#he easily deserves to be one of the finalists
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Croatia have decided, and Baby Lasagna will represent them this year with Rim Tim Tagi Dim! This wasn’t too surprising, he was the clear favourite, but even then the absolute landslide victory he got was incredible! I think it was absolutely deserved, he was easily my favourite of the finalists! I do really enjoy this song, though for me there’s one little thing which holds it back as a great song instead of fantastic one which is the way it feels a bit too repetitive for me – but this was something that was completely not an issue in the live performance. The way the staging used lighting helped break the song into sections and made it feel way more dynamic and alive. With how energetic the song is, it really benefited from the extra energy that can only come from a live performance, which Baby Lasagna absolutely bought! I fully bought into the hype tonight, and it’s added yet another great song to a lineup that’s already pretty stacked!
#eurovision#esc2024#nf winner#croatia#I have seen comparisons to Cha Cha Cha#I do get it they do scratch the same itch#but Rim Tim Tagi Dim is very much its own thing
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us state flag tierlist by how urgent the need to change them is
(not necessarily by objective quality, although they are ordered by my own personal preference within the tiers)
yeah everyone and their cunt’s done a tierlist of how good the us state flags are, but here’s one that’s more useful imo - how much they need to change. ie, how far up the statehouse’s agenda changing the shitass flag should be
the ‘perfect’ flags shouldn’t ever change. yeah, alabama’s good, i said it - it’s iconic and recognisable. and yeah colorado might be cheesy but it’s american cheese, it’s an icon. and arizona is the best flag do not @ me
‘ain’t broke don’t fix it’ means you can start nitpicking the flag, but honestly, nobody cares and there’s no point in changing. alaska and indiana are here because their mute colours hold back their excellent designs. california’s here because the bear should probably be bigger and have a different face. utah and mrs sippy’s new flags are both here because they’ve got the same problem - they’ve both chosen really horrible dark blues, honestly so bad that they should be in lower tiers, but they changed them too recently so they should stick for a while, until people get used to the, yeah, iconic and recognisable new designs. a placeholder for minnesota is here too, based offa the six finalist designs released on tuesday, because any of them would probably end up in that spot - imperfect but relatively good
‘minor tweaks maybe’ is where the nitpicks start becoming flaws and the good designs could be made perfect very easily. hawai’i doesn’t need the british canton, it just doesn’t. wyoming doesn’t need that seal inside the buffalo. and rhode island? well idk but it’s a bold design held back by, something. stew on it for a while
the final three tiers are the ones i believe should change. the first (non urgent) is for bad flags that remain somewhat distinct, and so are still managing to do their job - but could be had so much better. NC is ripping off texas. iowa and missouri are both overcomplicated and dull. and arkansas, ignoring the word ‘arkansas’ i’m definitely getting slavers’ rebellion vibes from it
the bottom two tiers unambiguously must change. ‘fairly urgent’ are the flags where there’s maybe one redeeming quality that sets the flag apart, and could be carried forward to the new one. LA’s pelican and OK’s osage shield are iconic, but they’re still a something-on-blue and need upgrading. florida is just alabama but with a seal, honestly pathetic and one of the list’s biggest tragedies. washington, yep, there he is, but it’s still just something on a plain background. i hesitated between putting delaware here or the tier below, but its boon is its recognisability with that yellowy diamond. then there’s georgia, probably the most controversial placement on the list. but yeah. that’s the fucking CSA flag. and the iconic state deserves so much better than just an undistinct crest on the slaver flag
and yeah the last category are where all the truly pathetic failures sit. the opening few have curious motifs that could be used for the new flag, like connecticut’s grapes, michigan’s elk and oregon’s 🅱️eaver. but they still suck utter pisswank, the distinguishing thing about them only becoming clear when you stop to look at it. the latter flags of the tier are fucking irredeemable trash. tell me you know which states those final four are when the picture’s zoomed out. it’s a fucking tragedy that new york the state is amongst the union’s worst, when the city’s iconic blue-and-orange could lend it so much inspiration (same could be said for IL being outshone by chicago). or if new york wants to make it distinct from the city, it could always look to old york shire’s iconic white rose. combine it with a tulip for old amsterdam and bam we’ve got a brilliant motif. i am honestly happy to call the vermontese flag the worst in the us, for a state with such history, with such a pronounced identity and spirit, how can it let itself have such horseshit. especially when the green mountain boys’ flag is such stupid, dumb brilliance. yeah, vermont is the worst because they should just change to the green flag end of story
BOUNS ROUND: provinces of canadada
perfect: la quebec
ain’t broke: sass, newfie & lab
tweak: nova scotia, new brunswick
non urgent: BC, PEI (both controversial picks ino, but they’re fuck ugly d@m)
change now: ontario, manitoba, albert
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Top 5 Edyta Partners
We're gonna go ahead and do the other longstanding season 1 pro, Miss Leg Warmers herself, Edyta! Edyta, I think is a pro that doesn't get enough credit for what she accomplished on the show. For one, she appeared on the first 10 seasons of the show and was the longest running pro at that time. She also managed to have several incredibly successful seasons, including a second place finish. She doesn't get the praise that she deserves. Especially because she has also had some tough seasons and difficult partners to deal with. So I'm here to give her her flowers before the end of 2023.
5. Lawrence and Edyta, Season 8
So I am only putting LT here for one reason and one reason only. He was actually one of Edyta's better dancers. The man easily could've been a semi-finalist in season 8 if he actually wanted to be there. His technique was good enough. He was extremely light on his feet. I actually think he could've been a better dancer than Emmitt Smith (someone I consider to be a top 3 NFL player on the show). Even with him not wanting to be there, Edyta managed to get some great performances out of him. Their last 4 dances actually had moments of greatness.
Favorite Dances: Waltz, Argentine Tango
4. John and Edyta, Season 4
John wasn't originally Edyta's partner on this season. I'm honestly glad that he ended up signing on for the show because I really enjoyed this partnership. John was fun and dedicated. He also actually tried to learn each dance and perform them to the best of his ability. I love that I was able to see not only the performance aspect, but watch John really pay attention to the technical aspects of the dances. Unlike many older white men on this show, he did not rest solely on being charming and a performer. As a result, he and Edyta ended up having a truly respectable season.
Favorite Dance: Foxtrot
3. Joey and Edyta, Season 3
During my rewatch of season 3, I dubbed myself this couple's biggest hater. However, that has nothing to do with my feelings of these two's partnership, but rather the way that the judges seemed to take things easy on them in comparison to many of the other couples. That being said, I actually quite enjoyed these two together. Joey was an awkward mover with a ton of potential. What Edyta was able to do with him was truly incredible. By the end of the season he transformed from a man who felt like he had to keep up the masculine image, to a man that let go and allowed his body to just move naturally and not care that the dance wasn't quite so masculine. He embraced his femininity. That is no easy feat and I will always applaud the female pros when they're able to break through the straight male psyche and toxic masculinity and pull out a more balanced man than they started the season with.
Favorite Dances: 2nd Rumba, Foxtrot
2. Cameron and Edyta, Season 5
I was originally going to have Cameron and Joey swapped. But after rewatching their dances, I remembered how much I enjoyed Cameron. To me, this couple was the counterpart to Jennie and Derek (another one of my favorite Derek partners). TV star that had a lot of potential, was up and down in scores throughout the competition and found their footing toward the end of the show. Cameron and Edyta looked good together, worked well together and had great chemistry. Cameron's improvement from the time he started until his last dance was something to be applauded.
Favorite Dances: Paso Doble, Viennese Waltz
1. Jason and Edyta, Season 6
Jason was a very talented dancer and Edyta was able to realize this and took full advantage of it. Edyta gave us her best choreography and pushed Jason to be the best version of himself on that dancefloor. Now, Jason's Latin wasn't always the best, but his ballroom was top notch. He was one of the most graceful men that I've ever seen dance on this show. It sucks that their season was basically Kristi's to lose, and she and Mark never ever let up on the gas. I truly do believe that in most other seasons, as long as they kept up the same level of dancing, Jason would have won. These two had an amazing journey and provided us with several great dances.
Favorite Dances: Quickstep, Viennese Waltz, Tango
#dancing with the stars#dwts#jason taylor#cameron mathison#joey lawrence#john ratzenberger#lawrence taylor#edyta sliwinska#top 5 partnerships
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Okay so I was revisiting your Always My Number One fic and I was wondering if Cassie ever ends up on that list? What about Sienna and the Roomies? Imagine if all of them end up in top 50? 😂
And most importantly what would the reaction of Ethan and Max be 😏
Can I just say? I LOVE Always My Number One. I remember laughing the whole time I was creating those Picta and text fic edits and writing the scene between Cassie and Ethan. Definitely one of my favorites.
I’ve prepared a very long and detailed answer. And as I was writing it, the ideas kept coming for at least 2-3 fics. So I might write those one day. 😄
Cassie:
I do hc that Cassie ends up on that list after she publishes her book and starts to really gains national reknown for her work in medical advocacy. And guess who nominates her? Ethan!
He does it partly because he wants to tease her the way she did him, but mainly he’s just so proud of her. He doesn’t know the first thing about nominating someone for an online/Picta popularity contest though or about driving up the vote. So, he makes a call to the experts: Cassie’s besties.
Sienna and Max get the ball rolling and the rest of her friends join in by campaigning the heck out of it.
Cassie didn’t know until the Top 50 finalists list was announced and the public voting began. What the Roomies didn’t know was that Cassie had nominated Bryce that year and was actively campaigning to get him into the finalists list. They both had a good laugh when the list comes out and then the competition was on to reach the top 10!
By the end of it, Bryce ranked number 2 and Cassie number 1. Edenbrook’s PR team was over the moon that two of their doctors took the top spots. That was nothing compared to Ethan’s pride, and he made a rare post on Pictagram about it. I might end up writing this fic one day and will create the Picta posts then.
Cassie, who was a month away from giving birth to the twins, took great pleasure in rubbing it in and Ethan worried she might deliver early given her excitement. “My hair is clearly better than yours, Lahela!” Bryce didn’t mind as he truly thought she deserved it. But he did check his hair in the mirror that night – just in case.
The Gang
Jackie refused to even be considered for this competition. And promised retribution on anyone that tried to get her nominated. Aurora didn’t go that far but said that she had trouble enough shedding the “Emery” reputation and comparison to her aunt (Harper made the list if you recall). Her friends respected her stance even though Cassie was very tempted. Elijah was buried in the lab and thought his work getting recognized was more than enough.
Sienna:
As for Sienna, she doesn’t enter this competition because medicine is just a job to her. She’s been slowly pulling away from it since she and Max have their second child. I’ve talked about how she started a YouTube food channel when she was pregnant with Isabelle in previous posts. Over time, her subscribers grow to over 100K, and she wins the Silver Creator Award, and eventually the Gold Creator when she hits 1 million.
The accolades don’t end there. She is nominated by her subscribers for an online influencers’ competition, losing out to Gwyneth Monroe for the top prize. This brings her to the attention of a major publisher and media conglomerate that wants her to write a cookbook and become one of their celebrity TV show hosts. She says yes to the book, but no to TV. She’s happy raising her family, practicing medicine part-time, and doing her online channel.
Max believes she can do it all if she wants to and they can easily afford additional help. But for Sienna her family always comes first, and she doesn’t want to miss out on her children growing up.
As always, Max is her biggest fan and is so incredibly proud of everything she does. He brags about her all the time in his media interviews and his Picta feed is a love letter to her.
He often teases her that soon she’ll have her own multi-billion-dollar media empire and he can retire early to become a trophy husband. She thinks he’s being silly and sexy shenanigans ensue when he tries to prove to her that he means it.
Character Asks: @trappedinfanfiction @jerzwriter @rookiemartin @coffeeheartaddict2 @quixoticdreamer16 @dorisz @lucy-268 @a-crepusculo @ofmischiefandmedicine @queencarb @crazy-loca-blog
#ask and answered#ethan ramsey#sienna trinh#ethan ramsey x cassie valentine#sienna trinh x max valentine
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My thoughts on Eurovision 2023 entries (part 2)
Here is the second part of my original post
https://www.tumblr.com/bettyg196/712764636834988032/my-thoughts-on-eurovision-2023-entries
Enjoy.
Denmark: REILEY - Breaking My Heart
Rank: #37
Rating: 3 / 10
The worst entry of the year for me. It's too generic and maybe too overproduced, this song has no soul and authenticity. The verses aren't too bad, but the chorus with Reiley's robotic voice chilled me so much that I caught a cold just listening to it. It's a big no for me, unfortunately my opinion on Denmark is rather unpopular in the fandom and Denmark will qualify for the final thanks to young kids who spend too much time on TikTok.
Romania: THEODOR ANDREI - D.G.T (Off And On)
Rank: #26
Rating: 7,5 / 10
Indeed, D.G.T was not necessarily the best choice that Romania could make but it is not a musical horror either. It is a nice entry with personality. Despite his young age, Theodor Andrei is a very good vocalist and performer, he has a lot of stage presence and he gives everything. On the other hand, please change the staging !
Latvia: SUDDEN LIGHTS - Aijā
Rank: #13
Rating: 9 / 10
Latvia has bet on originality this year. Aijā is an experimental and unique song. I love how the song is musically chaotic most of the time and has a smooth ending. Sudden Lights deserves the final for me, but the band are in the toughest semi-final, I wonder how they'll fare.
Croatia: LET 3 - Mama ŠČ
Rank: #32
Rating: 5,5 / 10
Well, I'm nice, I gave Croatia the average, but it was originality and 5 other songs that saved it from the last place in my ranking. At least it's daring but musically it's too messed up. I appreciate the anti-war message of the song but I remain convinced that it is a bad choice coming from Croatia. It deserves to stay in its semi-final because it reminds me of the period of unclassifiable Eurovision songs in the 2000s, but the televote will send this entry to the final because Europeans will appreciate the chaotic side of Let 3.
Malta: THE BUSKER - Dance (Our Own Party)
Rank: #24
Rating: 7,5 / 10
The song is not that bad, it's even good. We didn't have the Moldovan Epic Sax Guy this year but we have the Maltese equivalent. I appreciate Malta's choice even though Brooke would have been a better option imo. If Malta is lucky, it can be the surprise qualifier of the year (there is always a surprise Eurovision finalist country).
Italy: MARCO MENGONI - Due Vite
Rank: #15
Rating: 8,5 / 10
A very emotional, passionate and powerful ballad as Italy knows how to do. The song's only real flaw is the lack of surprise, but otherwise Italy hit the mark with Due Vite even though there were better options for Mahmood's country this year (Elodie 💔 Madame 💔 Rosa Chemical 💔 Lazza 💔 Levante 💔).
Lithuania: MONIKA LINKYTĖ - Stay
Rank: #22
Rating: 8 / 10
Very nice Lithuanian entry. Monika Linkytė is an excellent vocalist and has a good stage presence. Lithuania can go to the final I think.
France: LA ZARRA - Évidemment
Rank: #9
Rating: 9 / 10
What a splendid chanson ! “Évidemment” fits well to La Zarra's musical universe. It's well produced and built, the lyrics have been researched. This entry leaves no one indifferent. I don't know how it will go in Liverpool, but whatever happens I'm proud that this song represents my country.
Australia: VOYAGER - Promise
Rank: #4
Rating: 9,5 / 10
Thank You Australia! I love it ! “Promise” is one of my favorites songs of this edition. This is easily my favorite Eurovision song from this country. Finally, Australia is taking a risk by sending something that is not Eurovision encoded. In addition, I really like the universe of Voyager, the group will fly to Liverpool to my great happiness. Considering the weakness of the semi-final where Australia is, I think the country will go to the final easily.
To be continued in the next post.
#eurovision#eurovision 2023#esc 2023#esc#denmark#romania#united by music#liverpool 2023#latvia#croatia#malta#italy#lithuania#france#australia
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Prix de Lausanne Favorites!
So this year I got super into the Prix de Lausanne. Usually I just wait for the livestreams of the Finals to be released and watch that and then go back to earlier recordings if I feel like it. This year though I watched a bunch of the livestreams throughout the week. Suffice to say, I got very attached to this batch of dancers. It was such a strong year and with eleven eligible prizes instead of the usual seven or eight, I was so excited for the results.
The competition was full of so many beautiful dancers but throughout the week, here were my absolute favorites:
Seehyun Kim (309) (5th prize, Audience Favorite): All week she was my absolute favorite. She was so eye-catching in classes, her Cognition solo really moved me, and her Esmeralda Variation was so fierce and sharp!
Sangwon Park (320) (3rd Prize): I'm not a huge fan of the Coppélia Variation so that's why I was so shocked when I loved her performance of it so so much. Every single movement was so precise and polished and she had such a charisma about her performance that it really stood out. Not to mention, she was beautiful in Les Ombres du Temps, my favorite of the contemporary variation choices this year.
Millán de Benito (207) (1st prize tie): I won't lie, I was hoping for a female winner this year, only because there hasn't been one since Mackenzie Brown in 2019. But we got two male winners instead 😂 😂and de Benito had such a commanding presence as Philippe in Flames of Paris that he totally won me over and definitely deserved the win! Can't wait to follow his career over the coming years.
Sooha Park (103) (Finalist): Her 2nd Odalisque was so lovely; she managed to make a variation which can easily become too choppy so smooth and graceful. She had such a beautiful regal presence on stage and I am actually pretty bummed she didn't place. But either way, she's extremely talented and surely has a very bright future!
Other dancers I really loved: Amaury Zanete Pérez (421), Soo Min Kim (318), Ana Luisa Negrão (314), Haruka Tanabe (317), and Giuseppe Ventura (413)
P.S: this is just my personal opinion, every single one of the dancers was amazing anyways!
#ballet#prix de lausanne#dancers#prize winners#finalists#favorite dancers#ballet competition#lausanne#pdl 2023
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Gbbo 2022 finale is here, spoilers
Abdul I want your shirt
Oh yeah no offense to Abdul but I wasn’t that wowed last week but he did deserve star baker
Sorry there are previews and recaps and I’m easily distracted
Tbh these are for me (and also for me to keep track of when becca has watched gbbo, hi becca!)
Syabira flavors, beloved
Noel :/ y’all can’t stay healthy for one season, lol
I mean at least picnic makes sense and has baking but hope they can get the time right
No porky pie 🐷
Sometimes I forget vegetarian and vegan exist. Vegan bakes would probably be… difficult that’s different
Deep throat cackle from that “American accent”
We love a redemption Sandro, good luck
Awwww Sandro’s family, his mum :’)
Inshallah you will win :’)
Sandro miming a handshake
I would jokingly call Syabira a madlad hugging a tree but she did actually have some like Halloween makeup holding that cake, lol so she is a weird one
Remember her spider cake I mean
Is boyfee british boyfriend slang?
I should try to bake something one of these days 😫
I hate buying ingredients tho, lol.
Did Sandro make a tiny “nah” or “nya” sound at time call?
Not sure what cress is……..
I think for signatures technically Abdul and Syabira baked better than Sandro since his pie was under?
British people really like elderflower or something?
I don’t know what a bombe is. It looks weird….
Syabira and Abdul know about the boiling
Idk what bloom it means… make a slurry?
Tbh I forgot what the kisses looked like already
Have they ever done the bread like that before, gift of your old bread
This is such a weird recipe
Oh no Sandro, but like not a common thing to know I’m sure
Pray to Beyoncé 😝
No one knows wtf that bake is and I don’t blame them
Sandro’s round head movement for the nod / shake
Abdul’s first technical win, shut up Paul
Group hug :’)
But faster than God :O
Rainbow, gay
bees
Lol, okay Syabira, I hope it comes out nice
They should give them 6 hours….
Oh dear. Lots of baking issues with Sandro, but uh yummy and pretty intricate
This is ugly as sin Syabira, lol
But yummy and pretty skilled, just uuuuugly
Abdul is like half and half, good and issues, hmmmm
I am falling asleep it is 2am lol
Lol I do not want to see hate for the winner in the tags, I’ve seen it a couple times
I can’t believe they don’t win money, but just huge marketing and publicity and celebrity
I do love Syabira, she’s so funny and weird
Also her flavors
Sandro about to cry, positive?
I do believe they all are happy for Syabira also
That was a pretty weak where are they now :’(
Sandro measuring a thick and tall cake like ooookay, lol.
I guess I was a little underwhelmed with the finale. But regardless I did like the finalists and happy with the result. They’re all superstars
The season as a whole? Not my fave but I think there were funny moments (all baker provided not by hosts or judges), and seemed everyone liked each other and Janusz got to say trans lives matter Basically so nice for that
The negatives in general throughout: Tired of all the cooking in technicals and time crunch throughout and weird appropriation-esque food (weird or incorrect judging) and bad jokes on cultures for challenges. But yes. If the straw ever breaks me back I’ll let you know
I’m big sleepy I don’t have any deeper thoughts
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OT 2023 - GALA 3
Here's last gala!
This gala was so good omg?????? I am super impressed by all of them, I can't wait to see what they can do in like Gala 11. ALSO IMPORTANT UPDATE!!!! I figured out how to record my screen so I have done that with all the performances I will talk about below and I have put them on a google drive file, I will do this with all galas from now on in case you wanna check the full performances <3
Speaking of, here's the link to the gala 3 google drive folder with the performances !!!
Update 28/01. I've updated all links to the full performances in the gala.
Now let's go with the honorable mentions :)
I Kissed a Girl - Violeta and Chiara: Now this... this is yuri. I do not ship them but I'm happy for the girlies who do, the program knew what they were doing with this performance. I love the scenography and the choreography being extremely glee coded, and also THE LOCKERS PART ????? OH MY GOD???? Also also, i find it so funny how people got scandalized at the kiss at the end cause Violeta has a girlfriend... bestie the song is called I kissed a girl what did you think was gonna happen
Dime - OT 2023: First of all THEY UPLOADED THE FULL PERFORMANCE TO YOUTUBE LET'S REJOICE. And second of all... nothing but respect for my national anthem !!!!!! Dime is such a bop and they were so good... I'm so happy that they're slaying group songs it's what they deserve. ALSO THE BEGINNING WITH RUSLANA OMG
La canción más hermosa del mundo - Omar: I might have chose this song exclusively because I freaking love it... he did good as well honestly. He will be missed. Anyways, please listen to it, I actually prefer Manuel Carrasco's version (the one Omar covered! The original is by Joaquín Sabina btw). And it's super long so I'm glad they kept my favourite line for this version, '¿Qué harías tú si Adelita se fuera con un comisario?' ('What would you do if Adelita eloped with a policeman?') which is a reference to a very famous Lorca play and <333333
Top 3 below!
3. TÓMAME O DÉJAME - NAIARA
youtube
Here is the original song, by Mocedades <3
Just... wow. She has the first solo of the edition, and I predict that, just with the previous first solos (Aitana, Julia and Flavio) she will be a finalist. For sure. Honestly she could even win. Naiara has the best voice of the edition, and she shined more than ever with this song. Absolutely incredible. Also, speaking of the song !!! The lyrics are absolutely brutal, I would say this is one of the most heart-wrenching songs ever written in Spanish. It is about a woman that knows her husband has a lover and she's trying to keep it together. It's incredible, really, 10/10 no notes.
2. INMORTAL - MARTIN & RUSLANA:
youtube
Here is the original song by La Oreja de Van Gogh !!!!!!
If you have followed me for a while you KNOW how I feel about La Oreja de Van Gogh so you can imagine how happy I was they were doing Inmortal !!! And they were so good !!!! Martin and Ruslana are the youngest of the bunch and they have an adorable friendship, you can see the chemistry! Also they're both incredible actors, I am obsessed with the acting in the final performance, just *chef's kiss*
1. UNHOLY - BEA, JUANJO & ÁLVARO:
youtube
Here is the original song, by Sam Smith and Kim Petras :)
This is the reason I learned to screen record on my computer YOU NEED TO WATCH THE GALA PERFORMANCE. Easily the best and most iconic performance of the edition for now. I was speechless all the performance, the three of them were perfect and everything was just... insane. Álvaro was in his comfort zone and he looked so happy, Juanjo demonstrated his INSANE VERSATILITY like no one is doing it like him. And Bea... deserved favorite. Absolutely the best in the gala. She HAS to be a finalist. Honestly the three of them should.
And that's everything!!! I'm posting this the day after Gala 4 so I already know how everything goes lol. I'll post the gala 4 top 3 tomorrow :)
#vivitalksot#ot 2023#ot#operacion triunfo#a lot of things happened last week (especially on tuesday) so. i was not able to even think about doing this post lol#anyways. gala 4 will be posted tomorrow <3#ALSO PLEASE WATCH THE UNHOLY VIDEO YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED THEY WERE SO GOOD#Youtube
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The Duke - Chapter 9
well, it took a long time to happen, i know, but things have been happening and i stayed away from the document for weeks, because nothing felt good
I hope you like it, I loved writing this chapter, and was looking forward to posting <3
btw, thank you so much for the reviews, the theories, and even the comments saying that i was making it all too boring ahahahahahahah i love to see what you guys think about <3
AO3 | FF.NET | SIYE
| G.W |
'Daddy...' Ginny cried, running after her dad through the room he shared with Molly, watching him take the comb to fix his hair back, as he always did. ‘I’m great at duels.’
'I know dear, and I'm sure you would win against all those men easily,' he said, but Ginny already knew that a 'but' was coming next. 'But you are a woman, and as much as it pains me to say that, it is not respectable that a lady like you, duels men twenty years older.' Arthur kept the comb together with his other items, in the first drawer of the dresser. ‘Furthermore, this night will be the first party and I know that all women will spend the day getting dressed, taking care of their hair and choosing their dress, and I don’t want you to stay with the men in the quarry while you could be with your mum.’
'They hate me,' Ginny replied, exasperated, going after him when Arthur walked to the bedroom bathroom to get his cologne. 'They would be more than happy without me there. Please, let me just watch the duels, please, Henry will be with me, nothing can happen.’ She put her hands together, trying to make the best face to convince her dad, who seemed to believe nothing.
'Ginny, my dear, is not an appropriate place for women, not even with Henry by your side… And he will stay with me there.' That was the last straw for the despair that Ginny felt, and as if foreseeing this, her dad turned, placing his hands on her shoulders. 'You need to socialize with women, make friends, and Henry shouldn't be watching you when you're curling your hair... Be understanding, Ginny.’
'Comprehensive? Dad, none of them can look me in the eye, I- ’
'Enough,' said Arthur, as firm as ever, making her feel like a child. 'Now go, I want to see you beautiful tonight, I heard that there are some men wanting to take you out to dance.' Oh, of course, Ginny thought hurt, turning around and leaving the room her parents were in, furiously going to the living room, where she could hear other voices, looking for one of her brothers, wanting them to find a way to take her to the quarry, so that Ginny could see the duel.
She had never seen any, and Henry had trained her so well, she knew she was better than those men, but still, even if she couldn't duel, it would be fun to see them fight. Fascinating to say the least.
They were also not very kind to her, of course, they saw her as inferior and all those other things, and Ginny doubted that there were men, in the plural, wanting to dance with her. She had spoken to everyone, at least to introduce herself, and none of them took her hand as they did with the other girls, some of them seemed more frightened than the women, when they saw her approach.
Mr. Rosier greeted her, looking her in the eye at least, but something inside Ginny made her feel strange.
'Bill.' She intercepted her brother, if there was anyone who could take her to see the duels, it was Bill. ‘I’ve been thinking and-’
‘No.’ He denied it, looking sad to have to do this. 'I know what you're going to ask me, but I'm sorry, Gin, Dad was clear to all of us not to allow you to go to the quarry. And he is right. It is not a place for you.’
'Isn't it a place for me? I have been training for duels for two years. With a real auror. If anyone is supposed to duel it is me, don't you see that?' Ginny felt close to pleading, thinking that if Bill wouldn't do this then no one else would, he was the one who always pretended not to see her when Ginny ran to outside the protection of their house, just to pick the strawberries that were behind the lake. 'At least let me see the duel.'
'Stay with Fleur, she will entertain you, yes she will, Mom will be here too... Maybe some mum will see you and think that you are perfect for her son, who knows. Give them a chance.' Ginny denied, going after Bill when he started walking when being called by another Viscount's son.
'Bill, please,' she asked, just one more time, hoping he would realize that she was desperate. ‘Daddy will even take Henry, and I’ll be alone-’
'Which is even better.' He turned, sighing and running his hand through her hair as if she were a child. 'You will soon get married and Mr Figg will have to leave, it is about time you started to get used to it.' And with that, Bill was gone.
Ginny felt desperate, for the first time since she heard that they had been invited to The Duel Party. She looked around the room that was starting to get crowded, everyone talking and looking excited about the day's schedule, and Ginny felt suffocated. All those men and women seemed to have someone to have by their side, and she was there, standing in the center of the room, alone.
'Gin, honey, is everything okay?' Mrs. Potter's voice woke her up, preventing Ginny from panicking.
It was not just the fact that Ginny was not allowed to go to see the duel - women could watch, but only on the last day of the duel, when the finalists face off - but because the idea of having to remain stuck in a place where no one liked of her, with no means of escape, suffocated her. Henry wouldn't be around if her magic got out of hand and she ended up destroying a mirror when all she wanted to do was make sure the flower in her hair didn't wilt.
'Oh, good morning, my Lady,' Ginny gave a brief salute, fingers trembling as she held the skirt. 'Everything is great, just ... just looking for my mum.' The woman didn't seem to have swallowed the lie, her hard green eyes analyzing Ginny like an eagle, and she wondered where else she had seen that expression.
‘I haven’t seen her yet, I think maybe she’s in the gardens.’ She still didn’t look convinced, watching Ginny closely, as if she knew something was wrong. 'Are you looking forward to the ball tonight?' Lily smiled kindly, as if she suddenly realized that it seemed that everyone in the room was evaluating the two of them, having to think about what the two were talking about, and how one day, Lily imagined it would be the mother-in-law of the girl in front of her.
'Yes, I'm sure it will be an amazing night,' Ginny lied, with a skill she didn't even know she had, smiling and hiding the nervousness she felt every time she noticed someone turning their head towards her.
'That’s great,' she smiled. 'I know you wanted to go and watch the duel, but I'm sure our women's day will be a lot of fun too,' But Lily didn't seem to believe that, Ginny would realize later, when she remembered the shadow that persisted in her green eyes, as seem to understand the anguish that Ginny felt.
'I do too, my Lady.' Ginny was never more grateful for someone calling her name, even if it was Fleur, and she said goodbye to Lily to go after her sister-in-law, who seemed more excited than ever.
'Come on, let's go, your mum wants to talk to you, and I already tell you it's about men.' Fleur smiled from ear to ear, taking Ginny's hand and pulling her out into the garden, not even seeming to notice the male heads turning to face accompanying her. 'Bill told me about the duel, I'm sorry, and if it helps you a little, I would also love to see the duel. Don't tell your mom, but some of those women seem to hate us. ’
'It's because they do hate us,' she said, noticing when a woman who was supposed to be Molly's age, made a face at Ginny, turning her face and pinching her nose. ‘Actually, it’s more me than you guys.’
'Don't say ‘zat, it's too cruel,' Fleur's French accent was more apparent whenever she was happy, and this time was no different. 'They don't like us because... well, because they are all idiots, don't be moved by that, your mum and I will be with you and it will be better than being among those men. Do you really prefer to stay with muddy feet, close to those ogres who never seem to have seen a woman?' Fleur grimaced, tossing her long blond hair behind her shoulders, and Ginny really laughed at how affected she looked at it, Ginny didn't even if she bothered with it and thought that well, they didn't look at Ginny the way they looked at Fleur. 'Besides, if you want to get a good husband, my dear, let them think that you are a damsel in distress and that you need them to survive,' Her sister-in-law stopped, Molly seemed focused on the conversation with another woman to notice the two there.
'But I'm not a damsel in distress,' Ginny sayed, thinking of how many asses she could kick in that duel, without even pushing.
'Of course not, none of us are. But have you ever seen me having to do anything that might make me sweat? No, because men seem desperate to do it for me, and I just let it.' Ginny laughed, not even caring about the people looking. 'Let them, the guys and the women, say whatever they want about you, paint you like crazy or like a damsel in distress. Only you know that you are not that, and you are the only person who needs to know. ’
'Don't women look you in the eye, too?' Ginny asked, watching Fleur arrange the light pink scarf around her neck.
'Of course, they think that I am the reason why their marriage does not work, and that I am to blame for their husbands cheating on them. Do I need to go there and say that this is not true and that I am very well and happy with my man? No, I just ignore it, and let them speak. Do not give more reasons for these people to have your name on their lips, Gin, who really deserves you, is close to you without you having to deny what they invent out there.' Fleur started walking again, with the confident steps of someone who knew she could crush anyone in a few seconds, and Ginny smiled as she followed, trying to imitate her.
She couldn't help thinking about Henry while she heard Fleur speak, he never doubted her strength, and he didn't even seem to believe the lies that came out in the newspapers. Without thinking, she put her hand on her injured forearm, it didn't hurt anymore, but her skin was still a little red, and Ginny had to bite her cheeks to keep from smiling when the memory of him taking off her clothes came back to mind.
His calloused but soft hands on her skin, the touch like a feather, igniting each part touched, and making her need a lot of strength to not turn and kiss him.
In her dreams that night, they did much more than kiss, at least.
'Oh, Ginny dear, how good of you to come, I was even starting to worry about your delay.' Molly greeted her, and the woman beside her tried to get up, looking offended, and Fleur, who didn't even seem to mind, sat in the empty seat. 'Did your dad put a little bit of judgment on your head?'
'He tried.' Ginny shrugged. 'But I would still prefer to go to the Quarry.' Molly denied, seeming to find it almost blasphemous, and Ginny laughed with a disapproving grimace. 'Well, but that's what I have left. May I know who is the mysterious man who seems to want to go out with me today? It seems like everyone knows but me, and just maybe, I don't know, I should be the first to know. '
‘I didn’t want you to be anxious,’ Molly said, and Ginny thought there was no way she was going to be nervous about news like that, but she didn’t want to spoil her mother’s mood with her usual pessimism. 'It's Mr. Rosier, he and your dad had talked before and your dad and I think he will be a great company for you, and if the other men see you dancing with such an exquisite man, they will take you to dance too. '
'When you talk like that it makes me feel like a goat on display,' she said, and her mum's eyes widened, while Fleur laughed and seemed to agree.
'Don't say that, of course you are not a goat on display, it's just a way to get attention dear, you know how balls like this work.' Yes, she had watched enough parties to know how things worked, and how a girl's first dance was important to tell what the rest of the dance would be like for her.
Unfortunately for Ginny, there was rarely the first dance.
‘Mr. Rosier?' She had spoken to the man only a few times, only when they were introduced, and he seemed a little socially out of place, as if he had never attended a party like that, and had never dealt with mums desperate to get their daughters married with the first rich man to appear.
He was handsome, tall, muscular, with gray eyes and well-combed brown hair, Ginny had seen one or another girl sighing as he passed, and he seemed to be well mannered, since even her mother had liked him. Molly was also a reason for men to stay away from Ginny, she could be quite scary and demanding at times.
'Yes, yes, a great man,' Molly continued to speak, listing all the man's qualities and a few more things that Ginny didn't pay attention to, watching from afar one of Mr. Potter's friends, talking to another man she didn't recognize from afar, the shadow of the trees making the person stay hidden. She did not know why that interaction attracted her attention, since she did not remember the name of that man, she only knew that he was a great friend of the Duke.
As if warned, the man looked at her over his shoulder, and even from a distance, Ginny knew that whatever was going on there was not something she should be looking at, and it made her turn her face quickly, not wanting to get in trouble.
‘Where’s Henry?’ They haven’t seen each other yet, which was weird, because usually he was always by her side since the time Ginny got up. And Henry might be good at hiding among the others, but she always knew where he was.
'He said that he would need to resolve some issues before he came, something involving his mum. And it's Mr. Figg, Ginny, please.' Molly corrected her, but she didn't care much, thinking that she would never be able to call him Mr. Figg. They had already passed the formality phase, at least while she was with the family.
Henry saw her naked last night, by Merlin's beard, they had already crossed that line!
When they came in for breakfast, Ginny didn't see Henry anywhere, just like after breakfast, when Mr Potter announced what the day would be like today. At least Ron had the decency to look upset when the man said that the duel would be seen only by men, looking at his sister as if he were very sorry that she had been born with something different between her legs.
Ginny did not express any reaction, not even when she heard a young woman look scared to know that she would be together with everyone else.
'We'll have to keep the mirrors away from this one,' she said, laughing with her friend, who seemed to be amused by the memory of when Ginny lost control of her magic in the bathroom of a party, one of the first she had gone to, and one of the first times she felt ridiculously alone.
She was nervous, trying to fix her hair, her dress, her lipstick, trying to find whatever was wrong with her, thinking that maybe the idea of having her hair tied up with real flowers hadn't been smart, since the stuffy place made them wilted and embarrassed. There were other women in the bathroom, which made her even more anxious, and when she tried to cast a spell on one of the sunflowers, her wand exploded in magic, hitting the mirror and bouncing off one of the pictures, which kept screaming for help and calling more attention from whoever was out there.
'Yes, or we will cut their throat,' Fleur whispered in her ear, tossing her hair back, and looking at Bill as if she expected him to defend Ginny.
It was a losing fight, Ginny would admit to her later, it was better that they all pretended not to listen than to risk being excluded from even more events. Her brothers did not need to lose their friends, and no longer be called to the pubs, because they defended her.
She can defend herself, and sometimes Ginny would rather be silent than fight.
'It will be a great day.' Molly clapped her hands, smiling at Ginny and Fleur, as the men dissipated across the room, chatting animatedly about what they expected from this first phase of the duel and anything else men said. Ginny noticed that Mrs. Potter took her husband by the arm, whispering something to him that he nodded and gave her a kiss on the forehead, then whispered something back.
Ginny felt a little embarrassed to have seen that display of affection that seemed so intimate.
‘I promise I’ll tell you everything later,’ Ron startled her, appearing in front of her and preventing her from seeing if it was Henry who had entered the room. 'These men are all weak, you would humiliate everyone, which is why dad forbade you to go.'
‘You know that it’s not true, but thanks for lying.’ She smiled. ‘I’ll tell you everything too, and don’t worry, I’ll be sure to do a good advertisement about you, for Miss. Granger.' Ron flushed like a tomato, his ears looking like they were on fire, while he laughed awkwardly and denied it.
'Don't be an idiot,' he said, before ruffling her hair and following the trail of men who headed out of the house through the doors leading to the garden, leaving her behind.
Looking around the room one last time, she saw him, standing in the corner, watching like an eagle, someone Ginny had not identified, since all the men were together and could be literally anyone. He grimaced and took a deep breath, looking at other people until he found her.
Henry nodded, slightly and almost imperceptibly.
He was beautiful, as always, Auror's clothes were well ironed and aligned as always, his hair continued to be the usual mess, and his green eyes looked even more vibrant now that the sunlight was coming in through the windows, the beam of light making her perceive some copper-colored wires in the middle of the black ones.
Something inside her stirred, that restlessness of now seemed to multiply in a thousand, remembering how his hand felt on her skin, how careful he was and how that whole care made her feel loved in such a new way and almost suffocating.
Not that she was complaining, she would give anything to feel that way again, but she wanted Henry to touch her beyond her back and arm, and she wanted to be able to touch him back.
Before she could do anything, walk up to him, call him, try to concentrate enough for them to exchange a few words for legilimency, Henry turned and followed the flow of men, reminding her that today, she would be alone.
He was the last man to leave the room, and Ginny hoped that sometime he would look back just for her to wave, and maybe he realized that she didn't want to stay there, that her hand was shaking with the panic she felt at just thinking about everything that could go wrong, anything.
But Henry didn't look back, the glass door closing behind him magically.
| H. F |
Henry stayed behind everyone, as he used to be, watching men talk about things they would probably never say near their wives and daughters, and he wanted to roll his eyes at that, imagining that many there would kill the first man who did or said those things about their own daughter.
He watched from afar as Mr Potter talked privately to one of his friends, Mr Black, if he was not mistaken, who shared the same worried countenance as the other, always looking sideways and backwards, but never seeming to find the person he wanted. Henry realized that unlike yesterday, the other two men who were always around were missing.
'How do you feel knowing that I'm going to kick your ass?' He heard a son of a Viscount say, his nose up, the scarf tied tightly around his neck, and that snobbish way of being. The other seemed to enjoy the threat, taller and stronger than his friend.
'You won't even know what hit you.' The other said, the wand in his hand, but Henry doubted that it was going to happen.
He had seen many men duel, for several reasons; women, money, training and being rivals, and he could tell very well when someone was just showing off, and those two, were that kind of guy.
When he joined the Aurors, Robards did not take it easy on him, much less when he knew that he had never attended a wizard school or something, and the man made Henry learn, one way or another, to identify several small details that could make you stay alive during a duel.
All the men he dueled with, other than his gym mates, ended up dead. And almost everyone looked very much like that man in front of him. Too pompous to know what it's really like to fight for something other than male pride.
When he turned his attention away from the two brats, Henry realized that Mr. Rosier was looking at him, as if he recognized him from somewhere, his gray eyes fixed on him, his wand in hand.
Henry nodded, ignoring the restlessness in his chest, trying not to think too much of where he recognized this man. Mr. Weasley had told him about Rosier, a good man, from a wealthy family - but who was starting to face some problems after the war - and who could provide Ginny with a safe place to stay.
Of course, he didn't think those were good requirements for you to find a husband for your only daughter, but Henry couldn't wait for Arthur to find a man for Ginny to love.
This is not how weddings work for people like them.
Love is for those like Henry, who have nothing more to offer.
When they finally reached the quarries, he thought Ginny would love to go there, and maybe he could try to sneak her out here, there would probably be some spare time when they could sneak out and Henry would bring her here.
There was a large, well-kept lawn, a few trees ahead, but what really drew attention was what was aside. A clear and calm river, with huge cliffs around it, where they would duel was where the vegetation of the land ended, as now all around was water. He felt tiny amidst all the fallen rocks nearby, the cliff, and the blue-green immensity that stretched to the infinity of his vision.
‘Who's going to want to start?’ Mr Potter asked, looking at all the men standing there, all looking a little shocked at the sight. Yes, it was a shame that women couldn't see that too.
‘I will,’ One of the men said. He was too chatty, looking too proud that everyone was looking at him.
‘One more.’ Mr. Potter continued to stare into each of their faces, until he stopped at Henry, a slightly mischievous smile playing on his lips. ‘Mr Figg? Do you want to show us if duel training is good in the academy?’
‘Hm…’ Henry mused, a little embarrassed at having to speak in the midst of all those men. Of course the academy training is good, he wouldn't survive a day as an Auror if it didn't. 'Sure..'
Henry was seldom in the center of a circle, he thought he was not born to receive all the attention for himself, an embarrassed boy who learned early on that being silent was always the best option when it came to large crowds.
Now, unlike when Robards pushed him to the center of the dueling wheel, Henry was anxious and felt his hands trembling. Of course, as someone who had trained for years, he knew very well how to disguise it, but still, his magic trembled inside his chest, in that anxiety he had felt sometimes during his life. The eyes of all those men on him didn't help at all.
It wouldn't be the first time he'd dueled in front of an audience, but there was a difference between dueling other Aurors at the Academy, and dueling with a rich man who hoped Henry would lose so his ego wouldn't be hurt.
‘Greet each other.’ James seemed to love that bread and circus, all the while looking curious about Henry's movements.
He bowed to the man as usual, trying to ignore the comments some made. It wasn't hard to see that he wasn't part of any wealthy family, and that wearing the Aurors badge was the highest rank Henry would ever achieve.
Unlike probably 70% of those men, going to the academy was his only chance, not just a formality.
‘We won't have godparents, as our goal is not to kill the other,’ Henry noticed that the man in front of him didn't seem satisfied with the rule. Perhaps he felt affronted for dueling him instead of a Marquis. ‘If one of the two falls and doesn't get up within three seconds, or loses his wand, he loses. Do we agree?' The two nodded, and Henry pressed his wand against his hand, feeling more and more challenged every time he heard a man laugh and/or make a joke about him.
He and the man, Henry no longer even remembered his name, faced each other, raised their wands, and Henry thought his chest would explode when his opponent smiled and looked at his friend, who was also laughing. They seemed to disbelieve that Henry would be able to win, or at least know what he was doing, and it seemed to disturb him far more than the other times he had been through it.
When the signal was given, before he even thought, Henry flung the man away like a sack of potatoes, his wand flying into his hand while his own trembled slightly. All chatting and giggles ceased immediately.
‘Your grace didn't say anything about nonverbal spells,’ Henry muttered to James, realizing he hadn't even said the Expelliarmus.
‘It's within the rules,’ he replied, also in a low tone, before looking at the man lying near one of the rocks, who looked stunned, his white skin now red. ‘My dear Finneas, you lost the first duel.’ Henry walked over to him, handing back his wand.
‘It was a good duel,’ Henry said, as he always said at the end of duels, even though his pride was screaming inside him.
‘Sure.’ Finneas took the wand from Henry's hands, marching back to his friend, his chest puffed out as if to give him back some self-love.
'Congratulations, Mr Figg.' Mr Potter smiled, that same curious look from before, as if Henry had suddenly become an interesting figure for a Duke to pay attention to.
Something inside him warmed and again, his wand trembled in his hand, as it used to do when he was a teenager who had no idea how to handle the magic in his chest that always seemed close to exploding. It had been a while since he'd felt this way the last time.
‘The rules are simple, as you've all seen, we'll have no godparents, nonverbal spells are allowed, and the first one who loses his wand loses.’ He was now looking at other faces, which still diverted their attention to Henry. 'Everyone will duel against everyone, as we are in twenty men, obviously the ten winners of today, will move on to the next round which will be two days from now, as we know we have some who are too old and need to recover,' Mr Weasley, who was beside Henry now, laughed and nodded, seeming to be amused by the idea of dueling as a joke.
‘Hope you go easy on me when we face off,’ he said, watching Henry, who chuckled sheepishly and nodded.
'Of course sir, I will let you hit me first.' Arthur winked at him, looking back at Mr Potter, who continued to speak the basic rules.
Henry wondered if Arthur would rather trade places with Ginny, and spend a few hours sitting around doing nothing and talking about trivialities. He had already seen the man duel, and no, he didn't need Henry to take it easy, he probably needed to be on the alert even more than the others, since the two had already witnessed how the other fought in a real duel.
Arthur didn't seem to need help when he killed that Death Eater with just one spell, anger burning in his eyes.
‘Miss. Weasley would enjoy watching all of these duels. 'Henry whispered, watching the Duke split the pairs.
‘Yes,’ Arthur looked at him, before he looked away and his smile died, and Henry watched as the man looked at Mr. Rosier, who kept looking at them, trying futilely to disguise it. 'But this is not a place for her.'
Henry wondered if Mr. Rosier was aware of Ginny's entire trajectory, and of her strength, or if Arthur had preferred to keep these details from him so that he could find a husband. He knew some men didn't like it when a woman looked stronger than they were.
Perhaps that was why he forbade her to come to the duel, because then a man could see her as that damsel in distress who needed to be saved they were so fond of. He didn't think she would like this if she knew.
Henry didn't understand why men didn't look at her, he'd been attracted to her since the first time he'd seen her, and since then that silly attraction had grown into a much bigger and dangerous monster that he felt he had no control over. Knowing that she wouldn't come to the duel, almost made him break some social rules, and if he had stayed in the room a few more minutes, or looked back, he would have picked her up and bewitched her so that no one would see her.
He felt he could do anything for her, and even then, it wouldn't be enough.
How did other men not feel like him? How they weren't lining up to kiss her hand, when she was wearing that cream dress, her braided hair, and that hat that made her look like one of those porcelain dolls that rich girls had.
Ginny was everything he could have ever dreamed of, and more, how could those men not see what he saw?
‘Mr. Figg, you will duel Mr. Rosier.’ He was awakened from his reverie, looking at the man who now had reason to watch him, gray eyes measuring him up and down, a pompous smile on his face. ‘And so, it will be the first round, I think we all understand?’ James said.
‘It will be an interesting duel, Mr. Figg.’ Rosier stepped closer, hands in his pockets. 'We were never introduced properly.' He held out his hand, and Henry noticed a large scar that came out of his palm and went up into his arm, hidden by clothes. 'Louis.'
‘Henry.’ He squeezed the man's hand, even though his gray eyes didn't look so trustworthy and something inside him looked uncomfortable.
The other men had already started to disperse, so that the duels could really start, Henry walked up to a tree with Rosier, thinking that a silly jealousy would not hinder his performance in that fight.
‘Greetings,’ Mr. Potter said, in the center, and he and Mr. Black seemed willing to make sure everyone followed the imposed rules. Henry bent over, thinking of a million spells he could start. 'You all can start.'
| L. P |
Lily took a deep breath as the third woman looked at her pityingly, thinking that the idea of asking about Mrs. Brown's pregnancy had been stupid. She should have known better that no one would ever let her forget about losing her child, as if forever, talking about children was a sad subject.
It was, but Lily wasn't a broken vase that had been mended with tape, and every time they tried to fill it with water, it broke again. She knew how to hide her emotions and her joy towards that young mother, it wasn't even close to envy or jealousy, she really was happy for her.
She could still be happy, even if she had lost her child over twenty years ago.
"Isn't it tiring?" Ginny asked quietly, hands steady in her lap, not even daring to touch the cup of tea in front of her. Her red hair, much more vivid and orange than Lily's, was being magically curled, like that of most of the other women there, all sitting together in the tea room.
"What, dear?" Lily asked, glad the girl had opened her mouth at least once.
“All those looks whenever someone talks about babies.” Her cheeks flushed, as if she suddenly realized this wasn't something to ask a Duchess.
Lily smiled. ‘Yes, but I’ve gotten used to it.’
"Oh, I'm so glad it didn't rain today, it's a beautiful day, don't you think?" Lady Jillian spoke, her voice loud and excited as always, but looking curiously at the interaction between Lily and Ginny. 'You have an amazing garden, it's understandable why you spend so much time here, Duchess.'
"Yes, flowers are just one more reason, but the calm here is priceless, I'm too old for turbulent London." She continued to smile as it sent the etiquette, her cheeks starting to ache. If she expressed any emotion other than pure happiness, it would get out in the papers that she was in a terrible depression and that maybe James was cheating on her with a younger, happier girl.
"Oh, of course you're not old!" Molly shook her head, sipping her tea and shrugging as if that was bullshit, before turning to the woman beside her. “How was the trip to Scotland, Lady Finnegan?” The side conversations took place again, the younger ones talking to each other, laughing and whispering to each other, the mothers talking about travel, high society gossip, the dances, the husbands, and the widows liked to tease the youngest, seeming to enjoy watching the girls blush when they spoke the name of some man who was handsome.
Lily watched everything, sipping her tea and thanking no one talking to her, letting her have a moment where she didn't have to smile and answer the same old questions; Yes, it's a great time to buy herbs. No, unfortunately I didn't go to that ball. Oh yes I heard she got married. No, we weren't in town when this happened.
Ginny, who was standing next to her, also seemed to be watching everything, but unlike her, she didn't seem comfortable with her own silence.
She was a beautiful woman, and it was hard to think that she was no longer that little girl that Lily heard Molly talk about. No more climbing trees, climbing on roofs, running from her parents to hide, now she could attend dances, afternoon tea, and drink wine. Time had passed too quickly.
Lily couldn't help but wonder how the girls, a year or two younger than her, didn't include her in the conversation. Nor how men didn't seem to want to include her in the moments when they talked to ladies and courted them either. She was always alone. And Lily wished the two of them didn't share the same knowledge of what it was like to feel that way.
Unlike her, Ginny wasn't excluded or treated with pity for having lost a baby, but somehow, the loss of Lily had affected her too, which was unfair.
'Drink your tea dear, it will get cold and I don't think it will taste good' She said, not only because she didn't want the girl to feel lonely, but because Lily wanted Ginny to know she wasn't alone, and that she understood what she was going through.
'Oh, thank you, my Lady, but I'm not thirsty.' Ginny smiled, and Lily realized that she pressed her fingers against her palm, as if she wanted to avoid something.
'Do you want me to order something for you? A cookie?'
"No need to worry, thanks."
"I insist, I'm starving." Lily called to Fye, ordering, and the elf nodded before apparating to the kitchen. ‘We have delicious chocolate chip cookies, great for calming your nerves. I always eat them when I feel like I need something to bring me back to earth, you know? When I want to feel hugged.
'Do you want to feel that way now?' Ginny seemed to stretch her shoulders, a slight smile on her face. A real smile.
"Isn't that what we all want?" Lily arched an eyebrow, watching her nod. "A tight hug from those who look like they're going to break our ribs."
"I don't know when I last got one of these." She didn't look sad though. "But I think chocolate is a great way to feel that way."
'Course is. And I also think, none of these women are going to want to hug us right now, so chocolate is our best choice.”
"Oh no no, some of them would prefer death to that." Ginny laughed, and so did Lily, glad to have someone other than James to play the pranks without getting a pitying look.
"Thank you Fye, you can rest now." Lily thanked the elf, who nodded and left, unnoticed by the other women. ‘Take one, dear… Yes, you will see, chocolate is able to cure any sadness or anxiety, it is better than any potion I have ever invented.'
"So it's true, you invent potions?" Ginny was looking at her curiously now. "I've heard some people say, but you know, you can't trust everything that's said."
"No, definitely not." Lily took a sip of tea. ‘I don’t invent, I study the ones that already exist, and I do tests with some changes on top of those studies, trying to find a new result. Some work, and some just explode or boil over and melt everything around.” The two laughed, like they were old friends.
'Have you done this for a long time?'
'Since when I learned how to make a colic potion that didn't make me want to throw up all my lunch. It's been a few years... Then, over time, I've been taking more and more tests and studying more, and when you spend a lot of time alone, you start discovering skills you never thought you'd have.'
"Do you intend to come up with any specific potions?" She looked even more curious now, one hand tucked under her chin, supporting her face as she was slightly crooked in her chair to get a look at Lily, the other holding a cookie.
"I do." Lily thought of that old Slughorn note, that it promised a potion she could test if these people shared the same DNA. Until now, the tests had been flawed. "But I still haven't got the results I want."
The two continued to talk for a long time, discussing Lily's trip to India, then Ginny's trainings, and even boys - she said Mr. Rosier would dance with her, but Ginny didn't even look by far excited about it, and when Lily asked her what she thought of it, she said it was weird that she was the last to know and that the man had talked to her father first before her.
It was nice to have someone to talk to, especially a younger girl, it made Lily feel less old, as much as James continued to insist that Lily was not old, she knew she was. The forty-five years had arrived in her life and made her think about the years that passed.
When all the women had their hair done and ready for lunch, Remus walked into the room, not even bothering not to attract attention.
"I need you to join me, my Lady," he asked, bending over in front of her as if they hadn't been friends since she was ten, and that triggered a sixth sense in Lily.
“Excuse me, my dears.” She got up, smiling at the women who watched her looking curious enough to be able to follow her wherever Remus took her. "I'll be back in a minute, you can go to lunch without me, I won't be long."
Lily followed Remus without losing her poise, shoulders back, chin up, not wanting to show that she was distressed by the interruption. Where was James? Did something happen to him? Why wasn't Remus at the quarry with all the other men? What was wrong? Has Voldemort found them?
'What happened, Moony, you're scaring me.' Lily allowed herself to look nervous, far enough away from the house that no one could see her through the windows. Remus was leading her into the woods, a worried look on her face, looking anxious.
"I decided to call you after I show you what I found."
‘Why aren't you with James? Is he okay?” Lily looked at him.
'James is fine, Sirius is with him, I was… Well, we thought there was something wrong last night, and I stayed behind to investigate, and that's when I found it.' Remus and she stopped in the middle of the forest, and on the floor in front of her, protected by a spell, lay Harry's blanket that Lily kept with all the care in the world, one of the few things that still contained small traces of his DNA that she would use in the potion to try to find out. It had been a few years, but it still contained enough for one potion.
She floated the cover, her hands shaking.
No one had access to the dungeons where Harry's box of things was kept, protected from the weather, the dust and everything she and James could protect, trying to keep what was left of their son as immaculate as possible.
"Remus," Lily said, startled.
"Whoever took this knew how important it was to you," he whispered, and neither of them needed to say any more. Her heart broke.
‘Do you think… it's someone we know?' She asked, startled, carefully sending the cover back to the dungeons, making sure it was as discreet as possible.
'I've been thinking about it, and-' He was interrupted, a noise coming from the direction of the clearing that was nearby, the voice of someone cursing under his breath. Lily and Remus started walking, wands drawn, a bad feeling taking over her chest.
Each time they went deeper into the forest, it got darker, the tops of the trees covering the sky and preventing the light from entering, the ground a little damp due to this lack of sun soiled the hem of her dress and her sneakers, the wind icy very different from the heat she had been feeling before. She had never been so far into the Forest, James came here on full moon nights with Remus, but Lily kept her distance at all times, the feeling of claustrophobia that the place caused made her dizzy.
The noise kept coming from the highest part of the Forest, where James said it was the worst part, even darker, wetter and colder, in the opposite direction of the clearing she had told Ginny to visit last night.
Several crows flew over there, some stared at her from the branches of the trees, and Lily noticed that not far away there was some dead chick being devoured by vultures.
As they got closer to the noise, almost to the rock that bordered the end of where you could advance into the woods, they found a man, his back to them, his sleeves rolled up and looking annoyed at something. There were things in front of him on the floor, things that Lily didn't identify at first, but it didn't look good.
"Stopped." Remus clutched his wand in his hand, touching the back of his head with the tip, ready to react. Whatever that man was doing, it wasn't a good thing.
He froze in place, and when Remus was ready to cast some spell on him, something from his hand fell, and everything spun around her.
On his forearm was the Death Eater mark, Lily had seen several over the years, but that wasn't what shocked her, it wasn't what made her take a step back, it was the fact that that forearm belonged to Peter.
Peter, James' best friend, that boy Lily met at age 13 when they bumped into each other in the middle of a boring event. Peter, whom James treated as a brother, who took refuge with them the several times he saw death coming, during the Order's missions. Peter who was the first of the Marauders to arrive to see Harry, and who at his christening blessed him with several years to live.
This Peter had his arm marked by those who wanted her life, James, Remus, her son.
"Lily, it's not what you're thinking." He sobbed, dropping his wand to the ground and turning away. 'I can explain.'
‘What will you explain? What were you doing with my son's things?’ She wanted to scream when she realized what it was all about on the floor; Harry's things, things that Lily had ensured were kept without anyone touching a finger, were now strewn on that dirt floor and the remains of dead animals. "Peter, what the fuck is this?"
"He made me do, Lily, I swear." Peter looked increasingly desperate, keeping his face down as if he couldn't even look at her. "I did everything, Lily, I did everything for him to stay alive."
'He? He who, Peter?' Remus said, now assuming the position of Lily's defender and keeping his wand pointed at his friend- Peter. "What did you do, Peter?"
"Moony, you know me, Moony, you know I would never do this because I wanted to." He proceeded to plead with Remus, turning to him and clasping his hands together in prayer, leaving his scarred arm even more in evidence. Lily wanted to vomit. "He forced me, he told me that if I didn't, the boy would become a Lord of Death."
'The boy?' Lily seemed to have been awake, and in the next instant she was holding Peter by the collar of his suit, looking very, very close to killing him with her bare hands. ‘The boy, Peter? The boy was my son!” She pushed him with all her strength to the dirt floor, anger burning in her blood. "He was…Peter, he was a baby."
‘Lily you don't understand-’
"I don't understand?!" The crows nearby flew away at her scream, startled by her disturbance of her peace, as well as the noise of other running animals were heard as well. But Lily had blood pumping in her ears, blind with rage. 'What did you do with my son, Peter? I'll give you a chance to talk to me before I kill you.'
‘I needed to do this, he told me he would kill me if I didn't, so I… I did. Lily, forgive me, I tried to convince he not to, but-’
"I'm sure you tried," she said, the taste of blood in her mouth. 'What did you do? Tell me! Did you kill him as soon as you got him? Did you even bury him?” Lily didn't know if she really wanted to know that, but something inside her begged for answers, for an end. If she knew what had happened to Harry, she could finally say goodbye.
Lily didn't think she could take a few more years anyway, there was a very big hole inside her and having to face Peter, knowing that he who had made that hole in her made her relive that terrible pain and memories of days that seemed endless and tortuous, days when James needed to stay close to her at all hours so she just didn't end her own life.
That was a pain that no mother or father should ever experience, a pain that Lily wished she had never known about, because now, looking at the clothes, the teddy bears, Harry's pillow lying on the floor, she thought it was all useless. Useless and unfair.
All the memories she created to keep herself sane were now littered with dirt and the remains of dead animals. Lily figured Peter was probably about to set the whole thing on fire.
It would be too sad to have to tell James, and Lily was afraid her husband couldn't take it anymore.
A son killed by his own friend. What a tragedy. Newspapers would be supplied for more than a month with that story.
‘Lily I tried. I made sure he was fine, I made sure that the woman who found him was good, that she took care of him, Arabella believed in me as an idiot, so I knew she would be a good mom to him, I ... I swear.’ Peter stammered, eyes wide, looking like a scared rat. “Harry is alive, Lily, I didn't kill him. And he is here.’
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Love Language
summary: love languages come in every shape and size. If there are only truly five, How do you and JJ express yours?
a/n: Not sure if I am thrilled with how his came out but I wanted to post anyway. I might write a part two about how JJ appreciates words of affirmation and physical touch too depending on how this one does.
If you ask any adult they’d say that 16-year-old’s have no idea what love is, and for the most part they’d be right. You weren’t naive, you didn’t expect to end up engaged, married, and living full kook with JJ, but every time he looked at you. Man, your heart skipped a beat and maybe just maybe you thought about how losing him would be like losing everything. You’d been together since the summer of 2019, one year together and yet the genuine ‘I love you’ statements were reserved for more intimate moments. Moments where only you, JJ, and the four walls in John B’s guest room could hear. Or hushed moments in the hammock watching the sunset for the who-knows-hundredth time. Sometimes the love pours into everyday moments, whether with words or with actions.
Acts of Service
The group was huddled in John B’s kitchen yet again.
“JJ don’t” Kie pleads. He only glances at her “I have a stomach of steel Kie don’t worry” JJ boasts proudly. Just as he finished putting together his sandwich, the front porch door opens. “Hey guys” You say carrying in a white plastic bag in your left hand. They all mumble out their course of hellos and you walk over to JJ. He begins to wrap his arms around your waist and lean in to kiss you, you lean back. A confused look spreads on his face and you look at the sandwich on the plate, “did you eat any of that?” You ask, disgusted? “Nah, but I’m about to” he says, removing his arms from your waist and going towards the sandwich.
“Don’t” you say seriously, taking his bicep in your hand. “I bought you something to eat”, you put the bag on the counter and slide it towards him. “Fuck I don’t deserve you” he says. Removing the layers of the food as fast as possible. You kiss his cheek and turn your attention back to the gang.
“Why do I feel like I’m the only one who goes to school anymore?” you question sitting down on the couch. John B shrugs, Kie and Pope are engrossed in a conversation, and then JJ speaks up,
“School is for losers” he says with his mouth stuffed. You give him a look from the couch that translates to ‘you wanna rethink that’. “...and pretty girls” he says after swallowing and grinning at you. “Nice save” Pope comments sarcastically.
JJ just winks at him and decides to sit next to you.
Words of Affirmation & Physical Touch
The scholarship you had applied for was supposed to send out the finalist email beginning today. You nervously kept refreshing your email, although you were too far out in the marsh for it to get signal. You enjoyed spending time with the group on the boat but right now, getting that email was all you could think about.
“Babe, Beer?” JJ says walking up to you and offering you a fresh can.
You look up briefly before returning your attention to your phone screen “No thanks”. He picks up on your distressed tone quickly. I guess that’s what dating for a year will do to you. You could always tell when JJ needed you with just one look and he could always tell with your choice of words and the way you said them. “What’s up?” He sounds so concerned, you almost feel bad for coming to this outing. Everyone else is having fun but you’ve been sober and sitting down since you arrived. “I just- Remember that scholarship I told you I applied for? The one where I got really vulnerable for and poured out everything I had? Well they are sending out the results today and I haven’t gotten anything yet” you feel relieved to have finally told someone how stressed you were feeling. “They’d be stupid not to choose you Y/N” he says. “What if I didn’t even stand out? I don’t know if I’ll be able to afford any university without that scholarship J” you voice getting quieter towards the ends. “You already have a full ride to a university,” he says nonchalantly. You give him a questioning look before he grabs your hand and holds it against his chest. “The university of my heart” he says kissing your cheek. You pull your hand away, “ oh my god you dork I’m being serious” yet you can’t help and smile at his antics.
He reaches out and for a second you think he’ll pull you onto his lap or rest his hand dangerously close on your upper hand as he usually does. To your surprise he does either, instead he puts a hand on the knee and uses his thumb to rub comforting circles onto your thigh. You sigh peacefully and choose not to say anything. In this moment you feel as if every little circle motion his thumb makes is a secret language of its own. ‘I love you’ ‘you’re gonna get in’ ‘you’re amazing and crazy smart’ things he’d typically say to you out-loud. You choose to embrace the silence and revel in the secret language for as long as possible until you hear the familiar chime of your phone and break out of your trace to check it. “The application Status of Y/N L/N” reads the subject line, the opening line begins with congratulations and right then and there you know. You were chosen as finalist. “Holy shit I made the finalist list” you whisper to yourself but JJ hears. “You made it?” JJ says a bit louder. “Hey guys she made the finalist list” JJ calls out to the group The music. They all express delight for you and John B hands you a beer, “Cheers, I’ll drink to that” he says clicking his cab against everyone else’s.
You feel JJ’s hand give a small squeeze to your hand before you turn to him, “I knew you could do it” he says, removing his hand from your knee and opting to place it on the back of your seat.
Quality Time & Gifts
Feeling the sand under your bare feet and the night breeze, you curl up closer to the warm body next to you. Keeping your eyes closed as you pay attention to your breathing and try to sync up with JJ’s.
“Considering you’re trying to jump onto me at any given moment, I’m surprised you haven’t tried anything” You say eyes still closed and adjusting your position against his chest. It’s moments like these that become rarer and rarer with all the chaos of John B possibly being put in foster care at any given moment, and in general always being around the gang. It wasn’t like you and JJ were a secret but you weren’t a fan of couples that made out in the hallways during passing-period, so PDA was kept minimal out of respect for pogue rules. “Pretty sure it's always you who wants to jump on me” he says and although your eyes are still closed, you can tell he’s smirking. You say nothing and let the conversation die there. No matter how terrible a day is, just being in JJ’s arms makes it better.
“Do you think we’re together by chance or Fate? You ask quietly. You wonder if JJ would have even pursed you had you been a kook or missed at the party the night you met . “Does it matter?” He asks, “I’m just wondering” you whisper back. The silence that washes over you two feels comfortable. Your thoughts run wild thinking about how JJ is really a whole person stubborn but with feelings and thoughts. Out of all the people that you could have come across that night, it was him and out of girls that consistently admire him, he was here with you. Will this last forever? And if not how would it end? What if-
“I love you” JJ says, kissing the top of your hair. “What for?” you happily accept the head kiss but still inquire why the random love confession. “I always love you, but you were thinking so hard I could hear your thoughts” He explains. He begins to shift to sit up and you pull away to give me the room to do so. You knew that you couldn’t stay out there all night long, it was cold and dark but you were willing to bear the environment if it meant more alone time with JJ. You wait for him to get up and extend an arm to pick you up. Instead, he sits up and begins to reach around his neck. He takes off his shark tooth necklace with ease and motions for you to sweep your hair to the side. You do as you're told and he slips the necklace on admiring how it looks against your skin. You reach up and grab at the necklace slowly as if it could break at any given moment. “JJ you don’t have to, it’s yours” you say not wanting to take one of the most important things away from him. “You’re mine too, I want you to have it” He says running a hand through his hair, leaving his hair messier but framing his face nicely. “Well I love it and I love you” grabbing onto either side of his face and bringing him in for a kiss. He easily lays you down against the sand and crawls on top and you know exactly where this might be going. You push his face away and look into his eyes, it's cold and dark but you stare into him like he holds the answer to every question in the universe. JJ goes in to kiss you again and you roll to the side. You love him but you aren’t risking ending up covered in sand and with hypothermia.
“Inside?” You question while lifting yourself up and dusting off the remaining sand.
“Fuck yeah” He responds, ready to go.
#me: ceo of proofreading and missing mistakes anyway#jj maybank#jj x reader#jj maybank x reader#jj imagine#obx imagine#obx#Obx x reader#obx jj#outer banks x reader#outer banks fic#outer banks jj#outer banks#outer banks netflix#jj x you#love languages#jj maybank x you#reader insert#also its midnight but I had to get this out before I could go to bed
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Chunin Exams: Shikamaru vs. Temari
So this will be long, so be ready for some deep diving. I’d been thinking this for quite a while so let’s go.
One of my favorite Chunin Exams’s match has to be Shikamaru vs. Temari. This may not be much of a surprise for any of you, but maybe the reason why it is between my top 3 will surprise more than one.
Obviously the ship factor made me like this battle even more, but it’s not even a primary or secondary reason for why I love this match. This battle stands out to me as being one of the most truthful ninja fights of the whole arc. Why? Because a ninja fight, as Kakashi would day during the Zabuza’s arc is about always plotting, to know when to do certain thing, to know when to not to do them and just hide and to work with the tools you have.
It’s a battle were the brains out beats the brute force, where the strength is the last resource and the strategy primes as the best thing a ninja can have. It about deciphering our opponent, carrying out the best strategy and ensuring the win as much as possible and both Shikamaru and Temari excel at being this masterminds. They make the most out of their battle and, in my opinion, they both shine through as not only capable but highly advanced strategists, specially for their short age.
That’s why when I hear people going like “No, she’s not.” when Asuma says that Temari she is bright and that she thinks like Shikamaru (she thinks ahead) or say that “Shikamaru could have easily beat Temari if he wasn’t that lazy” I just feel like crying.
However, it’s not people’s fault after all. The direction of the match in both the anime and the manga makes Shikamaru’s strategy the wow factor. I am not saying his tactic is not genius, I would be pretty lame if I said that, nor that Shikamaru is not more intelligent than Temari (He is the most brilliant person of his generation, specially when it comes to strategy) and he deserved the recognition because the tactic he carried through was slick af. It’s one of the many reason why Shikamaru is my absolute favorite character in Naruto (I love him so much).
However, I think that Shikamaru’s genius shouldn’t by any means diminish Temari’s wit. Because she was also delivering quite a good fight, she was a good match for Shikamaru (which ain’t easy) and (I personally think) had a pretty accurate strategy.
So, I gave myself the job of being Temari’s Asuma and explain in full detail what I think, through my reading, was Temari’s strategy. Because my girl deserves more recognition. She is a strategist and a really good one.
1. Context
One thing I think it’s important to mention before anything is the context of the match.
If we come to think about it, it wouldn’t be that far-fetched to say that Temari couldn’t waste that much chakra nor show new abilities in her fight against Shikamaru. Let’s remember that the Sand only participated in the Chunin Exams because of the attack, to execute the Konoha Crush. A plan for which the Sand Siblings, specially Gaara, were crucial. Even we get to see Kankuro forfeiting of his fight against Shino in order to keep his techniques a secret and wait for the time to make the move.
However Temari didn’t had the same luck. It would be suspicious if the two of them just gave up. My reading of the situation is that actually neither of them expected to fight their respective matches as Gaara’s match against Sasuke was before theirs. Still, if someone had to fight Temari knew that would be her because,
a. Kankuro was against Shino who had shown to be a beast, and hence, it was more likely that he would have to use higher tier attacks.
b. Temari showed to be quite confident of her skills and Shikamaru, though he had shown to be intelligent (not to the extent of this match but intelligent nonetheless) he was the weakest of the finalist in terms of raw strength.
So, Temari had to be the one to fight. Otherwise the plan would fall apart, and although she wasn’t sure about attacking from the start, she was extremely loyal to her village and would never do something to hurt it. However she couldn’t be imprudent, hence, she didn’t had to waste that much chakra in order not to tire herself that much and couldn’t show new wind style techniques as that would only weaken the surprise effect this might have (let’s remember she was in a stadium filled with highly capable Shinobi, Chunin and Jonin Level)
But although she couldn’t be imprudent, she also couldn’t let herself be defeated. After all, she is Temari. She had figure out a way to win despite the limitations she had which brings us to the fight itself.
2. First Movement: Gaining Information
The first thing Temari knows is that she needs some information about the match and the rival so she starts off by trying to get an action or a least a reaction from Shikamaru, which proved to be quite draining due to his usual unmotivated behavior.
The frontal and direct attacks of Temari at the beginning of the match serve that purpose.
Unlike her match against Tenten, where she could just start of in complete defensiveness she quickly realized that that wouldn’t work with Shikamaru. I am pretty sure Temari is one of those fighters who don’t like to make the first move but to wait and recollect information from her adversaries (after all i her battle against Tenten, in which she always seemed comfortable she did just that) but as she knew that couldn’t be the case as while Tenten is someone active, Shikamaru is more of reactive fighter she just attacked to get the necessary information to use with her previous knowledge (which I’ll also proceed to explain) to plan a strategy.
She knew from Shikamaru’s fight against Kin (the sound ninja) that it was quite likely that the Shadow Posession Jutsu had:
a. A range
b. Short duration spam.
c. Wasted to much chakra.
After all, Shikamaru was always shown to be pretty cautious about how and when he used it. That’s why the jutsu doesn’t seem much of a threat at the beginning as if she could manage to identify the range of his jutsu she could just stay away from it and make him waste chakra.
If to that we add that Shikamaru’s reaction was to hide she also gained a panorama of how the fight will be like. It’ll most likely be a long-lasting battle based more in indirect attacks and meticulously planning than in strength.
This seemed to match quite well, which justifies Temari’s smile as Shikamaru hides. At first glance stretching out the duration of the battle and fighting long-range was just perfect for her as she could save as much chakra as possible, dodging the attacks of Shikamaru while making him waste as much chakra as possible.
Hence, although Temari was overconfident (aspect I’ll talk about in more detail later) she had a reason to be so. She had a fairly strong plan,and everything seemed to be falling in the right place.
2. Identifying the Range and the Sun
The first attacks of Shikamaru just seem to work on perfectly for Temari as she achieves to find out her shadow range, a jaw-dropping fifteen meters thirty-two centimetres (like she is also a mathematician in her own right).
It’s then when Shikamaru shows her that there was one factor she hadn’t thought about before: the sun. When the shadow reaches a longer distance than it had already done she quickly deduces that as the sun sets the shadow of the wall was getting larger, hence elongating the shadow making his range bigger.
And Temari quickly adapts to the situation working out several plans she could use. She decides the better was keeping up with the angle and the direction from which the sun is hitting the wall and the growth in his shadow in order to be able to calculate an equation that would keep him away from his shadow.
This is good because while some may just freak out and try to use brute force to finish it, as seemingly stretching the match no longer holds any sense, Temari takes her time to think and finds a way to use her skills and knowledge in battle. This is no easy task, as we see that a lot of highly talented shinobis on paper had a tough time in practice. But she is so great that she comes up with a way that doesn’t directly throws the entire plan she had come up with to the trash.
3. Surprise Attack
Well I got to say this. I don’t like that Kankuro warns Temari about Shikamaru’s home-made parachute because I easily think that she could have realized by herself. She had shown all through the battle to have great observational skills and to be quite focused so I think that Kishimoto could have easily come up with that.
Still, I understand that Kishomoto through this fight tries to justify that Shikamaru was the one that would become a Chunin, so nerfing Temari isn’t the worst thing out of all. I don’t like it but isn’t that bad if we take into consideration the other thingd that were done in the manga.
However is through her ability to dodge this attack we get Asuma’s and Shikamaru’s reaction and recognition of Temari’s skills. She is a really good shinobi, quick, intelligent and competent.
Yes, Shikamaru had just gotten her in the position she wanted but what he said he truly meant it, which means a lot given his chauvinistic behavior at the begging of Naruto. She is fast learner, she is capable to dodge attacks that no regular genin could or as Shikamaru said in Naruto Ninja Storm 4 (yes, I usually hate most of the scenes in this game but this one ShikaTema scene was so sport on) that she was the first person of his age to be able dodge that many attacks from him, which leaves me to another point.
4. Moves Ahead
It’s almost a meme that Shikamaru has a 200 IQ and that he is 200 moves ahead everyone else but what I really think that people don’t understand is that for Shikamaru each an everyone of those moves, from the first one to the the two hundred, could be the last one. When Shikamaru plans out a strategy he may use some moves that are feints but those feints may also work to end the match to less skilled rivals. Each move works as an individual move as part of a whole. That is other level, is genius. Prove of the overtly exaggerated 200 IQ, almost everyone could seem dumb beside him.
However, the complexity of the strategy he used against Temari shows us that how knew that he needed to come up with something good in order to be able to beat her. She wouldn’t fall for something straightfoward because she showed to be several steps ahead also.
She had shown to easily decipher his jutsu’s range, she had found elements that could have served him as an advantage and she had been skillful enough to move around the field avoiding his jutsu with ease. And he knows that because
a. He had seen it,
b. She had told it to him, which I think was one of the biggest mistakes of Temari derived from her over-confidence.
That’s why his plan had to be slick in order to win which brings up the end of the match.
5. Checkmate
After seeing that Shikamaru’s shadow range was almost unlimited and that her chances of measuring it were incredibly low she then decides to end it once and for all because;
a. If she extended the match much longer it was almost inevitable that she will end up being caught by his shadow paralysis jutsu
b. She couldn’t risk to waste a lot of chakra since, I have already mentioned, it was indispensable she was in good conditions for the Konoha Crush.
But it’s interesting the movement she plans out in order to beat Shikamaru since it shows that she is very aware of her own tools and abilities and of the abilities of her rival. One clone will take the attention of him, falling in his shadows paralysis while she just bluntly beat him with her crushing wind style. Fairly simple, but also extremely effective.
When Shikamaru caught her and shows her his strategy Temari quickly understands what he had done. She had underestimated both his jutsu and his mind and that added with her over-confidence in her analysis was what gave Shikamaru the necessary information to caught her.
She is genuinely surprised as the rest of the crowd but they are even more when he gives up.
That was just a masterful decision of Kishimoto, I got to give him that, because it not only make Shikamaru be cool af for the audience, but also for two things that are lest often touched upon:
a. In terms of Shikamaru it showed the genius he is, the smartest person of his generation by far, capable of examining the situation and choose the best option to execute. He was running out of chakra while his rival was safe and sound. In a real life mission the best option is retreat, and that’s what he does. This is shows to Temari than he and Shikamaru are actually much more alike than she had thought. They both are rational thinkers, who measure cons and pros and are able to come up with a logical analysis but they are also pretty conscious of themselves and others. That’s what Asuma means when he says they think alike, that why they always seem to work along together despite their seemingly clashing personalities.
b. In terms of Temari she gets the bittersweet victory. She archived what she wanted, making him run out of chakra, but not how she wanted to do so. It is deserved and undeserved at the same time which conflicts her. If the battle had continued it was more than likely she had won as she wanted to but it didn’t which let her thinking that, if he could he could have easily beat her even though he states that not to be the reason. After all he had clearly outsmarted her, and that was what was the most important for her, despite her win was deserved in my opinion (not because she was more intelligent than him, because no one really is, but because, at the end, she managed with her wit and talent to make it impossible for him to continue). She thinks that her over-confidence and her analysis which she prides of, was the thing that took her down and that it’s quite important for her character and her relationships with others. We’ll get to see how this affected her in her following appearances, when we get to see her when she goes to fight against Tayuya she carefully listens to Shikamaru’s analysis, although at the end she decides to do it her way (an nails it), her decision was derived from her listing to his words and all he got to say.
At the end Temari will always be her wonderful confident self (that’s only another reason to love her) but after this match she shows to be more cautious when underestimating her rivals, however you shouldn’t dare underestimate her.
Because she is a f***ing boss.
#temari#shikamaru#shikatema#chuninexams#shikamaru x temari#shikamaru nara#nara#shikamaru vs temari#temari deserves better#she is amazing#protemari#chunin exams#opinion#anime#naruto
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UC 50.35 - Imperial vs Warwick
This is episode thirty five of this years University Challenge. Almost exactly one year ago, on 23rd March 2020, the UK was plunged into what we thought would be its only lockdown. Instead it was the first of going on three, four? Where does a lockdown end and a Tier 4 start? Manchester, where I live, has basically been in lockdown for most of the twelve months since then, and who knows how much longer this one is going to actually last.
There is a peculiar magic to a revolution of the sun, with the circularity giving meaning to the meaningless marker of three hundred and sixty five days. Somehow it feels so much more momentous that a year will have passed than that a day less than a year has passed. You remember what you were doing as the lockdown was announced, where you watched Boris make his serious address from. The tingles of fear, and maybe even guilty nervous excitement made me restless. No one knew what any of it meant. So many things have changed since then, but in some ways we are exactly where we were. Stuck inside, nowhere to go, with no concept of when life will return to normal.
There was also a University Challenge match on the 23rd March. I don’t know if I watched it on the day. Probably not. I wrote about it six days later, by which point I was working from home with a pile of books stacked underneath my laptop acting as a makeshift stand. There is something strange about being able to read exactly what I was thinking at the time everything was starting. The following paragraphs are taken directly from that blog, and it still feels like we are in the same limbo state.
What is going on? When I wrote the last blog it was pretty clear that we were in a dire situation, but the inaction of the Government left it feeling like we were in some kind of limbo state, just waiting for the disaster to hit us. But then action was taken. Lockdown.
We now know exactly what we have to do (I was going to list the ‘Stay Home’ instructions here, but if you’re getting your lockdown lowdown from a University Challenge blog then frankly there’s no hope for you anyway), but it still feels really surreal. You’ve never done a home workout in your life, but you’ve done two in the past three days. People say ‘social distancing’ as if its always been a well-known term that was commonly used in daily life. There are never any beans (screw your toilet paper shortages, its the beans that really matter).
We’re still in limbo, really, because we have no idea how long this is going to last. And we’re still waiting for the disaster to hit, because the worst of it hasn’t yet, and the lockdown won’t start properly helping for a few weeks. So what do we do? What can we do? You feel like you want to be distracted from all that is going on, but also to be clued up to the eyeballs with the latest news.
So we do what we can. We stay inside. We call our friends and family and play that stupid ‘chips and guac’ game on Houseparty. We take solace in books, or films, or TV…
As I did a year ago, I’ll try and distract you all (and myself too), with some words about a television quiz show. Let’s not bother with the rules, here’s your first starter for ten...
Imperial and Warwick have already played each other in this years tournament, with the Avonsiders coming out convincing winners, 200 to 120. They then beat another of the semi finalists, Magdalene, Cambridge, by 200 to 160. Fans of a nice round number, it seems.
But I wouldn’t write Imperial off. They followed up their loss to Warwick with magnificent wins over King’s and Durham. Their skipper Kohn is the most in-form player left in the competition, and has averaged more than six starters a game.
Having lost their first round match to Strathclyde, Imperial were given a reprieve via the high-scoring loser play-offs, and boy did they take advantage of it. This coincided with the gap in filming caused by Covid, and Kohn used the extra time to train intensely - think Stallone in Rocky but its just a guy furiously reading (with the same music playing, obviously).
Warwick, meanwhile, have had a relatively smooth path to the last four, winning by an average of 92.5 points. However, if you dive a bit deeper into those statistics, the margin has been decreasing each time (150, 100, 80, 40...), so if Imperial could get stuck into them early on then we’d have a real match on our hands.
Kohn is quickest on the buzzer for the first starter, and they take three bonuses, with Kohn saying that ‘this is giving me strong Dr Faustus vibes’, before giving Dr Faustus as the correct answer for the third. His speed is his downfall on the next starter though, and he loses five points with a neg, allowing his opposite number Rout to pick up the scraps.
A very long-winded biology question falls to no one, before another Imperial neg, this time from Wong, let Braid in to take the lead for Warwick. An incredibly easy bonuse set on Shakespeare extended this for them, though they didn’t recognise ‘Night of the Living Dead’ from its description.
Marrow, Imperial’s resident smiler, took the first picture starter to her evident delight, and a couple of bonuses tied the game at thirty fives. Braid is unlucky with his guess of ‘suffer no fools’ on the next starter - the answer is ‘suffer fools gladly’.
A trademark rapid-buzz from Kohn took the lead back to London, before a second neg from Wong allowed Braid to level the game again. Imperial’s tactic seems to be to win the buzzer race, regardless of whether or not they know the answer. So far they have three negs to three correct starters. An inspired guess of semi-colon from Marrow stole back the initiative. Neither side could string together a run of starters yet.
Not wanting to let Kohn have all the credit, Rout comes in super early on the next starter with Hamiltonian Operator. By now we have reached the music round, in a riveting but so-far low-scoring match. Kohn takes us to seventy apiece with the musical starter, giving Miles Davis and Dave Brubeck as his answer, even though the question had only asked for one person (to be fair to him, the question asked for ‘a bandleader and soloist’, making it seem as though they were two different people, but anyway, Paxman lets him off).
Both teams are making a dangerous habit of dropping bonuses, and six pass in succession with no correct answers. A pair of starters from Burrell, along with a few made five pointers, including some on Bulgarian football teams, gave Warwick the biggest lead of the match so far - fifty.
Kohn isn’t content to give up so easily, and takes the second picture starter, along with a pair of bonuses. Braid stumbles on a chemical elements question, and again Kohn takes advantage. Dismissing some of the bonuses as too easy, Imperial close to within ten.
Pollard gets his first starter of the evening with Yuri Gagarin, and a rare full set from Warwick gave them a thirty five point lead. A supremely clutch buzz from Kohn keeps Imperial in it, but Braid is quickest to identify/guess that a million seconds is two weeks (to the closest week), possibly putting the game beyond the reach of the Londoners. Paxman wastes some time by going on about how stupid it is to know that fact, and Warwick waste some more time with a lengthy conference on the bonuses. They are forty points clear, and probably heading to the final.
But HANG ON!
Braid negs. Thirty five points.
Kohn trips over his tongue, but gets the answer out in the end. Twenty five points. Could they do it?
No (sorry to have built up your hopes, if I did). The gong follows soon after, with Imperial still twenty five points adrift.
Final Score: Imperial 135 - 160 Warwick
Probably a deserved win for Warwick that, but Imperial were an absolute delight and it was a pleasure to watch their evolution over the course of the tournament, especially Kohn’s performances on the buzzer.
I’m looking forward to the second semi-final next week, which also promises to be a barnstormer. See you then.
If you’ve enjoyed this, but can’t wait until next week for another fix of University Challenge, then you can check out my Patreon, where I’ve been reviewing the 2015/16 series.
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Best WWE Matches of 2020 10-6
10
Becky Lynch vs Shayna Baszler - Raw Women’s Title - Wrestlemania 36 Day One
The result of this has made it one of the more underappreciated matches of the year. These two, along with Asuka, might have the strongest presences on the women’s roster. Even though there isn’t a soul in the crowd, this still feels like a monumental fight when they face off. Its only about 8ish minutes, but they tell a full fleshed out story in that time of “The Man” facing someone who can best her in wrestling acumen, physicality, and sheer intensity.. This is a super physical, stiff sprint between two women who welcome a fight. Their submission attempts and counters were were intense and dramatic as hell. Shayna looked like an absolute beast here and Becky sold like a champ and gave her all she could handle. The finish was perfect and easily set up a program between these two, but we didn’t get it for various reasons. But despite the aftermath, they had a hell of a match here and I’ll be awaiting the rematch years from now. Man, Becky was having a hell of a year before having to leave
9
Sasha Banks vs Bayley - Smackdown Women’s Title - Smackdown November 06
Sasha had just dethroned Bayley in an awesome match at Hell in a Cell and this was Bayley’s rematch. Sasha never having a successful title defense was heavily played up by Bayley and commentary, so Sasha came out with something to prove. She was super aggressive and reckless a few times which Bayley was able to counter. She caught Sasha on the apron and gave her a face first monkey flip. Later on in the match, Sasha is going for a sunset flip powerbomb, but Bayley ranas her into the announce table. One thing this match has that was a little lacking from their Hell in a Cell match was a little more hatred through characterization. The combination of the storytelling and aggression makes this match feel like It would’ve been perfect to happen before Hell in a Cell. Bayley hits the Bayley to Belly and locks in the Bank Statement, but in the end, Sasha makes her tap to the Bank Statement for a SUCCESSFUL TITLE DEFENSE and all is right in the world.
8
Sasha Banks vs Asuka - Raw Women’s Title - Extreme Rules
One, this match not main eventing was an absolute travesty. No other match had a smidgen of the hype that this match had and after the work they both put in through this year, they deserved the main event spot. Two, This, BY FAR, has the worst ending of a great match that you’ll see all year. Its WCW 2000 levels of stupid. Everything before the ref bump was beautiful wrestling though. Part of the hype was that they only had one match before this and that was a banger on Raw in January 2018. They reference that match super early, when Asuka goes for the knee lift that decapitated Sasha in their first match, and Sasha immediately counters to a Bank Statement attempt. After that, they have a beautiful New Japan esque match with hard strikes, submission attempts, and quality countering. Its so intense that I really believed they were gonna try a German suplex from the top to the floor. Sasha shouts out her banger against Io Shirai and powerbombs Asuka against the Plexiglass barricade. Asuka destroys Sasha with brutal consecutive German suplexes. Sasha goes to the top and falls down in a botch, but it actually adds to the match because she gets up crying and saying she has to win this match to be the best. Asuka feels the desperation in the same way and tries to mist Sasha, but hits the ref instead. Then we get a really stupid ending to a really awesome match. Grrrrr.
7
Roman Reigns vs Kevin Owens - TLC Match - Universal Title - TLC
The Tribal Chief has reclaimed the Universal Title that he never lost, put his cousin in his place, and beat Drew McIntyre in a interpromotional match. Enter Kevin Owens; One of the company’s elite talents that hasn’t quite been in a featured position because of injuries and just roster mismanagement and whatever. Owens was a great choice for the next Roman opponent because he can get himself over through his talking, he has badass credentials, and just like Roman, he’s used his family as the primary motivation for his actions.
After weeks of being jumped by Roman and Jey, KO flips the script and jumps Roman during his entrance and beats him with a chair. Its NO DQ, so Jey Uso instantly interferes, but KO brutally beats his leg and Pillmanizes him, evening out what was looking like a handicap match. Roman takes over by drive by kicking the steel steps into KO’s face and he proceeds to try to destroy KO with all the weaponry around the ring. KO gets powerbombed on a ladder, backdropped on a ladder, and Uranaged (or should I say Rock Bottomed) through a table.
Through all of this punishment, KO makes tremendously heroic comebacks that feel as real as anything you’ve seen this year. Its not just standard babyface heroics, his comebacks are perfectly timed and they truly feels like a guy reaching digging deep and giving it his all. Both Samoans take powerbombs through tables and in the most dramatic moment, KO dodges a spear and Roman violently crashes through the barricade. This is one of the those matches I REALLY was in front of a crowd, because they would’ve been shitting themselves. In the end, the pesky Jey Uso, a low blow, and the guillotine subdues KO and Roman retains. Tremendous performances from everybody involved and the storytelling with the interference was really well-structured.
6
AJ Styles vs Daniel Bryan - Intercontinental Title Tournament Final Match - June 12 Smackdown
Just give em a finish and get out of their way. Sami Zayn’s COVID absence opened up the Intercontinental Title and we got a good old fashioned tournament out of it with the two living legends as the finalists. I admittedly haven’t seen anything from their 2018-2019 feud, but this was a straight up babyface banger. They get about 25+ minutes (that we actually see) and they make great use of every second in true veteran fashion. AJ targets Bryan’s leg early and Bryan responds by viciously ramming AJ’s shoulder into the turnbuckle post. With that, they have a simple and excellent pure wrestling match. Bryan asserts himself as more of the aggressor as the match goes on. There’s a great sequence where AJ goes for the Phenomenal Forearm, but Bryan snatches him out of the sky into an armbar, but AJ counters that to a calf crusher, THEN Bryan counters that to the Yes Lock. Bryan’s leg gives out on a backflip and AJ hits him with his pretty quebrada DDT. Bryan goes for the running knee, but Aj scoops him right up into the Styles Clash then hits the forearm for the win. An excellent display of pacing, psychology, creative counters, and most importantly selling from two of the best we’ve ever seen. This was the match the “workhorse” belt deserved.
#wrestling#wwe#2020#becky lynch#shayna baszler#asuka#sasha banks#roman reigns#aj styles#daniel bryan#kevin owens#bayley
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my slowly deteriorating hot takes on total drama finalists (spoiler, im not a fan of most)
TDI
Owen - nah. I mean, he’s one of the nicest characters, but he just wasn’t finale material for this season to me. I think there are more interesting/deserving characters that could have been put in his place
Gwen - this may be controversial, but... also no. while she did win several challenges, she was always pretty apathetic and it felt like a lot of her personality was wrapped up in her relationships with heather and trent (though I haven't watched the second half of the season in a while so I may be remembering wrong). definitely not the worse choice, but there are some other girls (*cough*leshawna*cough*courtney*) that I would've rather seen win
TDA
Beth - she’s just a really odd choice. she felt like a filler character for the whole season and it didn't feel like she added much in terms of character interactions/drama. she had her whole fake boyfriend schtick, and the “nice girl” thing but I feel like she really wasn't an important/compelling enough character to make it to the finale
Duncan - one of the better choices so far, but still not great, in my opinion. the chemistry for this finale is just wonky, I feel like duncan has some great finalist potential but it wasn't it
TDWT
Alejandro & Heather
probably the only final 2 I dont have any complaints about. this rivalry was great. world tour had iffy writing, but there was some good buildup between these two, and it’s nice to see heather come so far. the volcano scene where heather tricked him?? iconic. not a huge fan of the 3rd-6thish place choices but we got where we needed to be with this final two. wish heather got to keep the money though
TDROTI
Cameron & Lightning
dont remember anything ab the finale including who won when I watched it. but im not really a fan of cameron making it this far when it feels like a lot more tougher/more dynamic characters easily could've beat him. didn’t like lightning initially but im warming up to him. this season overall is really forgettable to me so idk what conclusion to draw here
TDAS
Mike & Zoey
ughhhhhhhh. these two were kept on for way too long, fresh, your favoritism is showing. this whole finale was whack. would've been great to see a courtney v. scott or courtney v. gwen finale (okay maybe im the one with favoritism but I want courtney to make it to a finale pleaseeee)
TDPI
Sky - dont remember the second half of this season too well, but I do like how motivated sky’s character is, and I definitely think she deserved her spot at the finale
Shawn - dont get me wrong, i like shawn. I think he was written well for having such a huge zombie gag going on, he’s still a likable and compelling character, at least in my opinion. but... I think jasmine shouldve had this spot in the finale. I dont remember how she was eliminated but I think her v. sky would've been really interesting
TDRR
Police Cadets - absolutely. I love them. macarthur can be annoying half the time but she’s still lovable, and they balance each other out, especially after macarthur realizes how badly her choices can hurt sanders and is more aware. idgaf ab those random lines with brody, these two are lesbian coded and theres nothing you can do about it. “we were already partners”?? beautiful. I think they worked hard and really deserved this. the only downside is that they’re training to be cops
Surfer Dudes - I have... mixed feelings. there could have been a lot worse choices. what really gets my noggin going is them coming back to the game so late. it feels like they didn’t quite earn their spot. but then again, they were only able to come back because they purposefully lost to be fair to the best friends in that cave challenge. while the timing is not my favorite, I like that the guys who were always kind to others and played by the rules no matter how their competition treated them won. I just think it’s a good message to send
#total drama#total drama island#total drama action#total drama world tour#total drama revenge of the island#revenge of the island#total drama all stars#total drama pahkitew island#pahkitew island#total drama ridonculous race#td owen#td gwen#td duncan#td beth#td heather#td alejandro#td cameron#td lightning#td zoey#td mike#td sky#td shawn#td macarthur#td sanders#td geoff#td brody
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prompt fill #1
@shame-cubed: bede and gloria in a raid together
this was supposed to be a simple one but then i decided to add 3 more people and a metric fuckton of tension and it kinda blew up. word count: don’t worry about it
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“Where’s the dynamax pokemon?”
He eyes you with a mask of disdain, attention briefly flitting to the vikavolt you have buzzing over your shoulder. “Not an issue, no thanks to you.”
“There’s been reports of energy flares in almost every gym, so it took a bit of time to get here.” You pause to catch your breath, removing your beret to run a hand through your windblown hair after a harrowing flight over the Tangled Woods. Dangling under a vikavolt fifty metres off the ground doesn’t do well for vertigo. “I’m here to help. There’re other people coming, just show us where the pokemon’s at and we’ll calm it down.”
There’s muffled banging at the main entrance, a drawn-out holler cut off with a sharp rebuttal. Hop and Piers. Bede’s voice ices over. “Then go play hero for the other towns. We don’t need you here.”
The nerve of him. “I don’t know if you’ve stuck your head out of your little me-bubble yet, but people are trying to save the region from collapsing, and maybe if you stop babying your ego for just one second you’d accept help when help is offered—”
“I believe Bede is suggesting he’s already dealt with the issue.” Opal cuts in, stepping out from under the shadow of the backroom. She looks the same since your gym challenge—angular face drowning amid her ample ruff, deceptively leaning on her umbrella-cane like she isn’t capable of throwing it away in a heartbeat—but it’s the way Bede stands straighter and draws closer to her presence that has you thrown.
This is not the Bede in Galar Mines, not the Bede in Hammerlocke, tired and disgraced; this is not the Bede at Wyndon semifinals, desperate for redemption. This is the Bede who’s found his home, confident and grounded when you’ve had the rug swept from under your feet.
The gym challenge changes people, they say.
(You’ve never felt more alone.)
“Miss Opal! We’re here to help you with the dynma—” Hop skids to a stop once he notices Bede, and the way they size each other up reminds you of fights between wild pokemon.
Coming here was a mistake.
“Evenin’, ma’am.” Piers brings up the rear, eyes glued to his rotom-phone, unheeding toward the palpable tension in the room. “Dynamax readin’s gone, I reckon you’ve got it taken care of then.”
“Why yes, my protégé handled the rogue shiinotic brilliantly a little while before you came.”
Bede smirks at her praise; you lay a hand on Hop's shoulder to stop him from pulling anything, only to have him roughly shrug it off and stalk out of the building.
“I wouldn’t bother with him,” Bede says as you stare at the still-swinging doors, something close to shame prickling deep in your throat. “Someone who thinks he's entitled special treatment because his brother’s the champion doesn’t deserve to take his spot.”
Deep breaths. Opal watches you with hawk’s eyes, and for a second you feel more bone than flesh, surrounded. Think of secret summer grottos, ponds with water so clear the remoraid’s scales gleam as they swim through, think of how happy Crustle was when his crabapple tree bloomed, maybe wiping that smarmy expression off Bede’s face even though you can’t throw a punch to save your life.
When you dare to speak again, your voice comes out lowed like a hiss from a boiling kettle. “If you’re so good at dealing with dynamax pokemon, I’d like to see you handle the rest of this problem.“
“I fail to see how the rest of the gyms fall under my jurisdiction. We’ve dawdled for long enough, it’s time—”
“He’ll do it.”
“—for you to...what?”
You’d savour the look of disbelief on Bede’s face if the implication of Opal’s comment didn’t sink in. She regains control of the situation with a smile, too pleasant for the gravity of her words. “It must be difficult for the three of you to handle all of this on your own. These bones are too old to hitch a ride on unlicensed fliers, but Bede here can accompany you while I guard the gym.”
Bede runs a hand through his hair, considering.
“Fine,” he bites out, releasing his gardevoir before striding out the entrance. You quickly jog after him, hoping to reach Hop before he does. “Let’s go.”
“—very keen on addin’ fuel to the fire.” Piers comments far behind you.
“They’ll sort it out,” Opal replies, “Sometimes all it takes is getting a little burnt.”
————————-
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Hop gapes at the skulking figure of Bede from his perch atop his corviknight, an imposing bird outlined in scintillating angles against the dead of night. “Glor, please tell me you’re joking.”
“He wanted to come. You...we need all the help we can get, and having him just means we can get this done faster and safer. Please. This is for the greater good.”
“Are you siding with him now? Is this what it is? This is a bloody insult to injury, Glor. Do you remember what he’s done to you? Do you remember what he’s done to me?”
“I’m not taking anyone’s side! You can choose to never see Bede again after this is over, Hop, it’s just that we have a bigger issue at hand and everyone’ll need to put aside their difference until we can stabilize the region.”
“I know, but I'm a hundred percent sure that we. Don’t. Need. Him.” He punctuates every word with a jab of his finger in Bede’s direction. “We were fine in Turrfield. We were fine in Hulbury. We were fine in Motostoke, we were fine in Stow-On-Side. We’re almost done, we’d just finish everything with more peace of mind if he buggers off.”
Bede crosses his arms. “Flattered you think so highly of me. Honestly, Hop, you’re desperation is showing. Worried that I’ll steal your thunder?”
“Guys, please—”
Hop’s corviknight lets out an ear-piercing screech, rearing up and flapping its wings in a way that forces the rest of you to back up. Bede’s gardevoir steps in front of him, her horn glowing with the beginnings of psychic energy.
“ENOUGH!” A dark shape, too fast to make out, cleaves between the two boys, the acrid smell of something sour lingering behind.
Piers steps out, followed closely by his obstagoon, the vestiges of a night slash still roiling off its foreclaws. “This isn’t what I was expectin’ from a finalist and a gym leader, and you two ought be ashamed of yourselves for this kind of behavior.” He sighs heavily, rubbing his temples. “I need a smoke break. Gloria, come with me.”
————————-
“Marnie told me you lot were good kids.” Piers takes a slow drag of his cigarette. You fidget with the hem of your skirt, sneaking peeks at the clearing even though neither of the boys are in sight. “So imagine my surprise when I end up babysittin’ two kids who look one second away from tearin’ each other’s throat out, with you actin’ like you’re the reason they want to.”
“I am.” The floodgates burst all too easily; you never expected to pour your heart out to a near-stranger, fraying dye job illuminated in the harsh glare of the street lamp and wreathed in a halo of cigarette smoke, but lately all your friends have been worse than strangers and Piers. Piers sits still and listens. “I-I never wanted to do...this. The championship is always Hop’s dream, and I promised to help him get it like a friend before pulling it out from under him. Could’ve supported him after Bede broke his spirit—he said he was a disgrace to Leon’s name, even though he isn’t even relevant—but instead I decided to hammer it in by battling him and winning.”
You shut your eyes, grind the heel of your palms hard onto them until you’re seeing stars. “I saw Bede’s disqualification. I was there to see the hope go out of him when Rose told him he no longer worked for them, was there and did nothing. I’ve done nothing but shirk and shirk, and now i’m supposed to stabilize Galar’s dynamax outbreak when I can’t even lift a finger for the people closest to me.” Bitter smile. “Some champion I am.”
Piers huffs. He drops the cigarette, crushing its embers under the heel of his boot, before looking up and speaking. “I don’t know enough to say it’s not your fault, but you’re takin’ your mistakes out of proportion.”
“Spikemuth’s never been my dream; most people don’t end up doin’ the thing they want, believe it or not. This may not be yours and yet you’re tryin’, and you’ve got heart. I doubt a bad champion would be risking her life travelin’ from town to town confrontin’ rampagin’ pokemon like you are now.”
“That...still doesn’t make me a good champion.”
“No, it doesn’t.” He stands, brushing off lingering ash. “But Galar doesn’t have a ‘good champion’. It has you. And even if you can’t redeem yourself in the eyes of your friends, you can redefine yourself in everyone else. Come, let’s head back.”
You return to the same silent standstill you left. Hop can’t meet your eyes, face buried in the feathers around his corviknight’s neck. Bede only stares back; a challenge.
“Which cities do you have left?” he asks.
Piers checks. “Only Circhester and Hammerlocke, it looks like.”
“We’ll split up, then,” Hop interjects, not even looking up. “Piers and I’ll go to Circhester, while Gloria and Bede go to Hammerlocke.”
“That’s fine,” you concede after a moment’s pause. He’s trying to distance himself from you, but can you blame him?
(You can’t, not really. This must be a nightmare situation for him—losing to the false heirs, failing to catch them, fighting alongside his former-friend-now-champion knowing he could’ve been the one in her place, watching her strike the final blow as his cinderace heals on the sidelines. Every reminder is driving a nail in the coffin, and Bede’s arrival is simply the stake that split it at the seams.)
“Best of luck to you, then.”
“Good luck to you too.”
————————-
“Everything you’ve said to Hop applies to you, y’know.”
“Are we really going over this now?” The Hammerlocke gym halls are far too empty for comfort, deep rumbles echoing against your skull as you catch flashes of light past stadium doors. You stalk onward, eager to get the situation over with and return to Ballonlea. Damn Opal. “We have a bigger issue at hand.”
Out of the corner of your eye you see Gloria puff out her cheeks. If someone were to back you into the corner of an alley with a knife pressed to your throat, you’d admit you do respect her; becoming the Champion is no easy feat, and nobody expected it from a quiet girl with a team full of bugs, the beginner’s route fodder others grind to train their battlers. It’s her altruism that irritates you, a relentless selflessness that will get her bitten, somewhere down the line. “Can’t you accept help without fighting it?”
You fall silent.
Oleana’s voice, ice against your ear. “Is this how you’ll treat the man who found you, back when you were all alone?”
(More wishing stars. Always more wishing stars.)
A rattling roar resounds ahead. Sensing she’s needed, Hattie coalesces by your side with a chiming noise, and you continue on, pushing past reinforced double doors. “The last person who offered me help was Rose.”
And look where it got me.
The dynamaxed haxorus is huge; its scythe-like tusks crest above the open roof of the arena, claws as large as longswords carving deep furrows into the turf, an excess of power and energy given a corporeal form while the haxorus’s original body is tucked away behind layers of shields. An entire section of bleachers had been razed to the ground, steel gouged with millions of tiny lacerations that fractal in draconid energy. Gloria finally shut her mouth, calling out her crustle as you start putting distance between you and her. The flash of light catches the haxorus’s attention.
Its eyes are impossibly wide—a deerling in headlights, more prey than predator—and when it roars, it's a pained cry pitched like a plea.
The raid begins.
Gloria fights like battling is innate to her, instinct ingrained through bone in a way no amount of textbook memorization or controlled-environment training can hold a candle to. Bugs are notoriously more id than superego; rather than suppressing it, hers seem to have tailored their natural behavior towards battling, where her commands are less commands than they are suggestions, tips, and warnings, a coach to her players. She trusts her pokemon, and they make it worthwhile. It makes her incredibly hard to read, as most of the time she isn’t even giving instructions.
Helpful in a singles matchup, not so much in a tag-team battle.
You hear her call out from the other end of the stadium, and her crustle withdraws into its shell just fast enough to dodge the brunt of Hattie’s dazzling gleam. In the split second when the haxorus is sent reeling, it pulls off a shell smash, darting out of its shell in a blur of orange to land a stone edge that shatters the haxorus’s shields.
It keeps up the distraction long enough for Hattie, slow as she is, to charge up another dazzling gleam. The stadium lights up in a brilliant light display as it explodes against the haxorus’s side, sending it reeling. Crustle is also sent flying a couple metres back before getting back on its feet, the exoskeleton of its claws warped from where it used to to block the worst of the attack.
“Stop hitting me!” Gloria calls.
“Then dodge out of the way! Hattie can’t avoid you without compromising her output!”
Haxorus finally notices you, letting out a bellow as its tail warps into something steel-tipped, sharp with metallic ridges gleaming crimson in the dynamax light, before swinging the entire thing towards you.
Of course. Bloody thing knows steelspike.
Your back collides with the stadium walls before you realize there’s nowhere to run. Damn Opal. Couldn’t make do with just the shiinotic. Hattie matches the haxorus with her own war cry, energy streaming through her coat in a last-ditch attempt at damage.
In the span of a split second, something orange collides with the tail, knocking it off track.
Then the world flashes white.
When you finally regain your vision, the haxorus is back to its regular size and barely conscious, keeling over onto the ground. Hattie twirls, unscathed save for shards of steel tangled in her hair.
You could hardly recognize it without its boulder shell, but buried in the sand beside her was the fainted body of Gloria’s crustle, who’d taken the brunt of the steelspike.
“What was that?” You ask Gloria, who had recalled the fallen haxorus into its gym-issued pokeball.
She crouched next to her crustle, checking it for injuries before withdrawing it as well. “Crustle blocked its attack. Don’t worry about him; he’s tough, and I’ll reward him with extra fertiliser to his favorite tree after this.”
“Hattie could’ve take—” You stop, because no, she wouldn’t, before amending “It’s unnecessary. Crustle could’ve utilized the chance to get its last hits in.”
“He might’ve missed. This gave us the best chances of winning, and he wanted that. Wouldn’t have followed my order if he didn’t. Also...Hattie?”
“Stop changing the topic. You’d let it throw itself into the path of danger for a chance?”
“Yes.”
She looks a little dejected, but doesn’t push like he expects her to. Nobody gives charity for free; he’s learned this through his multiple orphanage relocations, Rose’s too-large watch, Opal’s quest for an heir. His mind is quick to point fingers at pity, just like the others, but he can smell pity a mile off and Gloria’s never been the type for it, not to him.
Why?
“Isn’t this a betrayal to Hop?”
Her face steels over. “He doesn’t have to like anything I do. He’s not here, and this isn’t about him.” It’s a far cry from Stow-On-Side, her fury on Hop’s behalf. You’ve noticed the two seem more distant lately. The gym challenge changes people, they say.
The outside air is cool on your face. Gloria’s vikavolt has its claws latched onto her backpack, carrying her in what you’d describe as the most dangerous method of flying and you still don’t understand, why why why why why?
“Gloria?”
She glances back at you, head tilted slightly to the side. Your question dies in your throat.
“Stay safe.”
She looks at you strangely. “T-thanks. Stay safe too.”
You watch until her figure becomes a dark speck on the horizon before heading home, alone.
#bede: why would she do this#gloria: because i care?#bede: truly a mystery#drudwrites#june prompt fills
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GALA 4 TOP 3
Here is last week top 3!
Oh boy.... This gala was... Intense. Especially the nominations. Oh boy the nominations. Why all my obsessions have to make me suffer so much.
Either way, here are my honorable mentions:
Bad Girls - Nia and Bruno: For some reason I didn’t like it as much as I thought I would, I don’t honestly know why. That doesn’t mean it was a bad performance, it’s easily my top 4 of the gala, and Nia, again, slayed, for me she is the winner of this edition, calling it. At least, that’s what she deserve. Also Bruno, he has done pretty solid performances in all of the galas and he’s super underrated. Really really good both of them.
Amor Eterno - Javy and Anaju: I honestly liked this performance. Their voices sounded really good together, and it was emotional, just as they intended. It wasn’t the best performance of the night, sure, but. It wasn’t bad enough for they to NOMINATE BOTH???? Both?? And now next week one of them is going to be expulsed, even though for many people, including me, they were both finalists. And the fact that they nominated both of them, but none of the “princesses”.... Not over it (btw salvar Anaju).
3. DINAMITA - MAIALEN:
youtube
Here is the original version, by La Bien Querida :)
She was one of the nominees, and she did it so good, even though Manu said in the Gala Review she was not that great. Thankfully she was saved! She was so powerful, so focused, so serious in this performance, it kinda gave me chills. She was amazing. Also, the suit she has on is the suit she dresses in her concerts, where she adopts her alter ego, Chica Sobresalto (”Fright Girl”) which, in her words, “is just her, but brave”. This girl is a national treasure istg.
2. CALL ME MAYBE - FLAVIO AND SAMANTHA:
youtube
Here is the original version, by Carly Rae Jepsen, I don’t know what is the version they use as a base for this cover though :)
Again, Flavio’s facial expressions are so hilarious to me, I don’t know why. And Samantha was so good, worthy of being the favorite that night, she deserved every bit of it. And although the song was made for Flavio, he had even sung it before, Samantha was outright better than him, it was amazing. They both sounded really good, and their voices match up so beautifully, it was a really really fun performance.
1. WICKED GAME - GÈRARD AND ANNE:
youtube
Here is the original version of the song, by Chris Isaak :)
Where to start with this performance holy shit. I’m calling it, for now it’s my favourite performance of the edition. For sure. Like wow. And, obviously, this wasn’t their best pass, my personal favourite was this one, where they sung without the guitar and just looking at each other. It wasn’t in a class or anything, that’s why is so short and from Twitter but whatever. This was the first song from this edition that made my heart pound, and they were so true, so beautiful, just amazing.
Having said that, let’s talk about the video™. In case you didn’t watch the gala, before they sung, they showed them a video in which Gèrard was composing a song (that was clearly about Anne but whatever) and in the end he sung it to Anne, and they kissed. They showed them kissing. I have to say, this kiss wasn’t show in the 24h over in livestream, no one knew this. But, they decided to out them. Like... can you imagine how they fucking felt, giving they both are really shy and already hard on themselves? They were appalled. And I was so fucking angry. Like, we all knew they were together, because it was very obvious, and they are cute as shit together, I’m the first who ships them. BUT. That’s no excuse to show them kissing on TV so everybody can see. Fuck whoever decided that, really. They could’ve done it horrible after that happened, but instead, they did THAT, so I’m so proud of them. For some fucking reason they nominated, again, Anne, this time because she didn’t sing a note that she wasn’t asked to do in the first place, so fuck the jury, thankfully she was saved by the teachers. I thought after all of that they would fall apart, but thankfully they are still cute as shit, Anne even composed a song about Gèrard, so everything seems fine.
Anyways, that was all. As you can see, it was a tough gala. For me, not as good as the previous one tbh, and way more suffering inducing for sure. At least it’s done. Let’s see next gala, I’m liking most of the songs so let’s see how it goes, for now I’m rooting for Gèrard this week cause he has a Pablo Alborán song, I have no option but to stan.
And about the nominees, as I said earlier, both of them were some of my finalists, and Javy is a great composer, singer, and person, and he shouldn’t have to leave the program this early, but Anaju is one of my faves and I can’t let her leave so early. Also, Javy has his single (which is the song he’ll sing in the gala!) so at least the expulsion will be a bit more bittersweet, instead of just bitter.
Let me think what you thought!
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