#james and keith week

[doolallymagpie]

another BattleTech vs The Expanse poll (and this time the other one isn't even over! go vote here if you haven't), this time:

[komohine]

Hello! Im an Artist and im trying to get better at drawing James and I love the style you do him-

any tips other then trying to look at references??

and another question, how would you describe James personality????

Im going to be do honestly i only looked at canon refs of him for maybe the first two weeks i started drawing him. And then never again.

For James i try to use exclusively straight, sharp lines to draw him. Another big thing is his nose (even though its not his canon nose lmao). Straight long and sharp nose, the V shape is very important in conveying its shape and really is what makes my James look like James.

Body type wise i think of him as a long bendy rectangle. One distinct feature i try to always nail is giving him absolutely 0 hips. Its funny and also fits into how ive designed him, which is sharp, straight, streamlined.

As for his personality, id call him very rigid. He’s arrogant yea but i attribute that more to his lifetime of being expected to be more than perfect by his parents. He’s blunt and he knows for a fact that he’s good at what he does (he personally makes sure of it) and that combo tends to read as very arrogant. He’s almost scarily meticulous and detail oriented, very high strung and aloof too. But he’s also pretty charming (though this applies more to when he was younger and not in the garrison. Garrison environment doesn’t really give chances for his charisma to shine). Natural born leader, very authoritative, and very, VERY persistent and determined. But most of what i described i feel is more a front he puts up around others to maintain a certain image (something his parents drilled into him since he was born pretty much). In private he’s a lot more relaxed, and actually a bit nerdy. He doesn’t really get the chance to let loose though, since most of the friendships he makes are very surface level and transactional from the other party (James is popular and rich. People are only friends with him because he’s popular and rich. They wouldn’t like the real him). Which is why keith’s relationship to him is so important. Keith doesn’t care that he’s rich, or that he’s popular, or that he’s almost always one of the most attractive people in the room. Keith actually actively disliked him but James’ persistence got through to him. So keith is pretty much the first person he becomes friends with that isnt friends with him for his facade.

[whateverthese2havetournament]

Men's Division Bracket

Cheng Xiaoshi & Lu Guang VS Luffy & Zoro

Suguru & Satorou VS Prof. Aronnax & Cptn. Nemo

Stanley & the Narrator VS The Heavy & The Medic

Kotetsu "Wild Tiger" & Barnaby "Bunny" VS Composer & Orpheus

Newt Geiszler & Hermann Gottleib VS Yoichi & Kudou

Ike & Soren VS Naruto & Sasuke

Keith & Lance VS Steven & Wallace

Prof. X & Magneto VS Wesker & Redfield

Kim Dokja & Yoo Joonghyuk VS Derek Morgan & Spencer Reid

Junkrat & Roadhog VS Dale Cooper & Harry Truman

Archie & Maxie VS Mercutio & Benvolio

Garak & Bashir VS Sicard & Emmanelain

Sam & Max VS Optimus Prime & Megatron

Bugs & Daffy VS Bailey & Other Guard

Eddie & The Venom Symbiote VS Jessie & James

Arthur & Merlin VS Basil & Sunny

The matches will start next month and be spread out over a week. Until then, submissions of propaganda and/or good images to use to represent them are very much open. Apologies if I'm mislabeling or misspelling any of these, my personal familiarity is limited.

Also, as a reminder, or if this is your first time seeing this, the criteria of this tournament is which better fits this meme template:

What exactly that means varies person to person.

[vintagetvstars]

CLOSED! Preliminary Hot Vintage TV Men List

Alright folks! We have one week left on submissions for the Hot Vintage TV Men's Bracket! As promised here is a list of all the Hot Vintage TV Men who have been submitted and passed our preliminary eligibility checks. There are a handful of guys on this list and one or two not on it that we are currently still debating on so reminder that this list is not final and subject to change.

Currently we have 231 Hot Vintage TV Men!

Also in advance of the competition I'd like to remind anyone submitting propaganda for someone that starred in a show that aired only partially during our timeframe or was under 18 for a part of a shows filming, to please make sure you are only submitting propaganda that is from within our timeframe and when the actor was 18 years or older. This is also just good to keep in mind in general as several people submitted actors for shows that aren't eligible for our tournament either because it was outside our time period or in one case the actor was underaged for the entirety of the show (though many were eligible for other shows they were submitted for). We do our best to screen for these things but sometimes it's hard to tell or it’s a show we don't personally know well enough so we appreciate help from y'all letting us know if you do catch anything.

List below the cut

Preliminary Hot Vintage TV Men List

Dick Van Dyke

Alan Alda

Hugh Laurie

Peter Falk

Adam West

Donnie Wahlberg

Kevin McDonald

Scott Thompson

David Duchovny

Henry Winkler

Leonard Nimoy

Scott Bakula

James Garner

Tom Selleck

Dave Foley

John Astin

Joe Lando

Patrick Troughton

William Shatner

DeForest Kelley

Michael Ontkean

Russell Johnson

Kyle MacLachlan

Bruce McCulloch

William Hopper

George Clooney

Jeffrey Combs

Michael Horse

Mark McKinney

Jensen Ackles

Alejandro Rey

Mitch Pileggi

David Cassidy

Jeremy Brett

Anthony Head

George Takei

David Selby

Rod Serling

Paul Gross

Desi Arnaz

Tom Baker

Richard Dean Anderson

David Keith McCallum

Richard Chamberlain

Charles Shaughnessy

David James Elliot

Vincent Van Patten

Darren E. Burrows

David Hyde Pierce

Randolph Mantooth

Ricardo Montalban

Gene Anthony Ray

William Hartnell

Patrick McGoohan

René Auberjonois

Alexander Siddig

Reece Shearsmith

Michael T. Weiss

William Shockley

Spencer Rochfort

Danny John-Jules

David Hasselhoff

Conner Trinneer

Patrick Stewart

Jonathan Frakes

Paolo Montalban

Scott Patterson

Armin Shimerman

Anthony Andrews

David Schwimmer

Blair Underwood

Sylvester McCoy

Andrew Robinson

Pierce Brosnan

Thorsten Kaye

Anthony Starke

Darren McGavin

Clint Eastwood

Joseph Marcell

Michael Vartan

Richard Ayoade

George Maharis

Michael J. Fox

Dwayne Hickman

John de Lancie

Andre Braugher

Robert Carlyle

Dean Stockwell

Matthew Perry

Robert Fuller

Michael Hurst

Dana Ashbrook

Jonathan Frid

Dirk Benedict

Martin Milner

Demond Wilson

Robert Conrad

Telly Savalas

Peter Davison

Michael Praed

Jason Bateman

David Tennant

Brian Blessed

Miguel Ferrer

Micky Dolenz

Wayne Rogers

Mike Farrell

Michael Dorn

Cesar Romero

Eddie Albert

Nate Richert

Nicholas Lea

Brent Spiner

Dick Gautier

John Corbett

Jeremy Irons

David Suchet

Raymond Burr

LeVar Burton

David Wenham

Clint Walker

Larry Hagman

John Goodman

Matt LeBlanc

Tom Smothers

Erik Estrada

Jeremy Sisto

Colm Meaney

Stephen Fry

Ted Bessell

Ron Perlman

Luke Halpin

Ted Cassidy

Kevin Sorbo

John Cleese

Colin Firth

Colin Baker

Fred Rogers

Ben Browder

Keir Dullea

Randy Boone

Kent McCord

Jimmy Smits

Mark Lenard

Jon Pertwee

Fred Grandy

Mark Hamill

Ted Danson

Adam Brody

Noah Wiley

Eric Close

Lee Majors

Jamie Farr

Tony Danza

Kabir Bedi

Seth Green

Rik Mayall

Hal Linden

Diego Luna

Peter Tork

Sean Bean

Sam Neill

Eric Idle

Ted Lange

John Shea

Ron Glass

Tony Dow

Mr. T

John Hurt

Avery Brooks 

Billy Dee Williams 

James Marsters 

Robert Vaughn 

Kevin Smith 

Davy Jones 

Luke Perry 

Robert Duncan McNeill 

Simon MacCorkindale 

Keith Hamilton Cobb 

Chad Michael Murray 

James Earl Jones 

Bruce Boxleitner 

Timothy Olyphant 

Andreas Katsulas 

Valentine Pelka 

Peter Wingfield 

Sebastian Cabot 

Michael Nesmith 

Timothy Dalton 

Michael Shanks 

Joshua Jackson 

Michael O’Hare 

Robert Beltran 

Simon Williams 

Paul Johannson 

Daniel Dae Kim 

David Boreanaz 

Boris Karloff 

Robert Wagner 

Brandon Quinn  

Walter Koenig 

Richard Hatch 

Christian Kane  

Francis Capra  

Nathan Fillion 

John Forsythe 

Patrick Duffy 

Tony Shalhoub 

Ioan Gruffudd 

Garrett Wang  

Joe Flanigan  

Rider Strong  

Michael Tylo 

Bruce Willis 

Skeet Ulrich  

Jeff Conaway 

Paul McGann 

Scott Cohen 

Mario Lopez  

Martin Kove 

John Stamos 

Judd Hirsch 

Johnny Depp 

Tom Welling 

Matt Bomer 

Grant show 

David Soul  

Bob Crane  

Tim Russ 

Rob Lowe 

Neil Patrick Harris 

[70sscifiart]

At a science-fiction convention a few weeks ago, I picked up these "Giant Postcards" put out by Frank Kelly Freas in 1974. They reproduce covers that he did for DAW books :

"The Art Critics", from The Light that Never Was by Lloyd Biggle

"The Guardian", from Identity Seven by Robert Lory, DAW #95

"Time Travel Trap", from Dinosaur Beach by Keith Laumer

"The Prisoners", from Planet Probability by Brian Ball, DAW #40

"Surface Patrol", from Testament XXI by Guy Snyder

"Closeup", from The Telzey Toy by James Schmitz, DAW #82

"Intrusion", from The Hawks of Arcturus by Cecil Snyder III, DAW #103

I'm sure these are not all of them, because the ones I have are numbered C4101 through C4105, C4107, and C4108. But at $2 for the group, I think I got a good deal anyway.

That's a great deal!

[electricsynthesis]

“He’s just intimidated by you,” Shiro is saying. “You don’t need to fight back when all it is is that he’s insecure.”

The words pierce through the fog in Adam’s brain. He’s been laser-focused on grading these tests; so focused, in fact, that when Shiro bustled Keith inside, bleeding and spitting mad, Adam had done his due diligence by ignoring them. These grades need to be done tonight, after all. Sometimes he regrets becoming a teacher. And it’s not Adam’s fault that his office is closer to the common area than Shiro’s is.

But the words give him pause, and he lowers the paper he’s reading to look them over. Keith is sitting on the chair across from Adam’s desk, arms crossed and shoulders at his ears. He breathes deeply, quickly. It evokes hyperventilating, if it weren’t for the incensed look in his eyes, and the angry clench to his teeth. He’s bleeding from his lip, and his cheek is bruised.

“The cargo pilot?” Adam says, startling the brothers. Truly, if they’re going to sit in Adam’s office, they can’t expect for Adam to ignore them entirely? Er, well… maybe he has before. But this is about one of his students.

Of Adam’s class of cargo pilots, only one has the memorable affliction of inferiority to Keith. Or, at least, only one voices it; with loud bravado and chest-puffing, to boot.

Keith says, flatly, “Who?”

Adam blinks. Surely…? “McClain?” Tall for a kid, loud, blue eyes, Latino? Hard to miss.

Keith juts his chin out to repeat, even flatter, “Who?”

Adam sets his papers down entirely. “Never mind. Who are we talking about?”

“James Griffin,” Shiro says.

“Of course,” Adam says. Yes, obviously they’re talking about Keith’s actual rival, not the cargo pilot with an inferiority complex. He doesn’t know why he— whatever. “Did you get into another fight?”

“Griffin is currently in the nurse’s office with a concussion,” Shiro says. It’s more of a seethe, really. He narrows his eyes at Keith, who tosses his head like a stubborn horse, avoiding Shiro’s gaze. “I don’t know what you were thinking.”

Quietly, Keith mutters, “He stole my wallet.”

“Keith,” Shiro sighs, setting a hand on Keith’s shoulder. The boy curls his lip like he’s gonna throw him off, but he doesn’t. “You can’t keep doing this. I know you don’t like Griffin—”

“—Of course I don’t like Griffin!” Keith cries, throwing up his hands in outrage.

“—but fighting with him isn’t the answer. You two are going to have to learn to sort out your problems with your words, like adults, or you’re going to get thrown out! I’ve already talked Iverson out of expelling you once. You know that.” Shiro scolds, tightening his grip on Keith’s shoulder. Quietly, face softening, he says, “I just want to see you succeed.”

Keith doesn’t say anything. He dips his head until his feathery bangs cover his eyes, a muscle in his jaw twitching. If Adam didn’t know that Shiro had shaved Keith’s head not a week prior, he wouldn’t have ever guessed; his hair is already overgrown, sticking out and covering his ears. It’s a constant battle against the regulations.

Shiro sighs, rubbing his hand across Keith’s shoulder affectionately. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. I’m going to go talk to Iverson. Stay here with Adam.”

“Yessir,” Keith mutters. Apparently satisfied with that, Shiro straightens. He looks at Adam imploringly, who nods. I’ll keep an eye on him.

Keith spins in the plush chair until his profile is visible to Adam. He crosses his arms, slouches over and looks stubbornly at nothing.

Normally, Shiro is very tolerant of his foster brother’s violent tendencies. But clearly, there has been an escalation. Something that pushed even Shiro over the edge.

“You sent Griffin to the hospital?”

Keith, visibly, clenches his teeth. Grinds them against each other. But he doesn’t say anything. Blood drips from his lip down his chin.

“You can’t,” Adam stutters, flabbergasted. “Has it ever occurred to you. To just go to Iverson, when you two have a problem?”

“And then what,” Keith snarls, low in his throat. His voice is almost a growl, dark and chittering. “Piss Griffin off more? Get him in trouble? That’s how fist fights become knife fights.”

Adam stares at him. At the easy way he says that, like he knows. Like this sixteen year old kid has… Adam sighs, upset turning to pity. He opens the drawer, pulling out a handkerchief that he hands to Keith. Keith stares at Adam’s proffered hand like it’s going to reach out and bite him. Or hit him, Adam thinks bitterly.

“For your lip,” he says.

Gently, Keith takes it. He presses it to his bleeding lip, and it immediately stains scarlet.

“Why?” Adam asks.

“Why, what?” Keith says, but his voice is more surly than snarly, now.

“Why start fights?”

“I don’t start fights,” Keith says. He lifts his eyes to meet Adam’s gaze. “I win them.”

It should be a boast. It should be a brag. It should be teenaged boy chest-puffing. But it’s not; it’s said quietly, bitterly, almost sadly. And Adam, abruptly, understands. Because what does it matter who started the fight, if Keith is the one sitting fine in Adam’s office, and Griffin is the one in the hospital?

Never once, ever, has Adam seen Keith be the one leaving a fight more beat up than the other guy. And never, once, ever, has Adam questioned who started that fight.

“Keith,” Adam says, pity turning to sympathy. “Listen.”

“And don’t—” Keith’s eyes flash, and he bares his teeth. “Don’t tell me to stop, like Shiro. I’m not gonna be anyone’s punching bag! Griffin can’t finish what he starts, that’s not my fault—”

“Keith!” Adam reaches across the desk to take Keith’s free hand. The boy startles, hard, a gasp ripping out of him and anger flashing in his face. “Listen.” Adam says, quieter, squeezing his fingers. “You’re better than Griffin.”

Keith closes his mouth, gaze wary but curious.

“And you know it. You’re better than Griffin at flying and at fighting. You’re better than all the other cadets, and you know it.”

When Adam goes silent, Keith nods once, sharp.

“You’re strong.” Adam says, but it’s not a compliment; he says it with grave seriousness. “You’re much stronger than Griffin. And it’s like you said, about knife fights; if you fought Griffin with that knife of yours, you wouldn’t lose.”

Keith lowers his eyes in shame.

“You could kill him.”

He squeezes Adam’s hand back. Murmured, shaky, “I know.”

“Keith,” Adam ducks his head to catch Keith’s eye. Keith meets his gaze wearily. “Not every fight is life or death. You don’t need to use all your strength to defend yourself against Griffin. You can pull your punches and still win.”

Keith raises his chin. “But he—”

“He has to use all of his strength because he’s weaker than you. And that’s not fair, I know,” Adam shakes his head. “But I’m sure he doesn’t want to kill you either. Shiro was right about that. He’s just… insecure. Because he knows you’re better than him, too.”

“I didn’t ask to be better,” he says.

“I know.” He squeezes Keith’s hand again. Smiles, even if it’s brittle. “But remember what I said, okay? You don’t need to pull out all the stops against James Griffin.” He leans in close to roll his eyes, smiling secretively. “‘Cause he’s just James Griffin.”

Keith cracks a smile. Half-mast and crooked, but a smile all the same. “Okay.”

[lilflowerpot]

I’m so happy that you share my headcanon of Keith having a crush on James because honestly there was so much unresolved tension between them.

Also, can you please open your fruitful mind cave and please share some headcanons that you have of the two of them please? So i can sit here and giggle uncontrollably while staring at my phone🙃

[original]

I don't really have a whole lot in the way of concrete headcanons regarding Keith & James' past, it's more nebulous ~vibes~, but let me give it my best shot:

So first thing's first, they met upon starting middleschool at the ripe young age of 11 with that delightful hormonal cocktail and all the dysfunctional emotions it entails a-brewing.

Keith's dad had been dead some three years at this point, and his foster placements had gone up in flames enough times that he'd been recently, but rather permanently, placed in a local group home. That in mind, he's all but given up on making actual human connections because these things seem to just never quite work out for him; better that he give up trying altogether, and save himself the hurt, but then... there's James.

Keith's already snagged the desk by the window in the far back—the best spot, as far as he's concerned—and is as happy to ignore and be ignored by his classmates as they file in for sixth period physics, until- until he walks in, all loud laughs and cheeky smiles, with a gaggle of kids hanging off his every word and more effortless charisma than any pre-teen boy should ever really have the right to.

And then gunmetal eyes sort of slide across the room—like he knew he was being watched before Keith even realised he was watching—all lazy arrogance and stupid hair, and he's looking Keith up and down and raising an eyebrow and- Keith looks away, mouth drawn and shoulders tight. Kids like that like to fight kids like him, he knows, and he cannot afford to get chewed out on his first fucking day for god's sake.

But it's not just physics because why would it be, no, over the coming week Keith finds that James Griffin—and it's no surprise to learn he's from money with a name like that—shares at least half his classes, P.E. among them, which is where it truly beings.

"It" being their... rivalry, Keith supposes.

He's not even sure who started it, just as likely to be both of them as neither, but when they're put on opposing teams for a "friendly" game of football, what begins as Keith making the most of his natural dexterity—skirting around lumbering opponents, nimble as a cat—turns into Griffin hunting him and only him down across the pitch like a damn bloodhound. "That's the game kid" the coach tells him, as if, by the end of it, he hadn't been systematically cornered and corralled by the other team irrespective of whether or not he had the damn ball, entirely at Griffin's direction, "like it or lump it". Keith, still wheezing with ribs that protest every breath after a particularly rough tackle, finds himself quite particularly disinclined to lump it, and certainly doesn't like it one bit.

Definitely not.

So Griffin pushes, Keith pulls. Griffin hits, Keith kicks. Griffin scratches, Keith bites.

But it's not bullying, never that: Keith's known his fair share—a scruffy orphan with anger issues is an easy target, he supposes—and this simply isn't it. Griffin evens defends him, once, in the particularly chilly January of their first year when a meat-headed trio think it funny to soak Keith's shirt during gym and leave it out to freeze; without pause or hesitation, Griffin had quietly handled them with more snide diplomacy than Keith himself would ever wield, and though the details of that closing whisper-threat were known only to he who'd received it, the sudden pallor of face and contrition of manner had left quite the impression.

...As did the cozily lined sweater that James—with goosebumps rising on his arms and cheeks already pinking from the chill—had thrown into Keith's arms from across the changing room, citing the pinprick hole in the cuff as reason enough for him to have been planning to rid himself of it anyway.

They're not friends—how could they be? James is intelligent and popular and so annoyingly good at things he damn near makes an art out of breathing—but for the first time since he was orphaned, Keith finds himself with one singular constant that he can rely on to be infuriatingly charmingly stubbornly there: never shying from Keith's sharp edges nor being swayed by the cruel whispers that haunt him everywhere he goes, James is just... James. Disagreeable. Incomprehensible. Unwavering.

And maybe, just a little bit like Keith.

Oh, and I'm also inclined to believe that (both in this au and canon) that past altercation seen in s7ep01 where Keith goes "I can out-fly anyone in this building" and James fires back with "Oh yeah? Is that what mommy and daddy told you before-" [gets punched in the face] was a classic case of projection on James' part: he strikes me as a kid whose parents expect nothing less than perfection—not only that he could be the best, but that he should—so I think that Keith getting the group in trouble, coupled with James just outright projecting his own experiences, led to a cruel comment (and worse for the fact that I believe James didn't actually know Keith was an orphan until after this instance).

[scotianostra]

James Young Simpson was born on 7th June 1811 in Bathgate, West Lothian.

At the age of 4, James went to the local school where he excelled. The family pulled their belts in,in order to send him to college. In 1825 at the age of 14 he studied arts at Edinburgh University, transferring to medicine two years later. He qualified at the age of 18 but until he could take up his degree at the age of 20, he worked as assistant to the professor of pathology. Already he had determined to become an obstetrician even though the specialty was still regarded with disfavour by the profession.

Settling in Stockbridge, he built up a large practice and obtained a position in the Leith Lying-in Hospital. From his writings and lectures on the subject, his exceptional ability was soon recognised. At the age of 24, he was elected president of the Royal Medical Society of Edinburgh.

By now the University of Edinburgh medical faculty had become one of the finest in the world. The chair of midwifery, founded in 1726, was the first of its kind in the British Isles. The incumbent, Professor James Hamilton, was due to retire in 1839, and Simpson set his mind on succeeding him. Finally it was a choice between him and Evory Kennedy of Dublin. Simpson won by a single vote. Over the next 30 years he made Edinburgh the foremost centre in the field.

Simpson had a magnetic personality that appealed to all he met. Kindly, gentle, religious, and sympathetic, he inspired the confidence and love of his patients. All his life he worked extremely hard but always found time to attend the poor. He was an excellent host, gathering about him people from all walks of life. Exceptionally well read, he had wide interests. With an alert intellect, he was a brilliant conversationalist who enjoyed controversy. When in argument he was right, he was irresistible, and when wrong, formidable. Not only was he an acute observer and experimenter but also gifted with insight and vision. For example, in his graduation address he foretold the use of x rays and other methods of body imaging, saying: “Possibly by the concentration of electrical and other lights we may render many parts of the body, if not the whole body, sufficiently diaphanous for the practiced eye of the physician and surgeon”.

Simpson started to use ether on January 19, 1847 but didn’t like the smell and was determined to find a better alternative. On the weeks running up to the evening of November 4, 1847, they had tested several anaesthetics running a series of experiments trying to find inhaled painkillers that would be less smelly and flammable than ether and have fewer side effects. It was an unusual twist on the standard gentleman’s routine of after-dinner drinks, Simpson and his assistants, George Keith and Matthew Duncan finally got round to testing chloroform on the advice of Dr Waldie of Liverpool. It had been used before but not on a regular basis, the three men were poured a quantity into a glass and they each raised their glasses to their noses, and breathed in deeply. A sweet smell filled the air, and the younger physicians became lively and talkative.

“This is far better and stronger than ether,” Simpson thought. The next he knew, he was looking up at the ceiling, with noise and confusion all around. Duncan had collapsed under a chair, snoring loudly, and Keith lay on his back under the table, kicking it violently despite his unconsciousness. After gradually waking up and struggling back into their seats, the doctors were eager to experiment again—though more cautiously this time. Other family members watched these remarkable events. After inhaling the chloroform herself, Simpson’s niece-in-law called out, “I’m an angel! Oh, I’m an angel!” before folding her arms and falling asleep at the table. The group continued to sniff the chloroform until it all evaporated.

The experiment was a grand success, and Simpson and his colleagues lost no time in having large supplies of chloroform manufactured to use on their patients. Its use spread rapidly, as it was easy to obtain and administer and less harsh in its effects than ether. Simpson wrote extensively in defense of the substance, countering doctors and clergymen who argued that pain was necessary for the body and ordained by the Bible. He delivered one of his pithiest ripostes in an 1848 exchange with “an Irish lady.” She chastised him by saying “how unnatural it is for you doctors in Edinburgh to take away the pains of your patients when in labour.” He responded, “How unnatural … is it for you to have swam over from Ireland to Scotland against wind and tide in a steamboat.” For Simpson and his supporters relieving pain was as great an innovation as steam power. Both inventions seemed to prove 19th-century ideas about boundless technological progress and the perfectibility of humankind.

Nevertheless, objections to anesthesia—especially when used for women in labor—continued. Soon, however, chloroform received an unexpected supporter. Queen Victoria and her consort Prince Albert requested the compound for the birth of their eighth child, Prince Leopold, in 1853. John Snow administered the drug, using a few drops on a simple handkerchief rather than the inhalers and masks then on the market. The queen, who remained conscious throughout the procedure, recorded in her journal that the effect was “soothing, quieting, delightful beyond measure.” She received the drug again in 1857 for the birth of Princess Beatrice, her ninth and last child. When her oldest daughter Princess Victoria had her own first child in 1859, the queen rejoiced, “What a blessing she had chloroform.”

[klanceficatalogue]

hi!! do you have any rec of a fic that is based on albums or songs or playlists??? oneshots or chapteres fics idk

also i need to add scrolling through your favs i found “Like the Night Falling” by iybms and i think its one of my fav fics now 😭 i absolutely loved ittt

thanks!! have a good day!! <3

totally!! Like the Night Falling is a fantastic fic sooo true - k

Will They Won't They by goddessemily (15/15 | 89,679 | Explicit)

“There's something about you that just…” He struggled to articulate it. “I can’t figure it out. I don’t know what your deal is,” “My deal?” Lance’s eyebrows shot up to his forehead. He jabbed a finger into Keith’s chest, voice angry as he spoke. “Alright, here’s my deal. A few weeks ago, one of the hottest guys I’ve ever seen walked into my life, and then I punched him in the face. I keep bending over backwards trying to impress him, but I just keep fucking things up. It doesn’t help, though, that he’s aloof and mysterious and acts like a dick, but I know there’s more to him than that, and for some god-forsaken reason, I’m dying to figure it out,” — Or, Keith has never heard of Voltron or any of its band members. That is, until he’s hired to work with them and catches the eye of Lance, the lead singer/guitarist. Their relationship is complicated and filled with obstacles, and they both try to figure out the best way to navigate it. Or, well, Keith tries. But it’s hard to figure out your emotions when someone is releasing a song clearly written about you every 5 seconds.

//internalised homophobia

(minor james/keith)

high hopes (are getting low) by metamizol (1/1 | 1,420 | Teen and Up)

Lance is the elder prince of Altea, yet he has no rights to inheir the throne. Making out with servants and living like a rebellious royal kid, breaking hearts and being whispered about all around the galaxy - that's what he's like. Love is unnecessary and marriage is overrated. Until he meets some half galra guy.

Past the Mourning Sun by crapoftheworld (14/14 | 67,705 | General)

His vision blurred from tears and sweat running together and making his eyes sting, and he heard his team screaming his name. They felt far away and he wanted to tell them not to worry, his eyes sluggishly attempting to convey what his clenched jaw couldn’t, but before he could do much of anything, Lance’s view of the desolation Voltron had wrought, of the new Galra fleet, of his fellow Voltron lions, of the giant druid ship with its offensively shaped canon, all faded to darkest black. *** Voltron is falling apart. Keith has left, Shiro’s acting weird, and Red is shunning Lance. Just when he thought things couldn’t get worse, they did. Lance gets zapped far away to an alternate reality where he struggles to find his footing. He needs to find his way back to the team, fast, and maybe he’ll find himself along the way. Despite his aversion to cliches, he just can't seem to steer clear of them.

//graphic violence //ptsd //substance abuse //panic attacks

[ship-my-pants]

Best ship tournament

MASTERPOST

First round will last a week then its gonna be daily

Some polls will have 3 ships in the first round

The polls will be decided randomly

Everything will be linked under this masterpost and updated accordingly!

36 ICONIC SHIPS WILL FIGHT FOR GLORY, FIND HE WHOLE LIST IN THE LINK

ROUND ONE (part one)

Edwin Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell (Fullmetal Alchemist) VS Puccaru Pucca/Garu (Pucca) VS Ineffable Husbands Aziraphale/Crowley (Good Omens) WINNER: INEFFABLE HUSBANDS

Destiel Dean Winchester/Castiel (Supernatural) VS Peraltiago Jake Peralta/Amy Santiago (Brooklyn 99) WINNER: DESTIEL

Sebasciel Sebastian Michaelis/Ciel Phantomhive (Black Butler) VS Lumity Luz Noceda/Amity Blight (The Owl House) WINNER: LUMITY

Cecilos Cecil G. Palmer/Carlos (Welcome to Nightvale) VS Catradora Catra/Adora (She-ra Princess of Power) WINNER: CECILOS

Zutara Zuko/Katara (Avatar: The Last Airbender) VS Laszlo Cravensworth/Nadja of Antipaxos (What we do in the shadow) WINNER: NADJA/LASZLO

Narusasu Naruto Uzumaki/Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto) VS Symbrock Eddie Brock/Venom (Marvel Comics) WINNER: NARUSASU

Merthur Merlin/King Arthur (Merlin) VS Reylo Rey Skywalker/Kylo Ren (Star Wars) WINNER: MERTHUR

Sterek Stiles Stilinki/Derek Hale (Teen Wolf) VS Katya Goncharov/Sophia (Goncharov) VS Dekubowl Izuku Midoriya/anyone(My hero academia) WINNER: STEREK

ROUND ONE (part two)

Sam Gamgee/Frodo Baggins (Lord of The Rings) VS Steddie Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson (Stranger Things) VS Ladynoir (and all the other combo) Marinette Dupein-Cheng/Adrien Agreste (Miraculous Ladybug) WINNER:SAMFRO

Geraskier Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier (The Witcher) VS Caitvi Caitlyn/Vi (Arcane) WINNER:GERASKIER

Alphyne Alphys/Undyne (Undertale) VS Johnlock John Watson/Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock) WINNER: JOHNLOCK

Villaneve Villanelle/Eve Polastri (Killing Eve) VS Klance Keith/Lance (Voltron) WINNER: VILLANEVE

Spirk Spock/James T. Kirk (Star Trek) VS Rupphire Ruby/Sapphire (Steven Universe) WINNER: SPIRK

Tenrose Tenth Doctor/Rose (Dr. Who) VS Korrasami Korra/Asami (The legend of Korra) WINNER: KORRASAMI

Harlivy Harley Quinn/Poison Ivy (DC Comics) VS Hannigram Hannibal Lecter/Will Graham (Hannibal) WINNER: HARLIVY

Blackbonnet Edward Teach/Stede Bonnet (Our Flag means Death) VS Neil Gaiman/Tumblr (tumblr) VS Mablifica Mabel Pines/Pacifica Northwest (Gravity Falls) WINNER: BLACKBONNET

ROUND TWO (part one)

Ineffable Husbands Crowley/Aziraphale (Good Omens) VS Destiel Dean Winchester/Castiel (Supernatural) WINNER: INEFFABLE HUSBANDS???

Lumity Luz Noceda/Amity Blight (The Owl House) VS Cecilos Cecil G. Palmer/Carlos (Welcome to Nightvale) WINNER: CECILOS

Laszlo Cravensworth/Nadjia of Antipaxos (What we do in the shadow) VS Narusasu Naruto Uzumaki/Sasuke Uchiha (Naruto) WINNER: NDJA/LASZLO

Merthur Merlin/King Arthur (Merlin) VS Sterek Stiles Stilinski/Derek Hale (Teen Wolf) WINNER:

ROUND TWO (part two)

Samfro Sam Gamgee/Frodo Baggins (Lord of the Rings) VS Geraskier Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier (The Witcher) WINNER: SAMFRO

Johnlock John Watson/Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock) VS Villaneve Villanelle/Eve Polastri (Killing Eve) WINNER: VILLANEVE

Spirk Spock/James T. Kirk (Star Trek) VS Korrasami Korra/Asami (The legend of Korra) WINNER: SPIRK

Harlivy Harley Quinn/Poison Ivy (DC Comics) VS Blackbonnet Edward Teach/Stade Bonnet (Our flag means Death) WINNER: HARLIVY

QUARTER FINALS (part one)

Ineffable Husbands Crowley/Aziraphale (Good Omens) VS Cecilos Cecil G Palmer/Carlos (Welcome to Nightvale) WINNER: INEFFABLE HUSBANDS

Laszlo Cravensworth/Nadja of Antipaxos (What we do in the Shadows) VS Merthur Merlin/king Arthur (Merlin) WINNER: MERTHUR

QUARTER FINALS (part two)

Samfro Sam Gamgee/Frodo Baggins (Lord of the Rings) VS Villaneve Villanelle/Eve Polastri (Killing Eve) WINNER: VILLANEVE

Spirk Spock/James T. Kirk (Star Trek) VS Harlivy Harley Quinn/Poison Ivy (DC Comics) WINNER: HARLIVY

SEMIFINALS (part one)

Ineffable Husbands Crowley/Aziraphale (Good Omens) VS Merthur Merlin/king Arthur (Merlin) WINNER: INEFFABLE HUSBANDS

SEMIFINALS (part two)

Villaneve Villanelle/Eve Polastri (Killing Eve) Harlivy Harley Quinn/Poison Ivy (DC Comics) WINNER: VILLANEVE

FINALS

Ineffable Husbands Crowley/Aziraphale (Good Omens) VS Villaneve Villanelle/Eve Polastri (killing Eve) WINNER:VILLANEVE

[castlesrp]

Face Claim List

Below the cut, you will find our list of face claims featured on our canon list. Enjoy this sneak peak at what is coming your way when the canon lists start being released this week!

FC List:

Abigail Cowen Aishwarya Rai Bachchan Amita Suman Amy Adams Ana de Armas André De Shields Andrew Garfield Angela Bassett Anna Kendrick Anne Hathaway Anthony Anderson Anthony Mackie Anya Chalotra Anya Taylor Joy Aja Naomi King Avan Jogia Avantika Audra McDonald Austin Butler Beanie Feldstein Ben Barnes Beyoncé BD Wong Bette Midler Caleb McLaughlin Camila Mendes Catherine O'Hara Charles Melton Chiwetel Ejiofor Chloe Bennet Chloe Bailey Christina Hendricks Christina Nadin Chrissy Metz Cody Christian Constance Wu Courtney Eaton Dakota Johnson Danai Gurira Daniel Ezra Daniel Wu Danny Trejo David Harbour Deepika Padukone Denzel Washington Dev Patel Diana Silvers Diane Keaton Dianna Agron Dove Cameron Dylan O'Brien Eddie Redmayne Eiza González Emily Alyn Lind Eva Longoria Ewan McGregor Fan Bingbing Felix Mallard Florence Pugh Froy Gutierrez Gabrielle Union Gemma Chan George Takei Gillian Anderson Gina Rodriguez Gina Torres Hailee Steinfeld Halle Bailey Harrison Ford Harry Shum JR Harry Styles Henry Cavill Hero Fiennes Tiffin Hunter Schafer Hugh Jackman Idris Elba J. Cameron-Smith Jacob Artist Jacob Elordi Jameela Jamil James McAvoy Jamie Chung Jamie Lee Curtis Jasmin Savoy Brown Jason Momoa Jason Sudekis Jean Smart Jeff Goldblum Jeffrey Wright Jenna Ortega Jensen Ackles Jesse Williams Jessica Chastain JK Simmons Joe Locke John Boyega John Cho John Krasinski Jon Hamm Jonathan Bailey Jordan Connor Jordan Peele Julianne Moore Justice Smith Kate Winslet Kathryn Hahn Kathryn Newton Keanu Reeves Keith Powers Keke Palmer Kerry Washington Kit Connor [1] Kit Connor [2] KJ Apa Kristen Bell Kumail Nanjiani Lana Condor Laura Harrier Lauren Ridloff Leonardo DiCaprio Letita Wright Lili Reinhart Liv Hewson Logan Browning Logan Lerman Loretta Devine Lupita Nyong'o Mädchen Amick Madelyn Cline Madison Bailey Mahershala Ali Manny Jacinto Manny Montana Margot Robbie Mark Consuelos Mark Hamill Mario Lopez Mason Gooding Maude Apatow Megan thee Stallion Melanie Lynskey Melissa Barrera Michael Cimino Michael Evans Behling Michael Fassbender Michael Peña Michael Shannon Michelle Yeoh Morgan Freeman Naomi Scott Natalia Dyer Natasha Liu Bordizzo Nina Dobrev Noah Centineo Normani Octavia Spencer Olivia Coleman Olivia Rodrigo Oscar Isaac Paul Rudd Pedro Pascal Phoebe Deynover Phoebe Tonkin Phylicia Rashad Priyanka Chopra Rachel Weisz Rachel Zegler Rahul Kohli Reese Witherspoon Regé-Jean Page Renee Rapp [1] Renee Rapp [2] Riz Ahmed Robert Pattinson Robert Downey JR Rome Flynn Rosamund Pike Rose Byrne Rudy Pankow Ryan Gosling Ryan Guzman Ryan Reynolds Sadie Sink Sam Claflin Samantha Logan Samara Weaving Sandra Bullock Sandra Oh Sara Ramirez Sarah Jeffrey Sarah Paulson Sebastian Stan Selena Gomez Sigourney Weaver Simu Liu Shawn Mendes Skeet Ulrich Sophia Ali Sophia Bush Sophie Turner Sonam Kapoor Sophie Thatcher Sterling K. Brown Steve Martin Steven Yeun Storm Reid Sydney Sweeney [1] Sydney Sweeney [2] Taika Waititi Tati Gabrielle Taraji P. Henson Taron Egerton Taye Diggs Taylor Zakhar Perez Ted Danson Timothée Chalamet Thomas Doherty Tom Blyth Tom Ellis Tom Hardy Tom Holland Tony Goldwyn Tyler James Williams Tyler Posey Uzo Adubo Victoria Pedretti Viola Davis Whoopi Goldberg Wolfgang Novogratz Will Smith Willem Dafoe William Jackson Harper Winona Ryder Winston Duke Yasmin Finney Zayn Malik Zendaya Zoey Deutch

[komohine]

KEITH HCS 🤲🤲

I KNOW i said no more sneak peeks but lets just take a moment to marvel this hand i drew. Im quite proud of it and its line quality!! 😄

(Canon compliant) A big part of why james and keith’s situationship lasted so long was because keith was fully incapable of deciding whether or not he actually loved james. He was pretty in tune with his romantic feelings ever since he was a child (his father raised him that way: it was always “you don’t owe love to anybody” with him) and he figured out pretty quickly that he didn’t love normally when he hit 5th grade and was the one of the few people in his class who hadn’t developed a puppy crush or had a two week relationship. He found out the terminology for it a short while after in grade 6 sex ed probably, and he’s stuck with it since.

So growing up knowing he wasn’t capable of loving anyone romantically, coupled with how his feelings for james developed extremely slowly over the period of like a decade, he wasn’t sure if what he felt towards james was love or just regular friendship. He’d ask Shiro how he could tell the difference, and he’d never get a clear answer because everyone experiences it differently.

So it was a constant push and pull from Keith’s end, Keith would get closer to James because he liked being around him, but then he’d pull away out of fear that he was just leading James on. Because i think he knew that James liked him. At least subconsciously he knew. And keith thought he liked him back but the uncertainty was enough to make him believe at times that he wasn’t feeling anything. He’d been aroace his whole life, what changed now?

I think they’d gotten super close to kissing before. Or they did share a few kisses, always somewhere super dark and secluded, and they would never mention it again until they properly kiss like 6 years into the future after Keith comes back from being in space.

I love emo gays ‼️ i love the constant push and pull coming from both keith and james ‼️ keith because he doesn’t know what he’s feeling and james because.. he doesn’t know what he’s feeling ‼️

[whateverthese2havetournament]

2024 Roster Announcement

Alright, let's get this show on the road.

You all gave me plenty to work with, and though time has passed, I haven't forgotten. I have utilized what I believe to be an unbiased system of sorting relevant entries to the top, and I have a list of 32 and 16 for both the "Men's Division" and "Women's Division".

The Men's Division, in no particular order:

Archie and Maxie, Pokemon

Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, Looney Tunes

Professor Pierre Aronnax and Captain Nemo, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Sicard and Emmanilain, Final Fantasy XIV

Alber Wesker and Chris Redfield, Resident Evil

Derek Morgan and Spencer Reid, Criminal Minds

Suguru Geto and Satorou Gojo, Jujutsu Kaisen

Luffy and Zoro, One Piece

Kotetsu T. "Wild Tiger" Kaburagi and Barnaby "Bunny" Brooks Jr., Tiger and Bunny

Yoichi & Kudou, My Hero Academia

Elim Garak and Julian Bashir, Star Trek

Dale Cooper and Harry S. Truman, Twin Peaks

Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha

Composer and Orpheus, Identity V

Eddie Brock and his Symbiote, Venom

Cheng Xiaoshi and Lu Guang, Link Click

Keith and Lance, Voltron

Optimus Prime and Megatron, Transformers

Newt Geiszler and Hermann Gottleib, Pacific Rim

Kim Dokja & Yoo Joonghyuk, Omniscient Reader

Sam and Max

Officer Bailey and That Other Guard, Ghost Trick

Steven Stone and Wallace, Pokemon

Medic and Heavy, Team Fortress 2

Basil and Sunny, OMORI

Ike and Soren, Fire Emblem Path of Radiance

Professor X and Magneto, X-Men

Mercutio and Benvolio, Shakespeare

Stanley and the Narrator, The Stanley Parable

Junkrat and Roadhog, Overwatch

Merlin and Arthur, Merlin

Jessie and James, Pokemon

And the Women's

Madoka Kaname and Akemi Homura, Madoka Magica

Azula, Mai and Ty Lee, Avatar: The Last Airbender

Alice 'Daisy' Tonner and Basira Hussain, The Magnus Archives

Sable Ward and Mikaela Reid, Dead by Daylight

Mina Harker née Murray and Lucy Westenra, Dracula

Xena and Gabrielle, Xena: Warrior Princess

Falin Touden and Marcille Donato, Delicious in Dungeon

Emma Swan and Regina Mills, Once Upon a Time

Ruby Rose and Penny Polendina, RWBY

Milly Thompson and Meryl Stryfe, Trigun

Daphne Blake and Velma Dinkley, Scooby Doo

Vriska Serket and Terezi Pyrope, Homestuck

Kimura Seiko and Andoh Ruruka, Danganronpa 3

Lucia and Elincia, Fire Emblem Path of Radiance

Yuri and Natuski, Doki Doki Literature Club

Lyn and Florina, Fire Emblem the Blazing Blade

Wowie, what an all-star cast! Videogames, comics, movies, anime, cartoons, classic literature, and more.

So, I'm going to aim to get the ball rolling, let's say October 14th. I'll start with Men's Round 1, then the following week do Women's Round 1, and so on. I will post the actual brackets a bit closer to that date.

In the meantime! If anyone would like to submit any propaganda, images, complaints, objections, or what have you, the ask box will remain open. I know last time had a pretty rocky start, but I am wise for the experience, and I think this time 'round will be even better.

[haich-slash-cee]

Murderbot TV show thoughts

Looking over the casting choice and also who is making the murderbot TV show and I'm just not excited :/

Rambling post with lots of opinions follows....

"Alexander Skarsgård will lead the series and will serve as executive producer." (source)

:(

All the queer, PoC, ace, aro, agender, non binary actors out there.... All the fascinating choices... who the hell is this. Did the people making this show even read the books, like all the characters in there are PoC. Also, executive producer? To be clear I do not know this actor at all. I am seeing posts that he does deadpan well, and speculation that exec producer roles means he's excited to do the books, which is prob good news.... but as if there's not PoC actors who are also deadpan etc etc?? Also, again repeating other tumblr posts, the effect this will have on fanart, too.

"Martha Wells will serve as consulting producer." Well I'm glad she's getting moneys, but how much influence is she going to have??

although - THIS is why you have to specify if a book character is PoC instead of being vague about it (as white authors seem want to do)! Because otherwise people (esp white people) just assume the character is white! this is just how system racism works, it's not interesting or novel, I'm just parroting what so many PoC authors have pointed out. It means that a character who describes itself in the book as a mishmash of generic human while surrounded by a lot of brown skinned humans somehow gets a casting of Alexander Skarsgård. (even if secunit was explicitly described as having brown skin or being not white in appearance, Paramount might just whitewash the character anyway, but still)

Going on..... "The Weitz brothers will write, direct, and produce under their Depth of Field banner. "

The Pinocchio movie here is a live action disney remake, not the Guillermo del Toro stop motion one. If you're like me and perked up a little, on seeing the title, because you got the Pinocchio wrong.

I guess "Rogue One" was a little interesting if depressing, idk.

The company is also linked to the movie "Prospect" (gorgeous scenery and scifi immersion and really nice soundtrack, but I found the movie rather racist and the characters lacking and I personally didn't vibe with it) and "The Farewell" which I mean to watch because people have told me they liked it.

Well, not much of this combination feels like the Murderbot books, to me, tho. I'm kind of puzzled. Like what are they getting from the books. What am I supposed to expect with "Murderbot diaries" being part of the filmography above.

Well how about the execute producers. " David S. Goyer executive produces alongside Keith Levine for Phantom Four. "

What in the hell?? Noooo! This is like the direct opposite of the core of murderbot! It's like these people skimmed the skin of space dystopian gun pew pew elements and were "yeah this is what the books are about".

Earlier, I was jokingly telling someone "I feel like these people are trying to make James Bond or the Bourne Trilogy in space or something with Murderbot, sheesh" and I fear that is in fact what is happening.

(deep breath)

Murderbot stars an autistic agender aro ace icon character who in the 2nd book hides away in a transport watching TV shows for weeks on end or whatever and then gets called out for that by Pin-Lee in the 4th book. Murderbot and a university space ship bond over the space ship being afraid to watch its fav blorbo die in a fictional show and also the two do their best impression of trying to act like a human.

Also there's fighting and stuff.

Like, that juxtaposition is the fun of the books - like finally, the awkward get-your-gender-stuff-away-from-me a-spec neurodivergent characters have their day in bringing humanity into space dystopia pew pew gun theater. We want to play in this setting, too.

Oh and the books and SecUnit hate corporations and everyone is genderqueer with neo pronouns and polyamory abounds, and there's PoC everywhere.

"the fact that we're getting the corporation rim version of Murderbot and that everyone is kinda bummed about it" is a pretty good summary.

From a specific hurt/comfort whump blog POV -

How are any of these main producer etc people, above, going to grasp the emotional hurt comfort and humor and warm heart of these books? The Tenderness??

Like listen, I need to be clear, I had a blast watching "Blade" with some people a few years ago. It was great. Really fun late night party movie with the right people, A+ experience. However, do I trust Call of Duty Batman vs Superman any of these people to Grasp The Murderbot Books and Handle the Tenderness. No, I Do No, not especially.

. . . . .

Okay fine haich slash cee, who would you cast and hire as directors producers etc. Well first of all a bunch of queer people and PoC and queer PoC. Do you know how many of us want to play in space opera dystopian explosion gunfight theater too. Also I saw someone suggest Tig Notaro play SecUnit - and honestly, that's a fun idea, I would maybe hire a bunch of comedians and also activist types to grab the dry humor and and absolute abhorrance of corporations that permeates the books.

And I'd get a more indie studio production if possible. I know there's the action sequences and special effects and all that IS important in a genre way. Like we are here for all that. We are here for death agriculture robots attacking people and violent robot fights and space kaboom moments. I personally don't immediately know how or which producers studios etc to hire for all that to be included, while keeping slightly smaller studio vibes. Yes SFX action money, but like, more in the spectrum of doctor who budget money and special effects, if that makes sense.

The gunfights and special effects are still more of a secondary feature in my mind. I want to watch the awkwardness of SecUnit and a room full of caring compassionate researchers fully hit the mark but in the most subtle way. I'm here for Ratthi once again saying "what?" in the middle of like the 5th melee situation he's been a part of and Ratthi still is confused as anything. And also, there's some explosions and space travel happening.

As for actors, I'm not really up on actors much, but these tumblr posts have suggestions.

Actually.... Ok, so I like explosions as much as anyone, but what if some small but acclaimed indie character drama creators made Murderbot. Like what if that was one specific flavor of an adaptation. What if the murderbot books were shot primarily as a quirky indie character study tv show set in space. The filmography of the people making it are like: Indie drama - Indie comedy - Murderbot - quirky indie drama - (implying they made murderbot and then went right back to indie movies I guess) I'd be like, "huh, what version of space gunfight drama are we watching here?". Idk, I think it'd be fun.

thanks for reading along in my murderbot ramblings!

[alohaasaloevera]

PART 2 TO MY CHRONIC NOSEBLEEDING LANCE!! MORE BACKSTORY LMAO

(THIS WAS NOT BETA’D I WILL CHECK IN THE MORNING)

(For @is-this-anxiety, who couldn’t mentally handle the first part.)

Part 1

—

“I am completely fine with Keith and James being together!” Which is obviously a lie, but anyways, “But I am Keith’s rival! It’s Keith and Lance, neck and neck, not James and Keith, neck and neck!”

“Calm down buddy,” Hunk sighs, instantly regretting his choice of telling him the gossip, “I’m sure they’re just ignoring all the unwanted attention they’ve been getting recently. I’m pretty sure the rivalry doesn’t even matter to both of them.”

Lance’s heart breaks into at the implication (ok, it wasn’t really implied, but still!) that the rivalry he had with Keith was nothing more than a one-sided desperate attempt for the other to notice him—which, kinda actually was.

“But,” he still tries to reason, because his mamá didn’t raise no quitter, “Rivals don’t kiss each other!”

“That didn’t stop you.”

Shit. He’s got a good point.

“Whatever. I’m leaving.” He says, ripping off the non-existent blanket on top of him and pouting like the totally mature 22-year old he is. “I promised mamá I’d work on the farm.”

“She was actually the one who insisted you stay in here for a day or two! The Garrison was pissed, since they needed you to come to work this week for whatever reason.” Hunk grimaces, “Iverson needed to have a talk with you.”

Lance immediately (but lightly) cannonballs back into the bed, groaning as the reality of staying here for more than an hour sinks in. “Did anyone else come?”

“Everyone else was busy,” Hunk states flatly, “But I did hear that Keith actually came here a few hours ago.”

“Well, of course he did. He was one of the closest to me when I passed out, so he probably took me here.”

“Lance, you’ve been knocked out for like a day. I also heard that he looked very, and I mean very worried, so worried that he literally slammed the doors open when he entered.”

Welp. Now he’s going to go down a rabbit hole of wondering why Keith decided to come here, especially since they haven’t been talking as much recently.

“He’s probably just sad he doesn’t have good ol’ Lancey here to fall asleep with,” He jokes, before instantly shutting his mouth.

“And what do you exactly mean by that?”

—

Keith presses Lance’s contact and calls him. Said man is downstairs, but asking what he wants through call will be a million times less embarrassing than if he did ask face to face.

His phone rings two times before Lance answers, “Keith? What’s wrong?”

“Can you… talk about your day?”

“Why? Is there anything wrong? Are you dying? Oh god, I haven’t even taken you to see my family in Varadero—” He hears papers being pushed away and the sound of a pen clicking frantically, before Lance screams, “How much time do you think you have? It’s awfully sweet, I must say, that your last dying wish is to hear me ramble! It has been an honor to—”

“No, Lance. I’m not dying. I just… miss your voice.” And damn, if he’d be lying if he says he doesn’t want to suffocate himself with his pillow right then and there.

“…Really?” Lance says, a hint of skepticism in his voice.

“Really.” Keith confirms.

“Ok, but why do you want me to talk about my day? That’ll take like… a bagillion hours.”

“Because—” Keith stops for a moment, contemplating whether or not he should tell Lance about what he wants. He thinks about how Lance will probably laugh at him for even suggesting it, but then he remembers how caring Lance actually is, and the most he’ll do is awkwardly laugh and end the conversation. “Because I plan to fall asleep to your voice. It’s calming.”

There’s silence for a good while, and just when Keith starts to think this might have been a bad idea, Lance responds with: “So.. basically you want me to read you a little bedtime story? Does poor wittle Keithykins want Papa Lance to kiss him goodnight as well?”

Fuck. “Ok, I get it, just—”

“No! It’s ok really, I don’t mind!

Keith’s expression of pure embarrassment turns into shock, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah! I actually have been dying to tell someone what happened at the farm today—my mamá was pissed!” Lance chuckles softly, and boy, does Keith have to muster up all his energy not to collapse then and there. “Is it ok if I go upstairs? It’d be awkward if someone came in here and asked “who are you talking to?”, and I’d have to say “I’m talking to Keith! He’s actually upstairs right now.”, you know?”

“O-ok. Sure.” He cringes momentarily when his voice cracks.

Keith instantly hears footsteps getting louder and louder as Lance scales the stairs, before plopping onto his bed with vigor. “Now,” Lance exclaims, squirming under the blankets, “Let the story begin!”

He did not expect Lance to actually come here. He definitely did not expect Lance to lay down with him. He turns around to face Lance, who is taking a deep breath, “So.”

“First of all, I’m working on the field, right? So we sell Juniberries all year. This one girl is with her mother, and she really wants some. Her mother says no. So she throws a tantrum in the middle of the line.” Lance groans, toying with the corner of the blanket. “And that’s not even the worst part! I politely tell the mother that she can have a bouquet, free of charge. And you know what this bitch says?” His voice lowers; disgust practically reeks from his body, “That she wouldn’t buy anything associated with Voltron, because they support, and have a Galran on their team.”

Keith is no longer half-asleep, fully interested in the story, “And what did your mom do?”

“Oh, you won’t believe this! My mom, y’know, the mom who has literally been described as a person who could kill people with her kindness, starts to cuss her the fuck out!” Lance is elated as he starts to recount his mom’s word for word bashing, the Spanish rolling off of his tongue rapidly.

“Mhm.”

“Wait! You aren’t even falling asleep!” Lance pouts, as if he had done all of that for nothing (which is partly true, but he did entertain Keith).

“Alright,” Keith snorts, rolling his eyes, “I’ll—”

“Nope!” Lance flat out ignores Keith’s attempt to go to sleep as he wraps an arm around the smaller’s middle and pulls him flush against his chest. “You are staying here from now on!”

Keith is grateful that Lance can’t see how much he’s blushing as he musters a measly “ok”.

As the story progresses, Lance begins to talk in Spanish again, this time his tone more relaxed in what seems to be a comforting manner, and that’s when Keith starts to feel drowsy. He practically melts into the mattress as Lance recounts his time playing as a Voltron Paladin with his niece and nephew, Nadia and Silvio. He smiles as he hears the story of the stray cat Lance encounters on the street on the way back home, frowning when Lance starts to note how similar he was to the fellow.

Keith barely hides his laugh when Lance tells about how frustrated he was when he looked in the fridge and the last microwaveable pizza was gone. The one Keith ate just a few hours ago.

When Lance notices that Keith’s breaths have slowed down and become more even, he thinks Keith is finally asleep. Instead of sneakily maneuvering out of bed (an art which he has mastered when cuddling his family), he makes his grip on Keith tighter, and since he feels bold today, he gives the lightest peck on Keith’s forehead.

What Lance doesn’t know, is that Keith was not asleep, and that he felt every single thing Lance had just done. Times ten.

God, Keith was so whipped for this man.

—

“Welp,” Hunk croaks, stifling a laugh, “That was a lot to take in.”

“I knowwwwww,” Lance whines, sighing in the most dramatic way possible, dragging out that last part for a few seconds.

“Now, we do know one thing for sure,” Hunk types frantically on his phone, probably texting Pidge about how pathetic Lance is. He can’t seem to care though.

“What is it?” Surely, nothing Hunk can say will be worse than James and—

“You are so gone for him. Like OceanGate 2023 gone.”

“Hunk! Not cool, bro.”

“Sorry!”

—-

(I’M FINALLY DONE!! PLEASE HAVE MERCY ON MY EYES)

[beardedmrbean]

Link refuses to attach properly, so it's here

This fall's class of eighth graders at the I Promise School hasn't had a single student pass the state's math test since the group was in the third grade.

"Not one? In three years?" Akron Public Schools board member Valerie McKitrick asked after that data point was presented to the board earlier this week.

"It is discouraging," responded Keith Liechty-Clifford, the district's director of school improvement.

Five years into the I Promise School, a public school that operates in partnership with the LeBron James Family Foundation, Akron school board members are starting to ask questions about whether I Promise is living up to its academic promise.

The goal of the school is to serve as an intervention for the district's lowest-performing students starting at an early age. It is a rare — if not unprecedented — model in education nationwide.

But Monday night, the board dug into some of the academic data from the school in its first five years and voiced concern the effort has not yet seen the results that they had all hoped.

The state has also issued its first concern about the school: Two of I Promise's biggest subgroups of students, Black students and those with disabilities, are now testing in the bottom 5% in the state, landing the school on the Ohio Department of Education's list of those requiring targeted intervention.

Board President Derrick Hall, who noted Monday's presentation was the first such overview he had seen on the school in his nearly four years on the board, said he was disappointed with the data, even with COVID-19 and a year of remote learning as known factors, given the plethora of additional resources at the school.

"For me as a board member, I just think about all the resources that we're providing," Hall said. "And I just, I'm just disappointed that I don't think, it doesn't appear like we're seeing the kind of change that we would expect to see."

Additional dollars add teachers, tutors, wraparound services

The school receives the same local, state and federal funding as any other public school. But on top of that, the foundation has given up to $1.4 million each year for additional tutors and more teachers in younger grades to lower class sizes.

The foundation also partners with other organizations to provide significant wraparound services and support for students, from job training and high school equivalency courses for parents to housing for students' entire families if needed. The onsite Family Resource Center, staffed by the foundation, has been so successful at connecting with families the model has now been replicated at other Akron schools through partnerships with the United Way of Summit and Medina Counties.

In a statement following Monday's meeting, the foundation said it was committed to the work.

"When we started this work to wraparound students through education, we entered this partnership with Akron Public School for the long haul," the statement said. "Because this work requires a long-term commitment, hard work, and a lot of love and care. And that's what we bring each and every day because the I Promise School is more than a school. We're here for the ups and downs, and will continue to wraparound our students and their entire families so they can be successful in school and in life, no matter the challenges and obstacles that come their way."

The school enrolls students in third grade through a lottery. Students are entered into the lottery if they are in the bottom 25% of reading scores in the district. Students with significant disabilities who are already served in other specialty programs are removed from the lottery. If their child is picked in the lottery, parents receive an invitation to enroll their student in the school, or they can stay at their current building.

But comparing I Promise students to their peers who qualified for the school but attend elsewhere shows that I Promise students are doing worse in some cases, despite the extra staff and wraparound services.

Most recent I Promise state test data revealed

Liechty-Clifford, who was previously the district's liaison to the school, presented data that showed some grades of students at I Promise have improved year over year based on state test results, while others went backward.

Last year's fifth grade class has double the number of students proficient in reading from when they were in fourth grade, from just under 6% to 13% of the class.

But last year's sixth graders lost ground. When they were in fifth grade, 7% were proficient on the reading test. In sixth grade, just 2% were.

Students come into the school an average of two years behind, so it's not surprising that in early years, students wouldn't be able to make up that much ground in just a year or two. The goal of the school was to have students grow about a year and third each school year, so by eighth grade, they would be caught up and ready for high school.

But when school's first class of eighth graders graduated from I Promise, just 11% of them tested proficient on the state English language arts test.

The incoming group of eighth graders, the ones who haven't tested proficient on the math test in three years, weren't always struggling at that level. Their first year in the school, when they were in the third grade, 17% of the class tested proficient in math. The following year, there were no tests because of COVID, and ever since, they have not had one student pass the test. On the English test this spring, 8% of them tested proficient.

The district did not provide comparable state test results for the control group of students who met the criteria for I Promise School but didn't attend.

But Liechty-Clifford did show the comparison of how I Promise students performed compared to their peers on internal testing, a district assessment system known as iReady. On iReady this year, I Promise students in grades 3-8 performed a combined two points better in reading, but six points worse in math than those who were also in the bottom 25% going into third grade but are enrolled elsewhere in the district.

Liechty-Clifford said they knew from the time they opened the school that the work would be hard. The same issues that plague the I Promise School plague many urban schools.

"If I could take kids who are two and three years behind, and get them on level in one year, I'd probably resign and take my show on the road," Liechty-Clifford said.

The school takes in the district's most vulnerable students, many of whom have endured significant traumas in their lives or have learning disabilities. The school also lost its founding leader during its third year, and then had three interim principals in a year and a half. The school named a new permanent principal last school year, but she left the district at the end of the year.

Liechty-Clifford also noted, when the pandemic hit, I Promise was just a year and a half old, still establishing its culture, while also onboarding 10 new teachers and 120 more students during remote learning.

At the same time, he said, "I don't want to use the pandemic as a crutch."

State designation highlights the achievement gaps

The Ohio Department of Education recently designated the I Promise School as an Additional Targeted Support and Improvement (ATSI) School, meaning its students in certain subgroups are low performing on state tests.

Black students at I Promise are testing in the bottom 5% of all Black students in the state. The same is true for students with disabilities.

At I Promise, Black students make up about 60% of the school. About 28% of the school's 555 students have a disability.

In an adjustment made last year, the district caps the number of incoming students who have any known disability at 10% of the 120 students chosen for the school.

The number of students with disabilities was climbing, and teachers were becoming overwhelmed trying to meet every student's need.

In the rising sixth grade class, half the student population has a disability, according to Monday night's presentation.

Two years ago, 10 teachers resigned from the school, tied for most in the district. Last year, five teachers left.

Akron Education Association President Pat Shipe, who was present for the presentation, said afterward, "I think that the red flags that are being thrown up about the IPS are concerning.

"I think there have to be much deeper conversations and more data looked at before we can really address some of the issues that we're seeing," she said.

Looking forward with a new principal

The district has assigned Stephanie Davis, who previously served as the principal of Bridges Learning Center, to be the new I Promise principal this fall.

In the statement sent following Monday's meeting, the foundation said Davis is the "perfect person" to move the school forward.

"We're incredibly excited about the upcoming school year and a return to consistency under the leadership of Principal Stephanie Davis, who is the perfect person to lead the I Promise School and all of our families to the success we know they will achieve. Because we will do it together, as a family."

Davis, in a statement also sent by the foundation, said data that wasn't provided Monday night shows students are still growing, even if they aren't quite yet on grade level, based on their iReady scores, with 42% of them growing at least a year's worth in the last year in math and 4% of them reaching a "stretch" goal beyond that. In English, 32% met a goal for typical annual growth, with 11% exceeding that.

"One of the things I’m most excited about coming into the I Promise School is the optimism and energy around getting our students to a level of achievement we know they’re capable of," Davis said. "At the recent board meeting, our preliminary (state testing) data was shared, but it’s important to note that proficiency is based on mastering grade-level standards."

When looking at students who are starting from behind, she said, growth is an important measurement of success as well as proficiency.

"And the type of growth that is important to us is not made overnight," she said. "It takes time."

Hall said Monday he was not making any summative statements about whether the school was working or not, but that it was necessary to ask questions to understand how the school is doing and what is going to change in the future based on the data.

If he were the foundation, Hall said, he would want to know the return on its investment.

"The foundation's not here to educate our kids," Hall said. "That's our job."