#is there a ship name for robin and tammy?

[stevesaxetogrind]

Truly those calling it “bad writing” that Robin and Vickie share similarities doesn’t make sense. She’s not been given enough time to be more than just a love interest, but we do have some info about her:

1. Molly Ringwald inspo, giving us shorthand about being kind of a quirky gal. Hat! Visually, she’s similar to Robin, but that’s not a bad thing because literally similar interests draw people together. She is also skirts vs Robin’s trousers. Femme/Soft Butch! You’re telling me Vickie would wear a tie? Lies.

2. Likes goofy jokes, namely Steve’s joke about Muppet Tammy. Which, Robin doesn’t laugh at Steve’s jokes that much- she dismisses them, but it means Vickie has a bit of a jocular sense of humour.

3. Vickie also likes Steve’s brand of movies, not Robin’s- which is pretty fucking funny. Again, this is not making Vickie similar to Robin, but to things shared with Robin’s Platonic Soulmate. Like, bro movies? Stupid lil jokes? I predict Steve and Vickie having a dad joke competition next season & torturing Robin with how corny they are. People like to talk about the similarities to Robin, but not the similarities to Steve! That’s kind of clever drawing Vickie closer to one of Robin’s favourite people, at least superficially.

4. Talks a lot when one on one, but Vickie wasn’t nervous/flustered in the band scene, so we can infer in more crowded spaces she acts differently/subdued - as like she was in the War Zone. This is unlike Robin who does actually ramble in group scenes, like freaking out over the thing in El’s leg, the rabies bit, or generally a lot of Season 4 where she looses her “cool girl” archetype from Season 3 in favour of chaos. Vickie seems more like she would quietly panic, as opposed to Eddie, Argyle, and Steve who all loudly go WHAT THE FUCK. Which is going to be interesting to see as the whole town is now thrown into an open gate downtown Hawkins probably releasing demogorgons every other hour like it’s Pacific Rim up in this bitch.

5. Meaningful look with Robin in the War Zone- not “oh hi band friend!” A scared/caught/dismayed look that she was there. So there is a connection, and she broke up with her boyfriend after that connection. Anything more is speculation, but the way she wasn’t looking at Robin when she gave the “he doesn’t like Fast Times” reason lets the audience draw points and maybe she felt trapped? Like it was just an excuse to pursue a different interest? Obviously because music is playing indicating a romantic relationship. We don’t have much to compare Robin with on this one, but around Keith she still had more confidence and bullshittery trying to convince him to hire Steve when Keith assumed they were a thing.

6. Vickie also doesn’t seem jealous. Robin is jealous. She was livid at Steve for being the object of Tammy’s affections, but Vickie hasn’t seemed to even look twice at Steve- even as Robin looked over at him while she and Vickie had her last scene.

For such a short amount of time in the season, I think that we have a good foundation for similarities and differences to Robin. Also, once again, it’s not a crime to avoid “opposites attract” tropes. Having similarities is good! Like, the amount of couples I know that are essentially the same archetype of queer person is not even close to zero. Especially when it comes to older queer couples who got together in the 80s/90s, they kind of morph into being one granola bar of a human being. Kind of similar with straight people when they genuinely like one another.

I hope they flesh Vickie out, but like, we’ve gotten a similar amount of screen time for Mr Clarke but no one is mad he is “one dimensional” when he is just, some exposition science guy. He’s a stock and standard teacher, has a girlfriend, and kind of goes along with explaining shit without questioning why a lot. But folks love Mr Clarke. Is it because Mr Clarke isn’t getting in the way of your ship?

I never thought I would see the day there were some true blue f/f ship wars, but bruh, Robin’s love life isn’t an A Plot so give the writers some slack. They’re human, not the devil. None of you were gleeks and it shows so fucking much. None of you lived through “angry lesbians on the internet don’t want me dating you”.

Personally I’m looking forward to Robin and Vickie getting together and maybe hopefully kicking monster butt together- or at least, Robin getting a nice little badass moment defending her gal.

[henrike-does-writing-sometimes]

Ship Names Tag Game !

Thank you @vacantgodling for tagging me !

As a multi-shipper it has become so that I ship my own characters like crazy. I even give them ship songs, which I will include in this solely because I can lol (and to give the general vibe of the ship). I may have the power to make whatever I want canon, but I won't because shipping is too fun, more so when you don't have to worry about canon lol.

I'll try to limit myself to one or two ships, both canon and not, per wip

I also can't really decide who to tag, so I'll leave this one open

Rules: make a list of ship names from your wip(s) (it's okay if they don't sound cool) for people to send in asks so you can talk about them! Fan ships count too if you're writing about them.

Amise - Amber and Louise from A Guardians Tale.

1000 Nights by Frenship : "For 1000 nights I've been a restless soul, just wasting time digging up fool's gold. It took a 1000 lives being on my own, for me to find it was all fool's gold without you."

Maasim - Max and Aasim from A Guardian's Tale.

A Million Questions by Urban Contact : "If I could ask a million questions, that would leave me wanting more. That's why I let you do the talking. Maybe that's what talking's for."

Ruruh - Ruben and Anruh from Gammellunden.

The Wreck Of Our Hearts by Sleeping Wolf : "Through the waves of the deep, and the storms of the sea, I have you and you me. We're not too far gone."

Tamdré - Tammie and André from The Neon Trilogy.

This Beating Heart by The Score : "Just settle down this beating heart, and hold me close right from the start. You set my world on fire but I can't explain, there's no light to guide me if you're not the flame. Just settle down, this beating heart."

Catsilon - Catalina and Epsilon from The Neon Trilogy.

Yellow Lights by Harry Hudson : "You’re my sunshine, you’re my rain. You’re all I’ve lost, yet all I’ve gained. If I must tell the truth."

Veo - Vega and Leo from All The Stars Are Watching.

Quiet by LIGHTS : "Tell me when you feel ready. I'm the one, there's not too many. Hold my hand to keep me steady. Just to be quiet with you."

Ivelio - Ivan and Emilio from Maledictus.

Woke The Fuck Up by Jon Bellion : "I will tell them "I am yours and very, very proud". I am forced to give in, give in now. Cause we live in an age where everything is staged, where all we do is fake our feelings, I've been scared to put myself so out there."

Honorable mentions :

Heiva - Heidi and Nova from The Garden of Corpses.

I have yet to find a song that fits them rip

The Doomed Love Triangle - Robin, Linus, and Sara from A Guardian's Tale.

I've got a whole playlist for these sad bastards, would be impossible to pick just one. They've got one song each lol (The one that got away by Katy Perry is for Sara, Heather by Conan Grey is for Linus, and No right to love you by Rhys Lewis is for Robin)

[staceymcgillicuddy]

First Lines Game

Rules: Post the first sentence of your last ten fics. If you haven’t written ten fics, share as many first sentences as you have.

I was tagged by @khaleesa and @bisexualchrissycunningham. I've also been tagged in the 'last line written' meme and I'm going to get to that one, too. I'm not sure I have 10 fics to post, but I'll see what I can do.

Eddie flexes his fingers against the grooved steering wheel, wincing when his knuckles pop. (to get my soul known again, hellcheer, WIP)

“… now invite our first-class passengers to board. First-class passengers only, at this time. Thank you.” (If She Lived in Space, Man, I'd Build a Plane, hellcheer, complete)

Chrissy rubs her hands together and studies her fingertips, wondering if they’re in any danger of frostbite. (Trudge on Home to Celebrate, hellcheer, complete)

Eddie slaps a hand to the side of his neck where damp curls are plastered to sweaty skin. (Untitled Hellcheer WIP, to be posted when I'm dead, probably)

They’re in the parking lot of a Texaco the first time Eddie broaches the topic. (Untitled pegging fic, Hellcheer, WIP, might never post)

“I can’t believe we’re standing in a line for this.” (Novella, original work, WIP, will never finish)

The first time Tammy Thompson walks through the doors of Family Video in a mohair sweater and a miniskirt, Robin spontaneously combusts. (Robin-centric fic I wrote post-S3 and never posted and now I'm glad I didn't because Tammy sounds like a muppet and I ship Robin with so many other people)

There’s nothing to notice about her—this mousy kid who sits in front of him in the freshman English class he’s being forced to repeat.  (Untitled Jopper I never got the balls to post, also post-S3; I hate reading writing that's more than a couple of years old.)

There’s a man sitting on the front stoop, and it takes Batman a second to realize it’s Superman. (This one's from an old fandom and I replaced the actual names with Batman and Superman because I can and it makes me laugh.)

“He doesn’t like to be touched,” Nico said. (Another as-yet-unpublished fic from that same old fandom. Nico's an OC.)

So, basically, I have three posted works, a billion aborted starts, a few Hellcheer things in progress, and uh... yep. Also, apparently I weirdly like starting Hellcheer fics with hands and fingers. Thanks, Joe Quinn's knuckles, I guess.

Tagging @cunnninghams, @joansblondells @deliriumsdelight7 @hangon-silvergirl and anyone who hasn't yet been tagged.

[olivereactsaboutgarbage]

One Piece - Volume 35

Haha!! WOWIE!!! YIPPEE!!! I’VE RETURNED TO POSTING WITHOUT MAKING ANY NOTABLE MISTAKES!!!

I love One Piece! I love pirates! I love long-running shonen manga! And I also love italicizing random words for no reason! Do not pay very close attention to which words I italicize in what order! IT’S NOT INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT!!!

Chapter 328 - The Pirate Abduction Incident

Admittedly, even though February and March were, for certain reasons, not good months for me to have this additional task on my plate and actually expect to get it done consistently, the long absence has also done a number on me. What was happening in One Piece again? There were like fifteen new characters or something? I think I got spoiled at some point in February or March that one of them was evil... who were any of the fifteen of them again??? I don’t even remember when it was that I got spoiled.

Eh, I’m sure it’ll be fine. I’ll just jump into it! How much could I possibly have forgotten?

What? WHAT’S bad? What’s Sal talking about? Uh, hasn’t Oda ever heard of providing context clues??? -_-

Anyway, Tony Tony Chopper is standing near Sal, but Nico Robin isn’t. No one is a fan of that turn of events.

Oh right, I forgot, Sonic’s friend Tammy was in this arc being the mirror version of Sal. I hate Sonic’s friend Tammy! I hope he’s the person who I got spoiled about being evil.

Sonic’s friend Tammy says the Merry Go doesn’t have a spinal cord anymore. The... uh... what was I calling the guy from Ace Attorney: Justice For All? I guess I can call him Matt Engarde. Matt Engarde adds that carpenters don’t have access to cloning technology, so a ship without a spinal cord is dead with no cheap workarounds possible. It sucks for Lufpy... but I’d trust any assertion that came from Matt Engarde!

Lufpy doesn’t want to accept it. He doesn’t want to have to change this manga’s branding and merchandise. This, uh, this guy named... *checks notes WITHOUT GOLFING since I DON’T EVEN NEED TO GO GOLFING* Lorenz Hellman Gloucester Slightly To The Left... is his name. That guy tells Lufpy that makes Lufpy a bad person. Well, that’s true enough I suppose, if you take into account that capitalism systemically destroys innocent people.

Also there’s a guy who looks like a fed who hates the feds, and a fed who looks like an outlaw.

nami aren’t you an accomplished pickpocket yourself

Anyway, Nami decides to go to Franky’s House. I think that’s where the circus freaks live?

Unfortunately, Usopp is yet again dead while Nami is nearby. He’s lying on his back...

Chapter 329 - My Name Is Franky

Actually, I take back what I said about Lufpy being a bad person. The high ethical cost of survival increases the minimum severity of bad actions necessary to overcome humanity’s innate goodness.

That aside, chapter 329 begins with a flashback to what happened right after chapter 328. From that, I can intuit that a timeskip happened right after chapter 328!

Anyway, now that the flashback is over, it’s time for Zoro to talk to Sal and Sal’s friend Tony about what’s going on.

no, humans do that too

Well, maybe ships are still unique in that they do that in water. Humans tend to have a nice time in water, or drown, or both. Hey, that sentence I just said is kinda like the thesis statement of One Piece!

Anyway, Franky’s gimmick is that he has terrible financial sense. “Finally,” he says, “I have the exact amount of money I need, instead of slightly less. Since I don’t have slightly less, I won’t run into the problem where I spend it instead of having it when I need it. As a reward for giving me the exact amount of money I need, here’s money.”

Also, Usopp is there, because he changed his mind about being dead. Also, Franky is a star man, but like, also a robot? Hey, that’s just like Earthbound! Wait, but Earthbound’s gameplay isn’t very fun since there’s a lot of grinding, so why is Usopp there at Earthbound? I thought better of you, Usopp.

You’re one to talk, no-nose boy.

I refuse to acknowledge that triangle on Franky’s face as a nose. It is little more than a defect. Anyway, it looks like he’s wearing a mask, which would be on-brand for this arc since it’s an arc about people who wear masks, so he probably has no nose underneath.

See, I told you all Tony Tony Chopper was a yandere! Now he’s killing people so he can show off their blood. I knew something like this would happen.

Zoro, Tony Tony Chopper, and Sal all stand there and watch as Lufpy hilariously dies in water. And guess whose duty it is to save Lufpy from drowning? That’s right. SAL’S, AS ALWAYS.

Next, it’s time for the Combatant Trio to beat up Franky’s House. Already, I guess. Also, they’re mad at the house instead of the Starman, I guess. Also, Tony Tony Chopper grew huge muscles to blend in seamlessly among them, I guess.

Chapter 330 - It's Decided

WHAT??? TWO GUNS??? WHEN DID NAMI GET TWO GUNS? I THOUGHT HER THING WAS THE BIG STICK OF UNIMPRESSIVE MAGIC, WHEN DID SHE GET TWO GUNS

One of the Titans from Attack on Titan dies. I’m gonna be honest: That Titan had the type of swag I want, just... grotesquely warped, in true Attack on Titan fashion. I think I’m going to make that One Piece character my new Titansona. I will not show a picture of him.

The Combatant Trio and their sidekick continue to do various cool moves, so people start throwing garbage at them. The garbage does not prevent them from killing the house they hate so much.

Lufpy decides to stop being a capitalist, because on second thought he doesn’t even care that much about merchandise or branding.

Chapter 331 - The Big Argument

We open on the fed who looks like an outlaw. He’s not having a good day :(

Also, Lorenz Hellman Gloucester Slightly To The Left has a picture of Nico Robin as a little baby with lots of numbers on it. I miss Nico Robin. Where’d she run off to

Usopp is very much not a fan of Lufpy’s decision not to be a capitalist. I bet Usopp felt SO GOOD about his backstory being essential to the manga’s entire brand, huh? I bet it made him SO HAPPY. Well now he’s super upset instead, so the joke’s on him.

Oh right, I forgot how good Sal is at calling people out on their bullshit when it’s not his turn to be an idiot. It’s a good thing I didn’t forget anything else about Sal!

Lufpy decides to beat up a recovering hospital patient. Wait, and USOPP is involved in this situation, too?! I thought better of you, Usopp.

Sal tries to put a stop to this, but the events that will result in the End of Usopp have already been set in motion. Usopp decides a good way to accelerate this process is by challenging Lufpy to a duel.

Chapter 332 - Luffy vs. Usopp 

awww sad puppy :(

Usopp unleashes his most powerful attacks against Lufpy, but all it does is make a puppy sad. Zoro doesn’t want puppies to be sad, but he is powerless in the face of Usopp. There’s nothing to be done.

Damn this is badass. Usopp is way better at beating up Lufpy than Zoro is. Zoro was so bad at it, he accidentally beat someone else up instead. Although that’s in-character because Zoro is stupid <3.

Also, prior to those panels, Lufpy told Usopp to stop being a comic relief character. That was rich, considering who it came from. Anyway Usopp blows him up

Chapter 333 - Captain

Wow! 333! I won’t reach a chapter number this exciting again until 4444.

Lufpy finally ekes out the slightest advantage after spending the entire fight not doing that, but even that was exactly as Usopp planned. Lufpy is largely incapable of failure though, so Usopp‘s plans don’t matter much. Then Lufpy says “Well, obviously. Anyways I forfeit. You suck”

Sal attempts to prevent Tony Tony Chopper from doing doctor stuff to Usopp, saying that would be just as shameful as it would have been for Usopp to back down or something like that, but Tony Tony Chopper leaves some doctor stuff with Usopp anyways.

Chapter 334 - Big Trouble in the Secret Room 

It’s the Bean Bonus Room...! Hmm. Don’t ask me what that’s a reference to, because I wouldn’t be able to tell you.

Ooh! Is this arc gonna be a MURDER MYSTERY ARC with Lorenz Hellman Gloucester Slightly To The Left as the victim?! Hmm... Lufpy’s crew would need a detective... better hold off on getting a carpenter for now then. Which means they can just leave. Phew, glad this arc is over with! ...Wait, they don’t have a ship anymore. Well, Usopp can just leave, and everyone else can stop being main characters.

Lufpy and Nami are going to deal with the main plot, Oda forgot to include Nico Robin in this volume, Sal and Tony Tony Chopper are journeying to Oda to remind him about that, and Zoro... uh... Zoro... uh...

I guess sitting arcs out has historically been a favorite pastime of Zoro’s, so maybe this is no surprise.

OHHH, I forgot this arc had a train! Is the reason this arc has a train because it’s a murder mystery arc?! Franky loves being a train passenger.

Oh, and according to the Obligatory Murder Mystery Medical Professional, yet another mask is relevant in this arc. I hadn’t realized it until I’d written it out earlier in this post, but this arc really is going to be “ABOUT MASKS” in the same way as the Noland Kong arc was “ABOUT GODS”, isn’t it? The Quadruple-H mini-arc, then, would just have been a little bit of narrative housekeeping, like setting up Nico Robin’s whole dealio so that her character arc is primed and ready to intersect with this arc’s themes. Are all the One Piece arcs from here on out going to so heavily deal with themes relating to fundamental aspects of humanity and society? ...I mean I guess you could argue that that’s been a thing this whole time, but not nearly this deftly until recently. Bro... One Piece is good... and on an upward quality trajectory...

Sorry, I’ll stop rambling and get back to actually reading and commenting on One Piece like I’m supposed to be.

Franky took his mask off.

Chapter 335 - Warning

Well, his mask is off, but his face is imperceptible by the audience, and he’s mad. Meanwhile, the Scary Heart Woman has Scary Plans. This is due to the nature of some strange calamity that the townsfolk have gotten so used to that one of them is like “You DON’T KNOW?” when Sal asks.

OH... FRANKY IS... UM... FRANKY IS... UM...

Ugh, do I actually need to find the words to describe this?

Wait, I literally don’t. Check this out:

This is not what I expected from the leader of a gang of circus freaks who repeatedly get killed. The mask was somehow LESS bombastic than his face. I barely even get how that’s possible.

Oh, I was thinking to myself that Franky and Nico Robin BOTH seem too obvious to be the culprit if this were a true murder mystery, assuming we put aside the fact that Nico Robin has been a protagonist lately. I guess I was right to be thinking that, because the victim just implicated one and a half of the two of them.

I’m sure I would be blown away by this turn of events if I didn’t know how murder mysteries worked and was therefore very easily impressed, but neither of those things are true, so I’m just going to move on to the next chapter now.

Chapter 336 - Luffy vs. Franky

Franky... or, I guess now that his mask is off, I know him well enough that it’s not rude of me to just call him Ky, still has a rather inorganic nose after removing his mask. My assertion that he was a no-nose boy seems to hold water!

Also, he seems to be charging up a super attack, but Lufpy has not taken that as his cue to run. That’s Lufpy for you!

Ky’s super attack is actually fire elemental. Not only is Lufpy completely fine, but so is Nami, so I guess it was correct of them not to run. Good thinking on their part then.

Imagine if Nami was correct and Ky just died here after all the buildup. That would be funny. ...Which makes it entirely plausible. Except Ape already called dibs on fire powers, so probably not. Oda wouldn’t do something that would run the risk of making the audience get bored of fire powers, because then the audience might go away.

Predictably, Ky isn’t actually a fruit guy. He does have something no Devil Fruit holder ever will... detachable hands. I bet Lufpy is now regretting the fact that he didn’t run! Because when people don’t run, they regret it!

Meanwhile, Lorenz Hellman Gloucester Slightly To The Left is implicating the entire crew as conspirators against him. Well, that’s definitely wrong! He should really run those numbers again! He should do it now before it’s too late!

There’s also a cabinet barbarian.

Wait, woah, Ky has like, a gun with a scope? So he’s like DOING THE CYBORG THING doing the cyborg thing, then. Wacky! Almost as wacky as saying “there are only seconds remaining you fools, flee now I’m begging you” to a stinky pigeon! XD

Anyway, the fight between Lufpy and Ky gets interrupted pretty quick, because it’s Lorenz Hellman Gloucester Slightly To The Left’s squad of goons here to make Lufpy say he’s sorry! So sorry, but you had your chance! Is what they’ll make Lufpy say!

It’s good to be reading One Piece again.

It’s fun to be reading One Piece again.

I think I’m ready to not be nearly as absent if you stick around and keep checking this blog, or hit the follow button or whatever, so do STAY! :)

Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY! Do STAY!

[mowgliscode]

Tip Jar

This is my first time writing fanfic (or really any complete creative work) so constructive criticism is welcome. The main pairing in Robin/Tammy because I think it’d be nice if the lesbian gets the girl for once. There is side Harringrove but it’s sort of blink and you’ll miss it, though if this goes well, I may write the Harringrove sequel to this.

---

Robin heard Steve grumbling as he headed towards the back, dragging the ratted up cardboard box of returned VHSs. Huffing out a sigh of annoyance, Robin turned back towards the front counter to hopefully engross herself in the stylings of Emily Dickinson once more. Unfortunately, her plans were once again interrupted by the sound of the bell ringing at the door as a new customer walked in. She proceeded to press her nose further into the seam of the book.

“Welcome to Hawkins Video! Let me know if you need anything,” She said. Luckily, the video store had a more lax policy for employees that Scoops did. Keith didn’t really care if she was polite to the customers as long as people were still spending money.

“Hi, Robin!” A familiar voice rang out. Uh oh… It was a very familiar voice. Robin pulled the book from her face.

“Tammy!” Robin’s voice sounded kind but her face did not echo the same message.

“How are you? I haven’t seen you since graduation!” Tammy approached the counter with that classic toothy smile of hers, plump lips stretched thin across her face.

“I’m good…uh, you?” Robin responds tentatively

“Great, actually! I opened up a business over in that strip next to Melvald’s?” Tammy gripped the strap of her bag and kind of shrugged her shoulders.

“The fabric store? Mrs. Byers was telling me someone finally bought up that space, I didn’t realize that was you,” She also remembered Mrs. Byers talking about how pretty the girl who owned the store was.

“Yup! It took a while but I finally got it opened! I was a bit nervous about opening it first but after the mall… you know… I figured now would be a good time since there weren’t too many other clothing options,” Tammy runs her fingers through her blonde perm, twirling a curl or two around her finger. 

Robin shrugs, “It is what it is. Might as well make the best from a shitty situation,” Tammy huffs out a laugh. Oh good, she didn’t scoff.

“So, I actually came in to look for a movie, it’s called St. Elmo’s Fire, do you guys have it?” Tammy asks, cocking her head to the side.

“Uh yeah, I’ll get it just uh… just give me a sec,” Robin replies, quickly running to the back.

Following the scent of cheap hairspray and flowery shampoo, Robin quickly finds Steve bent over as he restocks the horror section. His face twists up in confusion as Robin pushes him away from the box of returns.

“Hey! What’s the bi-”

“Shh! Sh! Shut up! Stay here and don’t go anywhere until I say so,” Robin whisper-screams as she digs through the pile, dropping VHSs on the floor as she goes. She pulls up the movie she’s looking for and runs back to the front.

“Robin, what the fuck?” Steve calls out after her as she makes her way back to the register.

“Right here! It just got returned,” Robin smiles as she hands the case to Tammy.

“Oh good! I was expecting it to be out. My cousin’s in the hospital right now so I really wasn’t looking to let him down,” Tammy’s grin stretches from ear to ear as her glossed up lips shine under the fluorescents.

“Who’s your cousin?” Steve calls out from the end of the aisle as he makes his way towards the counter. Robin lets her head hang as he walks up.

“Oh, I don’t know if you’d know him, he showed up in the middle of the year last year,” Tammy says as she digs in her bag, her thick eyebrows scrunching up in concentration.

“Wait, Billy Hargrove is your cousin?” Steve says.

“Yeah, do you two know each other?” She pulls out her wallet and hands Robin a crisp five-dollar bill.

“Something like that,” Steve sighs out, leaning against one of the displays, only to knock over one of the cardboard cutouts. Robin hands a receipt and some change to Tammy as he struggles to set Freddy Krueger back where he was.

“Well, it was nice seeing you,” Tammy says, scribbling something on her customer copy of the receipt. She looks up to Robin and drops the handful of change into the tips jar.

“It was nice seeing you too. I’m honestly surprised you remember me,” Robin says reluctantly. Tammy smiles smugly and rolls her eyes, eyelashes touching her brow bone.

“Of course I remember you, we did literally every partner assignment together. Hard to forget someone like you,” Tammy tucks the VHS into her bag with a wink, “See you next week, Robin,”

“Yeah, see you next week,” Robin practically whispers as she watches Tammy leave the way she came, the sound of the bell ringing out behind her.

“Well, that went well!” Steve congratulates, holding up Freddy’s arm.

“I’ll go get the packaging tape,” Robin begins to stalk towards the staff room.

“Wait up, what she put in the tip jar?” 

Robin hears the rustling of paper and change and she continues forward.

“Uh, Rob?”

“What, dweebus?” Robin snaps from the frame of the staff door.

“Dweebus? Really? You’re gonna wanna look at this, you won’t believe what she left,”

Robin sighs and grabs the packaging tape from off of Keith’s desk.

“What is it?” She says as she approaches Freddy. Steve hands her the crumpled receipt and in loopy sickly sweet letters, she reads what Tammy left.

Call me ♡

869-181-4291

Robin looks up at Steve with a crease on her forehead.

“You’re not gonna call her right?” Robin asks desperation in her voice subtle, but there.

“What? No, she left her number for you,” He responds as Robin crumples up the receipt in her hand. She huffs and tosses it out, shaking her head.

“No, if Tammy were gay, I would know,”

“She seemed pretty gay to me. I mean, I don’t know,” Steve pulls the roll of packaging tape off Robin’s wrist and starts to unravel it. 

“I’m not gay, but I think if she were into me, she would’ve looked at me like that,” Steve places Freddy’s arm to the back of the cutout slightly behind where it was originally.

“You’re not gay? After the way you were asking about Billy, I’m inclined to disagree,” Robin says poking Steve in the side and heading back to her station behind the register. Steve blushes before she leans down to grab her book.

“It’s not like that! I just… feel bad for him you know?” Steve puts the tape between his teeth and pulls, “And besides! You’re evading the topic!” He sets the tape down on the counter and brushes his bangs out of his eyes. “You should call her, I could see it in her eyes, the number is for you!”

“You could see it in her eyes? Need I remind you of our scientific discoveries? You suck at getting girls,” Robin assures.

“Whatever, but I cannot wait until I get to say I told you so,”

Robin rolls her eyes and turns her head back into her book.

---

A week had passed since Tammy came in and things at the family video were just as boring as always. Robin was filling out a crossword puzzle “like an old lady” as Steve had put it. Whatever, it passes the time.

The doorbell rings again. Steve’s in the back helping another customer so Robin lifts her head, bringing the customer into view.

“Hey!”

Fuck. It’s Tammy.

“Hi,” Robin smiles timidly.

“How’s work been?” Tammy says as she begins to dig through her purse.

“Uh, good, nothing interesting happened. How are things at your store?”

Tammy makes a face as she rustles around in her bag. She makes a noise of dissatisfaction.

“Pretty good, I’ve been a bit busy with sewing classes starting up but it’s been going really well. Here!” Her face lights up with pride as she presents the rented copy of St. Elmo’s Fire. She could light up the room with that million-dollar smile. Robin takes the VHS gently from her hands, blushing when their fingers touch.

“You looking to rent any other movies?” Robin says as she flips through the clipboard to mark down item returns.

“I think Billy enjoyed the last movie, so sure! I’m not really sure what he’d like, do you have any recommendations?” Tammy leaned onto her elbows, over the counter. Robin’s eyes turned up a bit and could see right down Tammy’s shirt.

“Uh… has he seen The Breakfast Club?” Robin could feel her face heat up. Tammy’s bra was light pink.

“I love that movie! Molly Ringwald is so hot. I don’t know if Billy’s seen it but he’d probably be up to watch it again,” Tammy leaned back from the counter obstructing Robin’s view to her bra. “Are you okay? You look flushed, you’re not getting sick are you?”

“No! Just a little hot. Let me go get the tape for you!” Robin rushed off towards the teen movie section and passed right by Steve and his customer. She pulled the tape off the shelf from where she had placed it a million times to rush right back up to the front.

“I’m not in a hurry, hon.” Tammy laughs out. Robin’s face just heats up even more. Tammy’s already got her wallet out and she places the money on the counter. “You know, I always thought you had a really bitchin’ style,” 

“Thanks, me too. I mean- you have a cool style too not like-”

“I know what you meant,” Tammy grins. “Don’t be afraid to stop by the store, I’d love to see you outside of this place. You can just hang out if you want,” Tammy’s eyes shift away and she scratches behind her ear.

“Yeah, you too,” Robin says before quickly adding, “Like, for real,” She rings up Tammy and hands her the receipt. Tammy’s already got a pen out and is scribbling on the back.

“As much as I’d love to hang, I’ve really gotta run. I’ll catch up with you later!” Tammy snatched up the copy of The Breakfast Club and tossed the receipt in the tip jar again, quickly rushing out the door with the twinkling of the bells punctuating her exit. Robin is left with a furrowed brow and a confused look on her face. Did she fuck up? Does Tammy… did Tammy figure it out? Robin grabs the receipt from the jar once more and reads the note Tammy left.

Gimme a call?

869-181-4291

Robin crumples up the note and tucks it into her pocket.

“You good Rob?” She hears Steve call from the back.

“Never been better.”

---

Once again Wednesday rolled around and once again Ms. Tammy Thompson made her appearance at Hawkin’s Video. This time Robin and Steve were playing go fish at the counter, one of the many ways they’ve found to waste time.

“Hi guys,” Tammy announced herself as she walked through the door.

“Hey, Tammy!” Steve waved. Robin smacked him in the stomach. She stared at him like it would make him melt. Steve pushed Robin on the shoulder and continued on.

“How’re things with Billy?” Steve asks and Robin rolls her eyes.

“He’s good, I think they’re gonna discharge him soon now that he’s walking,” Tammy says as she approaches the counter.

“Really? That’s great! You should bring hi- Fuck!” Robin managed to get her foot between Steve’s chair and the counter and pulled it out from under him, sending him to the floor.

“You looking for another movie?” Robin said, leaning towards Tammy. Steve groaned from the floor.

“Uh… yeah, is he gonna be okay?”

“I’m all good!” Steve stood up and brushed himself off like he hadn’t just eaten shit. “I’m gonna check on… a thing! In the back!” He announces as he marches off towards the staff room. Tammy still looks a little suspicious.

“So, what are you looking to watch?” Robin asks.

“Do you have Girls Just Wanna Have Fun?” Tammy says as she reaches into her bag.

“Did he really like The Breakfast Club that much?” Robin said as she accepted the VHS from Tammy. They brushed fingers again. Tammy laughed out loud.

“Oh no, he hated it. He said my taste in movies was shit,” Tammy is smiling now with those same glossy pink lips.

“Sounds about right,” Robin starts to fill out the clipboard before Tammy reaches out and places a hand on Robin’s.

“Can I ask you a question?” She asks as Robin’s cheeks start to burn.

“Yeah what's up?” She responds as Tammy leans in close.

“Are you and Steve together?” Tammy asks accusingly.

“What? No! Never in a million years!” Robin pulls back from Tammy and finishes the form before setting it back on the counter. “Nothing like that. We’re just friends,” She finishes before backing off to pull Tammy’s movie from off the shelf a few steps away. She places it on the counter and starts ringing Tammy up. Robin can feel her blood start to boil. She should’ve known better. “Why, are you trying to ask him out?” Robin says, snatching the money from where Tammy placed it.

“No, gross, I was just curious,” Tammy refutes quickly.

“Really? Then why have you been leaving your number for him in the tip jar?” Robin accuses. Tammy’s face turns bright red.

“Fucking forget it,” She says and presses her lips together tight. She takes the VHS and backs away from the counter. Robin can see her eyes get glossy before she turns to the door and leaves.

“Everything okay over there?” Robin hears Steve ask.

“I think I fucked up,” Robin said, placing her head in her hands.

---

Robin really hadn’t expected Tammy to show up again. After all, she had said that Billy was gonna be out of the hospital soon, She’d probably send him to bring back the movie if he wanted a new one. Surprisingly, Robin was wrong.

Robin hadn’t heard the door open when Tammy came in because she’d been on break but her voice was the most distinguishable Robin had ever heard.

“Hey Tammy, need help finding a movie?” 

Robin heard the telltale smack of a VHS on the linoleum counter.

“No thank you, Steve,” Tammy responded snipply. Robin could hear the sound of footsteps on the carpet turn into the clipping sound of heels as Tammy stalked into the staff room. Robin looked up from her turkey sandwich guiltily. 

“You’re avoiding me,” She accuses. Robin swallows her bite.

“What?

“You’re avoiding me,”

“No, I’m not,”

“Yes, you are,”

“How so?”

Tammy lets out a heavy sigh and leans on the door frame.

“It’s 12:30, I’m on my lunch break,”

“12:30 is the same time I’ve come in for the past two weeks,”

“My shift got switched with Steve’s, this is my lunchtime now. That doesn’t mean I’m avoiding you,” 

“Then why haven’t you called me?” Tammy says disappointedly. 

Robin coughs on her lunch. “What?”

“I left my number for you, twice, why didn’t you call me?” Tammy shifts onto her other foot.

“I thought you left it for Steve,” Robin responds honestly.

“Ah,” Tammy replies, blushing.

“You wanted me to call you?”

“Yeah,” Tammy’s blush started spreading down her neck.

“Oh,” Robin can’t think of a smart response. Robin hears Tammy start to sniffle.

“Um… Billy’s getting out of the hospital on Friday. So, he’ll come in for movies from now on. So… you know,” Tammy’s eyes get that glossy look like they did before.

“Are you okay?”

“C’mon Robin, don’t act dumb,” Tammy rubs at her eyes, getting mascara smudged beneath her lashes.

“Act dumb?” Robin says dumbly.

“I get it, you’re not interested, I’m sorry for making it weird,” Tammy’s wiping beneath her eyes but it only succeeds in making her makeup worse.

“Not interested?” Robin stands up from her seat. 

Tammy laughs bitterly.

“Please just don’t tell anyone I’m gay, Billy’s been through enough, He doesn’t need people bringing up his fag cousin too,” Tammy’s words start to get jumbled together as she avoids eye contact.

“Are you serious?” Robin groans, “Wait no! I mean- for real? You’re gay?”

Tammy doesn’t respond, she just stares from her spot next to the door, makeup smudged across her face. Robin moves away from the seat.

“I had the biggest crush on you! I still do! I thought that you were into Steve,” Robin announces. “I thought you were still into him, that’s why I was acting like an asshole… I’m sorry about that,”

“You’re not making fun of me are you?” Tammy responds sharply, “I’ll kick your ass if you are, I’m not joking,”

Robin just smiles.

“You really are Billy’s cousin, aren’t you?” Robin approaches Tammy and pulls her away from the door, closing it behind her. “For real, you can ask Steve, I hated him when I first met him because you’d always stare at him in history class,” Robin proceeds to the window and closes the blinds behind the desk. 

“What? I wasn’t staring at Steve, I was staring at you! He was just the closest thing to look at whenever you’d catch me,” Tammy corrects her. “And don’t compare me to Billy, that’s just weird.”

Robin can’t help but smile. Tammy smiles back, shy, but still smiling nonetheless.

“You were jealous over me?” Tammy asks.

“Yeah, but it’s okay now,” Robin pushes Tammy up against the desk. Even with heels on and hair teased to hell, Tammy was still a few inches shorter than Robin. 

It was Tammy who leaned into the kiss first. Robin, of course, followed suit. It was inexperienced, and messy, and their teeth clicked together but it was still perfect. Tammy pulled back, placing her hand over her mouth, face still tinged pink. 

“Could you write your number down for me again?” Robin asked.

Tammy let her hand drop and nodded, leaning in for a quick peck.

“You didn’t give my number to Steve, right?”

“Of course not. He’s not allowed to call you anyways, bro-code and all that,” Robin responds, grabbing a notepad and a pen from the desk and handing it to Tammy.

“I have to go soon, my lunch break is almost over,” Tammy says, scribbling down on the notepad. Tammy leans up for one more kiss, tucking the folded up paper into Robin’s pocket before pulling away and heading out the door. Robin follows behind her, abandoning her turkey sandwich and her break. She pulls a random movie off the shelf and hands it to Tammy.

“Oh yeah, that’s kinda what I came in to get, wasn’t it? Cinderella?” Tammy giggles, examining the VHS case. She shrugs, taking it to the counter, pulling out the change from her pocket and handing it to Steve. She pulls a box of Twizzlers from the snack shelf parallel to the cash register and immediately opens it.

“See you later, Tammy,” Steve says, handing Tammy the receipt. She looks around for a pen before pressing a kiss to the paper and tossing it into the tip jar.

“Later Steve. I’ll bring Billy by next time,” She says through a mouth full of candy, turning on her heel and leaving as confidently as she came in. Steve turns to Robin grinning from ear to ear.

“You got something right there,” He says pointing to his mouth. Robin rubs her lips to discover Tammy’s lipgloss smeared across her face.

“Shit, I’m gonna go wash this off,” She replies.

“Oh, and Robin?” Steve calls out as she heads off.

“What’s up?”

“I told you so.”

Robin scoffs, tucking her hand in her pocket, pulling out the note Tammy left for her.

You’d better give me a call this time! XOXO

-Tammy ♡

869-181-4291

[isorottatime]

thots after the first episode okay

- omg

-omg

- why’d they have to make eddie mean :(

- el’s plot line made me cry

- max :(

-sinclairs for the win!!!

-they’re all drifting apart :(

- i thought tammy was ginger skdhdhdh

-what’s the vickie robin ship name.. vobin? rickie? sjdhdhdh

- omg omg.

- max :(

-steve and robin my best friends steve and robin robin and steve

- and omg

- chrissy…

[blackacre13]

ok this may be kinda weird but i was wondering if you would do one AU where debbie is like a robin hood type of gal in cinderella and then she meets lady tremaine (lady tremaine finds out debbie’s been stealing from her) but maybe change debbie’s name since it doesn’t really fit into the medieval setting

“Debbie,” Tammy warned.

“What?” The brunette shrugged, taking a bite out of the apple she was holding as she wiped the juice off her chin with her sleeve.

“One of these days you’re going to steal from the wrong person,” the younger woman sighed. “And I have a sinking feeling that it’s today.”

Debbie chuckled at the woman before taking another bite.

“Just tell me you sharpened my blade and I’ll be gone,” Debbie grinned. “We’ll pretend you don’t know anything about it.”

“If you’re going to steal from Lady Miller then the whole village will know about it soon enough,” Tammy grumbled. “I’ll just have to pray you don’t end up with your head in the stocks.”

“Wouldn’t that be a show,” Debbie winked before grabbing the blade from Tammy and securing it in her sheath. “Thanks for this, by the way.”

“Yeah, Yeah,” Tammy sighed. “Promise me you’ll be careful at least?”

“Where’s the fun in that?” Debbie teased, turning and leaving Tammy’s shop before throwing the apple back over her shoulder.

She’d been keeping an eye on the Miller home for the past few weeks, trying to discern who came in and out of the house at all hours of the day.

The only important player to her game was the cook. She left for the market every other day around 3. The problem was, if the cook was out, then the house was low on food, so she would have to find when the cook made other errands if any, or when she was busy elsewhere but the kitchen had been restocked. The maids could also prove to be a problem.

There were young girls in the house too that Debbie assumed to be about her age, but Lady Miller had shipped them off to boarding school in France as soon as she’d had the chance. Debbie didn’t know much about the lady, but she’d heard rumors of her cruelty and she had heard that she’d only grown more distant and crude since losing her second husband, bitter that she had to raise his daughter alone. Death and trouble seemed to follow Lady Miller wherever she went. This village wasn’t the only one full of rumors and tales.

Today she was making her move. Her good friend Amita was helping her devise her plan. Lady Miller never came to the door to answer for strangers, so when Amita came forward to peddle her goods, lady Miller would surely grumble and send out one of the maids or the cook. Debbie prayed it was the cook. The kitchen was closer to the foyer anyhow.

Once Amita was in position at the front, Debbie tucked away against the side of the house near the servants’ entrance, peering through the kitchen window. Sure enough, after some yelling and commotion, the frazzled cook, irritated and red in the face was headed towards the foyer and Debbie was slipping into the kitchen with her satchel, filling it full with breads and cheeses and fruits. Tossing a pastry directly into her mouth at last thought before she darted away back towards the woods.

She kept at it for weeks. Tammy came by to peddle blades. Amita with jewels. Rose the finest silk. Daphne with mysterious fortunes. Leslie with quirky inventions. Lady Miller sighing or yelling and calling for the cook to “take care of” whoever was at the door while Debbie staked out her claim and made out like a bandit in the night in the middle of broad daylight. Like clockwork.

But then one particular day, Debbie slid into the kitchen and froze, Lady Miller sitting at the servants’ table with a cup of tea, smirking at her after looking up from examining her gloves.

“Thought it was about time I saw the face of the thief who was stealing from me,” the blonde woman grinned, looking as mischievous as Debbie usually felt. “Deborah Ocean, isn’t it?”

“Debbie,” the brunette shrugged, dropping her satchel. “Lady Miller, I just—“

The blonde held her hands up, silencing her, but surprisingly motioned to the table, sliding a tea cup towards the empty chair across from her.

“I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors,” the lady frowned, looking down at the table. Her face was hidden by the brim of her hat for a moment as she thought. Debbie cautiously took the seat, staring at the cup, afraid of it. “They think I killed him.”

The woman paused.

“Both of them,” she chuckled darkly. “I just call it bad luck.”

“You call this bad luck?” Debbie seethed, motioning to the grand house.

“You and I are not the same, Deborah,” the lady spat.

“Actually, Louise, I think we’re more similar than you think,” Debbie smirked, leaning back. She pushed the teacup towards the blonde, too cautious for what antics might ensue.

“Lou,” she sighed.

“What?”

“Call me, Lou,” she sighed, sliding off her gloves and throwing them down on the table.

“I’m confused,” Debbie murmured, frowning down at the gloves.

“I expect you would be,” Lou chuckled, taking a sip of her tea. “I think you and I can come to an arrangement. That is, if you’d still like to rummage through my cupboards once a week.”

“I’m listening,” Debbie confirmed, narrowing her eyes, but they darted to the loaf of bread cooling by the window before darting back to Lady Miller.

[miwtual]

robin buckley! :)

favorite thing about them: everything shbdfkjs but if i had to name something specifically, her being openly a lesbian. esp for a show set in the 80s i think thats really cool

least favorite thing about them: i cant think of anything kndfs

favorite line: when they're in the elevator and shes just talking to erica like "we all die my strange little child friends :)" because she sounds exactly like me talking to my younger cousin who is also named erica and is black, ironically when i would try and freak her out

brOTP: steve/robin

OTP: robin/tammy thompson i know we technically dont know tammy thompson but i WANT to know her so she can date robin!!!!!!!

nOTP: steve/robin bc shes a LESBIAN >:(((( and ppl still ship it for some reason

random headcanon: robin and steve have movie nights together and throw popcorn into each others mouths from across the room. no this is not based on personal experience

unpopular opinion: i cant think of one :((

song i associate with them: i swear i had one once upon a time but i cant remember!!!!!!!!!!!! now im sad BSNDKLF it was a good song whatever it was. robin only deserves the best

favorite picture of them:

she's so pretty when she smiles <3 also this whole scene is so sweet i love this scene

send me a character!

[aion-rsa]

Riverdale Creates Its Own Church Because Why Not?

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

This Riverdale review contains spoilers.

Riverdale Season 5 Episode 16

“Being canonized has always been one of my life’s goals.”

And so it came to pass that Cheryl Blossom turned water into maple syrup.

Goddamn Riverdale is glorious trash.

In what is either very subtle marketing for The Eyes of Tammy Faye or just the best direction this show has taken since everyone was hopped up on Jingle Jangle, the Blossom family’s “Church of Jason” antics came into sharp focus this week. Although relegated to a B or C plot, this plotline — which works equally well as a satire on hip religions that popped up out of nowhere (see also: last week’s The Other Two) or as Cheryl’s latest brush with divine darkness.

The focal point of this episode was clearly supposed to be Archie getting justice for his fallen comrades, but how can one be expected to pay attention to military intrigue when a line like “for I am Cheryl Blossom, Queen of the Bees” is delivered by Madelaine Petsch without a hint of insincerity? Disjointed as this season is, there’s been a clear effort on the part of the writing to staff to give the show’s secondary characters more to do. (Due to Petsch’s constant scene-stealing it’s easy to forget that she was previously a supporting character before the series’ producers made the wise decision to become an ensemble piece instead of focusing primarily on Archie, Veronica, Betty and Jughead). As a result, Cheryl has shone brighter than ever.

While Penelope clearly sees the Church of Jason as another shady enterprise, for Cheryl it has become a, well, bona fide religious experience. Since breaking up with Toni she has become, in the immortal words of The Lemonheads, “a ship without a rudder.” The Church of Jason gives her a purpose, even if it is only to satisfy her carnivorous desire for validation. Although this has some unexpected side effects, namely that her false divinity unexpectedly gave rise to an actual miracle when she controlled the bees and use them to dispel Penelope from the Church. “Something inside me has shifted,” she tells Kevin afterwards, “something powerful.” More than just quasi-literally becoming a Queen Bee, Cheryl has undergone a true religious awakening and tapped into a power inside of herself. How will this manifest? And what ramifications will it have for her and all of Riverdale itself?

Cheryl has always been more of a persona than a character, reliably outrageous with hints of an inner depth that go undeveloped as the series’ tears through its storytelling. I’d like to think that whatever is happening here is going to correct that wrong and give Cheryl the ability to be fleshed out more. Seeing how self-aware Riverdale has been of late (i.e. Josie’s takedown of the entire gang last week), there is a renewed effort to strengthen sidelined characters. Let’s see how Cheryl benefits from this in the few remaining episodes of the season.

Speaking of sidelined characters, there is none more so than Casey Cott’s Kevin Keller. Five seasons in and Kevin can be boiled down to “loves musicals and cruising for anonymous sex,” which doesn’t exactly befit the character’s GLAAD-award comic book counterpart. The continual lack of depth for Kevin and the show’s reliance on stereotyping him remains an absolute downer. Where are his multitudes? At least by pairing him with Cheryl he isn’t out in Fox Forest all the time. Again though, he remains sidelined without any clear definition. I give the series credit for not following the cliched “Bury Your Gays” trope, but by continually mishandling Keller the argument could be made that his lack of dimensions are a fate worse than death. I’m hoping that the show finally figures out what to do with him, as Cott and Keller — who was Archie’s first openly gay character — deserve much better.

The Church of Jason’s actual goals are unclear, and the miracles on display here were pretty much sacrilegious. Now that something has shifted in Cheryl, expect her to transform the religion into something based on her past trauma (and her mother’s scheming) into something entirely different, and perhaps dark. For now though, I’m willing to go on faith that the Church of Jason, and Riverdale itself, has some entertaining miracles up its gloriously bonkers sleeve.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Riverdale Rundown

Like last week’s excellent installment, this episode was directed by Robin Givens, who is rapidly becoming one of this series’ best helmers.

I for one would have loved to have seen Cheryl and Kevin’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat medley. Thanks Penelope.

A nice bit of meta humor appeared when Jason was referred to as “a man of few words” as we have yet to see the character utter even a pre-death flashback syllable.

K.J. Apa’s hair seems to be rebelling against the red hair dye more and more each week.

This episode’s main plot was about Archie’s attempts to bring General Taylor to justice, but it is so disconnected from the other storylines that it ultimately results in a major shrug. Even the show seems uninterested in this, with the climatic tribunal — which would have at least provided some A Few Good Men pastiching — happening off screen.

Before it was cancelled, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina‘s next season was supposed to be a massive Riverdale crossover involving witches. One can only wonder if Cheryl’s new abilities are somehow tied into this abandoned event.

We learn that Reggie and Hermosa had “a thing,” and one that Veronica seems both revolted (and perhaps a bit jealous?) of.

Hiram Lodge storing his palladium in model of So-Dale is very on brand.

The book Jughead initially passes off as his own before coming to his senses is “Rules of Distraction,” (an obvious riff on The Rules of Attraction) written by the very Riverdale-named Cora Carter.

Jughead’s agent is named Samm, and this is perhaps not so coincidental. One of the greatest-ever Archie artists was Samm Schwartz, who has best known for his work on the Jughead solo comic. By giving the character fluid movement and hilarious facial expressions, Schwartz’s gag-packed panels remain the most pleasing take on the character in Archie’s 80-year history.

Copter Cab, a rideshare company that takes one-percenters to exclusive events via helicopter is such a douchey idea that I’m generally shocked it doesn’t exist in real life.

Jughead gets one of the best lines of the week when he remarks to Betty that she “solved like eight mysteries in high school and were still valedictorian.”

What with Archie’s crusade for justice, Veronica generally kicking ass in her battle to detach from Chad and regain her She-Wolf of Wall Street Mojo, all the aforementioned magic of Cheryl and Kevin, and Jughead’s attempt to get his life back on track, Betty’s search for the Lonely Highway Trucker didn’t get much screentime until the end of the episode. By pairing with Tabitha Tate on the road, she has a new ally, and I can’t wait to see these two trying to solve crimes together.

Speaking of, the Lonely Highway Killer has to be TBK, right?

It’s interesting that the past two episodes have worked overtime to make Mr. Lodge seem small and foolish. I’m not quite sure where this is leading, but it’s satisfying to see him get some comeuppance at last.

Fake brands this week include the Boysenberry pager and The Wall Beat Journal.

Now that Jughead’s The Lost Weekend-ing seems to be headed towards the backburner, I’m excited for next week’s installment which promises the return of Mothmen. Finally.

The post Riverdale Creates Its Own Church Because Why Not? appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3tMpkNl

[multsposts]

No cuz why did the duffer brothers make a non existent character(Tammy Thompson) WHEN THEY HAD A REAL CHARACTER(Nancy wheeler) FOR ROBIN TO CRUSH ON!

Like as much as i love jancy(Johnathan and Nancy) i ship byler(will and mike) plus if byler happens then elmax(Eleven and Max)can happen and ducas(Dustin and Lucas)[not otp butt] and then Sonathan(Steve and Jonathan)[again not otp]

AND MAY I REMIND YOU ROBIN AND NANCY'S SHIP NAME IS RONANCE(LITTERLY ROMANCE) :)

Thank you for listening to my ted talk ;)😏

[thelesbianluthor]

To all the people that keep saying Robin is bi just so they can ship her with steve. Stop.

When Steve says that he likes her and basically asks her if she likes him she could have said that she wasn't interested she could have said that she didn't like Him as more than a friend but she decided to risk her own safety (bc we are still in the 80s and let's be real if coming out now puts any lgbt person in danger in the 80s was way worse) and she told him how much she resented him bc a girl she liked was into him.

Now if she had been bi she could have simply said that she wasn't into him specifically and moved on without coming out.

But the fact that she said to him that she liked Tammy and when Steve said "but she is a girl" only said his name and looked at him with fear and insecurity means that she is not interested in him bc she is only interested in girls.

If she had been bi she wouldn't have had to come out to him. Coming out was a way to say to steve that she would never be into him bc she is a lesbian.

And Maya Hawke explicitly referred to Robin as gay so there is no argument

[carmineri]

Disney Cruise Line News — Week of January 26, 2019

Sponsored by Storybook Destinations

Ahoy, mateys! I’m Heather, and I’ll be bringing you the up and coming on all things Disney Cruise Line. Welcome back again this week. Let’s see what’s new in the DCL world!

Ports of Call

Disney Cruise Line: In The News

Have you ever said to yourself, possibly with a wistful sigh, “I wish I could live on Castaway Cay”? DCL is hiring a human resources manager with quite the bonus — living on the island! Now’s your chance!

While we eagerly await and speculate on the details of the three new ships coming our way, this week we learned that they are being called the “Triton Class”. The news was revealed in documents out of Port Canaveral regarding renovations to the two terminals that will serve Disney Cruise Line.

Here’s this week’s special offers. Most every week of the year, Disney Cruise Line releases special offers for Florida Residents and U.S. Military Personnel.  There are also frequently IGT/OGT/VGT rates available for all guests to book.  These offers are extremely limited in availability, and all come with certain restrictions, but the prices are amazing! You can book these online, on the phone, or with your travel agent. These are the current offers available this week:

Upcoming Entertainment

The following films are being shown aboard the Disney Cruise Line ships this month:

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Avengers: Infinity War

Solo: A Star Wars Story 

Incredibles 2 

Ant-Man and The Wasp

Christopher Robin

The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

Ralph Breaks the Internet

Mary Poppins Returns

For future reference, films debut on Disney Cruise Line the same day of their initial release in the United States. Films do vary by ship. Show times are available in your Personal Navigator or the official Disney Cruise Line app.

Captain’s Log: Important Tips and Information

Last week, DCL announced that they would be increasing the amount of the recommended gratuities for three of the tipped positions. The Stateroom Host/Hostess, Server, and Assistant Server positions have been increased by $0.50 per passenger, per night. This brings the new total recommended gratuity amount to $13.50 per passenger, per night.

Gratuities can be prepaid by calling DCL, or your travel agent, and having them added to your reservation. This can be done up until 3 days prior to your cruise. The prepaid amount will automatically be at $13.50 per passenger/per night. You can see how much this will be for your upcoming cruise by using this tip calculator.

If you don’t prepay, the recommended gratuities will automatically be added to your onboard account during your cruise. You do have the option to change the amount of these tips, but it will need to be done at guest services. Alternatively, you can opt to tip entirely in cash, in which case you’ll still need to make a trip to guests services to remove the charge from your onboard account. (Tip: don’t wait until the last morning to do this!!)

Before the last night of your cruise, you will receive in your stateroom an envelope for each tipped position. Along with this will be a sheet that will have a tear off receipt showing the name and amount paid to each recipient. You can distribute these slips/envelopes to each crew member, though it’s not necessary – it’s mostly just a nice gesture.

Don’t forget these are just the recommended amounts! Those envelopes you receive in your stateroom are an easy way to add an additional cash gratuity for exceptional service to the respective crew members.

There are some other instances where you may want to tip a crew member onboard, or services that have gratuities automatically added – Tammy has hashed out the 10 tipping tips you need to know!

Special thanks to Scott Sanders of The DCL Blog for assistance on this article.

Thanks for joining me again this week. “Sea” you next time!

The Disney Cruise Line Preview is brought to you by Storybook Destinations. Storybook Destinations specializes in Disney travel, is consistently highly rated by our readers, and is owned by our own blogger extraordinaire, Tammy Whiting. Storybook also offers free subscriptions to TouringPlans to clients with qualified bookings.

  The post Disney Cruise Line News — Week of January 26, 2019 appeared first on TouringPlans.com Blog.

from TouringPlans.com Blog http://bit.ly/2DxERsb

[olivereactsaboutgarbage]

One Piece - Volume 44

4? 4? 4? 4? 4? 4? 4? 4? 4?

Chapter 420 - Buster Call

420? 420? 420? Wait, joke cancelled, that's an actual notable number.

BACK TOGETHER!! AND I'M NEVER GOING DOWN AT THE HANDS OF THE LIKES OF YOU!! BECAUSE I'M SO MUCH BETTER!!

Now that Nico Robin is free, she instakills Spamton NEO. Hooray!!! Even Nico Robin got an awesome 1v1 this arc!!!

This sequence of panels has a very special comedic timing. Also:

Zoro and Sanji, you dumbasses, that tower wasn't named Usopp.

Anyway, someone named Usopp isn't dead, so that person might be THE Usopp. Sniper King also isn't dead. It's all a little ambiguous.

These two facial expressions say a lot, I think.

Awesome

Oh right, and Lufpy still isn't done fighting Matt Engarde. Jeez, isn't Lufpy such a slowpoke?

Woah, that's cool. I guess if Kyngpin is stealing Lufpy's fetish gimmick, Lufpy is allowed to steal Kyngpin's coolness gimmick. We... we really are transitioning into a new era of One Piece...

Matt Engarde tells Lufpy to stop throwing his life away for the sake of victory. Lufpy says "No, I'm short-sighted."

Chapter 421 - Gear Three

A bunch of guys with guns show up and say "For this nuking, we're allowing a special exception where we don't kill a certain criminal. As for all the cops, let's not worry about them too hard." What awesome gun guys.

Everyone except Lufpy and Matt Engarde is running around, but those guys are still slowpokes. Lufpy challenges Matt Engarde to a staring contest. Is now really the time, Lufpy...?

Matt Engarde realizes that Lufpy can't win a staring contest if Lufpy is dead, and tries to use this clever strategy to win. He doesn't do a good job at it though.

Lufpy activates "Gear Three" which is where he has a really big hand. That's awesome, I love people with really big hands.

Chapter 422 - Rob Lucci

Some cops talk about how they don't need to worry too much, since there's a really cool and awesome assassin with a dark backstory.

All Lufpy's friends drown. Matt Engarde is about to drown too, but then he doesn't because of Boat. Also, Matt Engarde is a really cool and awesome assassin with a dark backstory.

Lufpy steps on Boat with a really big foot. Ah, now I see...! Lufpy was using a coolness reacharound loophole to reclaim fetishes! Very clever, Lufpy.

Matt Engarde tries to eat Lufpy, but Lufpy circumvents it by increasaing his bust size. Next, Lufpy decides to be even more mean to Boat.

The cops decide to follow Lufpy's lead and be even meaner to Boat. "Friendship is less important than murder" one of them says.

Chapter 423 - Mermaid Legend

Yay!!! Lufpy is winning at fetishes!!! Finally Kyngpin, the main villain of this arc, has been beaten by Lufpy.

Hmm, why does this arc even need any more chapters at this point? I think the crew should just show up at the next place now.

Yay!!! Fun ideas :)

Spamton NEO has recovered from being instakilled by Nico Robin, but he's scared of her now, so he starts tormenting Kyngpin instead, so Kyngpin instakills him.

Spamton NEO is scared of Kyngpin now, so he tries to torment Nico Robin instead, but he accidentally torments Kyngpin instead, so Kyngpin instakills him.

The scary Heart Woman also decides to un-drown everyone who drowned, using her awesome tail. She also decided to take her shirt off for some reason.

Chapter 424 - Escape Ship

OH NO SHE'S GONNA KILL KYNGPIN!!!

Chapter 425 - Bridge of Mortal Combat

Ah, so Kyngpin is aware of how often his circus freaks get killed. And if I already said that, you can't blame me, because that was last year.

Anyway, the circus freaks got killed. Alongside other people such as Sonic's friend Tammy, thank god.

In One Piece? If only. *glares at a framed photo of the glasses idiot*

Meanwhile, Lufpy discovers that Matt Engarde is even stronger than all those recordings Usopp stole. Ah, power scaling.

Chapter 426 - A Ship Waiting for Wind

Everyone watches Lufpy be a slowpoke and smiles and waves. Except Sanji mysteriously isn't there. OMG YES, is Sanji finally gonna do his trademarked espionage again...?! Finally, the one way in which Sanji is actually interesting returns.

Unfortunately, they all get attacked by cops, so they have to fight. OMG YES, I don't need to look at a lame panel of Sanji fighting...!

Also, Usopp shows up. I guess Usopp will be replacing Sanji. That's not who I expected Usopp to be replacing.

Chapter 427 - This Isn't the Afterlife

Usopp says "It's not like I like you or anything, baka slowpoke!" to Lufpy and asks Matt Engarde to fight him instead to speed things up.

Lufpy doesn't want to have his 1v1 stolen, so Usopp says "Well uhhhh try not being dead then." Lufpy decides to try not being dead then. Then Matt Engarde says "Well uhhhh try being dead next." Lufpy decides to ignore him. Matt Engarde decides to try being dead next.

Chapter 428 - Let's Go Back

Every single character who was dead was actually alive. Shit, that means Sonic's friend Tammy is alive. This ending sucks!! I think the time traveler who fixed the Merry Go should have gone back a second time to prevent this ending.

The cops decide to be mean to Boat again. This seems like it might mean people died, but it actually doesn't mean that, because of Sanji leaving. That's actually pretty interesting.

Usopp asks Nico Robin to drown Lufpy. I thought better of you, Usopp. Nico Robin obeys. I thought better of you, Usopp.

Also, the Merry Go shows up. I guess this is probably logistically sound based on the Kyngpin shenanigans, but I don't really remember.

Chapter 429 - Utter Defeat

Poor Sanji. Whenever Lufpy is about to drown it's always Sanji's problem. Usopp should be nicer to Sanji.

Nico Robin thanks everyone while suffocating Lufpy. I think Nico Robin is taking Usopp's orders too seriously...! I seriously thought better of you, Usopp.

Spamton NEO recovers from being instakilled once again, and tells everyone to be just as mean to the Merry Go as they were to Boat. Jeez, will this guy stay instakilled for once?

All the cops kill each other. "I did this," Sanji says.

The cops still want to be mean to the Merry Go, so Zoro and Sanji use an immobilized Lufpy as a human shield. Awesome.

Man, screw getting a musician, the crew needs a painter to permanently capture awesome moments like these.

Nico Robin decides to try instakilling Spamton NEO one more time for good measure. Spamton NEO says "Don't spare me..." for some reason.

The horny-for-Jessica rival bicycle shows up just to say "We lose."

Chapter 430 - A Light Snow of Reminiscence Falls

It was Lorenz Hellman Gloucester Slightly To The Left all along, who provided the first, last, and only Merry Go ex machina. Neat. Also Usopp's gone again. I guess Franky can replace him (I decided to refer to him a bit more formally just now because, thinking about it, if he was willing to steal from Lufpy, I guess I didn't know him as well as I thought I did.)

Lufpy decides to set the Merry Go on fire.

Sniper King decides to go ahead and speak on Usopp's behalf, as though Sniper King knows anything about how Usopp truly feels. I thought better of you, Sniper King.

I'm pretty sure this dialog was plagiarized from James Cameron's Titanic. I should know, I watched an entire video by Hbomberguy.

Hmm... Sniper King said that men shouldn't cry when saying goodbye, and by cross-referencing that with these panels...

We can see that Zoro, Nico Robin, Sanji, and the scary Heart Woman are the only men around here. Well, Nico Robin and the scary Heart Woman are sort of edge cases where they could also be considered to be women or non-binary. And Sniper King might just be drooling I guess.

Thus concludes my gender arc. Goodbye everyone.

[chellexo]

List 7 TV Shows:

1. Superstore

2. Parks and Rec

3. Community

4. New Girl

5. How I Met Your Mother

6. Rick & Morty

7. The 100

Who are your favourite characters? 1. Superstore: Jonah, Mateo, Glenn

2. Parks: Ben, Andy, Leslie

3. Community: Jeff, Annie, Troy

4. New Girl: Nick

5. HIMYM: Barney, Ted

6. Rick & Morty: Rick, Beth

7. The 100: Bellamy, Clarke, Raven

Who are your least favourite characters? 1. Superstore: Bo, Marcus

2. Parks: Jeremy Jamm

3. Community: Chang, Frankie

4. New Girl: Principal Foster

5. HIMYM: Nora, Quinn

6. Rick & Morty: Mr. Jellybean

7. The 100: Lexa, Roan, Echo

What’s your favourite episodes? 1. Superstore: “Tornado”

2. Parks: “End of the World”

3. Community: “Paradigms of Human Memory”

4. New Girl: “Cooler”

5. HIMYM: “Tick, Tick, Tick...”

6. Rick & Morty: “Get Schwifty”

7. The 100: “His Sister’s Keeper”

What is your favourite/least favourite seasons? 1. Superstore: Season 3 (so far) | Season 1 (but they’re all great)

2. Parks: Season 5 | Season 1

3. Community: Season 2 | Season 4/6

4. New Girl: Season 2 | Season 6

5. HIMYM: Season 5 | Season 9

6. R&M: Season 3 | Season 1

7. The 100: Season 1/4 | Season 3

What’s your favourite ships? 1. Superstore: Jonah/Amy

2. Parks: Ben/Leslie, Andy/April

3. Community: Jeff/Annie

4. New Girl: Nick/Jess, Schmidt/Cece

5. HIMYM: Barney/Robin, Ted/The Mother

6. R&M: Jerry/Beth

7. The 100: Bellamy/Clarke

Who is your anti-ships? 1. Superstore: Garrett/Dina, Adam/Amy

2. Parks: Ron/Leslie, Ron/Either Tammy

3. Community: Jeff/Britta

4. New Girl: Schmidt/Elizabeth, Fawn, or anyone besides Cece

5. HIMYM: Ted/Robin

6.R&M: The disturbing ship that shall not be named

7. The 100: Bellamy/Echo 

How long have you watched? 1. Superstore: Like...not even two weeks, haha

2. Parks: Since April 2014 (3.5 years)

3. Community: Since fall 2014 (3 years)

4. New Girl: Since spring 2013 (4.5 years)

5. HIMYM: Since summer 2012 (5 years)

6. R&M: Since late Aug. 2017 (month and a half)

7. The 100: Since Nov. 2015 (almost 2 years)

How did you become interested in them?

1. Superstore: I saw gifs on Tumblr and heard lots of great things about it, and when I became a retail manager I was inspired to actually watch it, haha. It’s fantastic

2. Parks: I heard about it when I came out, but didn’t start watching until after HIMYM ended. I was in need of a lighthearted, comedic show and, again, heard/saw great things from Tumblr. 

3. Community: Once again, haha, I think I heard of it from Tumblr, and was inspired to check it out early in my sophomore year of college so that I could relate to all the hilarious college struggles.

4. New Girl: This was suggested to me on Netflix, and...probably Tumblr too, hah. It seemed funny and I was suddenly super into sitcoms after finishing HIMYM.

5. HIMYM: This was the show that started it all for me, the one that got me into sitcoms and basically the life of being a TV super-fan, waiting eagerly for each new episode to come out and slowly dying inside during hiatuses. I both thank and blame this wonderful, terrible show for simultaneously ruining and improving my life. But anywayyy...as the legend goes, I’d seen this show pop up on Netflix but never gave it the time of day, because I just never thought I’d be into it. I thought it was some old show about a dude with kids & a wife whose mother-in-law moved in with them or something, haha. I also saw some funny gifs on YouTube, but again, didn’t think I’d ever watch. So I was watching a Cimorelli video on YouTube, and they asked for viewers to vote for them in the Teen Choice Awards. Being the good little fan that I was, I went ahead and did that. Then, in the TV Actor category, I saw that Neil Patrick Harris was nominated for his role on HIMYM, and apparently that was all it took for my bored 17-year-old self, on summer break with minimal friends in a state I’d only moved to like 6 months earlier, to throw all caution to the wind & click on that first episode of HIMYM on Netflix. The rest, as they say...is history. 

6. R&M: I’d heard of it everywhere, but just thought it was another obnoxious Adult Swim cartoon. The only interest I had in it was due to it being created by Dan Harmon, but after my sister’s bf showed me the season 3 premiere, I decided to give it a shot. Also, I was looking for a relief from stress, boredom, and just life in general after not going back to school for the first time in my life. I caught up on the show in 2 days and regretted nothing...until I realized how ridiculous most of the fandom is. 

7. The 100: I’d seen gifs on Tumblr, like with all the others, but disregarded it as just another sci-fi show I probably wouldn’t be interested in. (Fun fact: I thought Bellamy was a girl & Clarke was a guy, ahah.) Then, my sister (who was influenced by her friend to start the show) made me watch the first couple episodes during my junior year Thanksgiving break. I liked it, and picked it back up when I went back to college. But I didn’t get super into it until 3x02 came out and gave me all the Bellarke feelings...then I was a goner.

Which show do you prefer out of the 6? Oh geez...probably...Parks. But it changes all the time. 

Which show have you seen the most episodes of? HIMYM, just because it has the most seasons.

If you could inherit one personality trait from any character, what would it be and from whom? 1. Superstore:  Amy’s ability to stand up for herself and be bold in what she does & says.

2. Parks: Leslie’s fierce determination and compassion. 

3. Community: Annie’s call toward justice and integrity.

4. New Girl: Jess’ sense of purpose and self-worth.

5. HIMYM: Ted’s faith in true love and destiny.

6. R&M: Morty’s growing confidence in calling out BS.

7. The 100: Bellamy’s selflessness.

Give a random quote from each show 1. Superstore: “Balloons are like our souls. They want to go up, but can’t, and when you pop them, they scream.” - Glenn

2. Parks: “If there were more food and fewer people, this would be a perfect party.” - Ron

3. Community: “Jeff, are you okay?” - Annie “I’m laying on campus furniture, so no.” - Jeff

4. New Girl: “Maybe it’s crazy to talk about being an intergalactic truck driver. But what I think is crazier is trying to plan every single detail of our future.” - Nick

5. HIMYM: “Sometimes, you just...find things.” - The Mother

6. R&M: “Nobody exists on purpose. Nobody belongs anywhere. Everybody’s gonna die. Come watch TV?” - Morty

7. The 100: “What’s wrong with a little chaos?” - Bellamy

What two shows would make the best crossover? Probably Community and Superstore, because they both share a kind of weird, crazy humor - plus, I’d love to see the Greendale Seven in those blue Cloud-9 vests, working together (and hating their lives) at a big box store, hahah. 

Pair two characters that would make an unlikely, but strangely okay couple. Ted Mosby & Jess Day...so weird, but surprisingly compatible, maybe? They both teach, they’re both nerds, and they’d share the weirdest relationship & roommate stories.

Overall, which show has a best cast? Gahh...I have to say Parks & Rec.

Which has the best theme music? Again, this one goes out to Parks! R&M’s is good, too.

[carol38banks]

Chicagoans to Build CTA Rail Cars in Chicago for Chinese Government

Amid much pomp and circumstance, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the Chicago Transit Authority, a bevy of politicians, and representatives of CRRC Sifang broke ground yesterday on a new factory in the Hegewisch neighborhood that will be used to produce CTA subway cars.

Much of the hot air being blown by Hizzonor and other local pols was about how this is the first time since 1964 that rail cars for Chicago’s transit system are being made in Chicago.  The south side of Chicago, as you know, was once famous for building rail cars.  Its legacy is an abandoned factory complex and a struggling neighborhood bearing the manufacturer’s name: Pullman.

Rendering of the new CTA subway cars soon to be built in Chicago.  Still with the punk rock chains in front.  Go figure. (via Chicago Transit Authority)

We’re huge fans of new manufacturing and new factories in Chicago, and this its nice to see The City That Works working with its hands as often as possible.  But what is CRRC Sifang? It’s the American name for CRRC Corporation Limited, which is a company owned by the Chinese government.

In a nutshell: The CTA is giving the Chinese government (via CRRC) $632 million for 400 new subway cars (that’s $1,580,000 per car).  The Chinese government’s company is spending $40 million building a new factory in Chicago to produce those subway cars.   The advantage to Chicago is that the factory will employ local American workers, though Chinese government companies have, in other countries, brought in Chinese labor to run their foreign factories.  Either way, the new subway cars get shiny “Made in the U.S.A.” badges on them. So +1 for mom, apple pie, and the no-longer-endangered bald eagle.

The upside for the Chinese gub’mint is that it saves a metric assload of money shipping rail cars in from a manufacturing facility in Buffalo, or Montreal, or wherever else would give it a deal, while making money off the CTA contract.  Because even though it’s government-owned, CRRC is in the business of making money.  So +1 for Beijing, smog masks, and risking arrest for typing “Tiananmen Square” into your computer.

Cartoon depiction of the new Chicago subway car factory (via Chicago Transit Authority)

But the benefits of the Hegewish factory go beyond the movements of little bits of green paper around the world.  It has to do with people, and their movements around the world.

The same way a huge mound of lo-mein leaves you hungry for more lo-mein an hour later, the notion of a Chinese factory in Chicago makes Chinese investors hungry for more Chicago.  It leads to better and closer business ties for private firms on both sides of the Pacific.  Think more Chinese tourists coming to Chicago.  More Caterpillar bulldozers headed to Shanghai.  More Chinese investment in Chicago real estate.  More bKL-designed skyscrapers in Beijing.  And along the way, tens of thousands of people are kept employed in ancillary industries from translation to photocopiers to pizza delivery.  If you’re into chaos theory, it’s the macroeconomics version of the butterfly effect. If you’re into butterflies, that’s called lepidoptery, and is entirely unrelated to this discussion.

The bottom line:

Giving tax dollars to the Chinese government: Not great, but not any worse than you plonking down $200 at Target on plastic things made in China anyway.

Building trains in Chicago and employing Chicagoland people: Always a very good thing.

Press release follows:

Mayor Emanuel, CTA, CRRC Sifang America Break Ground on New CTA Railcar Manufacturing Facility in Chicago

New Final Assembly Plant for CTA’s Next-Generation 7000-Series Rail Cars will be Built by 2018 on the Southeast Side, Creating Hundreds of Local Jobs

Mayor Rahm Emanuel today joined Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval R. Carter, Jr., CRRC Sifang America, CenterPoint Properties, Jobs to Move America (JMA) and the Chicago Federation of Labor to break ground on a new $100 million facility on the Southeast Side of Chicago that will assemble the CTA’s newest rail cars, the 7000-series, and create more than 300 skilled factory and new construction jobs.

The new CRRC Sifang America facility will mark the first time in more than 50 years that CTA rail cars have been produced in Chicago – the latest example of how investment in the CTA promotes economic development and creates employment opportunities for Chicagoans.

“This new facility represents a major investment in Chicago that will bring economic opportunities to the Southeast Side, while creating good-paying jobs for hundreds of workers,” Mayor Emanuel said. “The rail cars that emerge from this facility will be the latest step we’ve taken to invest in world-class transportation, and to create a 21st Century transit system.”

As part of CTA’s ongoing modernization efforts, the agency last year awarded a manufacturing contract to CRRC’s U.S. subsidiary, CRRC Sifang America, to build up to 846 new rail cars. The CTA’s first order of 400 rail cars will be assembled at the new facility and will replace CTA’s oldest railcars, which are more than 30 years old.

Once these new vehicles are in service, CTA will have one of the youngest fleets of any U.S. transit agency.

“CRRC Sifang America is grateful for the opportunity to work with the Chicago Transit Authority to produce the next generation of railcars in Chicago, for Chicago,” said CRRC Corporation Vice President Sun Yongcai, who also serves as a member of the CRRC standing committee. “We are committed to producing top-of-the- line railcars to enhance CTA rider experience, while also creating new jobs at our assembly facility in the city. We are confident CRRC Sifang America’s partnerships in Chicago will make this project a success for us and for the city.”

The 7000-series rail cars, which will be the first CTA rail cars produced in Chicago since 1964, include such features as AC-power propulsion for smooth, quiet rides; additional security cameras both inside and outside the vehicle; and GPS-triggered announcements and automatic passenger counting for improved service planning.

“We are committed to providing our customers with more reliable and comfortable transportation for decades to come,” CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. said. “We are continuing our investments in new buses and trains that will improve commutes, lower maintenance costs and provide a more pleasant customer experience.”

The 380,994-square-foot facility, paid for entirely by CRRC, will employ at least 169 factory and warehouse workers, as well as support approximately 200 construction jobs to build the facility. Approximately $7 million will be spent on training for their Chicago final assembly facility workforce.

“It has been more than 30 years since the last rail car rolled off the Pullman assembly line on the South Side and over 50 years since CTA’s rail cars were produced in Chicago. Today’s groundbreaking represents a new beginning for Chicago manufacturing – one that will help attract much-needed business and development to this area,” U.S. Senator Dick Durbin said. “I will continue to work to ensure that the CTA has the federal funding it needs, and I thank Mayor Emanuel and the Chicago Transit Authority for their hard work and commitment to modernizing our public transportation system.”

“Projects like this that upgrade and improve our public transit system, create good-paying jobs and invest in our communities are exactly the sort of projects we should be encouraging,” U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth said. “Improving our city’s infrastructure and bringing rail car manufacturing jobs back to the Southside of Chicago for the first time in over three decades is a significant achievement that will open up new economic opportunities for local businesses and working families.”

“Once again, rail cars will be manufactured on the South Side. This continues our unique legacy that dates back 150 years to George Pullman,” Congresswoman Robin Kelly said. “I’m glad that this state-of-the-art facility will be creating jobs in the Second District community, while driving economic growth and serving the needs of America’s transit systems.”

CRRC Sifang America is committed to hiring from communities that make up the City of Chicago and surrounding areas and is working with unions such as the Chicago Federation of Labor, IBEW and SMART, to secure a union workforce from within these communities.

Working with CRRC Sifang America and the Unions in this endeavor are JMA, Calumet Area Industrial Commission (CAIC) and City Colleges of Chicago.

“Jobs to Move America congratulates CRRC on its commitment to invest in high-quality U.S. jobs and a permanent Chicago manufacturing facility. This initiative has been four years in the making and would not have been possible without the partnership of the CFL, the City of Chicago and the CTA. The community benefits agreement marks the first comprehensive jobs program of its kind that focuses on economic development in communities historically excluded from the manufacturing sector. Mayor Emanuel and Chicago are setting a precedent for the nation, lifting up industry standards and creating a model for how communities and businesses can work together in the future,” said Linda Nguyen, Deputy Director of JMA.

“Today I’m proud to say that 36 years after the last rail car rolled out of the Pullman factory, rail cars will once again be union made on Chicago’s Southside, thanks to a tremendous effort between Mayor Emanuel, the CTA, the CFL and the Jobs to Move America coalition. For many years, we have watched U.S. manufacturing jobs move overseas. The size of this bid provided Chicago an opportunity to leverage a robust manufacturing jobs program that will strengthen the middle class, stimulate increased investment in new domestic manufacturing facilities, and create opportunities for low income communities,” Jorge Ramirez, President of the Chicago Federation of Labor.

The new facility, expected to be complete in spring 2018, will assemble the CTA’s base order of 400 railcars for a total of $632 million or $1.58 million per car, with future options for an additional 446 railcars. These 7000-series vehicles are the first railcars purchased by CTA in more than a decade since 2006, when the 5000-series contract was awarded to Bombardier. The first rail car prototypes are expected to be completed in 2019.

Under Mayor Emanuel’s leadership, since 2011 the CTA has completed, begun or announced more than $8 billion in projects to modernize and upgrade the bus and rail system.

    from Chicago Architecture http://www.chicagoarchitecture.org/2017/03/17/chicagoans-to-build-cta-rail-cars-in-chicago-for-chinese-government/

[al32richards]

Chicagoans to Build CTA Rail Cars in Chicago for Chinese Government

Amid much pomp and circumstance, Mayor Rahm Emanuel, the Chicago Transit Authority, a bevy of politicians, and representatives of CRRC Sifang broke ground yesterday on a new factory in the Hegewisch neighborhood that will be used to produce CTA subway cars.

Much of the hot air being blown by Hizzonor and other local pols was about how this is the first time since 1964 that rail cars for Chicago’s transit system are being made in Chicago.  The south side of Chicago, as you know, was once famous for building rail cars.  Its legacy is an abandoned factory complex and a struggling neighborhood bearing the manufacturer’s name: Pullman.

Rendering of the new CTA subway cars soon to be built in Chicago.  Still with the punk rock chains in front.  Go figure. (via Chicago Transit Authority)

We’re huge fans of new manufacturing and new factories in Chicago, and this its nice to see The City That Works working with its hands as often as possible.  But what is CRRC Sifang? It’s the American name for CRRC Corporation Limited, which is a company owned by the Chinese government.

In a nutshell: The CTA is giving the Chinese government (via CRRC) $632 million for 400 new subway cars (that’s $1,580,000 per car).  The Chinese government’s company is spending $40 million building a new factory in Chicago to produce those subway cars.   The advantage to Chicago is that the factory will employ local American workers, though Chinese government companies have, in other countries, brought in Chinese labor to run their foreign factories.  Either way, the new subway cars get shiny “Made in the U.S.A.” badges on them. So +1 for mom, apple pie, and the no-longer-endangered bald eagle.

The upside for the Chinese gub’mint is that it saves a metric assload of money shipping rail cars in from a manufacturing facility in Buffalo, or Montreal, or wherever else would give it a deal, while making money off the CTA contract.  Because even though it’s government-owned, CRRC is in the business of making money.  So +1 for Beijing, smog masks, and risking arrest for typing “Tiananmen Square” into your computer.

Cartoon depiction of the new Chicago subway car factory (via Chicago Transit Authority)

But the benefits of the Hegewish factory go beyond the movements of little bits of green paper around the world.  It has to do with people, and their movements around the world.

The same way a huge mound of lo-mein leaves you hungry for more lo-mein an hour later, the notion of a Chinese factory in Chicago makes Chinese investors hungry for more Chicago.  It leads to better and closer business ties for private firms on both sides of the Pacific.  Think more Chinese tourists coming to Chicago.  More Caterpillar bulldozers headed to Shanghai.  More Chinese investment in Chicago real estate.  More bKL-designed skyscrapers in Beijing.  And along the way, tens of thousands of people are kept employed in ancillary industries from translation to photocopiers to pizza delivery.  If you’re into chaos theory, it’s the macroeconomics version of the butterfly effect. If you’re into butterflies, that’s called lepidoptery, and is entirely unrelated to this discussion.

The bottom line:

Giving tax dollars to the Chinese government: Not great, but not any worse than you plonking down $200 at Target on plastic things made in China anyway.

Building trains in Chicago and employing Chicagoland people: Always a very good thing.

Press release follows:

Mayor Emanuel, CTA, CRRC Sifang America Break Ground on New CTA Railcar Manufacturing Facility in Chicago

New Final Assembly Plant for CTA’s Next-Generation 7000-Series Rail Cars will be Built by 2018 on the Southeast Side, Creating Hundreds of Local Jobs

Mayor Rahm Emanuel today joined Chicago Transit Authority President Dorval R. Carter, Jr., CRRC Sifang America, CenterPoint Properties, Jobs to Move America (JMA) and the Chicago Federation of Labor to break ground on a new $100 million facility on the Southeast Side of Chicago that will assemble the CTA’s newest rail cars, the 7000-series, and create more than 300 skilled factory and new construction jobs.

The new CRRC Sifang America facility will mark the first time in more than 50 years that CTA rail cars have been produced in Chicago – the latest example of how investment in the CTA promotes economic development and creates employment opportunities for Chicagoans.

“This new facility represents a major investment in Chicago that will bring economic opportunities to the Southeast Side, while creating good-paying jobs for hundreds of workers,” Mayor Emanuel said. “The rail cars that emerge from this facility will be the latest step we’ve taken to invest in world-class transportation, and to create a 21st Century transit system.”

As part of CTA’s ongoing modernization efforts, the agency last year awarded a manufacturing contract to CRRC’s U.S. subsidiary, CRRC Sifang America, to build up to 846 new rail cars. The CTA’s first order of 400 rail cars will be assembled at the new facility and will replace CTA’s oldest railcars, which are more than 30 years old.

Once these new vehicles are in service, CTA will have one of the youngest fleets of any U.S. transit agency.

“CRRC Sifang America is grateful for the opportunity to work with the Chicago Transit Authority to produce the next generation of railcars in Chicago, for Chicago,” said CRRC Corporation Vice President Sun Yongcai, who also serves as a member of the CRRC standing committee. “We are committed to producing top-of-the- line railcars to enhance CTA rider experience, while also creating new jobs at our assembly facility in the city. We are confident CRRC Sifang America’s partnerships in Chicago will make this project a success for us and for the city.”

The 7000-series rail cars, which will be the first CTA rail cars produced in Chicago since 1964, include such features as AC-power propulsion for smooth, quiet rides; additional security cameras both inside and outside the vehicle; and GPS-triggered announcements and automatic passenger counting for improved service planning.

“We are committed to providing our customers with more reliable and comfortable transportation for decades to come,” CTA President Dorval R. Carter, Jr. said. “We are continuing our investments in new buses and trains that will improve commutes, lower maintenance costs and provide a more pleasant customer experience.”

The 380,994-square-foot facility, paid for entirely by CRRC, will employ at least 169 factory and warehouse workers, as well as support approximately 200 construction jobs to build the facility. Approximately $7 million will be spent on training for their Chicago final assembly facility workforce.

“It has been more than 30 years since the last rail car rolled off the Pullman assembly line on the South Side and over 50 years since CTA’s rail cars were produced in Chicago. Today’s groundbreaking represents a new beginning for Chicago manufacturing – one that will help attract much-needed business and development to this area,” U.S. Senator Dick Durbin said. “I will continue to work to ensure that the CTA has the federal funding it needs, and I thank Mayor Emanuel and the Chicago Transit Authority for their hard work and commitment to modernizing our public transportation system.”

“Projects like this that upgrade and improve our public transit system, create good-paying jobs and invest in our communities are exactly the sort of projects we should be encouraging,” U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth said. “Improving our city’s infrastructure and bringing rail car manufacturing jobs back to the Southside of Chicago for the first time in over three decades is a significant achievement that will open up new economic opportunities for local businesses and working families.”

“Once again, rail cars will be manufactured on the South Side. This continues our unique legacy that dates back 150 years to George Pullman,” Congresswoman Robin Kelly said. “I’m glad that this state-of-the-art facility will be creating jobs in the Second District community, while driving economic growth and serving the needs of America’s transit systems.”

CRRC Sifang America is committed to hiring from communities that make up the City of Chicago and surrounding areas and is working with unions such as the Chicago Federation of Labor, IBEW and SMART, to secure a union workforce from within these communities.

Working with CRRC Sifang America and the Unions in this endeavor are JMA, Calumet Area Industrial Commission (CAIC) and City Colleges of Chicago.

“Jobs to Move America congratulates CRRC on its commitment to invest in high-quality U.S. jobs and a permanent Chicago manufacturing facility. This initiative has been four years in the making and would not have been possible without the partnership of the CFL, the City of Chicago and the CTA. The community benefits agreement marks the first comprehensive jobs program of its kind that focuses on economic development in communities historically excluded from the manufacturing sector. Mayor Emanuel and Chicago are setting a precedent for the nation, lifting up industry standards and creating a model for how communities and businesses can work together in the future,” said Linda Nguyen, Deputy Director of JMA.

“Today I’m proud to say that 36 years after the last rail car rolled out of the Pullman factory, rail cars will once again be union made on Chicago’s Southside, thanks to a tremendous effort between Mayor Emanuel, the CTA, the CFL and the Jobs to Move America coalition. For many years, we have watched U.S. manufacturing jobs move overseas. The size of this bid provided Chicago an opportunity to leverage a robust manufacturing jobs program that will strengthen the middle class, stimulate increased investment in new domestic manufacturing facilities, and create opportunities for low income communities,” Jorge Ramirez, President of the Chicago Federation of Labor.

The new facility, expected to be complete in spring 2018, will assemble the CTA’s base order of 400 railcars for a total of $632 million or $1.58 million per car, with future options for an additional 446 railcars. These 7000-series vehicles are the first railcars purchased by CTA in more than a decade since 2006, when the 5000-series contract was awarded to Bombardier. The first rail car prototypes are expected to be completed in 2019.

Under Mayor Emanuel’s leadership, since 2011 the CTA has completed, begun or announced more than $8 billion in projects to modernize and upgrade the bus and rail system.

    from Chicago Architecture http://www.chicagoarchitecture.org/2017/03/17/chicagoans-to-build-cta-rail-cars-in-chicago-for-chinese-government/