#mama's 100 quotes challenge

[authoressskr]

Engaged in Frivolity

Written for: @mamaredd123 Mama’s 100 Quotes of Supernatural Challenge

Pairing: Gabriel x Reader

Characters: Reader (Hey, that’s you!), Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Castiel, Gabriel, Balthazar, Mary Winchester (mentioned), Memphis (OFC), Holly (OFC), Mera (OFC)

Quote: “You look like you got attacked by some PCP crazed strippers.” (Bolded below in text)

Warnings: Language, Drinking, Idk…maybe subpar writing and no beta.

Summary: When you get some down time, Gabriel and Balthazar know just how to fill it.

Tagging: @mamaredd123 @lyndsay88  @sdavid09  @thewhiterabbit42

*No posting on other platforms without my permission*

“Come on! Dancing, drinking, mischief - what more could a human want for the autumn equinox?  All on a Friday, which will surely lead well into Saturday and/or Sunday.  It’s very hard to keep track of time when one is -”

“Hammered?” You supply, putting the book on mass hauntings back on the shelf as you shoot Balthazar a look.

“Engaged in frivolity.”

“Oooh. Frivolity.” Dean mocks as he pushes away from the library table. “I don’t think you should be taking her to a giant party where everyone will mistake her for an entrée.” Sam’s eyebrows shoot up at his brother’s words, but then he gives a little half shrug and nod combo that strengthens your resolve not to go.

On the other hand…

“Oh pluu-ease!  Like me and Balthy would let anything happen to our favorite human.” Gabriel held up his forefinger. “Also, Balthazar invited you goons simply to be nice. We don’t want to see you dancing or carousing around with beautiful nymphs, goddesses, demi-gods, spirits - let alone embarrassing me.”

“Us embarrass you?” You snicker at Dean’s words before the thought of super-drunk Dean attempting to shuffle out a dance is suddenly filling your head.  You had only seen him do dramatic hand gestures while driving Baby so you weren’t too clear on his actual abilities, but seeing how adamant he was about not dancing - dude was practically the preacher from Footloose - the image just got funnier until you had to clamp a hand over your mouth to stop the unruly giggles. Gabriel just quirks an eyebrow at you before looking at Balthazar with a smirk. They’d promised long ago not to snoop on your thoughts.

You quickly project the image to the angels, watching carefully as Cas’s forehead wrinkled at the awkward dance number you’d conjured up. Dean glares at you and you turn quickly back towards the bookcase, shelving another book on necromancy.

“All I’m saying is it seems like I know how this is gonna pan out.  Kinda like Indiana?”  Dean brings up the last time they were surrounded by pagan gods, gesturing wide with both his hands and his own raised eyebrows.

“One, Lucifer isn’t hunting you two down. Two, none of the gods - except Kali - survived that night. So no one knows I’m me.  And Kali isn’t a party person.”

“Unless it’s in an underground cave over a fiery pit with some glowing stones.”  You offer, moving to stand beside Dean who raises his hand for a high five.

“A plus Indy reference.”

“Thank you, Dean.” Gabriel rolls his eyes at the exchange between you two as Balthazar rises from the wingback chair by the liquor cart to stand beside the archangel.

“As I was saying… three, equinoxes and other pagan celebratory dates are usually no-kill instances. The gods eat beforehand and then we party for a few days then, ya know, everything goes back to normal.”

“And we’d be there to watch over her.”  Balthazar assures the room, flashing you a big smile.

“Think of it as an autumn weekend in Las Vegas. Except no gambling. Just music, booze, all you can eat desserts, dancing and an occasional wild animal running through the festivities.” Dean’s mouth downturns and he nods, like this has happened to him before and you stare at him bewildered and curious.

“What the hell do you do in Vegas?” Dean chuckles and is about to answer when Sam shakes his shaggy head and assures you that you do not want to know. You turn to Gabriel, who is giving you his version of puppy eyes, goldenrod orbs wide and beckoning. Shit.

“Not the eyes, Gabe.” You sigh out, a small smile worming itself onto your face.

“YES!” He shouts triumphantly. “Don’t worry, sweetness. This is going to be fantastic!”

“No. No. Noooo. No. NO.” Dean turns, taking your shoulders in his grip, meeting your gaze. “Come on, you don’t gotta do this. Don’t succumb to peer pressure.”  When you just keep smiling at him he drops his hands, huffing out an irritated breath. “Fine. But we aren’t going to have fun.  Me and Sam and Cas are going to watch out for Y/N.”

“Okay.” Gabriel replies brightly.

“Dress to move.” Balthazar orders before gently pushing you towards the archway, his eyes dancing with excitement already.

Ten minutes later, you’re dressed in your best skinny jeans, a loose fitting silky black tank and your trusty old vans, maroon hoodie in hand.

“Is this okay?”

“Isn’t that what you were just wearing?” Cas asks as Dean looks you up and down.

“No.”  You look at Gabriel. “Does it look like what I just had on?” Gabe shrugs.

“Looks like you just changed your top, cupcake.”

“Well how am I supposed to know how to dress for an equinox celebration?”  Balthazar chuckles at your tone.

“We’ll just let the nymphs, naiads and such dress her once we get there.”

“I still want clothes, Balthazar.”

“And you shall have them, darling.”

“Alrighty!”  Gabriel rubs his hands together once Sam returns, his whole face alight. “Does everyone have their exit buddies?!” Balthazar appears beside you, wrapping an arm tightly around your waist. “No fair! She was my exit buddy.”

“Guess you are stuck with Samantha.”

“Boys.” You warn.  “Are we going or not?”

When the tug by your belly button and a sharp sense of momentary motion sickness passed, you were on the edge of a huge clearing with towering evergreen trees acting as sentinel guards for the celebration.

“Loki!” A handful of women and men shouted merrily, rushing forward.

“Hiya! Now, sugar cube, this is Memphis. She’ll help dress you more appropriately.” He motions a beautiful woman forward with the most gorgeous black tight black curls, so black it was blue in the starlight.

“Bitchin’ name. Is that because you are the naiad of the river Memphis?”

“Ooh, our dear Trickster has found a smart one. Come on.” Her bright white smile was so welcoming and when she held her hand out, you took it with little hesitation. “See you in a few!”

Memphis led you across the clearing, her mahogany skin - you swear to whatever gods are in the clearing - is giving off this soft glow that you can’t help but be draw to. You fully understood the lure of naiads, nymphs and others now. You would gladly camp out by her river to hope to catch a glimpse again. She stopped abruptly in front of a white and blue fabric tent, pulling a white panel back.

“Go ahead.” She encourages you with a nod, letting you ease into the tent. “Loki didn’t mention your name.” She utters as she heads to the far side of the brightly lit tent, shooting you a reassuring smile.

“It’s Y/N.” You answer, looking at the scraps - emphasis on scraps - of fabric she was picking up and examining on a long table. A loud bout of giggles erupted from behind an opaque blue panel before a tiny woman stepped into the main room, her bright peridot eyes taking you in as if you were the most interesting thing she’d encountered in the last century or so.

“Y/N, this is Holly. She’s a Gaelic pixie. Y/N is Loki’s wife.”

“Oh, no - uh, Loki and I - uh, we aren’t married.” Memphis looks from the tiny yellow band of fabric to you.

“She just assumed cause you smell like him and you are wearing his favors.”  The petite brunette points to the bracelet and then to the necklace you wore. “So, the dark haired one in the coat? He single?” Her accent is soft and alluring as she wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

“Yes. And awkward.”

“Just how I like ‘em! Ooh, darlin’ I like you. So, Memp, what are we doin’ to her?”

“Dressing her more for the festivities.”

“I love me a sexy makeover! I’ll help.” Memphis rolls her sand colored eyes good-naturedly before holding up a soft pink halter top that looked like something from a pirate film. “Look at her face!  Dontcha wear pink out there, with the other humans?” You shake your head no before shuffling from one foot to the other nervously.

“And I’d like it to cover my stomach.” Both women stop to stare at you, perplexed.

“All women’s shapes and sizes, colors and creeds are beautiful.”  Memphis’s words feel like a soft spoken battle cry.

“I know. I know! And I totally am all for that. But, uh…”

“She’s self-conscious, not lookin’ fer a lecture.”

“No, no! It’s fine! Just wanted to give you a basis, ya know?”

“We will cover where you have asked but other areas must now compensate for that.” Memphis’s smooth voice is full of promise and you realize it’s like bargaining with Gabe. Damnit. A look at Holly tells you how much trouble you’re in when she holds up a dark green tank top with a pair of black stretchy shorts with golden thread. So screwed. So very, very screwed.

—

Dean is watching the tent like a hawk, nodding at Sam’s ramblings but not paying attention. Which they both know.

“We’re so boned. Uber-boned.” Gabriel mutters to Balthazar as a gaggle of women approach. Dean’s head snaps to the group, Sam stopping mid-sentence to watch.

They part, revealing Memphis and Holly, who step forward with giant, knowing smiles plastered on their gorgeous faces. The paused a second, relishing the wait before stepping to the side to reveal Y/N.

All five men’s jaws dropped.

The dark green tank scooped low to reveal a healthy amount of décolletage, while the black short shorts revealed her smooth, long legs. Her hair is decorated with purple myrtle flowers and baby’s breath woven throughout and she is smiling nervously at the ground. When her eyes did flicker up, darting from Dean to Sam to Cas, finally pausing on Balthazar before meeting Gabriel’s gaze.

“So, uh, what do we do now?” Y/N asks brightly, before Memphis leans forward to whisper something then glides away towards a small group of dancers.

“Drink!” Holly shout triumphantly, dragging her towards a few giant wine barrels while the men all still stared.

“You can keep repeating ‘She’s a little sister to me’ all you want, Sam. Isn’t going to change much.” Balthazar teases, taking a healthy sip from his whiskey.

“Don’t read my mind.” Sam hisses, his cheeks a faint pink.

“You’re projecting.” Cas replies easily, moving from their group to join Y/N, Balthazar right behind him.

“What’re we drinking ladies?” Balthazar questions, a bright mischievous smile spread out on his face.

—

Four hours, two cups of mead and half a dozen jello shots later, you are feeling awesome.  Whoever organized this knew their music, weaving lilting tunes that fireflies bobbed in time with to Journey to EDM then back to those intoxicating songs of old.

Memphis, Holly, and an apsaras (A Cambodian dance nymph) named Mera all guided you around the open space, dancing as you all saw fit, following whichever beat called to you. You knew the boys were still around, they stopped you ever so often to make sure you nibbled at something or drank some water - okay that was mostly Sam and Cas - but you didn’t want to stop dancing. So, you would worm your way out of wherever they happened to be sat - table, mound of cushions, giant plush couch - and rejoin the dancing group, relishing in the feeling of letting go.

The world of hunting was draining. Find monster, stop it from killing more people, kill monster, repeat. Very little down time, long days and nights of research, travel, crap motel rooms, and crap food.

But tonight, oh tonight, you could be free. At least for a little while. To dance and drink and eat, watching the tree tops sway along gently when a softer song echoed out and then blur as a faster song came on, letting the nymphs and deities twirl you around.

No matter where you went though, you could always feel them.

Those honey colored eyes that chased you around also provided you with the safety you only felt in his presence.

You shook your head to clear any of those thought away. Gabriel was Gabriel.  And you were human; small, temporary, boring. But now wasn’t the time to think about that! Now was the time to shake, roll, shimmy, sway, twirl and leap away all the burdens you had been carrying around since you were 19 years old.

Holly cupped your face in her hands, almost sensing your overthinking, rubbing her nose against your own before releasing you with a loud drunken giggle and flitting off towards a tall blonde man who was wearing a blue sparkly speedo.

It was nearly an hour later before your legs were screaming for a break that you stumbled over to where Gabriel was lounging in the middle of an array of dark red plush cushions, Cas sat beside him at a little table lining up shots to outdo Balthazar.

“She returns!” Balthazar calls out merrily before you ease yourself down onto a pillow between the three angels. Your grin is wide before you look over your shoulder to Gabriel.

“What do you have?” Gabriel moves the cup from your reach.

“No, no, no, no, no, little cumquat. This isn’t for you. You’re proving to be a lightweight.” Gabriel tuts at you before taking a sip and moving it once again from your reach.

“You said I could have a good time. That should mean you share. And I’m not a lightweight, I am pacing myself!” Balthazar snickers behind you as he finishes his line of shots.

“Y/N does not have the alcohol tolerance that Dean does. Do not give her -”  But you had launched yourself at Gabriel, straddling his chest in order to reach the cup he held aloft.

“Sugar.” Gabriel growled, the feeling reverberating through your thighs and core as the sweet liquid passed over your lips. The world shifted inhumanly fast, you blinked and suddenly you were sitting where Gabriel had just been with him kneeling beside you, his fingertips digging slightly into your left thigh. His touch lightened, just resting there against your skin. His free hand snapped fingers before your eyes, yanking you from the nice floaty place you were descending into.

“Huh?”

“I said, that was made to waste gods. Your pretty little mortal self isn’t made for it, cupcake.”

“Humm. But I feel reaaaally nice now.”  You move to rise, but your limbs aren’t quite cooperating now. Balthazar snorts into his drink, trying to hide his laughter as Cas leans over to place two fingers against your forehead to heal you. The foggy, floating feeling disappears and you’re both relieved and upset. Dean is suddenly in your bubble, his handsome face so close to your own.

“Are you alright? Is she alright?” His hand is on the back of your neck, tilting it back so he can look in your eyes.

“She’s fine. She was warned not to drink from my cup, but she did it anyways.  Toasted her in a handful of milliseconds.”  Gabriel knocks Dean’s hands away, helping you up before swatting your ass playfully. “Get back out there!” You stick your tongue out but turn and run into Memphis’s arms, letting her draw you back into the ever-growing dance group.

—

By the early morning hours, the rising sun filtering through the dense trees surrounding the clearing, Gabriel’s favorite human was so beyond drunk it wasn’t funny. Well that wasn’t exactly true, he thought it was hilarious. Dean and Sam were sitting slumped slightly at the table Cas and Balthazar had occupied earlier when Y/N came bouncing up, looking good enough to eat. Her eyes were glassy and her smile was easy, with something just behind it he couldn’t place immediately. She tossed her sexy, scantily clad body down face-first onto the pile of cushions, before propping herself up on her elbows, looking up at the Winchesters.

“Tired?” She sighed the question, before rolling onto her back and letting her eyes flutter closed, one hand flung up by her head, fingertips brushing against his knee.

“Yes, I need my four hours.” Dean muttered, rubbing a hand over his face. Sam nodded his agreement, before smiling down at your relaxed form.

“Mmmhmm. I’m sure that Cas or Balthazar would drop you back at the bunker.”

“We aren’t leaving you.”

“Loki and Balthazar, maybe Cas if Holly has her way, will be here to watch after me.”

“Breakfast!” Mera calls, appearing beside you to drag you up from the cushy resting place and over to a massive dark wood table laden with every sort of breakfast food anyone could imagine. Gabriel looked from where Mera dragged you to Dean and Sam, Cas appearing beside him.

“Your mother has found a pair of poltergeists a few towns over. She asked if you would help.” Dean reluctantly nods, rising in tandem with his brother. “Ga-Loki and Balthazar are more than capable of watching over Y/N.” Dean pulls a face before pointing at Gabe.

“If anything happens to her -”

“She’s my favorite human. I’m not going to let anything happen to her, you asshat.” He sassed, rolling his eyes as Cas clapped a hand onto each brother’s shoulder and disappeared.

“Thank whoever that they’re gone. They were really killing the mood.”

“That seems to be a Winchester superpower.” He watches as you sit cross-legged on the pillow, popping a grape into your mouth as one of the Sumerian demi-goddesses add a few small braids to your hair, entwining more purple myrtle flowers into the strands.

“I’m more than a little surprised you didn’t smite Sam or Dean with all those projected thoughts.”

If they would have made a move, I would have. Balthazar nods at his brother’s words.

You should just tell her.

Tell her what?

Really, Gabriel? That you want to screw her over any available surface. Give her more expensive gifts. Whisper sweet nothings in her ear. Preferably while thrusting into her as hard as her little human body can handle. Gabriel didn’t answer, but shot his little brother a scathing look before Y/N joined them.

“Nap?” She asked with a sleepy smile, her eyes clearer but tired.

“Come to my parlor.” Balthazar quoted, gesturing at the small dark green tent a few dozen feet away. Y/N padded after Balthazar, Gabriel’s hand a whispered touch at her back. She stretched tall and let out a heavy sigh, seeing the plush mattress on the floor with silky gray sheets, missing the deep breath that Gabriel sucked in.

“Go ahead, sweet pea.” Gabriel watched as she dragged herself to the left side of the bed, pulling the covers back before slipping under. A little contented moan left her lips before she closed her eyes and smiled wide at the two of them.

“You know,” She yawned and shuffled down more in the bed, “They all think I’m your girlfriend. Or wife. Some things get lost in translation. One of the sprites told me these,” She waves her left arm, the gold bracelet he’d given her nearly seven months ago sliding up and down her wrist as she yawns again. “Are like a declaration. Is that -” Another yawn. “Is that why you said I should wear them often? So you could keep track and no one would hurt me?” She hasn’t opened her eyes this entire time, sleep tugging harder at her subconscious.

“Yeah, sweetness, it’s to keep you as safe as possible.”

“Mmmm. So pretty.” Neither angel knows what she’s saying is so pretty, but it’s the last words she gets out before sleep consumes her.

—

By the time Sam, Dean, Mary and Cas finish with the poltergiests - Jesus, that took forever - and return to the Bunker, Dean is sleepy, bruised and on-edge. Y/N had texted nearly seven hours before, saying she’d woken up and she hoped the hunt was going well and a “No need to worry, Mom. I’m having fun at camp.” All three hunters showered and ate, Mary heading off to bed while Sam sat with his laptop in front of him while Dean nursed his second beer and waited like the overprotective dad of a teenager. Cas joined them a few hours later, informing the brothers that they should be prepared to wait. Gabriel and Balthazar were in no hurry now that Y/N was enjoying herself.

Sunday passed with a few texts from Y/N, none of which mentioned what time she’d be coming home, which just frustrated Dean further, sending the elder Winchester brother to the gun range a couple times that day.

Monday, three am.

That’s when Balthazar and Gabriel appeared, each with an arm around Y/N.

”You look like you got attacked by some PCP crazed strippers.” Dean snorted, a small smile tugging at the corners of his lips minutely. Y/N pulled her arm from around Balthazar’s shoulder, a big, bright, drunken smile plastered on her face.

“Dean! Dean! Sam! Cassiiiiie! Happy Autumn!” She leaned more into Gabriel as she wobbles slightly. “I celebrated the equinox! Hard. Like, real hard. We switched from the pretty flowers to leaves!” She gestured to her hair, the red and orange leaves mixed into the yellow-green ivy tangled in her hair. “You missed - Gabriel, he got me some apple mead - it was delirious.”

“Delicious.” Sam corrected, chuckling at the carefree air around her.

“That’s what I said, Sam. And then they body painted me in red and gold, but Holly said I needed more colors. So then we were,” She starts giggling uncontrollably. “We were - uhh, we were throwing the paint powder stuff at each other like it was Holi!”

“Like what was holy?” Dean asks, looking at the grinning angels for help.

“Not holy!” She waved her free hand at Balthazar first then Gabriel. “Holi, with an I. The Hindu spring festival of colors and love?” She looked at Gabriel, her little eye roll at Dean forgotten, pulling her arm away from him, reaching for something just behind his shoulder. “They’re so pretty. Always want to tell you. Almost match my bracelet and gold body dust - uh powder. Paint. Stuff.” Gabriel had time to tilt his head before her fingers slipped into his feathers, before she mumbled “So pretty” once more before slumping forward into his arms, her hand sliding down the rest of his plumage.

“Holy shit.” Balthazar breaths out, looking at the passed out girl wrapped tightly in Gabriel’s arms. “Your fake wife is your mate.” Gabriel just grins, adjusting Y/N so he held her bridal style, before heading for her bedroom at a leisurely pace, whistling lightly.

“Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Dean hollers after the archangel before exchanging a look with Sam.

“That’s a pretty short list, Dean.”

“Shut up.”

—

Gabriel settled you into bed, snapping to clean you up and change you into pajamas before tucking the blankets in.

“Don’t go.” Y/N whispered, freeing her arm from the covers to grasp his forearm.

“Oh ho. You aren’t getting rid of me now, sweet cheeks.” He shrugged off his jacket, toed off his shoes and slipped into bed. She slid closer, moving her head to rest on his chest while his arm wrapped around her tightly. Gabriel sighed contentedly before dropping a kiss to the top of her head.

“Good. I am, after all, your fake wife and mate.”

“We’ll talk about it when your sober.” Gabriel chuckles.

“Gabe?”

“Yeah?”

“When’s the next equinox?”

The four men in the Bunker could hear Gabriel’s laughter echoing down the hallway.

[mamaredd123]

Mama’s 100 Quotes of Supernatural Challenge

Just wanted to reach out real quick to make sure I have seen all the fics posted.

If your name is not crossed out, then I haven’t seen it and would like to ask for you to send me a link, via message, or touch base with me. Thanks everyone. Trying to get the Master Post finished while I have a little free time!

@authoressskr  @destiel-addict-forever   @myloveforyouxx-deactivated20171   @capsheadquaters   @jensenjefferyjarednormanmisha    @percussiongirl2017  @uniquewerewolfsuit     @docharleythegeekqueen    @maximumkillshot   @skyedoes-things  @samwinjarpad  @beccafgs   @wayward-mirage-deactivated20170   @deanandsamsbitch   @sea040561   @roxy-davenport  @queencflair  @impalaimagining   @wi-deangirl77  @atc74  @captainemwinchester   @hannahindie   @4401lnc  @goofynerd-67babylove  @lucilepiewhiskey   @goldenolaf25  @mrsbatesmotel53  @jessicawritessmut  @thecuriouscrusader   ​@melbelle45   @chaos-and-the-calm67  @wideawakeandwriting  

[wtflife01]

you’re not black you shouldn’t use //

I’m not black, my mom is, she is an English teacher and made her thesis about Miss Angelou. We have a first edition of her book and all her bios.

I’m mix raced and pale as a Cullen under the sun. But I love that poem and I love that phrase. I know the context of the poems and the book as a whole. But I disagree with “it’s only a black thing” or a black quote.

Yes, she wrote it in base of her experience and in that context, but the message is universal. That’s like saying that non Jewish can’t pray the Our Father because Jesus was Jewish and he made it for his disciples. Or non Latinos reading 100 years of Solitude because they are not Latinos or singing or dancing salsa songs with slave relative lyrics. Someone in China can be very inspired and quote Nelson Mandela or Martin Luther King, and be moved by their words. The art of war wasn’t written for the world and yet is one the most powerful philosophical books used worldwide. Same as Mahatma Ghandi quotes and essays.

Anyone can quote and be inspire by other cultures quotes or literature.

Yes I’m not black, but every time I faced a huge challenge my mom reminded me Still I Rise.

And I can be white in skin, but I’m not blind to racism. When I was in 5th grade I invited my friends over, and her moms thought that my mom was the maid because she is black and I’m white and my mom was vacuuming the living. That was heartbreaking for me and even more for my mom.

Another episode, I can’t remember that one so clearly, we were going to Disney, we drove all night long, almost arriving to Orlando a policeman stopped the car, and doing a checking thought that my mom stole the car and me BECAUSE SHE IS BLACK. They arrested my mom in front of me and took both of us, it was so easy as just checking both passports, we are not even Americans. I just remember a woman asking me who’s that woman and I was like mama. It’s forbidden to talk about that day, I don’t know what they did to my mom and honestly I don’t want to know. Even though no one never attacked me for my race, they used me to attack my mom, which fully angers me. Because being black is more than a skin color is a culture. People don’t understand why I use crisco on my hair or why i get so hyped about visiting grandma for eastern church service or why I used braids during elementary (my grandma) But that’s me and that’s part of my culture and I don’t care about the amount of melanin in my skin, I mean no one in my family does.

About the poem:

Still I Rise is the title of the book, the book is divided into 3 parts, the first part is about being a woman, the second part is about the cruelty of the world, drugs, gangs, s.xual abuse, violence etc. And Still I Rise part three is where she takes part one to overcome part two. Highly recommended.

My POV on the true issue:

What I think was a huge mistake from the mechanic was using that phrase to mock Lewis. Is a powerful phrase, the poem itself is beautiful. Using the trophy and the quote together was clearly an ignorant mock of what he probably thought it was just a commercial slogan or motto. It’s more than that, it’s a soul burning anthem that reminds you that no matter how low they try to put you, your only way is always up. Definitely has a meaning for Lewis I mean is tattooed on his back, so I can understand why is attached to him, I can see him saying that when things went wrong or when people dragged him down.

That’s my honest POV based on my experience with the poem. Feel free to disagree it’s fine that what communication and freedom of expression is about

Thank you for sharing this

[freakova]

Theory: Abe will NOT remove his stitches in Soulstorm

Since the Soulstorm trailer dropped, I've been thinking about it pretty much 24/7. I adored it and I really want to just talk about it and dissect everything. The stitches scene has got me thinking A LOT as I think it's one of the most interesting parts of Abe's character. So theory time. This is a long post and I am sorry for that. LONG POST. Sorry all but this game means a lot to me and I want to dive deep. Too deep. Let's go. 

So, quick introduction. Abe has stitches in his mouth. It is one of the most vital parts of his design that has been around since the first game’s concept art. The reason he has them is because he cried a lot as a baby due to what was going on around him. (QUOTE: "...The slaughtering of animals in RaptureFarms was affecting him deeply so he was crying a lot....Abe doesn't see the animals dying, he can just feel. He knows that he's in a horrible place."-Oddworld Abe's Origins Art book, which I will be referencing a lot in this) and as a worker and future slave, higher ups saw this as an issue that they didn't need. A runt. And unfortunately, runts are sometimes killed. To keep him alive, Sam (The captured Mudokon Queen/his mama) sews his mouth shut so he can’t cry and can still be sent to work. Abe however, never removes these stitches despite them being practically useless (they’re stretchy and worn; they're no more than a nuisance and something he’s mocked for by others (I.e. he is constantly called “stitch lips”). 

So let's start with the PS trailer, mainly this scene.

The narrator (one of the shamans, guessing the red one in this scene) says “You must find your full voice” and we see short/flashy clips of Abe holding a knife and dragging it over the inside of the mouth to break the stitches. My mind is blown and is 100% mush. It’s implied that he is removing them. But I don’t think he will. Not in soulstorm anyway. 

Firstly worth noting that we can presume that this particular scene takes place near the start of the game. (QUOTE: "...He never took the stitches out. That's where (Soulstorm) begins, with him being told that he needs to grow up and cut out those strings of oppression. He needs to find his voice and be a leader"-O:AO art book) 

With this in mind, look at the rest of the trailer, specifically when Abe is presumably getting his chest tattoo. 

He hasn’t removed his stitches here. He’s having to go to what looks like a shrine to get the new powers and when he collapses, you see the glow of his new tattoo. We can also presume that this part takes place after the stitches scene, as in both scenes we see Abe speaking to the shamans, he doesn't have his chest tattoo but still has his stitches. 

Now, you COULD argue that maybe Oddworld Inhabitants is tricking us and the final cutscenes will be swapped with models of Abe without stitches/tattoos in the final game. (Sometimes trailers will do that to trick the audience or show “early footage”.) I don’t think this is the case personally as these cutscenes look like they’re ready to be a movie; But I do want to point out something else.

Now, if there is one beauty with the Oddworld games is they can go from “emotional” to “clown house” in a second. Just like that when it’s needed. Oddworld is both super deep but super funny. Abe removing his stitches would be a HUGE moment. Now let's look at one of the screenshots we got alongside the trailer. 

This...looks a little silly! Like it's meant to be funny. He’s pulling a funny face as if he’s gnawing and struggling to break the material. Let's be honest, do we really think OI would make a silly “haha he’s struggling” joke over Abe removing his stitches? They’re jokers but I do not believe that they would joke about something as deep as “You are going to remove a very important part of your character”. It however makes far more sense to joke about Abe being unable to remove them and end up pulling silly faces IMO. 

Also worth noting that in that first screenshot, he is removing his left stitches. But in this shot from the trailer, it was his right stitches and in both shots, all the stitches are intact. Why would he change which stitches he cuts out first? Perhaps the joke is he can't remove them and is attempting to cut different sides at different angles?

Now I could just leave that there and be on my merry way BUT! Let me just dive just a little bit deeper. Perhaps too deep but here I am. 

It is clear that Abe has a lot of issues and it’s clear those stitches are important to him. But we’ve never really had full-on reference to them despite them being a vital part of his story. The stitches have been mentioned in interviews though. There’s of course the mention of them in the Abe’s Origins book where Lorne Lanning talks about how they are sentimental to Abe because they were given to him by his mother and they reflect why he got them. (QUOTE: “That’s the only real touch of humanity he ever had in his life, so he never takes those stitches out”-O:AO art book) Quick sidenote; You gotta bare in mind that this is the only time he would have ever seen his mother. She sewed Abe's mouth up so he could not cry. It's such a weird combination of wanting the best for a child but having to do something that is so horrible. "Cruel to be kind" as they say. Abe probably has very mixed, emotional feelings towards Sam because of it. (QUOTE: "We think his mother is cradling a baby but she's actually sewing his lips together while singing a lullaby and also crying herself".-Abe's Origins art book)

The entire reason why Abe has stitches is, in a nutshell, he's empathetic. He doesn't just feel the pain of others of his kind, but the animals from Rapture Farms too and that's what makes him so unique to the other mudokons. (QUOTE: "Abe has something special about him, which leads to why he has stitches, which leads to how empathetic he is. And in that empathy, he’s able to sort of embrace something that is part of their natural heritage and become something that the other guys aren’t necessarily encountering..." -EGX 2017: Lorne Lanning Interview). He's hurtin' and to be honest...so am I...

I want to bring up this interview as well that talks about  things in regards to Oddworld's lore...old yes but an interesting read. Lanning talks about Abe and compares the stitches to people that are blind/dead. QUOTE:  "...He’s holding on to them for reasons he doesn’t really understand. I’ve known people with hearing impairments, vision impediments, physical challenges in one form or another... ...someone says ‘You’re colour blind? We can fix that now!’ and the person says ‘You know what? I don’t want it fixed.’ I’ve witnessed that people hang on to their oddities or uniqueness even though the don’t always logically understand." To me, this is a very interesting take. Abe has this thing that makes his life hard yet he still doesn't do anything because he's ok with who he is. So why would be remove them early in this story? (We’re only in the second game afterall) 

Those stitches are important to Abe. They are something he can’t bring himself to remove because they are a precious reminder of who he is. They are a reminder for him and I just can't see them being taken out in the game where he's mostly going to learn about his people. 

"Find your full voice". 

Yes. Find it. But removing the stitches that brought you where you are now will not find your full voice.

Just as a little bonus, not really part of the theory, just thinking. Here's what I think could happen through soulstorm and maybe later down the road in regards to Abe:

In the "de-stitching" scene, I think they'll make it a serious moment when Abe is given the knife then it will turn comical where Abe has troubles taking the stitches out. Either he will give up and say he can't OR the shaman will just tell him not to (OR. haha. OR the shaman will tell Abe he isn't ready.) Also I think they'll never be mentioned again after that scene but OI? Feel free to prove me wrong.

If they ever DO come out (AKA in a future game) I imagine they'll come out much easier than what we see in the trailer. No stretching or struggling. It will be like a wobbly tooth; it will come out when it's ready.

I imagine Abe will at least keep the stitches when he meets Sam.  This is based on zero evidence I just like to think of angst lol

I have a feeling Abe is going to lose some of his Empathy throughout the series and that may be why you’re given the choice to keep everyone alive in SS. Based on a few things but I won’t digress, just a thought. 

TL; DR? That’s cool. All in all, I don’t think Abe will take those stitches out. Maybe at some point in later games but not now. He's not ready. All in all, I’m crying and can’t wait for Soulstorm.

[chubby-derek-and-friends]

Chubby-Kink quote prompts

1. “Are you gonna finish that?”

2. “I’m full. Do you want the rest of this?”

3. “So,...dessert?”

4. “I swear these fit last week!”

5. “Are you sure those are your size?”

6. “Aren’t those MY leftovers?”

7. “Want another slice?”

8. “Jesus, I thought there was an eclipse!”

9. “Is that your stomach making those noises?”

10. “Is that a new stretch mark?”

11. “Excuse me, I believe this button belongs to you?”

12. “Are you still eating?”

13. “I told you you couldn’t finish it!”

14. “What do you mean that was a snack?!”

15. “They’ll have both.”

16. “This was all just for you?!”

17. “You’re still hungry, aren’t you?”

18. “Are you ready for more?”

19. “Did those EVER fit?”

20. “Are your clothes getting a bit snug?”

21. “Didn’t I deliver here this morning?”

22. “I hope I made enough...”

23. “That is supposed to feed a family of four!”

24. “Are you stuck?”

25. “Did you hear something crack?”

26. “I thought we had ice cream left...”

27. “Have you been sitting here all day?”

28. “Is the scale broken?”

29. “Did something just rip?”

30. “You’re STILL hungry?”

31. “I just passed a Girl Scout who was skipping and counting a wad of cash. She was here, wasn’t she?”

32. “So do all the drive through workers know you by name?”

33. “I don’t think those will stretch anymore.”

34. “Could you pass me those? I’m too full to get up.”

35. “When they say ‘all you can eat,’ it’s not a challenge!”

36. “I didn’t say you COULDN’T eat all that, I said you probably SHOULDN’T!”

37. “Are you aware that what you call a snack could feed a family of four for a day?”

38. “I think we might need to get you some larger clothes. Or maybe see if the circus has any tents we could borrow.”

39. “I can’t tell if you’re fatter. At some point it’s hard to tell if you’ve put on two pounds.”

40. “You know, those ‘your mama’s so fat...’ jokes aren’t meant to be aspirational.”

41. “So what’s another ten pounds?”

42. “Remind me again why you eat every day like it’s Christmas? Oh, yeah, I suggested it.”

43. “While I appreciate your commitment to not wasting food, this is getting ridiculous!”

44. “When I said I cooked enough for an army, you shouted ‘Army of one!’ and attacked the table!”

45. “Have you heard about the cacao shortage we’ll be facing in a few decades? I bet you’re the main cause.”

46. “You eat like a professional swimmer, and you’re starting to look like one. Shamu!”

47. “I think you have ‘gobble ‘til you waddle’ embroidered and hanging above your bed!”

48. “I can see you’re confused so let me help you. Pies? They aren’t single-serve.”

49. “Shouting ‘Challenge accepted!’ Is not an appropriate response when the waiter says the mean includes bottomless fries!”

50. “This is getting totally out of hand! The waiter asked you to say when and now there’s so much cheese I can’t see your plate, the waiter has carpal tunnel, three people are dead, and the cows are screaming!”

51. “I love that you only wear crop tops. Oh, they’re just regular t-shirts?”

52. “The gain is hardly noticeable! And we could dress you in something slimming. Like...Wyoming?”

53. “Ah, we’re going out for dinner! I can hear the buffets quivering in fear already!”

54. “You know, the whole ‘the dog must have eaten it’ excuse would work better if we had a dog, right?”

55. “You don’t win anything for having the highest calorie count!”

56. “You know you’re the walking cliché of the doughnut-eating cop, right?”

57. “Of course you can’t fit in your football team jacket! It fit when you were the quarterback and now you’re more like two linebackers!”

58. “You realize that when people gift us with food, it’s for the both of us, right?”

59. “I got this ‘Wide Load’ sticker for my truck but I think you may need it more.”

60. “...you’re resumé says ‘can eat my weight in doughnuts’ and ‘I never met a cookie I didn’t like.’”

61. “I know the phrase is ‘could bounce a quarter off that thing’ but for you, I think it’s more like a quarter pounder!”

62. “You know, a love seat is built to accommodate two people, not just one person’s love handles.”

63. “When you go to sit on bar stools...are they afraid?”

64. “That’s not a spare tire! That’s Michelin’s entire product line!”

65. “It’s more than some cushion for the Pushkin’...at this point it’s an entire couch!”

66. “Maybe you should show those poor pants some mercy and just take them off.”

67. “I was gonna go mattress shopping today but with you, I think I can cross that off my to-do list.”

68. “What’s your Halloween costume gonna be this year? Santa? The planet Jupiter?”

69. “They named a menu item after you? How often do you eat here?!”

70. “I don’t think French fries were what they had in mind when they said to eat your vegetables!”

71. “Pretty sure the serving size is two slices,...not two cakes.”

72. “You can’t eat your problems away!”

73. “When I said you had to choose between the pecan and the apple pies, I didn’t mean you eat the pecan pie then ‘choose’ the apple pie because it’s the only one left!”

74. “I HAD to eat them all! I didn’t want any of them to feel left out!”

75. “How did you even get those pants on?”

76. “It used to be cute when you stole my clothes to wear because they smelled like me...a hundred pounds ago.”

77. “What did you have against that chair?”

78. “I thought you were going to kiss me, but you just leaned over to steal my dessert!”

79. “Hun, you order from that place so often, they sent you flowers for your last birthday.”

80. “I’m honestly a little jealous of the looks you’ve been giving that cheesecake...”

81. “The school checks your schedule before scheduling bake sales!”

82. “Vacation calories DO count and that’s why you had to buy a second seat!”

83. “I wish you looked at me like you look at the dessert tray.”

84. “So when you booked this cruise, did the words, ‘all-inclusive dining’ flash in front of your face like neon lights?”

85. “The things you did to that cake...I can’t decide if I should be more turned on or jealous!”

86. “I told you I didn’t want you to double-bounce me on the trampoline! I have altitude sickness now! I saw satellites! THE MAN IN THE MOON TOLD ME TO SAY HI TO YOU!!”

87. “We lost half the water in the pool after your cannonball!”

88. “I’m caught in your gravitational pull!”

89. “Well, suck it in! That’s the largest size this store sells.”

90. “So, is that a sausage in your pocket or are you just happy to see m...oh, it really is a sausage!”

91. “Didn’t the tailor JUST let those out?!”

92. “When you said you were training for a sport, I didn’t think you meant SUMO!”

93. “Is this what you looked like in high school?Well, now you look like you swallowed your younger self!

94. “I know you’re trying to bulk up, but maybe putting ice cream in your protein shakes isn’t the best strategy?”

95. “Hey, that restaurant that you like is doing their endless pasta promotion! Babe? ...Aaaand you’re already out the door.”

96. “So, need a belly rub?”

97. “So you were jock in high school, huh? At least judging by this itty, bitty letterman’s jacket you were.”

98. “I don’t think lifting your ass off the couch counts as exercise!”

99. “It looks like someone’s been bulking a bit TOO hard!”

100. “You were only on the injured list for three weeks! Like, I’m glad you’re okay, but how did you put on thirty pounds?”

[msbeccieboo]

Arrow 8x02 Brain Dump

Meh! This is gonna be a shorter one, because quite frankly, this just wasn't worth staying up late for (it airs at 2am my time 😩😩), and I felt it a waste of one of the final run of episodes. It wasn’t the worst episode everrr, by any means, but it was just meh. And I think for the last season we deserve better than meh, every single week.

The good 😍

Always start with, and double-down on the positives haha!! 

Antonio Negret and Stephen Amell really came through for us with The Ring Moment, which, albeit very brief, just gave us a little moment to remind us that Felicity was on Oliver’s mind throughout all of this, that she was his driving force for doing this crazy mission, and that (through the quotes they selected for flashbacks) he still had hope in what he was doing, and that Felicity will find him, and they were “gonna be fine” 😭😭😭

Source: olicitygifs

If this wasn’t foreshadowing a happy Olicity ending, then why are we even here haha!

Some more below the cut:

Antonio did a great job overall in this episode; his episodes are always beautifully shot and he gets the absolute best out of the character moments in the scripts. I’d have actually loved for Antonio to have directed the premiere last week…ugh that would have amped that up to astronomical levels of awesome!!

Oliver’s moments with Tatsu. I’m glad they used her to service Oliver’s character; we could have done with her joining the team back in the day instead of NTA! She was a true ally!

Source: oliverxfelicity

This moment was wonderful to show why he is still there on the mission (short version, he's a paragon of heroes, duh). I’m really glad they had Tatsu question his reasons so he could give this answer; that he is in this for his family. He ‘knows’ he’s going to die, and he left his family behind to keep them (and the rest of the multiverse) safe, so he has to keep trusting The Monitor, because if not, and he doesn’t see this through, then he left his family for nothing. However, I’m pleased that Tatsu challenging him on this, led him to ultimately actually question The Monitor, by deciding to go to Nanda Parbat for more answers.

Source: oliverxfelicity

The flash forwards. A very welcome reprieve from the A storyline this week! Mia taking the lead back in the lair, and being all protective sister over William is A MOOD.

I love seeing her in softer moments like when she was reassuring Connor, or her panic over William. We have seen glimpses of this before last season and it reminds us that she does have a big squishy heart inside like her papa, along with the empathy of her Mama Smoak, as well as being the kickass team leader/warrior/vigilante.

William continues to be his witty, adorable, hacktastic self and he has my whole heart!! 💗💗💗

Connor and JJs relationship is adorable. Connor has so much John Diggle in him, I just cannot 😍😍 And we saw the mask slip a little on JJ, and heard about the little hero boy that he used to be, but appears to have well and truly left behind 😩 I can’t wait to see future Dig because this good/evil brother thing is just going to remind him of him and Andy and he’s going to blame himself and it’s going to be fantastic!! I hope we get to see that!!

What else…ooh THAT ENDING!!! From that awesome shot of Lyla's Amanda Waller shoes to finding out that she is already working with The Monitor 😱😱😱 This ending was gooood. Do I think that Lyla is really evil? NOPE. Do I hope that this will lead to a beautiful Dyla confrontation? HELL YES!!! But as Mia said in the flash forwards that Lyla and John were “basically saints”, I hope that that implies that she (1) isn't evil and (2) doesn't die...yay!!

The bad 😡

Black Siren😒😒😒 My brief love affair with BS has officially ended haha! I really wanted to continue liking her after there was no Felicity for her to bounce off, but NOPE. Instead they’ve had her revert back to every other incarnation of LL, whereby she just blames Oliver for everything that goes wrong for her (and let’s not even get started on that terrible fake crying). Blaming Oliver when he literally had no clue what he was doing on that Earth, and it would undoubtedly have happened anyway (The Monitor confirmed this later). Oh and he just saved your ungrateful arse, when you could have stopped to help (and would have definitely died), but you just hopped straight on through the portal instead so shut the fuck up and sit down!! RAAHHH!! Ok, I know that she was just processing her grief etc etc etc, but ugh!! And then she comes back and takes all the glory for saving Tatsu when she should have been there repaying Oliver and Dig and helping them out in the first place, without even a hint of an apology?! **SHAKES ANGRY FIST**

The Monitor manipulating Oliver by telling him he was responsible for the loss of Earth 2. This was later revealed to not be the case, him stating that it was a necessary sacrifice. So what was the point in this? To keep him in line? To ready Oliver somehow, as he alluded to with Lyla at the end? Ugh. The Monitor sucks balls.

The plot…what even happened? Some Dr bloke was needed by The Monitor for Unknown Reasons (I feel like we’ll be getting a lot of this, I only hope that most of it is accounted for later). He didn’t appear to be interested in the new Alpha-Omega virus, leaving that plot point seemingly shoehorned in because ode to S3 🙄🙄 Oliver stopped the virus getting out and rescued the Dr, but didn’t want to hand him over right away (but Lyla did anyway), so he decides to go to Nanda Parbat next week for answers. The end.

The Meh 😕

Meh sums up this episode for me really. This is how I thought I'd be feeling about S8, but last week showed that they could still make it good, so why aren't they?!😭😭 I really want to be enjoying this last run!

Action, action, action! 🙄🙄 A fight sequence-heavy episode was never going to be a favourite, it’s just not what I watch for, so that’s not a bad thing; lots of people are here for all the fighting, so this is for them! The fight scenes were actually shot well, and didn’t have any of the awkward camera-moves-past-each-character-one-by-one-and-hopes-no-one-misses-their-marks-or-gets-caught-standing-still moments that we often see **cough** last weeks episode **cough** 😂

Lyla. Don’t hate me. I love Lyla! But until that (awesome) ending, her presence was wasted by being BS’s cheerer-upper, when she could have been with the A team haha! I did like her little “hi honey” moment with Dig though 😍😍 I’m hoping they use Lyla more as the season progresses up to the crossover, especially given that ending!

Source: feilcityqueen

China White. Although it was good that they kept her a secret, and were able to use an already-established baddie for the episode, she just fell a bit flat for me, much like other times in later years that they brought her back.

Of course the episode wasn’t 100% terrible, there were some beautiful little character moments for Oliver and the flash forward crew, but for me, a few heartfelt moments does not a great episode make. It felt like they got Tatsu to come back for an episode and thought ok, how do we build an episode around that. It didn't drive the story forward, it didn't particularly offer any character development (all of BS's fake crying notwithstanding), it was meh. There are so very few episodes of this show left, ever, and I feel like each one they should just be squeezing out all of the excellent Arrow juice and making them count, and this just didn’t feel like that for me, sadly. But onwards and upwards!! Next week has potential!!

Next week

Speedy and Nanda Parbat!! And if we don’t get a 3x20 sexytimes call-back then quite frankly what is the point hahaha!!

Thank you to the wonderful gifmakers, who always capture the best moments so beautifully 😍😍😍 (Uncredited gifs are mine)

[sockablock]

oh my god i love your dnd characters so much! i wanna hear more about them if you don't mind!

!! awww that’s so sweet of you and absoLUTELY I’d never turn down a chance to gush! 

Dharka is a forest gnome who’d been separated from her family at a veryyoung age. Luckily, she was found by a mama bear, taken in and raised alongside her cubs. After she grew up, and they parted ways, she roamed the woods for a good chunk of her life until one day getting her leg caught in a bear trap. She was saved by a friendly halfling lumberjack named Elin nursed back to health, and eventually the two of them became friends and fell in love. They spent 100 wonderful years together, until Elin passed away from old age and Dharka was left on her own. With a mid-life crisis setting in and nothing better to do anymore, she set off into the world to explore and see what all the fuss was about…

Koval is a farming kid who was raised by his paternal grandparents. When he was about 16, he realized that he could (accidentally) do magic, and–urged by his grandparents who were convinced he was a chosen one, and who believed his mother must have been some kind of spirit–ventured out into the world to discover who he was. He spent most of the story going around telling people he was “half-human,” and only by the end of it all did he finally run into his mom, a very human bard who just liked country accents

Delwyn is a tiefling fighter born to dwarf parents because, really, why not? She’s pretty short, clocking in at 4′5″, but built like a brick shithouse. She had a thing for the cleric of the party (a very quiet lady aasimar), and liked to go around challenging people to drinking contests. At story’s end, she settled down with the aasimar to start a blacksmithing business together and, eventually, to get happily married.

Rilla is a water genasi druid who grew up in the swamps south of most civilization. Her father is human, and her mother was a water spirit who’d disappeared soon after Rilla was born. Rilla was mostly raised by her father, and her adventure kicked off when he fell ill. She set out, to either a) find a cure, or b) find her mom so they could meet one last time. At some point along the way, she ended up in the big city with her ragtag party and, horrified that there were lizards being raced at the local casino, convinced everyone to stage an elaborate heist (and they also snagged some gold along the way ¯\_(ツ)_/¯)

Kathy Jenkins is a bard I made for a Space-themed oneshot for the sole purpose of telling my friends I love them through the most annoying motivational quotes i could find

[a-traveling-book-dragon]

Tagging Game!

Thanks @a-studying-cactus for tagging me! Love ya💕

NICKNAMES: Mo, MoMo, MoMoJoJo, Muffinhead, The Silent Assassin, Mo’ Money, Mo’ Makin’ Her Mama Cry... I’ve had a lot of nicknames... most people just call me Mo

STARSIGN: Taurus the Bull (which makes me an earth bender)

HEIGHT: 5’3” last I checked but maybe I had a growth spurt since then? Unlikely, but possible.

LAST MOVIE: I watch a lot more TV shows than movies, but I think the last movie I watched was “The 100-foot Journey” it’s a food movie. Really slow, but I enjoyed it.

FAVORITE MUSICIAN: There’s too many to choose! But I’ve been listening to a lot of Landon Pigg’s music lately and I still haven’t found one that I don’t like.

SONG STUCK IN MY HEAD: Movie by Kate Davis. I had a really good conversation with my ex a couple days ago and it’s really made me realize how much I miss him and how much we can never actually work as a couple. It’s a hard combination to feel so acutely and that song just really hits home right now.

OTHER BLOGS: well, I had a completely other account Moose-hexed-the-tardis that was 100% reblogs. It was a weird amalgamation of all the things I liked wether because they were pretty or because they made me laugh. And then I wanted to start an original content book blog so I started a side blog. But side blogs are pretty limited so I started this whole other account and haven’t touched the other but it does still exist...

DO I GET ASKS: I’ve gotten one or two and I’m always happy to see them! But I haven’t gotten many. Mine is but a humble blog that has become more of an online journal than a book blog, I use messages a fair amount like almost as much as I use my texting app for my online friends.

BLOGS FOLLOWING: 151

WEARING: Light jeans, gladiator sandals (cuz the sun is finally coming back!), a navy/gold/white patterned tank top, and a light rosey-pink jacket.

DREAM JOB: I have several plans right now I just have to pick two. I’m thinking about going to massage therapy school in the fall. I could use that to go on and fund a PT/OT degree. Or I could become a barista and work towards owning my own coffee shop. Or I could become a certified ASL interpreter. Or I could continue doing the kind of work I’ve been doing with disable children but in the school district as a paraprofessional instead of in their own homes. I could feasibly do two of those things but not all of them.

DREAM TRIP: I want to take a full year and just go over seas and not have to worry about time or money and just chuck the guide books out the window and just go travel the world and get lost and have all the stories to tell:)

INSTRUMENT: I took violin lessons for six years. I was in two orchestras. But I haven’t played since I moved out of my parent’s house four years ago. I was too busy with school and I couldn’t find a teacher out here and then I just left it. I’ve messed around some but I’ve not seriously played since I moved. Sometimes I miss it so much my fingers start to ache and I can’t make them sit still.

LANGUAGES: English, working on American Sign Language and occasionally French

FAVORITE FOOD: lasagna or curry

FAVORITE SONG: I Can’t Make You Love Me performed by the Scary Pockets ft. Rett Madison. Challengers by The New Pornographers. Waking Up Slow by Gabrielle Aplin. The entire soundtrack from Rent. Shall I go on?!

RANDOM FACT: I learned Braille two years ago and it really irks me that I have only found one sign that was 100% correctly transcribed since then. Not even the floor numbers on elevators have been perfect. I’ve ranted so many times to my sister about accessibility maybe one of these days I’ll actually finish getting certified as a Braille transcriber so I can go around and fix all of the signs!

I tag:

@frogs-r-friends @booksneedcaffeinetoo @darknessandterrorandkittens @theboookowl @common-nonsense @books-n-quotes @gentlereads @paperbackcastles @words-and-pages @freckledfiction @dreamless-thief @siriusly-bookish @slytherin-bookworm-guy @yourbookland @just-book-talk @sometimesreading @almostreading

[mamaredd123]

A Little Reminder...

Just dropping a reminder for all those who signed up for Mama’s 100 Quotes of Supernatural Challenge. (If you want to sign up, there are still plenty of prompts left... just send me an ask with your choice and get to writing.. :)

Fic’s are due at the end of the this month! If your name is crossed out then that means I have seen it and I have reblogged it. If you have posted your fic and your name is not crossed out, please send me a message, with a link to your fic. I try to keep up but with life’s relentless hurdles, I am forever missing things, daily!! 

@authoressskr  @destiel-addict-forever @myloveforyouxx @capsheadquaters @justanotherdeangirl @percussiongirl2017 @uniquewerewolfsuit  @docharleythegeekqueen @maximumkillshot @skyedoes-things @samwinjarpad @beccafgs @wayward-mirage @deanandsamsbitch @sea040561 @roxy-davenport  @queencflair @impalaimagining @wi-deangirl77 @atc74  @captainemwinchester @hannahindie  @4401lnc @goofynerd-67babylove @lucilepiewhiskey @goldenolaf25 @mrsbatesmotel53 @deanwinchester-smut @thecuriouscrusader @melbelle45 @chaos-and-the-calm67 @wideawakeandwriting

[jayankles]

The Mighty T-rex

Pairing: Dean x Short!Reader

Word Count: 1294

Summary: Dean teases the Reader due to her height, but her height has its advantages when she decides to use them.

A/N – This is my submission for @sea040561 / @my-favourite-fiction67 100 Followers Supernatural Writing Challenge with the prompt: ‘All the dinosaurs feared the mighty T-rex.’ from Deadpool and also for @winchesterprincessbride Princessbridechallenge with the quote, ‘He’s only mostly dead.’ Both will be highlighted and italicalised.

‘Whatcha doing up there, T-rex?’ Dean chuckled as he came into the kitchen.

You huffed, grabbing the cereal then putting a hand on your hip and spinning around on the countertop. ‘Someone put my fruit loops on the top shelf. Oh you think this is funny? Because it’s not.’ Your arms dropped from your hips and scowled at the older Winchester.

Dean’s snickers immediately halted, you weren’t one to mess with, especially if you were teased for your height when you were growing up.

‘You’re right, I shouldn’t laugh at your short limbs. Not at all.’

‘Screw you, Winchester!’ Dean had turned to leave but you reluctantly stopped him.

‘What happened to ‘screw you?’ I thought you wanted me to leave.’

You mumbled incoherently, looking down and pouting as you did.

‘I’m sorry, what?’

Rolling your eyes, you replied, ‘I can’t get down, okay! Help me. Please?’ You stomped on the countertop and it clanged below you.

‘Alright, alright! Don’t get your panties in a twist, T-rex. I’ll get you down...’

You sensed that there was more to that sentence and that he would make you do something. He opened his mouth again, here we go, you thought.

‘I’ll get you down, if you kiss me and make me breakfast.’ Dean had argued, taking the cereal box from your grasp and placing it on the table behind him.

You pouted again, your hands reaching out to wrap around his neck but he stopped you with his hands clasped around yours.

‘You gotta promise me, T-rex.’ Dean raised an eyebrow at you, awaiting your promise that you could make your super fluffy waffles. He loved those; he thought they were better than the ones sold at any diner. You could thank your ma for her secret recipe later.

‘I promise, that if you get me down, I will kiss you – god this is stupid – and I will make you breakfast, whatever you want.’

As soon as the last words left your lips, you squealed as Dean scooped you into his arms, your ass settling on the countertop in a flash.

‘Dean,’ you groaned grumpily, it was too early in the morning for this shit. ‘I’m not on the floor so you can’t kiss me. That is not part of the rules, I didn’t promise this. I specifically said-’

Dean had rolled his eyes before he got tired of hearing your grouchy comments, his arm wrapping around your waist pulling you closer then he harshly pressed his lips to yours, effectively cutting your rant short.

He felt your stiff body slowly become lax as your resolve melted against him. You locked your arms around Dean’s shoulders as you began to relax. ‘What do you want me to make you?’ You huffed, tracing your fingers over his back.

‘Your mama’s waffles? Pretty please?’ Dean licked his lips as he thought about the waffley goodness. ‘Mmm and some bacon slices with maple syrup and throw some berries on there if you want.’

‘I wasn’t going to, that’s just extra work for me that I don’t wanna do.’

‘I’m sorry to burst that I don’t do extra work bubble but we got a case. Sam is already on it, told him we would wake up properly, have some breakfast and head over there.’ Dean arms tightened around you, anticipating some sort of wrath from you that you had to hunt and do your job.

Groaning, you buried yourself deeper into Dean’s neck, winding your legs around his waist, drawing him closer. ‘Just eat slow, I wanna prolong this shit.’

‘Or… just a thought, you could make me tons of food and I could kiss the chef in between each waffle you make, huh?’He waggled his eyebrows at you as he pulled away.

As promised, you made Dean the waffles and managed to slip in the secret ingredient without him knowing what it was. He ate slowly, savouring the taste of the fluffy baked concoction, stealing as many kisses as he could as you walked back and forth between the waffle maker and the table Dean was sitting at. He took his time and then you both shared a shower before getting dressed and getting in the impala for a five and a half hour drive to the crime scene where the vampires were sucking their victims blood.

‘T-rex! Behind you!’ Dean had shouted from across the room, dealing with two vamps on his own. You decapitate the female vampire with her fangs out. Her head falls with a dull thud on the hardwood floor. The machete is now coated with her blood but you make no effort to care as the rest of the nest surrounded you and the Winchesters.

Sam had three vamps on him, swinging throough each and every one of them with a little difficulty, acquiring a few scrapes and bruises as they fought against each other. He was tall and strong, he had an advantage over them, also his speed made his fight quick and easy so he could move onto the next target, whch seemed to be on his brothers back as Dean was swarmed with at least another three vamps.

The vampire that Dean warned you about is drawing near, your ears pick up the sounds of footsteps of the creaky floorboards. Flipping the machete, you readied your stance, preparing to take down the taller vamp – of course, they were all taller than you.

You timed your movements with precision, using your height to your advantage and sliding under his legs. The sounds of grunts and moans of struggle from the others died out in the background, only the vampire in front of you and your sounds fell upon your ears.

After a full blown fight between you and the vamp, you were losing your strength, you had become tired and weak.

Or that was what the vampire thought.

As he was about to sink his fangs into you, you smirk and stabbed him in the stomach. You knew it would do nothing to kill him but it could make him stumble away from you. When he careened over his feet, you sheathed your machete once more, the blood of the other vampire dripping onto the floor, where a crimson puddle lies.

Spining the large blade again, you chop the head off of the final vamp that had its eyes on you, its blood splattering over your face.

When it’s body still wriggles and writhes, you swing again it whines before its head is fully off but you do not care for its cries of pain any longer, you only care that it is dead.

‘What are you doing, Y/N?’ Sam asks as he kills another creature.

‘He’s only mostly dead, so bye bye vamp.’

You move onto the vamp that is on top of Dean, clawing its way to his face but you are quicker because before the vampire does anything else, your machete is raised and slicing through the air and its neck.

‘And all the dinosaurs feared the mighty T-rex.’ You stated, bowing to Dean at your honourary nickname that he had given to you.

Dean mouth had flown open, your words spoken to no one in particular, an imitation of the quote Dean had learned from the movie Deadpool. ‘I don’t know whether to be scared or turned on, T-rex.’

‘Why not be both?’ You winked as you hiked the bloodied machete over your shoulder, your other arm winding around Dean’s waist as the three of you exited the basement of the building.

You and the boys are alive. A few scrapes and an almost broken arm, here and there but alive nonetheless. Another day done and dusted. It’s now time to relax before the next case arises.

Lemme know what you think...

@thorne93 @becaamm @jotink78 @love-kittykat21 @jensen-jarpad @hymnofthevalkyrie @capsheadquaters @kurosaki224-new-blog @supernatural-jackles @cyrilconnelly @thing-you-do-with-that-thing @iwantthedean @goody2shoessmut @ruprecht0420 @mrswhozeewhatsis @feelmyroarrrr @redlipstickandplaid @mogaruke @pureawesomeness001 @mizzezm @jpadjackles @jesspfly @urpeachess @skybinx-blog @aubzylynn  @deansbaekaz2y5 @plaidstiel-wormstache @lilasiannerd @valerieshubin @be-amaziing @akshi8278 @purplediamon @graceforme86 @its-my-perky-nipples  @dalikah3 @nervousmemzie @mrsbatesmotel53 @lavieenlex @percussiongirl2017 @oneshoeshort @whit85-blog @muliermalefici @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester @moonlover19 @emoryhemsworth @reallyverynodansi @milo-winchester-4ever @captainradicalpassion @captainemwinchester @ilsawasanacrobat @alicat-life @cojootromuelle @essie1876 @dancingalone21 @dslocum89 @misticty @atc74 @superwhomerlockinuum @spnbaby-67 @anitalasirenita @queencflair @weasleywinchester @ria132love @spn-fan-girl-173 @nightlyinsomnious

[magicalthoughtsendinterriblefics]

Supernatural Masterlist

**Unless it’s specified, these are all Character x fem!reader. **This will be in constant update. **If it doesn’t specify fluff, angst, smut, etc. consider it as a not-definable drabble.

Last Updated: 07.10.19

SUPERNATURAL

Miscellaneous: Soap - #3 from 200FC (Friend!reader) (Sam & Dean) (Drabble)

Birthday - #21 from 200FC (team free will) (Fluff)

Astral Mess - 8 from 200FC (friend!reader) (Drabble)

Ghost Whisperer - Request (Dean x reader x Sam) (Angst)

Another love - Request (Dean x reader) (Castiel x reader) (Funny)

Perfect, Taken Woman - Request (dean x reader) (sam x reader!feels) (angsty)

Brother in Sin - Request (Dean x reader) (Soulles!Sam x reader) (Trigger warning: Cheating) (ANGST)

Dean Winchester Demon love (angst & fluff)

Mind reader (fluff & implied smut)

Jealous - Imagine request (Dean x reader x Sam) (smut, angst & fluff)

Old man - Imagine request - #13 from 31DOH (fluff)

Love/Hate - Imagine request - #60 from 31DOH (fluff)

Prank Wars - Imagine request - #66 from 31DOH (fluff & implied smut)

Blame it on the alcohol - Imagine request - #10 #24 #25 from 31DOH (fluff & implied smut)

Teasing - Imagine request - #29 #39 from 31DOH (fluff & implied smut)

Defending your life - Imagine request (angst)

Halloween Fun - Imagine request - #1 #39 #61 from 31DOH (smut & fluff)

Kids - Imagine request - #40 #59 from 31DOH (angst & fluff)

Officer Sexy - #8 #15 #27 from 31DOH (smut)

Baby Fever - Imagine request (fluff)

Oktober Fest Mess - Imagine Request (angst) / (Alternative ending here!) (fluff)

Don’t Make Me Call Mom - #49 #50 #53 #62 from 31DOH (fluff & smut)

Future Wife - #57 from 31DOH (fluff)

LARPing with Sirens - #14 #18 #30 #32 #37 #48 #52 #64 from 31DOH

Rusty Back to the Future (fluff & ANGST)

Call Me Baby - Human!Baby (Fluff & Angst)

Cruel - Imagine Request (Fluff, angst & implied smut)

Babysitters - Imagine request (Destiel) (Fluff)

Hair - Imagine Request (Fluff & implied smut) (Drabble)

Nephilim

Meeting the Ghostfacers

Love spell - Song-based request (fluff)

You give love a bad name - song-based request (angst)

Wrinkles - Imagine request (Fluff)

Black Eyes - Imagine request (Angst & Fluff)

Feelings - song-based request (smut)

Possessed - Imagine request (Angst & fluff)

Pillowtalk - Song-based imagine request (fluff & angst)

Guilty pleasure - #11 from 200FC (drabble)

Where is my mind? - Imagine request (Angst)

Enochian - #2 from 200FC (Fluff) (Drabble)

Cheater - One-shot request (Angst)

Spotless - Request (Angst, fluff)

Fear - #24 from 200FC - Request (Drabble)

Old and young - Request (Fluff & a bit angsty)

Shuffle - #6 from 200FC (Friend!reader) (Drabble)

The heart wants what it wants - Mama’s first 100 Challenge (Major angst, smut) (Warning)

Cowabunga - #7 from 200FC (Drabble)

Life motto - #9 from 200FC (Fluff)

Magic water - #19 from 200FC - Request (fluff)

Deanpunzel - Request (Fluff)

‘Till the end - #15 from 200FC - Request (ANGST)

Break my heart - #18 from 200FC - Request (ANGST)

If only… - Request - #13 & #16 from 200FC (ANGST)

Winter morning - #20 #22 #23 & #26 from 200FC (FLUFF)

Let Me Go - #10 #17 #25 & #28 from 200FC (Angsty Fluff)

☆ Black - #27 #29 & #30 from 200FC - Request ☆ (Angst & Fluff)

Age gap - Request (Fluff)

Jealous Much - Request (Drabble, fluff)

Slow Ride - Mechanic AU - Request (Fluff, smut)

Hold Me - Request (Fluff, Angsty Dean)

Cold - Request (Fluff)

Wild One - request (fluff?)

Shameless - Request (fluff)

Dress up - Request (Daughter!reader) (No incest) (Fluff)

Singer - Request (Fluff)

Talk Me To Sleep - Request (Fluff)

Good Girl - Request (Implied smut) (Funny)

Carry On - Mama and Angelina’s Fabulous 300 Challenge (ANGST)

Sober - Song-based Request (Artsy angst & implied smut)

Secrets - Request (fluff)

Picture Perfect - Request (Fluff)

Forced - Request (Fluff-ish) (Trigger warning: Rape)

Breaking Glass: A Once Upon a Time/Supernatural Crossover - Mama’s 1K/Birthday Celebration (Fluff & Angst)

Look At Me - Request (smut)

Child's play - Request (Fluff)

Series Not a French Mistake After All: (ANGST & fluff) (COMPLETED) pt. 1 pt. 2 pt. 3 pt. 4 pt. 5 pt. 6 pt. 7 pt. 8

Seven Days of Holidays: (Fluff) Day 1 - Christmas Day 2 - The Day after Christmas Day 3 - Three Mothers and One Father Day 4 - The Fourth be With You Day 5 - Plead the Fifth Day 6 - One Day More Day 7 - New Year

Dean Spam (Drabbles) #1 - Thumb Sucking (fluff) #2 - The medicine (fluff) #3 - Needy Dean (fluff)

Double Trouble: A Series of Winchester Twins. (Fluff) Double trouble - Request Double trouble: The Precuel - Request

Mising Series (Angst) (Fluff) Miss Everything - Request Miss Nothing - Request Miss Something - Request

Sam Winchester

Cravings - Imagine Request - #46 from 31DOH (angst)

Angelic mess - Imagine request - #4 #12 #17 from 31DOH (Sam x Gabriel) (Angst, smut, fluff)

Winter Wonderland - Imagine request (angst & fluff)

Cold - Sam version - Request (Fluff)

Secrets - Request (Fluff)

Clingy - Request (fluff)

Regarding (Y/N) - Request (Angst, fluff-ish)

Estranged - Request (Angst) (Fluffy)

Series Sam Spam #1 - College AU (fluff) #2 - Hunter!Reader AU (implied smut) #3 - Asylum nurse AU (angst) #4 - Car crash (angst) #5 - Truth or dare (fluff) #6 - Meeting your parents (angst) #7 - Leaving him (angst) #8 - Clumsy (fluff) #9 - Meeting your parents - pt. 2 (angst)

The Mark - Part 1 - Request The Mark - Part 2 - Request

Crowley King of Hell - Imagine Request - #1 #8 #9 from 31DOH (fluff)

Castiel Drunken Feathers - Imagine request - #11 from 31DOH (FLUFF)

Brown eyes - Imagine Request (Fluff)

Eyebrows (Fluff)

Cuddle angel - #1 from 200FC (Fluff) (Drabble)

Secrets - Request (Fluff)

Ice, Ice, Baby - Request (Fluff)

Learned it from the Pizza Man - Request (Smut) (Mama’s 100 Quotes Challenge)

Michael Fallen archangel - Imagine request (Fluff)

Gabriel Anything - Request (Flangst)

BACK TO MASTERLIST.

[vsuvo768523]

Work As A Freelance Writer Or Virtual Assistant

Hello! I have an extremely informative interview to share with you today that will show you how to make money online as a freelance writer or virtual assistant. My last side hustle interview with Caitlin on how to become a freelance proofreader was quite Work As A Freelance Writer popular. Due to this, I knew I had to interview another successful friend of mine about a different type of online business that many of you have expressed interest in as well. Today, I want to introduce you to my friend Gina. She is a professional writer and virtual assistant. In just six months, Gina was able to earn over $4,000 per month as a writer. Work As A Freelance Writer In our interview, she shows how this can be a possible career or side hustle choice for you as well. If you are looking for a new job or even just a side hustle, this may be something for you to try. Check out the interview below for more information on how to become a freelance writer or virtual assistant. P.S. She also has a great free writing course as well as a free virtual assistant course if you want to try them out for free. Related articles: 75+ Ways To Make Extra Money 10 Ways To Make Money Online From The Comfort of Your Home My Online Business Income Reports Please give us a little background on yourself and how you became a freelance writer and virtual assistant. Hi, my name is Gina Horkey and I’m a married, millennial mama to two toddlers, currently ages two and four. My lovely husband has the patience of a saint and stays at home with them on the daily.Work As A Freelance Writer He quit his job going on three years ago after we priced out daycare for two kids under two (it’s crazy expensive!). Since he’d always wanted to become a SAHD, we made a bunch of budget cuts and made it happen! My former career was as a financial advisor and support person to a large financial planning practice. I liked my clients, co-workers and some of my work, but it wasn’t “what I wanted to be when I grew up.” Since I was only 30 (yet had already been working in the biz since age 21), I couldn’t imagine another 30 years doing something that I wasn’t really passionate about. So I started a freelance writing side hustle while working full-time and raising two toddlers (one who was actually under one at the time). Writing, and learning more about online business in general, led me to approaching my first virtual assistance client and asking him to hire me. The semi-predictable income really appealed to me, especially as I was gearing up to quit my day job and I was the sole breadwinner. With a lot of motivation, dedication and fear busting, I was able to build up my new freelance business enough to put in my notice and go full-time at the end of 2014. I haven’t looked back since! Can you explain what exactly a freelance writer is, who they write for, etc.? A freelance writer is just a self-employed writer who markets his or her services to individuals, businesses or both. Freelancing means that instead of having an employer, you have many clients that you work with at any given time. No one is feeding you work, so it’s your responsibility to put yourself out there and source writing gigs. I started out primarily writing for online publications – like blog posts, case studies, and website copy (and this is still primarily the case). One could also write for print publications, textbooks, etc.Work As A Freelance Writer Side note: Gina has a great freelance writing course I recommend you take. You can find that here. Her courses are extremely affordable and I've heard great things about them. What exactly does a virtual assistant do? Who are their clients? As a virtual assistant, I like to market myself as the frontline of a webpreneur’s (online business owner) business. VA tasks can vary greatly, but a lot of the time it breaks down to doing tasks that the entrepreneur or small business owner doesn’t like or doesn’t have time to do. Email management is a big one for both of my clients – they just don’t have the time or desire to keep up with all of the inquiries or client requests. Other VAs may focus on social media management, formatting, and editing blog posts, scheduling appointments or travel. Basically, you can get paid to do any task that needs to be done in someone’s business, but doesn’t need to be done by them. I’ve found online business owners (webpreneurs) to be a great niche, as they “get” working virtually. But there’s nothing to say you couldn’t contract with a local brick and mortar and work out of your home, instead of in their office. The big benefit for the client is that you’re not an employee. They don’t have to provide you with benefits, vacation or sick time or pay employment taxes. All of that is your responsibility. Side note: Gina has a great virtual assisting course I recommend you take. You can find that here. How much can a beginner freelance writer or virtual assistant expect to make? How much can a person expect to make around one year after they start? Oooh, rate questions are always so interesting. I’m going to start with the “it depends” answer and then share some of my experience. It does depend on your experience and qualifications. I had a lot of experience in the financial services industry, which as a writer is a lucrative field. This helped me to charge higher rates (think $.30/word) – the challenge is finding clients willing to pay those rates. From what I’ve seen, most writers start out making under $.10/word or less than $50 per post. But as their experience and marketing prowess grows, they find themselves charging hundreds of dollars per article. As a VA, many start out hourly. I quoted my first VA client $34/hr and he didn’t blink. I now charge either a weekly or monthly retainer, but don’t track or turn in hours. According to the research that exists, the average rate for a North American VA is $35-50/hr. Again, from what I’ve seen, it’s probably more like $15-50/hr. It’s all about knowing your strengths though and how you can put them into practice in someone else’s business to help them grow and earn a positive ROI (return on investment). Here’s a great example of ROI and how to position yourself as an investment, rather than an expense: Let's say an entrepreneur can bill out their time at $100/hr and they pay a VA $25/hr to take some tasks off their plate. If the VA saves the business owner 10 hours per week that they can then, in turn, bill out at the higher rate, that's $3,000 per month more in their pocket (or time back with their family). What do you like about freelance writing and virtual assisting? I like freelancing, in general, because I have control over my schedule, my time and get to choose who I work with. I’ve never met so many cool people, as I have since becoming a webpreneur myself.

Writing is a great medium for me to express myself. It’s almost like a word puzzle, where I have to figure out an enticing introduction, an informative and actionable body and a sharp conclusion that brings it all together. VA work is great because I don’t have to write all of the time – I don’t think I’d be happy writing for 40 hours every week. Talk about burnout or writer’s block! Instead, I can do a certain set of tasks not associated with my business and not have to be creative for a bit. I also really like the predictability in salary, which doesn’t come with the writing side as much. Lastly, VA work rocks because I’ve learned SO MUCH from the entrepreneurs I work with. I’ve learned a lot about sales funnels, writing stronger copy and using new tools too. It’s getting paid to learn, which is the very best way there is! What if you’re not sure if either are a good fit? I say try it anyway. If you don’t try, you won’t know. And if you’re scared, that’s a double reason to get started and figure out if it’s for you or not. I’ve always subscribed to the thought that if I was going to try something new, I’m either going to succeed or fail hard. There’s no in between. How much does it cost to start these side hustles and how much on a monthly basis to maintain it?Work As A Freelance Writer You could get started literally for free. I spent ~$200 to launch my business and then didn’t spend any more until I was making money (which I was able to do the very next month). I spent that money on my URL and hosting, a job board membership and a Yahoo! Style Guide. As my business has grown and changed, I’ve seen my expenses do the same. But I’ve always used the profits from my business to reinvest in it. As long as you have a computer and access to a strong internet connection, you’re pretty well set. That’s part of the beauty of online work. Make Money Online As A Freelance Writer Or Virtual AssistantWhat do you love about being able to make money freelance writing and virtual assisting? Again, it just comes down to the freedom of choice. After getting a taste of it, I’ve found that I’m also really passionate about online business. I’ve been able to build my own business and make my own decisions. I.e. If I’m interested in launching a paid Mastermind for Mamapreneurs, I can. I don’t have to get anyone’s permission. Best of all, though, we’re finally cashing in on this flexible schedule thing and heading from Minnesota to southern Texas for a month this winter. I would have never been able to do that if I was employed!Work As A Freelance Writer It won’t be a month-long vacation per say, but I can take my work with me and get a tan at the same time (hopefully!). Our two toddlers won’t be cooped up in the house (it’s 0 degrees out as I’m writing this) and we can enjoy being together and see new places. Lastly, are there any other tips that you have for someone who wants to try either of these side hustles? I’m kind of a broken record with this one, but JUST. GET. STARTED! Don’t wait until you’re ready (you’ll never be!). Don’t read everything on the internet to learn as much as you can before putting yourself out there and trying to find work. As Nike likes to say, “Just Do It!” Figure it out on the fly and learn from doing – trust me, it’s been the best education ever!Work As A Freelance Writer Read the full article

[hannahindie]

In the End

Characters: Dean x Reader, Sam, Chuck (narrator) Word Count: 4,111 (My hands slipped...whoops) Warnings: Blood, description of injury, being trapped, foul language A/N: I wrote this for @mamaredd123‘s 100 quotes challenge! I had a lot of fun writing Chuck, and his quote is in bold within the fic. Congratulations, mama!

Beta’d by my lovely @pinknerdpanda! “ I'm shook. SHOOK i tell ya! Love this part.”

As usual, tags are at the bottom! If you would like to be tagged, please let me know.

Overview: Chuck decides to tell the story of the reader and how important she is to Dean. Meanwhile, the reader takes off on her own without telling Dean where she was going and bites off more than she can chew.

Endings are hard…but you know, I’m getting ahead of myself. I should really start at the beginning. Not the beginning beginning...that would take far too long, and honestly it has nothing to do with now. What we’re talking about is the beginning of Y/N and the Winchesters. Out of all the relationships they have developed over the years, the one they had with her was one of the most important. They had gone through a lot together; they had lost so much, and almost lost each other, but they always, always prevailed. Of course, being God I’ve had a front row seat to most of it but today...today I’m going to stick with Y/N. It’s important to stick around for the beginning and the ending to a story.

Dust. The smell of rotten wood. Damp earth. Y/N couldn’t remember where she was, the last fuzzy memory she had was of being somewhere well lit, wind blowing through open windows and smooth leather under her fingertips.

The Impala. The last place she remembered was being in the backseat of the Impala on her way...to...somewhere. That memory seemed far away though, and didn't explain why she was where she was now.

The next thing she noticed was pain; blinding, fiery pain that swept through her torso and into what felt like every bone in her right side. She shifted slightly, biting back a scream as even the smallest movement sent agony coursing through her. She dug her fingers into the cool, soft dirt she was laying on as she attempted to calm herself down enough to inventory all the injuries she had.

She took a deep breath, her eyes still shut, and slowly moved one hand up and towards the main source of pain. She noticed that everything seemed fine as she ran her hand from her upper thigh to her hip, but as she traveled towards her rib cage, her hand brushed against a sharp, splintery shard of wood. As soon as she made contact with it, she screamed. If she thought it hurt before, nothing compared to the white hot agony that streaked through her ribs and into her chest. She took another deep breath and tried to brace herself for what she was about to see.

She lifted her head as much as she could without jostling herself any more than necessary and slowly opened her eyes. A large chunk of wood, about a foot long and four inches wide, had gone through her side and under her ribs.  A quick check told her that it also protruded slightly out of her back, and she groaned as she dropped her head back onto the ground. She'd been in some pretty bad situations, but she was pretty sure this took the cake. She wondered if Sam and Dean even knew where she was. She closed her eyes and tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to come.

How the hell did she even get here?

By all accounts, had Y/N had a normal life growing up, she probably wouldn't have found herself here. Not saying she would have had a white picket fence kind of life, but she probably wouldn't have found herself in a dark cellar, impaled on a piece of wood while running from a vampire.

But she didn't. She grew up traveling the country with her parents, much like the Winchesters, and had been lovingly deposited at both Bobby’s and Pastor Jim’s on various occasions. It was during one of those instances that Y/N met Sam and Dean.

They did not get along.

They would not get along for much of their younger lives; Y/N and Sam were fine but her and Dean...they butted heads constantly. One time they fought so hard, Bobby had to take a water hose to them to make them stop. Later, he'd had to use the hose on them for a completely different reason that I don't want to go into detail about. Let's just say, they started to get along.

The long and short of it was that, no matter how long it had been, when Y/N and Dean saw each other again, they always fell back in step as though no time had passed. Which was why, when her parents died in a car accident (a heck of a way for hunters to go out. Sometimes I like to cut ‘em some slack), Y/N had looked for Dean and Sam, which in turn...brought us here.

Despite the pain in her side and the overwhelming urge to just lay on the cool ground, Y/N forced herself to roll to her uninjured side and onto her hands and knees. Her stomach roiled and threatened to rebel against her as she struggled to keep her balance. Her vision began to fade around the edges and she prayed that she wouldn’t pass out; all she needed was to land on the piece of wood just the wrong way. After a moment, the feeling passed and she chanced a quick glance around the room to see if she could use anything to stand up. There was a thick wooden beam to her left that still seemed fairly stable, so she slowly crawled across the dirt floor, grimacing as small pieces of stone and broken glass dug into her palms and knees.

She took a deep breath, gripped the beam as tightly as she could, and slowly pulled herself up from the ground, biting her lip hard enough to draw blood as she bit back another scream. Once she was standing upright, she leaned against the rough wood, ignoring the splinters dimpling the soft flesh of her cheek, and struggled to catch her breath. Bits and pieces of how she got here were starting to come back to her, and she realized that she’d rather just deal with the task at hand than deal with the idiotic decision that led her here. She dug her hand around in her pocket and pulled out her phone. Though the screen was cracked, everything else seemed to be in working order, so she turned the flashlight on and risked taking another look at her side. From this angle it was hard to see much because her flannel was in the way, but she could still see where the wooden shard came out on both sides. There wasn’t as much blood as she would have thought there’d be, but she knew that the wood was probably keeping most of it in. “I’m not a doctor...but that looks pretty bad, kiddo. Like, ‘You’ve got some internal bleeding that’s going to get exponentially worse when you pull that out’ bad,” she thought to herself.

She flipped the phone back around and checked her signal. Nothing. Not even a single bar that would give her the slightest chance to get in touch with Dean and Sam. She looked around the dark, damp space and located where she had apparently gone wrong. The remains of what used to be a staircase clung precariously just below the door she had ran through, but was too high up for her to easily reach it. She swept her gaze across the small room and noticed a small window about eight feet off the ground. Not too high, but in her current condition, it would take some work to get to.

There was a large desk and a few small crates she could use to get to it, but she realized that none of it would matter if she didn't get the wooden shard out of her side. She wasn't sure what was more dangerous; leaving it there and catching it on something while she was moving stuff around or pulling it out and possibly bleeding out where she stood. It was time to make a decision, and Y/N was pretty sure it would be a lose/lose situation.

When Y/N finally found the Winchesters again, it had been during a time of her life when she’d felt the most alone. Her parents were gone, Bobby was gone, Pastor Jim was gone...but she heard rumors that Sam and Dean were still roaming around, and had decided to follow the whispers. Her boys...she’d been desperate to find them, and the moment she first saw Dean again, her heart had nearly jumped in her throat. He was still her Dean...sunkissed and freckled, his green eyes bright in the afternoon light. But there was something different about him, a hard edge that wasn’t there before; an exhaustion that had been nothing but a mere shadow when they were younger. She had wanted to reach out and smooth the worry lines from his forehead and kiss the crinkles at the corners of his eyes. He was Dean, as handsome as ever and even more of a smart ass, but he also seemed infinitely older. It was as if the weight of the world was literally on his shoulders.

I guess in a way it was. I can't say I was ever gentle with the Winchesters, and it showed. ...I need to make a note to apologize to them for that...anyway, Y/N coming back to them had been the best thing that could have happened to either of them, especially Dean. Why she'd left to start with had become fuzzy for both of them. It didn't really matter anymore, and the important thing was that they were together. The three of them were inseparable yet again, and Y/N had come to realize just how much she loved and needed Dean.

Dean had taken more convincing. Don't misunderstand, it wasn't that Dean didn't love Y/N. No, no, it wasn't that at all. It was that Dean didn't think he deserved her, which is truly a classic Winchester trait.

And before you say anything, I know...I'm God, I made them that way, it's my fault. Well, until you yourself are a god, maybe keep your comments to yourself, peanut gallery.

Anyway, it took some convincing, but Y/N managed to convince Dean that he was good enough. And the rest, up until this point, was history.

As per usual, though, emotions had run wild. I don't want to jump ahead...maybe I should let Y/N explain it herself, I wasn't really paying attention to most of it.

What? Don't look at me like that, even if I can see and hear everything doesn't mean I want to.

Now, back to the story…

Y/N looked down at her side again as she contemplated how she was going to do this now that she'd decided to remove the piece of wood. She was going against her better judgement, but it had become pretty evident that she wasn't going to be able to move around well when she'd tried stepping away from the beam. Just walking was torture, and although removing a giant splinter that may or may not be holding her organs in place may have been a bad idea, if she didn't pull it out she would likely die where she was anyway.

She gently probed the wood, ever so slightly running her fingers down the length to check which way the grain was going. Pulling it out was going to hurt, but if she pulled it from the wrong direction she was going to have a whole new set of problems. The next problem she encountered was that the wood had not only gone through her side, but also her shirt. She carefully slipped both arms out of the flannel, then tore the sleeve off the side opposite the wood. She was going to have to be quick if she was going to even remotely try to staunch the blood flow once she pulled it out. She wrapped both hands around the front end of the splinter, and for a brief moment, Dean’s face flashed in front of her face. “I guess that’s what they mean by your life flashing before your eyes”, she thought to herself, then braced herself and pulled. The sound that left her was inhuman, and for an agonizingly long minute, she thought she was going to pass out. She sucked in air in hitching breaths, unable to control the sobs that were escaping her, and let the now bloody shard of wood roll out of her hands and onto the floor. She hurriedly shoved the torn shirt into the hole now in her side and let loose another almost primal scream.

“It’s okay, it’s okay...it’s out, it’s gone, now I just have to climb out of that window. It’s okay, it’s okay,” she repeated it like a mantra as she tore another strip off of her shirt, folded the large piece into a thick square, then tied it in place with the smaller strip. Her hands were slick with blood and it took her three tries before she was able to get it tight enough to stay. She leaned heavily against the beam and tilted her head back, her eyes shut. She shouldn’t even be here. If she had just let Dean explain himself before getting in a huff and storming off, trying to prove something she didn’t have to prove, she wouldn’t be in a dark basement, bloody and alone. She didn’t even manage to get the vampire she had gone after, and to top it off, she was pretty sure Sam and Dean didn’t know where she went.

She took a deep breath and tried to force the image of Dean out of her mind so she could concentrate on getting out of the basement. She slowly began to make her way to the desk, each step more excruciating than the last. By the time she reached it, sweat was pouring down her face and her vision was beginning to blur. A shiver passed through her as her hand traveled slowly to the soaked through makeshift bandage. With nowhere else to go, the blood had begun to drip down her side, and she grimaced at the warm, sticky tracks it left as it began to soak into the waistband of her jeans. “Dammit…” she whispered into the darkness.

She shuffled around to the far end of the desk. She would need to push it about five feet to the left and then a couple feet back to even remotely have a chance of reaching the window. She braced herself against the worn edge of the desk and pushed as hard as she could. Her still bloody hands slipped but she caught herself and pushed against the desk again. This time, it moved with a groan and she felt like cheering. She pushed again, and the desk shifted another few inches. The room began to spin, and Y/N stopped, her hands flat on the desktop, and tried to collect herself. Sweat rolled into her eye and she swore under her breath as it stung, blurring her vision more than it already was.

“Listen, God, I don't ask for a whole lot. Truthfully, I probably don’t deserve much...I cuss like a sailor, I drink too much, I have had way too many one night stands for it to be healthy, sometimes I sneak cigarettes when Sam and Dean aren’t paying attention, and let’s be real honest...the codependency between me and Dean is as bad if not worse than him and Sam. But I do some good...I help people, and I don’t really expect anything for it. I just...I need outta here, okay? Even if it’s meant for me to die, please don’t let me die alone in this basement. I can’t go out that way, okay? Help a girl out a little, just this once.”

She mustered all the strength she could and shoved one final time. The desk scraped across the floor, gouging tracks along the dirt as it went, before it hit the wall with a resounding thud. Y/N stood and looked at it with wide eyes, unsure how she got it to move that far that quickly, but decided not to question it. A quick glance at the distance between the desk and the window confirmed that it was still a little too high to reach, but she thought that if she used one of the crates, she could probably bust out the window and make it out. She turned to retrieve the crate she had seen earlier and a sharp twinge of pain doubled her over, and a fresh river of blood rushed down her side. Her knees buckled and she hit the floor with a bone rattling thud. For a moment she thought she might stay conscious, but everything began to fade to gray before her eyes rolled back and everything turned black. The last thing she felt was the cold dirt against her cheek as unconsciousness took over.

Okay, so this doesn’t look great for Y/N, and she didn’t really explain what happened with her and Dean. In the end, I guess that part doesn’t matter as much, but it is why she ended up here so….maybe we should recap.

It started with Dean not letting Y/N go with them to what they thought was the vamp nest. She had told him three separate times that he and Sam were going to go the wrong way, but every time Dean had been adamant that they were right, and that she would absolutely not be going with them. As if that hadn’t been bad enough, when they’d come home empty handed and irritable, Dean had insisted they all go to the bar. Sam had told Y/N that they had heard one of the newer vampires hung out at that bar, and they figured they could get some information. It turned out that the vampire that they were looking for was a female, and that instead of just letting Sam handle it, Dean had waltzed over and laid on the Winchester charm.

Y/N had stormed out, and on the way back to the hotel, had had an epiphany. She knew where the nest was. And without giving Sam time to catch up with her, she’d hotwired a car and took off in the direction she believed their nest to be in. She’d been ignoring their calls and text messages the rest of the evening, and Dean had become furious. Sam had insisted they go after her, but in a moment of very un-Dean like behavior, Dean had refused. And Sam, against his better judgement, had stayed back with his brother. But as time passed and minutes turned into hours, Dean’s anger turned into worry.

“Track her phone,” Dean had demanded.

“What?” Sam had looked up from his computer where he was researching locations the vampires could be holed up in confusion.

“Track her damn phone, Sammy.”

So Sam did. And when the coordinates for her location also matched the coordinates that Sam had found for an abandoned house that had been in the center of several murder scenes, Dean’s stomach had dropped. He hadn't listened to her and his mistake had put her in danger.

“I'm sorry, Dean, I don't know how I missed this-”

“It doesn't matter now. Get your ass to the car,” he had grumbled and Sam had scrambled after him.

And this is where Y/N’s fate was in the air. Sam and Dean had broken multiple traffic laws to get to the house. Now it was just a matter of if they had arrived on time.

A groan slipped from Y/N as she began to stir. The sound of footsteps echoing to her left threw her into a panic, but she didn't have the energy to do more than shift slightly away from the sound.

“Y/N! Where are you?” She lifted her head at the sound of Sam’s voice, excitement replacing her anxiety. They'd found her. She tried to answer, but she was so tired. She let her head drop back to the ground and waited for him to get closer. “Y/N! Are you down there-oh shit!” The footsteps stopped abruptly as Sam slid to a halt at the top of the collapsed steps. “Dean, the stairs are gone!”

“Do you see her?” Dean's voice, though further away, resonated in Y/N’s ears. He'd come for her. She made a mental note to thank the man for his perseverance.

“No...but...Jesus, there's a lot of blood down there, Dean.”

Y/N looked up towards the door and saw Sam and Dean standing next to each other in the open doorway.

“That's a big drop, Sam. How are we going to get down there?”

“I don't know. Looks like there might be a window over there. Do you think she's here?”

“I don't know...but if that's her blood, she's in trouble. We've gotta get down there.” Dean leaned out over the broken landing to see if he could make the jump down without hurting himself. The remains of the staircase made it too dangerous for him to try and he cursed under his breath. “We’re going to have go outside and break that window to get in.”

Y/N felt the panic begin to spread through her again at the thought of Dean leaving her, even for a moment. “Dean!” She attempted to shout, but it came out a hoarse croak. “Dean!”

“Dude, did you hear that?” Dean squinted into the darkness.

“No...what?”

“Shhh! Listen…”

“Dean! Sam!” It was quiet, but Dean recognized the voice.

“She's down there! Y/N, we’re coming! We have to go in through the window, okay? I'll be right there, hold on!”

Y/N felt a tear roll down her cheek as Sam and Dean’s footsteps slowly faded as they ran to go around to the basement window. She wasn't sure if it was because she was relieved they were there, because she'd lost sight of Dean, or if it was from the pain that had taken over every other sense. She was so tired.

She rolled her head to the side and saw two large shadows cross in front of it and smiled. Dean had found her. Everything else seemed so silly now.

“Y/N, we’re coming, sweetheart, hang in there! We just have to bust in this window.”

“Okay…” she whispered, and let her eyes slip shut slowly. She heard a dull thud and Dean’s muffled son of a bitch, and couldn't help but chuckle. If she could just hang on a few more minutes, she'd be fine. Dean was going to save her. She heard another thud and looked back up at the window.

“Sam, why is it not breaking?!”

“I don't know! Maybe they used safety glass instead of regular glass.”

“Why the fuck would someone do that in a normal, run of the mill house?”

“I don't freaking know!”

Y/N frowned as the window began to get fuzzy, and she noticed how cold she was. Dean should have been inside by now. Her eyelids slipped shut, and the last thing she heard was the delicate tinkling sound of glass as it shattered, pieces of it raining down on the desk below.

Well, that's it.

That's the end.

What's that?

Oh, you want to know what happened? Now see, I told you when this started that I was sticking with Y/N, and her part of the story is done.

Come on, don't be upset with me. No doubt - endings are hard. But then again… nothing ever really ends, does it?

Listen, the point of this story was not about how it ended, not really. It was more about how life with the Winchesters seemed to welcome this...you could say…”destructive chaos”. Especially when you're an important part of their lives. The more important you are, the closer to the storm…or whatever. But it's not their fault.

Wait, no, don't you go pointing fingers at me. I didn't have a choice. With great power comes great responsibility.

...Is that from Spider-Man? Doesn't really matter since I'm the reason Spider-Man exists anyway, so...there's that.

Anyway...that's it. I guess you'll have to stick around and see if Dean ever decides to tell his side of it.

….You're still here. I don't have anything else. That's it, that's the story. So unless you would like a rousing rendition of Hallelujah, I just learned it on guitar, then there's nothing else. Go. Go on. Go do whatever it is humans do, okay? Just don't murder anyone.

Forever Tags: @trexrambling @pinknerdpanda  @wheresthekillswitch @emilywritesaboutdean @arryn-nyxx @emptywithout @escabell @charliebradbury1104 @jarpadandjensenaremyheroes  @deanssweetheart23  @canadianjelly @super-not-naturall @aubreyreadsstuff @dean-winchesters-baby @melissaj616 @fandomismyspiritanimal @keepcalmandcarryondean @assbutt-still-in-hell @owllover123 @rosie-winchester @amionthetumbler @duubaduu @hiimaprofessionalfangirl @goldenolaf25 @authoressskr @nanie5 @mrssamfuckingwinchester @zincomms @kathaswings @crazynerdandproud @barbedwireandbubblegum @sandlee44 @boxywrites @justanotherdeangirl @smalltowndivaj @captainradicalpassion

Dean Only: @lavieenlex @highonpastries @akshi8278 @valkyrieslament

[globalitportfolio-olivia-blog]

A Piece I Found Challenging

Pop Culture Analysis Paper:

                        You is Kind, You is Smart, You is Important

   The Help (2011), directed by Tate Taylor is set in Mississippi in the 1960s-during the era of the fight for civil rights. This movie shows the struggles black people went through even 100 years after emancipation from slavery. The main theme of this movie is the pro-racism that still existed after slavery in the southern parts of America but it also connects to family and community.

     Rebecca Skeeter, the main protagonist, who was pursuing her dream to be a journalist and writer, was just returning back to old school Mississippi from the big, modern city. Upon her return, her eyes are opened to the problems that have been around her her whole life, without her previously being aware of them. Unhappy with the way life is in her hometown, she begins interviewing “the help” that she’s known her whole life. Her goal in doing this is to get a perspective of what being a maid is like, what she did not expect was to end up writing a book and almost starting a movement with the maids.

     The main theme being portrayed in this movie is racism and the biggest way this is shown is in the depiction of the unfair labor and treatment of the maids and other black people. The black people are living in fear of being unjustly accused or punished by white employers. They were supposed to have equal rights but were often marginalized and sometimes put into danger and they would only have each other and their family. In one of the interviews, Aibileen, the first maid who agreed to talk to Skeeter about her life, opens up about her son being crushed by a tractor at night because he couldn’t be seen. Other than being in danger at all times, the maids are running the white womens’ households and being paid just barely enough to feed their families. One of the many ridiculous things the maids had to do was use an outdoor bathroom because they could have diseases. An interesting concept in this movie is that these white mothers would let the maids take complete care of their young children yet they cannot use the same bathroom. In a quote from Aibileen she says this, “Taking care a white babies, that’s what I do, along with all the cooking and the cleaning. I done raised seventeen kids in my lifetime. I know how to get them babies to sleep, stop crying, and go in the toilet bowl before they mamas even get out a bed in the morning.” Even though they might not admit it, as this is how they’ve lived their whole lives, they’re all racists except Skeeter.  All the babies that the maids look after end up just like their mamas, stingy and rude. This quote also connects with my next theme of community and family as through this movie we see the special relationship between Aibileen and Mae Mobley, the girl Aibileen is looking after.

     Often times the white babies think of the maids as more of a motherly figure than their actual mothers. We see this with Mae Mobley and Skeeter when she was younger. The children are often neglected and disciplined wrongly by their own mothers. In many flashbacks in this movie we see the bond Skeeter had with her maid, Constantine, who gave her confidence and advice at times when her mother could not. The motivation Skeeter had came from the rage she had when she realized that her mother fired Constantine. Later on in the movie we get the full explanation as to why she was fired. One day when Skeeter’s mother was having an important lunch with a social club of sorts Constantine’s daughter arrives at Skeeter’s house. The women were appalled at the freedom Skeeter’s mother gave the maid and her daughter. Due to the embarrassment and pressure the mother felt, she fired Constantine instead of standing up for someone who was like family to her and her family.

     Whenever Mae Mobley is sad Aibileen tells her, “You is smart. You is kind. You is important.” She makes this young girl who is hurt by her mother feel loved and happy. Similar to the relationships between the white girls and their maids, the maids themselves are a kind of family to each other. Their relationship is full of support, laughter, and comfort. They know that they will always have someone to count on if they ever get into trouble. This relationship is seen especially between Aibileen and her best friend Minny, the wonderful cook and sassy maid.

    In this article, (Viola Davis) written in 2018, it talks about how Viola Davis (Aibileen) regrets making The Help. She argues that the voices of the maids were not heard, this shows one of the many racial struggles these maids went through. I find it ironic that a movie meant to show the struggles and silence maids and other black people went through still comes off as a white woman hero movie. Skeeter ended up looking like the hero because the book had to be published under her name, giving no credit to the mainds, that’s just one example of how Skeeter came off as the hero to some people.. Although I understand and partially agree with her statement, I also disagree. I think the voices of the maids were portrayed in this movie very well and there were many scenes such as when Skeeter was listening to them tell their stories. One very important story was told after Skeeter had been trying to ask Aibileen questions about being a maid and Aibileen ended up exclaiming in anger the story of her son’s death.

     This movie is set in a time after slavery and it shows a new perspective of life for black people because although slavery was gone, racism was still very much there. Through racism we see the unfair labor for black people created by the white people, mostly shown through maids and the families they work for. Through family and community relationships are built between the maids and the children they look after, the most important ones being Constantine and Skeeter and Aibileen and Mae Mobley. By these examples we are shown how the Help is a portrayal of the themes of racism, family, and community.

My letter to you:

Dear Dr. Shea,

In order to write this paper, I first started by brainstorming and summarizing what happened in the movie and the themes in it. I then tried to connect it to African themes and organize my thoughts into paragraphs. When I first started I didn’t really know how to form it into essay form so I kept making bullet points. I believe that my introduction and first body paragraph are strong with good arguments and detail, but my second body paragraph and conclusion might need more refining and explanations. This is a very informational yet funny movie and I really enjoy this movie and I used applied all I knew about it to this paper.

Sincerely,

Olivia.

[lzteach]

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GOODREADS BLURB

Comanche Captive

byD. László Conhaim(Goodreads Author)

it was amazing 5.0  · Rating details · 1 Rating  · 0 Reviews

Scott Renald is an Indian agent searching for white captives. Laura Little is a former captive seeking her Comanche-born son. They meet unexpectedly on the high plains. Touched by her story, Renald leads Laura’s search while hostile tribesmen pursue them. Word of their predicament reaches Fort Sill, and agents are dispatched to grab her and recall him. Meanwhile, the army prepares for war with the Comanche. Circumstances propel all into a heart-wrenching and bloody conflict of competing loyalties and surprising discoveries against the scorched backdrop of the Staked Plain.

How does a captive become a willing tribal member? Can rescue and return be a crueler form of abduction? Comanche Captive depicts what happens after the taken has been found—in Laura’s case, forced separation from her child, unwanted psychiatric care, and finally the deadly consequences of her quest for her lost son.

An adventure novel of depth and contemporary resonance, equal parts poignant drama and playful homage, Comanche Captive offers a cast of vivid characters faced with the challenges of a divided and yet increasingly blended world.

(less)

MY REVIEW OF “COMANCHE CAPTIVE” by D. Laszlo Conhaim

“Comanche Captive” by D. Laszlo Conhaim  reminds me of  actually watching a Western movie with a big tub of popcorn, and soda or in my case coffee. The genres of this story are Historical Fiction, Fiction, Adventure with a dash of wit and satire thrown in. To quote the blurb in the book. “Combining historical fiction with western adventure, “COMANCHE CAPTIVE” chronicles the tale of Laura Little, a former captive who endures forced separation from her child, unwanted psychiatric care and finally the deadly consequences of her quest for her lost son”

D. Laszlo Conahim’s descriptions of the western terrain, territories  landscape ,plains,and the Comanche tribe (and others) were extremely vivid and engaging. The author was motivated in writing this story after seeing Randolph Scott 1960 film “Comanche Nation ” and wrote this story with a twist. The timeline of the story is could be anywhere from 1836-1875.

The author describes his characters as complex and complicated and adept to the turbulent times. Scott Renald searches for white captives that have been taken. Laura Little is a former captive of the Comanche, and has been separated from her young son.When Laura is “rescued” she is sent to a facility to acclimate to society again. In those times Laura was considered  a problem, because she wore her hair down, and not up, or wore pants and not a dress.  All Laura wants is her half Comanche son with his beautiful blue eyes. There are some colorful and quirky characters. There is a touch of wit and satire in this story as well.

I absolutely loved Laura Little. In those times, realizing that she was not going to be let out of the mental institution, she hog-tied the doctor, jumped out the window, and rode a horse bare-backed, determined to get back to her son , no matter the cost. She meets Scott Renaldo, and convinces him to help her. The two start out on a perilous adventure that is quite dangerous and deadly. Laura Little may be blond and petit, but she is one “kick ass Mama”.

I appreciate the historical research that went into the story. The author does blend the fiction and history like a marriage. I also appreciate that the attention to many women captives who were held captive and had children with the Comanche. These children were lighter in color, and even had blue eyes. Many of these women had no choice. If they were rescued, they often would wind up in a mental institution.

I would recommend this unusually historical fiction novel  with western adventures for those readers that would enjoy the time period.  I would like to thank Get Red PR, Five Star Publishing for an ARC of this book for my honest review. This book will be released November  15, 2017. Happy Reading!

My Review of “Comanche Captive” by D. Laszlo Conhaim GOODREADS BLURB Comanche Captive byD. László Conhaim(Goodreads Author) it was amazing 5.0  · Rating details…

[mrmichaelchadler]

The Right Side of History: Backstage at the 91st Academy Awards

“This is my sixth glass,” quipped Spike Lee, drink in hand, upon entering the press room of the 91st Academy Awards. “And you know why.” The trailblazing director of such masterworks as “Do the Right Thing” and “When the Levees Broke” had just earned an Oscar for adapting Ron Stallworth’s memoir into the acclaimed Best Picture contender, “BlacKkKlansman,” along with fellow scribes Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz and Kevin Wilmott. What should’ve been a joyous victory became bittersweet at best when Peter Farrelly’s intensely divisive “Green Book” took the night’s top prize, besting a slew of titles that favored diversity and representation over old-fashioned comfort food. Lee’s film is as unsettling and immediate as Farrelly’s is reassuring and eager to please. The focus of “Green Book” is an interracial friendship between an Italian-American bouncer and the African-American pianist he’s been hired to drive on a concert tour across various southern states during the volatile 1960s. 29 years ago, Lee received his first Oscar nomination for “Do the Right Thing” in the screenplay category—and lost—while “Driving Miss Daisy,” a strikingly similar feel-good picture about an elderly white woman’s friendship with her black chauffeur, was crowned as the year’s best film.  

“Every time somebody is driving somebody, I lose,” Lee laughed while cavorting about the press stage, which he visited in the aftermath of the telecast. “But they changed the seating arrangement.” When pressed for his thoughts on the film to which he lost the Best Picture prize, the director said, “I thought I was courtside at the Garden. The ref made a bad call.” Lee’s prolonged sipping of his drink spoke more volumes about his frustration than any fiery elaboration. Yet he still credited April Reign’s #OscarsSoWhite campaign and the efforts of former Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs in creating the path that led him to win his first competitive Oscar, just three years after he was given an Honorary Award for career achievement. He also reflected on the alarming relevance of “Do the Right Thing,” where he tackled not only racial tensions and police brutality but gentrification and global warming. I instantly flashed back to the film’s 25th anniversary screening at Ebertfest, when an audience member suggested that the events portrayed onscreen had little relation to the present. It was mere months later that Ferguson occurred—a real-life mirror image of the famous climatic sequence in Lee’s 1989 film. By ending the story of “BlacKkKlansman,” chronicling a black police officer’s infiltration of the Ku Klux Klan, with a sudden cut to the white supremacist demonstrations in modern-day Charlottesville, Lee reaffirms that racist movements are not only still active but woven into the fabric of our culture. 

“The coda of this film is where we saw homegrown red, white and blue terrorism,” said Lee. “The murder of Heather Heyer was an American terrorist act. When that car drove down that crowded street in Charlottesville, Virginia, the President of the United States did not refute, did not denounce the Klan, the alt-right, and neo-Nazis. Whether we won Best Picture or not, this film will stand the test of time being on the right side of history.” Lee told the press in attendance that he had prepared two acceptance speeches, one featuring a list of people to thank and the other, more artful draft, which he decided to go with instead. “I said to myself, ‘Self, your black ass may not be up here again, so let me go with the speech,’” the director recounted, and it’s a good thing he made that decision, since it resulted in one of most stunning monologues in recent Oscar history.

“The word today is irony,” said Lee after arriving onstage. “The date is the 24th. The month is February, which also happens to be the shortest month of the year, which also happens to be Black History Month. The year 2019, the year 1619. History, Herstory. 1619 to 2019, 400 years. 400 years our ancestors were stolen from Mother Africa and brought to Jamestown, Virginia, enslaved. Our ancestors worked the land from can’t see in the morning to can’t see at night. My grandmother, Zimmie Shelton Reatha, who lived to be 100 years young, was a Spelman College graduate even though her mother was a slave. My grandma saved fifty years of Social Security checks to put her first grandchild—she called me Spikie Poo—through Morehouse College and NYU Grad Film. N.Y.U.! Before the world tonight, I give praise for our ancestors who helped build this country into what it is today along with the genocide of its native people. If we all connect with our ancestors, we will have love, wisdom, and will regain our humanity. It will be a powerful moment. The 2020 presidential election is around the corner. Let’s all mobilize. Let’s all be on the right side of history. Make the moral choice between love versus hate. Let’s do the right thing! You know I had to get that in there!”

The applause from members of the press that greeted Farrelly and Nick Vallelonga, who shared Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay Oscars for “Green Book,” was conspicuously chilly when contrasted with the rapturous ovation that welcomed Lee moments later. Their film’s portrayal of the bond between Vallelonga’s father, Tony Lip (Viggo Mortensen), and the far more fascinating musician Dr. Don Shirley (Mahershala Ali), has been blasted as “a symphony of lies” by members of the late pianist’s family. Yet Vallelonga insisted that he told the story in the precise way that Shirley had instructed, arguing that this perspective on the subject is as valid as any. 

“If you're discussing the Don Shirley family thing, that falls on me,” said Vallelonga. “Don Shirley himself told me not to speak to anyone. He told me the story that he wanted to tell. He protected his private life and all the other miraculous things about him. He's an amazing man. He told me, ‘If you're going to tell the story, you tell it from your father and me. No one else. Don't speak to anyone else. That's how you have to make it.’ He also told me not to make it until after he passed away. So I just kept my word to that man. I wish I could have reached out to Don Shirley's family. I didn't even know they really existed until after we were making the film, and we contacted his estate for music. Then the filmmakers invited them all to screenings and discussions. But I personally was not allowed to speak to his family, per Don Shirley's wishes. I'm an Italian from New York. They call that a stand-up guy.  I kept my word to the man, and that's the reason for that. But Don Shirley and my father had an amazing story together. They went on the road and changed each other, and I think that comes out. That's why the film is what it is. It's because of the both of them.”

The pro-Trump tweet from 2015 that led Vallelonga to delete his Twitter once it was unearthed a month ago was echoed in a question directed to the filmmakers about whether Tony might’ve been a supporter of the current president.

“I never thought of him as a MAGA guy,” said Farrelly. “It's a different era, and whether he would have been one of those guys, I don't know. But he was a guy who was flawed in the beginning. For a couple of months, he was in a car with a man who was completely different from him, and they got to know each other, and they realized they had a lot more in common than they thought they did starting out on this journey. The message is, ‘Talk to each other, and you'll find out we all have a lot in common.’ It's a hopeful message, because sometimes it seems like there is no hope, but there is. All we have to do is talk, and we get closer together. I know that sounds corny and like, you know, Pollyanna-ish, but it's the truth. The only way to solve problems is to talk.”

Though Alfonso Cuarón’s widely perceived frontrunner, “Roma,” lost to “Green Book” in the Best Picture category, it did become the first Mexican nominee to win Best Foreign Film, and also picked up richly deserved honors for Best Director and Best Cinematography. Cuarón’s astonishing portrait of an indigenous maid in Mexico City who becomes a second mother to her client’s children was based on the actual woman who helped raise the filmmaker and his family during the turbulent early 70s. In his second acceptance speech of the night, Cuarón quoted French icon Claude Chabrol, who responded to a question about the New Wave by declaring, “There are no waves, there’s only ocean.” Cuarón then stressed that his fellow nominees, including Paweł Pawlikowski—who also directed an achingly personal, black and white stunner, “Cold War,” have proven that “we are all part of the same ocean.” The filmmaker also thanked the Academy for recognizing a film centering on “one of the 70 million domestic workers in the world without work rights, a character that has historically been relegated in the background in cinema. As artists our job is to look where others don’t. This responsibility becomes much more important in times when we are being encouraged to look away.” 

In many ways, “Roma” serves as a spiritual companion piece to the director’s 2006 thriller, “Children of Men,” another immersive film tackling the challenge of bringing new life into a chaotic world. When I asked Cuarón about the parallels between these films, he replied, “I don't really see my films after I finish them. I prefer to see other people's movies. I don't really think so much about my films. I know that thematically and in terms of cinematic approach, they have a lot in common, but I would go farther back, probably to ‘Y Tu Mama Tambien,’ which is very connected to this film. But yeah, I will tell you something. The whole theme of birth—I was not even aware that I had been repeating that in my films until you journalists, people from the press and critics mentioned that. So yeah, I guess that there is a connection, but it's more up to you to find it.” Before he left the room, Cuarón expressed his gratitude to members of the press for being “amazingly respectful and supportive” to him during the long journey of awards season.

Another interviewee who made a point of thanking critics, surprisingly enough, was Best Actor winner Rami Malek, star of Bryan Singer’s poorly reviewed yet phenomenally profitable Freddie Mercury biopic, “Bohemian Rhapsody.” His sincerity and sweetness were so infectious that it left no doubt as to why Academy voters favored him on their ballots, in addition to the fact that his performance single-handedly carries much of the picture. “I don't think critically the decision on this film was unanimous,” said Malek, dryly making the understatement of the evening in his first words to the press, “but I do appreciate everything you guys had to write. As a kid, I read criticism of film, and I learned so much from it. So no matter what, I still do very much appreciate you.” 

Malek got choked up when recalling the “tough battle” of making the film—most of it attributed to Singer, the fired director and alleged perpetrator of sexual assault who still was never mentioned either on or offstage—and how unlikely his Oscar win was in light of it. He also spoke about growing up as a first-generation American, the son of Egyptian immigrants, and how his status as an outsider made it all the easier for him to identify with the lead vocalist of Queen. 

“I grew up in a world where I never thought I was going to play the lead on ‘Mr. Robot’ because I never saw anyone in a lead role that looked like me,” said Malek. “I never thought that I could possibly play Freddie Mercury until I realized his name was Farrokh Bulsara, and that is the most powerful message that was sent to me from the beginning. That was the motivation that allowed me to say, ‘Oh, I can do this. That man steps on stage and he moves people in a way that no one else does. He has the ability to look everyone in the eye and see them for who they are. And that's because he was struggling to identify himself. All of that passion and virtue and everything burning inside of him allowed him to look to everybody else and say, ‘Hey, I see you.’ Not right here in the front—I see you there in the back. I see all of you, I will play to all of you, and together we will transcend. Because it's not about being from one place or looking like one thing, one race. Any of that. We are all human beings. And forgive me for this, but collectively we are all the champions.” 

Mahershala Ali’s unwavering class and genuinely humble demeanor also led him to emerge unscathed from the controversy endured by his film, as he received his second best Supporting Actor statuette only two years after his win for “Moonlight.” In the press room, he spoke warmly about his fellow nominees, all of whom had roles that fit the definition of “supporting player” much more than Don Shirley, who is practically a co-lead in “Green Book.”

“Any of those gentlemen could have been up here and would be, obviously, deserving of being up here,” said Ali. “They did wonderful work, beautiful work, work that inspired me. So to be the one that was chosen to get to hold this trophy again, it's not something that I take lightly. It's not something I take for granted. If anything, it makes me more aware of all the people that have really contributed to my life, from childhood to my team that works on my behalf and is always looking to take advantage of the best opportunities that are fit for me. And so I'm very grateful. The first one helped me get ‘Green Book.’ I don't think if I had won—I wasn't just getting offers like that, you know. Getting an Oscar for ‘Moonlight’ changes your profile. It gets you in other rooms, and it shines a light on your work. You could have been around for 15, 20 years and suddenly people notice you. I’m really grateful for that, because I've been wanting to work and expand and stretch. This was the first time I got to stretch my legs.”

Whereas Malek and Ali were largely favored to win their respective categories, hardly anyone expected Olivia Colman to claim Best Actress over seven-time nominee Glenn Close, who was considered to be unbeatable after her surprise win at the Golden Globes. No one appeared to be as shocked as Colman, the brilliant British star of Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Favourite,” whose speech was so endearingly gobsmacked that it even got a laugh out of Close. By the time she arrived in the press room, Colman was almost entirely at a loss for words. I told her that I knew she was one of the great actors as soon as I saw her in Paddy Considine’s 2011 gem, “Tyrannosaur,” and asked how she went about finding the tragic in the absurd—and vice versa—as the neurotic queen in Lanthimos’ film. “Well, that is lovely of you,” Colman gushed. “That is a lovely thing for you to say. Thank you very much.” And then with a giggle, she answered, “I don’t know…sorry!” Later she admitted, “I could not tell you what I'm feeling. Next year, I might be able to put it into words, but I don't know what to do with myself at the moment.”

The pangs of disappointment undoubtedly experienced by Close were shared by your’s truly near the beginning of the telecast, when Jimi Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi’s visual powerhouse, “Free Solo,” won Best Documentary over Bing Liu’s Kartemquin production “Minding the Gap,” one of the very best films I’ve ever seen. So deeply was I invested in its victory that I wore a shirt baring its title under my tuxedo, if only to ensure that the film would have a presence in the press room regardless. Liu’s film is a testament to the cathartic power of cinema, enabling its subjects to see themselves reflected in each other’s story, as they open up about their experiences of domestic abuse and how it has shaped their young adulthood. I was reminded of the film when listening to the riveting words of Regina King, winner of Best Supporting Actress for “If Beale Street Could Talk,” directed by one of Liu’s most high-profile champions, Barry Jenkins. Recounting her most wrenching scene in the film, where her character, Sharon, encounters the woman who mistakenly believes she was raped by “Fonny” (the fiancé of Sharon’s daughter), King said she drew upon her own experiences as a woman. 

“If we have not experienced a violation on that level firsthand, we have lifted a sister up through that,” King said. “Every woman that had something to do with this production [had] the understanding and the need to make sure that it was very clear in the story that we all knew that she was raped. It wasn't Fonny, but she was raped. And we hold each other up through a secret that shouldn't be a secret, so often. That's the beautiful thing about the #MeToo movement. It has gone beyond that with creating opportunities for women to find their voice—even beyond just being violated sexually, but being marginalized. When you have put in the work to be at the table and are denied a seat at the table, this movement has allowed us and has inspired us to say, ‘No, I am supposed to have a seat at that table.’ That energy was going on throughout the production of this film. Barry supported that and lifted it up as well. When you have men and women working together, pretty amazing things happen.”

There’s no question Lady Gaga would agree with King’s words, as she joined co-writers Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando and Andrew Wyatt in the press room following their Best Original Song win for their showstopper, “Shallow.” Gaga appeared with Bradley Cooper onstage for an uncommonly intimate performance on their signature tune, recapturing the chemistry that ignited their duets—both musical and otherwise—in the movie.  

“There are many songs written for this film, but there was one song that was written with true, true friends of mine that I've known, and who know everything about me, the ups and the downs,” said Gaga. “And the truth is people see what they see on the outside. In some way, shape, or form, at times, we become architects. The truth is, I was so determined to live my dreams and yet there was so much in the way. There were so many things I did not anticipate that broke me, that tortured me, that traumatized me. And I think sometimes, what you are trying to clarify, is that people think that it comes easy to us because when we show up and we have our suits on, that it's all okay. But the truth is every single person on this stage has been through so much. We are friends. We have worked on ourselves in life. We have tried to heal through the torment of this industry and being artists. And the truth is that this is very, very hard work. It is not for the faint of heart. But I would never want to imply that anyone in the world is faint of heart. I wanted everyone tonight to feel like they could be each one of us on that stage.”

When she was handed her Oscar, Gaga said that she looked it in the eye and “saw a lot of pain. I saw all the things that I've been through. And I also felt the camaraderie and the truth of the pain that the men standing next to me have been through as well.” 

“The song itself is a conversation, and it's between a man and a woman,” said Rossomando. “I think that maybe there's some timing involved where people's hearts are open to that conversation. Maybe that's why it's translated so widely. Someone sent me a couple videos this week of an entire church congregation singing the song. And it actually brought me to tears.”

“I really believe in my heart that the unfortunate truth is that our cell phones—as I watch you all typing—are becoming our reality,” said Gaga. “It's becoming reality for the world. And in this song, we provide not just a conversation, but also a very poignant statement. I wish to not be in the shallow, but I am. I wish to dive off the deep end, and watch me do it. I think this is something that speaks to many people. And during, I think, a very shallow time, it's a chance for us all to grab hands, dive off into the water together, and swim into the deepest depths of the ocean that we can.”

Though “BlacKkKlansman” was passed over for considerably lighter fare in the top category, an equally incendiary picture went on to be named Best Live Action Short Film. Israeli director Guy Nattiv’s “Skin” centers on a family of white supremacists and the senseless violence waged by its monstrous patriarch. When he severely beats a black man for having a harmless interaction with his son in a supermarket, the hateful sadist eventually finds himself having what can only be defined as an out-of-body experience. Asked whether the film was intended to be a response to the racism frequently voiced by President Trump and members of his administration, producer Jamie Ray Newman said that she and Nattiv weren’t necessarily trying to make a political statement.

“Guy is the grandchild of four Holocaust survivors,” said Newman. “He grew up with stories about the Holocaust. I'm Jewish as well, and I think that we just deeply want to explore. In the short, we explored how what you teach your children is going to perpetuate the next generation. We have a five-month-old, so we see she's a sponge. Everything we do, she inherits. The film starts out with a father shaving his boy's head because he's literally carving him in his own image. And the feature, which is next, is a true story about a very famous skinhead who was covered in neo-Nazi tattoos, and through the collaboration with a black activist, got all of them taken off. I think that the beauty of Guy as a filmmaker is he doesn't pound anything over your head. He's subtle. He doesn’t have answers, but he shows you the questions.”

While watching the film, I was struck by its excerpted inclusion of Mica Levi’s indelible score for Jonathan Glazer’s “Under the Skin.” It’s something only film musical aficionados would likely spot, and I couldn’t resist asking Nattiv about his soundtrack choice, considering Levi is one of the most exciting composers working today. “Mica Levi is probably the musician that influenced me more than any musician right now,” he told me. “I’m very influenced by her work, and I think that our musician was too. Inspiration is what I would call it. I hope to work with Mica one day on my next film.”

It’s only fitting that “Captain Marvel” stars Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson presented Spike Lee with his Academy Award, seeing as Marvel had a hugely successful evening, with Ryan Coogler’s “Black Panther” scooping up three accolades including the first Oscar for Lee’s longtime costume designer Ruth Carter. As the first-ever black recipient of the prize, she admitted to the press that she had been dreaming and praying for this night to arrive because of what it would mean for the young people coming behind her. Carter said that her innovative use of 3-D printing may have “tipped the iceberg” in her favor. It was UCLA professor Julia Koerner who developed the algorithm for the isicholo—the South African married woman's hat—in her computer and sent it to Belgium for 3-D printing. 

“There were several iterations of the ‘Black Panther’ story through every comic book writer and illustrator, but it all started with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, and their idea that the black community in the 60s needed a superhero,” noted Carter. “And guess what? The black community in 2018 needed a superhero as well. So with that, we created a new Wakanda because it's a forward nation. It's forward in technology. So we couldn't really use the old tech from the other comics. We had to create new tech. And with that, the door was open to us to be creative. […] I love the neck rings from the Ndebele tribe. I love the use of leather skins from the Himba women. I love the symbolism of the beadwork on the Dora Milaje. I love how their costume honors the female form. It shows that you can also be beautiful and be a warrior without being exploited.”

Another key member of the “Black Panther” team, Hannah Beachler, also made history as the first black production designer to be honored with an Oscar. Fighting back tears, she credited Coogler with enabling her to stand before the audience “with agency and self-worth,” and likened the massive undertaking of the project to “eating an elephant one spoonful at a time.”

“A lot of the inspiration came from where we located Wakanda on the continent, because if people were going to migrate, they were going to migrate around that area,” said Beachler. “So we took a very anthropological look at how the country was placed on the continent, and then from there, you've got your Omo Valley tribes that are in southeast Ethiopia. It's like they migrated down to Wakanda, and that became our river tribe. These were our inspirations. We wanted to be as real as we could.”

Few films I’ve seen in recent memory earned as euphoric a reaction as this year’s Oscar winner for Best Animated Feature, “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.” When the titular superhero’s co-creators Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, who both passed away last year, turned up at the end in a dedication card, the entire audience at my screening rose to its feet and cheered. After recounting this experience to the film’s trio of directors—Bob Persichetti, Peter Ramsey, Rodney Rothman—they told me that they had intended on mentioning the late comic mavericks in their acceptance speech, but were cut off by the music. 

“We were going to thank Stan Lee and Steve Ditko for really inspiring this whole thing, and for being a force of believing that all of us—human beings—have the potential and the capacity to be heroes,” Persichetti told me. “Phil and Chris had put together a treatment for us to make a movie that challenged the audience to believe in themselves, believe in their neighbor and really be positive and make a difference in the world. And possibly be a mentor or be heroic. That was really it.”

Joining the trio onstage were the film’s co-writer/producer Phil Lord and producer Chris Miller, the extraordinarily inventive duo behind “The Lego Movie,” who are fully committed to expanding representation in cinema, as evidenced by the vibrantly diverse ensemble in “Spider-Verse.”

“When we hear that somebody’s kid was watching the movie and turned to them and said, ‘He looks like me,’ or, ‘They speak Spanish like us,’ we feel like we already won,” said Lord in his acceptance speech.

“To be a storyteller, it's really just about connecting with your audience, whether it's your little kid that you are putting to sleep or, apparently, millions of people who go see your movie,” reflected Persichetti in the press room. “So I think it's just validation of being a human and sharing the experience of being a human. It's kind of an amazing career.”

Added Miller, “To feel like you have affected someone else's life positively, one way or another, is a really magical thing that we don't take lightly.”

After the briskly paced three-hour-and-17-minute telecast came to a crisp close, I ran into Bing Liu, his mother and “Minding the Gap” producer Diane Quon outside the Dolby Theatre. I showed them the shirt I had been wearing under my tux all night, and they insisted on taking a picture of it. Liu may not have gone home with an Oscar in hand last night, but I have no doubt that when he encounters someone whose life has been deeply impacted by his work, he knows in his heart of hearts that he’s already won. 

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