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dizzydancingdreamer · 4 years ago

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My Just Dance Playlist and who I would battle against / team up with in order to remain the champ

Hey lovelies so I— like usual— am procrastinating so I have decided— at the behest of literally no one— to extensively go through my workout Just Dance Playlist and explain in depth who I would 1 v 1 against, why I would pick them, and why I would— most likely— win.

PSA: This will be very biased and will literally be me bragging about how I would win at Just Dance every time with very little factual proof (because, really, how am I getting this proof?) and then literally me being self absorbed for the entirety of this essay length post— a girl’s gotta’ self care you know?

This is also lowkey practice for a fic I’ll be putting out at the start of Dinner at Dizzy’s so stay tuned it’ll be a fun one

Sorry in advance for the 2.4k essay of me being self obsessed

Also the links are just vids of the choreo in case you’re invested

Into The Unknown | Idina Menzel

This is a warm up song— like if I don’t do this one to stretch I’ll literally die— but definitely Wanda because we’re both soft (don’t fight me on this— I just know she’s a soft girl and would LOVE Just Dance). I don’t think I would aim to win on this one— I like her too much and, again, this is a warm up. She would definitely sing along with me too. If Sam was in a good mood he would also join in on this one— he has two nephews and is fun as fuck so I do not doubt he knows all the words and would be all in. Honestly this song is a warm up so anyone could join and I wouldn’t aim to win— unless it was Tony— because the man’s ego is perhaps the only one bigger than mine— or Steve— because I don’t know why I just think it would be cute to watch the man fumble because he 100% can’t dance beyond the slow dances.

Let It Go | Idina Menzel

Okay so another warm up (yes, I need two warm ups) so again the same principles apply. Again Wanda would be all over this one and I would go as far as to say Pietro— fuck off he is an Avenger and in my head he’s still very much alive— would join in too because he’s like a puppy. I would make Bucky do it too— cue the pout because he would try to say no and nope, no sir, you’re playing— because, uh hello, super soldier dancing to Disney songs. I think I would pull Nat in too because she needs a little push and once she’s in she’d be fully in— and, duh, I want a sexy woman assassin to dance with me.

Bad Romance | Lady Gaga

This isn’t my favorite song but— lucky for me— it’s a group song with three dancers so it won’t make me look bad right away. I would pull my sexy girl gang and get Nat and Wanda in on the action. I feel like Nat would be in the front— because, again, hello sexy— and not to mention that I feel like her skills would make her able to easily adapt to the moves— and then Wanda and I would just be chilling in the back, giggling and being cute. This is Nat’s moment— can you tell I only get competitive against the men? Fuck trying to beat Nat, I’m using this time to absorb the sexiness— I will be needing it for later on in this playlist.

Hot N Cold | Katy Perry

OKAY THIS IS ARGUABLY MY FAVOURITE SONG ON MY PLAYLIST! This is 100% my best song. Like “perfects” across the board every single time. I have it memorized and if this song ever comes on in public I’ll be fucked because I’ll have to dance to it and look dumb. Anyway— given that this is my best song— Sam. I can afford to throw him in here because— despite the fact that I know this man has literally all the moves— I have this song ingrained in the essence of my soul. It would probably be a semi-close race but I have the added bonus of knowing the tricks of the choreography. He may be skilled but I am obsessive and have poured hours into this song. I would probably laugh when he loses because of the adrenaline (again, it was close, my heart would be pounding). This is dirty and strategic but this is about me winning and nothing else. Better luck next time babes— rematch anytime.

Girlfriend | Avril Lavigne

MY THIRD FAVOURITE SONG— JUST LIKE BEFORE THIS IS IN MY SOUL! I have actually spent a lot of time thinking about this. I could use this song to knock out a more skilled dancer— Tony, Sam (again), Pietro (you know I’m right)— but I have made the executive decision to pull Steve in on this one. Clearly it has nothing to do with skillful planning on this one— I would 110% win this game— but rather it has everything to do with the fact that I want to look this man in the eye and mouth “Hell yeah, I'm the motherfucking princess” and watch him get flustered and maybe tell me not to swear. Clint would laugh and that’s more than enough motivation for me. I also want to giggle and stare at the super soldier the entire time because I can hit the moves with my eyes closed and he would be flicking his eyes between the screen and me wondering how on EARTH I got so good at this. SO CUTE!

California Gurls | Katy Perry

THIS IS THE ONE THAT IS TIED WITH HOT N’ COLD FOR FIRST! I’m good good at this one. I grew up on Snoop Dogg and I fully believe that is why I am so good at this song. Anyway Pietro— without a doubt in my mind Pietro would kill this song (or in the very least try to kill it) and I’m not worried about losing because of the sheer amount of gameplay I have on this song alone. He would have the most fun with me and it would be the literal time of my life. Like I might actually lose this one just to see him get all happy and puppy-like about winning— LOL just kidding no I wouldn’t, sorry peanut better luck next time. You killed the hip wiggles though!

Forget You | CeeLo Green

Okay this one might not make any sense but Bucky. This is a hard-ish song but I think some of the moves really scream like old-timey and I think— if he could get rid of his pride for five seconds and let some of the fun-loving, silly Bucky out— that he would really enjoy this song. It’s fast paced but repetitive, the lyrics are fun, and I would be laughing enough for the both of us that he wouldn’t think about how dumb he looks because I’d be looking doubley stupid. Don’t let that fool you— I am a whiz at this song too. There’s a lot of jumping and spinning and jump spinning that entice that perfectionist side of me in a way that has driven me to perfect this song. This isn’t a heavily strategic move— it doesn’t need to be, he, again, hasn’t danced in years— but it is fun while allowing me to still win. NEXT!

Waterloo | ABBA

Okay two teams here, this is where it gets fun. This could go in a lot of directions. If Tony isn’t there then I would pull Nat— the gameplay is easy and she would pick it up within seconds. I would then pair up Steve and Thor because they’re both huge and clunky and would spend the entire time bumping into each other. Dirty but I’m doing it without regret. NOW— If Tony was there then we’re teaming up. I don’t trust him to not be on a team with me because he’s too competitive. I won’t risk it, not today, not ever— we’re eternal dance partners because I refuse to be bested by a man. Even a sexy, silver fox millionaire. The other team would be Sam and Bucky. They would fight the entire time. I can hear it now— “That was the wrong move, dumbass.” “You stepped on my foot, asshole.” — it’s a virtually flawless game plan. There’s a 1% chance they would team up to win against me but even then Bucky hasn’t danced since the 30’s. Foolproof.

Just Dance | Lady Gaga

I am AWFUL at this one but luckily it’s a group dance again. If I had to choose any song to take a break for— because I’ve literally just whooped Avenger butt at this point and deserve five minutes to sit down— it would be this one. This is 100% a strategic move. Love you miss Gaga but the choreography is WACK and I will not be losing. Anyway I will be nominating Tony, Pietro, and Sam— a dance battle of epic proportions and I honestly cannot tell you who I think would win. I can, however, speculate. Sam right off the bat would be a hard player to beat. I said it before and I will reiterate now— Sam Wilson has all the moves. But, that being said, Tony would not want to lose. Like at all. So I am pushed to believe that this fight would be a tough battle. Pietro I don’t think would try too hard to win but, then again, I just pitted him against Tony and, well, we all know how that goes. He has an ego too so honestly it could go in any direction. Pietro might be soft with me but against Sam and Tony— this fight might get dirty. Camera’s out people!

Gimme! Gimme! | ABBA

Thor. Like— there’s just no other person that I want to disco with. None. I want the blonde god up there next to me or nobody. Well, besides Steve because LOL yeah he’s not winning that sorry pumpkin we’ve already covered that. Thor I could simultaneously beat and laugh my ass off with. It’s a lot of tricky moves— ABBA didn’t come to play— and way too much variety for him to be able to catch on right away but he would also not care about looking like an idiot and might end up just picking me up and spinning me around because why not right? I would win and be happy.

Starships | Nicki Minaj

This is pure strategy— Tony. This is the only one I could beat him at because of the sheer amount of moves and plot twists in the choreography. There’s a lot of jumping, spinning, kicking movements and if you haven’t had two months to memorize it then you’ll be fucked. Even then it’s a long shot because— AGAIN THE EGO DRIVES THIS MAN TO HEIGHTS I HAVE YET TO SEE ANYWHERE ELSE— but it’s my best bet. If I could blindside him enough with the hip wiggling then it would be a sure win but he might see through the strategy. He’s smart— too smart. I would fight dirty— I don’t lose. Now, if Tony— again— was not present then I would pull my baby Wanda for this one because she would have so much fun and it would be 1000% worth it. Literally my ray of sunshine— let’s do fun girl things like dance to Nikci like the entire team isn’t watching. Clint and Sam would be singing along— that’s canon. Nat would be filming and cheering. The super soldiers, iron boy (assuming he’s sitting this one out), the fast one, and the gods would be slack jawed. It doesn’t get better

Maneater | Nelly Furtado

I can’t even explain how long I’ve had the plan for this one. Too long. Remember the sexiness I was talking about? Yeah— here’s where I’m gonna’ need it. This is ALSO one of my favourite songs on this playlist because of how sexy I feel dancing to it. The moves are *chefs kiss* so fucking amazing I could cry. I feel like a maneater when I dance to this and that is a blessed feeling. Anyway— I will be pulling two people for this song and those people are Clint and Nat. I think Clint— contrary to popular belief— is secure enough to have fun dancing to this and, also, not to mention the most important part— whoever wins gets to take me on a date. The big guns. Literally it’s a foolproof plan. First, I can’t lose because this choreography is hard as fuck for beginners and I have been practicing and perfecting it for months. Second, the fight between Nat and Clint would be so fucking entertaining. They’re skilled, agile, sleek assassins who would literally dance to Nelly Furado like their lives depended on it. I think what’s even funnier is that Nat is for sure the better dancer but I just know Clint is a) only a fraction less better than her and b) would be trying SO HARD to win. Like I wouldn’t put it past him to not play dirty. I am cute, after all. His 6’3” ass would be sweating trying to get my 5’2” ass on that date.

Good Feeling | Flo Rida

Clint, baby, knowing full well you could have possibly just lost the last round to Nat, I will give you one more chance— mainly because this whole song is a vibe and the choreography is so much fun and there’s a handful of moves that I both want to do in sync with you but also want to laugh watching as you flounder them. Clearly as a stealthy archer assassin I am testing my luck with this one but he just doesn’t know the in depth ins and outs of this choreo. He doesn’t know about the like seventeen hundred bridges that this song has and the robot moves in the middle. So I’ll wrack up those extra points where needed. Honestly if you only click one link make it this one— I can’t describe how fun this would be with him. Competitive but fun. I have faith in myself that I would come out on top. He’s agile but I’d risk it all for the title of champion. Still, he would fight hard— that’s why I love him though.

How Far I’ll Go | Auli’i Cravalho

This is my cool down song but there’s someone here who has managed to hide his way into not playing and that is unacceptable— Loki, babe, you’re doing my relaxing song with me because the gods only know how much you need a break. I’ll look dumb because— believe it or not— the slow song trips me up the most. But it’s fun and it’s the reason I don’t have a heart attack when my chubby ass is done all the fast songs— so it’s necessary. It’s also slow enough that he won’t look dumb and thus won’t literally kill me because he won’t be embarassed. I would willingly lose to Loki because I don’t want to lose my life. It isn’t a loss— it’s survival. That and I think he’d smile if he got a good score and that alone is worth losing to this one (1) man. I also want to add that I think Clint would secretly love this one because you can’t tell me that a man with an aim as good as him doesn’t meditate. He does and he would perhaps beat Loki at this one. Rest in peace to the love of my life when the trickster god literally tears his head from his body but sometimes you’ve got to take the L baby.

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longhornrachel · 4 years ago

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I Feel Pretty//selfpara

Who: Rachel Berry

Where: The Academy Theatre

When: May 9th, 2020

Notes: Rachel auditions for West Side Story (also keep your eyes peeled for a stalker sighting)

Rachel smoothed her skirt as she walked into the audition room, her heels clicking with authority as she smiled at the people sitting at the table, saying hello as she walked over to the pianist to hand her the sheet music with a smile and a thank you. She walked over and took her place waiting for the group to look at her. She smiled brightly before starting. “Hello, I’m Rachel Berry, I’ll be auditioning for the part of Maria” “Sounds good,” the director, Doug said sitting back as he gave her a nod. “Whenever you’re ready” Rachel nodded, taking a deep breath in. Auditioning now terrified her. She hadn’t ‘auditioned’ since NYADA and that had been an absolute train wreck. But this was different. There were no stakes at all here. The only person who knew she was auditioning was Blaine, and he would never judge her for not getting it, or if she choked like she did the last time. She let out the breath and looked over at the pianist and gave her a nod to start whenever she was ready. “I can hear you but I won't Some look for trouble while others don't There's a thousand reasons I should go about my day And ignore your whispers which I wish would go away, oh oh oh Ah ah oh oh Oh oh Ah ah oh oh,” Usually this would be the part where she would stop, but she could see she had the panel enthralled, and honestly why shouldn’t she take her moment center stage? This was what she wanted, wasn’t it? She had always known she was meant to be a star, granted she had run into some small snags along the way, but what could she do about that now. She smiled, launching herself into the next bit of the song.

“You're not a voice You're just a ringing in my ear And if I heard you, which I don't I'm spoken for I fear

Everyone I've ever loved is here within these walls I'm sorry, secret siren, but I'm blocking out your calls I've had my adventure, I don't need something new I'm afraid of what I'm risking if I follow you

Into the unknown Into the unknown Into the unknown Ah ah oh oh Ah ah oh oh oh oh”

Rachel could read the room, and unless someone came in and was the reincarnation of Natalie Wood, with the voice of Marni Nixon, she knew she had this in the bag. She looked over towards the pianist who gave her the nod to keep going, to finish the song out strong. “What do you want? 'Cause you've been keeping me awake Are you here to distract me so I make a big mistake? Or are you someone out there who's a little bit like me? Who knows deep down I'm not where I'm meant to be?

Every day's a little harder as I feel my power grow Don't you know there's part of me that longs to go…

Into the unknown? Into the unknown Into the unknown Ah ah oh oh Ah ah oh oh

Oh oh oh Are you out there? Do you know me? Can you feel me? Can you show me? Ah ah oh oh Ah ah oh oh Ah ah oh oh Ah ah oh oh Oh oh oh oh Oh oh oh oh Oh oh oh oh Oh oh oh oh Oh oh oh oh Oh oh oh oh

Where are you going? Don't leave me alone How do I follow you Into the unknown? Oh oh oh” Rachel finished the song, and she knew. She had nailed the song. The only person who could have done it better was Idina Menzel herself and even then Rachel was sure she could give her a run for her money. She bit her lip and looked at the panel, Doug was looking at her quite impressed, the woman next to him literally had her jaw open in shock and the man next to him was nodding his head. “That was quite impressive Rachel,” Doug said, smiling at her as he scribbled something down. “We will definitely be in touch later this week” he said with a nod. She nodded, taking back her sheet music. “Thank you very much,” she said with a smile as she grabbed her bag and headed out of the room, thanking the stage manager as she did. She could see some of the girls looking at her, some angrily, others as if they’d never heard the sound of an angel singing. She put a smile on her face and headed for the door, thanking the boy who held the door open for her. With her shoulders pushed back, head held high, she headed out to her car confident that she had gotten the part.

#I feel pretty

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avatarxfrozen-blog · 6 years ago

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Wind Beneath My Wings

Well, this is ridiculously fluffy. Inspired by Idina Menzel’s version of the song. All I can think of is these two whenever I hear it. I don’t usually include song lyrics, but for this one I just had to.

Anna was beyond happy to have Elsa back, she really was. It was like a huge hole in her heart had been filled. But she began to…notice things.

It was obvious that Elsa was born to be queen. She’d had years and years of training, even from the time they were just little. Their father had expected so much of Elsa, to the point their mother had to rein him in and remind him that Elsa was a child.

But on top of all that, Elsa just had the disposition. She was always more serious, quiet, disciplined (unless she was with Anna), whereas Anna was wild, and loud, and her attention span…about as long as her doll was tall. And she was reminded of that over the years. “Your Highness, you must focus. Your sister managed just fine,” or, “Princess Anna, you need to try harder. Princess Elsa mastered this quickly, you should be able to, too.”

Not the best for her self-esteem. She didn’t blame Elsa, of course. Elsa had never done anything to make her feel that way, and she doubted she even knew what people had said.

And that feeling was coming back, and fast. She stayed by her sister’s side as much as she could, but by doing so was reminded why people compared her to her. Elsa was so smart, she read through reports with ease that to Anna seemed to be gibberish. She could do math in her head, and she always looked so graceful and regal. But most of all, people respected her. They didn’t have the nerve to cross her and were quick to do her bidding. She was amazing and perfect and…

Anna just couldn’t compare.

Anna finally lost it one day during a council meeting she went to with Elsa. One of the councilmen, an older man who stuck to the old ways and as such thought Elsa was unfit to rule, was her target. He was one of the few that dared to openly argue with her. He also didn’t like Anna.

Anna finally got tired of listening to him argue with her sister so she snapped at him. Her smug satisfaction at seeing his surprise fell away when she saw Elsa’s glare. “Apologize,” she hissed at her under her breath. Barely holding back a moan, Anna did so, her hands clenched into fists at his smug smile.

After the meeting was over, Anna tried to escape, but her sister cleared her throat. This time she did groan and slumped back into her seat as everyone left. Elsa closed the doors after the first person left and turned on her. “Anna, what you did was incredibly rude. Why would you do something like that?”

“He was giving you a hard time!”

“And he’s going to make things more difficult for me now because of this!” She paused to take a calming breath when she saw a thin layer of ice on the floor. “You can’t disrespect them like that, no matter how angry they make you. You should know better.”

“You should know better,” her father said, disappointment in his voice. He shook his head. “Elsa never gave us this much trouble.” He turned and left, leaving Anna alone.

With that, the first of many tears ran down her cheek.

Angry tears burned her eyes as every insecurity, every painful memory, crashed onto her. “I’m sorry I can’t be as perfect as you,” she spat, then turned and ran, ignoring her sister’s shocked face.

She ran to her room, nearly blinded by tears, and slammed the door shut before falling onto her bed, hugging her pillow as it quickly grew damp with tears.

Not too long later, after she had somewhat calmed, she heard a knock on her door. “Anna?”

She turned her head away and ignored her.

She heard a soft sigh. “I’m coming in.” She heard near-silent footsteps then felt her sit beside her. “Anna, please look at me.” When she did, she saw her expression fall when she saw her tear-stained cheeks and red eyes. “Oh, Anna…” she laid a gentle hand on her back. “Sweetheart, what’s going on?”

Even now, the term of endearment still made her heart sing. But it was quickly crushed by her emotional pain. She shook her heard. “Don’t wanna talk,” she croaked.

Elsa sighed softly and began to lightly trace circles on her back. “It does no good to bottle up your feelings. Trust me. Please, talk to me. I can’t help you unless you tell me.”

Anna looked at her face, thinking how this was what she had wanted for years. Elsa beside her, comforting her, talking to her. She saw nothing but love and concern in those deep blue orbs. She shook her head. “It’s stupid,” she muttered.

“It’s not stupid if it makes you feel like this. Was it something I said?” And there it was, that guilt that Anna had been trying so hard to get her to let go of. She reached out and took her free hand, already yearning to make that guilt disappear; truthfully, it really wasn’t Elsa’s fault, she didn’t know. And Anna had kind of deserved it.

“Not really, no.”

“You hesitated.”

Anna rolled her eyes; she was reminded again how Elsa truly was Olaf’s creator. “No, I didn’t. It wasn’t your fault, Elsa. It’s just…” Tears stung her eyes. “I’ll never be as perfect as you.” She turned her head and buried it in her pillow as she tried not to sob.

“What?” It was so soft she almost missed it. “Anna, look at me please.”

Anna listened and sat up to face her, sniffling. Elsa reached and gently wiped the tears on her cheek.

“Now, why would you say that?”

“It’s true, though,” she mumbled miserably. “I’ll never be as good as you, or smart, or perfect…I’m just the useless spare.” She began to sob again, but was shocked out of it when Elsa raised her voice.

“Hey!” She looked at her in surprise to see anger written across her face. “You are not a spare. Where did you even hear that?”

Anna hesitated. “My, um…our tutors were very fond of reminding me-“

“What?!” She didn’t even get to finish before Elsa stood and began to pace in front of her, looking furious. “Who told you that? I swear, when I find them…”

Anna gulped and tried to reach out for her. “Elsa, it’s alright, they’re not worth it. I’m not worth all the trouble.”

Elsa stopped and glared at her, making her cringe back. Then it softened and was replaced with sadness. She sat back down by her and took her hand in both of hers. “Why do you think so little of yourself?” Her eyes glistened and her voice wavered slightly.

Anna dropped her gaze and shrugged. “They were right. I mean, look at me. I’m weird and loud, I can’t sit still and I’m clumsy. I’m not smart, I never could keep up with you. I’m just not enough.”

She was shocked when Elsa suddenly pulled her into a tight hug, and even more so to realize she was crying. “You are more than enough,” she whispered fiercely. “In fact, you are everything, my everything.” She pulled back, gently cradled her face and leaned her forehead against hers. “You’re everything I wish I could be.”

“Wait, what?” Anna was completely baffled, by her words, her emotional responses, everything.

Elsa smiled sadly and stroked her cheek. “Anna, you are so much more than what you say. You are smart, and so kind. Everyone loves you. They fear me.”

“Elsa-“

“Shush, let me finish. You are braver than I could ever be. You scaled a mountain in the middle of my winter to find me. And I’ve never seen someone so loyal. Even after all I did to you-“ she tried to swallow back her tears, “-you still followed me and defended me, still loved me. You sacrificed yourself for me.”

They sat in silence while Elsa leaned back and tried to compose herself. Anna was stunned, she couldn’t think straight. What she stammered out was not the emotional response she wanted to give. “W-Why are you crying?”

“Because it hurts me to see you think so little of yourself after all you’ve done, and all you’ve been through. Anna, you are my hero. And I am so, so proud of you.”

With that, her words hit full force and Anna broke down crying. She collapsed into her sister’s arms, clinging to her tightly while Elsa held her equally as tight, nuzzling her hair while she cried with her.

After some time, she adjusted them so they were laying down, though she didn’t release Anna. She stroked her hair and planted kisses on the top of her head. “I love you,” she cooed, then began to sing to her softly:

“It must have been cold there in my shadow,

to never have sunlight on your face.

You were content to let me shine.

You always walked a step behind.

So I was the one with all the glory,

while you were the one with all the strength.

A beautiful face without a name.

A beautiful smile to hide the pain.

Did you ever know that you’re my hero,

and everything I would like to be?

I can fly higher than an eagle,

‘cause you are the wind beneath my wings.

It might have appeared to go unnoticed,

but I’ve got it all here in my heart.

I want you to know I know the truth,

I would be nothing without you.

Did you ever know that you’re my hero?

You’re everything I wish I could be.

I could fly higher than an eagle,

if you are the wind beneath my wings.

Did I ever tell you you’re my hero?

You’re my everything, everything I wish I could be.

Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle,

with you, you are the wind beneath my wings.”

Finally, with the soothing affect of her sister’s voice and steady heartbeat, Anna finally fell asleep, a tear on her cheek but a content smile on her face.

#ridiculous fluff #frozen fanfiction #snow sisters #elsa #anna #my fic #wind beneath my wings

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whimzililly · 6 years ago

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Anna is NOT going to be pregnant in Frozen 2

This has been a popular theory going around because of the mom-hair connection, but guys...unless this was a serious time skip or Disney was going crazy it’s NOT going to happen, for three main reasons.

ANNA IS 18 WHEN FROZEN ENDS. This would mean, even if it’s like 3 years later, she would still be college age. I really don’t think Disney would let the main character of their most financially lucrative franchise become pregnant that young. Not only would it likely piss of MANY parents, but it makes Anna a lot less accessible to the target demographic. It’s been 5/6 years since Frozen came out. That’s a long time! But not THAT long. The 6-10 year olds that made Frozen so successful are STILL KIDS. Older kids, sure, but still kids. They don’t necessarily want to see Anna’s first real big adventure outside of Arrendale be bogged down by morning sickness. It also eliminates the possibility for any further sequels that wouldn’t at least partially focus on Anna being a young mother. Because if 20 year old Anna goes off on adventures to fight badguys and discover magic and all that while leaving her 2 year old at home with Kristoff, some parents are going to be PISSED.

COLLEGE AGE ANNA WOULD BE PREGNANT OUT OF WEDLOCK!! To have this plot work we would either need to completely skip Anna and Kristoff’s wedding entirely, including all of the development that took place in their relationship that led them to thinking they were ready for marriage (one of the huge themes of the first movie), OR Disney is going to have Anna, the star of their most lucrative and popular franchise, GET PREGNANT BEFORE SHE GETS MARRIED. Which Disney...would not do. If it was the plot of it’s own totally original movie, maaayyyybeeee. But they wouldn’t just throw that plot into Frozen, ESPECIALLY with the cast and crew actively pushing Disney to let them make Elsa gay. ESPECIALLY especially in a movie where there’s going to be even MORE focus on Anna and Elsa’s relationship. Remember, the Let It Go of Frozen 2 has been confirmed to be a duet between Anna and Elsa. That means the two characters who are most involved in the pregnant plot (because that can’t really be a removed B plot) are Anna and ELSA, not Anna and Kristoff. Even if Anna keeps it a secret from Elsa, the focus is still on what Anna thinks ELSA would feel about her pregnancy. With the ‘lesbian incest sisters’ thing still big in the 1 Million Moms crowd, the crew and cast of a movie WHO WANT ELSA TO BE GAY/BI would NOT risk feeding into that whole mess.

IT LIMITS THE ADVENTURE/COMEDY POTENTIAL. Yes, there’s a lot of story and drama potential in this idea, but it also means that Anna can’t get seriously injured. Anna, the super slapsticky, impulsive, charge into danger for the ones she loves main character constantly surrounded by super dangerous and fairly volatile magic CAN’T GET HURT. Every time she falls off of a ledge, or gets hit by a blast of magic, or rushes in front of a bad guy to protect someone, the first thought will ALWAYS have to be the baby. She literally CAN’T put herself in harm’s way for the people she cares about while pregnant. To a lot of parents (and even some kids), that won’t be seen as brave or selfless anymore, that would be seen as prioritizing the life of her sister or husband over her child. The only way to circumnavigate this is by Anna shoeing that she believes the lives of others alive around her are more important to her than the potential for a life that rests in her first trimester pregnancy, but Disney would...NOOOOOOOOT DO THAT. Hahahaha, no. Or maybe they could have it be that Anna needs to learn to be more responsible with herself for the sake of her unborn child, but Jennifer Lee wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t make Anna’s second film appearance be her learning that she can’t adventure and fight and explore the world like she dreamed of her whole life because she has to take care of a baby now. With an already born child, that’s not an issue. Because her doing all that fun stuff wouldn’t literally directly endanger the life of her kid every second. But with Anna still pregnant, that’s the message the above story arc conveys, even if Anna literally turns to the camera and says “This is only until my child is born and done breastfeeding. THEN I’ll do all that stuff you want to see again!”. And that brings me to...

4(B). WHAT HAPPENS TO ANNA’S PREGNANCY IF SHE GETS HIT WITH AN ICE BLAST. This is SUCH a glaringly obvious question that it literally cannot be glossed over without hurting the story. Anna getting hit by ice blasts is what makes the story and characters happen in the first movie. Without Anna getting hit by an ice blast, the plot doesn’t happen, and Anna and Elsa’s characters don’t happen. The fear of hurting Anna with her magic isn’t just going to disappear from Elsa’s character in Frozen 2. Which means that, no matter how the writers phrase it, at some point Elsa will have to worry that she might cause Anna to have a miscarriage because of her magic. And that is... You know, I like when Disney goes darker and more mature. I Ioved the addition of canonically suicidal Elsa in Frozen the Musical. But Disney, Jennifer Lee, Idina Menzel, please don’t make that a thing that happens in Frozen 2. Please. Please don’t make Elsa stress about causing her sister to have a miscarriage because of her neurodivergance metaphor. Please.

And that, folks, is why Pregnant Anna isn’t going to be a thing in Frozen 2. And...do we really want it to? There’s a LOT of great story potential in the idea of Anna having a child (especially if that child has magic), but not yet. This is only the second movie, and all of the leads are so young and sheltered. Having a baby, even just physically being pregnant, doesn’t mean you can’t adventure and grow anymore, but it is still a HUGE shift in your life, and makes it a lot harder to explore and adventure and heal from past traumas when you don’t have a solid foundation of life and experiences to help you transition. Maybe if Anna grew up in a band of traveling adventurers who interacted with hundreds of colorful characters and had tons of children and tasks Anna had to watch over from time to time, a baby at 19-21 would be fine for her. But she’s not. She’s a sheltered princess who didn’t leave her home from ages 6-18 and probably NEVER left her country, who has had one real romantic relationship, no real parental figures from 15 on, and is only just starting to rekindle a deep connection with her sister. She’s only beginning to understand herself and the world and complex interpersonal connections and having serious responsibility. Kristoff is a lot better with that stuff, but even so. We’ve also only seen literally FIVE DAYS of Anna and Kristoff’s relationship (3 in the movie, 1 in each special. I know the specials time skip but Anna and Kristoff only share a few lines in each and those lines are intentionally written so that you can watch Frozen 2 without having watched the shorts and missed basically nothing.). It doesn’t matter how much we time skip in the sequel, ‘show don’t tell’ is an important rule in cinema for a reason. If the audience didn’t see Kristoff and Anna go through huge character arks involving their relationship to get them to the point of being ready for a kid, it doesn’t matter how they act or what they say in the sequel, the audience won’t buy it. “You can’t marry a man you just met” transitions really easily to “You can’t have a kid with someone who’s last notable interaction with you was him asking for permission to kiss you for the first time after meeting for the first time and becoming a couple that week”. Let’s face it, if these characters existed in the real world, Anna, Kristoff, and Elsa would have a long sit down discussion about the pregnancy, ending with Anna deciding to get an abortion/give her child up for adoption. That’s where their characters all are right now. That would be the decision that implements the lessons Anna learned in the first movie. Why do we want a story where Anna learns to deal with something she would handle an entirely different way in the real world? The lessons in these movies are useless if they can’t be applied to the real world as it is now. The only way to circumnavigate this is if Anna and Kristoff we’re actively trying to have a child, but that wouldn’t happen period. Not ‘it wouldn’t happen in the real world’, it just wouldn’t happen. The whole message of the No Instant-Love plot was don’t rush headfirst into things you’re not ready for because you think it will bring you happiness based on the idealized fairytale version of it in your head. Anna and Kristoff (and Elsa, because it would affect her too) are not ready for a child right now. They wouldn’t make the choice to have a child right now, because they (especially Anna) learned that lesson the hard way. When Frozen 4 comes out, I’m all for some kids. But based on everything we know about Disney, the people working on Frozen 2, and the characters/story itself, Pregnant Anna will have to stay in AUs until then.

#Frozen #Frozen 2 #Kristoff #Anna #Elsa #Kristanna #Gay Elsa #Disney #Frozen leakes #Frozen 2 leaks #Frozen theory #Long Post #Sorry

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everlarkbirthdaygifts · 7 years ago

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Happy Birthday, greetingsfromthenorthernsea!

Today, we wish a belated Happy Birthday to @greetingsfromthenorthernsea! We apologise for the delay on your gift, and hope your birthday back on December 9 was a lovely one full of cake and presents! To bring the party back, the lovely @wildlyglittering has written a story for you!

Title: Christmas Countdown

Gift For: greetingsfromthenorthsea

Rating: T

Note: Some innuendo and mild swearing

Katniss pressed the heel of her palms into her eyes and took a deep breath in. Little lights fuzzed behind her eyelids and she took a moment to observe the patterns they made.

Doing this was still preferable to watching Frozen for the third time that day. She had a thirty second respite before she heard her name being called from down the hall. Well, not her actual name but the one that she went by most commonly these days.

“Mama!”

Katniss let out a wavering sigh. “Mama’s in the bathroom,” she called out.

A thump hit the back of the closed door. “Mama,” the voice called again. “Mama...” and Katniss could hear an edge of desperation sink into their tone and could just picture the look of utmost injury on their face at the bathroom door being shut.

With another sigh, Katniss opened the door. It was Ellis, just as she thought. Her son looked up at her and smiled. Katniss couldn’t help but beam back. How could she not? Not when her youngest son looked up at her like she hung the moon.

She bent down and planted a kiss on top of his little golden head. “You get that look from your father,” she told him but he just kept grinning, no clue what she was talking about.

“Mama needs the bathroom,” she said standing up and turning around to the toilet but she knew trying to explain privacy to an eighteen-month-old, and the world’s most needy eighteen-month-old at that, was a completely redundant exercise. Instead she just abandoned all sense of dignity and sat down to pee in front of him. Again.

Ellis wandered over to her as she sat and pressed a chubby hand against her naked knee. His grin was a million dollars, like watching his mother peeing in the downstairs toilet was his most favourite thing to do. Katniss was beginning to wonder if it was. “You know,” she said, reaching out to touch one of his waves, enjoying the soft feeling between her fingertips, “it’s going to be really weird if you’re still into this when you’re eighteen.”

The sounds of ‘Let It Go’ travelled down the hallway and through the open door. The powerful vocals of Idina Menzel were joined by the equally powerful vocals of Daisy Mellark who obviously felt that her love of Elsa could not be known by the entire household unless she was projecting it at her highest volume.

“Mama...” Ellis whinged around his dummy.

“I know baby, but she’ll grow out of it in around ten years or so.”

Ellis tried to clamber up onto her lap but she had to hold him back, “No, no. Not while Mama’s peeing.”

“Mama....” the whinge got louder.

There was a shuffling down the hallway and a new body appeared in the doorframe. “Alright sweetheart.”

Katniss refrained from rolling her eyes. She was going to kill Haymitch. For reasons unknown to mankind, her other eighteen-month-old son had emulated their next-door neighbour out of some misplaced adoration and that involved parroting back ninety percent of what he said. Hearing Ellis say ‘Mama’ a thousand times a day was nothing compared to the quantity of that phrase coming out of the eldest twin’s mouth.

At least Jesse wasn’t helping himself to their liquor cabinet. Katniss looked over at where her eldest son was standing and raised an eyebrow. Why was that boy always naked?

Jesse sauntered in, clearly wanting to join in on the commotion. “Baby,” Katniss began, “where are your clothes?” Ellis took her moment of distraction as an opportunity to climb on her lap and did so with heft, grabbing at her top. Katniss manoeuvred him so that he was on one leg.

Jesse just shrugged, “Dunno,” and Katniss felt the urge to murder Haymitch rise up in her again. Her eldest boy looked at her with his wide grey eyes, eyes that he shared with his twin and his mother and Katniss could see the question whirring in them.

“Come on,” she sighed but before she had even spoken Jesse was already climbing up onto the other leg. She sat there, tying to pee, with the bathroom door wide open and with a toddler on each leg. One naked and mildly fidgety and the other one clothed but extremely fidgety.

“What’s happening?” All three heads turned to the door where a three-year-old Elsa wannabe was standing with her hands on her hips, clearly disgruntled as though she was being left out of a magnificent party.

Katniss hadn’t heard the singing stop or any footsteps walk down the hall. The eldest Mellark child had inherited Katniss’ light tread which had already resulted in some very embarrassing situations, especially when she would just randomly turn up in Katniss and Peeta’s bedroom.

“Mama’s trying to pee, Dais,” Katniss told her but was met with a petulant frown. Daisy stomped into the room, red wellies under her princess dress.

“I want to go outside.”

“Not right now,” Katniss said, “let Mama finish using the bathroom.”

The Elsa crown that slumped down over a head of black hair made for a pitiful sight but the bright blue eyes that stared up at Katniss’ face started filling with tears which only made it more pitiful.

Oh shit, Katniss thought. They were about to be the lucky guests to a proper royal tantrum.

“Off,” yelled Daisy and she grabbed at Ellis’ foot and tried to yank him from Katniss’ leg. This resulted in Ellis grabbing onto his mothers’ t-shirt with extra force, stretching the fabric. He began to wail.

“Daisy!” Katniss admonished her. “Don’t do that to your brother!”

Daisy’s eyes filled even harder and then she opened her mouth, a matching wail echoing around the bathroom.

“Horsey!” Jesse was filled with sudden, exuberant delight and began to bounce on Katniss’ leg as though he had just realised he should be making maximum use of this opportunity.

Katniss groaned and threw her head back.

Four days to go.

****

“I’ll be back home earlier tomorrow,” she heard Peeta say, “I’ve managed to get cover at the bakery for the afternoon.”

A large hand palmed the back of her head and smoothed down her hair. As his hand travelled past her neck she could feel his fingers gently massage some of the knots he found there. She sighed into the pillow where she had been laying, face down, since putting the children to bed.

Katniss turned her head and looked up at her husband and they made eye contact, offering each other tired smiles. “Are you sure?” she asked him. “Won’t they need you there?”

Peeta shrugged, his fingers threading through her un-braided hair, the soft tugging motions relaxing her scalp. She could feel her eyes grow heavy.

“I think you need me here,” he said with a grin but Katniss could see the dark circles under his eyes. The weeks leading up to Christmas at the bakeries were the worst. They owned three now, which was wonderful, but exhausting. Peeta managed one of the bakeries on a daily basis whilst the other two stores had managers. Unfortunately, one of those had unexpectedly quit a week ago so Peeta was dividing up his time between the Seam and Merchant branches whilst trying to check in on the third in the Hob.

“Come here,” she said and reached out her hand to touch his face. The rough stubble on his jaw scratched against her hand and she had a sudden desire to feel it scratching somewhere else. Peeta turned his face into her hand and kissed her palm and she tugged him down so he lay beside her.

They faced each other on the bed, his blue eyes, so like their daughters, looking into her grey ones. She smiled to herself, she was right about what she thought earlier, Peeta looked at her like she hung the moon.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked, and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she replied. “That one of our sons has slightly voyeuristic bathroom tendencies, that the other is a miniature Haymitch in the making with a dash of nudism thrown in and that our daughter won’t be happy until she has full run of the house.”

Peeta grinned, “Is Jesse still ‘alright sweet-hearting’ you?”

“Twenty times today. I counted. Which was probably thirty times less than Ellis yelling ‘Mama.’”

Peeta yawned and rolled over onto his back, tugging Katniss with him so that she was pulled against his chest. “Its because you’re Ellis’ most favourite person.” He smoothed a hand down Katniss spine. “I don’t blame him, because you’re my most favourite person.”

“You don’t follow me into the bathroom every opportunity you get.”

“Oh, but if I only could!”

“Pervert,” she tapped his chest with her hand but giggled.

“In fact, I feel like engaging in some slightly voyeuristic bathroom tendencies myself. Fancy taking a shower?” His eyebrows rose suggestively.

“So that you can watch or join?”

“Hmmm,” he trailed off, eyes looking thoughtful. “We’ll start with the first so I can judge you on your lathering technique and then we’ll move on to the latter so I can show you how it’s properly done.”

Katniss sat up on her elbow to look at him, her black hair falling down like a curtain. They were both tired; she felt it and he looked it. They should probably both just get some much-needed sleep.

She grinned at him, “Fine. But I’m not very good at lathering. I’m going to need lots of training.”

Peeta grinned back and pulled her mouth down to his.

****

“Oh god.” Katniss was face down on the bed again but this time she was trying to pull the pillow up over her ears. She had been woken up by Peeta’s four am alarm and the sound of wailing, both occurring simultaneously. Neither were welcome.

“I’ll get him,” Peeta’s voice, thick and muffled with sleep, spoke out beside her.

“No,” she grunted. “You’ve got to get ready for work. It’ll be me he wants anyway.”

Peeta managed a comforting pat on her head, the best he could do at the ungodly hour, and Katniss felt the bed shift and the floorboard creak as he shuffled off to the bathroom.

“Ugh,” she groaned, the volume muffled by the pillow before she flipped onto her back and swung her legs over the side. Zombie Mama was all she could manage.

Out of all her children it was Ellis that was the clingiest and it was Ellis that would only be soothed by his mother. Both Katniss and Peeta knew it was a short phase he would grow out of but that didn’t mean that Katniss wasn’t counting down the days until he did.

He was standing in his crib, fat tears dripping down his round face when she entered. “Hey, baby,” she murmured softly to him, mindful of the other sleeping person in the room. Ellis’ loud sobs begun to quiet immediately but the tears still fell as he blinked.

“Oh, look at that lip,” she whispered. His bottom lip trembled as she tiptoed across the carpet and picked him up from his crib. He was soft and warm, his sleep shirt riding up to reveal a chubby little tummy and a popped-out bellybutton. Ellis buried his face in her neck and she planted a kiss on his head.

Despite his grizzling, he was so fricking adorable. “Ssshh,” she soothed and stroked down his hair, its waves sticking up in random directions. “Let’s go downstairs.”

Katniss glanced at where Jesse was sleeping in the other crib. He could sleep through any journey, his sisters’ singing and his brothers’ screaming and for that she would be eternally grateful. Somehow, he had managed to wiggle his way out of his sleeping clothes and night time Huggies and was completely nude and sleeping like a starfish, legs and arms spread as wide as possible. Katniss shook her head and grinned.

As she walked past she reached through the bars and gently touched his foot, rubbing the pad of her thumb against the arch. Jesse didn’t move at all, just smacked his lips a few times and grunted.

She grinned again, making her way into the hallway. Katniss poked her head into Daisy’s room to find her in the same state as Jesse, fast asleep with dark hair splayed over her lemon pillow and drool dribbling from the corner of her mouth.

In the kitchen she put Ellis in his highchair and turned on the Christmas tree they had at the side. The lights danced across the countertops and ceiling and as he watched, transfixed, Katniss took the moment to brew her and Peeta a coffee.

Heavy steps thudded down the stairs and Katniss thanked the stars that it was another thing two out of three of her children could sleep through.

“Morning,” Peeta said, his voice sounding less thick and much chirpier. He planted a kiss on the top of Ellis’ head, his blonde hair falling over his son’s identical locks, and Ellis grinned up at him, momentarily broken from the Christmas lights spell. “And morning to Mama,” he said, standing next to her at the counter and gave her a deep kiss.

“Mmm,” she replied, “I have morning breath.”

“Ah, I don’t care.” Peeta left hand reached for the coffee as his right traced down her back and curved over her ass, giving it a rub.

“You are far too awake,” she told him but smiled anyway.

“And you are far too irresistible,” he winked and gave her ass cheek a squeeze.

She looked back at the highchair but Ellis had already gone back to being mildly hypnotised. Now, if only he would continue that through the day.

****

Three days to go.

Katniss wondered if daytime drinking was always a bad thing. Haymitch managed it on a daily basis so she figured it couldn’t be that bad but then again, Haymitch wasn’t trying to manage three under-threes.

“No, no, no!” She reached forward and managed to grab Ellis with one arm and hold the tree upright with the other. He’d gone running towards it with a gleeful squeal and yanked at one of the lower branches. It teetered towards him and Katniss managed to dash in before he got a face full of tree. Not that he cared. Ellis let out a wail and dropped through her arm like a stone, his arms outstretched in outrage.

“Oh, Ellis,” Katniss uttered as he rolled on the floor. “Mama couldn’t let you pull the tree down.” He continued to lay face down on the floor and sobbed into the rug. Katniss wondered how it would look if she joined him.

There was an irritated sigh from behind her and she turned around to see Daisy sat on the couch like a queen holding court. Jesse sat next to her, his finger up his nose as he swung his legs off the side. “Mama move,” she said. “I’m trying to watch Elsa.”

“Dais,” Katniss’ voice was stern, “you don’t tell people to move. It’s rude.”

“But Mama...”

“No buts Daisy, we’ve spoken about being rude before.” Her and Peeta had been told by Daisy’s preschool teacher that their daughter was a confident, outspoken child who enjoyed singing, talking, drawing and domineering. Both her and Peeta had winced, especially as they were told that the last talent often resulted in a level of curtness that wasn’t always endearing.

“I don’t want you to tell Santa,” Daisy said and a lip begun to quiver.

Katniss sighed and knelt in front of her daughter, putting her hand on her knee. “Mama needed to stop Ellis pulling down the tree.”

The lip still quivered. “You just needed to wait until Mama was done.”

The lip still quivered. Katniss sighed. Normally there would be more conversation about rudeness and manners but she had been up since four and it was hours from nap time and that was even if she could even get them to nap. “We’ll watch some more Frozen and then have some lunch, ok?”

“Ok,” Daisy’s lip instantly stopped trembling pathetically and Katniss couldn’t help but think she just got played.

“Ok,” she repeated with a sigh and stood up, careful not to tread on her still wailing son. She bent down and picked him up, balancing him on her lip before wiping away his tears. The doorbell rang and Katniss took a quick look around. One child in her arms and two on the couch. Fine.

The delivery man just needed a signature for the parcel but all it took was a minute out of sight. A crash resounded from the lounge and Katniss muttered, ‘shit,’ before she could think. Running back in she saw the tree upturned on its side, baubles and ornaments strewn all over the floor.

Jesse stood beside the tree, a strand of glittery tinsel in his hand. He looked up at her with a guilty expression, “Uh-oh Mama. Uh-oh.”

****

“This is the cutest thing I’ve ever come home to.”

“Shut up,” Katniss murmured but there was no bite in her tone. She opened an eyelid to see Peeta standing at the end of their bed, grinning. “You have no idea what I’ve done in order to achieve this.”

“Nyquil?” Peeta offered up with a smile and Katniss rolled her eyes.

“I wish it had even been that easy.”

Earlier Katniss had stood in the doorway staring at the downed tree, with a sobbing toddler on one hip, a shamefaced toddler who looked like he was about to start crying plus another toddler who huffed, again, at her movie being interrupted and felt her eye begin to twitch.

“Ok,” she had said. “We’re all going to have lunch. And then we’re going to put the tree back up and then we’re going to play a game.” And then, she had thought, I’m going to make sure you take a nap because dear god, Mama needs one.

Somehow, by a Christmas miracle, they had eaten with minimal fuss, messily slapped the decorations back on the branches and ran around outside for an hour until their faces were pink with the cold. A warm, milky drink later and they were all piled on Katniss and Peeta’s bed with Katniss squished in between Daisy and Jesse as Ellis lay on her torso.

Peeta yawned and ran a flour covered hand through his hair. “Do you think?” he asked. “That there’s room for Daddy?”

Katniss smiled at him, “There’s always room.”

Peeta sighed and slid onto the bed, carefully making sure not to jostle the small, sleeping bodies. He leaned forward and gave Katniss a soft kiss before resting back. A large hand stretched out and stroked the nearest child’s hair.

“A parcel arrived for you today,” she told him. “Looked like your mother’s handwriting.”

Peeta grunted and closed his eyes. “Awesome.”

“I wonder if she’s included one of her ‘infamous’ letters.”

“Probably.”

“Maybe she’ll suggest a vasectomy again.”

Peeta groaned, “The last thing I have ever wanted in life is my mother putting that much thought into what happens to my penis.”

Katniss shifted slightly, the weight of Ellis beginning to press down on her. He stirred and she smoothed a hand over his warm back. “She does seem unnaturally concerned.”

“She needs to mind her own business.”

“Well she thinks we are her business. She thinks we can barely cope with three children.”

Peeta cracked an eye open and frowned. “Just because she couldn’t, doesn’t mean we can’t.”

“They all happened in rather quick succession...” Katniss whispered, trailing off.

“Hey,” Peeta said, his voice low and warm. “We’re doing great. This is just Christmas madness. And besides,” he stretched and his jumper rode up revealing a slither of skin and a dark blonde happy trail, “it’s not my fault you can’t keep your hands off of me.”

“That’s not true,” she said with a blush and tore her eyes away.

“Sure,” he said with a low chuckle and leant forward again to place another soft kiss on her lips.

There was a little giggle and they both looked down to see Daisy’s wide-open eyes looking at them from where she was curled into Katniss’ side. “Ew,” she giggled again, “kissing.”

Peeta raised an eyebrow. “You think this is gross, do you? Well then...” and with a practiced move he sat up and lifted his daughter from the bed, swung her over to his chest, dangled her backwards and began planting kisses onto her face. Daisy shrieked with delight, her legs kicking in the air. “Noooo,” she laughed, her small hands fisting clumps of Peeta’s hair.

That did it. The two boys were awake, their grey eyes wide and looking momentarily confused before they realised the source of the noise was coming from their sister.

“Yeahhhh!” yelled out Jesse and Katniss watched as he stood and launched himself at Peeta. Ellis sat up on Katniss’ belly and just stared at the rumble. Peeta fell back onto the bed with Daisy on his chest as Jesse continued the attack on his neck.

“What do you say?” Katniss said to her youngest, over the sound of the shrieks and yells. “If we can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” And with that Katniss lifted Ellis into her arms and threw herself into the mix.

****

There had been more snowfall overnight and it had settled onto the ground, blanketing everything with a soft, white powder. Katniss loved how it looked; the way it glittered and sparkled in the winter sun.

She’d managed to sleep in a bit later than usual although she still woke to say goodbye to Peeta. He wasn’t able to be home early today but that was ok, she was planning on taking the kids to him. All three had managed to sleep a bit later as well before she was eventually woken by a completely nude Jesse who somehow had managed to get naked and get out of his crib.

He had stood in front of her, with his blonde, unruly waves of hair sticking out in all directions and his chubby little tummy with his little popped out belly button on show, demanding breakfast.

Katniss had grabbed him and covered his face with kisses, just as Peeta had done with Daisy the day before. I want to keep you all with me for always, she had thought and then proceeded to try and convince them to eat their eggs before they could play outdoors.

“Alright sweetheart,” the gravelly voice called out over the fence. “How’s mama hen doing with all her chicks?”

Katniss turned from where she stood watching Ellis scoop snow into his mouth and from where Daisy was frowning with snowman building concentration to look at their neighbour. There was an exuberant cry from her right. “Haymitch!” Jesse called and begun to stomp on over.

“We’re clucking along,” she told him. “I’ll be taking them to see Peeta later.”

“The boy still working?” Haymitch asked and Katniss nodded.

“Yeah, it’s a busy time.”

“Well if you need some ‘quality time’ together, I’ll reluctantly take the rugrats from you.”

Katniss looked over at Haymitch but he was grinning down at Jesse who in turn, was grinning back. Reluctantly? Not a chance. When they first moved in with a new-born Daisy they introduced themselves to Haymitch who made some comment about children and noise but Katniss had seen the way his face softened when he looked at the baby.

Peeta had a way of making people open up, a charm that Katniss didn’t possess and he had told her that he’d discovered Haymitch had once been married. Something had gone wrong when she was giving birth to their first baby and Haymitch had lost both. That’s why he drinks a lot, Peeta had said. That, and I think he’s lonely.

“Last time you took the ‘rugrat’s,’” Katniss replied, “Jesse came back with a whole new phrase and Daisy believed it was fine to draw on walls.”

Haymitch shrugged, “Not my fault if I encourage creative expression.”

“Hmm,” she muttered. “You still coming over Christmas Day?”

There was a groan from Haymitch and she watched as he lifted a glass filled with deep amber liquid to his mouth and took a long sip. “If I must sweetheart. Though I can think of better ways to spend my day than playing dress up.”

“You looked adorable last time you were Anna.”

Haymitch shot her a look and she winked at him. He would come over on Christmas Day this year like he had last year, and the year before and the year before that. He would moan about it but would be there before nine in the morning with arms filled with presents, just like last year, and the year before and the year before that.

And besides, he looked rather fetching wearing a dress around his neck.

****

Just two more days. That was what she repeated in her head as she bundled the children into the car. Get through today and tomorrow and then it’s Christmas Day. It will all be normal then.

Getting them back inside had been a monumental task. Jesse had uncharacteristically started to cry when Haymitch had gone back indoors. “But baby,” she had told him, “it’s getting cold and we’re going indoors too.”

That had been met with an open-mouthed wail as tears splashed down his face. “HAYMIIIIIIITCH!”

Ellis had been so shocked that he paused his snow eating to stare. Then, rather characteristically, joined in.

Daisy just carried on patting snow onto her snowman, used to both brothers by now. Katniss took a deep breath. Soothing wasn’t working. Bribery wasn’t working. Nothing was working until she mentioned that they were going to go see Daddy.

It worked for Jesse who immediately stopped the waterworks at the thought of going to the bakery. He just gets bored, Katniss thought. He sees me and Ellis and Daisy all day, he just wants new faces. The bakery was one of the best places to take him, not just because he got to see Daddy or eat the treats but because the bakery girls gushed over the children and cooed over their blonde waves and said how pretty they all were. Jesse would grin and blow bubbles at them in his way of flirting.

After the twenty-minute drive Katniss finally pulled into a space outside the bakery. Peeta was at the Merchant site today and though it wasn’t her favourite site (the Hob premises held that place in her heart) she had to admit it was the prettiest.

Merchant Square was the ‘posh’ side of town, the place where the original Mellark bakery resided back in the 1800’s and it still held the charm of red bricked buildings, candy striped awnings and large shop windows with colourful displays.

None were more colourful than the current Mellark bakery display with piles of macarons, both in pastel and vibrant shades, the Christmas cakes with reindeer and Santa’s and cake-pops designed to look like baubles and Christmas puddings.

Katniss piled the twins into their double buggy and steered it with one hand whilst holding Daisy’s hand with the other. All three of them were wide eyed at what they could see and Katniss felt a little of her Christmas madness desperation melt away.

When they stepped into the bakery it was Rue that greeted them with a cheery smile and a wave and Katniss looked into the buggy to see Ellis stare and Jesse wave back with his trademark cheeky grin. Any minute now the bubbles would start. Daisy gave a bashful wave and crept closer to Katniss, pressing her face into Katniss’ leg.

“Hi guys!” Rue exclaimed. “Peeta’s out back, let me go get him.”

Katniss said her thanks and then started to get the kids settled into the seating booth at the front of the store. It didn’t take long before she heard the heavy tread of footsteps and a joyful, “Well if it isn’t my favourite people!”

There were at least two squeals and Katniss glanced up from settling Ellis to see Daisy run over to Peeta with Jesse hot on her heels. They both grabbed at him and buried their faces in his legs. With a pretend groan Peeta managed to swing them both up into his arms, one on each side, and he walked over. “Hey bud,” he said affectionately to Ellis and bent down to kiss his head. Then he turned to her and his voice dropped a slight notch, “Hey Mama.”

He placed a kiss on her lips and she heard Daisy giggle again. Both Peeta and the bakery smelt deliciously like cinnamon and ginger and a hint a spice. If they weren’t in public and surrounded by their offspring she probably would have stuck her nose in his neck and taken a deep breath.

Instead she offered him a demure, ‘hey’ but felt a rush of heat flood to her face as he winked at her. Maybe he was right, maybe she just couldn’t keep her hands off him. That would explain their family situation. Katniss snapped out of her small reverie to hear Peeta speaking. “...and if you sit down then you can have one.”

Rue brought over some drinks to the table and what looked like some cake-pops. Before she left to go back to the counter she squeezed Jesse’s hand and gushed about how cute he was. She received a shit eating grin from the toddler in question.

“What is it that they can have?” Katniss asked as Peeta placed Jesse and Daisy into the seats opposite. They both reached over and grabbed at what Rue had put on the table while Ellis just scrunched a napkin in his fists.

“Only my finest bake for my finest customers,” and he winked at her again but this time Katniss was more worried about the excessive levels of sugar their children were about to consume.

“I don’t think they need more sweets...” she began but a gasp from Daisy cut her off.

“Look Mama,” she said, “It’s like Elsa!” A sparkly ice blue cake ball with tiny snowflakes sprinkled over the surface was being waved around on a stick. “It’s so pretty,” and her large blue eyes shone with awe.

Jesse’s was already in his mouth and half chewed, dribble coating his chin as he tried to make eyes at Rue behind the counter. Ellis now held one in his hand mushing it into paste but didn’t seemed inclined to eat it. At least one of her children wasn’t a crazed sugar monster.

“This one is for Mama,” Peeta said and handed one that was wrapped and sticking out of his pocket. It was a pair of Santa legs sticking out of a chimney. Peeta leant in and whispered in her ear, “If you want, I’ll slip down your chimney later.”

Katniss laughed and rolled her eyes good naturedly. That morning before he left for work he told her he was looking forward to stuffing her stocking. Sometimes her husband acted more like a horny teenager than a thirty something father of three. It was the sugar. He always got like this in the days before Christmas.

Peeta’s cheeky smile stretched across his face and highlighted his dimples. It was plain to see where their eldest son got it from. Katniss glanced down at the table and the three preoccupied children before leaning in to whisper in his ear. “Play your cards right and I’ll be licking your candy cane.”

****

“No,” she muttered to herself as she scrubbed the mix that had splattered onto the kitchen floor, “I do not want to build a sodding snowman.”

Frozen was on again. Which was fine because it gave Katniss a brief respite from an over tired, over excited three-year-old who – in a moment of hyperactivity – tore around the kitchen and knocked over the bowl of cake mix. Katniss had watched in horror as it spun into the air and crashed down onto the floor, milk, flour and eggs slopping onto the tiles.

“Uh-oh,” Jesse had said and helpfully came over to stand in the goop in order to point it out whilst Ellis, startled by the crash, began to cry.

At that point Katniss just released a long groan and closed her eyes. Santa was coming tonight and they were all too excited to sleep which made them increasingly more irritable. Their lack of sleep was making her increasingly more irritable as well and so, after the bowl hit the ground, she shunted them into the den just to get them away from her.

It was just one more day, she thought, and then it was Christmas and soon all would be right with the world once again.

The cloth she was dragging against the tiles was now completely saturated so she reached for another one. Her tiredness wasn’t just due to the children though, she knew that, but had been compounded by other factors. One of those factors was answering the phone early this morning to Peeta’s mother who demanded that she speak to her son at once. Whilst Katniss waited for Peeta to come downstairs in what was the longest thirty seconds of her life, she was admonished by her mother in law for ‘keeping her baby boy away from her.’

After three children, five years of marriage and three years of dating the matriarch of the Mellark family had never warmed to Katniss. In truth, Katniss had never warmed to her either but it still stung that after eight years and three grandchildren that she couldn’t view Katniss as anything other than a gold digging opportunist.

Mother Mellark was at least all sweetness and light for those grandchildren though - even though she thought that Katniss and Peeta shouldn’t have actually had any – and for that Katniss was grateful. Katniss and her own mother’s relationship struggled after Katniss’ dad died and then when Prim died a deep gulf appeared between the two that they could never bridge. What made it sadder was that neither wanted to.

That meant that Katniss and Peeta’s children grew up with limited grandparents and the ones that they did have either hated Katniss or were indifferent to her. That included Peeta’s father who was kind but too hen pecked to do anything about anything. At least they have Haymitch, she thought and wondered how needy it meant she was that she had actively encouraged their older, alcoholic neighbour to bond with her children.

At least, she thought again, he loves them. And then as it often happened this time of year another thought crept in. Prim would have loved them too. It was that thought that was the most sobering. It was that thought that had Katniss kneeling on the tiles and staring at the mess on the floor. Her chin started to wobble and she wondered if this was where Ellis had gotten it from.

She was so focused on her thoughts that Katniss didn’t hear the footsteps until two little bare feet appeared in her eyeline. Not that she would have heard them anyway, that child was a ninja.

“Mama?”

Katniss shook away her memories and looked at Daisy’s worried face directly in front of her. Her black hair spilled over her shoulders where the Elsa dress, which had managed to get hit by the mix, was sliding off. Daisy buried her fingers into the blue material and twisted whilst looking at Katniss with large, concerned blue eyes.

“Mama?” she asked again.

“Hey Dais,” Katniss said with a gentle smile. “Mama’s just cleaning up.”

“I’m sorry,” Daisy replied. “I didn’t mean to.”

“I know you didn’t, it’s ok.” And then because her daughter was obsessed with making sure that she was still on the ‘nice list’ Katniss added, “Santa’s still going to come tonight, don’t worry.”

For some reason that made Daisy frown. “I know Mama,” she said, with confidence that only a small child could have. “I didn’t mean to make you sad.”

“Oh Daisy,” Katniss felt something inside her chest twist, “you didn’t make me sad. I was just thinking about Aunty Prim that’s all.”

Daisy nodded. She’d heard about Aunty Prim often, Katniss had explained how she was Mama’s little sister that she loved very much that Mama missed her terribly and got sad thinking about her sometimes.

“You love Aunty Prim,” Daisy said, in a matter of fact manner.

“I do.”

“Do you love me?”

Katniss put the cloth down and stretched out her arms to her daughter, who eagerly walked into them. Daisy rested her head on Katniss’ shoulder and Katniss wrapped her arms around her, leaning her head onto her daughters, their black hair mingling. “I love you very much,” she told her. “Very very much.”

“Do you love Jesse?”

“Very much.”

“And Ellis?”

“Very much.”

There was a pause and Daisy continued, “Even though he cries all the time?”

A little giggle escaped from Katniss’ mouth. “Yes,” she said, “even though he cries all the time.”

“And do you love Daddy?”

“Very much.”

“Ok,” Daisy said and Katniss could feel her nodding. It was as though she had a check list of questions that she needed to make sure she had asked.

“Mama?”

“Yes?”

“I love you very very much too.”

****

“This is it,” Peeta excitedly said to her. “Children in bed, the milk and cookies are prepared and presents ready for distributing!”

“Don’t forget to take a bite from the cookies,” Katniss told him. “Or from the carrot, you know how they like to think the reindeer have eaten too.”

Peeta saluted her, “Gotcha!”

Katniss sat on their bed, her back resting against the headboard as she watched Peeta put the final touches on his outfit. The Santa hat had just gone on and he was just about to place the beard.

“Hey,” she asked him, “could you come here a sec?”

“Sure,” and he shuffled over in oversized red pants.

“I love you,” she told him and grabbed the red tunic yanking him towards her so that their mouths met.

“I love you too,” he said, his eyes all soft.

“I love our family,” she continued, “all of them. I love watching how they grow and develop their personalities and seeing what they like and don’t like. I love it. I even think I love how Haymitch loves us. I think I love Haymitch. He’s family too.”

Peeta looked perplexed, “Have you been on the eggnog? I mean confessing your love for our family sure, but I think this is the first time you have ever said Haymitch is family.”

“Well he is,” she shrugged. “Sometimes I think it can all be too much but then I think it will never be enough. If that makes sense?”

“Yeah,” Peeta reached out and tangled a lock of her hair in between his fingers, the dark strand wrapping around his pale skin. “I get you.”

They had a moment of quiet, Katniss sat on the bed in her nightclothes looking up at her husband while he glanced down at her in his Santa outfit. Her heart felt full in her chest.

“You know,” she said coyly, “maybe later I could sit in Santa’s lap?”

A sly grin spread over Peeta’s face, his dimples appearing in his cheeks. “That could be arranged but I think Santa will want to know if you’ve been naughty.”

“Oh definitely,” she said, “definitely naughty.”

“I’ll put a word in at the North Pole.”

Katniss giggled and grabbed his tunic again to bring him down for one more kiss before he went on Santa duty. There was something she wanted to do and even though it wasn’t Christmas morning it seemed right to do it now.

“I have a slightly early Christmas present for you,” she said to him and stood up to meet him face to face, hooking her arms around his neck. He looked at her with open, happy eyes that were just as blue as Daisy’s.

“I’m pregnant.”

#everlark #everlark fanfiction #everlarkbirthdaydrabbles #everlarkbirthdaygifts #fan fic #by wildlyglittering

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gleefail · 4 years ago

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Glee Memories: 1x9 Wheels

A long, long time ago, as Glee was approaching graduation in Season 3, I found myself nostalgic with some rare free time on my hands. So I decided to rewatch the series from the beginning and jot down some memories, discrepancies that have arisen since, fave quotes, tally solos - all that good stuff, strictly for shits and giggles.

8 years later (eek!) and once more I find myself with an unexpected abundance of free time. With so many revisiting or being newly introduced to the show between binge watching during Quarantine and all the tragedy that has surrounded the show since it went off the air, I figured I’d finish what I started. And by finish, I mean go through the end of S3. Cause I truly cannot acknowledge what happened after that. Except for 5B.

Kicking this off by reposting the first 15 episodes I already went through. Enjoy!

1x9 Wheels I haven’t addressed yet that this voice-over “Here’s what you missed on Glee” guy is different…will be interesting to see when they changed it.

um…when did Kurt tell everyone that he was gay? Didn’t he only come out to Mercedes and his dad so far? I definitely missed that on Glee

Holy crap. I forgot about this Cheerios jump rope number.

This is when I started not liking S1 Quinn. When she started being just plain mean to Finn even as she lied to him about the baby being his. Uncalled for. Although her calling out that he’s a peabrain is hella-necessary.

Figgins can’t pay for a bus for Artie to get to sectionals. Understandable? Is that like, legal?

Makes total sense that Sue has boosters that provide funds for traveling etc. Doesn’t make sense that the Glee club never started music boosters….not to me anyways.

Will’s right. In high school, some of the best trips were rides to other schools for volleyball games and showchoir competitions together. Although that almost always involved people mooning out the back window. And getting to third base under letterman jackets. Just my school? Anyone else?

Aw…Tina is looking at Artie from afar…not necessarily romantically…concerned? Whatever the reason, it’s cute.

Aw, Kurt’s so excited about Defying Gravity

let the record show, Mr. Schue just handed a solo to Rachel for a competition for the first time ever. But not the last. Don’t get me started.

“Don’t worry. We’ll find something for you to…dip in chocolate” Two things: 1. Yes you will. And his name is Sam Evans. (’wanky’). 2. No, you won’t Mr. Schue. No. You. Won’t. #oops

“I mean, bake sales are kind of bourgee” “So hip people stopped eating delicious, sugary treats?” “It’s not that, it’s that most of us don’t know how to bake. I find recipes confusing.” I love every moment of this exchange. And

Britany’s officially not all there now. :) Yaaaay!

Aw, poor Artie and the peer pressure of having to say he doesn’t mind when he’s clearly hurt by people he thinks are his friends. Poor guy.

It really does impress me how Kevin McHale manages to completely lose use of his legs. Even when he’s boppin in his wheelchair. I don’t think I could do it.

Jenna Ushkowitz is flat out adorable laughing at her lunch table in slow motion.

Aw Tina. These original members really do all have a lil special place in my heart. Before RIB screwed most of them over.

Ruh roh, I know that look. Mr. Schue is getting an idea watching Artie jamming around in his wheelchair…

Why is Kurt wearing a gangsta bandana on his head?

“But I’m happy to have you try out something else, Kurt. And I’ll make sure it’s got a killer high note” No. No, you won’t Schue. Ugh. Three seasons of empty promises and he won Teacher of the Year? Riiiight.

“Well, you’re irritating most of the time but…don’t take that personally”

“Preach!” Yes!!! There’s the Artie I know and love! It makes me giggle more seeing moments like this knowing he asks Amber to show him how to do it, lol.

hahahahaha – Finn just got hit in the back of the head with someone’s baseball bat! Rachel just got her lunch spilled all over her! Oh, happiness.

“it’s what I have left of my pool cleaning money. After I bought dip and numchucks”

Quinn is so pretty in regular clothes with her hair down in season one. I would buy that THIS is the girl everyone wants to be. She’s totes that popular, bitchy girl who has everything.

“It would be pretty awesome if it came out with a Mohawk”

Aw, this food fight is still so cute. I feel like we haven’t seen Quinn laugh like that since until she was going up that ramp with Artie cheering her on. So cute.

“It’s not about a guy, is it? Cause…I’m not ready to have that conversation.” “At least you don’t have to worry about me getting someone pregnant” snicker snicker. True dat.

“You sing like a girl – in a good way”

So…yeah, they were doing Defying Gravity for Sectionals…what happened to that?

FIRST APPEARANCE OF LAUREN ZIZES!!!

Ugh. So stupid Rachel is complaining about having to audition for a solo. It’s showchoir. You should have to audition for EVERY solo and anyone who wants to can. …but it’s Glee

“We all know I’m more popular than Rachel – and I dress better than her…”

“Your right hand, Britany” *Santana whispers to her “it’s this one”* Yup. Not all there. There’s mah girl!

I love that instead of saying “I promise to vote for whoever sings the song better”, Mercedes blatantly says to Kurt “I promise to vote FOR YOU” with a big smile. I love Kurtcedes. Have I said that yet?

“Maybe one of these days you’ll find a way to create teaching moments without ruining my life.” Oh he will Rachel. He’ll just ruin everyone else’s.

“Those are what I call ‘lazy makers’”

Figgins is making Sue hold auditions to replace Quinn on the Cheerios. How do they not try out in the first place?

“and as soon as a cheerleader rolls herself out onto the field in a wheelchair she becomes decidedly less effective at cheering people up. It’s just a fact.”

“Stop attacking me. I’m sick of it” I like this Finn. Where did he come from? And where did he go?

I never ever ever realized that that was Kurt auditioning for the Cheerios with a baton. OMG!

haha, also never realized that the “freak” did the splits and clearly landed on his junk but tried to play it like he was fine. HAAAAA!

“Becky, I’m gonna stop you right there. You’re in.” YAY!

“I’m just saying, she has a point; you are kind of an idiot.” Truth.com, Puck.

“It’s just like you, with your stutter” Tina’s reaction said it all. “But I wanna be very clear: I still have the use of my penis.” HAAAAAAA!!! And Artie’s “why did I say that?!” look afterwards. Golden.

Kurt warming up to a high F while Burt gets the “your son’s a fag�� phone call. So damn sad.

“Sometimes I just…I wish your mom was still around, y’know?” Aw, Burt. So happy you’ll find Carol.

“I don’t wanna win out of charity. I wanna win the solo because it’s right for the club. I really think that the judges at Sectionals will find a female version of Defying Gravity much more accessible.” Lies and manipulation and selfishness of Rachel Berry. And it begins.

“People just don’t like me.” “Yeah, you might wanna work on that” Yup. You might, Rachel. Too bad ya never really did unless it was to benefit you. hahaha, Puck put a lil pot in the cupcakes. I totally forgot about that. omg. There’s a loooot of flannel in that lunch room. What is that about?

Haha. Puck buying pot from Sandy. “The doctor said the shark fractured my spinal cord.” “This is why I don’t go to the aquarium.”

Sue’s mean don’t discriminate because of handicap, gender, religion, or sexual preference.

“You think this is hard? Try auditioning for Baywatch and being told they’re going in a different direction. THAT was hard.” Truth.

“Oh, I bully everyone, William. That’s the way I roll”

First official Diva-off!! I remember I soooo wanted Kurt to win, but it was all over his face that something was up ever since Burt told him about that phone call.

First sacrifice for Rachel Berry. Go.

Even back then when I liked Rachel Berry, I didn’t like her singing this song. I think my dislike of her started right around here. Like “who does she think she is, trying to sing this song better than Idina, when she knows damn well, coming from Broadway, who Idina is!?” that was me, lol. My point is I still don’t like her on this song. It has a special place in my heart and I need more of a powerhouse on it, and someone whose soul I can hear when they sing it, not just trying to sing pretty.

“’It’ is a ‘she’.” That’s a cute moment. :)

Ok. Ohhhhh boy. Finn got a job by pretending to be handicapped and stuck in a wheelchair. But wasn’t it Finn that 2 seasons later berates Quinn for not announcing that she’s improved to now be able to stand/walk to get votes for Prom Queen? I just…I refrain from comment. It’ll get ugly.

Aw, Artie is donating the money to get a ramp put in the auditorium instead of using it to get a bus to go to Sectionals with everyone. Way to take one for the team, Artie. He’s a good guy.

Sue donated the $600 to rent the bus for Sectionals. Aw. I knew something was up at that point. Lies. I knew something was up when she told Will “You don’t know the FIRST thing about me.”

Aw, Jean. This relationship was so sweet.

AWWWWW – Artie’s face after Tina kisses him!!!

Aw. Artie’s face after Tina admits that she’s faking her stutter. :(

“I’m sorry now you get to be normal and I’m gonna be stuck in this chair for the rest of my life. And that’s not something I can fake.” Aw, man. So sad.

“I’m just saying that I love you more than I love being a star.” Oh Kurt. You little angel.

Ok. There are no words for how I felt when I found out Glee was doing Proud Mary. Here’s the thing: Me and my theatre friends always go to karaoke and take turns singing this song. And then the rest of us kinda flash mob it and rush the stage once the tempo picks up in synchronized back-up dancing. And it’s the highlight of our night and the best tradition when we can get everyone together to do it. Once people came up and asked if we were some group of performers that the bar hired to come do it. It’s soooo much fun. It has such a special place in my heart. I do it now for warm-ups with my high school kids when we need to unwind. And I always use this Glee version. Cause I loves Amber Riley and Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz on it. Things like this are what make me sad that Glee-ers are graduating more than missing the show itself or the writing; the memories made along the way. And the things like this that just make me smile.

Lol, one of my friends loved the duplicity of them singing this. Cause it was ‘rollin’ for Artie and ‘Mary’ for Kurt. He was gay, so I guess he was allowed to say things like that cause he owned it, lol.

This number is so effing awesome. And the costumes and hair are super cute.

I love the behind the scenes of this where Cory talks about when Amber fell out of her wheelchair and he just heard a crash followed by incessant laughing. SOLOS: Artie (2), Rachel (1), Kurt (1), Mercedes (1), Tina (1)

#Glee Memories #Glee #lol Glee #Glee Wheels

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democratsunited-blog · 6 years ago

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Trump’s Secret Weapon?: The President’s Poison Pill For Every Democratic 2020 Contender

https://uniteddemocrats.net/?p=6743

Trump’s Secret Weapon?: The President’s Poison Pill For Every Democratic 2020 Contender

Most of us will probably run for president in 2020. Donald Trump has made anything seem possible. But Democrats must be careful. Half of America is telling itself to hang on for 30 more months, but deep down there’s a sobering awareness that this thing could stretch to the full two terms. The Democratic primaries of 2020 will thus be intense, bitter, and crowded. The nominee could turn out to be no one we’ve heard of—some Sully Sullenberger–like hero out of nowhere who has done something to save a lot of lives, like fighting off an invasion from Krypton—or, more likely, it could be someone familiar, competent, and imperfect.

If Donald Trump avoids getting us into war (still no small if, regrettably) and presides over an economy that’s still booming (unlikely but not impossible), then he’s likely to get re-elected, regardless of who his challenger may be. That might be tough for people to take, but a message of “I’ll keep the peace and prosperity going” (sort of Clintonian) is at least preferable to a message of “I’ll see through the dumb war I started” (sort of Bushian). On the other hand, if things get a lot rockier for Trump, as is quite possible, then choosing the right challenger—or the not-wrong challenger—becomes critical. So let’s consider the likeliest Democratic candidates and their likeliest flaws.

Joe Biden: “Middle-class Joe” is lovely and impossible to hate, unless you’re a partisan, in which case you hate him. He has suffered terrible personal tragedies and connects with ordinary Americans. He’s loved by Senate Republicans and Democrats alike. But he’s also, frankly, a goofball. This helps blunt criticisms of his unusually tactile approach to politics, but Biden’s campaign gaffes in 2008, which included asking a paraplegic to stand, were so relentless that Barack Obama once reportedly fumed, “How many times is Biden gonna say something stupid?” Such foibles don’t diminish with age, and Biden will be 78 in 2020. All of this is fodder for a bully, meaning you-know-who. On a more substantive note, Biden is tied to the record of Barack Obama, who disappointed many of the voters who need to be won back. On the bright side, one of Biden’s skeletons, an embarrassing episode of having plagiarized the oratory of British Labor leader Neil Kinnock, is off limits for attack, unless Trump wants a reminder that his wife did something similar.

Elizabeth Warren: Back in 2008, as Wall Street was collapsing and millions of middle-class Americans were finding themselves poorer than they’d been a decade earlier, Harvard professor Elizabeth Warren was one of the few people out there who got it, and in interviews she was compassionate and wise. Then she went to Washington. As an adviser regarding the financial crisis, according to one former senior Obama administration official, Warren was a “royal pain in the ass in the White House.” Then, in 2012, Warren won a U.S. Senate seat and became a hero to some, a grandstander to others. In Boston magazine, writer Andy Kroll noted that voters had lukewarm feelings toward Warren and characterized a conversation with her as not “so much a conversation as a stump speech to an audience of one.” Donald Trump has nicknamed Warren “Pocahontas,” despite complaints that it’s racially incendiary, to mock a little-believed Warren claim that she’s of partially American Indian ancestry, and that would probably be a theme if she were his challenger. But Warren’s bigger vulnerability is, as alluded to above, that many people seem to find her irritating. Her champions argue that this is due to sexism. But if that is true—and there’s no way to settle the matter—then the culprit is deep-seated prejudice in an imperfect world. Where we live. And where Warren is irritating.

Bernie Sanders: Who would have thought that non-Democrat Senator Bernie Sanders, the lefty eccentric from Vermont via Brooklyn, would be the likeliest Democratic nominee of 2020? Surely not the Sanders of 2015. But Sanders surprised everyone in 2016, and his reputation for integrity caused even Republicans to like him. His favorability ratings are absurdly high, at 72 percent, and the remaining 28 percent probably consists of Hillary Clinton staffers. That said, Sanders is old, and, perhaps because he often neglects to stand up straight or dye his hair orange, he seems less vigorous than Trump. A set of controversies surrounding Jane Sanders, Bernie’s wife, over a financial deal during her time as president of Burlington College, could come back to the fore. Trump, for his part, will portray Sanders as a kooky and extremist grandpa with no grounding in reality. Then he’ll go back to talking about being approached by the parents of Korean War veterans.

Kamala Harris: Barack Obama got into the presidential game only a couple of years after getting elected to the Senate, so why not Harris, who was elected in 2016? She’s tough, ambitious, and, according to the previous president, hot. (Obama once described her as “by far the best-looking attorney general in the country,” a wolfish remark that offended those partial to Florida attorney general Pam Bondi.) But what does Harris propose to run on? Article after article extols her for being young, black, and female, but few get concrete on what the vision would be. “The issues are not simple, so the message is not going to be simple,” she told a Yahoo news reporter asking about the Democratic Party’s road back to power. Great, that’ll knock ’em dead. Harris has generally combined donor-class friendliness with a healthy serving of wokeness, and she has made immigration her signature concern. This is great politics for California, less so for the rest of the country. Donald Trump will find her to be an ideal culture-war foil. Being Trump, he’ll also add in tasteless jabs about her entry into California politics, a patronage job from a powerful boyfriend, Assembly Speaker Willie Brown. If you thought 2016 was low . . .

Tom Hanks: Despite numerous calls for Hanks to run in 2020, it’s hard to decide if we want this. Americans have almost nothing in common except love of Tom Hanks. Do we really want to lose that, too? On the other hand, who could say no? Even Donald Trump might have to forfeit the race.

Cory Booker: Booker, who became famous as a charismatic and idealistic mayor of Newark (although assessments differ on whether he was a great success), has given Elizabeth Warren considerable competition when it comes to playing to the camera. He became the first sitting senator to testify against a colleague in a confirmation hearing, and earlier this year he harangued Homeland Security secretary Kirstjen Nielsen for nearly 10 minutes about his “tears of rage” over Trump’s alleged comments about “shithole countries.” That said, Booker is far from populist, which is where the public mood seems to be right now, and not all of Booker’s passions are well-chosen. Lines like “Enough is enough. Stop attacking private equity” are unlikely to strike resounding chords with Ohio steelworkers. Also, Donald Trump seems to feel he has dirt on Booker, tweeting in 2016, “If Cory Booker is the future of the Democratic Party, they have no future! I know more about Cory than he knows about himself.” Maybe no one should care, but weird things are interesting, and that was weird.

Sherrod Brown: Brown, now in his 12th year as a senator from Ohio, has two strong attributes: a populist record and a gravelly voice. During the Democratic Convention of 2016, when Hollywood luminaries like Richard Kind and Idina Menzel swayed to “What the World Needs Now Is Love,” leaving millions fumbling frantically for the remote—that or an air-sickness bag—Brown was instead talking about glass factories in Toledo and putting America first in trade policy. He has been tough on Wall Street and steadfast in voting against nearly every trade deal favored by the Washington consensus. He also draws some support from Trump voters, according to a recent poll. Trump has attacked Brown for alleged softness on border security, but every Democrat is vulnerable to that charge. The character angle isn’t obvious. So maybe he’s a decent choice, except that his hair sometimes looks like it belongs to Rand Paul.

Kirsten Gillibrand: For those who felt that Mitt Romney was too consistent, consolation can perhaps be found in New York’s junior senator, Kirsten Gillibrand. Starting her career as a border hawk and a firm supporter of the Second Amendment, Gillibrand got appointed to the Senate in 2009 and flipped to the opposite side, calling it “a case of learning more and expanding my view.” She was a close ally of the Clintons, accepting the support of Bill Clinton during her campaign, until #MeToo broke, after which she said that Clinton should have resigned in 1998. She condemns “corporations’ moneyed special interests” but takes copious contributions from Goldman Sachs and goes to bat for Wall Street, the problems of which can apparently be traced not to structure but to lack of diversity. “If it weren’t Lehman Brothers, but Lehman Sisters,” she has quipped, “we might not have had the financial collapse.” As Clare Malone wrote in FiveThirtyEight, “She’s sensed the identity politics vehicle of the era, and has settled into the driver’s seat for a long haul.” The only trouble is that passengers might throw themselves out of the car to end it all.

Mitch Landrieu: Perhaps we’re overdue for a bald president, and Mitch Landrieu, mayor of New Orleans from 2010 to 2018, boasts very few remaining hairs. He also speaks in an appealing Southern accent and, despite being white, enjoys strong support from black voters, who put him into office. He holds up well under adversarial questioning, rarely betraying befuddlement or flashes of temper. He charms his audiences when he’s in informal settings. Many Democrats also loved a speech Landrieu delivered upon deciding to remove four monuments to Confederate leaders. If Trump has an obvious line of attack, it’s on New Orleans, which still has lots of problems and saw a spike in crime during Landrieu’s last two years in office. Trump will probably call Landrieu “Sleazy Mitch,” but that’s not because of anything in particular. It’s just because.

The Billionaires: We don’t need to have separate entries for Jamie Dimon, Howard Schultz, Mike Bloomberg, or Mark Cuban. Not all of them are necessarily billionaires, but all are wealthy, self-satisfied, and inspired by the example of Donald Trump. Their reasoning: a billionaire just became president. I’m a billionaire. I want to become president. One attribute they all seem to have in common is a view of the world in which it’s still 1996, deficits must be reduced, and trade deals will enrich us all. The only negative effect of nominating them is that Donald Trump might wind up winning an illegal third term, to be succeeded by Donald Trump Jr.

Hillary Clinton: Folks, must we? According to a source or two, we must. We know what Trump would pull, because he has already pulled it. Every old divide on the left would be re-opened. On the bright side, Clinton would win a clear majority among attendees of OZY Fest.

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