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bunnyswritings · 1 year

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ur blog is soo helpful !!!! ive been looking into writing more lately and this is like a godsend <3 i was wondering if u could do some starter tips?? like stuff to avoid as a new writer :o ps. hope ur having a wonderful week!!!

ahhh, hello!! this is such a sweet message, and thank you, i hope you have a fruitful week ahead too ♡ i'm so glad you're writing more lately- i'll def do my best to provide some starter tips (though i'm really also a starter myself 😅 so i hope you like these, and feel free to let me know what you think!) also, just to put it out there that these are what i found helpful personally / what i think will be helpful, and may / may not resonate with everyone. Also, this topic is soooo broad and there are a million things that can be covered, but for now I'll just keep it short and go with stuff to avoid (or rather, approach differently) as per request. if you / anyone else would like another post for more specific writing tips, feel free to drop it in my ask box!

Some general writing tips — stuff to avoid; little things to not overdo

over-planning

overusing fancy vocabulary

over-describing

over-criticising your work

over-comparing

more details under the cut!

Over-planning — plan the general outline, direction of your plot, message of your story, characters and their rough personalities; yes, do all that well! good planning makes for a good story, but i think it's helpful to remember that sometimes things don't pan out the way we envision them to. and it's important to let certain things go, appropriately of course. if your initial storyline doesn't quite fit the characterisation of the protagonist etc (and vice versa), then perhaps it's time to rethink things — and NOT be too hard-up about it. [tldr: be flexible!]

Overusing bombastic vocabulary — i'm sure you've come across millions of writing advice pieces that aim to spruce up your vocabulary with bombastic phrases. by all means go ahead and pick a few that fit the mood and style of your writing. otherwise, i'd say that sometimes, less is more. throwing in fancy words for the sake of it may not be as helpful as you think. there should be a fine balance between using words that add flavour + help to illustrate nuances and using words to make your piece seem complex. simplicity goes a long way, as i've learnt. but having said that, building up a solid repertoire of vocabulary / good phrases is always helpful, the key thing is using those phrases in the right context. definitely easier said than done, so i suggest reading your favourite author's works couple of times through and pick up their way of using language to their advantage.

Over-describing — narration, descriptive language are great, and can really help to nudge your story in the right direction. it helps set the scene, the mood, and all these are critical in writing... BUT! not the same can be applied to describing actions. not every single action has to be written out explicitly — an example: she walks over to the kitchen, turns around, and opens the refrigerator. she then takes out a canned drink, and places the drink on the countertop... etc — you get the point. some things can be left implied, rather than explicit.

Over-criticising your work — ahh, the age-old piece of advice. i do it all the time, and you probably do too... sometimes, being harsh on yourself and on your work may seem like the only way to better yourself and push your limits, but often times, i personally find that this is counter-productive both on the physical and mental front. it wears you down, it is a nidus for dejection and negative vibes. i think the way i try to get round this is by taking pride in my own work; telling myself that 'this is something i wrote, these are my ideas put into prose, these are my thoughts written on paper'. the caveat here is that avoiding being over-critical of your work DOES NOT and should not mean avoiding proofreading. proofreading is extremely crucial to check for grammatical and structural errors (i recommend doing it once or twice yourself, and if possible, getting a fresh pair of eyes to do the same).

Over-comparing — this ties in nicely with the previous point. take pride in your work! this is something original from you and you only, written in your unique style. having authors/writers whom you look up to is essential in moulding your writing style and habits, but should not be the sole focus when you write. remember that every writer is different, every piece of writing is different; this goes even for pieces with similar plots / tropes / character personalities. nuances, subtleties and underlying messages can come through very differently when written by different people. after all, our life journeys are all personal, which is a factor influencing the way we convey messages across through the written word.

and... that's it for now! i really hope that this helps. honestly, i'm scratching the surface here, and there are lots more i can talk about when i have more braincells >_<

feel free to drop any other requests or questions in my ask if you'd like ♡

#writing tips #writing resources #writing inspo #writing inspiration #writing advice #creative writing #creative writing prompts #writing prompts #prompts #writerscommunity #writeblr #fanfiction prompts #new writer boost #writer #writing dialogue #bunnyswritings #bunnyrequests #bunnyrambles

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wrathofrats · 1 year

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Another extremely accurate post of me guessing your personality based on your fav ghoul, but I’m nicer this time!

Mountain: you bitches terrify me. Like I’m a good way. Mostly very chill people, just kinda wanting to get their work done and go, but when it comes to that tall ass piece of meat?? Holy fuck y’all go crazy. Insane. Feral. Y’all rival the Swiss people which is so funny to be considering how mountain is headcanoned to be. Also I think you’re a good baker idk why.

Rain: ahhh!! Y’all are very sweet. Sassy but usually very sweet. Calm, don’t have much to say until you have a burning desire to see a fish in a dress. But all you wanna do is dress up your pretty little ghoul and vibe. Very artistic people. Some of y’all have a weird sadism streak tho and I’m concerned for you!!! You remind me of like a 5 year old whispering to their parents in the middle of the night that they’re going to skin mom. But affectionately

Aether: the absolute sweetest people. Genuinely very kind and cares for others I love y’all so much. Just wants to see everyone be happy and tell stupid jokes. Your fav color is like yellow or purple I’m almost positive. Your love language is touch and words of affirmation. Y’all don’t have much to say but you’re such a ray of sunshine kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss kiss

Dew: babe ………. Babe. I love you. This is the most self destructive answer. I think we need to stop consuming caffeine and let’s instead maybe see a therapist. You’re so fun, and funny. You’re a little shit (affectionately) people love you a lot more than you think. How about we learn to accept compliments? And maybe how to sit down? But you’re very entertaining!!!

Swiss: alright you stupid cunt. Funniest fucking people ever. Also horniest people ever. Y’all are great leaders, usually have bold personalities. Life of the party. But also let’s learn how to be nice to others. Bullying those we love is not a valid love language but you’re very very funny so, give and take I guess. Also youre hot you must be I don’t make the rules.

Cumulus: sweetest people also. Mom friend. I know you probably have a giant purse that you keep candy and ibuprofen in. Let’s maybe learn to put the air mask on ourselves before others? Usually fairly shy but it’s ok I love you. You look amazing in a sundress, and you’re like the least judge mental person ever. I’m feeding you a strawberry rn let me know if you receive it

Cirrus: god YOURE HOT. You’re so fucking confident. You are here to tell people what to do and get shit done, and every listens to you. You’re the plan maker. Here’s the itinerary and if you don’t like it figure something else out. You give good solid and very honest advice

Sunny: ohhh my sweet summer child. You’re a lot! I love you for it! You want to do everything all the time and know everything about everything, so so very curious. You ate glue as a child, affectionately. But it’s ok! You’re adorable and very yellow coded. Probably eats dessert before dinner, you absolutely have a sweet tooth.

Phantom: hey another dumbass, affectionately. Put down the fucking green hair dye. PUT IT DOWN. Y’all are golden retriever people, usually just very happy to be here. Puts on a badass face but very nice and usually kinda chill. Cargo shorts and pants are not the only fashion choices if you were not already aware, but it’s ok you’ll grow out of it!

Aurora: you’re so cute!! Probably a bit mean, very much a princess. Prissy and wants what they want when they want it. But you know being kind is cool and usually wanna sit and listen to other people.

#again a lot of the roasts are based on me so LMAO #I’m right and I know it #guess who mine are #two are such a self call out LMAO #the band ghost #nameless ghouls #ghost bc #shitghosting #swiss ghoul #dewdrop ghoul #wrath writes #rain ghoul #mountain ghoul #aether ghoul #cumulus ghoulette #cirrus ghoulette #sunshine ghoulette #phantom ghoul #aurora ghoulette

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limitlessgojo · 3 years

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Blood Bound: Red Strings of Fate (Ch 5)

Warnings: Action, Coarse Language, Fighting, Descriptions of Blood

Previous Chapter: Cherry Blossom Storm

Next Chapter: Speed of Sound

Tags: Soulmates AU, Angst, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Fem!Reader

Taglist: @lessie-oxj, @rizzo-nero, @whoreuc, @fkngkumiko, @isl3t

Notes: If you want to be tagged for every update, please mention it in the comments below ty <3

Chapter 5: Special Grade

After you bid goodbye to the two girls, you went off back to your dorm room to get dinner, when you bumped into the girl who lived next to your room.

“Oh hi!” She greeted you with a big smile. “I’m Miwa Kasumi, you can call me Miwa. 1st year here! Please take care of me.”

“Hello! I’m Tsuchimikado Y/n, you can call me either Tsuchi or y/n I really don’t mind either way. Also my first year here, please take care of me!” you grinned.

“Ahhh, I’m so nervous to start class here. Are you ready for it?”

“To be honest I’m also nervous, but pretty excited! Ah, I have to go eat dinner now and call my family, but tomorrow I’m free to chat more. You can come over to my room if you’d like.” You offered.

She agreed and bid you goodnight.

◇◇◇

You were able to get to know Miwa before classes began, and it was really fun getting to know her. She talked about her brothers and her origins, but admitted that she couldn’t give out too many details on her technique.

“I’m sorry y/n but I was told to keep it a secret. Even among other jujutsu shi. And I’m just doing all I can to support my brothers.” She sadly spoke.

To which you didn’t mind too much, as you were the same. The Tsuchimikado does its best to keep their strongest techniques and passed down family legends under wraps, to prevent themselves from being targeted by curse users.

“It’s no worry at all, you don’t have to share anything you don’t want to share. And I won’t pry. I come from a minor Jujutsu clan and understand the need to keep cursed technique details a secret.” You smiled and offered her more biscuits.

If you don’t stand out, you would have less affairs to worry about. Unlike the great 3 Jujutsu clans. And because of this, you sort of grew up in a regular loving home, with the exception of normalcy brought by the need to kill curses.

◇◇◇

Classes soon started after and honestly they were not too bad. You all got your student ID cards on the very first day.

You were surprised to see that you were awarded a Special Grade title on the very first day… not what you expected. The rest were, as expected, Grade 4 jujutsu sorcerers.

Everyone starts on the same level and can have their ranks increased as they go. They can get recommended to Grade 2 and/or Grade 1 based on their performance.

Geniuses were said to start as a Grade 2 sorcerer in their first year. Grade 3 was average for a jujutsu high student. And a special grade is an anomaly.

You were pretty sure that you and your family kept your condition under wraps and yet… You looked up to Utahime and asked if you could have a chat outside. She eyed you knowingly and the others stared at you as you left the room.

“Uhhh… There seems to be a mistake with this. I don’t think I am fit to be a Special Grade yet Utahime sensei.” you explained to her truthfully.

“Tsuchimikado chan. You are from a minor Jujutsu clan, that's true. And while it is very rare for an esper to be born in your clan, there was a higher up who was in touch with your father. They received enough information about your technique, albeit not all of it of course, and cursed energy levels, deeming you to be a special grade.”

You just stared at her in shock at all this info. Sure you’ve been sparring with your cousins, and yeah nobody could come close to you when you had mastered your basic barriers and cursed technique. But you didn’t expect to get this far.

Then Utahime sighed, “Okay I’ll be honest. There was one other person who actually pushed for this and was surprisingly agreed to by the elders.”

You felt yourself tense up, “Who?”

“Gojo Satoru said you were capable of dealing a massive destruction over a large scaled area. And of course, the jujutsu higher ups are aware as to what happened to you when you were 6 years old.”

“Satoru nii!” You paled, blood draining out of your face, but before you could open your mouth Utahime consoled you. “It’s okay. It’s kept top secret… well as much as a secret can be amongst the Jujutsu school leaders and higher ups. Don’t worry, we understand your situation.”

You just nodded, still as white as a sheet. ‘They know, oh gosh of course they know!’ you thought with horror.

“Okay, now nobody should give you any trouble. Just relax, you’re not forced to give out any info to the other students if you don’t want to. It’s okay,” She pushed you back into the classroom where the other students were chatting.

“Haiiii, let’s start class now.” Utahime called out to which you all responded with a “Yes sensei.”

◇◇◇

Everything started to calm down and settle at school for you after that day.

Most of your time was spent in the classroom with regular subjects. But then you’d have the added physical training and cursed energy management with Utahime sensei, which you always looked forward to the most.

“Okay, time to form pairs now. Mai and Y/n. Miwa and Mechamaru, try to disarm and pin down your opponent if you can. Y/n go easy on the others.” Utahime sensei spoke, to which of course you agreed to.

Amongst the first years, both you and Mechamaru seemed to be the most capable, proficient even with long range techniques.

Mai and Miwa were weak in close combat quarters when they were disarmed. And it was too easy for you to disarm them with minimal cursed energy, as you spent a lot of time sparring with your older male cousins.

“Hup!” You closed in on Mai and kicked the gun from her grasp before flipping her body and pinning her to the ground. Mixed martial arts definitely comes in handy.

“Ouch, she said to go easy on me Y/n. You’re still pretty rough.” Mai spat out. “Get strong now or you won’t last on the battlefield. You have to focus on surviving.” You darkly said. Mai was shocked at that since you were always so bright and cheerful.

But everyone else noticed that whenever you were training, (whether it be by yourself in your free time or sparring with the others during class) you seemed like an entirely different person. Cold, calculating, detached, strong and fierce.

But of course, you always did your best to help them improve. “Mai, you’re moving your body wrong. Stabilise your footing, then aim. If I come close to you from the side, try to hit me based on your peripheral vision quicker.”

Truth be told, she improved. “Thank you y/n. You seem familiar with martial arts. Do you do any?” She asked you during break time.

Mechamaru and Miwa listened in, facing you curiously. The entire school is now aware of your Special Grade status, but everyone was still shy to outright ask you about the full details of how it was granted.

“I do. I’ve grown up sparring with my older male cousins all the time. Mixed martial arts, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and Krav Maga. Not sure if you guys know of Tsuchimikado Hiroki? Graduated from Kyoto Jujutsu high a few years back.”

“I’ve heard of his name in passing, but I don’t know of him. Your clan is kept pretty well under wraps after all.” Mai said. You smiled and nodded.

You were set to spar with Mechamaru after the break. This is where it got interesting. You activated your technique for the first time since training started as he shot laser beams at you.

He did everything he could, but even with his sword options, and strongest bursts of cursed energy, nothing hit you while you stood in the same spot.

You had activated your cursed technique, and made the space around you warp, making the attacks bounce off. Mechamaru had pretty solid power, but it wasn’t enough to rock you.

You held out one hand, “Enhanced gravity: Output level 5%” and Mechamaru’s body crumpled against the ground. You increased the air pressure above his body until he shouted, “Give!”.

You released your technique and thanked him for the fight. Mai and Miwa had stopped sparring to watch the both of you.

“Wow.” Miwa said with sparkling eyes. “No wonder… she’s special grade.” she whispered.

To be honest, at the end of the day labels and rankings meant NOTHING to you. You wanted all your allies to get as strong as they can be, so that they won’t suffer during missions.

Which is why you openly offered advice and help when they needed it. You’ve had enough of loss.

◇◇◇

When you had your free time you made your way to the library as was planned. You had a list of topics to burn through. Past lives, shared visions, alternate worlds, future visions… and the topic of soulmates. You had to get to the bottom of whatever happened between Noritoshi senpai and you.

The Tsuchimikado clan did have its history and legends as well. You had information on the other big 3 clans and their techniques. Along with that information came the basic legends of old. Soulmates, possibilities of inherited memories, parallel worlds, and some of the most evil of curses to exist. (Such as Ryomen Sukuna).

But you were sad to see that there was a lack of books on soulmates. Only some left on alternate and Parallel Worlds. 'Is the library lacking??? Didn't expect that.' You thought sadly.

You asked the librarian about it but, "I'm sorry my dear, we only have what's there on the shelves. There's a possibility the books have been borrowed. I can check the database for you."

"Yes please, thank you so much."

"Ah yes….. Kamo kun has taken some books on soulmates, parallel worlds, foresight and Abe no Seimei. Are those any of what you're looking for?" She asked.

You felt yourself pause. Okay so you were both thinking along the same lines. Not surprising.

"Yes, I can just wait for him to return it or ask him about it then. Thank you so much that was a great help!" You bid her your goodbyes and left the library.

Not to worry, you were going to see him real soon.

Author's notes: These first few chapters focus heavily on world building to set the pace for the story. You'll see a lot more of Nori in the following chapters <3

Blood Bound: Table of Contents

#kamo noritoshi #kamo noritoshi x you #jjk kamo #jujutsu kaisen fanfics #jjk imagines #noritoshi x reader #noritoshi fluff #noritoshi x y/n #miwa kasumi #mechamaru #zenin mai #jujutsu kaisen x reader #blood bound #red strings of fate

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chazukekani · 3 years

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My Favourite Moment in 55 Minutes

[Spoiler Present] Context

Here is the background of the scene which I am going to talk about next:

After the explosion happened, Atsushi was sent back to the past (55 minutes before the incident) by Wells so that he could alternate the pass and find the culprit. The upcoming scene happened after this time travel, where Atsushi first met Kunikida, and asked he to go find Dazai with him so that Atsushi could get some advice from his superior for searching for the culprit of the explosion.

‘You will find him very soon,’ Atsushi crossed the flagstone road straightly, then suddenly walking, sneaking softly as if just realised something important.

‘Hey?’

In response to Kunikida’s calling, Atsushi placed his index finger on his lip, signalling ‘be quiet’.

And then, they approached the grey rubbish bin at the corner of the street gently and gradually, then lifted up the bin cover all of a sudden.

‘Wow!!’

‘Woah!’

Atsushi screamed loudly all of a sudden, and the person inside the bin jumped off.

‘Dazai!?’ Kunikida’s jaw dropped ‘What the hell are you doing here, and why are you staying in such place?’

Dazai tumbled together with the bin, and his eyes could not stop blinking.

‘I am sorry, Dazai-san,’ Atsushi bowed down and apologised. ‘I know it wasn’t appropriate, but it is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, so I couldn’t help myself to…’

‘…Ha…’ Dazai’s eyes were still wide open, and he did not respond either.

‘Are you…mad at me?’ Atsushi asked nervously. ‘Ah, I am terribly sorry! What should I do? I couldn’t control…’

Dazai was not saying a single word, still. Not only remained in silent, but his body turned stiff without a tiny move, and his breath also looked terminated.

‘Da-Dazai-san? Dazai-san?’

Atsushi rushed towards Dazai, and tried to lift him up.

Then Atsushi suddenly jumped off.

‘So…so cold!’ Atsushi was trembling. ‘No pulse! He’s dead!’

Atsushi turned his green and panic face to Kunikida, and right at this moment—

‘BONG!’

‘AHHH!’

Atsushi fell down and flipped abruptly under such a short distant.

‘Ahaha, what a huge improvement from you to frighten me! Even that’s just a second. Atsushi, this secret trick of ‘heartbeat termination’ demonstration is my gift to you to complement you. You should feel honoured.’

‘You are less like a human’ Kunikida said disgustingly. ‘What on earth with such body formation that you can stay alive without the heart beating.’

‘It is a gimmick that I learned amid my path of pursuing the aesthetics of suicide. I can stop my pulse instantly and it will still be fine.’

‘Ridiculous.’

Atsushi, who fell on the flagstone path, was listening to their conversation while looking up to the sky. He thought

—I can’t win this man even a hundred year has passed.

What magical about this is that, Atsushi felt the fog in front of him had wiped away immediately when he thought about that.

‘Dazai-san’ Atsushi said it with he sitting on the floor. ‘I want to tell you something.’

No more hesitation.

Even once scared of deciding, it will lead to countless deaths the right decision could not be made, so what should I do by then? Alright, if I could not proceed without determining, then that’s my choice.

‘Let me know your thoughts.’ Dazai shook his shoulder delightedly. ‘But, before that, let me guess something.’

Dazai stood up, and looked down on Atsushi. The breeze from the sea flickered Dazai’s coat faintly, and its hemline was swinging altogether.

Then he said,

‘You are the man who knows the future, right?’

Atsushi smiled with his eyes closed.

This person is surely undefeatable even a hundred year has passed.

How funny it is to see three grown men messing with each other in the middle of a serious mission, especially Atsushi and Dazai.

In the beginning, I like how Kunikida was willing to accompany Atsushi despite knowing nothing (he did not know this Atsushi came from the future) because Atsushi asked him ‘Can you come with me without asking anything?’ beforehand. It shows that there was a growing confidence of Kunikida towards the boy. Unlike how he used to be less care with Atsushi (as portrayed during Atsushi’s missing due to Akutagawa in the first arc), Kunikida now seemed to have a better bonding with his junior, and trusted his action would be contributing to the team, hence accepted to go with him.

Then it comes to my favourite moment, the garbage time. If you have read the full novel, you will know that this is the second time of the Atsushi-Dazai garbage time, but the second one has been elevated to the whole next level of absurdity. I like how Atsushi had been planning to scare Dazai, or else he would not walk softly at a sudden ‘as if just realised something important’. The boy knew that it is very difficult to impress his superior because that is an omniscient man, that’s why he saw this as an ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’, which also tells me that this is something in Atsushi’s bucket list that he was dying to accomplish and how much he values. As we all know, Atsushi has a shy personality, so it was quite surprising for me that he would do such big move. Perhaps he knew Dazai would not mind, who knows! What I like about this interaction is how bilateral interaction between Atsushi and Dazai, particularly Dazai. As I have emphasised countless times in my previous analysis, Dazai does not open his heart that much. The way of how Atsushi is able to surprised him, and the fact that Dazai responded, and remember he responded, is a sign telling me that Dazai is stepping outside from his inner circle, and reaching to the companions who has been working with him.

I also like the fact that Dazai responded to Atsushi’s surprise, and continued the joke with his gimmick. Now you all know that Dazai’s current communication method with Ango is originated from this moment. I just can’t believe this is the first 55 minutes referenced made into the canon manga.

Before Dazai scared Atsushi back, I also like the description of how Atsushi asked for Kunikida’s help by turning his face. It also tells me about Atsushi’s reliance on Kunikida, which he probably saw Kunikida as the only one who knows how to deal with Dazai’s mess, or actually hinted the upcoming plot (which Kunikida made a solid plan in case Dazai is dead). It definitely recalls my memory of this OG trio during the first season of anime.

The way of how Atsushi says ‘I cannot win this man even a hundred year has passed’ is adorable. At the meantime that Atsushi realised how able Dazai was, it cleared all Atsushi’s frustration away, which again reflected Atsushi’s admiration or reliance on Dazai. In addition, this line not only explained how much Atsushi respected and looked up on Dazai, but also told me that Atsushi was willing to deal with Dazai’s mess, and tolerate all his daddy jokes or troubles that he made. This sentence delivers the tolerance and acceptance of Atsushi towards Dazai, which I think is something important to Dazai too.

Atsushi is indecisive, which is shown in the last bit of the translation where he expressed that he was afraid of making decision. Yet by observing how Kunikida and Dazai cooperated smoothly, plus acknowledging that there was someone he could rely on, his worry was erased. The very last line of Dazai’s acknowledgement of Atsushi came from the future served as a final shot in Atsushi’s arm, thus he repeated ‘this person is SURELY undefinable even as hundred year has passed.’ It once again portrayed Dazai has been Atsushi’s pillar, just like how he relieved Atsushi’s nervousness before entering the Sky Casino in volume 17 omake.

To wrap this up, here is my introduction of my favourite scene in the light novel 55 minutes. Despite having zero adaptation at all, I find this novel the most entertaining out of all, and remain my all time favourite. Not only the scene above, there are also other honourable mentions which I am planning to review very soon. I hope you guys can take a read if possible ( I have included the link of partial translation in my bio) because it definitely worth it.

#bungo stray dogs #bungou stray dogs #bsd #bsd nakajima atsushi #bsd dazai osamu #bsd kunikida doppo #55 minutes #bsd 55 minutes #y'all better read the whole novel #best light novel of all time

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moldisgoodforyou · 3 years

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Um that baby fic was everything I didn’t know I needed. Thanks for brightening my day with that! Saw that you’d be willing to write more domestic fluff and all I can think about is jj feeding the kid for the first time and having flashbacks to the food poisoning incident!

okay this is totally going against my rule of post mainly in order because I haven’t even mentioned the baby’s birth yet (will I write a post about it? maybe maybe not). but I thought this was cute and liked it so enjoy

also kind of ignored the prompt but also kind of followed it so

wordcount: 1.4k

Charlie and JJ had been trying to get their baby to eat real food for a solid two weeks now, and she was having none of it. After a poorly timed joke of ‘well, I wouldn’t want to leave your boobs alone either,’ JJ decided to take it upon himself to try again when Charlie was taking a nap. Once he finally wrestled baby Caroline into the high chair, having to take her out at least twice to rock her so she wouldn’t cry, he found the food and tried his best.

“C’mon baby, it’s good, I promise. I wouldn’t lie to you.” He took the baby spoon and pressed it to Caroline’s lips, but she just blinked up at him, resolute.

JJ groaned. “If you’re going to be as stubborn as your mother we’re going to have a problem on our hands.”

More blinking.

“You’ll be more fun when you can talk.” He lowered his voice, just slightly. “I promise I’ll teach you the good words.”

He swore Caroline’s eyes seemed to light up at that and he grinned, tickling her tummy a little. At her giggles he laughed, shaking his head. “I love you, little human. You gotta eat though or mommy will be mad at me.”

He sniffed the baby food on the spoon and recoiled at the smell. “Okay, fine, I see your point.” He scanned his eyes around the kitchen and grabbed a banana and a fork, then started mashing it up onto her plate. “I dunno if you’re supposed to have this yet, but don’t choke and we’ll be fine. Got it?” JJ asked, ruffling her feathery hair. She slammed her tiny hands on the high chair and he nodded. “Good.”

He loaded up some banana on to the spoon and hummed, making airplane noises as he brought it to her face. She opened her mouth, hesitantly, but seemed thoughtful as she accepted the food. “It’s good, right? That’s banana. Ba-na-na.” He told her.

Caroline hummed in what JJ took as agreement. “You know, this is going a lot better than the first time I made food for your mama. I fucked that one up - wait, shit - shoot.” He corrected himself, then put his finger to his lips. “You didn’t hear that, right baby?”

“Fa.” She somewhat repeated and he winced, shaking his head. “You’re not supposed to actually talk for three months, so I’ll work on that one and you just forget what I said, deal?” He fed more banana to her and Caroline grabbed for the spoon. “Okay, deal. Your mama’s gonna have my head if she heard that. But I’m pretty sure she’s said her fair share around you, so if you say a bad word, it’s not my fault.”

Charlie had woken up a few minutes ago and came out from the bedroom, quietly. She leaned up against the doorframe and watched, amused, until she realized what was going on with the banana peel on the counter. “JJ!”

He whipped around, dropping the spoon to the high chair. “What?!”

“Did you give her real banana?” Caroline grinned a gummy smile upon seeing Charlie, making grabby hands toward her. Charlie came forward and pressed a kiss to her head, murmuring “hi, baby” as she went.

“I - well - uh, yeah? I thought that was fine, she has banana in her little packets!”

“Not if it’s not - oh.” She stopped mid sentence upon seeing the clearly mashed banana in a bowl JJ was feeding her from, and as Caroline stuck her hand in the bowl and shoved her tiny fist toward her mouth. “I thought you were giving it to her whole.”

JJ rolled his eyes, addressing their daughter. “Mommy doesn’t trust daddy.”

“That’s not true.”

“It’s partially true.”

Charlie just smiled and kissed his cheek, then leaned into his side. “I trust you. Just not completely sure if that’s the best idea if the doctor said we should wait...”

“Your dad said I should just parent off instinct.” He replied but wrapped his arm around her shoulders anyway, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. She laughed. “My dad also dropped me on my head as a child, so.”

He grinned and flicked Charlie’s head. “Ahhh. Everything makes sense now.”

“JJ!” She flicked him back, mock-offended.

“A little mashed banana won’t kill her. Right, Caroline?” He asked, addressing their baby directly.

Caroline answered with another slamming of her fists on the high chair and JJ grinned. “See? She’s fine. She loves it.”

“Yeah? She’s gonna love repeating your curse words too, right?”

He winced. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Uh huh.” Charlie wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning into him fully. “She’s getting so big. I hate it.”

“Yeah, but think about how much more fun she’ll be once she can talk and play games and stuff.” JJ grinned.

“When do you think we could teach her to surf?” She mused with her face buried in his chest, sounding hesitant.

“We’re not teaching our baby to surf in San Francisco, sweetheart, don’t be ridiculous.” He resisted rolling his eyes at the notion, then caught her chin and nudged it up to give her a kiss. “Hey. What’s up?”

“Well. You know how I was talking about how I wish we were closer to my mom and dad?”

“Yeah. I miss them too.” His face twisted for a moment. “I wish Caroline could grow up seeing her grandparents. Knowing they love her. But you still have a couple months on your PhD, and you love it here.”

Charlie didn’t miss the way he didn’t say “and I love it too.” She knew JJ liked San Francisco, enough, but as soon as she got pregnant, he kept talking about how kids need to grow up with space to play, out in nature. He loved her parents, too. Once they had the baby, he called her dad at least once a week asking for advice, ranging from how do I button up this stupid onesie to why is she getting so old so fast?

She bit her lip and JJ frowned, tugging it out with his thumb. “What’s wrong, Charlie, talk to me.”

“I got a job offer for when I finish my doctorate.” She paused. “With the Carolina Panthers.”

He thought for a moment, then his eyebrows shot up. “Wait, like. The Carolina Panthers? In Charlotte?” He grinned. “John B and Sarah are there. And Pope’s only a bit away in Raleigh.”

Charlie nodded, trying to hold back a smile. “I know it’s a lot, you’d have to find a new job, but it’s closer to my parents, and it’s more money, and we wouldn’t be bleeding rent -”

JJ cut her off with a kiss, hands on both sides of her face. “You’re incredible, you know that? I love you so damn much. I’m so fucking proud of you.”

She was grinning by now and butted her head against his gently. “Hey! No cursing in front of the baby.”

“She wasn’t listening.” He was beaming as he turned to their baby, bending down to get on eye level. “What do you think about moving to Charlotte, sweet Caroline?” He tickled her feet and she giggled, grinning wide. “Yes! She’s in.”

“JJ, we can actually talk about this. I don’t want to just spring this on you.”

“Nope. I’m all in.” He paused, smiling, and pressed another proud kiss to Charlie’s temple. “You do understand the irony of this, right?”

“Hm?”

“Everyone’s gonna think we named our baby after your team. And Charlotte’s going to be living in Charlotte.”

She rolled her eyes. “If they’re respectful, they’ll address me as Dr. Walker.”

“I still think Dr. Maybank just sounds so much better -”

“JJ, once you can pass all my exams of your own accord, I will gladly change my name -”

“Fine, fine, I get it.” He picked her up around the waist and spun her in a circle, beaming. “Caroline’s gonna grow up with John B and Sarah’s baby. Oh my god, it’s perfect.” Charlie laughed, meeting him with a quick kiss. “It’s not for a few months, but still.”

“What’s their slogan again? Pound something?”

“Keep pounding, and I don’t even want to hear whatever’s gonna come out of your mouth next.”

He grinned, sheepish, and kissed her again, long and slow. “So proud of you.”

#jj x charlie #jj maybank #jj maybank fanfic #obx fanfic #outer banks #outer banks fanfic #postgrad #mine #dad jj

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mantistog · 4 years

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Hi could I please request a yandere Hannibal x reader? Like maybe the reader has social anxiety? So it would be really hard to get them to come over to dinner and relax around him? It's cool if it's a no.

Ahhh I hope this is what you wanted, sorry if it’s not. ALSO It’s never a no ;w; Im just happy you are requesting. I need that INSPIRATION SAUCE <3 also sorry for shortness

___________________________________

Yandere! Hannibal x reader: Out of reach

He liked the way you always seemed just out of reach of him. Every time he thought he was getting closer to you it was like you reeled yourself back and right out of his reach once again. He couldn’t count the amount of times you’d declined invites for dinner on his hands, even if he grew a third one. It wasn’t like him to keep pursuing someone who wanted nothing to do with him, but he couldn’t help it. There was something about you that completely made him unable to gather himself around you.

That was what made it so disheartening to him as he watched you sit rigidly next to him and across from Jack Crawford. Everything you said was stiff and calculated, as you advised him in the area of discussion that they were currently engaged in. The fact that you were called in to advice on cases more and more would be the death of him. He could hardly focus on what you were saying, even if it was clear you were uncomfortable he still found you positively irresistible.

“Doctor?” He hadn’t even noticed you moving to be looking at him and Jack having left the office, so he was surprised to find your hand extended to him. It wasn’t unusual for you to shake hands as a meeting ended, and he took your hand gratefully. Your grip was slack and awkward and you pulled your hand back fast afterwards. You took your bag from under your chair and stood up. Even as he said your name you just stared down towards the floor, but the lack in movement indicated you’d heard him. “Are you sure you won’t accept and offer for dinner?”

You turned back halfway towards him, grabbing your hand around your arm hanging by your side. Hannibal knew it to be a very common reaction to hide ones body subconsciously when uncomfortable. “I’m not a peoples person.” You explained, trying to get out of the conversation. Often times just going to work and interacting with people seemed so far out there to you, how would you ever fair at a dinner? He laughed good naturedly. “No people. Just you and me.” He tried to clarify, baiting you into accepting his invitation. “Are you implying we’re not people?” You asked, not expecting an answer as you left him in the room.

He just stood there, unmoving for a while until he was interrupted. “It’s interesting watching you so inept at something when you’re so used to you excelling in everything,” Will told him. He was holding a cup of coffee for Hannibal and one for himself. How he had even heard what had just gone down was unbeknownst to Hannibal. “We can’t be perfect.” He simply answered back. Will laughed. “ Yeah, but isn’t this your field? Getting people comfortable enough to open up?” Hannibal wanted to strangle Will for compressing everything down to that, and for reminding him of his failures. Will must have gotten the hint, cause he made a noise and put down his cup like he was ready to lecture Hannibal.

“I’ll do you a solid here. Have you ever considered that the scene isn’t right for the person?” It had occurred to him that dinner wasn’t the sort of date or get together (He had never implied it was more than friendly even if his feelings were) that you would like the most or feel the most comfortable with, but he was unsure what else to approach you with. “What would you suggest, Will?” Will, walked over and picked up his coffee and made himself ready to leave, sensing the end of the conversation.

“If you know them well enough to be enamoured, you’ll figure it out.” Will said, leaving Hannibal alone once again.

Hannibal smiled. One day you’d give in, and it was just about chipping away at you. You’d fall into his web someday, no matter how long he’d have to keep going. He was sure of that.

#hannibal x reader #yandere x reader #yandere hannibal #Yandere hannibal x reader

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earthendandinbetween · 3 years

Text

I dunno I had no solid idea i just started writing.

Though not well built, the fort they had taken was a clear sign that they needed to patrol the desert more often. If the two opposing tribes were able to craft up a two floor stone building, it meant they were feeling brave enough to try again if given the chance. There was no need to risk that, especially as General Gong gave a careful glance at the rack of weaponry on the second floor. The ability to have somewhere to hoard their weaponry only meant the urge to move out more troops and arm them to the teeth. No, not on his watch. They would patrol the desert for a few days and confiscate these weapons back to the hideout.

Exhausting work, but someone had to do it. Might as well be him. By the time the patrol group had made it to the desert, midday had hit, marking the hottest time of the day for the area. He could tell outside was going to be extreme, considering the heat already absorbed into the stone walls of the small fort. ...He would not schedule a sweep of the area until dusk. Even if zigotons were quite used to heat of any kind, it wouldn’t be a comfortable trip either way, they had plenty of time to do such later.

“Hey! Are we ready to tear this place down?” Came a familiar tone, joined by the sound of scrambling feet up the haphazardly designed stairs, “I’m getting bored here!”

The tateton hummed in acknowledgment of the other, slowly lifting up one of the purple and black spears from the weapon rack. Light, carefully crafted, and incredibly sharp. Work of akumapon smiths, no doubt. They often made their weapons light weight, yet very deadly, his yaritons could profit from spears like these.

“No, we’re not disassembling the fort for another three days,” Gong responded, placing the spear back in its place, “We kind of need it for ourselves for patrol, don’t you think?”

“Ugh, right,” Kuwagattan grumbled, thumping against the wall as he sat, “That means I have to share space with a bunch of losers.”

“Oh?” With a ‘smile’ that couldn’t be seen, the zigoton continued to survey the various weaponry and their quality, “I did not know you thought of me as a ‘loser’, dear.”

There was an awkward shuffle, a mumble or two. By any guess, he figured the akumapon to be fidgeting with his hands at his words, some sort of guilt or embarrassment present.

“No….Not you...I didn’t say that...” The dekapon took a softer tone, slightly fumbling with his wording.

“I was only joking,” Gong offered a gentle chuckle, “I am assuming you are going to claim this top floor for yourself, hm?”

“Uh...Yeah, but--- You can stay. ….If you want.”

“How thoughtful of you.”

–

Either it was exhaustion from keeping watch half of the night, or Gong had truly forgotten how tiring temperatures of this stature could be. Having spent quite a while in a humid jungle, and the cooler air of the hideout….That would not be too surprising. The morning patrol had only just started, but it truly felt like it had gone on hours already. ...The tateton should take his own advice on not running oneself ragged. He would--- most likely--- ...maybe not make this mistake again, as he lagged several feet from the zigoton troops he had been guiding.

“Huh, someone’s lagging behind,” A voice teased from his side, “Never seen this before.”

He sighed, furrowing his brow in a soft annoyance, more from exhaustion than the akumapon himself, “Yes, very good eye, Kuwagattan. I am not exactly well.”

“Yeah, well that was easy to tell because-” As the dekapon went to make some other remark, walking backwards to keep direct eye contact with the other, he unceremoniously tripped over a small rock with a small ‘oof’, “...Meant to do that.”

“...I’m sure you did.”

Gong glanced down at the other general, watching as he slowly sat up to shake granules of sand off his body before standing once more with a confident snap of his fingers. He really was going to stick with ‘doing that on purpose’ to try and save his ego. ...He’d let Kuwagattan have that, he wasn’t one for cruel mockery.

“Anyways! The sun feels great, right?” The akumapon ‘grinned’, spinning around a bit haphazardly with his hammer, “I’ve dealt with the freezing cold near base for too long, this is so much better!”

Ah. He often forgot the other was infact, demonic in nature as he squinted in the direction of the all-too-bright sun. No. This infact was not better. Freezing cold wasn’t great, but boiling heat wasn’t any better than that. The tateton almost wondered if the statement was sarcastic, but he knew better than that. He really truly preferred this kind of heat.

“Uh,” Gong gave a thoughtful hum, almost pretending to humor the dekapon, “No. I certainly did not miss these high temperatures.”

“I figured,” The dekapon snickered, “You could barely even handle being near the volcano over the bridge.”

“...You could tell?”

“Uh, duh?”

The zigoton general groaned inwardly. Being even jokingly teased was a little grating today of all days, but anything to keep him awake he supposed as he gave a playful shove to Kuwagattan’s shoulder.

“That’s enough out of you,” He huffed, “You’ve had your fun mocking me.”

“Ahhh you love me, admit it,” Came the teasing response, hand firmly gripped on his wrist to push his hand off, “Come onnnn you know you do!”

“Hmmm,” He gave a joking thought to the statement, “I don’t know, do I?”

“Of course you do, who could resist this?”

The tateton burst into a fit of chuckles as the other general continued his statements, “You know people see me and they ask if it hurt when I fell from heaven! And I tell them ‘nah, and crawling out of hell was even easier’!”

“Hmm. Very humble,” Gong ‘smirked’, “How lucky I am.”

“You know it!” The smug tone rung out, quickly replaced with a much, much quieter, “Guess I’m lucky too, you know.”

“Charming.”

“...How long is this patrol anyways?” Kuwagattan’s tone shifted to a more blank version of his usual confident tone, “Are we going to be out here all day?”

“Most likely, yes. We’re going to stop by the oasis soon, though.”

“Huh. Alright, well,” The dekapon shifted a bit closer, “In that case...”

The tateton turned slightly in confusion before his legs were swept out from under him, landing somewhat roughly in the akumapon’s arms. ...Graceful as always, he thought as a deep red took over his face.

“This isn’t necessary,” He murmured, adjusting slightly, “I can walk, you know.”

“Please, you looked like you were going to pass out at any moment, slowpoke,” Kuwagattan snickered, clearly over-exaggerating the situation. This was being done out of a want to do such, not to be helpful, “Come’on. Who would I be if I just let you struggle like this!”

“Hm...You are very silly,” The general sighed, allowing himself to relax, “… I appreciate the help, I suppose.”

“Heh, and you’re soft,” The dekapon teased, squinting down in amusement, “Softy.”

“...And you’re not?”

“In your dreams shorty.”

#Writings (oneshots)#Stubborn Beetle (Kuwagattan)#Wise General (Gong)

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parisa-astra15 · 4 years

Text

~♪ Rhythm of Your Heart ♪~ (Days 3-7)

Summary: A series of compilation stories set in my College Alternate Universe, where the Lolirock cast are just normal teenagers heading off to college trying to figure out life while settling into adulthood. Musically set to the tunes of Marianas Trench.

Ships: Talisto, Levyna, NatIris,ZackPrax, Rorissa and MattAuri a few others sprinkled in there.

*If it’s not your cup of Tea that’s 100% fair, go enjoy all the other awesome content from the fandom ~

**If you are here for Talisto week 2020, welcome! Hope you like the stories!

Day 3: First Kiss

The sound of music and dancing was the universal sign of a good time. She had come out tonight to feel normal again. Enough time had passed and yet here she was.

Talia blended into the crowd and began to sneak out of a party, purposely avoiding her friends, taking the route off the roof by using the fire escape. She frowns as tears stung her eyes as she hugs her arms softly. After a few steps she sighed leaning against the wall taking a seat outside of Lev’s apartment. She wanted to leave, but it was a shitty thing to leave without saying anything to Iris and Auriana. This only made the pressure of anger in her lower abdomen knot and twist as she took a seat on the steps of the fire escape.

What brought on this mixture of melancholy and angry frustration? A stupid song, her ex’s favorite song, it had been a month since she and Kyle had broken up. And some dumb song shouldn't make her feel so many emotions all once, it was like remembering something she had desperately to forget and bury yet couldn't.

Suddenly there was a click from the sliding door opening and a surprise gaze of a young burgundy hair man holding a bowl of chips. He looked surprised to find her there.

She knew him vaguely from campus, he was in the drama department with Lev, and he noticed her crying because his first words to her were.

"Hey… are you okay?" He asked softly, looking at her. "You like you've been crying…"

Talia gave half a sigh mixed with a dry laugh "....Just… heard my Ex's favorite song play...I don't know its stupid" he took a seat across from her and gave a small smile. "Hey, no… it's not dumb...I'm a theater kid… if there's one thing we know is a broken heart… Now unless you want to belt out a ballad of self empowerment, Talking about it usually helps. And who better than someone you probably won't see again" he winks at her which made her smile, the joke helped to ease any tension or embarrassment she felt. There was something in his eyes that gave an air of kindness. She gave a nod "he was my highschool sweetheart…. " she started

The hours passed and she told him, her story, of how she was with this guy for years and all of the sudden he just broke up with her because her college was too far away and long distance relationships don't work. They passed around the snacks till the empty bowl was all that was left. Finally when she finished Talia took a deep sigh of relief, she had no idea how long she had kept that inside her chest. Locked up under the guise of self control and keeping up appearances that she was fine. To share it with someone felt nice, she felt heard and looked at Mephisto who had processed the whole ordeal with her.

At first he frowns "Wow…that's such a jerk move….just everything he did it sounds like he was just looking for a excuse to break up and instead of talking to you and not completely blindsiding you he just one day decided to be jerk and make up an excuse…." He said sighing deeply as he ran his fingers through his hair and looking at her with a soft gaze. "He genuinely doesn't deserve you. When he grows up and realizes that. I hope he has enough backbone to apologize for what he's done…as for you feeling sad…. It happened a month ago. You should let yourself grieve, However you want to. It was a long relationship, a relationship you put a lot of your heart into loving them and that doesn't just go away… It may have been for him, but that took a while and he had his time to figure his feelings. So should you. You didn't wake up one day with the thought that everything was leading up to a break up. You genuinely thought things were okay between you two and suddenly they weren't, you need time to process that. You know?"

"I…. Thank you…." She whispers and nods "that's really solid advice… and I never considered letting myself do that… I'm the tough one you know… nothing gets to me…." She sniffles a bit wiping her face with the back of her hand.

He shook his head "no one can be okay after that…it's okay to feel and recover…"

Talia made a small noise of agreement "Hey, let's get out here and enjoy the party….could I know your name?" She asked as she got up, he gave a nod and smiled getting up too. "Mephisto, it's an honor to make your acquaintance milady " he said in a dramatic manner making her laugh "I'm Talia, thanks for hearing me out." She leans over and kisses his cheek softly, just an innocent kiss on the cheek as they headed upstairs to the party. Mephisto felt a small blush on his cheeks "aw, it's no biggie… I'd do it any time… hey do know the Coffee place on Bartley street?"

"Yeah, the book shop?"

"I hang out there, mostly to read scripts and drink coffee if you ever want to hang out?"

Talia smiles "sounds like fun"

They were unaware of it at the time but a friendship was made that night on the fire escape.

Day 4: Retro Fashion

Talia had never considered performing in a fashion show before but Lyna had put in so much effort into her final project. Lyna had sat in several of Talia’s american history courses to learn about the 1920’s. Her professors were surprised to find out the curious young lady with the lengthy notes wasn’t actually enrolled in the courses and was actually a fashion major.

Throughout the semester Lyna would come over with revised sketches of the gowns she was making. Asking Talia for advice on accessories and accuracy. Which was more than happy to give feedback but she was genuinely caught off guard and flattered when Lyna asked her to model the stunning gown inspired by the ever glamorous Josphine Baker. “Of course” She smiles. It was a strapless black and white ball gown decorated and accessorized with her signature pearls.

The collection was something her friend had worked so hard on. Talia was happy to support her.

Later that afternoon, she sat on the counter top as Mephisto chopped vegetables for dinner.

“So are you free next Saturday afternoon?” She asked. Mephisto glances over as he reaches over his head for a bowl on the shelf. “ Yeah I should be done with finals”

“Do you want to come to a fashion show?”

“Fashion show?” He smiles “ Are you modeling for Lyna’s Final?”

“Yeah.” She blushes a bit “ Do you think it's silly”

“ Now why would I ever think that? I think it's gonna be awesome” He kisses her pouty cheek. “ I’m going to take so many pictures~”

“Oh my god”

“ and Facetime Izira.”

She laughs burying her face into his shoulder blade “You are such a dork”

“ You love it” He grins.

Day 5: Sport AU

Author’s note: I know nothing about sports, Zero. Nada. My knowledge of sports comes from sports animes and I watch them for the cute boys and nothing else.So! Instead have Praxina, Mephisto and Talia trying out Auriana’s pilates’s class.

Praxina’s frown deepens as she glares at her brother “ You have 5 minutes to explain why I’m here.” Talia looked equally exasperated at her boyfriend who, being the only morning person of the trio grins. “ I figured finals stressed us out and Auriana is teaching her first pilates class so let's go be good friends and get some exercise too!.” He said with a grin as the girls gave a groan “ You are making us breakfast after this” Praxina yawns. “ yeah” Talia smiles softly “ you do know Auriana’s classes aren’t beginner friendly right… She’s tough.”

Mephisto pales a bit realizing he might have made a mistake. ”Oh-” They headed up to the studio greeted warmly by the chipper redhead who claps her hand together. “ Alright Class! Lets have an awesome warm up!” While Talia and Praxina both being dancers could easily keep up with the beat and tempo set by Auriana. Mephisto was having trouble just keeping his breathing in check.

This was just a warm up. He was doomed. After the class, the group ended up in the small apartment where Praxina lived with her dog Brutus. Mephisto lays on his sister's couch his body feeling like jelly as Brutus the pomeranian lays on his back. “ You should have just sat down after the warm up” Talia said sips on her water. Watching him from her seat on the love seat across the coffee table from him.

“No that was quitter talk, Can’t stop, won’t stop!” He said muttering into the couch cushions as Praxina laughs walking over picking up Brutus “ He just hates being wrong, I don’t know where he gets this competitive attitude from~” Praxina comments to Talia before she grins and leans over to his ear and says “ I’m the alpha twin, now~” “Ahhh” His muffled groan came from the couch making the girls laugh as they order breakfast off their phones since their cook was down count. Overall the stress of test week is long forgotten.

Day 6+7 Gift Giving at the School Festival

Author’s note: Roark belongs to Kireiscorner~ I asked her before borrowing him~

It was a silly campus tradition, past over from one generation to the next. On the evening of the School Festival, to give a gift to your significant other before the firework’s show. Mephisto had always thought his mother’s story was a little corny, but the romantic in him had also found it a little sweet.

He wanders around the shopping district, his eyes looking in the different stores looking for the right gift. He had his heart set on finding a pair of earrings that match her favorite bracelet. “ Young man!” A sing-song voice called from a small stall. “ You look like a crafty gentleman~ Would like to buy our jewelry crafting set! Only 3 installments of 29.99!”

Mephisto pointed to himself and gave a thought he must look desperate by now because he was actually walking over. “ Hold it” A familiar voice stopped him. “ yikes man… you weren’t actually going to buy kiosk craft kits-” Lev said walking over wrapping an arm around his best friend and shaking his head at sales girl “ Sorry sweetheart, not today” He winks at her as the kiosk sale girl glares at him.

Mephisto sighs “ I’m a little desperate… I’ve been looking for a gift for Talia all morning and I’ve come up empty... Please tell me your Father owns a discount jewelry shop?”

“Nope, my old man owns and sells engagement rings and high end jewelry… but I know a man who might be able to help” Lev grins as they head out of the bustling area to a quiet shop. It was an antique shop designed on restoring metal pieces. “ Hey Roark buddy, you in?” Lev called out as a massive man walked out from the back. He gave a small grunt greeting them with a welcome. “ Roark buddy, this is Mephisto. Mephisto, this is my buddy Roark. He’s in the robotics department with me. His family owns this shop. Bud, we are in a bit of a time crunch. Do you mind if Mephisto here looks around the jewelry section?” Roark gave a shrug and continued working on the counter as Lev showed him over to the section of the counter where the restored jewelry was found. Mephisto’s eyes light up when he spotted them, sapphire earrings restored from old gold. “ How much?!” Roark gave a tired look as he got up and fetched the earrings they were around 95. Mephisto looked at everything he had saved up. That would leave him with 30 in pocket for anything at the festival. He nodded “ Okay… Could I get wrapped in a box? Blue please!”

Lev watched him with a small smile “ You really like this girl, huh…”

Mephisto blushes “ Yeah… I do… I just want to make her smile.”

Lev chuckles “ It’s nice to see you this happy again.” Roark came out the back, the earrings wrapped up in a small box, tucked neatly in a paper shopping bag. “ Thank you for your purchase,” Roark said. “ Thanks Roark you’re the best buddy” Lev winks as Roark rolled his eyes with a small grin.

Mephisto paid and thanked him too.

Hours passed and Mephisto couldn’t help but enjoy every moment he spent with Talia, this whole year by her side had been special to him. He helps her over to a nice spot to watch the fireworks where it wasn’t too crowded. “ Hey… So… It's… kind of a corny tradition but tonight some couples exchange gifts… and I wanted to give you something…” He pulled out the small box from his jacket pocket.

“It's a thank you for being you and sharing yourself with me.” Talia eyes widen and a blush spread all over her face “ Thank you… but I didn’t know-”

“Yeah it's okay you aren’t from here so I figured you wouldn’t exactly know the stories… But It wouldn’t have felt right to celebrate without telling you how I felt.”

She blushes brightly as she kisses him “ You idiot... I love you… Thank you… I can’t wait to celebrate with you next year…” She whispers hugging him close.

“That’s a promise” He smiles holding her close as the fireworks begin.

===========The End============

Author’s Note: And that was Talisto week 2020 everyone!~ As always thanks for your support! It was awesome to see everyone again~ and to celebrate with you all - Lots of love as always, Kikki~

#lolirock #Talisto #talisto week 2020 #talia princess of xeris #mephisto #Mephisto x Talia #lolirock fanfic

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doof-doofblog · 4 years

Text

"I Think They Want You!"

Tuesday 22nd September 2020

Hello everyone! Hope you've all had a good week, I do realise I am late (again!) I can only apologise for my lateness! Tonight I'll be posting about Tuesday's episode and tomorrow I shall do two posts following Thursday's and Friday's episode! Let's waste no time and get right into it!

As you all know, Monday's episode ended with Stacey making an iconic return to the square, and as we can see, it starts just right we left off! Firstly I've got to say how amazing it is to have Lacey Turner back! Stacey is such an iconic to the show and she makes every scene she's in just amazing!! I love how Stacey is acting so nice and polite to Ruby as she returns, even though Ruby is fuming after finding out that her best mate has been stealing money from her! Ruby instantly lashes the insults at her .... only we hear a voice from behind Stacey, and there stands Lily!!!!! Sorry but, how grown up does she look?! She is definitely her Mum's daughter! The spit image!! Such a little superstar, as much as I loved the younger Lily, I can see this little madam causing a stir on the Square, perhaps getting into her own little bits of trouble?! As Stacey finishes her little pow-wow with Ruby, she turns away to see Jean looking at her from a distance, poor Jean, it's been a while since we've seen her! How has she been able to cope during lockdown?! I'm interested to see what she's got to stay to Stacey!

Ahhh yes, Ben is still being questioned by police. Ahhh and of course the Mitchell family lawyer is there to help! To be honest, I've always liked Ritchie, she's always done her best to support the Mitchell's! She also makes a VERY good point, if they really think their evidence is so solid, what are they waiting for? I'm kind of guessing it has something to do with the Detective waiting on Callum to give up Phil?! As he stated to Ben, he's just waiting for that one phone call where someone can collaborate his story?! Or something among those lines?! As Callum is coming out of his apartment, little Lexi approaches him asking whether he's had news on her Dad. Can I just say, all the little actors and actresses in this soap are such superstars! Little Lexi is such a gorgeous little girl, as is Amy, Bailey, Ollie - they are all so young and such brilliant little actors, I love them all! But of course Lexi is going to be worried about her Dad, the poor girl hasn't been able to see them the past few days, since he was arrested. As Callum explains to Jay that it's look that Ben could be charged for his involvement in the robbery, Jay is right when he says "It's gonna kill him, isn't it?!" ... it'll kill Ben and everyone else in the family. Phil, Lola, Lexi, Callum, Jay, Kathy - it'll affect everyone!

Meanwhile, in the café, Stacey is waiting for Martin! I still can't get over how glamorous she looks! Her hair and make-up and outfit just looks perfect! I think from the very beginning since she's been on the Square, Stacey has been my favourite character! She just absolutely MAKES the soap for me, along with Phil Mitchell! Martin enters the café and, to me, it looks as if he is shocked to see his ex-wife looking so beautiful! Considering, as Stacey points out, he hasn't seen her for a whole year! The main thing Martin is wanting though, is being able to see his daughters. Stacey basically tells him that he can see his daughters, if he makes sure Ruby doesn't go to the police about Stacey nicking her money. Martin makes it perfectly clear he doesn't care what she's done, as the situation regarding that is between her and Ruby. He then makes a statement saying to her that she has no idea what he did for his family! Which - as many of you will remember, he got himself caught up in Ben's business, having to collect rent from struggling families, to then to Ben's outrageous plan to murder Keanu! Stacey has no idea about what Martin has done in recent months, but he had to lie to her to protect her - I think to this day, Stacey still believes that he cheated on her with Sonia, which of course, we know was untrue. Will Stacey ever find out the truth about what Martin got up to during the months she was absent?!

In the Vic, Ian is still being off with Sharon! As Kathy brilliantly puts it, he's punishing her for not having the same feelings towards him, which is really not her fault! He needs to grow a pair, be a man about it, accept it and move on! The way Ian looked back at Sharon after she walked off, I'm hoping Kathy has finally talked some sense into him! He and Sharon have been best friends for years and years, it'll be awful to throw a good friendship away over something like that! Maybe Ian will start to back off a bit?!

Ahhh Denise! Gosh it feels like ages since we've seen Denise!!! She must be feeling absolutely devastated about Chantelle passing away?! She explains to Jack as she gets off the phone, that she was speaking to Sheree! Patrick is living with his son Anthony?! And from what we can make from her phone call, Patrick came down with Coronavirus? He seems to be getting better slowly! As Denise is having her conversation with Jack, Amy is in the background playing on her phone, what is this little girl up to? Denise suggests going round and making some food for Patrick, Amy pipes up and instantly asks if she can go with and quickly rushes to get changed. Both Jack and Denise seem surprised by her request but it looks a if Denise is pleased for her to tag along. But what does Amy really want? What is she trying to get out of? Or why is she wanting to go with Denise?!

Kheerat is still grieving for Chantelle, we see him alone, still coming to terms with her loss. Mitch walks in, thinking he's there to collect some on Chantelle's work things. But Kheerat brings his attention to a bin liner, Mitch looks inside and finds Chantelle's memory box. He looks inside and instantly he's wanting to know how and why Kheerat has it. Kheerat explains to him that Chantelle trusted him in getting it for her the previous night, Mitch comes to realise it was become of Kheerat that Gray got the notification of the house alarm. Kheerat explain to Mitch that Chantelle wasn't happy and that she was ready leave to Gray, Mitch remains quiet as he explains what he knows, he then asks him "Why you?" and then it drops - "You were going with her?!" - just as that moment, before Kheerat can respond to him, Suki walks into the room, realising what she might have walked in on, she instantly acts sympathetic towards Mitch, saying she's sorry for his loss and claiming how much they all loved Chantelle. Mitch decides then to leave the room and as he leaves we can Kheerat reeling about how much he knows he needs to tell Mitch, there's still plenty more information they need to know!

At the Slater household, Martin is finally spending time with his daughters. Hope has also grown up so much too! I might be wrong, but how long has it been since Stacey left with her daughters? Nearly a year? Over a year? A round the year mark? In that space of time, I can't believe how much their daughters have grown! Even little Arthur is growing up! Kat is in the living room explaining to Jean and Shirley all about the situation between Ruby and Stacey. As Martin is bonding with his daughter, Stacey is coming down the stairs, she sneaks towards the kitchen door and listens in on their conversation. She smiles softly as little Hope talks to her Daddy, it's then Martin whispers "I've missed you, so much!" - Stacey looks so guilty and upset as she realises how much her ex-husband dotes on his children.

Back at the cafe, Sharon appears to be looking for someone, or something? Linda sees her in a state and Sharon begins to let off a bit of steam to her best mate. She explains how much Ian is getting on her nerves when it comes to him running the Vic, still treating her like she's the bad guy because she didn't feel the same way about him. Linda gives her friend some brilliant advice, it doesn't matter who's name is on the lease, she insists the Vic belongs to Sharon. She advises her friend that if she was to make the first move and threaten to leave first before Ian chucks her, he will be begging for her to stay behind the bar. Only, will Sharon act upon her advice and will it work?!

Meanwhile, in the Mitchell's, Jay and Phil are discussing the possibility of Ben getting charged for his crimes. Phil brings up the fact that he could be looking at 8 years in prison for armed robbery if he's convicted. Jay begins to panic, for Lexi's sake, as he's been trying to tell the poor girl that everything is going to be okay and her Dad will be fine. Phil instructs him to keep telling her that until they know for certain that everything isn't. Suddenly, Ben makes his way into the room, happy as Larry! Both Jay and Phil are shocked to see him there, Ben makes himself at home, helping himself to a cup of tea! Phil instantly wants an explanation from his son, what is he doing there? Why have the police let him go? Ben makes a jokingly comment saying that the police might not have believed Danny's statement - then he brings up the possibly that Callum might have found a way of getting rid of the CCTV! Phil is clearly surprised about this information - is that true? Has Callum really got rid of the CCTV? Or has he actually gone ahead and decided to give Phil to the police, like they wanted?! Phil warns Ben that he's best trusting him in future, to which Ben responds "I trust you both!" - Hmm but something feels very wrong here. Has Callum betrayed Ben here and given up his Dad to the police? Just so Lexi can be with her Dad?! It's very interesting this one!

At Ruby's - Ruby is getting all her bank statements and all her information together, she's ready to go to the police and drop Stacey right in it! Martin finds her and before she can leave, he pretty much begs her not to go to the police. He explains that he hasn't seen his children for a whole year, he's only managed to spend 20 minutes with Hope. He was hoping to spend some time with Lily, but she sadly didn't want to talk to him. He begs to his girlfriend not to go to the police, not for Stacey, but for his children and for him. It's true that the kids have been through so much the past year, they need both their parents. They might not be together, but time with them is precious.

The next scene we see Denise making food for Sheree and Patrick, it looks as if Isaac has been staying at their house while Patrick is at Anthony's? Sheree appears to be asking for Mitch, she goes to the salon in search for him. As Denise and Sheree are having this conversation, I can make out in the background that Isaac and Amy are having another conversation, it sounds as if Amy is wanting to follow Isaac on social media. At first, it all seems a bit jokey as Isaac laughs and says she can't follow him, but it's when Amy says "Why not?" that things get a little more serious. Isaac is her teacher right? As the conversation goes on, Denise gets closer and listens in, Isaac makes the comment that Amy could be a bit too young to use social media, it's then Amy states that in some countries, some children younger than her get married. It's then that Denise decides to intervene, she instructs Amy to go and wash her hands so she can help prepare food. As Amy groans and leaves the room, Denise clicks to what is going on in the child's head, she informs Isaac that Amy has a huge crush on him! It all makes sense now why she wanted to join her - plus can I just say how grown up Amy looks too! The spit image of her Mum, Roxy! (RIP) - Denise questions Isaac whether he's not the slightest bit worried, but he explains that being a high school teacher, it seems to happen all the time - it'll be a phase and she'll grow out of it. Denise tells him to the best thing and keep his distance, but something tells me this little crush that Amy has will escalate and perhaps get a little out of control? Will a crush become something more of an obsession?!

Back a the Vic, Sharon appears to finally have picked up the courage to confront Ian. Ian tries to start the conversation, he looks as if he's beginning to apologise, but Sharon stops him in his tracks. She wants to her words out before he can. It looks as if she's taken Linda's advice, she starts to say that she'll always remember and be thankful to him for supporting her through her tough times over the past few months, but she goes on to say that with the way things have been between them recently, perhaps its for the best if she was to find someone else to live with her baby boy, for a minute he looks devastated - he says to her that he bought the Vic for her so she could have a home, and as much as she is grateful for that, Sharon points out that he has been treating her the past few weeks, she can't stay unless they can work things out - suddenly Ian is acting the BIG I AM - deciding to agree with what she's saying. It's looking as if Linda's advice has backfired on poor Sharon. He informs his ex-friend that he'll expect her to be gone the following day! Poor Sharon is in absolute disbelief! What is she going to do now? Where is she going live?!

Back at the Slater household, Stacey is finally coming face-to-face with her Mum, after being away for so long. Jean is still visibly upset with her daughter. Stacey begs for her to talk to her and if she'll let her stay they can work things out. Jean says she'll never turn away her grandchildren, but as long as Stacey is there, she'll only tolerate her for the children's sake. It's horrible seeing Jean so upset, but you can understand why, Stacey wasn't there for her Mum when she needed her the most - during her cancer treatment, when Daniel passed away, when she got poisoned for taking too much of her medication (unbeknown to her as you'll remember) - it's only been Kat, Kush and Shirley looking out for her, when really Stacey should've been there. I think it also upset her the fact that Stacey never actually got in touch, poor Jean didn't know where she was for a very long time. Jean informs Stacey that Ruby has come to see her, Stacey leaves the room as Jean's eyes fill with tears. Stacey joins Ruby in the living room, Ruby informs her that there's a piece of paper on the counter for her and on it is basically everything that she has stole from her. Stacey is reluctant at first, claiming that Ruby can't prove anything, but then Ruby says she's trying to do the right thing, as long as Stacey does the right thing, if Stacey pays back to her everything she owes, not for her, but for Martin's sake, then she wont call the police.

Back at the Mitchell's, Ben is really happy to be back at home, he's on the phone to his boyfriend, really excited to be home. We hear Callum on the other end of the phone saying how amazing it is that his boyfriend is finally back at home with his family. Ben says he has him to thank for it, as Ben is relaxing at home during this phone call, we can that Callum appears to be at the police station. His face is looking kind of happy but kind of devastated at the same time ... has he done what I think he's done?! Ben informs him that his Dad will be out that night and he decides to invite his boyfriend round, Callum agrees. As they end the phone call, Callum looks down at his phone, not looking as pleased as you'd think you'd be if your partner was let out of prison. It's then we hear a voice from above him "You made the right decision Callum!" .... *GASP* ... No!!!! Callum!!! Why? This is a devastating situation right now!!! Callum has basically given Phil to the police, just so Ben could be free? I have a horrible feeling about this - Ben is going to find out and it'll all kick off, Ben will see it as a huge betrayal! Phil will never trust Callum again, will Ben ever trust him again?! Ooooh - I kinda feel annoyed at Callum for doing it but also feel sorry for him as he probably feels he was pushed into a corner and that he didn't really have a choice, has he been cruel to be kind?! Oh no!!!! I dread to think what's going to happen to Ballum and to Phil after this!!! I don't understand why the police think that Phil is a bad man? Okay he's had his demons in the past, perhaps a robbery or two? Set fire to a few buildings (ie:- car lot and the Vic) But he's never physically killed anyone! Phil is not a murderer! Phil Mitchell has a history of being the hard man, the gangster - the one man no should ever cross, but it's a true fact that Phil Mitchell has never killed anyone!

As Phil is giving the money to Ritchie for getting Ben out, he reveals that thanks to her work and Callum, Ben is out. Ritchie looks a little confused, Phil explains to her that Ben thinks it was Callum who got rid of the CCTV. Ritchie can't imagine how as Callum's position is just a junior copper. She explains to Phil that the only reason they probably would release Ben is if they were to get something bigger. She then drops the bombshell to Phil that the police could be potentially after him. Does this mean that Phil is going to go on the run? She's warned him to watch his back! Phil instantly looks as if he knows who could be behind it, has Callum grassed him up to the police?! I do have a horrible feeling about the outcome of this. I said it earlier - my two favourite characters of the soap are Stacey and Phil, they MAKE the soap for me. Walford wouldn't be the same without them! I do hope Phil will get away somehow, there always seem to be way that Phil will escape from the police, they sometimes do catch up with him, but he always somehow seems to get away. What do you guys think will happen? What's going to be in store for Ballum and Phil in the up-coming episodes! I'd love to know your thoughts!

I'll be back tomorrow following Thursday's and Friday's episode! Thanks again for reading everyone! Love you all xXx

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skamamoroma · 4 years

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Episode 5 (Part 1 of 2): Wtfock S3

So, the episode that changes everything! (Beware, this is LONG)

Robbe is so lost. He is actively making choices but is making the wrong ones for all of the worst reasons. He has fallen out with his friends, he’s shouted at Milan and distanced himself from Zoe, he has upset Noor and cheated on her and has hurt Sander purposefully in the worst way possible, in turn, breaking his own heart. The fact that he starts the episode off by saying that he can’t see his mamma is so telling. He can’t face her. He always makes time for her and being alone (even the music keeps saying he’s ALONE ALONE ALONE) it is always when he thinks of her and this is no exception… it’s just that he isn’t in the right headspace and I get this overwhelming feeling that he feels like he has tainted himself. He doesn’t like hurting Noor, he has done stuff with Sander that he is convinced is wrong (even if it felt the complete opposite) and his internal oppression is so overwhelming, it’s like he’s even denying himself his mamma who he loves and always WANTS to see.

I love the fact that he reaches out to Jens regardless of the advice he gets because… I mean, lets face it, it’s terrible. Jens can’t be blamed. He doesn’t have a clue what’s happening, he just tries to offer some well meant guidance and in many ways it’s very very sweet and gentle advice. He isn’t full of bravado and I kind of love him in this moment. He’s a young guy telling his mate that sex isn’t that big of a deal, he doesn’t need to worry or pressure himself… that’s SWEET and what everyone should hear. Sex doesnt have to happen at all if you don’t want it to. The fact that he’s so kind to Robbe is really lovely of him. He’s a GOOD friend in this moment. He just doesn’t know what Robbe needs or why he’s so upset so the advice is awful in the circumstances but regardless, he was so genuine to Robbe and I want to SQUISH him for being so decent and lovely….

But I can’t help but want to crawl under a blanket when that clip segues into Noor and Robbe. Now this scene was met with pure OUTRAGE when it aired and I can’t help but laugh. The fact that Life on Mars is playing is so TELLING in so many ways. I made a post about it at the time but the lyrics and metaphorical meaning to that song fit the moment brilliantly:

The girl in the song is lonely and uses cinema and the “silver screen” to escape. She seeks the escapism of the world of movies to avoid her real life which is unsatisfying to her.

“But the film is a saddening bore, for she’s lived it ten times or more” - it doesn’t live up. She’s left feeling underwhelmed and unsatisfied because the problem lies in the fact that her wish for escapism fails. It doesn’t do what she hoped it would.

Then the song asks “is there life on mars?” - aka, to me, is there possibility elsewhere? The song suggests that focus be placed on all of the wonder and fantastical stuff that the escape world provides…. But the fundamental is, you can’t escape your real life and your truth, no matter how hard you try.

AND DOESN’T THAT JUST PERFECTLY SUM UP THIS MOMENT.

Also, Sander has game. We know this. It may be weird and unconventional and he may seem, currently, like the world’s biggest Manic Pixie Dream Boy but his love of Bowie is cool and edgy to Robbe… so if he’s going to try to “woo” Noor and make it all romantic then he’s going to try to channel that but I think the overwhelming reason that song is playing is because Sander is STILL ON HIS MIND. He’s unable to remove Sander from his life. He chose that song and absolutely thought of Sander when he did it… which means he can’t stop thinking of him and also kind of includes Sander in this moment. His presence is felt, reminding us that Robbe felt so comfy and lovely and at ease with Sander and, well, here, it’s really very uncomfortable and upsetting.

It’s like Robbe is trying to mimic Sander’s ability to turn moments into something dream like.

The moment itself is so heartbreaking. Robbe is trying to hard. It’s all candles and low light and covering Noor’s eyes. It’s text book romantic. It’s staged and planned and the “i’m trying” is written all over it… which contrasts BEAUTIFULLY to when Sander and Robbe find themselves in the same room with the same low light and it’s all instinct and casual joy and intuition… nothing staged about it. I LOVE that they had made that contrast even if we don’t know it yet in episode 5! The contrasts and parallels are ALL OVER this season and I’m a total sucker for it.

It is shot beautifully. Each moment is chosen so specifically because this is kind of the height of Robbe’s pretending… he comes down the other side after this. This moment is HUGE and they really sell it as such. It’s also meaningful to me that they kept it in, not only as a parallel to how all of this stuff SHOULD be when Robbe experiences it with Sander but also to perhaps show someone who may feel like Robbe does that you truly don’t have to do this to yourself. If you WANT to try and experiment then, no problem, as long as you’re safe and kind about it… but this isn’t what Robbe is doing. He KNOWS. He’s felt nothing so far and they’ve done a LOT. He’s forcing himself. Which is why the way he holds Noor tightly at the start KILLS me because the camera focuses in on it and, to me, it feels like it’s purposeful to show how much Robbe is trying trying trying…. The EFFORT. It truly shouldn’t be that way.

The music going wonky and hazy as Robbe moves down her body makes me want to cry… it all does but THE PARALLELS. I know I’m jumping to future episodes but the fact that Robbe does the exact same thing with Sander but enjoys it and loses himself in a VERY different way is just hugely meaningful and YES Wtfock …. I LOVE this shit hahaha. Robbe looks like he’s going to pass out. It’s not meant to be sexy or comfortable viewing. The music makes it a little haunting. Noor is beautiful and fun and rebellious and is, in many ways, a lot of the things Sander is… but she isn’t Sander. She is wrong for Robbe and that idea of ‘if I can’t make it work with her then who can i make it work with’ comes to mind… and Robbe knows who.

And god if the next clip doesn’t shatter your heart...Willem H is incredible in it from start to finish. The way it’s shot is, again, BEAUTIFUL and makes it all the more gut wrenching and raw.

The dream is definitely over. The sounds of the outside world are loud now and it’s all back to reality with a pretty sharp smack in the face. Robbe looks like he’s going to cry and it’s clear that they stopped because something just didn’t work. I LOVE that there’s hardly any dialogue. There doesn’t need to be, it’s written all over Robbe’s face and it’s the biggest moment of realisation for him… the absolute confirmation he needed but you can’t feel happy, it just all makes you feel so so sad.

The fact that when Noor asks if it’s her, Robbe replies “no, you’re amazing” ---- and isn’t that just the crux of it. She is and he does mean it. She’s being so gentle and supportive and understanding and she is someone he really likes as a person. I think that’s the thing that makes him so sure after this moment because he genuinely likes her… just as nothing more than a friend. I want to wrap him up and tell him it’s all going to be ok in this moment. He looks so broken and defeated but AHHH the way these clips are constructed it so so so good and it’s because they’re so good that the meaning behind all of this, the changes they made from the originall just work so well!

AND WE GO STRAIGHT INTO HEALING.

I love that this night feels like the lowest low in terms of lying to himself and he’s off the back of some really awful behaviour so there’s no other way to go but up and ENTER MILAN. Oh this clip is so lovely, so healing and GOOD GOD was I pleased that this wasn’t the full Pride clip. This was EXACTLY what Robbe needed at this moment. The Pride clip has a very important place but not yet, not when Robbe is THIS broken. It wouldn’t have worked. Thank you wtfock!

Milan is there with the casual relationship chat...always there to remind Robbe that he, as a gay man, has an active and happy dating life. HE’s there, offering his time (ONLY FIFTEEN MINUTES hahaha) and being such a chill pillar of support. He’s also INSISTENT which is exactly what Robbe needs. He sometimes need stuff dragging out of him and he’s so deep in his hole… Milan gently, gradually helps him climb out.

The really cool way Milan asks if Robbe feels the same as this guy who likes him… it is so lacking in any drama or parade and is simply a question. Milan makes it SO EASY for Robbe in that moment and he’s a total star. I love him so much for the fifteen minutes he gives!!!!!! That little giddy smile he gives Robbe when he realises that Robbe might have feelings for a guy is just precious! He’s so FOND of Robbe. He’s thrilled that Robbe feels able to try to be open. I love that little moment he leans forward and encourages Robbe. He’s on his level, not pressurising but is solid in his offering of support and advice. You can SEE how Milan is a little emotional when he’s saying what he would have said to his younger self… and Robbe still has that look on his face that says he can’t be what Milan is saying he might be because, well, that stuff is WRONG or BAD, right? He’s not like Milan, he’s not like the guys on Grindr, he’s not like the guy at the dance show, he’s not those words his friends have used…. It’s SO IMPORTANT. I love that they included this because it shows the level of homophobia and the casual way it has been presented to him that he sees being anything other than straight as something WRONG for him to be but also something SPECIFIC. He doesn’t see the multitudes of humanity in it all, he just knows that words like ‘disorder’ have been used and that if you’re gay then people call you names or you have to be always wanting to hook up for sex at night… he can’t see a place for himself in all of this confusion. It’s painful but SO VERY spot on as an experience for many an LGBT+ person. Milan looks a little exhausted by Robbe’s refusal to allow himself to chill out with his feelings and seems a little sad that Robbe is still fighting it but the words he uses next change EVERYTHING. I don’t think he even knows how much they changed Robbe’s life.

They’re important words. Robbe IS normal and if he doesn’t start to be honest with himself then he will hurt everyone around him, he’ll lose himself and the people around him… and little does Milan know how deep Robbe is in that hole already… ONLY FOR THE GOD DAMN SONG TO SING “here stands a man at the bottom of a hole” at me and I’m all giddy with the wonder of the soundtrack’s ability to heighten a moment. It’s all haunting and brilliant!

We’re back with Jens and it’s like a little check in with him after his advice. For the first time Robbe is being HONEST. Not completely but he’s still being as honest as he can be in saying there’s someone else and that they won’t go away even if he’s tried… and then that word - HER. I love that moment. Willem H kills it. His face changes instantly. He’s reminded that this moment is bigger than he expected, that he’s not ready yet. I’m still proud of him though because we, as an audience, realise that Robbe has taken some of what Milan said to heart and he’s allowing himself to ACCEPT his feelings.

The fact that we go immediately into the break up scene is perfect… and look, I can’t help but find so much of this scene funny. It’s heartbreaking but it’s also a little like a parody. Regardless, Robbe is the only Isak to do this and I was so proud of him, so pleased he really took control of his life. As I mentioned back in episode 3 - he has stopped letting people boss him around and dictate to him. He’s trying hard to do the right thing and we KNOW he doesn’t like to hurt people. I have a TON of respect for my guy for doing this… and a whole load of love in my heart for his adorable nervous self tearing napkins apart as Noor arrives. ENDEARING AS HECK.

Let’s address the elephant in the room - OLD TOWN ROAD. Hahahaha. People found it so funny (me included) but it also kind of WORKS because isn’t the whole song about leaving stuff behind, leaving behind an old life. YES THE LYRICS ARE RIDICULOUS with all the boobies and sports bras of it all but it also kinda works!!!! Still makes me smile though. (also, I’d kill to know Wtfock’s music budget for this season because OH BOY)

Robbe, bless him, does the typical dick-ish thing and takes someone to a very public place to break up with them. DUDE. Hahahaha. I adore him but no, boy, no. Poor Noor, man. Honestly. Robbe is doing all of the right things, he’s trying to be honest, to stop anyone else getting hurt but it’s messy and imperfect. Regardless, that moment he lets Noor hold his hand to say goodbye is so beautifully kind. He has just broken her heart but he tries to be gentle.

BUT GUYS. The parody feeling comes from Robbe just saying to Noor he needs to be by himself and then we enter the next day and Robbe is stalking Sander at school. Hahahahahahahaha. Makes me laugh so much. Oh god, we know why he said what he did. He couldn’t say the real reason but it makes for hilarious viewing and makes me feel so endeared towards Robbe because he really IS taking Milan’s words seriously. He’s trying, in every part of his life, to be better and to stop causing pain and to be kinder and more authentic with himself. It’s a lovely process of change and growth!

BUT THESE NEXT TWO SCENES! I LOVE the first one. I love how Robbe is, once again, taking some control of his life. I can’t help but find the whole process of Robbe seeking Sander out so sweet, culminating in him seeing Sander in his ELEMENT. Robbe smiles INSTANTLY when he sees him. Actually no, he BEAMS. His whole face lights up! I love so much that he gets to see Sander like this, to appreciate Sander’s art and creativity and to see Sander’s passions in real life, to see him surrounded by something that makes him who he is. It’s a really beautiful moment and you definitely feel like Robbe really has allowed himself to realise he LIKES Sander - a whole lot. He practically swoons when he sees him. I love that we see that Robbe sees the heart of Sander and really truly likes what he sees. He’s not pretending anymore.

Then we get that ADORABLE little moment of Robbe in the toilets. I’m so happy they included it. It’s so full of nerves and sweetness - we’ve never seen him like that before. This MEANS something to him. Seeing Sander again makes him FEEL something and he wants it to go well so badly. He is so visibly excited! It makes me wonder if he’s ever felt this before or ALLOWED himself to. I don’t think he has. It feels like the first time.

Robbe is so swept up with trying and learning and reaching out that I think he truly didn’t think it could go wrong. Sander looks so hurt and his face is devastating to see but I’m also proud of Sander for at least that moment of self preservation. Robbe looks like he’s going to cry. That giddiness disappears instantly and he’s met with the crushing realisation that the warnings Milan gave may have become a reality and it’s his own fault.

Then we get one of my favourite clips of the whole season.The opening song - “take me back to my younger days, I was happy with the simple things” - with Robbe looking wistfully at the sweet kids and their mamma. Both a longing for simpler times and also for his own mamma who he loves and no doubt wishes was around more so he had someone to just give him a cuddle. He’s navigating all of this stuff himself and it’s all so MUCH to handle.

But Sander appears and oh man, he couldn’t stay mad for too long. He offers that 5 minutes and I feel so fond of him because of it. Like i said in episode 4, I genuinely feel like Sander understands Robbe’s heart. He knows he’s a sweet, lovely guy. Yes, he was hurt and yes, he deserves an apology but the idea of Chernobyl in his head and hurting people because of it is nothing new to Sander… I feel like that’s a part of the reason he accepts Robbe’s apology so quickly and also, well, he feels that he’s in love with him and that Robbe is the one. SO… that 5 minutes was inevitable!

The whole moment between them with Robbe trying to hard to verbalise his feelings and failing and opting for his VERY CUTE head explosion is so damn SWEET… no wonder Sander’s face changes a little, softens and you can see the edges of a smile. Robbe’s telling him that their kiss was monumental for him, he didn’t for one second think Sander was inappropriate… and Sander just sees the truth in him.

That moment that Sander walks towards Robbe is so filled with surety and confidence. He doesn’t falter for a second and that CHALLENGE he gives Robbe is perfection. It’s like he’s daring Robbe to back away but he doesn’t move a muscle. Sander denies him a kiss and asks the important question using their little metaphor - “what about now, how do you feel now?” and Robbe’s “fuck Chernobyl” is the biggest “FUCK EVERYTHING ELSE, I want you”. It’s huge and important for him to say that and to be willing to accept that he’s putting all of that confusion and panic and hatred for himself aside and trying to say FUCK IT because he wants Sander. It’s quite an admission and no wonder Sander kisses him!

That first little kiss is just so great. Robbe looks so comfortable and swoony that Sander has accepted his apology and that they’re doing what he really genuinely wants them to be doing. He has Sander back and close and Sander’s kissing him and he’s trying to say FUCK IT to all of the nonsense… it’s such a healing celebratory little moment and it is also the BIRTH OF THE BABY KOALA.

Talk about Robbe feeling at ease. I think in this moment he 100% embodies the FUCK IT principle! He allows himself to behave and react as he FEELS rather than forcing himself and it’s beautiful. He’s so affectionate and clingy and it’s the first time we realise how Robbe shows his love - through touch! We haven’t been able to witness it yet and the difference in the way Robbe behaves here compared to the way he has behaved for the past 4 episodes is SO OBVIOUS.

I love the fact that when Robbe kisses back properly and leans up to wrap his arms around Sander’s neck, he gets so close that there’s ZERO space between them at all, even their faces. You FEEL how Robbe adores Sander, how much he feels and he tries to show it. Their chemistry in this moment is off the charts. Robbe touches Sander with such tenderness, holds his face so gently, kisses so softly… it’s all just very LOVELY and we get a first introduction to the truth of who Robbe is! I feel like he’s so open and on show here and he’s LOVELY. I also feel like the kiss is 50% apology too. He kisses with purpose like he’s pouring meaning into it and the fact that Sander smiles into it and almost stumbles backwards just sums it up!!

Britt interrupting is standard, we expect it because she’s one of the final obstacles to deal with. It’s here that we are introduced to SANDER DRIESEN: KING OF ROMANTIC ONE-LINERS. He means it too. He wants that future. I believed him at the time and I’m so happy I did because if you believe these words then you believe that he means the rest...

I LOVE that little moment when Sander pretty much whines into the kiss that he has to leave and Robbe holds onto him, looks pained to let go and their kisses carry on but becaome gradually lighter and less desperate but still THERE. It’s adorable and CHEMISTRY IS INSANE.

I also love that Sander feels less dream-like now. We’re starting to see the cracks there, the real Sander. We’ve now seen him in his natural habitat, we’ve seen him hurt and angry and we’re now seeing him woozy after quite the kiss so he’s stumbling and smiling and swooning at the same time as he walks away. He’s so much more human and I like that Robbe’s realisation that he wants him and is rejecting all of the pretending has also come alongside seeing Sander as a little more than Mr Dreamworld, the kind of escapism. Robbe’s allowed something a little more real now and not only is he accepting he wants it but he’s also going after it and I was so happy for him and proud of the steps he took to make things better.

And I’m stopping here because this is HUGE and there’s still some really important clips in this huge ass episode so I’m splitting this up! For your sanity (you still with me?!) and also for the sake of it not turning out to be War and Peace because between the cuddle clip, Pride clip, date night and the end of this episode… I need more space to get into all that. CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS EPISODE. WHIPLASH. Anyway, give yourself a medal if you’re still awake and thank you again for all of the very very sweet messages I’ve received recently!

#wtfock #wtfock episode thoughts #thoughts etc #rosander #robbe ijzermans #sander driesen #THIS IS HUGE my god im sorry

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shinovii · 4 years

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Ahhh love is in the air today! Even moreso when you get new episodes coming in rather close to Valentines Day! So with that being said, READY THE TITLE CARDS KOOPA KID!!!

Break out the chocolates and hearts, we got a Valentines Day Clyde episode!!! A newfound crush has sent Clyde head over heels, but will he finally gain the courage to ask her to the dance? Time to see him get the spotlight of romance in today's episode: "Brave the Last Dance"!

Once again...Clyde can really carry an episode! I'm really glad they're doing a lot more with him seeing as he's got so much potential for more character growth. He's shown once again to be a very helpful and skilled kid (seriously, can we give this guy a bakery job in his late teen years? Lol), as well as an incredibly reliable guy to those around him (the faculty can actually trust this kid, make of that if ya will). I enjoyed the gang's efforts in helping Clyde out with asking Emma out as each of their advice is just the kind of stuff you see in episodes with this kind of plot. Speaking of Emma, she's not that bad a character tbh. She has a rather nice design but I feel she won't be seen as much after this episode. As for the closing moments...oh yeah, talk about a swerve in another direction. If they do more with this, we may have a sweet new ship to enjoy!

Also, Clutch Master Stella...that is all!

Ohhh Lynn, two is amazing, three is a crowd, and anymore....well you'd find an OT4 lol. Our sporty and floofy girl finds herself with a love of her own, but will she dunk her way into someone's heart? The final score on the loveboard is next in the episode: "Singled Out"!

You give Lynn an episode and I will always look forward to how they'll add to her character. This one gave me something I was wondering about the little athlete for quite a while: how does she handle romance? The answer: not well it seems. I'm cool with seeing them explore this for her as we haven't really seen anything with Lynn involving romance since "L is for Love", and even that wasn't expanded upon afterwards. Even seeing her deal with her teammates having dates (and being way, way, WAY too adorable and mushy), you can tell she's feeling stuck in last place. As for the ending moments, yeah it's a solid way to go about it. I'll say this, Lynn needs more growth and I'm sure there's still plenty to explore for her. An okay episode that does just fine where it counts.

Also, insert Destructive Finish here!

Well now, it may not have aired "ON" Valentines Day but it definitely still counts as a lovely gift either way! I'm quite content with this batch of episodes, and I'm always on the lookout for more new ones! Until next time, enjoy yourselves!

#the loud house #season 4 impressions #brave the last dance #clyde mcbride #singled out #lynn loud

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miafic · 5 years

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okay here it is ahhh hahahaha. i wrote this over a YEAR ago and never thought it would see the light of day. please give it love if you think it’s not stupid, because i think it’s really stupid.

this would have taken place sometime at the end of august, probably. everything still felt new. (i’m specifying this because of the last few lines 😉)

Geoff was startled back to reality by a lazy knock at the door. He swallowed and stood, glancing over at Awsten and Tuna, who were snoozing on the opposite couch, before heading through the dining room to the front of the house.

Geoff quickly brushed his hands through his hair as he walked, trying to smooth it down. He unlocked the deadbolt and cracked the door open a few inches. His eyebrows rose when he saw the person who’d come calling. “Oh. Hello.” He pulled the door open wider.

“Well, you don’t look sick,” John stated bluntly.

John was referring to Geoff’s skin, but Geoff glanced down at his own clothes - a pair of solid gray lounge pants, a plain, long-sleeve shirt, and his usual pair of woolen socks. “I never said I was ill. I merely stated that I wouldn’t be able to attend school.”

“What, are you skipping? Just didn’t feel like coming?”

“No.”

When Geoff didn’t offer any other explanation, John nodded. He held out a butter-yellow crock pot and explained, “Well, I brought you some soup because I thought you were sick.” He passed it to Geoff, who took it.

“Thank you. That is very thoughtful of you.”

The other teacher tilted his head slightly to the side. “Are you okay, man? Seriously?”

“I am fine.” There was an awkward pause. Geoff didn’t want to ask, he really didn’t want to, but John was leaving him no choice. “Would you like to… come in?”

“Yes,” John said firmly, and he started forward.

“Alright, well-” Geoff stopped him with a hand to the chest. “Just stay quiet, please. I have a sick child resting on the sofa, and the last thing I need is for him to wake up.”

“A sick ch-” John echoed, his eyes wide with disbelief. “Oh, Geoff, don’t tell me…”

Geoff smiled tightly.

“You called out sick because of Grapes?”

He sighed. “John, I never told anyone that I was ill.”

John lead the way through the dining room and stopped short at the sight of Awsten deeply asleep on the couch. He let out a low whistle. “Yikes.”

Awsten’s breathing was rattly from the congestion, and Geoff knew that much, had been up with him all night listening to it. He’d spent nearly an hour trying to calm him and soothe his aches and convince him to swallow just a few drops of sticky, blue medicine. It will make you feel better, he promised fervently. But some half-coherent and wildly-afraid story about Awsten’s mother drugging him throughout his childhood had emerged in short, desperate bursts, so Geoff put that on hold and began coaxing him down to the television to at least distract him. With his head propped up on the arm of the sofa just like the first time Geoff had watched him fall asleep, Awsten drifted off, the sounds of SpongeBob SquarePants in the background getting under Geoff’s skin.

Geoff had muted the television and made a cup of tea for himself in the kitchen, and Tuna had made a bed for herself in the crook of Awsten’s arm. Trusting the cat to guard the teenager, Geoff had retreated to his bedroom, but once he’d slept his usual four hours, he got up and found his way back into his armchair, watching the news with the volume still off.

The day had been lazy - reading Harry Potter when Awsten felt up to it and just sitting with him and keeping him company when he didn’t. Lots and lots and lots of SpongeBob. Geoff despised every character, but the show halted Awsten’s endless stream of complaints, so he tolerated it.

John didn’t know any of that, though; all he knew was that Awsten, the problem kid from Lakeview High School who was hardly the age of a kid at all, was passed out on Geoff’s couch in flannel pajamas, looking pale and clammy, his cheeks stained crimson with fever. “I get why you stayed,” John finally said.

Geoff beckoned him into the kitchen, where he set the crock pot on the counter. “This is the third day,” Geoff murmured. “At first, we both thought it was just a mild cold. But by last night, I had grown quite concerned. He couldn’t take care of himself any longer, and I knew that I could not comfortably leave him here, even if all he was going to do was sleep. So I called the school.”

John nodded. “He looks smaller than I remember.”

“He seems smaller when he’s quiet,” Geoff knowingly agreed.

“So he’s really living here, then.”

“Yes. Since the beginning of summer.”

“And how is that going?”

“Well,” Geoff answered truthfully, “he’s adjusted nicely, and he seems to enjoy having his own space but still living in a home with someone else present, physically and otherwise.”

“Is it weird?”

“It was at first, yes. I could only think of him as my student. But as time has gone by and we’ve gotten to know each other better, he’s become more like a friend. We spend a lot of time together. And he comes to me often for advice.”

“Does he call you ‘Dad’?” John teased.

Geoff’s eyes hardened.

“Okay, okay. Well, what does he call you?”

“Hmm… nothing, actually. He typically just says ‘hey’ to get my attention if he is in need of something.”

“But he doesn’t call you ‘Mr. W’ anymore?”

“He does at times. I told him he could call me Geoff if he liked, but he seems hesitant to try it out.”

“Maybe cause he wants to call you ‘Dad,’” John chuckled.

Geoff frowned. “John, that is not funny.”

#extras #hcs #geoff #john #awsten

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ducktracy · 4 years

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107. buddy in africa (1935)

disclaimer: this review entails racist imagery, content, and concepts. i don’t endorse any of these stereotypes or depictions whatsoever, i find them gross and wrong. however, it would be just as wrong to gloss over them and act like they didn’t exist. this review is purely for educational and informational purposes. please let me know if i say something harmful, offensive, or wrong—it is NEVER my intention to do so. thank you for bearing with me and understanding.

release date: july 6th, 1935

series: looney tunes

director: ben hardaway

starring: jackie morrow (buddy)

ben hardaway’s last buddy cartoon. buddy sets up a moving variety store shop in africa, but a pesky monkey and gorilla cause problems for our little shopkeeper.

just a normal day where a man is mowing the grass in his african village, or so we think. a pan out reveals that he’s perched on top of a house, mowing the straw roof. another gag includes a human juicer, a man twisting the bone in his hair to squeeze the juice out of the fruit in the man’s mouth. some villagers engage in a game of horseshoe, a man tossing children and using their nose rings to get caught onto the stake in the ground. as always, racial stereotypes and caricature are abound and uncomfortable.

enter chipper buddy, whistling away as he totes his trailer behind his car, advertising a variety store. a somewhat similar premise would be used in porky’s five and ten, where fish wreak havoc on his own variety store. a gorilla is hitchhiking, eagerly sticking out his thumb when buddy approaches. buddy rides straight on by, bad news for the gorilla, who dismisses him frustratedly. there’s a nice (albeit standard) gag of a monkey traffic cop and a giraffe posing as a traffic sign. the monkey directs the traffic, while a kangaroo (in africa???) stuffs litter in its pouch.

a guard waits by the entrance of the village. he spots buddy approaching and snags another villager, shaking him and ringing him like a bell. everyone pokes their heads out to see what the occasion is as buddy drives through the gates.

buddy screeches to a halt and begins to set up shop, beating on a drum, his butt, some pots and pans, greeting the crowd congregating before him with “howdy, folks! here it is!” jackie morrow’s voice acting is very cute, and it’s neat that they got an actual child actor (i believe i read somewhere that he was 9 when he voiced buddy). i think jack carr’s voice suited him more, though—it was an ambiguous child AND adult voice. it could pass for either, just like buddy’s appearance. i guess it’s just a little strange seeing buddy drive a car and own a house and talk in a child’s voice. just something very petty to nitpick at, morrow does a very good job of voicing buddy. the villagers exchange fruit for the goods as the trade ensues.

there’s another rather redundant and arbitrary shot of the gorilla hitchhiker before cutting back to buddy and his booming business. one of the villagers goes into his hut with his newfound collectibles. he twists two lightbulbs in his ears, which add some much needed light into the dark hut. he placed a lampshade on his head and reads the newspaper. elsewhere, another villager stuffs fireworks in his mouth and lights them, flying off into the distance. it’s an absurd gag, but the abruptness and almost incoherence of it makes it highly amusing.

meanwhile, our little salesman triumphantly displays some bottles. “here’s a drink that’ll cure your jitters,” he announces in rhyme, “buddy’s famous jungle bitters!” one of his customers takes the bottles buddy was holding in his hands, whereas a pesky little monkey decides to help himself, too. buddy scolds the monkey, but the monkey isn’t bothered, chattering and slamming buddy’s car door shut.

four of the villagers drink the bitters—music strikes. a man plucks his hair like a bass as they sing “marchin’ towards ya, georgia!” a very catchy song indeed with lovely vocals, but appreciation severely muddled by the blatant blackface caricatures staring you in the face. a man plays an elephant like a pair of bagpipes, a man stretches out his lips (sigh) and plays them like a muted trumpet, and a woman sings some vocals. she has some sort of pipe on her neck (it’s difficult to tell since this print is so poor in quality), and a man annoyed with her singing turns a knob that shuts her up. meanwhile, buddy merrily juggles his bottles.

two of the villagers dance, bouncing around doing handstands. obviously, this whole scene, not to mention entire cartoon is cringeworthy and painful to watch (unfortunately, this is relatively tame compared to other cartoons), but the animation is solid, very bouncy and fun. a turtle plays itself like a banjo while the four singers finish up the song. very catchy indeed.

back to the monkey, who’s proving himself to be quite the nuisance. he bangs the bottle against the car in an attempt to open it—buddy yells at him to stop and to give it back, but the monkey refuses. buddy chases the monkey around the car—he dives under the car, where the monkey pops out on top and hits the bottle against buddy’s head. buddy snags the bottle (which somehow isn’t broken) out of the monkey’s hands and spanks him. back to the harman-ising days of spanking gags! how we miss you!

accomplished, buddy releases the monkey and laughs. the monkey shakes his fist and wanders off, right back to the hitchhiking gorilla. ahhh, of course. the monkey chirps and squeals about his horrific encounter with buddy, patting his own butt for good measure. the seemingly docile gorilla scowls and rolls up its fur-sleeves (such an overdone gag, but a big guilty pleasure of mine. i can’t help but love it!) menacingly. it puffs its chest out and tips its hat forward, preparing to march along. a nice detail as the monkey follows behind, also puffing out his chest.

the gorilla and monkey come to a standstill as a guard confronts them at the entrance to the village. a lovely little bit of acting as the gorilla shrugs at the monkey for advice, the monkey punching its palm. the gorilla takes its orders and pummels the guard into the ground, the gorilla stepping on his head and the monkey poking his eyes.

predictably, buddy gets his. he’s pumping up a tire when the gorilla terrorizes him, stepping onto the tire and propelling buddy upwards. the gorilla catches buddy and slams him down onto the tire, pumping the air pump and propelling him offscreen. thusly, the gorilla snags the pump and tire, preparing to beat buddy senseless by swinging the tire like the world’s most painful lasso. the scene reads as incoherent (even aside from the poor quality) as the tire hits the gorilla instead, shooting it into the distance. a tree slingshots the gorilla back to where it was (nice rubbery animation of the tree), and the gorilla barrels right into a lookout tower. the tower collapses, trapping buddy AND the gorilla who are both unscathed. finding great humor in the debacle, the little monkey laughs at the gorilla. in a moment of camaraderie, the gorilla exchanges a glance with buddy and punches the tire. the tire sends the air pump handle rocketing, which in turn hits the monkey, who flies into the distance. iris out as foes become friends, the gorilla and buddy shaking hands.

hardaway’s buddy cartoons, in my opinion, were slightly weaker than king’s. in general, they’re all pretty bland—the titles blend together and i can’t even remember if i have a discernible favorite or not. i know i had commended a buddy cartoon relatively recently and labeled it as good, but i can’t even think of it! thus proves buddy’s blandness. this is another bland one, more than usual. right off the bat the racial stereotypes and caricatures make the cartoon an uncomfortable watch. the monkey and gorilla scenes were amusing, though. the ending battle read as incoherent and incomprehensible, i kept having to rewind it just to formulate what was going on. it was certainly creative and high energy, though, and i applaud that. the song number was nice and catchy, but that’s it. i hate to say “it could have been worse” because blackface is blackface and stereotypes are stereotypes, any inclusion at all is immediately bad. but i suppose there are cartoons out there that are more mean-spirited than this one, more of a “celebration everyone sings and dances for the fun of it and everyone gets along”, but still. not pleasant and cringeworthy. even besides that, the cartoon doesn’t have much going for it at all. you won’t miss anything by skipping.

but, as always, i’ll provide a link. obviously view at your own discretion.

#lt #buddy in africa #reviews #long post #racism tw

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thesinglesurgeon · 5 years

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The Interview Process Part 1-Picking Places, Planning Travel.

I’m almost done with the interview trail, thank goodness! I finally have some advice I can confidently pass along. The interview process is very overwhelming, and even though I went in with a very excited attitude, the whole process definitely takes the life out of you after a while. Since I’m still in the midst of the travel and interview whir, I thought I’d just focus on the parts of the process that are over and that I survived: picking places and planning travel.

It should be a no brainer that you submit your ERAS application (with all components completed, including letters) in early September before the Sept 15 deadline. This means you ask for letters in May and continuously “remind” people q2weeks to submit them.

The hard part is: where the hell do I apply? There are zillions of places!! AHHH! Here was my strategy.

Go onto Doximity Residency Navigator and sort your programs by reputation. They display results in chunks of 50 schools. I included all programs in the country just so I had a solid point of reference of how competitive programs were. Note: take this with a grain of salt. Doximity does have an explanation of how they rank based on “reputation,” and although I haven’t read it, it’s obvious that research output is part of the ranking. Remember that all ACGME accredited programs will (for the most part) have you graduate as a competent general surgeon. This “reputation” ranking really helped me gauge competitiveness, but not necessarily quality.

I would read through the top 50 programs and on a piece of paper divided into 3 sections (Top 50, 50-100, >100), I would jot down places that I heard where good, cities I might want to live in, etc. Think of this as a free write exercise, don’t read into it too much. Do the same with the next 50 and list the ones that strike your fancy in their respective column. For all programs over #100, I put them in their own column. I ended up with 50-ish places.

Now, you need to have a serious heart-to-heart with yourself and/or significant other. What one thing matters most? Some common answers are geography, affiliation with a med school, urban/rural, affordable real estate, near a major airport, etc. Just pick one thing to be your next sorting attribute. I picked geography/places that my significant other and I both like.

Then, under the original three columns, we drew a thick black line and labeled “Tier 1, Tier 2, Tier 3.” Now sort the previous columns based on your sorting attribute with Tier 1 being most favorable (example picture below).

Once you’ve reorganized schools into your personal tiers system, go across Tier 1 and apply to all of them. Then move onto Tier 2. In my picture example at the bottom, I would apply for sure to UVA and MedStar (and all other Tier 1s) before adding the Tier 2s to my application list. This way ensured that I had a well rounded application list that included competitive schools with “mid range” schools. I stopped once I reached 50 schools, a number I felt comfortable with. I didn’t apply to my “Tier 3 >100″ schools since I filled my numbers with Tier 1 and Tier 2 places.

Submit applications and wait. While you wait: make a new email address just for ERAS! This was the best advice I got. I made a gmail account with my last name and school initials. I updated my information on AAMC with that email. Then I silenced ALL ALERTS on my phone except that gmail account. I had my phone next to me at all times in Sept and Oct and each time I heard a gmail alert, I knew it was from ERAS. I was on SICU and told them I was waiting for invites. As soon as I heard the noise, I ran to a computer or used my iPad to reply within minutes (my phone struggled with loading some of the interview calendar apps). I got a spot for all my invites. I highly recommend this step!

Also while you wait: apply for a travel rewards credit card. Very important: do not ignore your balance. I need to pay mine off each month still, but I earned over $1000 from points I accumulated. The interest rates are insane, but so are the benefits, so approach this step with caution. I got a Chase Sapphire Rewards Preferred card after reading a few articles about good starter travel cards.

Don’t rush to book hotels. Programs send discount codes sometimes a week before the date. I never had trouble getting a reasonable hotel price. Flights are another story. Southwest is the best since you can cancel, reschedule, etc with out losing any money and not being charged fees. A couple of my friends use skyscanner to look for deals too.

Make sure you have one interview outfit and one outfit for the business casual social events (more on outfits later). Put your shampoo and hair products into travel sized bottles. Make sure everything you need (including your shoes, lint rollers, etc) fits into a small carry on bag. You can then basically leave everything in the bag and just refill your toiletries as needed. I even got travel lotion, toothbrush, toothpaste, and threw everything in the bag and didn’t have to fully unpack at all this season.

Next time, I’ll write more about weird interview questions and tips for the actual interview day!

#m4 #interviewtrail #medschool #generalsurgery #medblr #eras #aamc #match

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