C.R. Hughes
Stories (72/0)
The Perfect Gift Guide Based On Your Loved Ones' Favorite Netflix Original Shows
Every year around this time, the frenzy over what gifts to give our loved ones consumes us for a few days to a few weeks. We're always looking to get the latest gadgets or the newest shoes that will eventually wear away with time. But there are certain things that don't fade that easily and that is the experiences that come with it. This year, don't just give gifts to the people you care about; give experiences. And what better way to gauge the perfect experience to give this year than looking to the shows that your loved ones have been binge watching all year long? Open up their Netflix profile and take a peek at what shows they've been using to escape 2020 with to get them the best and most unique gift they've ever received.
By C.R. Hughes3 years ago in Geeks
2020: The Tracks of My Year
Let's be honest, there wasn't much that 2020 had to offer us. Between $1200 stimulus checks to spread over nine months (if you live in the U.S.), a never-ending presidential election, a global pandemic in the form of a virus, and a global pandemic in the form of police brutality, 2020 felt like falling down on a trampoline while everyone else just keeps jumping.
By C.R. Hughes3 years ago in Beat
Searching For My Edinburgh
Many people spend their lives searching for their Jerusalem or their Mecca. A place that all roads seem to lead back to. A destination that makes the journey of life worthwhile. I began a similar search a year ago, but rather than searching for my Mecca, I was searching for my Edinburgh. Edinburgh, Scotland hardly has the same cultural significance that Mecca or Jerusalem have, but its importance in the life of author J.K. Rowling was like a pilgrimage in some ways. Rowling has said before that the majority of the Harry Potter series was written in the city of Edinburgh. A place that, for her, yielded inspiration in a way that she had never experienced previously. As a writer, this is what I long for. A place where a masterpiece can almost be written just from the sights and sounds itself.
By C.R. Hughes3 years ago in Wander
5 YA Book Series I Wish Were Made Into Movies/TV Shows
My favorite type of literature is hands down Young Adult or YA fiction. Even at 22 years old, books about teenagers and pre-teens coming of age and going on quests in an adult-dominated world are exciting to me. YA books bring out the kid in all of us and present the world in a way that is more optimistic than adult fiction while still forcing us to confront the harsh realities of it. In a way, it shows us the way that the world is, while also showing us the way that the world could be.
By C.R. Hughes3 years ago in Geeks
A Playlist of Christmas Songs Inspired By The Office Characters
Over the course of its nine seasons, The Office gave us several iconic Christmas moments. Despite going off the air in 2013, Christmas at Dunder-Mifflin still has a place in the hearts of the show's fans. With all of the diverse and interesting characters on the show, they all inspired very different Christmas traditions in the office. So to keep the Christmas spirit of Dunder-Mifflin alive, here is a playlist full of songs that are based on the wonderful characters from The Office.
By C.R. Hughes3 years ago in Geeks
Why Did the Glee writers Hate Black Men?
If you have read some of my other stories I've posted on here, you probably know that I am a big Glee fan. My love for Glee, however, does not absolve the show of some of the problematic behaviors it exhibited during its run. One of the most problematic being the show's bias and outright aversion to Black men. During its six season run, the show only managed to feature two Black male characters as part of the main cast and even then, there were many problems surrounding their characterization. From my perspective, Glee had three overarching problems when it came to their approach to portraying Black men.
By C.R. Hughes3 years ago in Geeks
10 More Songs That Glee Would Have Covered If It Was Still on TV
Disclaimer: This is not me endorsing or ignoring the very problematic situations that have come out of Glee or its cast (i.e. ableism, racism, etc). These articles are for fun and nostalgia and are based solely on what the show was and my love for the characters, not the actors who play them.
By C.R. Hughes3 years ago in Beat
10 Songs That Glee Would Have Covered If It Was Still On TV
About twice a year, I re-watch Glee, purely out of nostalgia and, despite the criticisms of the show, I actually enjoy it. Glee was one of those feel good teen shows that gave many of us unrealistic expectations for what high school was supposed to be like and made us want to sing and dance even if we couldn't. Despite not actually watching Glee until season 6 aired (because that was when it was put on Netflix), Glee has been a part of my life since middle school. The show aired in 2009 when I was in the sixth grade and I remember the cultural frenzy it caused. My teacher's assistant for English would often play songs from Glee while we worked on essays or read to ourselves and I ended up becoming a fan of the songs from the show before ever watching an episode of it.
By C.R. Hughes3 years ago in Geeks
African Stories That I Love
When it comes to literature, nearly everyone knows of Charles Dickens, Maya Angelou, J.K. Rowling, and Victor Hugo. Western literature has been celebrated for centuries and for many, these authors represent the apex of skilled writers. But what about a continent with a long storytelling history? Where folktales and oral traditions have paved the way for modern tales about life rich in culture and influence? As great as American and European literature have come to be, African literature deserves its place on our shelves next to The Hate U Give and To Kill A Mockingbird.
By C.R. Hughes3 years ago in Geeks
Pacifistic Activism in a Non-Pacifist Country
The past several decades in the U.S. have been characterized by great racial tensions that have come to a boiling point in 2020. Amidst a global pandemic, a defining presidential election, and a rise in social media influence among Gen Z, the transgressions of our nation are in full view for the world to see. And just like in the 1960s, activists today are faced with the issue of whether they will choose to be a pacifist in their fight against oppression or seek justice and equality by any means necessary. In this debate, people are often driven by their morals in their decision making, but is pacifism a viable means of fighting against systemic oppression in a nation where our greatest achievements have been solved through violent means?
By C.R. Hughes3 years ago in The Swamp
July 7, 2016
The night of July 7, 2016, I sat in my bedroom feeling excited and slightly nervous about the fact that I would be heading off for my freshman college orientation in just a few hours. My excitement quickly turned into heartbreak and fear, however, when I scrolled through my social media feeds and saw that five police officers had been shot and killed during an originally peaceful protest in Dallas, just four hours from where I lived. The shootings were allegedly conducted in retaliation for the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two Black men who were both shot by police officers just a few days earlier. This event struck deep because I had felt personally affected already by the murders of both men.
By C.R. Hughes3 years ago in The Swamp