#treating him like a barbie doll found in the middle of the street

[spengsart]

he is just very fun to pose

[maxwell-grant]

which of the SF characters would watch Oppennheimer and which would watch Barbie ?

Not doing all of them but

Ryu: Barbie. Probably got dragged into it by Sakura. Didn't get most of it but he liked it. Hopes Ken is doing allright ("I too know what it's like to struggle with my worst self") and gifts his Ken a "I am Kenough" shirt.

Ken: Mel wanted to watch Oppenheimer and Ken went along with him. Mel liked it, but Ken got bummed out at the story of a neglectful husband and father trying his best to help people and ruining lives over it.

Chun-Li: Her and Li-Fen went to Barbie in matching outfits. The mother's speech in the middle of the movie really, really resonated with her.

E. Honda: Goes to Barbie screenings painted pink to promote his business. If you even think about suggesting Oppenheimer to him he will slap you and you will deserve it.

Blanka: Barbie. Loved it, a little confused but trying to get the spirit, called up his mom and Sakura later to apologize in case he ever oppressed them or made them feel inadequate. Look out for pink variants of Blanka-chan in stores soon.

Guile: Neither, but his family dragged into Barbie. Spent most of it stone-faced but by the time of the Just Ken musical battle number he did crack up a bit.

Dhalsim: Neither.

Zangief: Went to Barbie with R.Mika. Laughed so loudly during the movie you could hear it outside the room. Launches an all-women wrestling course because he thinks muscle power is the solution to misogyny as it is to everything. Marisa enrolls in for a laugh.

Balrog: Neither. Thinks long movies suck and wouldnt be caught dead attending a girl movie.

Vega: Enjoyed both from a reserved patrician distance, couldnt relate to either of the protagonists in any way. Offended by the existence of Weird Barbie and the scenes with old women in it.

Sagat: Neither. But if one of the kids at his village asked, he would go watch Barbie with them and pretend he had a good time, would heavily criticize Ken for betraying his community in vain pursuits of power.

M. Bison: Barbie, and he likes it, not even for any nefarious reason. Doesn't care to watch Oppenheimer, 3 hours of a guy getting cold feet about doing something that Bison happily does at home for free (murdering scores of innocent civilians).

Cammy: Oppenheimer. Only attended Barbie because the other Dolls asked her to, but she didn't think much of it.

Dee Jay: Barbie, and he had a great time. Plays his own remixes of Just Ken and Dance the Night for several nights at the club afterwards.

Akuma: Neither. If he did, he would quit Oppenheimer in the first minutes, in disgust at Oppenheimer's weakness for trying to murder his teacher with a poisoned apple instead of his bare hands.

Dan: Didn't plan to watch either but people kept seeing him in the street and assuming he was on his way to watch Barbie. After doing so, he tries to aggressively rebrand the Saikyo Dojo as a feminist dreamhouse over the following weeks and fails.

Nash: Oppenheimer. Didn't feel anything other than sadness.

Rose: Doesn't enjoy movies very much, her powers predict the entire plot before it happens, but still went to watch Barbie with Menat and Maggio.

Sodom: Neither, but protests Oppenheimer screenings in defense of Japan and genuine disgust over the movie's subject matter, runs away crying whenever it's pointed out that he's a white jock.

Rolento: Disliked Oppenheimer for the protagonist being a lily-livered coward who couldnt stand by his own choices in defense of the country.

Sakura: Barbie. Had fun, but the parts where Barbie punches a guy and outruns the police and the mother outfoxes the Mattel executives in a car chase is kinda what she wished most of the movie was like, dissappointed only the Kens got to fight.

Gen: Neither. Dead.

Cody: Barbie. Liked it fine, I guess, wasn't boring.

Dudley: Went with Elena to watch Barbie. Found it a smashing good time and felt offended at how rudely the Kens treated the Barbies when they took over.

Necro: Cried during both with Effie. Barbie's crisis over her humanity and her moment at the bench really got to him.

Hugo: Went with Poison to watch Barbie. Enjoyed it more than she did, found himself relating a lot to the tiny violent Allan man who belongs nowhere.

Makoto: Barbie. Didn't like the daughter's character arc one bit and walked out of it hating Barbie as a concept more .

Rufus: Went to Barbie at Candy's insistence and my God you could not get this man to shut up about it for days afterwards. Added feminist to the list of self-aggrandizing adjectives he uses.

Seth: Pre-Doll Zero, he would have watched Oppenheimer and not liked it for it's preoccupation with pathetic human morality. Post-Doll Zero, he would resonate unbelievably hard with Barbie's arc and have a breakdown over the ending.

Juri: Saw both. Spend the entirety of Oppenheimer browsing her phone and making loud bomb/fart noises with her mouth and laughing. Thought Barbie sucked.

Poison: Went with Hugo to watch Barbie and kept planning ways to cash in the pink/Barbie craze for her business. Thought the movie was funny but kinda dumb.

Rashid: Barbie, really really liked it. Pirates the movie before it's out on digital to make a reaction stream and gets sued over it.

F.A.N.G: Oppenheimer. Besides the skin melting scene, dissappointed at how little it showed the scientific process behind building an atomic bomb or civilians dying, he kinda signed up just for those things.

Luke: Liked both, really wants to have his own Mojo Dojo Casa House and, besides the whole oppressing women thing which is totally uncool, doesn't think the Kens were doing anything that wrong.

Jamie: Wanted to watch Barbie but drunkenly wandered into Oppenheimer by mistake and had a really bad time.

Manon: Criticizes Barbie for muddled politics and found Barbie apologizing to Ken at the end viscerally disgusting.

Marisa: Neither. Went to watch Meg 2 because watching action stars fight a giant rampaging shark seemed like more of a good time to her. Thought the first one was a lot better.

JP: Majority shareholder at Mattel stock, politely claps during the screening.

AKI: Has spent the last weeks furiously testing out poisons on various plastics and chasing down Mattel executives for intel. Has a cunning plan to take over Barbieland and gift it to her master.

[blouisparadise]

We recently received a request for enemies and lovers recs. We already have an enemies to lovers fic rec list here, but after looking at that list, we realized we had much more to add to it and therefore decided to make a part two.

Happy reading!

1) I Couldn’t Get Away From You | Mature | 5185 words

Suddenly in the heat of the moment, Harry’s eyes turned darker as he pushed Louis’ back more and more towards the wall. “Fine.” He plants his lips on Louis’ and begins to roughly kiss him, soon enough turning it into a make-out session.

“Fuck you, Styles,” Louis moans and grips onto Harry’s shoulders, hands trailing up to the taller’s hair and gripping that as well.

“We’ll see about that.”

2) There's More Than One Place To Call Home | Explicit | 8416 words

Harry never asked for much from his neighbors - he didn't care about barking animals during the day or loud talking during the night.

The only thing he needed was silence when he was writing. And that was the only thing his new neighbor wouldn't give him.

Deciding to confront the loud guy who lived next door, Harry found himself ringing his doorbell one night. And that decision just may be the best thing that's ever happened to Harry.

3) Make A Run, Cause Some Rebellion | Explicit | 8824 words

As a general rule, kitten hybrids are small and disinterested in what other people want them to do, slightly evil and at least a little manipulative. Louis prides himself on being all of those things to varying degrees, but especially on being uninterested in what other people tell him to do. He’s still human goddammit, despite his pointy ears and penchant for curling up in the sun and taking naps.

He’s going about his daily business, knocking things over where he sees fit and leaving a trail of mess in his wake. As exasperated as it makes Liam he’s used to it by now, having shared a flat with Louis for almost three years now, and if Louis whines enough he’ll even clean up after him. It’s a great life, really.

With the exception of Liam’s stupid, broad shouldered, entirely too big mate, the one who always comes over to watch sports with him. Louis hates that guy. His hair is always greasy and he brings weird hipster beer with him when he comes that tastes like shit. And he won’t even let Louis have any of it, either. The only reason Louis even knows what it tastes like is because one time he stole a bottle from the fridge and fled to his room before Harry could catch him.

4) Something To Prove | Explicit | 9425 words

Louis is the first and only omega to work at Red Valley Medical Center. Despite being more than qualified, he still faces prejudice for his career choice everyday. From patients refusing his treatment to condescending alpha doctors intervening with his work, practicing medicine in Boston is more challenging than Louis had ever thought it would be.

5) Where Do We Go Now | Explicit | 10617 words

Louis goes off to college ready to start a fresh life away from the oppressive alphas of his pack.  The odds aren't in his favour when his new dorm mate turns out to be an alpha.  Louis hates alphas.

6) Enjoy The Ride | Not Rated | 11103 words

The one where Louis, an omega more than tired of being treated as lesser than alphas, is forced on a road trip by his beta besties only to meet Harry who might just be the alpha he never knew he wanted.

7) I Didn’t Fall For You (You Fucking Tripped Me) | Explicit | 20681 words

These days Louis tends to steer clear of dating alphas. He’s dated too many knotheads in his time, and he’s ready to just focus on school and his friends and his pet monitor lizard, of course.

Too bad the alpha next door won’t take a hint and stop using the worst pick up lines of all time on him. He’s really got to stop laughing with him--and talking to him and walking to class with him and letting him bring him coffee and tea and gifts for his lizard and watching Netflix together and...

8) Written In The Stars (That’s You And Me) | Explicit | 22632 words

Louis pushes himself up on one elbow and stretches enough to just barely trace his fingertips over Harry’s jawline. Harry’s eyes drop to track his movements as he does it again. “D’you feel that?” he whispers.

To him, it feels like all of the universe’s magic lives just beneath his skin when he touches Harry with intent. It feels like something special. Louis watches Harry’s lips part and wants to touch that too. He almost does, but then Harry shakes his head. “Feel what?”

6) Middle Ground | Explicit | 23516 words

Note: This fic has been locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

Harry moves to a new town for work where he meets the enigma that is Louis Tomlinson.

10) When It’s Late At Night | Mature | 25597 words

The Late Late prompt that we all need to get through this excruciatingly hard time.

11) Supposed To Be | Explicit | 26100 words

The Geek Charming AU where Harry's a film geek, Louis' a popular jock, and they both need each other to get what they want.

12) Magical Soup | Explicit | 28850 words

Slytherin prefect Louis Tomlinson's seventh year at Hogwarts takes an immediate turn for the worse when he's made to be potions partners with Harry Styles, Hufflepuff's resident heartthrob and class clown.  Louis has always considered Styles to be a terrible show-off who coasts by on his charm and good looks, but the more they work together, the more he questions that idea.  As term goes on, will Louis be able to admit to himself that he might actually like Harry Styles after all... and maybe, just maybe, as more than a friend?

13) Building Me Up (But Buttercup, You Lied) | Explicit | 31007 words

Harry’s mouth felt dry just saying those words. What he had with Louis was so much more than a simple ‘fuck buddies’ situation. It was slow kisses in the morning between soft sheets and shy smiles, it was holding hands in the afternoon while walking and eating ice cream. It was breakfast for dinner, laughing and licking honey from each other’s lips as they shared goals and even some secrets, it was happiness, it was glow.

To Harry, what he had with Louis meant everything. Until Louis decided it meant nothing.

14) You’ve Set On Me | Explicit | 31100 words

Louis' in an obscure band. Harry's an international popstar. Their paths aren't meant to cross, not like this, but when Louis' band signs on as Harry's opening act, both Harry and Louis are forced to confront the open wounds of their shared past.

15) Nicotine | Explicit | 32245 words | Sequel

"We're two different types of people, Liam. He likes sex and drugs, I like theater and tea. Trust me, we'd never date." Except they would, they do, and neither of them plans on letting go anytime soon.

16) Let Me Feel Your Heartbeat | Explicit | 34572 words

Harry is 98% sure Louis hates him. So he feels like his bewilderment is justified when the omega offers to help him through his rut.

17) Close To Nowhere | Explicit | 34589 words

Louis and Harry are psychics who kind of hate each other. They go to Tennessee to investigate a haunting.

18) Make This Feel Like Home | Explicit | 42032 words

The house on West 28th Street in London is twice the size of Louis', more expensive than the price of all of his house and car payments combined, and is falling apart at the seams.

19) Strangers in Love | Explicit | 42207 words

Louis wakes up to find himself in a marriage with the last man he thought he'd ever end up with.

10) Why Can’t It Be Like That | Explicit | 63567 words

A fashion AU with a royal twist, where Louis doesn't need a stylist, Harry's thrilled to have a real life Barbie doll, and they're both very wrong about each other.

21) I Want You So Much (But I Hate Your Guts) | Mature | 83648 words

AU in which Louis gets accepted to play for the Manchester University Alpha-Beta Football Team. The only problem: Louis is actually an Omega. He is determined to make it big in the football world, though, and he can't do that bound to an Omega team. With the help of a faked doctor's certificate and some pretty strong suppressants he is ready to fight for his dream.

That Harry Styles (Alpha, second year and youngest football captain of the A-B team in ages) doesn't seem to like him complicates matters, though.

22) For Reasons Wretched and Divine | Explicit | 94655 words

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

Ten years ago, Harry Styles was just a nerdy kid with one friend and a debilitating crush on the captain of his school’s football team. He thought the stars were smiling down on him the day he and Louis Tomlinson were paired for their end-of-term Literature project. But because Harry’s life is decidedly not a fairytale, the budding friendship quickly leads to the least happy ending of all time.

Now, Harry Styles is a household name. Barely twenty-seven with two Grammy nominations to his name, the singer-songwriter is poised to take the music industry by storm with his highly anticipated third album. So, what happens when the best producer in the business is also the only person Harry’s vowed never to speak to again?

23) You Drive Me Crazy (But It Feels Alright) | Explicit | 102306 words

Note: This fic has mentions of BH.

“Harry is not short for Harold,” he corrects, his voice as thick as molasses. He lowers his eyes to Louis’ sequined lapels, rubbing one between two fingers. “Is this small or extra small? It looks lovely.”

Louis breaks away from his grip with a petulant huff and pushes him back with two fingers.

“You’re mocking me. Again.”

Harry smiles and it's a real honest swoop of his lips this time. Louis’ stomach swoops with them.

24) Tainted Saints And Velvet Vices | Mature | 126056 words

A self-fulfilling Hogwarts AU in which Louis is new to seventh year and Harry is the resident devil-may-care Slytherin set to make his entire experience a living misery. Due to less than favourable circumstances they're forced to forge an unwilling, tentative relationship for their own survival. Repressed emotions, decidedly unromantic ballroom dancing, Triwizard Tournament tasks, creative jinxes and twilight flying above the Forbidden Forest ensue.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

[he-yi-rentries]

all the keepsakes we do not keep

When I was young, real young, I fell in love. Real love.

  I was sixteen when I started attending a boarding school half a globe away from my hometown. It was the 2000s, and the 2000s was a decade of unrealistic, cheesy to the teeth love stories from Korean versions of soap opera and music videos where boy meets girl, girl falls terminally ill, boy realizes he’s in love with girl too little too late and the finale closes with him sinking to his knees next to his lover’s death bed. There was not a single girl in my grade who found that cliche lame because it was not even a cliche then to begin with. It was the definition of true romance, true love that put stars in our eyes and hopes in our hearts that one day, we too would get to be distressed damsels that die young and pretty, with a grieving prince by our sides as we meet our demise or whatever.

And so I met my first high school boyfriend, Archie. As fate would have it, Archie was from the same hometown as mine. If there was anything that connected exchange students together, their being from the same country was plentiful, let alone we were from the same hometown. I had my wish fulfilled, it was all very Korean drama between Archie and I. It wasn’t boy spiraling into despair after girl’s dead, but it was boy chases girl all right. I played hard to get for half a term, then we finally dated. I had a cute boy tailing me around the library, a jealous girl classmate who was crushing on Archie and wouldn’t stop giving me the stink eye, after school dates at the local mall, the whole shebang. 

We bonded over our homesickness, something that made young relationships seemingly feel so much deeper than usual. We sat by the quiet library window and looked at the snow fall and pondered how we have never seen such a normal but mythical climatic occurrence at home. It was a small town, where we were from, a town so small that it only took an hour to go from end to end and there was only one street that sold children’s toys. I told him about a plushie store that displayed this pink colored stuffed elephant at their window and it turned my head every time I walked by. I told him about the imported candy store that sold foreign snacks like Pringles and M&M near my middle school, how it was a luxury my parents only bought for me when I was sick, and how readily attainable they were on shelves at wal-mart now. 

That Christmas morning, I opened my first present under a tree to feast my teary eyes on a pink colored stuffed elephant sitting on top of a card that said you turn my head every time you walk by.

We treated that elephant like a fantasy child one day we would have. Some days I would keep it under my sheet with me at nights, others he would bring home and place it on his lap while he played video games till late. It was the perfect high school romance, straight out of a predictable romantic comedy. Yet I didn’t see the ultimate predictable twist coming back to bite me in the behind: the jealous girl classmate slowly creeping into Archie’s teenage boy heart and eventually snatching him away from me! 

Then the inevitable break up came before I was even aware of what was happening around me. My lit up doll heart could not even believe that Archie was jealous girl classmate’s boyfriend now. They went everywhere together, and that bond over missing home Archie and I used to have was now replaced with their mutual passion of rubbing their newfound romance in my face. Archie loved showing off his new, shiny Barbie doll of a girlfriend who dressed in preppy Abercrombie and she loved gloating about her victory whenever I’m around. 

If you looked at us, she was obviously the glamorous Regina George of North Shore and I was just a shabby version of Lindsay Lohan playing a dorky girl from Africa. I mean, what could you expect from someone who marveled at Pringles on display at wal-mart?

And so came the dreadful days of Regina dangling my—her K-drama boyfriend around the halls, the mall, even the library window we used to sit by. It was just like Ned Vizzini said in it’s kind of a funny story, it was like a reverse nightmare. Like when you woke up from a nightmare, you’re so relieved. I woke up into a nightmare. I was crying, I was begging, I was pleading him to no avail. Watching my doll eyed nemesis straddling the love of my life 24/7 was hell. It was not just heartbreaking for my sixteen year old heart, it was humiliating, too. As in not just all your friends knew you were dumped and traded up, even your teachers could tell. And the way they felt bad for you made you want the earth to crack open and swallow you in even more. My world was crumbling around my teenage self as I walked the halls I used to straddle Archie alone. 

I thought this could not get any worse, that this was true grief. And it was a hell of a lot uglier than pretty crying on television and looking afar from a snowing window with background melancholic music. But it was not true heartbreak I felt until one day Archie walked up to my locker and handed me my pink elephant with its back torn up. 

The pink elephant was torn up. The severed white strings that used to neatly sew its back together hung dry in the air as the tear exposed its cloudy cotton inside. I did not remember how long I was spacing out for before breaking down to yet another stream of tears, picturing something so symbolic of our love lying on his floor uncared, unloved, unembraced. I felt like I, too, was ripped open with severed strings and my cotton heart exposed to so much hurt someone special has deliberately intended for me, how ugly and uncinematic that has seemed. 

My highschool romance with Archie was very much dead, so was my pink elephant, and even my memory of walking by it when I was young. A fragment of memory from my hometown I was so fond of forever shattered by the cruel mind of a teenage boy and his urge to gloat on a lovesick girl pining after him, just like that. 

I did not remember how I moved on but I did, because time, and we all do. I carried on a habit of collecting relationship keepsakes in a kraft box every time I dated a boy. But with every break up, it was easier to let go of such things. After my brother got divorced, he never took his wedding picture off the wall either. A canvas of two people gazing at each other so lovingly captured for eternity hung sturdy over his headboard made me feel like it must have meant as much as my pink elephant back in the day. But as siblings go, I knew there was no longer a trace of his ex wife in his heart anymore. I stood by his bedroom door once again staring at something so symbolic of two people’s love, only this time from the outside looking in, meaning absolutely nothing anymore, wondering how that came to be. No matter how much something or even someone must have meant to us, when the feelings are gone, the meaning will follow. My brother’s wedding picture could have hung on for as long as it could, or he could throw it out tomorrow, it would not have made a difference. It was gone a long time ago. 

I took a bus downtown that afternoon to a street that sold toys and stopped standing still in front of a window display that sat a giant stuffed bear with stars hanging over its head. I stood for a while, gazing at the inanimate smile on the cute bear’s face. I stood there gazing until the sun started to set and the last rays of the day shone on its face as it turned its head to look back at me and say, you are still going to turn someone’s head one day, and so will I.

[stevie-writes-the-pain-away]

Alcoholics Anonymous - Chapter One

       There are 34,000 species of fish in the world and only four hundred of them are sharks. You're more likely to be killed by a dog than from a shark but I find this complicated to think about, seeing how bad of a reputation great whites have. For the longest time, I struggled as an aquaphobe and I couldn’t figure out for the life of me why keeping away from water was better in my head than getting out there and gaining back my long lost courage. I couldn’t even swim with friends in a kiddy pool without convincing myself it wasn’t safe and I was better off ten metres away. But I guess I got myself into enough danger away from water already. Like walking into traffic.

       I felt a rough yank on my arm, pulling me back from the street in what I can only now remember as a blur. I replaced my smudged vision with a clear, blank stare into the oncoming traffic and my heart leapt into my throat as an obnoxious car horn hollered down the street past the corner of the sidewalk. With my hair now in a mess and one of my shaky hands fiddling with my clothes to sort myself out, I turned my head to my left hand, watching tight squeezing fingers wrap around my wrist. I bent and rose my arm so my hand nearly met my face and traced whoever held me to a man standing too close for comfort.

       "You alright, lass?" he asked. His voice rang through my head clearly, blocking any other noise out and his raspy, low accented tone was filled with concern. My eyes lifted from his chest to his face where my sudden shock must've been fooling my eyes. It was as if the man had some sort of green shade blended in with his skin and perhaps even one of his eyes was glowing a soft red, almost pink sort of colour. I just stared at his facial features, unsure of how to answer his question. I took notice to his greasy black hair, unnatural skin which must've not been shaved that morning and foreign scent I'd never experienced before. In a strange way, everything about this man seemed to pull me in and I found myself stuck in a trance as he stared back at me, waiting for an answer. Time stood still and eventually, my eyes wandered to the people who stood around us, staring at me with confusion or frustrated disturbance and annoyance. I looked back at the man in front of me as he watched me with now irritated, furrow-browed eyes.

       As soon as I parted my lips to speak he let go, leaving an empty space between us which, in some dramatic way, made me feel lost. He pulled out his phone from his pocket and held it to his ears, already arguing with somebody on the other side. Just like that, I blinked once more, only to find him gone. In fact, nearly the whole crowd of people by the curb was gone already halfway across the street. Realizing I was supposed to join them, I sped after them, ignoring my embarrassment. I would've rather paid attention to where that man went, I couldn't let him get away without thanking him for saving my life. After attempting to look through the busy crowd in front of me I felt guilty losing hope. There was no way I could find him in this mess, even if that man was someone who stood out so well if you were playing a game of hide and seek like I was. Accepting my failure I sighed and backed up, remembering my plans for the day. I couldn't take the day off and search London for him, could I? I cursed to myself in frustration, quickly escaping the crowd around me and leaving down the other street where the community health clinic was.

       After the fifteen-minute walk I had left, I arrived at my destination, opening the wide glass doors and entering the building. As always, I waved to the lady at the front desk and carried on down the hallway to my left. I headed towards the usual room I arrived at every Tuesday afternoon, pushing the door open and coming face to face with the same familiar and comfortable people. I smiled warmly, looking at the chairs all set in a circle and a few of the typical attendees of the program chatting quietly. They glanced my way before smiling at me then continuing their conversations. I counted four of them in the room so far not including myself or counsellor Phoebe. She stood in the other room holding her clipboard as she, I can only assume, marked off my absence. I sat down in my own little bubble, pulling out my phone to wait for the session to begin.

       I was never one to talk to others in the program. I just sat and listened to their stories and only ever spoke when addressed. Aside from greeting others, saying hello and goodbye, I was probably one of the least talkative people in group therapy. That also meant I'd never opened up about myself as much as the others; some of them barely even remembered my name. I laughed it off to myself, scrolling through the pictures on my phone to entertain myself. As minutes passed, more adults entered the room and I put my phone away, crossing and rubbing my arms as Phoebe walked across the room to close the door. Altogether there were nine of us and honestly, we were all a family in a way. It had just been us the majority of the time, and for months now. We'd watched people come and go, we'd seen people on cloud nine then crash back down and I'd listened to some of the heaviest, heart-wrenching stories I'd ever heard. I guess that was the point of Alcoholics Anonymous, however, in a twisted way. Perhaps the more stories you hear the stronger the determination to not risk drinking yourself to death will eventually become. If you're not already suicidal, that is.

       Phoebe straightened her skirt and sat down, fiddling with the edge of her jacket. She placed her clipboard on the ground and clapped her hands together. "We were supposed to get somebody knew today, but it looks like they may not be coming," she said to herself, her face twisting into slight disappointment. I always enjoyed Phoebe's voice and how she spoke, as well as her overall presence. She always found a way to turn something around and make it feel good, or at least, less of a burden on somebody's shoulders. It sounded cliché, but she was such a beautiful person both inside and out. She was gentle, even in aggressive situations. She didn't need to yell in order to get your attention. After all she had done for her clients, she gained enough respect to have you turn your head towards her and stop everything and anything you were doing when she simply cleared her throat. She had curly blonde hair that just passed her shoulders and bounced above her chest when she walked. Her face was unreal, a living Barbie doll right in front of me whenever I watched her; a natural pale beauty. She had lovely blue eyes that seemed to glow, just like her smile. Even when she didn't look very happy, which was rare, she had a nice shine to her. Everybody listened carefully when she took a breath in to speak. "Well, good morning, anyway," she began. "As I know you're all aware, this program is about thinking of how we can cope, as well as crafting ideas to express ourselves. But I think it's always a good idea to encourage people to speak and release anything inside that they would like to talk about first. Why don't we go around the circle and ask each other how our weekends were?"

       Group therapy most definitely seemed more like a GSA meeting at a middle school with the school's guidance counsellors. To some people, the way Phoebe handled the program didn't feel mature enough for adults who were meant to be thirty to 59, but it surprisingly worked for all of us. Probably because not a lot of us were in our fifties or forties yet. For me personally, it made me feel better to be treated as I would be in high school, but that was just me and for my own reasons.

       I turned towards one of the women as she began to speak, only to be interrupted by the door being swung open with what felt to be no hesitance whatsoever. On the other side of the door was a man, maybe 5'7, dressed in all black. His hand still gripped the handle of the door and he paused, his eyes dancing around the room as if he was awaiting some sort of invitation to enter, even if he had already opened the door.

       "Are you the new attendee for this program?" Phoebe asked, pulling her clipboard back into her lap with enthusiasm.

       "I should hope so, bad first impressions are hard to recover from," the man answered in his low gravely voice. He furrowed his eyebrows at her like he was waiting for her to help solve his confusion.

       She stuttered a little, looking through her list. "A-are you Murdoc?"

       "That'd be me," he smirked and nodded, walking forward and shutting the door behind him. His Cuban heels tapped the floor loudly and he sat in one of the chairs, pulling his leather jacket off and carelessly placing it behind him.

       "Well, lucky for you, we only just started. Perhaps while we talk about our weekends, we can introduce ourselves to you," Phoebe offered, gesturing everybody to turn back to the woman previously talking. As she started over, I found myself looking back at Murdoc. Something about him fascinated me; like maybe I knew him, or we had crossed paths on the sidewalk and his face was still buried in the back of my mind somewhere, waiting to be dug up. I finally lost myself in a daydream, not realizing I was staring. His dark eyes, along with the rest of his bored expression skimmed across the room, absorbing his surroundings. Soon enough his eyes swept over mine and I immediately choked on my breath. His face said it all; green skin, raven black hair, one red eye and sharp jawline in need of a shave. He turned his attention back to whoever was talking but his eyes widened, quickly looking back in my direction. As soon as our eyes met, they were locked, and we each melted into our seats awkwardly. Murdoc hid his discomfort well, but I felt I had the right to say I knew when others felt secretly under attack. He might have looked unhappy to be there, but I couldn't have been more happy and relieved to find him. Right in front of me, I found the man who had saved my life.

       My green knight in shining armour.

[ruckusheaven]

A Coon In A Colorful Heaven: Chapter 3- “So Where Should We Begin?”

Coon-  A black person who is ignorant to white discrimination and unknowingly suffers with self hatred.

This chapter continues to follow the eternal story of a man named Damien. When we last saw Damien he had finally arrived into Heaven after mysteriously being let through by his personal Angel “Angie”. But not long after arriving to Heaven, Damien soon discovered that the pain and damage that he caused as a Mortal still continues to follow him as a Spirit. After having a small altercation with his Aunt Pam, Damien began to wonder if being in Heaven would truly be paradise for him; But within that same instance he realized that he was starting to deteriorate just like his “judgment room” began to when he was being Judged. Now his only chance of staying in Heaven will comes from the assistance of his Grandson Chris...

Damien: *staring in shock* My.. Grandson?... Veronica had a child

Chris: Ya’know even though i already knew you didn’t know this.. Hearing you so surprised really shows how disconnected you two were..

Chris: Well are you gonna let me help you up or would you rather lay here until you disappear?

Damien: *grabbing Chris's hand* sorry im just a little shocked is all... I never knew..

Chris: *pulling Damien up* Well how could you have known? Leaving your wife and child behind will do that

Damien:  *staring down at the ground in shame*...

Chris: Come on, i’ll take you some place we can talk quietly

*Damien and Chris begin to walk down their street*

Damien: *looking around* Our zone really is beautiful.. it feels like i’m back in Philly but nothing looks like Philly

Chris: Yea i know what you mean. Our zone was created a few hundred years ago by one of our elders.

Chris: Since then hundreds of our family bloodline began to add and change it more and more. From adding new structures, to changing how the air feels

Chris: But what amazes me most is that no matter what changes, everything still feels perfect.

Damien: *sees little kids flying thought the sky* yea.. i think i get what you mean

Damien’s Family Zone was like no other.Their Zone had a very odd mix of  typical city blocks mixed with rural areas.The buildings themselves had their own unique feel and shape. Some stretched almost endlessly into the sky while most stood only few feet high. Some were made out of brick and wood, while others were floating in the sky made up of soft fabrics. People flying and walking, kids playing and running, Men and Women dancing and talking with soulful music playing in the background. The Zone itself just felt like a relaxing Fall afternoon mixed with a chill breeze carrying a very slight scent of Vanilla and Honey.

Damien: This place.. this realm.. it’s like i have so many questions about it but it truly feels like there’s no point in asking anything about it.. like there’s no reason at all..

Chris: Oh trust me you’ll definitely have an almost endless amount of questions. But i honestly think that the most beautiful part about Heaven is that i can take my time to understand every detail if i wanted to, and still discover something new or create something new. And whatever matters or doesn’t is truly up to me

Chris: I can ask questions or i can just enjoy not knowing which is something that isn’t punishing here.

*Chris and Damien walk into a park, where they both sit on a old Wood Park bench*

Chris: So before we began, do you have any questions for me?

Damien: Honestly i don’t know where to begin..

Damien:  Like i have so many questions like; How were you in Heaven before me? Where’s Veronica and Lexis, and what’s happening to me?

Chris: Ha, you’re really do have some heavy questions.. But for no lets stick to the one’s that will help you the most before you disappear 

Chris: First off what you’re going though is basically called a Soul Confliction

Damien: Soul Confliction..

Chris: Yea basically your soul can’t decide on whether it should be here or not.

Chris: Judgement isn’t done God or Peter it’s done by you yourself. You truly know if what you’ve done in your life is wrong or not, which is why the judgment room prevents you from being able to lie

Chris: Deep in our hearts we know our truths and what we did. The people that can truly accept their failings and are able to learn and change from them can make it into Heaven. But those that refuse to believe what they did was wrong and basically rebuke what’s going on, goes to Hell.

Damien: So basically i’m in the middle..

Chris: Bingo, It’s not uncommon tho. I say for every 1 million souls a few thousand are Conflicted. What’s alarming to many is that the number of conflicted are being to rise more and more.

Chris: But that’s a whole nother fiasco

Damien: Well what is it that i need to do to get rid of my conflictions..

Chris: That leads into what happen to mom which leads into what happened to me..

Chris: See.. whether you know it or not you hurt mom to a point of almost no return.

Damien: Bullshit! i never once hurt Veronica. I gave her the world when i was around. From toys to great schooling, there was nothing that she ever needed that i couldn’t provide.

Chris: And yet somehow she had a terrible life where she hated herself, her mother and never felt that she could be the perfect girl that you wanted her to be, which cemented multiple personality and mental disorders for her.

Damien: 

Chris: Yea, excellent parenting 

Damien: Look, how was i suppose to know of anything like that would happen to her. Any problems that happened between me and Lexis stayed between us.

Damien: I never took out my anger or frustration on Veronica

Chris: Do you honestly think that because you didn’t yell or hit her, that she wasn’t severely affected by your actions.

Chris: It’s not about what you did say to her, it’s what you didn’t. It’s not about the amount of money you spent on her, it’s about what you bought. And it’s not about the problems you had with grandma, it’s about how you handled them.

Chris: Every careless and thoughtless action you made she saw and she made her own reasoning's for them. 

Damien: Like what!? what did or didn’t I do that affected her so much?

Chris: Your input on her self worth

Damien: Now this is definite bullshit. I always called her beautiful and brought her tons of dresses that she wanted!

Chris: You do know there is a difference between calling someone beautiful and actually treating and showing them that they are.

Damien: What are you talking about?

Chris: Let’s start off small. What kind of toys do you remember buying her and what affect do you think they had?

Damien: I don’t know.. shit like barbies and dolls similar to them.

Chris: Right, you gave a dark skin girl a bunch of toys and dolls that looked nothing like her nor were there any positive representation of women like her besides her mother.

Chris: But thanks to you her she never looked at her mother in a positive light nor did she want to be like her

Damien: Ugh, please don’t turn this into a white vs black bs. I heard enough of that bs before i died and i rather not hear more while i’m dead.

Chris: This isn’t about white vs black you idiot, this about the start of a girl looking in the mirror and hating what she sees

Chris: You take a black girl and put her with a family where the father hates her mother and doesn’t talk or spend loving time with the daughter; and surround her around a bunch of examples of what being beautiful and perfect is but none of them look like her. What do you think will happen?

Damien: But what you’re talking about are dolls. They’re just toys!

Chris: Toys that she spent more time with than her own father

Damien: ...

Chris: Yes the toys played a small role in the grand scheme of things. But most big problems are complied of small things like it. But as you’ll see, Mom had bigger problems than you know

Damien: What do you mean i’ll see..

*Chris goes to put his hands on Damien’s head, But is interrupted by Angie*

Angie: Sorry to intervene but i can’t let you take him there.

Angie: I get what you’re trying to do but you’ll only cause more damage than good!..

Chris: *staring at Angie shocked and confused* what do you mean i’ll do more damage than good and why do you look like-

*A Bright Light crashes down on Angie and Damien taking them away*

Chris: What the hell!

Chris: Will seeing what happened to Veronica really break him as he is?

*A Bright Light crashes down leaving behind Angie and Damien in a new location in front of a huge club with blasting music*

Damien: What the hell Angie!? why did you take me away from Chris?

Angie: Listen that kid was going to take you someplace that i don’t think you’re ready to see yet. And since you only have one shot at this i rather take things a little slow to make sure you won’t get broken.

Damien: What do you mean broken? and where are we?

Angie: How about you find out *pushes Damien through the doors*

*Damien stumbles into the building, tripping over a bottle and falling forward*

Damien: *falls on his chest* oof! *slowing picking himself up* Someone needs to explain why pain is still relevant here..

???: Nephew you got alot more stuff to learn before we get to that

Damien: Huh? *looking up*

Damien: UNCLE CRAIG!

Uncle Craig: So we meet again nephew, perfect timing too *grabs Damien by the back of his collar lifting him up in the air*

*Uncle Craig carries Damien into the main floor filled with people dancing and drinking, while “Frankie Beverly- Before i let go” plays loudly*

Uncle Craig: AYE LISA!! I DONE FOUND YA COON AS GRANDSON AH-HAHAHEY!

Lisa: *Stands up waving her arms* Whaaaat! Bring My GrandBaby over here!!

Damien: Grandma Lisa!? Great Great Grandma Lisa!? Why does she look so young.. and fine!?

Uncle Craig: Don’t be weird nephew that’s ya grandma. You can take that freaky talk to those weird white country zones i hear about

THE END OF CHAPTER 3