how to use that part of her magic yet.

"Does that mean we're on Earth..?"

Lynt questioned with a yawn.

"Yeah..."

Avery said, she looked excited to be here but we were all thinking the exact same thing.

How are we supposed to get back?

"We're gonna be here awhile I'm guessing."

Avari stated, Avery nodded.

"That means the you all,"

she pointed to each of us,

"Need better clothes"

Fenn made an offended gasp and Angel rolled her eyes.

"I don't mean it like that, I mean you need clothes that look more modern so you fit in."

Me and Roy nodded, Avery went over to her bedside table and unplugged a small rectangle from a cord attatched to the wall.

"What's that?"

Roy questioned, pointing to the small object.

"Right, you guys don't have phones in Saligia."

We all stared at her with blank faces.

"It's a form of communication on earth, you can also play games on if, listen to music, or even read, etc"

I walked over and studied the 'phone'.

"But it's just a black rectangle?"

I looked at her questioningly and she pressed a button on the side of the thing.

It lit up, displaying the time, date, and weather with a picture of Robin (the cat) as a background.

"Wow..."

Fenn gazed at it with wonder.

"We'll have to get you all phones eventually, but first is clothes."

Avery pressed her thumb against the bottom of the screen and it opened to a different page with a bunch of boxes with names under them.

One was called 'Messages' and she clicked on it. She tapped an icon with the name 'Myra' beside it. She pressed a figure at the top and it immediately started ringing.

"Is it supposed to do that?"

I asked, Avery nodded.

Suddenly the face from the icon appeared on the screen, moving.

"OH MY GOODNESS AVERY WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN WE'VE BEEN SO WORRIE-"

A Male that looked similar to the woman appeared on the screen and interupted her.

"Whos that?"

"OMG AVERY DO YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND-"

Avari snorted,

"As if, no one would ever date HIM"

"At least I don't claim people belong to me just because we have the same eye colour!"

I shot back, Fenn burst out laughing and so did the two people on the phone.

"He's funny! I like him!"

The girl exclaimed, the boy continued laughing.

"Myra listen, could you and Lucas come over with some of his extra clothes? I'll explain everything when you get here but my friends need clothes."

"Sure thing Avery!"

********

After Avery hung up the phone it took about 20 minutes for them to get here.

Me and the others were in the living room watching some show Avery had put on the 'tv' and she was in the kitchen.

A short ringing went threw the apartment and Avery went over to the door. She opened it to reveal a woman about Averys height, and a very, very tall Male.

Definitely taller then me.

Myra, as Avery called her, had medium length brown hair with two blonde streaks at the front, she wore a light blue T-shirt, with a black, grey, and white striped shirt underneath. Her jeans were baggy and had rips through them and her shoes were pure white.

Lucas, the guy beside her, also had brown hair but his was shaggy and short, his pants were similar to his sisters but dark blue, he wore a black sweater with a blue, purple, and pink stripe on each sleave. His boots were short and stopped at his ankles and were pure black.

Both of them had hazel eyes and Myra had glasses.

Avery brought them over to the living room and they brought four giant bags in with them.

"Alright, let's get this fashion show started!"

*********

After three whole hours of going through outfits for each of us, we were finally done.

Guy wore a grey coldoroy jacket with a black turtle neck, black pants, and black shoes.

Roy wore a white turtleneck, black belt and beige pants. He had a pink sweater over top and white shoes

Lynt had a plain black shirt and pants with a brown belt. His shoes were dark green and he had a black beanie.

Fenn had black tank top that revealed his hips and sleaves that didn't attatch to the top. The sleaves had white stars on them. He had black shorts and a grey belt as well as a purple choker. His heals were and a black hood attatched to the back of his shirt.

I had a dark brown sweater with a baggie dark forest green T-shirt over top. They were tucked into baggie black ripped jeans and black shoes with a slight heal.

********

Myra and Avery were off talking in the corner. Roy went over to guy. And Fenn started bugging Lynt.

Sighing, I walked over to the corner and waited for Avery to decide what we'd do next.

My eyes fluttered close and a relaxed a little.

Someone placed their hand on my shoulder and I jumped so high, nearly hit my head on the roof.

Ok maybe that's was little exageratted but still!

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!"

Lucas apologized and sheepishly rubbed his hand on his neck.

I gulped and nodded, why is he so tall?

He's was easily at least 3inches taller then me, and had a quite muscular build.

Hes kinda hot..

Wait what-

We made eye contact for a second before I quickly look away.

"Avery told me that you like sweets"

Great, of course thats the first thing she tells him.

"I actually own a bakery, would you like to come over? I could show you a few things that you don't have in Saligia."

I glanced back at Lucas. He smiled sweetly and I felt my face heat up a bit.

"S-sure.."

I muttered, cursing myself for stuttering.

What the hell was this?

Why was I acting like this?

Lucas smiled and called Avery over.

"Is it alright if I bring Toa over to my bakery? Then you and Myra can help the others get phones and get them set up"

"Sure thing Lucas! Just don't let Toa near anything with caramel"

"Hey! Just because it's my favourite doesn't mean I'm going to devour it!"

Avery giggled and skipped back over to the others to tell them where me and Lucas we're going.

She looked lovely in her black jeans and baggy white T-shirt. But she didn't attract me in any way. None of the girls I'd met had.

Everyone told me I just needed to find the right person, my family told me that it doesn't matter and I just need to find a wife, but Im pretty sure that it's impossible for anyone to see me past a friend or just my prince status.

********

Lucas and I took the 'elevator' down to the main lobby. He said bye to the lady at the desk and brought me over to something called a 'car'.

We both got in and buckled up the seatbelts and he started the engine.

It was a 15 minute car ride and Lucas kept trying to engage conversation but I was to nervous to talk.

When we arrived I quickly surveyed the surroundings.

There were a few tables and chairs with umbrellas out front. Through the glass doors I could see a counter with a glass case filled with different foods. Beside it was a small sort of machine and then open counter.

When we entered I also spotted a couple fridges with drinks in them, there was a shelf for bread, a freezer had different kinds of cakes in it. Behind the counter there was some machines mixing coloured ice and there was a machine with a nozzle and beside it was a stack of cones.

Lucas brought me behind the counter and told me to pick anything I want.

I pointed to a long piece of what looked similar to bread with whipped cream inside and chocolate on top.

"That.."

I said quietly, And Lucas nodded and smiled.

"Long John it is then."

He took it out of the glass case and gave it to me. While I ate he went to the fridge and pulled out a tall black can with a weird looking M on it.

"Want one?"

He asked, I blinked at it and looked at him confused.

"Right, you don't have these."

I nodded

"It's called Monster, it's an energy drink, want some?"

"I-i guess I could try it.."

He smiled and walked over to me, pressing the tip of the can against my lips. I nervously put the Long John down on a napkin and took the drink from him.

I took a sip and was startled at the intense flavor and sharp pang on my tongue. Lucas smiled and laughed at my reaction, taking the can back and taking a sip.

"Like it? There's other flavors if you want"

I nodded,

"M-maybe something more..."

"Fruity?"

I nodded, embarrassed he already knew what kind of stuff I liked. He went over to the fridge again and grabbed another can. This one was orange and had a teal M instead of green.

"This one is pipeline punch, it's more fruity then the original"

He handed it to me with a smile. I took it from him and stared at the top. I could already feel the heat in my cheeks. Creator I barely know anything in this world.

"How do you open it.."

I hesitated. He took the can from me and showed me to lift up the thing on top until it opened.

I nodded and took it from him, opening it all the way. I took a sip and tried to force down a smile at the flavor. Lucas took another sip of his monster as I set mine down to finish the Long John.

"So Toa, tell me about yourself"

"Hm?"

"I don't know much about you other then that your a gorgeous prince from another dimension with a sweet tooth"

I blushed at the compliment and looked away from him.

"I also know your a messy eater"

"Huh?"

He laughed a little before using his thumb to swipe some whip cream off my face. Embarrassed, yet again, I looked at the floor as I wiped my hands on a napkin.

"You don't have to be embarrassed y'know, I'm only teasing"

I glanced at him and he smiled.

That stupid charming smile of his only made me even more flustered.

I just met him for crying out loud, how is he so calm about this.

Ive never been this nervous around anyone! Ever!

It must just be because I know almost nothing about this world. I'm so used to knowing everything that it's embarrassing that I don't.

I took a sip of the monster he gave me to calm my nerves. He brushed a lock of hair out of my face.

"I meant what I said by the way, you truly are the most beautiful person I've ever met.."

he hummed, not paying any mind to the bright shade of red which is now my face.

"Your not to bad yourself.."

I muttered, hoping he wouldn't hear me. But he did.

"Thank you Toa,"

he took my hand and kissed it as though he was the prince here and I was a princess,

"We should go get you a phone so I can get your number"

He winked before pulling me over to the door and opening it. He held it open for me and locked it behind himself. We walked over to his car and hopped in.

When he noticed me struggling to do up my seatbelt with one hand and took my drink from me. He put it in the cup holder I, somehow, hadn't realized was there.

I quickly did up my seatbelt and he started the car.

*********

About half an hour later we arrived at a giant building Lucas called 'The Mall'. We walked around for a bit, as I gawked at all the shops and just the sheer size of the place.

"It's nearly as big as my palace back home.."

I recalled, Lucas turned to me and smiled.

"Might wanna be careful who you share that information to, there's only one really well known royale family in this world"

I nodded, remembering how Avery told us about Queen Elizabeth II.

"Avery said that the queen is immortal"

Lucas burst out laughing,

"Well she is quite old, gotta be in her 90's at the very least."

Lucas guided me over to a store called 'Apple Store' with a bitten apple as its symbol. We went in and started looking through all the phones to find one I liked.

We ended up getting the IPhone 12 Pro Max. It was quite expensive so I tried to convince Lucas to let me pay but he refused. On the way back to the apartment I sulked and stared out the window.

"Are you really that mad I didn't let you pay?"

Lucas said with a soft laugh

"I don't like people buying me stuff, especially not expensive stuff like this."

I muttered, staring at the iPhone box in my lap.

"Well, better get used to it, because I'll be doing it alot from now on."

he said with a wink.

"Absolutely not!"

I exclaimed which earned anotheraugh from Lucas. I scowled at him and turned back to the window for the rest of the ride to Averys apartment.

********

This is just pt. 1 dw ✨

[highflyerwings]

also I know a lot of people have said it makes gaon "more human" or have played it off by dubbing him a himbo (can't deny the allegation at all tho) but honestly I really wish that gaon's support for yohan through the major part of the series wasn't like 'you should reconsider, yh isn't the cold blooded monster you all think he is, he has his reasons' and then immediately dragging yh back to square one when a slightly dubious situation arises. Esp after that iconic scene where he left the professor for good it seemed and then drove away with yh, I was like finally we're past the constant trust issues maybe now gaon will have standards his ground in supporting yh. And I get yh isn't entirely blameless here either, keeping your 'side-kick'in the dark about so many details isn't gonna bid well, but then wasn't that trust what yh was looking for in the first place, that gaon was supposedly had come to solidify? I'm sorry, I'm just a bit frustrated with gaon's constantly standing up for yohan but not being g able maintain his support ground till they both had to take such heavy hits in the end (yohan in jail and gaon left alone to correct things) I feel like the main flaw here was that yohan was too sure that gaon understood him perfectly enough to look past what he personally disagreed with too, it kinda became very apparent to me when yohan pretty much told gaon that he has to choose him over soohyun name d gaon's reaction through it all, I think yh overestimates gaon and gaon's understanding of him

-tdj anon

OK SO.

I know this has already been debated back and forth (and pretty heatedly), so I know I'm not saying anything someone else hasn't already said, and I know I'm (potentially) going to upset people who will have something to say that I've already heard.

BUT WITH THAT DISCLAIMER. Let's get into this.

I truly think the base issue with Yohan and Gaon was simply a lack of communication. And I don't know whether to be more frustrated at the characters or the writer for that. Because part of me thinks the miscommunication was just a plot device, and honestly?...that's lame.

Miscommunication is such a huge trope in Kdramas. The two leads always find themselves in some big blowout over a (usually extremely simple) misunderstanding. Something that could have easily been cleared up if they had just talked to each other. And I know that's not just a kdrama thing. It's a common plot device in a lot of forms of media. But that doesn't make it any less frustrating to watch. It's unsatisfying. There's nothing cathartic about a misunderstanding (especially one that has drastic consequences, especially one that happens repeatedly, like with Gaon).

But let's say it wasn't a plot device. Let's say these characters followed every path they thought was logical and right and none of the decisions they made were used solely for a dramatic climax.

My BIGGEST ISSUE is that Gaon never asked Yohan directly about anything. He made passive aggressive jabs, he outright accused, he did everything BUT ask Yohan to just tell him what he was thinking. He never asked Yohan "Just tell me what's going on. Tell me why you're doing this." Not even when they were seemingly on the same page for a brief period of time, when Yohan introduced Gaon to the rest of his little Leverage crew, when it was Yohan and Gaon side by side on the road to justice via any means necessary. Gaon never once spoke up and asked for the very thing he was allowed: an explanation; a direct access to the details of Yohan's plans and the true motivation behind them. Instead he just jumped to conclusions.

But I think you bring up an interesting point. Yohan very much overestimates Gaon's understanding of him. Yohan wrongly assumed they were ever on the same page. Gaon was on his way to being Team Yohan, but he never quite got there. Not until it was too late and the worst had already happened. And Yohan either didn't realize that, or didn't want to admit it. He hooked Gaon a little bit, and he got carried away with that thought.

And Gaon was far too conflicted to see anything outside of his own moral upset. He was too busy putting together some giant jigsaw puzzle that he didn't even know the final picture of. He was grasping for anything he could get his hands on, and I can't blame him for that, but I also...it's frustrating, like you said. It's frustrating to watch this story unfold from multiple perspectives, to know just enough that you see Gaon make these dumb fucking decisions, and it's so easy to get angry at him.

So you're watching this person make these dumb fucking decisions, when he could instead just ask Yohan, just fucking ask him, beg him if you have to, to tell you what's going on. To be honest and say "I can't be with you 100% if you aren't up front with me." Because that's also another one of Yohan's faults. He never lied to Gaon, but he was never up front with him about the details. He kept things hidden because he wanted to, or thought he had to, and that just added to the overall confusion. Yohan knew how conflicted Gaon was, but he did the annoying teacher thing of "Can you explain why that answer is wrong?" He was leaving so much up to Gaon's own free will, he didn't realize he was being far too cryptic and withholding of the important details, Gaon had literally no way of getting from Point A to Point B.

So I can't hold Gaon's actions against him, but that doesn't mean I can't think he's a stupid fucking idiot for some of the things he does. The thing that sticks out most in my mind, is when he finds Joseph dead, and calls Yohan from Joseph's cell phone. He had a shoddy path of dots leading up to that point that were just barely connected, like with the shittiest string, and he heard Yohan pick up on the other end of the line, and after everything, without asking ANY QUESTIONS, he immediately jumps to the worst possible conclusion. And a lot of people watch this scene and feel heartbroken for Gaon. Oh my god the pain he must have felt. The struggle in that moment. And I'm just...THAT BITCH JUST JUMPED TO A FUCKING CONCLUSION. Like I've rewatched that scene so many times, and even viewing everything solely from Gaon's perspective, I still don't understand how he jumped to that conclusion. I will never not think that was the stupidest fucking thing he did. And it lead to the most disastrous results.

We joke about the shit detective Gaon would have made, but my god, that is not without some solid fucking ground. Gaon's inward struggles are not to be overlooked, and I sympathize with him as much as possible, but just because someone is battling with a clusterfuck of emotions and internal moral struggle, does not mean they aren't accountable for things. Too many people call Gaon naive. But too many people also excuse his dumb decisions with "He was going through so much," "His entire world was crumbling," "He'd lost his only moral compass, and was battling with his emotions for Yohan and whatever conflicting feelings he had for Soohyun," and "He was just doing the best with the information he had," and ALL OF THOSE THINGS ARE CORRECT. Everyone is right when they say those things. But that doesn't mean Gaon is blameless in all of this when it comes to his relationship with Yohan and his involvement in the events that happened.

A relationship has two people. There are always two perspectives, two opinions, two emotions, two goals, and none of those things always line up, but you always have to communicate with your partner if you don't want things to get truly good and fucked up in the end.

And neither Yohan or Gaon truly communicated in the way they actually needed to. And look where it lead. And that scene in ep15 where Gaon is so utterly, completely broken, it's devastating, and my heart breaks for him, but like. Babyboy, you played a very big part in getting here. Let's not forget that.

[sebastianshaw]

Since you’re the only Marvel blog I know who seems to know anything about the comics Eternals, who would you pick to fight who in the X-Men? Based off the Sersi vs Emma idea.

HMMM Ok, so since Emma vs Sersi is the basic "fight your counterpart" routine, I'm gonna pick based on that. Even though, if we're being logical, it makes more sense to fight someone who is going to be weak against your particular abilities, than someone who is extremely similar to you. Okay, so Sersi vs Emma is a natural pick in terms of their personalities, if not exactly their abilities. Ajak vs Exodus because they're both the religious extremists of their groups. Ikaris vs Cyclops, because they're very much the classic heroes of their bunches plus eye beams. I mean, all Eternals have eye beams, but Ikaris is kinda iconic with them. Phastos vs Forge, battle of the builders. Thena is a very physical noble warrior type, so I'd send her against Colossus Gilgamesh is too, and he's also so devoted to humanity that he kills his own kind if he feels they've hurt humans enough to deserve it. Whereas Shaw is so selfish he fucks over his own kind and sells them out to humans for his benefit. So between that interesting mirror plus their respective"beat the shit out stuff" combat styles , seems a fun match. Sprite's an illusionist first and foremost, so her natural opponent would be one of the Mastermind fam, maybe all three of them together. Family time! Kingo I'm having a hard time with, since he's one of the few Eternals where I don't know much about his comic version. He is still a movie star in the comics though, just for samurai movies since the comic version has the appearance of an East Asian man, and that theatricality plus the fact he knows how to use a sword makes me say his counterpart is def Nightcrawler. Zuras is the leader of the Eternals most of the time, but also rarely fights himself despite not seeming weak per se. His unique power is that he was originally the only Eternal known to be capable of initiating the creation of the Uni-Mind, causing the consciousness of all Eternals to merge into one being. So, that's a huge psychic power (even though Zuras on his own is only a low-level telepath) and he's the older guy in charge who nonetheless usually hangs back and gives commands, so I'm gonna say he goes up against Xavier with the power of the Uni-Mind backing him. Druig is a manipulative self-serving usurping backstabbing sadistic dickbag who is also an illusionist and a telepath with a special talent for psychically pinpointing someone's greatest fear and then forcing them to experience it mentally as a living nightmare, and he can also take control of people's minds. The "makes people experience their greatest fear" makes me think of Moonstar, being the backstabbing traitor always seeking power makes me think of Fabian Cortez, but I think I'd match him against Sinister. They've got fairly similar powers once you factor in all the other default abilities that every Eternal has (super strength, super durability, etc) and their equally awful and cunning personalities. Makkari is a speedster so I guess the Beaubier twins would be her opponents, as I don't see Pietro showing up to throw down for Krakoa. Legba hangs out at the Green Lagoon and samples the drinks and flirts while all these fools fight, and Cybele just enjoys the Krakoan greenery because she's a nature-lover non-combatant who stays out of everything.

ETA: also there’s loads of other comics-only Eternals besides Legba, Zuras, and Cybele, but I thought I’d mostly go with the most relevant comics ones that the stories tend to be about, which is basically the movie cast plus Zuras, Legba too in Knauf’s run, and then also I threw in Cybele because she’s just my fave.

ETA 2: oh and Vampiro vs Logan entirely because Vampiro has the same mask shape

ETA 3: Pixie vs Pixie for the name

[gaybarbiegirl]

00s Barbie rewatch - The Barbie Diaries (2006)

I'm low key scared of rewatching this one

For context, I've only watched this movie one time in my life, right as it came out. I was so scared of the way the characters looked that I spent the whole movie on the verge of tears and asked my mom to give away the DVD as soon as it was over

In my defense, I was four

Here we go with the animation, I'm not sure I'm ready for this

Are there ghosts in her hair?

BLONDE RAQUELLE BLONDE RAQUELLE THIS IS CURSED

Wait what is this am I having a stroke?

This movie has narration? Since when?

WHAT IS THIS WHAT IS THIS WHAT IS THIS

We're less than 10 minutes into this movie and it already feels like the biggest fever dream I've ever had

"Tia is the hot intellectual one"? Does drummer girl have a crush?

Was that a sex joke?

Is Barbie gonna be having pink tinted strokes for the entire movie?

Barbie's taste in men is... questionable

Listen, I've always been a Raquelle apologist, but in this movie she's just getting on my nerves

That settles it, I ship Barbie's friends now

That dress is pretty ugly, honestly

That mall lady is way too intense. She's opening up about her high school days, calling three teenage girls she just met her sisters, and giving them free stuff from the store, all in the span of 5 minutes. I'm a little scared

Wait, what? Why does this one complimentary bracelet also come with a complimentary diary? That makes 0 sense

WHAT'S HAPPENING?? AM I HAVING A STROKE RIGHT NOW??

You know what, I'm starting to think four year old me had the right idea about this movie

Did we really need this chase sequence?

Yeah, this Barbie is a bad friend. She only talks about her own wishes and her own troubles, and her self deprecation makes her put down her friends as well as herself (like, constantly saying "we're nobody", "no one cares about us", etc.)

Kevin is creepy

The popular girls weren't that mean, actually

Why can't you just wait until the end of the class to reapply your lipgloss? It just seems like less work than coming up with a highlighter-lipgloss gadget, you know?

That poem is... not good

Once again, Barbie, please get a new taste in men

Why do people want this highlighter thing? Just wait 40 minutes to reapply, it's not a big deal

Wow, she's got her boots right on the bed

Barbie is that middle school kid who thinks they have superpowers because one time they blinked right before a thunder cracked during a storm

OK WHO WAS THAT MALL GIRL? She already gave me weird vibes before, now I'm actually concerned

Barbie's plan really is "I'm gonna stab my friends in the back so that I can befriend these new girls and then stab them in the back"

Honestly, I'm on the popular girls' side on this. Barbie was a huge jerk

HELP HELP HELP

Am I stroking out again?

Four year old me, sweetie, I'm so sorry I questioned your judgement, I'm so sorry

I don't really like Barbie in this movie. She's super self centered and has no self awareness

This speech came out of nowhere. She had no emotional moment where she realised she was wrong, you know?

"I just hope they find a way to forgive me" how about apologizing?

What makes you think that bracelet was lucky? It only ever brought you trouble

"Just to set the record straight, I do wash my clothes" oh my god Tia, what an icon

The friends were the best part of the movie

This animation was cursed enough when the characters were just walking around, I was not emotionally prepared to see them dancing

Their friendgroup is officially just two couples in a trench coat now (Tia x Courtney and Barbie x Kevin)

The bracelet and the diary were both really pointless

Final thoughts:

Ok, I have a confession here: I'm not a big fan of the Barbie as herself movies. Like, not at all. I think they lack most of the things I love about the other Barbie movies, like the magic, the whimsical feeling, the beautiful fantasy worlds, etc. I think my favorite Barbie as herself movies are Fashion Fairytale and Fairy Secret, and even then, I like them but I wouldn't say I love them, you know? So yeah, as you can imagine, this movie was also not my thing.

We had some good memes, and I liked the friend characters, but that's honestly all the praise I have. Other than that, the movie didn't really have a plot, their depiction of high school was really cliche, and the movie was full of elements that didn't make any sense and added nothing to the story. And all I have to say about the animation is thank god they only kept this style for one movie.

So yeah, I'm not really feeling this one. I understand why this movie had a sort of renaissance recently, because you can't deny the memes were good, but overall it's just not for me.

[queen-of-my-goofball-army]

"Back when we were children neither the boss nor Hikaru and I had many friends to speak of. Now he just wants to enjoy what he has for as long as he can. I can't blame him. But still one of these days it'll turn back into that same old crappy pumpkin again..." (Kaoru Hitachiin Ouran High School Host Club.)

Can I just tell you that this edit was probably one of the biggest pains in my ass that I've ever tried to do? Mostly because for most people it's hard to tell the difference between Hikaru and Kaoru look wise so I had to be sure that I was looking at pictures of the twin that I wanted to use. For most of these pictures it was just the luck of the draw and if one of them is accidentally Hikaru then I apologize LMAO I did my best.

I'm sure that for most people this edit will come as a huge surprise. Mostly because "Dot you love Tamaki you can only have one favorite host and leave the rest for the rest of us fangirls." While that is true I'm going to drop some knowledge on you people. I loved all the hosts in Ouran equally just about. But Tamaki and Kaoru were always my favorites in very different ways. With Kaoru most of the time I just wanted to be his best friend and to lend a listening ear. I wanted to be a shoulder for him to lean on. I know how difficult change can be. Change isn't an easy thing to grapple with especially when you're young and going through it.

When I was 12 I had just finished Fruits Basket. I wanted another romantic show to help fill that void. This show out of pure luck appeared on my recommended on Netflix and I gave the first episode a watch. Ever since then I've never looked back. Everything about Ouran is amazing but what has kept me coming back for rewatches is these characters. Each of them is so iconic and different from each other that it's hard to have just one solo favorite. I wound up having one platonic fave and one that stole my heart. But we're here to talk about my platonic fave.

To me, Kaoru is one of the kindest people in the whole show. He's one of the few that wears his heart on his sleeve. He doesn't often let his emotions get the better of him preferring to hide behind a smarmy grin and a playful joke. But when he's serious is when his true colors show. He's the more emotional characters that aren't Tamaki or Haruhi where I actually understood where he was coming from. Hikaru was everything to him. That was his best friend since literally birth and he felt that he was no longer needed and necessary in his life. But he wasn't angry or bitter about it. Instead he was so happy for his brother because he was letting another person into his life. Somebody that was different from everyone that they had ever encountered.

Kaoru while often the joking and playful type he would do literally *anything* for the people in his life. He never had friends before the Host club. It was always just him and Hikaru as children. This just means that he treasures the people that he has in his circle now. My favorite relationship was definitely his unique bond that he had with Kyoya. Funnily enough Kyoya was the other partner in both of my favorite ships (I also love Tamaki and Kyoya thanks to my best friend Pino. She's one of the few people that has ever agreed with me on the fact that they had a really amazing dynamic that just hit different) the other one is Kyoya with Kaoru. The older I got the more I was like "Huh I really love them together."

Growing up, I was often alone. After my best friend had to move away I was somehow even lonelier than I started off. But in everything, every lonely day, I just grew to become stronger. I love my middle school days looking back upon them, even though I struggled, I learned so much about myself. Kaoru became one of the most relatable characters that I ever came across. He warmed my heart and I still love him to this very day. Of all my comfort characters, he's one of the ones that I rely on the most for relatability. He's like an old friend of mine even though he's fictional. He's just somebody that I found a lot of affection in. It might not make sense to a lot of people but to me that's their problem not mine.

[speaking-from-the-abyss]

Hey uh, in all seriousness, can we talk about the implications of the most recent Pokémon ship? (bear with me this is a LONG post)

I'm talking about this two:

Ok so, to put in context:

A few weeks ago the most recent Pokémon season started -called only Pokémon (2019) but we all know is Pokémon Sword and Shield-. And since episode 2 internet has exploded with people shipping Ash with the new co-protagonist, Go. I've seen this specially on Twitter, but also here in Tumblr and there's no doubt in other sites the ship is also present.

Now, I'm not a super big fan of Pokémon, but I've been around quite enough time to know that two or so seasons ago there was this girl called Serena who was supposed to be the "real" couple for Ash, like, the "cannonical partner" or something, because she was the first girl co-protagonist who actually had a crush on him and they kissed and whatnot.

Because of this a lot of people have been wondering why we never see nor hear anything about her and her relationship with Ash again (I didn't watch Sun and Moon so maybe I'm wrong). And now we have Go, and their interactions have been good enough to make people ship them so hard and so fast that it surprised even me - literally after episode 2 came out.

But not only that. At least from what I know, Go is a non binary kid (they were described as agender) so even if the translation subtitles uses the pronouns he/his with them, that's inaccurate, because they're not a boy (I could be wrong because I've seen people and websites calling them both agender and male, but for the sake of this post I'll refer to them as NB. Does anyone has the canon facts?). And that gives the opportunity for the ship to actually become canon without the assumption that's a gay ship because tecnically one of them is not a boy. It sounds as a stretch, but... y'know, it could totally happen.

Let's be honest: we all se the chemistry between the two. And we all know, deep down inside our hearts, that the series is probably not gonna go in romantic direction with them. They're most likely to develop a friends/rivals relationship with admiration for each other, because romance has never been a genre/topic we associate with Pokémon. But for just a second, for just a tiiiny little second, let's believe the confirmation of the ship as canon totally happens in the future. Can you imagine it? That'd be amazing.

First off, because we're talking about the confirmation that the protagonist of a series as iconic as Pokémon is LGBTQA (we can later discuss if this would make Ash bi or pan or gay or whatever). We have to remember that, despite the large demography in ages of people who watch Pokémon, it's still a show mostly directed towards kids. With this, we're giving kids someone in an anime who they can identify with, which is super important for the whole process of realization, understanding and acceptance they could be going trhough. But this doesn't aply only for kids, because this process is not something everyone experiences during childhood: the teens, the young adults and even the adults could find a situation they can feel close to. And it's beign represented not in an underground series that nobody knows about, but in fricking Pokémon. And they're not characters who are extras and don't even appear that much: they're the fricking protagonists.

Of fricking Pokémon. Pokémon. We're talking about a 20+ years long series, with tons of fans all around the globe and an impressive influence in pop culture. I dunno about other people, but at least for me it would mean so much to know that the protagonist of this incredible huge franchise, good ol' Ash, was a LGBTQA character.

But of course, ONLY IF they develop this topic in a sensible and serious way that's natural instead of forcing it just to go with the trend.

Second, because if they really wanna go down that path, they can address really important things, like the slowly realization of the both about liking the other as more as a friend. And this is important because we have to remember that both Ash and Go are still kids, so this whole process is new to them: to discover love, to have a person you like, to experiment all the insecurities, fears and distress it can cause, as well as all the joy and happiness. Love by itself it's pretty complex, specially the first one because you have no idea what to do or what you're even feeling, but if we add to the mix the fact that you're falling for someone you're not supposed to by the terms of society, then things are even more complicated.

But you know what? All of this is extremely normal. Thinking "why am I feeling like this?" is normal. Thinking "why do I feel like this if he's a boy?" is normal. Just asking "Why?" and not knowing what to do is extremely normal. And they're kids, so it's even more normal for them to not know what to do next or how to manage those emotions. For people that are discovering their sexuality it's also really normal to ask these questions. Realization is never easy or pleasant, and it requires a lot of time, but it's crucial for acceptance. So if they actually go in a romantic way with those two, it'd be awesome if they talk about these kinds of things in a sensitive way.

And third, because we're talking about representation here. Ash could be gay or bi or pan (again, we'll discuss that later, depending on the development of the series) but Go is -for what I know- non binary. We have a non binary child as a co-protagonist in fricking heckin' Pokémon.

Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but i believe this is the first time in the history of the Pokémon anime this happens. Heck, even in the history of the whole franchise. And I'm just. So happy for that. I'm cis, but I have heard and read a bunch about NB people, and we can all agree is one of the identities that has less representation than almost any other, just because is so hard for us as a society to understand that not everyone has to be a boy or a girl. They don't have to "pick a side" and stay there forever. I guess it resonates with me since i'm bi, so beign told that "it's just a phase" or "sooner or later you're gonna pick one" really pisses me.

But anyways, back to the point, which is I'm so happy to see more representation of NB people. Good job guys, let's keep it up.

Now, we have to understand that, right now, the ship it's really not a big deal. Sure we have fun and we ship them and we all see how well they relationship would go, but because this is Pokémon, it's really unlikely to happen. But if it does happen, if, against everything, we get to live in a timeline where Ash and Go end up as a couple in canon, well oh boy oh boy,

hell's gonna break loose.

In all ways posibles. There would be people who love it and people who hate it, and the controversy would be extremely high, with people defending and other damning this development. And there'd be also the ones who would just enjoy the chaos with popcorn like me. But, honestly, it's a risky move for the franchise: it could go extremely well or extremely bad. I guess it will all depend in what kind of story they want to tell this time because, as far as I know, we're not having the usual "Ash enters the league and tries to win it" thing.

Only time will tell.

[escapingpost]

Five Things Everyone Knows (Final)

Part 1: Five Things I Know About Cho Seungyoun 

Sequel: Five Things Cho Seungyoun Knows About You

Suggestive and language warning.

The kiss in the alleyway would have been the cherry on top for this mess of romantic comedy. It would be the turning point of the plot where the next few scenes were merely a fast-forwarded, shortened down versions of what would be to come with your perfect “friends to lovers” relationship.

But, you were hit with the reminder that this was not an actual romantic comedy and reality is much harsher.

The next day, you woke up from a text from yours truly telling you that the girl he was texting ages ago finally got back to him. They were going on a date this weekend.

Your mind went through different thoughts in a span of one minute:

Were the two of you that drunk yesterday? If that was the case, you would have a hangover. And Seungyoun? You were sure he was too busy making Hangyul drunk to drink himself.

Were you just dreaming? No, your hair definitely smelled of rain water and you could still almost feel Seungyoun’s strong arms around your waist.

Then, what the hell was this?

As if answering your thoughts, Seungyoun sends another text message.

younie: I smell like sewage right now. What even happened last night.

And with that one text message, you were brought back to the reality of romantic relationships in your twenties.

Romance was dead and so were your feelings.

NOT my best friend: Dumbass, how am I suppose to know.

“I can’t believe you did that.” Woohyun was currently hovering over Seungyoun on the couch as Seungyoun holds his phone out of his reach. Woohyun gets up and dusts himself off. “Have fun being lonely. I’m rooting for Hangyul.”

“Wait, Woohyun.” Seungyoun also gets up from his couch. “I’m sorry. I just, I can’t do it.”

“Seungyoun, what do you mean, you can’t?” Woohyun says trying to keep calm. Him and the guys did the most to get Seungyoun to realize his feelings, but when he actually does, it backfires.

“I don’t want to mess us up.” Seungyoun says, avoiding Woohyun’s gaze.

“You know the feeling is mutual, so why?” Woohyun asks.

Seungyoun takes out a few crinkled pieces of paper from the small trash in his studio. He takes the first crumple piece of paper and hands it to Woohyun.

Woohyun looks at Seungyoun weirdly before unfolding it and reading his chicken scratch writing.

I wish you happiness

It's okay if it's not me

I don't think I'm good enough for you

We're so different

Woohyun takes the rest of the crinkled papers and unfolds them.

Tell me you're tired of me

Tell me you're seeing someone else

For me, even just a little bit

To hate you, just lie to me

Woohyun stops reading and crumples the paper into its original state, “This is different from the last time. You know it.”

“We’ve been best friends for years. I just can’t risk that.” Seungyoun looks down, his fringe hiding his eyes.

And Woohyun could not think of a comeback with Seungyoun looking like he already lost the most precious thing in his life.

“You know, its true what they say about musicians. You are all creative, crazy messes.” Woohyun says with a huge sigh.

Which brings us to the first thing everyone now knows: 1) Seungyoun, for a fact, has slight commitment issues.

A week passes by after the night with Seungyoun. You try your best to avoid him, but he stuck to you like nothing had happened. Sure, it was only the alcohol that made him do it and the reason why he could not remember. But, he should take some sort of responsibility, right?

The day of his date with the girl, you went to a library to study for your classes, but the silence was worse. It only made your sad thoughts louder. Letting out a deep sigh, you run your fingers through your hair and leave the quiet room.

“Hey!” Before you could start walking down the staircase to the lobby, a familiar voice calls your name.

You close your eyes. You knew exactly who it was and he was probably the second person you did not want to run into. Quickly changing your expression into a neutral one, you turn around to him, “Hey, Hangyul.”

Long story, short: You and Hangyul did go on a date. You actually had more fun than you thought and he said he would call you back, but never did. When he did end up calling you for a second date, the two of you still had unfinished business. Seungyoun crashed your second date before the two of you could talk about it.

Hangyul scratches the back of his neck, a habit of his whenever he felt uneasy. Your fake expression was apparent to his eyes, “Do you want to go to a cafe? I hated the silence in that library.”

You said yes and maybe it was the fact you wanted to show up Seungyoun for being on a date. Or, it might have been that you believed Hangyul was a nice, decent guy so he deserved some sort of explanation.

“I just wanted to say sorry for everything.” Hangyul says with a soft smile.

“Sorry about what?” The warm tea hits your throat and it calms your nerves.

“Sorry about not calling you when I said I would.”

You let out a petty laugh, “So you did know.”

Hangyul moves in closer, “Of course, I did. I was just confused and needed time to think.”

You purse your lips, “Well, I’m sorry for taking Seungyoun along on our second date.” You look down at your cup of tea.

Hangyul plays with the straw of his smoothie, unsure of what to say.

“It was a dumb decision.” You add.

“Did something happen?” Hangyul carefully asks.

You shrug, not wanting to think about it, still looking down.

Hangyul takes a deep breath and lowers his head so he was in your peripheral view, “Hey, to be honest, I wasn’t sure if you were actually available.”

You are forced to return his gaze, his face a little closer than a few minutes ago, “What do you mean?”

“I know you don’t have a boyfriend.” Hangyul was now staring at you intently with a soft expression, “But, on our first date, it didn’t seem like you were emotionally available.”

And that’s exactly what everyone thought: 2) No one else was really good enough for you, but him.

The guy with cute dimples? You preferred adorable rabbit teeth. The talented vocalist? A high-toned voice with the duality of IU’s ballads and Flowsik’s rapping was more your genre. The possible future president of the country? How about the person who you trust all your secrets, dreams, and inside jokes with?

As exaggerated as it was, Seungyoun just started to infiltrate your mind with no invitation.

You gulp and slowly nod your head, “Sorry, Hangyul.”

Hangyul feels a heavy weight lifted from his shoulders and he gives you an assuring smile, “We’re good.” He pats the side of your head.

You return his smile, feeling ten times better.

"I’m not sure what happened with you and Seungyoun, but if you want, I’m meeting with him later with the guys. Maybe you want to come?”

Your ears perk up at hearing his name, “Wait, Seungyoun is hanging out with you later?”

“Yeah, Seungyoun and some other people from the Taekwondo club.”

‘What about his date?’ You think. ‘Did that brat lie to me?’ You add. Did you not just have a small monologue on how great he was?

Hangyul calls out your name.

You snap back to reality, “Oh sorry, why don’t you text me the address and I’ll meet you there?”

The night was a little colder when it was predicted to be a warm summer night. Mercury was in retrograde or something along the lines of a pseudoscience explanation. 3) Everyone just knew it was going to be an interesting night.

“You like to hurt your own feelings?” Dohyun scratches his head.

“Masochism. Its called masochism.”

“Yohan, shut it. Don’t teach him that.” Hangyul rubbed his temples.

“Well, at least you’re better off than Seungyoun. He didn’t even give closure. He completely made his whole friendship awkward as hell.”

Hangyul blows out air from his nostrils. He wanted to keep it a secret and was not planning on inviting you to see Seungyoun. It was his chance to ask you out for a third date. But, taking advantage of your vulnerable state was the last thing he wanted to do.

Yohan hands Hangyul his black jacket, “Here, buddy. At least look cool while setting up the two idiots.”

Hangyul turns to Dohyon, “Don’t you dare learn from Yohan.” Hangyul moves closer to whisper in Yohan’s ear, “Yohan thinks he’s some sex god.”

Yohan has an appalled and disgusted look on his face, “A dude grinds on the floor one time and automatically becomes the icon of greasiness.”

Hangyul receives a text message alert and stops their conversation.

soju girl: Hey, I’m already here. My phone’s on vibrate so just text me when you get here! Too loud to take a call :(

“Lets go, idiot three.” Yohan puts his arms around Hangyul.

hangyul: see you soon

You bite down on your bottom lip and pull down on the short black dress that you wished did not sacrifice to cover either your chest or thighs. It was one or the other. You furiously shake your head to get some sense in you, “I need a drink.” Or not.

One drink turned into two, then three, then four and it all went downhill from there. The last sober thought you had was the fact that you could change your social media addiction and put your energy in making a blog about the wonders of alcohol.

“Close her tab.” you hear a voice and the person has reached over the counter. That was weird because you only conditioned yourself to listen to one specific voice through a loud bass of music.

“Oh? Its my best friend, Cho Seungyoun.” your voice slurs and you see he is confused because he can’t hear anything through the music and you made no effort to talk over them music. Seungyoun quickly scans your state and has you wear his oversized bomber jacket. You do not put up a fight while he quickly zips up the jacket. “Am I your date for tonight?” You say with no energy or volume.

Seungyoun gets to eye level with you and smiles, “Lets go.” He mouths.

The unapologetic smile, his eyes that assured you that your were safe, and his eyebrows that drooped in worry made you furious. The alcohol spoke and made the decision for you, “Fuck that.” You push him away and stagger through the dance floor.

And Seungyoun never felt so awkward trying to keep you away from other people on the dance floor while still remaining a sinful centimeter away from you and that miniature piece of fabric people called a dress.

His eyes darted around to catch the glimpses of other people on the dance floor to make sure they knew you were with him. Just when he thought people were getting the hint, a stranger attaches himself behind you.

He quickly snakes his hand around your waist and pulls you into a secure hold, turning your whole body like a tango move.

You continue to shamelessly dance, not giving a two coins because all you could see are the blurry lights, your mind was still buzzed, and whose ever arm was around you felt too good.

No matter how much he tried, there was only one answer to your shenanigans.

If you can’t beat them, join ‘em.

Seungyoun brings you into his chest as close as humanely possible and lays his hands on your hips as you two dance. He can only catch glimpses of your face, but when he did see you through the club lights, the look on your face got to him.

Your eyes were no longer the awake eyes that he could see from a distance away. Your eyes were half-lidded and seductive. Your baby hairs stuck to the side of your face and your cheeks flushed pink.

Then, Seungyoun’s ears were blocked as if he had water stuck in them. Your mouth was moving, but he could not understand what was happening anymore. The loud bass drowns out any reasonable thoughts.

Seungyoun did not drink any alcohol that night.

But, he got the same sweet alcohol on the tip of your tongue and caught the same alcohol buzz.

When Hangyul left the club that night and did not get to see you or Seungyoun, it was already a given: 4) The literal climax of the story that everyone would know of.

By the time you were all partied out and the two of you got to his apartment, the alcohol high wore off, but neither of Seungyoun’s or your hormones did.

The conversation was said through messy kisses, but it went something along the lines of Seungyoun apologizing for being a coward and a liar. Then, you try to say something back, but whatever he was doing down there did not help you form a coherent thought.

It was the climax that happened in Seungyoun’s small studio, both emotionally and physically.

Finally, it was the scene before everything fell into place. At least, as much as reality allowed you to.

“That dress wasn’t going to cover anything.” It was the morning after and you did not wake up glamorously. It was a good thing Seungyoun always saw you like that and nothing about his feelings changed. He laid on the couch and watched you find your stuff that was lost in the hurricane.

“Yeah, but your sweater will.” You quickly slip into it a sweater that he left hanging on his chair and Seungyoun curses in his mind for being weak to the cold.

“Wanna get breakfast?” Seungyoun sits up and also looks around for his lost t-shirt.

“Not like this.”

“I can pick something up from the convenience store.” Seungyoun finally finds his clothing piled up on the side of the couch.

You two only had to be apart for ten minutes, but Seungyoun was running back from the store like he left a stove on.

Also, you had no idea what you were getting yourself into until Seungyoun drops the food on his small desk and starts to make his way towards you. Alert, you hold him back with one finger, which stops him for a grueling second until he picks you up like a bride and lays you down on the couch.

You always thought Seungyoun looked like a rabbit with his two front teeth. Now, he looks like a tiger creeping up on his pray (read: you). You were quickly reminded Seungyoun was actually a bear because he pulls you into a warm hug as the two of you lay on his couch.

“There’s not enough space, so we have to stick as close a possible.” Seungyoun is breathing down your neck and you were not sure if it was on purpose.

You stir in his arms and he looks at you.

The images of you two playing tongue hockey in the middle of the dance floor flashes through your mind and you wanted to dig a tunnel into the couch because this time, he was there to remember it.

Seungyoun bit back a silly smile.

“Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything?” He says with a smirk.

“Hey, we can’t tell anyone.” You are talking to his chest because you could not bear to look at him without being reminded of last night.

“Why not?” Seungyoun, on the other hand, had no shame and kept his eyes on you. “I swear, I was going to post this on my story.”

“Seungyoun!”

He gives you his cheeky, smiling eyes and presses his forehead on yours, “I’m sure every already knows.”

“That’s a little bit T.M.I, no?” You ask him.

“Not with them. They know everything.”

The two of you look at each other both thinking that everyone was weirdly invested in the two of you getting together. You and Seungyoun laugh knowing the same thought went through your head.

“I like you so much.” Seungyoun unconsciously says.

“I like you too.” You say making random shapes with your fingers on his chest. “Hey, um.” You finally muster up the courage to look at him.

“Yeah?” Seungyoun gives you his full attention.

You gather your arms and push him off the couch, “I’m hungry.”

Even if you were not hungry, Seungyoun’s scent was getting to your head and all the red flags went off.

He didn’t have to know that, though.

Months pass and you two are still together and annoying.

“Can you not?” You step on Seungyoun’s foot under the table.

“What?” Seungyoun moves his hand closer to your inner thigh, but you swat his hand off.

“Can you two just stay in Seungyoun’s studio? Forever.” Wooseok pretends to barf.

“We would, but the AC is broken.” Seungyoun shrugs.

You smack him on the side of his head.

“I don’t even want to sit on that damn couch now.” Seungwoo slowly shakes his head.

“Maybe it was better for you two to stay single.” Yohan taps on the table.

“Hey, I’m all for that.” Hangyul chuckles as he opens a bag of chips.

Seungyoun’s neck almost breaks turning to Hangyul, “If you eat chips like that, your fingers are going to stain.”

“Well, I’m gonna eat it with chopsticks.” Hangyul retorts.

“Where are the chopsticks, genius?” Seungyoun mocks Hangyul’s matter-of-fact tone.

Hangyul’s eye darts back and forth, until he sees you slipping him the chopsticks. “Here.”

Seungyoun makes a face at you, “Whose side are you on?”

You give him a chaste kiss and the self-proclaimed all rounder turns into one thing and it was the fifth and last thing everyone knew.

5) “Whipped.”

[bowl-of-shortness]

*Sending this anonymously since I'm not out* (please don't try to out me, I will cry. If you think you might know who I am, pls don't ask if you're right. I have anxiety and I'm scared to share this as is)

So what you said about being asexual and demiromantic and not feeling like you can contribute to conversations, I FELT that.

I feel like the only way to join conversations about attractive people is by lying. I feel so guilty because I have never figured out what else to do. They all just look like people?

I've literally created a checklist in my head of society's standards because I have no idea what else to judge on. Calling everyone beautiful feels so fake but to me they just... are. People are only "ugly" to me when they're mean. Like to me, beauty is based on personality and I dont understand how other people do it. How can you rate a face without a story? (Like I can only do that when I assume things about people's lives based on their looks??? And it's normally wrong assumptions because "don't judge people based off looks alone" is correct??? Yet people just... do this? Like "they're hot" but isn't that what you're not supposed to do, like???)

I recently came out to my best friends as ace, and even then, they still bring it up every time they're rating people or talking attractive characters, as in the "we know you have no opinion or whatever" and I hate it. Like now that they know I'm ace, it feels like they're actively pushing me out of conversations or want to see what an ace rates them as. (They wouldn't if I asked, but it's kinda fun to participate, I feel more normal. Even if I am just lying) I feel a bit uncomfortable rating people because they think it's based of asthetics but to me I'm just making up numbers. (Its less lying now that they know I'm not sexually attracted to people, but it still hurts. It's nice that they recognize I don't relate and I'm not banning a conversation topic, it just hurts and I'll just take it silently instead of making a fuss. I guess this is just what I was just born to endure, huh.)

Literally, people used to ask me if my ex (SO at the time) was cute or whatever and I always said yes. I was making it up because ya know, I didn't feel that way. I had NO sexual attraction to them but I sold that lie to be normal. I finally came to terms with the fact that I am asexual recently, almost a year to the date I broke up with the only SO I ever forced myself to have. (That tale is a tragedy and I have massive amounts of guilt for the lies I told them to sell that I was a normal hetero cis person. I did so much wrong by them and I hope someday I can forgive myself for it.)

I thought I was bi when I first let myself belive I'm not a normal straight because I felt the same level of attraction across the gender spectrum. (I accepted how I felt about the person of the opposite gender was a crush and then realized I felt the same way about someone of the same gender. That was a crisis) Zero equals zero, wasn't really lying.

Anyway, all that to say that:

You are valid and realateable AF. Conversations about attraction is so uncomfortable and isolating and I'm so thankful you're brave enough to bring it up

I'm also really trying to figure out if I'm panromantic, or demiromantic, or whatever and I'm unsure what to do. Why can't there just be an accurate uquiz.... :(

Like, I think I may be demi something because I have literally only ever had "crushes" on my best friends. I'm not 100% sure what a crush is, but I'm assuming that when I tell myself "don't think of your friends like that, that's wierd" that I'm just mad at myself for acquiring a crush on my bestie.

I have no one to talk to about this because they are firm believers in not dating friends (both have been burned) and I am terrified they'll find out that I can't imagine a relationship with anyone other than a best friend. Like what do I do? I'm so tired fam. I don't think they will be mad if I tell them I'm demi romantic (I'm currently going with panromantic since that just seems easier) and I'm scared they'll find out I realized my sexuality through crushed I had on them, since they're opposite genders and I've had the same "crush" on both of them.

Only wanting romance with friends is so hard because to most people, friends aren't for dating but for talking about potential dates and I hate it.

It's nice to know that I'm following a fellow ace person who gets the romantic struggle. I think you're an icon, and I'm glad that you're in a place where you can be out.

I know we're not close or anything, but I'm really happy to know that there's someone else out there who I can relate to when I can't say a word anywhere else. I hate keeping up the charade, but I'm not in the kind of place where I can drop it. If you're interested in my situation and why I'm forever closeted, I've got quite the tale. but I've ranted enough here. (I won't force my life story on you, I know you want a positive blog and this ramble isn't very positive. I can shut up and vanish if you never want to hear from me again)

Thanks for having your anons on <3

I wish I could dm you and just chat (if you were even interested) but I can't (IRL people know my Tumblr and I dont want to make a new one unless it's necessary.) If there's anything you wanna chat about, I hope I stumble across it on my dash. I hope its okay if I hide behind anon asks.

Thanks for representing people like me. Sorry for the ramble, I guess I needed to get more off my mind than I realized. Thanks for being a safe space to vibe for a while. It's nice to be around other, perfectly valid people like me. I look up to you in a sense ♡

(But seriously, if this is too much drama and you don't want me to do this again, you don't even need to post this I won't bother you again without your consent)

I- wow.

That’s really all I can say.

I’m very glad that you feel just as recognized here as an asexual as you should be. And I know what every single one of these struggles is like. Personally, I never Liked to force things onto myself which has been Both a blessing and a curse.

It’s great because I don’t have to deal with a relationship but over time people stop wanting to be around you for it. But eventually, I found a friend group who respected what I did and didn’t want to talk about. And unfortunately even though some people may be nice and friendly to you, that doesn’t mean that you and that person are going to click.

I think you might want to start being more open about not wanting to talk about these things when you’re around them, and if that’s scary and difficult, start small. I get it. But the more you stay quiet and the more morning is going to change.

So yea, I don’t mind the ask! I guess I didn’t even realize that me just openly existing as Aspec was a huge thing to a lot of people, so I’m glad I could help, I hope everything gets better for you anon. Have a lovely day/afternoon/evening 💖💖💖

[funknrolll]

Celebrating Prince: discovering a timeless artist and his meaningful and impactful art. Part 3. The legal battle against Warner Bros, The Gold Experience and Emancipation eras.

Hi music lovers, as I anticipated on monday, music addiction is going to celebrate Prince and his amazing and timeless work!! The article will be split into a few little articles. I hope you enjoy this new format and these articles!!

For some reasons I had to repost this article therefore the 4th part will be uploaded tomorrow✨ stay tuned for more✨

As I said yesterday, let me say that I have heard so many things about Prince’s artistry. Some comments came from uneducated people who did not even take a second of their lives to understand, and do research on his art. Hence, I think the time to shed some light on Prince’s art, has come (finally). I hope to help some of those people understand this artist better and to finally appreciate him the way he deserves. We owe Prince big time. Today’s music and musicians  owe Prince everything. Without him, many of the artists we listen to today, WOULD NOT BE EXISTING. As we all know, Prince loved to experiment with music, trying out new music genres, new styles, new harmonies, melodies, rhythms and so on. This is one of the factors that led this legend to create a unique, wide and broad vault. There are so many songs of his that I love so much and that I find relevant for this article. The ones I chose, are going to prove that Prince and his music did not just revolve around sex and sexuality, (even if the artist through his music took the topic to another whole level). Through the article, we will see that Prince was more than all that I mentioned above. He was an extraordinary human being, blessed with so many enormous talents, with a beautiful mind, a uniquely pure soul. A true gift of God. With this in mind, let us start this article.

This is the sequel of the 2 articles I posted yesterday, so in case you guys missed them, check the previous 2 out.

Before I continue with this article, it is important to mention the Prince’s fight against Warner Bros. I know this was a matter so close to his heart and he cared about that. Hence, I think there is the impellent need to explain the situation to spread awareness and to remind the huge efforts Prince made beside his beautiful music. Back in the 90s, the artist’s music was owned by the aforementioned record company, although Prince was the person who composed, wrote, and performed HIS music. The artist was extremely aware of the importance of owning his masters and therefore his music wanted to buy back the rights to his music from Warner Bros, but the company denied that. Therefore, the artist would have had to re-record his music, the same music HE composed, HE wrote and performed. Indeed, as Prince stated in a 1999, Paper interview, “I wanted to buy my masters back from Warner Bros. They said no way. So I'm going to re-record them. All of them. Now you will have two catalogs with pretty much exactly the same music—except mine will be better—and you can either give your money to WB, the big company, or to NPG. You choose.". During this long legal battle, the artist decided to leave Warner Bros and created his own record label The NPG Records. Besides all of that, Prince, during the legal fight with Warner Bros, changed his name into an unpronounceable symbol and started to write the word slave on his face to symbolize the condition of slavery under which many artists had to stay. This battle lasted for about 4 decades. With this Prince was fighting for his artistic freedom, ownership of his work, and his rights. In addition to that, Not only was this huge artist fighting for himself, but also for all the other artists exploited by record companies. The artist formerly known as Prince was not to be silenced. Indeed, many of the works he crafted during the 90s, were an act of protest against record companies. It is extremely important to remind people how this artist gave his contribution and paved the path for other artists to be free and be more aware of this ENORMOUSLY important issue. I briefly summarized and addressed this HUGELY RELEVANT issue, but there would be more to say, and I will write an article about that. I will never stress enough the importance of Prince’s battle against record companies and his music being robbed from him. He has made a big impact and we all should be thankful and grateful to him for being bold enough to speak up about the topic and address this issue. 

Moving back to his music, in 1993 Prince ended the partnership with Warner Bros and started his own record label the NPG Records. Needless to say, as soon as the artist started his label, he began working on his new project, The Gold Experience, that eventually was released in 1995. This timeless gem is the product of Prince’s deep and broad artistic evolution. On this masterpiece, there are 3 songs that I find extremely relevant which are: We March, The Most Beautiful Girl in the world, Billy Jack Bitch, and Gold.  Through its forthright and explicit lyrics, We March is a powerful protest song where the artist speaks up against racism, misogyny, and prejudice.

If this is the same avenue my ancestors fought 2 liberate

 How come I can't buy a piece of it even if my credit's straight?

 If all the water's dirty and I wanna lay the pipe, my dammy

 The river that I drink from, will it be the same as your mammy 

In these lines, the artist is raising his voice against the prejudice of moneylenders.

If this is the same sister that U cannot stop calling a bitch (Bitch)

 If U can't find a better reason 2 call this woman otherwise

 Then don't cry, U made the bed in which U lie

These lines are a protest against misogyny, particularly slurs such as the term bitch which is seldom referred to women. 

Now's the time (now's the time) 2 find a rhyme (Yeah)

 That's got a reason (Yeah) and frees the mind (free your mind)

 From angry thoughts, the racist kind (Yeah)

 If we all wanna a change then come on get in line (Get in line!)

 Next time we march (Whoa)

 We're kickin' down the door

 Next time we march (Hey yeah) (Whoa)

 All is what were marchin' 4

With this bit of the lyrics, Not only is the artist revolting against racism, but it is a warm encouragement to react and change the situation. This song is a total anthem against racism, prejudice, and misogyny, to the point that in 1995 it became the hymn of the Million Men March. Moreover, I think it is urgent to focus on the arrangement of this song. The arrangement is strictly connected to the lyrics to make the song even more vivid.  I picked the music sheet for the piano. I am not going to annoy you with some obnoxious details, and I will try to be brief. I hope to be as clear as possible. The arrangement is presenting a key signature at the beginning of every staff which means the song is arranged in G major.  The key signature designates notes that have to be played higher or lower than the corresponding natural notes, and it is applied through to the end of the piece or up to the next key signature. In this case, after the clef, we can find a sharp sign which means that some notes are raised one semitone above the natural notes. Some other notes have the natural sign near them which means that the sharp key signature is canceled for them, hence these notes are natural. With this said, the question should be, why would Prince arrange the song like this? In my opinion, the artist might have used a key signature to raise some notes and the natural sign to cancel the accidental, for a specific reason. Musically speaking, Prince was an educated genius, hence I am sure he knew exactly what he was doing and why. The artist wanted to create an imbalance between the notes to create the effect of a real and difficult march, almost like climbing a mountain. Perhaps this arrangement might symbolize a difficult march that eventually will lead to the achievement of freedom, respect, equality, acceptance. Therefore, I would say that the connection between the extremely complex arrangement and the lyrics was magistrally crafted. This song is just one of the many examples of how brilliant Prince was.

Furthermore, another song that I love is Billy Jack Bitch. This is another protest song, but the topic is totally different from the previous one. Through these hilarious and sarcastic lyrics, Prince is revolting against a gossip columnist named Cheryl Johnson who was caught being utterly rude. As a matter of fact, the song is so crystal clear that there is no need for further explanations. However, one thing that I noticed in the lyrics Prince managed to mention the initials of the woman. 

Joy - it's in the dictionary

 See "J" Billy Jack Bitch 

The artist could not write the actual initials of the woman, because otherwise he would have been sued. Nonetheless, Prince was so smart that through a phonemic effect (see J) he managed to say the initials of the woman and thus give subtle hints about the woman’s identity. Moreover, what impressed me about the song is the drumline which is in my opinion phenomenal. The striking background vocals also caught my attention because, after some research, I found out that the voice we hear belongs to the rockstar and Prince’s fellow artist Lenny Kravitz’s. Two geniuses in one song are there anything more iconic?

Last but not least, my favorite song on the album is Gold. I love this masterpiece with every cell of my body. The meaning and the message this song is delivering are so POWERFUL!! The deep meaning behind these uplifting lyrics is to be ourselves, be unique, and never follow the mass because “All that glitters ain’t gold”. We should never follow the crowd. Not everything the crowd does is gold, even if it looks like it. We should be ourselves and make a difference. We should take difficult roads and climb the highest mountains to see the top. There would be another method of interpretation. The majestic music video and the scribble slave across Prince’s face might be inferring another significance. Thus, I would assume that this song might be another protest but this time against Warner Bros since Prince was in the legal battle against record label. Indeed, the meaning of the song may apply well to that situation. As a matter of fact, Prince might be inferring that even if contracts with a record company look like gold, in reality, they just glitter that tie the artists to a condition of slavery. Anyways, the arrangement also deserves attention. Indeed, the chorus of the song goes “All that glitters ain’t gold” and in my opinion, the arrangement of the keyboard is extremely peculiar and well related to this bit of the lyrics. First, it is important to say that the keyboard is dominating and I also think it is important to pay attention to its arrangement.  As I could see from the music sheet, the arrangement is characterized by high notes which are raised by the key signature after the clef. Indeed, this song is arranged in D major which means that the arrangement contains 2 sharps and the arrangement is written like this : 

This also means that all the already high notes on the staff are raised one tone. Now you might be asking: what is the point she is trying to make? what does this have to do with Prince? I am aware that the logic behind this might seem odd, but I will get to the point of this. As I said, this song’s composition is characterized by a range of middle-high notes. As Prince was musically educated, I am quite sure that the composition of this masterpiece and its arrangement, have a deep connection with the lyrics. Indeed, I would assume that Prince might have opted for this arrangement to enhance the meaning of this beautiful masterpiece. The chorus of this song goes “all that glitters ain’t gold” and in the music video we can see Prince being “showered” with a rain of golden glitters, therefore this recurring topic might be what connects the lyrics to the arrangement of the song. As a matter of fact, when we think about glitters, especially a rain of glitter we might associate this with a particular sound which most likely might be characterized by some high tinkling sound. This is exactly the effect Prince aimed to create with this magistral arrangement. Those middle-high notes I mentioned have the peculiarity of creating this beautiful effect that is the sound of glitter tinkling, which is even more enhanced by the music video. 

The release of Emancipation marked Prince’s definitive end of the partnership with the record label Warner Bros. It was the artist’s 19th studio album and probably one of my favorites. From the self-explanatory title, it is quite evident that Prince was still fighting against WB for his rights. However, not only is this work featuring protest songs but also some covers and some love songs where the artist expresses his affection for his former wife Mayte Garcia. Through some well thought and precise details, Prince’s personal touch is quite evident in this project. Indeed, this is a triple album and each album is consisting of 12 songs. Each album lasts exactly 60 minutes. Hence, the accuracy and the precision behind this masterpiece are quite impressive. In fact, the artist had an explanation for this, as he explained in several interviews, this was based on his studies of ancient Egypt and Egyptians: “The building of the pyramids and how the pyramids were related to the constellations. They were a message from the Egyptians about how civilization really started."

Among the most significant songs on this masterpiece we can find: The Holy River, Slave, The Love We Make, and the homonymous Emancipation.

The first song mentioned is The Holy River. Through these exceedingly deep lyrics, we can infer that the artist went through a major spiritual shift. More precisely, the Holy River might be a metaphor that might be symbolizing the baptism. Indeed, if my guessing is correct, this metaphor will be perfect with the general meaning of the song as being baptized also means the beginning of a new life, which is what Prince experienced with this major spiritual shift. 

Let's go down 2 the holy river

 If we drown then we'll be delivered

 U can still see the picture upon the wall

 One eye staring at nothing at all

 The other one trying 2 focus through all your tears

 U can try and try but there's nothin' 2 hide

 U can't run from yourself and what's inside

 U got 2 find the answers 2 the questions that U most fear

So over and over U ask your soul

 Why'd U come down 2 a world so cold?

 And the voice inside says 2night the truth will be told 

Also, the chorus of the song is quite eloquent as Prince is providing a detailed explaining of how he went through a dark moment in his life where he was struggling to find answers, where he was afraid to look inside of himself and to find the truth and the answers. 

U surrounded yourself with all the wrong faces

 Spending your time in all the wrong places

 Puttin' your faith in things that only make U cry

 People say they love U when they wanna help

 But how can they when U can't help yourself?

 The more they say they love U, the more U just wanna die

 So here we go again, the self-analysis

 Have another glass of Port and uh... forget this

 The band's playin' at the club 2night and they're bound 2 groove 

Also, these lines are quite eloquent, and I think there is no need for some further explanation. These are practically a description of the troubles he went through and how lonely and hopeless he felt during that time of his life and how he managed to survive. 

There U are, U think U're high

 U can't ask yourself cuz U'd only lie

 If U had a dollar 4 every time U tried

  U can't call nobody cuz they'll tell U straight up

 Come and make love when U really hate 'em

 Relationships based on the physical are over and done

 They're over and done (They're over and done)

 U'd rather have fun

 With only one, with only one

 Only one... one (one) 

Again, in these lines, the artist is describing what he went through. In the last 5 lines, we can notice that a major spiritual shift was occurring and thus the positive change the artist went through Indeed, in the next lines, the artist describes how he started to change after he realized that God was by his side.

And then it hit 'cha like a fist on a wall

 Who gave U life when there was none at all?

 Who gave the sun permission 2 rise up every day? (Ooh, oh yes)

 Let me tell it (Go'n)

 If U ask God 2 love U longer

 Every breath U take will make U stronger

 Keepin' U happy (happy) and proud 2 call His name (Go'n and say it)

 Jesus (Jesus)

  And over and over U ask your soul

 Why'd U come down 2 a world so cold?

 And the voice inside said 2night the truth will be told

 And this time I was listening, hear me 

As a matter of fact, as I mentioned, these lines explain, perfectly a time of transition when the artist was evolving and changing. In the next lines, the artist describes the moments after the spiritual shift took place.

Let's go down 2 the holy river

 If we drown then we'll be delivered (Yes we will)

 If we don't then we'll never see the light (No)

 If U die before U try

 U'll have 2 come back and face the light (Oh yes)

 When U believe it, U got a good reason 2 cry (Oh my, my)

  So I went on down 2 the holy river

 I called my girl and told her I had something 2 give her

 I asked her 2 marry me and she said yes, I cried

 Oh, that night I drowned in her tears and mine

 And.. and instead of a glass of sorrow and wine

 Looking back y'all, I don't miss nothing except the time

 And when I see that picture up on the wall

 The one eye staring at nothing at all

 My eyes trying 2 focus but these are much different tears

 Oh, yes they are 

Like the end of a beautiful story, these last lines, are the conclusion of this masterpiece that closes with a “happy ever after”. Indeed, in these last lines, the artist compares the act of going down to the holy river to facing the light which means a new beginning, a new life. In these last 9 lines, the artist describes the exact moment when he proposed to his girlfriend to marry him. He then reconnects to the beginning of the song where he cried tears of sorrow while at the end of this story he said to be crying “much different tears” which perhaps might be tears of happiness. Moreover, musically speaking, the arrangement of this song is quite homogenous except for the very last bars. After the artist finishes performing the lyrics, he reprises the main harmonies and performs them with a guitar and piano solo, then adding a choir that performs the background vocals with some light head voices that recall the angels singing. These last bars are played in such a manner that reflects the feeling of the artist: joy, love, relief, ultimate happiness. All the emotions a person who has experienced a major spiritual shift will feel. Furthermore, I have also noticed a shift in the instrumental. At the beginning of this masterpiece, the instrumental is “softer” and the sound of the instruments is kept lower. This happens for the first part of the song where Prince describes what he experienced when he was going through a difficult time. Then, after the artist sings these lines: “ Relationships based on the physical are over and done

 They're over and done (They're over and done)

 U'd rather have fun

 With only one, with only one

 Only one... one (one) “ 

it is extremely evident that the instrumental changes. Indeed, Prince turns up the volume of the instruments which are in my opinion, also joyously played, like he is telling his listener “listen to me, this is my story, I Am happy, and you should be too”. 

Another song that I totally love is Slave. This is, in my opinion, such an ingenious masterpiece and we can hear how Prince took inspiration from the whole work songs genre. With the forthright message of the song, Prince was still raising awareness about how record companies exploited artists, hence he wrote this powerful masterpiece, a protest song, to release all his rage and frustration. 

Everybody keeps trying to break my heart

 Everybody except for me

 I just want a chance to play the part

 The part of someone truly free 

From its chorus, this song is extremely eloquent. Prince is basically protesting against his enemies who most likely would be record companies and perhaps, as he mentioned in the 4th line 

“My enemies kept it turning, but now they pound the gavel

 And judging me accordingly, I know, I know”  

 those who judge him for commencing a legal fight against record companies. However, I am quite sure that this masterpiece is a protest song crafted to vent and raise awareness about the condition artists had to stay under for an extremely long time which was treated as slaves. In support of my theory, I would report these lyrics:

Slowly candle burns, where'd they learn hypnosis?

 How'd they keep me under for so long?

 Break the bread I earn, just keep me far from closest

 I need their kind to illustrate what's wrong - what's wrong?

 Well, I'll tell you they just keep trying to break my heart

 They just keep trying to break my heart, ow! 

From the second line, it is quite clear that those who kept the artist under and broke the bread he earned might have been the record companies, particularly Warner Bros, that contractually forced Prince to produce his music and kept a big part of his earnings OF THE MUSIC HE PRODUCED, HIS OWN MUSIC. Another interpretation of this line might be that Warner Bros owned the rights of PRINCE’S MUSIC. Therefore, the artist did not have the rights of his own music which should have been HIS OWN. Moreover, as Prince explained in several interviews when he asked the record company for the rights of HIS MUSIC back, they just said no. This might explain well this line as the record label by not giving him his rights back kept Prince far from emancipating, and hence the artist just left Warner Bros and started his own record company. Moreover, what left me speechless and mesmerized, in total awe about this MASTERPIECE, is the instrumental and the music genre Prince chose to craft this MONUMENTAL PIECE OF ART. Why did Prince choose to give this masterpiece the title of Slave and what music genre could suit well a song with this eloquent title? Obviously, a work song with some soul influences. Indeed, what amazed me is that this masterpiece is crafted as a real work song. To understand this masterpiece better, I need to step back to the work song genre and explain some of their distinctive and relevant peculiarities. Work song is a music genre that was spread around the world (indeed there is more than just one type of work song, they were used all around the world), but focusing on Afro-American work songs, this music genre developed in America during slavery times between the xvii-xix century. This genre had several functions for instance: to coordinate the labor of a group of people working together, which improved the efficiency of the work, and to relieve the boredom of a tedious job, which improves the lives of the workers. Also, work songs were seldom used as an act of protest against the condition of slavery, injustice, and poverty. These songs were frequently sung by a leader followed by a choir. Additionally, to keep the rhythm of those chants, workers generally used their working tools or the stomping of their feet or they even clapped their hands. With this said as I would say that Slave by Prince is part of this music genre. Moreover, as we can hear, the beats of this masterpiece resemble the use of the tools used by slaves to create the rhythmic path to their chants. Another peculiarity that was taken after the music genre just mentioned, is the choir to which Prince was the lead singer. Indeed, the artist performs the main lines while the chorus is performed by the choir. This technique is called call and response which was quite typical in Afro-American work songs. Additionally, the emphatic and emotional and heartfelt performance the artist offered, makes it easy to sympathize with his pain, his rage, and his exhaustion. 

Furthermore, one of my favorite songs on this album is The Love We Make. Such a breathtaking masterpiece. In my opinion, the meaning of this masterpiece is quite hermetic. Indeed, just by reading the lyrics, it might not be clear what Prince meant with those words. However, It is widely believed that this song might have been produced to remember Jonathan Melvoin, Susannah, and Wendy’s brother, who died from heroin overdose. Melvoin was a musical child prodigy who worked with Prince on several projects and he also collaborated with some punk bands. It is believed that this song is dedicated to him for several reasons: the first one is the year he passed away which was 1996, secondly, and most importantly because the artist described the song as “written to speak to the spirit of a friend lost to drugs”. Moreover, in the liner notes to the Emancipation 1996 LP, the song is described as “written for a lost friend”. Hence, for all these reasons, this song is believed to be about Jonathan Melvoin. This is perhaps one of the most powerful and inspiring songs in Prince’s vault, truly breathtaking. With the reassuring yet preaching lyrics the artist was delivering an enlightening message: no matter how difficult life might be, there is still hope and we should all be grateful for the miracle and the gift God gave us. 

Happy is the way 2 meet your burdens 

 No matter how heavy or dark the day 

 Pity on those with no hope 4 2morrow 

 It’s never as bad as it seems until we say 

As I mentioned, specifically in these lines Prince is encouraging the listener to be happy and full of hope no matter what, condemning those who do not have hope in the future as things are never as bad as they seem. 

Precious is the baby with a mother 

 That tells him that his savior is coming soon 

 All that believe will cleanse and purify themselves 

 Put down the needle, put down the spoon 

 Even though these lines are quite hermetic and enigmatic I will attempt to give a proper explanation. The artist is mentioning a baby and his mother, and the mother telling the baby that his savior is coming soon. Hence, as Prince was extremely spiritual and had a great, broad, and keen knowledge of the Bible and the Gospel, I would assume that these two lines are related to the Scriptures. The logic behind this might seem odd, but I will attempt to get to the point with a proper explanation. As Prince was fascinated by the ancient Egyptian world, as it is evident from the set up of the songs on the album, I would assume that these lines are connected to two biblical figures. Honestly, at first, before doing my research, I was going to assume that Prince was alluding to Jesus Christ and the Holy Mary. However, the biblical figures he was hinting to, were instead Moses and his mother Jochebed. For those who are not familiar with the Scripture, Jochebed to avoid the mass slaughter of Hebrew boys, and therefore, her son to be brutally killed, she set her baby adrift in the Nile River, hoping someone would find him and raise him. God so worked that her baby was found by Pharaoh's daughter. Jochebed even became her own son's nurse. Then, God used Moses mightily, to free the Hebrew people from their 400 years of slavery and took them to the Promised Land. Although little is written about Jochebed in the Bible, her story speaks powerfully to mothers of today. Hence, the connection between those two lines of the song and the biblical figures is quite clear. Moreover, as the title of the album is Emancipation and one of the topics of this masterpiece is the artist’s rebellion against Warner Bros, which forced him to work in a condition of slavery, Moses's story who freed Hebrews from slavery and took them to the Promised Land, might apply quite well to Prince’s story who fought to free himself from Warner Bros and start his own record company. Moreover, with the following two lines Prince is suggesting that by believing in God we are purifying and cleansing themselves. As regards to the last line, as I mentioned, is what created the widespread belief that this masterpiece might have been dedicated and inspired by Jonathan Melvoin. In addition to that, on the album, there are not reported the full lyrics of the song, but just one line of it which is precisely “Put down the needle, put down the spoon” and on the bottom line we can find “Written 4 a lost friend.” which hints even more to Jonathan Melvoin. Again, referring to the line I just mentioned, Prince is using another tone to sing these words. Indeed, if we listen to the song attentively, we would hear how the artist was preaching against drug addiction. Furthermore, the next lines, are extremely well related to the previous one. 

Sacred is the prayer that asks 4 nothing, oh 

 While seeking 2 give thanks 4 every breath we take, oh 

 Blessed are we inside this prayer 

 4 in the new world, we will be there 

With these lines, Prince is encouraging the listener to be grateful for the gift of life, giving thanks for every breath we take, praying God without asking him for anything but rather praying him with gratitude for the gift of life. In the last two lines, Prince is basically telling the listener that those who pray God, believe in Him, and have faith in Him, will be blessed with a “new world” which is the Kingdom of Heaven. The last lines of the song are the chorus.

The only love there is, is the love we make {x2} 

 (the only love there is, is the love we make) 

 Only love there is, only love there is 

 The only love there is, is the love we make (yeah) 

 The only love there is, is the love we make 

These lines repeated four times like a beautiful monumental hymn, are used to teach a vital lesson: the only thing that matters is the love we give out, the love we spread while we are alive. That is to say, this is the ultimate purpose of life: to give love and being grateful for the gift of life. Furthermore, as regards the arrangement of this masterpiece, it was crafted in such a way that it allowed the artist to use a preaching tone during the interpretation. This peculiarity in the performance of the song is even more enhanced at the end of the masterpiece. Indeed, when the artist performs the lines that begin with “Sacred is the prayer that asks 4 nothing”, he changed the vocal register from a light chest voice to a powerful head voice which also gives more power to the words he was singing turning them into a real preach. The shift of vocal register in this particular bit of the song is also extremely effective as the artist is singing out loud such an important lesson that MUST be heard by everyone. Perhaps Prince has put so much emphasis on these magistrally written lines because this is the fulcrum of the song that everyone must listen to carefully. Additionally, if we listen to Prince’s voice attentively, we will hear some slight shifts in the intention put in the performance. As regards to the instrumental, the Artist opted for a slow ballad in 4/4. Although the choice of a slow ballad, the song is reinforced by guitar, drums, and piano. Additionally, while I was listening to this masterpiece, I realized that the instrumental is characterized by a progressive raising of the tonality of the song. This way, the instrumental was raised by 2 octaves. This characteristic, besides making this masterpiece even more effective and turning it into a beautiful and inspiring preach, gives the listener the idea of a beautiful climb that gets straight to heaven. Personally, whenever I listen to this masterpiece, I feel like I’m watching a beautiful sunset or hiking in the mountains. Moreover, the arrangement is mostly characterized by music accidentals, which in my opinion are an extremely important part of the composition of the song since without them the song would not be perceived as a powerful preach. 

If you guys would like to purchase your copy of the albums I wrote about in this article (which I recommend, PLEASE DO NOT BOOTLEG PRINCE’S MUSIC), I’ll post the links below here

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G4RYC5D/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=giuliabianchi-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=2a37eabce98ae7fd530fddeff2287ed5&creativeASIN=B07G4RYC5D

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VRFM9YJ/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=giuliabianchi-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=a1e0d017e5a3de4e6b01f3fc5a5f4f3c&creativeASIN=B07VRFM9YJ

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07G4LHQHQ/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=giuliabianchi-20&linkCode=w00&linkId=1da616a288e24d1a38bd64113cbb08a0&creativeASIN=B07G4LHQHQ

This was the third part of a series of articles dedicated to Prince to celebrate his life and most importantly his art. Stay tuned for more. If you have missed the first part feel free to check it out✨ In the meantime stay home, stay safe and healthy. Peace and Love 4 one another. thank you so much for your attention 💜 G  💜